Every Batman movie villain ranked from worst to best

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Catwoman (Lee Meriwether) cleans up after the Riddler (Frank Gorshin) and the Penguin (Burgess Meredith). (Photo by �� John Springer Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images) /

13. The Riddler, The Joker, The Penguin, and Catwoman

Movie: Batman: The Movie (1966)

The classic 1966 Batman TV series was already renowned for larger-than-life villains by the time that its first season concluded, so it really needed to go big when its companion movie arrived in theaters that summer. You can bet that’s exactly what it did, bringing in four of the Dynamic Duo’s most nefarious nemesis.

The Riddler teamed up with The Joker, The Penguin, and Catwoman for an appropriately over-the-top caper involving submarines, kidnappings, dust, and even the United Nations Security Council. It’s a lot, but just like the TV series, it’s a good kind of a lot – and the perfect entertainment for Bat-Fans!

Cesar Romero’s light-hearted Joker is always a joy to watch, while Frank Gorshin delivers his scene-stealing cackle-heavy performance as The Riddler. Burgess Meredith’s Penguin was one of the TV show’s best villains and that comes across in the movie, as he is essentially leading the operation. And Lee Meriwhether does a brilliantly over-the-top job with a far more sinister Catwoman, replacing the series’ Julie Newmar, who couldn’t reprise her role for the film.

Batman: The Movie is an adventure for the ages, and its ridiculously fun villains are the main reason for that.

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