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Thanos, The Joker and the 25 greatest superhero movie villains of all-time

By Michael Patterson

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 22: A Joker costume from the 2008 film The Dark Knight worn by actor Heath Ledger and designed by Lindy Hemming is on display at the DC Comics Exhibition: Dawn Of Super Heroes at the O2 Arena on February 22, 2018 in London, England. The exhibition, which opens on February 23rd, features 45 original costumes, models and props used in DC Comics productions including the Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman films. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 22: A Joker costume from the 2008 film The Dark Knight worn by actor Heath Ledger and designed by Lindy Hemming is on display at the DC Comics Exhibition: Dawn Of Super Heroes at the O2 Arena on February 22, 2018 in London, England. The exhibition, which opens on February 23rd, features 45 original costumes, models and props used in DC Comics productions including the Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman films. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images) /
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L-R: American actors Burt Ward, as Robin, Adam West, as Batman, and Cesar Romero (1907 – 1994), as The Joker, stand in a room with circus props in a still from the television series, ‘Batman,’ c. 1967. (Photo by 20th Century Fox/Courtesy of Getty Images) /

23. Batman’s Rogue Gallery Of Villains

Film: Batman: The Movie (1966)

The 1966 Batman TV series introduced a lot of the Caped Crusader’s most colorful villains over the course of its first season so when the show jumped to the big-screen for Batman: The Movie, it made sense to incorporate the best of them. And with that, Batman and Robin ended up having to face off against not one, not two, not three but four conniving crooks as The Joker, The Riddler, The Penguin and Catwoman all joined forces.

The mere inkling of a fishy situation led the Dynamic Duo to conclude that The Penguin was involved. But wait, that exploding shark was pulling Batman’s leg – a sign that The Joker was responsible. However, it happened at sea… or should that be C… C for Catwoman! Naturally, the pair were confounded by this huge riddle and that could only mean one thing: The Riddler was behind it too.

As that ingenious and wacky exchange of dialogue highlighted, the foul foursome was the perfectly plunderous task for the Dynamic Duo to overcome on the big-screen – emphasizing the lunacy we saw on the small one. Furthermore, The Penguin, Joker, Riddler and Catwoman’s evil plot was also appropriately huge and they served their off-the-wall purposes to perfection.

An eclectic mix of jolly, corny, evil and clever, all of these villains were brilliantly brought to life as Burgess Meredith, Cesar Romero and Frank Gorshin built upon what they learned on the TV show, while Lee Meriwether was a worthy replacement for Julie Newmar.

The perfect villains for the perfect crime.

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