Considered by fans to be one of the best interpretations of the character and world, Batman: The Animated Series is a landmark in superhero storytelling. The dark, art deco visuals, stylistic character designs, and mature, sensitive writing make this show stand apart from other animated superhero adaptations.
The show also has some of the best depictions of Batman's rogues gallery in all of the DC Comics hero's additional media outside the comics. From introducing now-iconic characters, putting distinct stamps on classic characters, and having perfect versions of characters who haven't even shown up in the live-action films, these 10 villains prove Batman: The Animated Series has the best villains around
10 Roxy Rocket
Roxanne Sutton, A.K.A. Roxy Rocket, first appeared in the episode "The Ultimate Thrill" where she was formerly a Hollywood stunt double but was fired after she continually tried to make her stunts more dangerous to satiate her need for adrenaline. Afterward, he decided to set her sights on Gotham City and start working for The Penguin, realizing that a life of crime provided her the thrills that Hollywood could not.
Upon meeting Batman, she thought he was a kindred spirit who shared her penchant for taking risks, but she was ultimately disappointed when the feeling was not reciprocated and she was arrested. Roxy has appeared in other big DCAU properties and has since gone on to become a character in the main DC Comics universe.
9 Scarecrow
Johnathan Crane is Scarecrow, a villain who explores and exploits people's fear and turns it into a weapon. His fascination and obsession with fear cost him his job at Gotham State University, so he decided to turn to a life of crime to fulfill his desire for inducing fear.
His run-ins with Batman ended him up in Arkham Asylum, which proved to be even more dangerous as he came into contact with other villains just as twisted as him. He had gone through many design changes on the show, with his first appearance decidedly less scary and a bit goofy, but he ended up looking as nightmarish as one might imagine. Scarecrow took a few appearances on the show before truly finding his footing as a fearsome foe to Batman.
8 Mister Freeze
When Victor Fries' wife Nora was diagnosed with a terminal illness, he started experimenting with cryogenics at GothCorps. But, when his boss found out how much money the research cost, he destroyed Victor's research and kicked him into a vat of chemicals.
This altered his DNA and made him incapable of surviving in temperatures above zero degrees celsius, and thus Mister Freeze was born, with the villain turning to a life of crime to get revenge on GothCorps. Freeze has one of the best and most empathetic and well-explained backstories of any of the show's villains, and his portrayal here no doubt helped in inspire his appearance in Batman and Robin in 1997.
7 The Ventriloquist and Scarface
Andrew Wesker manifested a dominant personality in the form of a dummy which he named "Scarface." They carried out a series of heists together only to be caught by Batman, and the ensuing fight left Scarface a broken pile of wood.
Wesker was taken to Arkham Asylum where he carved a new Scarface dummy and began plotting new schemes. These characters are not only visually interesting, but the dual personalities of Wesker and Scarface make for an engaging on-screen dynamic when interacting with other characters, and the two are genuinely frightening in certain scenes.
6 The Mad Hatter
Jarvis Tetch's research specializes in mind control, and it takes a dark turn after he becomes obsessed with his co-worker named Alice. He tries to woo her up after a breakup, but Alice misinterprets this as a platonic gesture and gets back together with her boyfriend. This enrages Tetch, who then resorts to using his mind control tech on her.
Batman gets wind of this and confronts Tetch, and, after a long struggle, Batman is able to free Alice and the others and take Tetch to Arkham Asylum. This character's motivations are disturbing on to of him being visually interesting. He has not been utilized in the films yet, but he would certainly lend himself quite well to live-action.
5 Two-Face
Former District Attorney of Gotham City, Harvey Dent used to be close friends with Bruce Wayne and sided with truth and justice before an accident left half of his body disfigured. He suffered a psychotic break and manifested a split personality, calling himself Two-Face and turning to a life of crime.
This depiction of Dent is different from the ones in the films people may be more familiar with. His friendship with Bruce prior to his accident is well established, as is his relationship with a certain femme fatale. Plus, his dark side manifests in truly terrifying ways that push the boundaries of what can be shown in a children's series.
4 Poison Ivy
Dr. Pamela Isley is the ultimate Batman femme fatale. Beautiful, intelligent, and cunning, she knows exactly what she needs to do in order to get what she wants. Her love and appreciation for nature and plant life have no rival, and this makes her motivations as a villain relatable to the audience.
Her means are questionable, but wanting to save the planet from the hands of greedy, selfish industrialists is quite noble. This version of Ivy is cool and sly while also allowing heart and vulnerability to be shown when necessary. This depiction no doubt helped make her popular enough for her role in Batman and Robin in 1997.
3 Clayface
After actor Matt Hagen was disfigured in a car crash, he was given a deal to try an experimental compound called "Renuyu," which would restore his looks. The other part of the deal was using the compound to disguise himself as other people for shady business deals, which eventually got Batman's attention. Batman tries to remind Hagen of his true identity, only for Hagen to fake his own death and disappear.
Easily one of the best depictions of the Batman villain, the animation of Clayface is some of this show's best, and his origin is compelling and tragic. His subsequent appearances on the show fully capitalize on his unique powerset and make him an intellectual and physical foe for Batman.
2 Harley Quinn
Dr. Harleen Francis Quinzel was a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum when she slowly fell in love with Joker and broke both of them out of the institution to live a life of crime together. Joker is the only man for Harley, although Joker only seems to want her when he needs something from her and the rest of the time is physically and emotionally abusive.
Harley was created specifically for this series and was only meant for one episode, but she proved to be so popular they brought her back and the rest is history. She is a ball of fun and energy in an otherwise dark and serious show, and Quinn has had a lot of interesting moments with Batman over the years.
1 The Joker
Brought to miraculous and iconic life by the voice of Mark Hammil, the BTAS version of Joker is one for the history books. Fun, creepy, menacing, and diabolical, this version of the clown prince of crime is comics accurate while also breaking new ground and showing different sides to him, especially in his relationship with Harley.
The animation is inspired, and his dynamic with Batman is one of the best audiences have seen so far. This version of the character is so unpredictable not just with his actions, but with his words and personality that it makes every episode he is in feel fresh and keeps the audience coming back for more. From animation to writing to voice acting, this Joker is undoubtedly one of the best.
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July 18, 2021 at 12:00AM
