The Scariest Batman Villains In Animated Series, Ranked

Summary

• Batman’s rogue gallery is one of the greatest, with Spider-Man as the only close contender.
• The villains are grounded, realistic, and more terrifying, with a frightening plausibility.
• From twisted serial killers to monstrous creations, Batman’s villains push the limits of grit and terror.

Batman’s rouges gallery is a certain contender for the greatest of any superhero, only Spider-Man comes close to the Caped Crusader’s list of iconic villains. In keeping with Batman’s more grounded abilities, his foes are often more representative of real-world villains giving them a frightening plausibility. Frightening often being the operative word.

From hulking monstrosities to a slew of disturbed and deranged serial killers, Batman comic writers certainly pushed the boat out again and again to make Gotham grittier and more terrifying. At least these malicious creations would never find their way into animated series’ where unassuming children might encounter them in their nightmares. Well, consider these censor-dodging nasties, the 10 scariest Batman Villains to appear in an animated series.

10 Humpty Dumpty

Beware The Batman

• Abilities: Expertise in Gadgetry

Just look at him, that’s the main point to be made. Aside from his towering Cheshire Cat like grin, Humpty Dumpty also has very unsettling motivations and an extensive rhyming vernacular that’s sure to invoke chills.

Humpty Dumpty is obsessed with things that he considers ‘broken’ and he has just the expertise and tools to fix them in his own image. A villain to steer well clear of when visiting Gotham.

9 Phantasm

Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm

• Abilities: Skilled Martial Artist, High Tech Suit, Master Illusionist

Technically a DC animated movie, but as it takes place entirely within the framework of Batman: The Animated Series it can just about sneak in without opening up a whole can of worms of Batman: The Killing Joke or Batman: Gotham By Gaslight.

And Phantasm deserves a mention for haunting the dreams of many a 90’s child who tuned into Fox Kids for a feature-length episode of their favorite superhero. An original creation, Phantasm was notable for her looming menace and scythe-like hand bearing a striking resemblance to death himself.

8 The Ventriloquist And Scarface

The Batman

• Abilities: Skilled Marksman

The Ventriloquist and Scarface are less about the physical threat they impose, it’s the unsettling nature of their relationship that really sticks in the mind. Especially for anyone with pediophobia, as Wesker executes all of his crimes through his ventriloquist dummy.

The Ventriloquist is a recurring foe appearing in a number of Batman series, but it’s The Batman version that leaves the most lasting impression of the duo. Notable for being voiced by Homer Simpson himself, Dan Castellaneta, and for the episode where Wesker builds a giant version of Scarface.

7 Mad Hatter

The New Batman Adventures

Mad Hatter is the last scary villain on this list to be redeemed somewhat by a whimsical appearance or reference to another popular character. In animated form, it’s The New Adventures of Batman that gives Mad Hatter his most chilling look, a simple yet effective ear-to-ear grin and dead-eyed stare.

Mad Hatter is most frightening for his ability of mind manipulation, able to hypnotize his unsuspecting victims in an instant, who can then be used for all manner of nefarious deeds once under his control.

6 Man-Bat

The Batman

• Abilities: Superhuman Strength, Flight, Echolocation

The most monstrous entry, Man-Bat purely makes the cut for being a terrifying 6ft tall bat creature. What could be more disturbing than that to run into on a nightly stroll down Crime Alley? His echolocation ability also ensures there’ll be nowhere to hide.

Once again, The Batman takes the award for going above and beyond in horrifying character design, rendering the creature in a surprising amount of detail with those piercing red eyes and razor-sharp claws.

5 Victor Zsasz

Harley Quinn

• Abilities: Proficiency With Blades

Thankfully, it’s only the explicitly mature Harley Quinn series that features an animated version of notorious serial killer Victor Zsasz. There is nothing pleasant to say about Zsasz, he is a cruel and sadistic man who enjoys torturing his victims with bladed weapons.

He’s also known for carving a tally into his own skin for each of his victims today, marks that suggest he has a higher kill count than any of the supernatural villains that call Gotham home. His malice is bumped down a bit for his animated appearance here in the more comedically toned Harley Quinn, making him a punchline as the show so often does.

4 Clayface

The Batman

• Abilities: Shapeshifting, Regeneration, Superhuman Strength

Not content with one, The Batman series creators felt they’d go for two horrifying interpretations of the popular villain. Another towering brute, Clayface certainly poses a physical terror and the melting face design reminiscent of Cronenberg’s movies puts the icing on the cake.

What makes Clayface even more unsettling is his uncanny ability to shapeshift, allowing him to hide in plain sight and infiltrate his victim’s spheres without them even knowing he’s there.

3 Joker

Batman: The Animated Series

Batman’s binary opposition and arch-nemesis has been portrayed in practically every single iteration of the Caped Crusader but the animated version that stands above the rest is the iconic Mark Hamill performance in Batman: The Animated Series.

Joker is a sinister man and a master manipulator, making him a menacing presence in Gotham. But it’s Hamill’s wretched tone and spine-chilling cackle that enshrines this Joker in infamy. He will forever remain Batman’s greatest foe but when it comes to fear, there are a couple of villains that strike at the heart a little more.

2 Scarecrow

The New Batman Adventures

• Abilities: Expertise in psychology and Biochemistry, Fear Toxin

Nothing says fear-inducing like the infamous villain Scarecrow, fear is the very weapon he wields to neutralize his foes. Dousing his victims with his trademark fear toxin combined with his academic expertise allows him to produce all manner of nightmarish landscapes to wreak havoc on their minds.

It’s The New Batman Adventures that went above and beyond with ghoulish character design this time, the twisted imposing frame, the menacing glowing eyes, and the hangman’s noose necktie make for a truly frightening spectacle to behold.

1 Professor Pyg

Beware The Batman

• Abilities: Genius Intellect, Skilled Surgeon

One of the most disturbing villains Batman has ever encountered, the Beware the Batman creators certainly upped the shock value when they cast Professor Pyg as a central antagonist. The depiction tones down the horror from the comic book counterpart at least, but he still has no business appearing in a TV-PG animated show.

The schizophrenic surgeon is obsessed with remaking people, routinely abducting his victims to perform non-consensual physical and mental changes to their being, often with horrific outcomes in something more akin to an Eli Roth feature than a traditional comic book tale.

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