The Top 5 Worst Batman Villains

Welcome back! I’m Steve Gustafson and if you enjoy discussing anything comic book related, you’ve come to the right place. Each week we cover something in the industry and I always enjoy your input in the comment section below.

Previously on…

 
Last time we discussed Who Will Be the Final Member of the X-Men in 2022? Here’s what some of you had to say:

PMH: “All this is just proof there are too many lame Marvel characters.”

tw75: “I don’t think we need another Hellfire Gala so soon. It already took 3 issues this year, and prevents the writers from exploring other stories on Krakoa. There has been little character development of Polaris (or any of Duggan’s X-Men) since the team were formed and yet we already have a new team member being added.
The winner is far harder to choose than last time. Firestar has been under-utilised in the X-Men (although her powers are similar to Sunfire), Gentle, Surge or Armor would add a younger dynamic to the team and Penance (I still call her M) adds the snark/sass that Emma Frost used to provide to a team although her power set is already provided by Synch and Wolverine.
I think Siryn should get this place. Her father missed out last year so it’s fitting she gets the role this time around.”

Jeremy Thomas: “I’m pro-Siryn, Penance, or Firestar myself, though honestly I wouldn’t be angry about Surge or Armor. And Gorgon would be interesting since they haven’t done too much exploration into how his death in Swords of X changed him. And I’ve always wanted to see someone do something interesting with Gentle, a great idea for a character that has never quite been properly delved into.

I’m just not big on Micromax, Bling, or Avalanche.”
Al Lobama: “At first glance, this looks to me like a Taboo Tuesday vote, where they fill the ballot full of longshots in order to guarantee they get the outcome they want. Basically it’s a race between Firestar and Siryn, and everyone else is just there just to ensure that it comes down to either Siryn or Firestar. I don’t know who is on the team currently, but if Iceman is one of the group already then Firestar has to be a shoe-in!

On a side note, with Polaris being last year’s winner, I’m honestly not sure if adding a second alcoholic to the team in Siryn would be good or bad, from a storytelling standpoint. Does it become redundant having two characters with the same character trait, or does having two character with the same common vice open the door to storyline possibilities that haven’t been tried before in an X-Book? Do they become a support system for each other and add an extra dynamic to the group, or do they go the Busiek/Perez Avengers route and have one of them fall off the wagon while the other one is the first to recognize the downward slide and jumps in to help? Damn, I guess I just answered my own question.”

Ken Wood: “I hope it goes to Surge or Armor.”

Great stuff and thank you to everyone who commented last week! This week we discuss…

The Top 5 Worst Batman Villains

Or should this be the BOTTOM 5 Worst Batman Villains? A favorite topic of mine is talking about the obscure and rich history of Batman’s comic book rogue gallery. Yes, he definitely has one of, if not the, best group of bad guys and we can agree that some of his regular antagonists, like The Joker, are just as popular as the heroes. They’ve achieved iconic status through their portrayals in comics, appearing in film, on television, and in countless other forms of media.

But you don’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. Or laying a few. I’ve gathered some memorable stinkers that Batman has accumulated over the years and while this list could be 100 long, I’ve listed some of my favorites. 

Everyone will have their own definition of what constitutes a “worst villain” so go easy on it. It could be a bad costume, silly powers, or even an inane name. I tried to mix it up. Believe me, I could easily have filled this list with Silver Age names and be done with it.

Too easy.

Honorable Mentions
Polka-Dot Man
Ten-Eyed Man
Penguin

5. Penny Plunderer
This is low hanging fruit, I know. Penny Plunderer! The name alone draws…pity. He steals pennies. That’s it. You know that giant penny in the Bat-cave? That’s actually from one of Plunderer’s schemes. Here’s the rub. Penny Plunderer is so embarrassing to DC, they’ve retconned history to say the giant penny was from one of Two-Face’s schemes. I’m not sure there’s a writer out there that could make this one work. 

4. Crazy Quilt
Crazy Quilt was a former painter who used his paintings to leave clues for his criminal henchmen in his paintings to instruct them on what target they were to steal next, which is, by far, the least efficient way to give orders of all time. “I guess the boss wants us to steal a… What is that? A purple duck?” After meeting defeat numerous times at the hands of the Boy Commandos, Quilt decided that his only recourse was to move to Gotham City, where everyone knows there are no young crime fighters by whom to be bested. After setting up shop in Joel Schumacher’s dream home complete with a mood amplifying “Color Dome,” and a musical “Color Organ” which allowed him to alter people’s minds. Quilt went on to basically do nothing but get beaten up by kids, like Robin and Batgirl.

3. Anarky 
Anarky was a teen-aged whiz-kid who was into radical philosophy. I can get behind that. He puts on a red sheet and a witch hat and decides to fight crime the anarchist way, which, really, should be no way at all. Oh, I should remind you that he was 12 (!!!) and wore a “neck extender” to make himself look older, and a gold mask to make himself look horrible.  

2. Cluemaster
Speaking of, you don’t need many clues to understand why Cluemaster made the list. Arthur Brown was a failed game show host who, in desperation, turned to a life of crime to support his family. OK, that’s not bad. Numerous bad-guys got their start this way. Where did he go wrong? He would wear an orange costume and leave behind clues to his next target.

“Steve! Wait! Are you sure he’s not the Riddler or something?”

No, he’s not The Riddler. Cluemaster met his end while on a mission with the Suicide Squad. His only redeeming quality is that his daughter grew up to be fan favorite former Robin/Batgirl Stephanie Brown.

But wait. He’s not dead! He was seen as a member of The Joker’s team during ‘The War of Jokes and Riddles’.

1. Killer Moth
Out of all the villains, Killer Moth stands out to me the most. Not only is he lame, he’s been involved in some pretty lame stories. After a string of embarrassing attempts at crime, Drury Walker, also known as Cameron van Cleer decided to become to crime what Batman is to justice: a figurehead and supernatural force that left no jewelry store un-robbed. He became Killer Moth. Because moths are scary. Or something. Over the years, Killer Moth has tried to reinvent himself again and again, even once making a deal with devil-like character Neron, to become an actual giant moth named Charaxes. Just when you thought he couldn’t get any lamer. A villain, Firefly, almost made this list because he was pretty terrible AND a protégé of the Killer Moth. Many writers have tried to make him cool but none have succeeded.

Who’s your pick for Worst Batman Villain?

That’s all the time I have. See you next week!