While comic books are full of silly villains and crazy looking costumes, there are also some truly scary and terrifying looking villains that stalk the pages of comics. Batman has one of the most famous rogue galleries in comics with his iconic villains being known all over the world.

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His group of enemies houses some of the scariest looking bad guys that have tortured fans for decades. Although the designs of the villains are always updating and changing, in the end there is always one design that sticks with fans as the scariest version of that villain.

10 Scarecrow's Mastery Of Fear Is Shown Throughout His Whole Appearance

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Scarecrow's whole game is fear— the study of it and its effects on the people of Gotham City. While he was a master of fear, he didn't always look terrifying.

Arkham Asylum started to change that with its intense take on the character. And now, thanks to the incredibly talented Jorge Jimenez, Scarecrow's new look in the comics is deeply disturbing, exactly what fans have always wanted for the character.

9 Joker's Look Taps Into Pop Culture's Obsession With Scary Clowns

The Joker Restrained At Arkham Asylum

Having a fear of clowns is fairly common, largely in part to pop culture having multiple examples of terrifying clowns and real world examples also. Because of this, the Joker strikes a particular nerve with many people.

While his design is simple and classic, the idea and appearance of a murderous and unpredictable clown leaves people shaking in their boots.

8 Man-Bat Is The Fully-Realized Version Of What Batman Only Hints At

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As if Batman wasn't scary enough, Man-bat is even more terrifying. While Batman only dresses up like a "bat man," Man-Bat is a full-fledged humanoid/bat crossover.

He is incredibly violent and almost feral, and in his new comic, Kirk Langstrom is dying while the Man-bat serum takes over. Man-Bat sails across the skies of Gotham, stalking prey like the apex predator he was bred to be.

7 Victor Zsasz Could Be A Real Person, Which Is More Terrifying Than Anything

Victor Zsasz stares with blood on the wall in DC Comics

On top of all the masked heroes and villains, there are still just "normal" serial killers that exist within Batman's circle. One of the most heinous is Victor Zsasz, a brutal killer with an unquenchable lust for violence.

His image immediately jumps off the page as readers see his body is covered in scars, each one showing someone he has killed. It is both intimidating and repulsive, a vision that leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

6 Bane's Size Is Enough To Scare Anybody

Bane Shows His Might

The sheer size and might of Bane inspires fear in everyone. Couple that with his reputation for being a ruthless tactician and the man who took down Batman, Bane is down right terrifying.

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His size and strength come across to the reader when he is on the page. Bane's image makes the reader feel how powerful he is, and how easy it would be for him to take whatever he wanted. The emotions he evokes in the readers are as powerful as he is.

5 The Batman Who Laughs Is The Dark Reflection Of Both Batman & The World Itself

The Batman Who Laughs in the rain from DC Comics

One of the newer villains in Batman's collection, The Batman Who Laughs has stuck with fans ever since he was first revealed as part of Dark Nights: Metal.

The evil Bruce Wayne and Joker mashup sends shivers down peoples spine when they see his black leather and steel head piece. Combined that with the fact he is generally found surrounded with bodies and he makes for a scary sight.

4 Doctor Death Taps Into Old School Horror Concepts To Create A Monster

Doctor Death in Zero Year

Doctor Death is a Batman villain who has been around since the beginning, but during the course of Zero Year in the New 52 he was transformed into a horrifying creature.

His bones outgrow his body and his lips are curled back, leaving his mouth exposed and overflowing with overgrown teeth. He is a hideous creature who would give any Gothamite nightmares for a long time.

3 Killer Croc Is A Massive, Man-Eating Crocodile

3. Killer Croc Sewer Kin

As a long time foe of the Dark Knight, Killer Croc has had many different designs, but at their core they all feed into what makes him so scary.

The idea of a humungous humanoid crocodile that prowls the sewers is enough to give any reader a bad feeling, but then the artists bring the creature to life and the fans get to experience this vicious killer who is all teeth and claws. It makes Croc a true sight to behold.

2 Hush Builds Fear Through Mystery & Suspense

hush dc comics batman

Hush is a fantastic villain all around, but his visual appearance helps cement him as one of the all time great Batman bad guys.

His bandage wrapped face and trench coat are almost iconic now and each piece of his outfit was specifically designed to create mystery around his identity when he first appeared. Now the bandages are his trademark, and if that bandage visage appears trouble will follow.

1 The First Victim Is A Symbol Of Failure & The Fear Of Failing Again

The First Victim of the Victim syndicate

While not much is known about the First Victim, they are undoubtedly disturbing to look at. While the overall outfit is pretty standard bad guy attire— black leather and spikes— it is the red upper body that is creepy.

It makes the First Victim look like they are covered with blood, like it is washing over them. Combined with the first-rate creepy smiling and the First Victim is ready to be nightmare fuel for any reader.

NEXT: 10 DC Heroes You Didn't Know Aquaman Fought