Batman has some of the greatest villains in all of comics. It's hard to pick one who is the best villain but there are some who definitely rise above the others when it comes down to it. Their threats are greater, their gimmicks are better, and the crimes they commit are more serious. These villains challenge Batman, stretching his ability to save Gotham every time they show up.
However, there are two villains who stand out from the rest- the Joker and Bane. These two men have been responsible for causing Batman more pain than any other villain he fights.
10 Why Joker Is Batman's Greatest Foe: The Personification Of Chaos
Joker's schemes are extremely varied but they all have one thing in common- they create chaos. The Joker's whole thing, beyond whatever material gains his crimes net him, is chaos. He uses it to his advantage, he causes it, and he profits from it. Chaos is an integral part of everything the Joker does.
The really scary thing is that the Joker's not wrong about the importance of chaos in the world; he just takes it way too far. There are few things that the Joker believes in but chaos is one of them and he believes in it more than anything else.
9 Why Bane Is Batman's Greatest Foe: He's Unrelenting
Bane has had an extremely difficult life and that's uniquely prepared him for dealing with Batman. His childhood in Santa Prisca's deadliest prison taught him that the only way to survive was to never give up, to keep going relentlessly. Bane took this lesson and made it his mantra throughout life. This has helped him immensely in his battles against Batman.
Batman is known for never giving up. Bane takes this and throws it right back at Batman, matching the Dark Knight's intensity and using his own tactics against him.
8 Why Joker Is Batman's Greatest Foe: The Horror
One of the things that set Joker's crimes apart from those of other Gotham criminals is the sheer savagery and brutality. The Joker has been involved in some truly horrific schemes over the years, ones that have cemented his place in the underworld of Gotham as the most frightening villain around. Joker doesn't care who gets hurt- in fact, the more the merrier.
The Joker's crimes involve indiscriminate killing, ingenious death traps, and dangerous robberies; he maximizes the body count with every crime. Batman knows if he doesn't stop the Joker, and quickly, then a whole bunch of innocent people will die, making the Joker a priority.
7 Why Bane Is Batman's Greatest Foe: He's A Physical Match For Batman
Batman may be a normal human but he's in peak condition. When it comes right down to it, even metahumans have a hard time hanging with Batman. He's fast and strong and that makes a big difference. Most of the villains he fights in Gotham don't stand much chance against him in a straight up fight.
Bane, even without the strength enhancing drug Venom, is immensely strong and fast and he can hang with Batman. In fact, there's a good chance he's stronger than Batman is, even before he takes a hit of Venom. Bane can bring the fight to Batman in a way few of his foes can.
6 Why The Joker Is Batman's Greatest Foe: Deadly Skills
While Jjoker can't really hang with Batman physically- even though he's stronger and more skilled than he appears to be- Joker's danger is more about all of his skills. Joker is a whiz with poisons, chemicals, and explosives and knows how to use a variety of weapons. These skills have helped make the Joker's plans some of the deadliest that Batman has ever encountered.
Joker's use of all kinds of weapons and instruments of destruction, making his schemes extremely difficult for Batman to deal with. He has to be ready for so many different kinds of attacks and traps, testing his skills in way that few other villains do.
5 Why Bane Is Batman's Greatest Foe: Fighting Skill
Bane may look like a giant bruiser who depends more on his size and strength than any fighting skills but that's not the case at all. In fact, Bane is one of Batman's most skilled foes when it comes to hand to hand combat. While his massive strength, enhanced by Venom, is a big part of his offense, he's an extremely skilled combatant regardless.
Bane's fighting skills mean that even without Venom, he can fight most foes to a standstill. He grew up fighting for his life in one of the most dangerous prisons in the world and for him, fighting is life.
4 Why The Joker Is Batman's Greatest Foe: Unpredictable
The Joker's insanity means that it's just about impossible to figure out his next move. This is a huge boon when it comes to being a criminal- Joker's next crime or the next phase of his plan is very hard to anticipate. It's one of the things that keeps Batman up at night- he never knows what the Joker has planned next but he knows that it's going to be terrible.
Joker's unpredictability makes him one of the most dangerous criminals in not just Gotham City, but just about any city. The only reason Batman has gotten so good against him is because he's dealt with him for years; even then, Joker can still surprise Batman and that's saying something.
3 Why Bane Is Batman's Greatest Foe: He Took Gotham From Batman
Bane's latest scheme against Batman involved just about every major villain in Gotham and ended with Bane successfully defeating Batman, taking over Gotham City. He had a lot of help, including Psycho-Pirate, which allowed him to control Gotham's villains and move them to where he needed them, but it was still a masterful plan that had Batman guessing.
There have been few other villains over the years who have defeated Batman as absolutely as Bane has. It's one thing to beat Batman up, but it's another thing to take his city from him. Bane has succeeded where few have.
2 Why The Joker Is Batman's Greatest Foe: Batman's Scared Of Him
There are few beings in the entire DC Universe who Batman is afraid of. One of those beings is the Joker. For Joker to be one of the beings that Batman fears says something about the Joker; Batman has faced down some of the most dangerous beings in the universe and never feared any of them, not even Darkseid. The Joker keeps him up at night.
The Joker is a truly frightening foe. He's insane, yes, but he's also uncannily smart and skilled, much stronger than he looks, and completely unpredictable. His schemes are never simple and he doesn't care who gets hurt in his crimes.
1 Why Bane Is Batman's Greatest Foe: He Broke The Bat
Bane made a name for himself quickly. He broke open Arkham Asylum, released all of the villains inside in order to tire Batman out, and then struck against the Dark Knight. This strike was extremely successful- he was able to break Batman's back, putting Bruce Wayne out of action. While this was definitely a coup, it did more than hand Batman a loss- it broke Batman.
Bruce Wayne would come back but he never forgot what Bane did to him. It would wear on Batman for years and come back to haunt him, affecting him in all kinds of ways. His body recovered but his mind hasn't.