Batman Family Enemies

Classic rogues gallery[]

Listed below are the Batman family's most enduring and iconic adversaries.

Villain	First appearance	Fictional biography
Bane	Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1 (January 1993)	The international masked criminal known as Bane has immense strength that comes from a super-steroid called Venom. Bane's raw power, coupled with his genius level intellect, makes him a considerable threat to Batman, having once succeeded in breaking Batman's back.
Black Mask	Batman #386 (August 1985)	Roman Sionis is a corrupt businessman and crime lord who has a fixation with masks. Sionis wears a black mask resembling a human skull that gives him limited mind control abilities over the weak-minded.
Black Mask	Shadow of the Bat #1 (June 1992)	Jeremiah Arkham became the new Black Mask following the death of Roman Sionis. Arkham, the director of Arkham Asylum, began to develop multiple personality disorder, leading to him taking on the Black Mask identity.
Catwoman	Batman #1 (April 1940)	Selina Kyle is an accomplished jewel thief. Although traditionally considered a villain, she is often portrayed as an antihero. She also has an on-again, off-again romantic relationship with Batman.
Clayface	Detective Comics #40 (June 1940)	The actor Basil Karlo went mad when he learned that there would be a remake of one of his films with another actor in the lead role. Adopting the alias of the film's villain, "Clayface", he attacked several of the remake's cast and crew at the points in filming when they were supposed to die before being stopped by Batman and Robin. Later he gained shapeshifting powers and became the Ultimate Clayface.
	Detective Comics #298 (December 1961)	Treasure-hunter Matt Hagen is transformed into the monstrous Clayface II by a pool of radioactive protoplasm. He now possesses superstrength and can change his claylike body into any form.
	Detective Comics #478 (July 1978)	Preston Payne suffered from hyperpituitarism, so he worked at S.T.A.R. Labs to search for a cure. He obtained a sample of Matt Hagen's blood, isolating an enzyme which he introduced into his own bloodstream. However, his flesh began to melt, so he built an anti-melting exoskeleton to not only preserve himself, but to also prevent him from touching anyone, as he also gained the ability to melt people into protoplasm with a touch. This was until he learned that he needed to spread his melting contagion onto others to survive. He later met and fell in love with Lady Clay, and the two had a son named Cassius "Clay" Payne.
	Outsiders #21 (July 1987)	Lady Clay (Sondra Fuller) has superpowers similar to that of the second Clayface, Matt Hagen. She meets and falls in love with the third Clayface, Preston Payne, and gives birth to Cassius "Clay" Payne.
	Batman: Shadow of the Bat #27 (May, 1994)	Cassius "Clay" Payne, otherwise known as the Claything, is the son of Preston Payne and Lady Clay who inherited the abilities of his parents. Payne was separated from his parents and was experimented on by the government. Unlike his parents, Payne can only keep his metahuman abilities while awake and, if a piece of his clay body is separated from him, it can grow a mind of its own.
	Batman #550 (January 1998)	Doctor Peter Malley, also known as the second Claything, was a DEO scientist who was transformed when he merged with a sample of Cassius Payne. Doctor Malley has the ability to melt objects simply by looking at them.
	Catwoman (vol. 3) #1 (January 2002)	Todd Russell is a serial killer with the ability to transform into virtually any shape and size who targets prostitutes.
	Batman: Gotham Knights #60 (February 2005)	Johnny Williams is a former firefighter who gained a claylike appearance and the ability to shapeshift following an explosion at a chemical plant. He was manipulated by Hush and the Riddler to transform his appearance into that of Jason Todd in order to deceive Batman, which ultimately failed.
	Batman Incorporated #6 (June 2011)	The Clayface of Japan is a samurai with abilities similar to the previous Clayfaces.
Deadshot	Batman #59 (June 1950)	Floyd Lawton is an excellent sniper assassin who, when wielding a gun or projectile, never misses a shot. He is often considered to be the second-greatest assassin in the DC Universe, the first being Deathstroke the Terminator.
Deathstroke the Terminator	New Teen Titans #2 (December 1980)	Slade Wilson is a ruthless metahuman mercenary and the world's greatest assassin, known to take on seemingly impossible jobs and the toughest targets as a personal challenge.
Firefly	Detective Comics #184 (June 1952)	Garfield Lynns is an orphan who became a pyromaniac, having developed a fireproof suit with a flamethrower to further pursue his "hobby". He invents numerous weapons that involve light to commit crimes with.
Firefly	Batman #126 (September 1959)	Ted Carson was a man of wealth before he gambled away his fortune. Desperate, Carson turned to crime, becoming the second Firefly.
Harley Quinn	The Batman Adventures #12 (September 1993)	Dr. Harleen Quinzel was the Joker's psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum until she fell in love with him and subsequently reinvented herself as his madcap sidekick, Harley Quinn. She is often mistreated by the Joker, but that rarely changes how she feels about him.
Hugo Strange	Detective Comics #36 (February 1940)	Professor Hugo Strange is an insane psychologist who uses his mastery of chemistry to create a serum that turns his victims into mindless monsters who obey his every command. He has succeeded in deducing that Batman is Bruce Wayne.
Hush	Batman #609 (January 2003)	Dr. Thomas Elliot is a brilliant surgeon who targets both Bruce Wayne, his childhood friend, and Batman.
Joker	Batman #1 (April 1940)	The Joker is a homicidal maniac with a clown-like appearance, bent on creating havoc in Gotham City and fighting a never-ending battle against Batman. His arsenal of weapons includes razor-sharp playing cards, acid-squirting flowers, and fatal laughing gas. He is Batman's archenemy, as well as the most famous and recurring villain.
Killer Croc	Batman #357 (March 1983)	Waylon Jones has a medical condition that warped his body into a massive crocodile-like form. As Killer Croc descended into madness, he sharpened his teeth to razor points and began murdering innocent victims. He possesses super-strength and is immune to toxins.
Killer Moth	Batman #63 (February 1951)	Drury Walker, alias Cameron Van Cleer, is a moth-themed criminal, known for being the first villain to have been defeated by Batgirl.
Mad Hatter	Batman #49 (October 1948)	Jervis Tetch is inspired by Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to commit crimes. He uses his mind control technology to bend people to his will, and is never seen without a large and fantastic hat. He desires Batman's cowl, even if it means killing Batman.
Man-Bat	Detective Comics #400 (June 1970)	Dr. Kirk Langstrom invented a serum to give him echolocation to cure his growing deafness. The serum had an unforeseen side-effect, transforming him into the monstrous Man-Bat.
Mister Freeze	Batman #121 (February 1959)	Dr. Victor Fries is a scientist who accidentally spilled cryogenic chemicals on himself while inventing a freeze-gun. Now requiring subzero temperatures to survive, he uses freeze-inducing weaponry and must wear a fully contained, refrigerated ice-suit.[62] Fries was later reinvented as a tragic figure and occasional antihero, specifically a brilliant cryogenicist whose beloved wife Nora fell terminally ill. He obsessively searched for a way to cure her, until an industrial accident caused by a greedy business executive turned Fries into a mutant who can only survive in subzero temperatures.
Penguin	Detective Comics #58 (December 1941)	Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot is a devious, short-statured, penguin-themed crime boss who is seldom seen without at least one of his trick umbrellas. The Penguin uses his nightclub, the Iceberg Lounge, as a front for his criminal activities. He is one of Batman's few adversaries who is sane and in full control of his actions.
Poison Ivy	Batman #181 (June 1966)	Pamela Lillian Isley, a former student of advanced botanical biochemistry, employs plants of all varieties and their derivatives in her crimes. She has the ability to control all plant life and can create new henchmen with her mutated seeds. She is immune to all plant-based poisons.
Ra's al Ghul	Batman #232 (June 1971)	Ra's al Ghul ("Demon's Head" in Arabic) is a centuries-old international eco-terrorist who believes that his actions help "bring balance" to the world. Ra's al Ghul is the founder of the League of Assassins and is fully aware of Batman's secret identity. Impressed by Batman's skills and intellect, he wants the Dark Knight to take his place as heir to the Demon.
Riddler	Detective Comics #140 (October 1948)	Edward Nashton, a.k.a. Edward Nigma ("E. Nigma"), is a criminal mastermind who has a compulsion to challenge Batman by leaving clues to his crimes in the form of riddles, puzzles, and word-games. Nigma's intelligence rivals that of Batman. Nigma often carries a question mark-tipped cane around with him, as well as many other trick puzzle gimmicks.
Scarecrow	World's Finest Comics #3 (September 1941)	Professor Jonathan Crane was an outcast in childhood due to constant bullying, until he grew up to face his fears as a psychologist and biochemist in the specialization of fear. Kicked out of a university for his unorthodox teaching methods, he now dresses symbolically as a scarecrow, and employs a toxin that causes its victims to hallucinate the presence of what they most fear.
Solomon Grundy	All-American Comics #61 (October 1944)	Solomon Grundy/Cyrus Gold was a Gotham City merchant who was murdered and thrown into Slaughter Swamp, where he was transformed into an undead, incredibly strong, zombie-like creature. Solomon Grundy was initially an enemy of Green Lantern, but has had numerous encounters with Batman.
Two-Face	Detective Comics #66 (August 1942)	Harvey Dent was a district attorney until half of his face was disfigured after being assaulted by mob boss Sal Maroni. Having developed dissociative identity disorder, Harvey Dent is obsessed with the number two and the concept of duality and must make most of his decisions with the flip of his signature coin: one side clean, the other side scarred. As Two-Face, Harvey Dent commits crimes that are themed around the number two and the concept of duality.
Ventriloquist	Detective Comics #583 (February 1988)	Arnold Wesker is a small, mild-mannered ventriloquist. Under his dummy Scarface's psychological influence (via dissociative identity disorder), the Ventriloquist is a dangerous crimeboss. He was among the many villains that were executed by the second Tally Man.
	Detective Comics #827 (March 2007)	Peyton Riley, called "Sugar" by Scarface, became the second Ventriloquist after the death of Arnold Wesker.
	Batgirl (vol 4) #20 (July 2013)	The third Ventriloquist, Shauna Belzer, is obsessed with murder. Through the use of telekinesis, Belzer murders innocent people with her "partner", a puppet she controls named Ferdie. Belzer is primarily an enemy of Batgirl.
Mister Zsasz	Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1 (June 1992)	Victor Zsasz is a serial killer whose modus operandi involves slitting the throats of his victims, then arranging the bodies in lifelike poses, such as a family watching TV or several people playing poker. He cuts a tally mark onto his own body for each of his victims.