Greatest comic book characters – 46. Bane
First comic book appearance: Vengeance of Bane No. 1
You want to talk about dominant Batman villains? Bane is your guy. Joker is the better character, but Bane has actually defeated and broke Batman. Some villains can claim to have beaten him. The difference is Bane did twice. That’s not something very few villains can boast.
Recently, Bane not only beat Batman, but he took over Gotham, replaced the Gotham Police Department with villains that he had mind-controlled, and had Batman’s father from an alternate reality help him do it. This wasn’t a short plan either. Bane had to take his time, receive a brutal beating, and make himself look weak and inferior in the process. Bane is a massive guy without the venom serum, but without his strength, he’d still be Bane the superior planner.
Greatest comic book characters – 45. Catwoman
First comic book appearance: Batman No. 1
Catwoman is as important to the Batman story as any other character he’s encountered. Their game of cat and mouse (or bat and cat) has gone on for decades. Despite the longevity of their relationship, it never gets old. Instead, it’s gotten better.
Without Catwoman, Batman would have gone stale. Something about the way she treats him in and out of costume humanizes him. She does it in a way that Alfred, Nightwing, and any other member of the Bat-Family do. Especially during the City of Bane series.
Beyond her attachment to Batman, Selina Kyle has worn many hats. Among them was being a crime boss. Regardless of the changes in careers, she’s never had to change her personality. Normally, a character has to switch things up to remain relevant. Not here. With Catwoman, there is no need to fix what’s never been broken.