Top Five BATMAN Villains

Every hero needs a villain to go head to head with, and for the Caped Crusader there’s no better selection of dangerous and crazy characters to take down than those in Gotham City. To celebrate the release of Batman And Harley Quinn in cinemas for one night only on August 14 and available on Digital Download on August 15, we’ve picked out some of our favourite Batman baddies!

The Joker
Famously voiced by Star Wars’ Mark Hamill, the Joker is Batman’s archenemy. Despite being Gotham City’s most notorious criminal, the Joker’s plans have little prejudice, and can range from small-scale to global. He is shown to delight in playing sinister ‘jokes’ on the most ordinary, innocent victims. The Joker is a psychopath with an inflated ego, and often attempts to commit mass-murder for the sake of jokes. Moreover, he even has little regard for his own life and safety, laughing in instances where his own death was seemingly inevitable.

Poison Ivy
Poison Ivy – formally Dr. Pamela Lillian Isley – is the botanist leading a secret life as an eco-terrorist. Unlike other of Batman’s enemies such as The Joker, Poison Ivy has little interest in money or power. Her thirst for revenge stems from an obsession with preserving plant life, seeking to destroy those who she believed has harmed it. Unsurprisingly, her ruthless methods routinely landed her in Arkham Asylum. Since a chance meeting with the other femme fatale Harley Quinn during a heist at the Gotham Museum, fans have enjoyed watching the pair in one of the series’ most unique and enjoyable friendships.

The Riddler
After losing his job at computer software designer, Edward Nygma became the supervillain known as ‘The Riddler.’ His name derives from Edward’s love for games, and he incorporates this passion into his evil schemes – for example, presenting Batman with a series of sinister puzzles to solve before attempting to save the life of an innocent man.

Two Face
Harvey Dent was Gotham City’s best district attorney and one of Batman’s closest friends and allies, until a tragic freak accident destroyed half of his face and drove him to join the criminal circuit under the name, ‘Two-Face.’ Having suffered from a personality disorder since boyhood, his dark side became the dominate personality following the trauma of his accident and the loss of his career; it left him in a state where right and wrong no longer held any meaning. Obsessed with the number ‘2,’ his double-headed coin (where one side bears a scarred face) dictates his decisions involving the law and criminal activities; random chance reigns supreme. Batman considers Dent’s descent into madness to be one of his own greatest failures.

Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn, real name Harleen Quinzel, is the right-hand woman & girlfriend of The Joker and is also one of the most popular villains in the DC universe. Harley’s relationship with her ‘puddin’ Joker is as twisted as you’d expect – her feelings for him were born from a string of psychiatric sessions, where she become attached to his delightfully-fun sense of menace. Although the psychiatrist-turned-side-kick is besotted with him, the Joker is cruel, and he frequently insults and abuses her.

Batman And Harley Quinn comes to cinemas on August 14 for one night only. Available on Digital Download from August 15 and Blu-ray & DVD August 28.