Batman has some of the greatest villains in comics. Villains like Two-Face, the Penguin, the Riddler, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, and Bane have thrilled readers for years with their deadly schemes and their battles with the Dark Knight. Some, like Catwoman and Harley Quinn, have gotten so popular that they've gotten their own books and mostly left their villainous ways behind. One of Batman villain stands heads and shoulders above the rest, though- the Clown Prince of Crime, The Joker.
Very few villains in any medium have captured the public's imagination like the Joker has. There's something about him that is strangely magnetic while also being completely repulsive. While he is definitely Batman's greatest villain, is Joker the greatest villain in comics?
10 Not The Greatest: Not Much Of A Threat
The Joker has a very high body count, but that mostly has to do with the fact that as good as Batman is, he's still just a mortal man. He can't be everywhere at once and he's only as fast as his vehicles. He depends on the police and his own electronic surveillance measures to let him know when things are going down.
Would the Joker do as well in, say, Central City or Metropolis? Would he ever rise to the level of archenemy of Green Lantern or Hawkman? Against superpowered foes, the Joker doesn't present very much of a threat.
9 The Greatest: Everyone Is Scared Of Him
Even though the Joker's threat is limited against superpowered foes, that doesn't change the fact that no superhero wants the Joker anywhere near their city. While he wouldn't be able to kill nearly as many people if he were vying against Superman, his schemes and plans are still terrible and no one wants to face that.
Even the villains fear the Joker. No one ever wants to work with him because they never know what he's going to do and he's not exactly a team player. In fact, the only other villain he listens to is Lex Luthor and even Lex knows better than to trust him.
8 Not The Greatest: His Weapons
The Joker uses a variety of weapons- guns, bombs, blades, poison gas delivery systems of every stripe, and more. He uses them very well- one doesn't kill nearly as many people like him and not be proficient with their chosen weapons.
However, in a world where there are people that build killer robots, wear power rings that allow them to create anything they can imagine, and wear armor that allows them to tackle alien sun gods, the Joker's weapons are nothing special.
7 The Greatest: The Way He Uses His Weapons
Sure, Joker uses some run of the mill weapons, but it's not always what you got, but how you use it and Joker uses those weapons very well. The Joker has a certain wily intelligence to him. He's crazy, sure, but he uses that crazy to come up with things that no one else does.
So, while he's not better armed than most non-Gotham based supervillains, he comes up with fiendish and frightening ways to use those weapons that other, more sane villains would never even dream of.
6 Not The Greatest: Small Minded
The Joker's crimes are horrific, but when it comes right down to it, they're nothing special compared to the schemes of villains like Lex Luthor. The Joker doesn't steal because he likes money, he steals so he can afford weapons and keep doing what he's doing.
Joker doesn't want to rule the world. He doesn't even want to rule Gotham. He's not concerned with being the best crime boss. He just likes to saw chaos and do things that he finds funny. Joker would rather torment one person than conquer anything. He likes power, but it's the power of life and death and it's personal.
5 The Greatest: Unpredictable
The Joker is probably the most unpredictable villain around. Being a henchman for the Joker is one of the most dangerous jobs in Gotham City- sometimes, he'll shoot one just because he thinks it's funny at that moment. His schemes are always so hard to unravel because his insanity makes him to hard to predict.
The Joker 's unpredictability means that even someone like Batman, who spends all of his downtime anticipating threats, can only react to his plans as they are happening.
4 Not The Greatest: The Most Unfocused Focused Man In The World
The Joker is an interesting dichotomy in that he's liable to stop everything he's doing just for the sake of a joke while also being hyper-focused on other things. He's like a kid with ADHD- his attention drifts all around. It's this lack of focus that costs him. He'll pause or do something stupid and it will give Batman the chance to get a step ahead of him.
That said, the Joker is also laser-focused on certain things- sowing chaos and killing Batman. The fact that he'll stop an elaborate plan for the sake of a joke means he's so committed to chaos that he will jeopardize his own plans to cause it. As for killing Batman... well, we'll get to that.
3 The Greatest: The Look
The Joker is one of the best looking comic villains ever. First off, there's the whole clown aesthetic. The toxic green hair, the bone-white skin, and the massive red-lipped smile give him the look of a merry avatar of death. His look plays on people's fears of clowns. There's a good chance that many people are afraid of clowns because of the Joker.
Add to that his iconic purple suit. It has a merry look, the kind of thing that a mid 20th-century entertainer would wear. However, because it's the Joker there's something sinister about the whole thing.
2 Not The Greatest: His Obsession With Batman
Joker's focus on killing the Batman has given comic fans some of the coolest stories in the medium. The Joker and Batman are inextricably linked. Joker will drop everything to take a shot at the Caped Crusader. He'll go to any length to hurt him.
While this makes for a great rivalry, it means that the Joker will always prioritize hurting Batman over anything else. This makes any of his other villainous plots take a backseat to his zeal for killing Batman and this has cost over the years.
1 The Greatest: The Most Decorated Villain Of All Time
The MCU made Thanos into one of the popular villains of all time. Fans and critics alike loved the Mad Titan, praising Josh Brolin for his wonderful performance. However, as good as he was and as great a villain as Thanos was, how many Oscar nominations did Brolin get for his role?
Two different men have won Oscars for playing the Joker. No other comic villain has ever earned such accolades. Something about the Joker just resonates with audiences and actors alike. To so many people, the Joker is the perfect face of evil.