Batman: All 7 Mad Hatter actors ranked from worst to best

1. Benedict Samuel

Appeared in: Gotham

You want to talk about the dark side of the Mad Hatter? It doesn't get any darker than Gotham's adaptation of the character, who is by far the most unnerving version yet. Benedict Samuel was tasked with playing the role, and it's safe to say he pulled it off, because Jervis Tetch was easily one of the most unhinged villains to ever appear on the Fox TV series.

Mad Hatter was the main villain of Gotham's third season, which was notoriously darker than its predecessors. He was the right choice of villain, too, because he was a professional hypnotist who could take control of people's minds and make them do whatever he wanted them to. Employing his infamous "tick" technique that could put his victims in a trance and snap them out of it just as quickly.

Samuel was thrilling to watch in the role, delving into Tetch's psyche as the show explored his twisted obsession with sister Alice, his obsession with Alice In Wonderland, and his unnerving desire to control everything around him. It went a long way in highlighting how dangerous the Mad Hatter can be, perhaps suggesting that he should have more focus in other adaptations.

This was the Mad Hatter at his very worst because Benedict Samuel was at his very best. He was exhilarating to watch as the character and elevated an often-forgotten Batman villain to main character status. Furthermore, he showed up at exactly the right time, preying on certain characters' insecurities and proving why the Mad Hatter needs to be taken a lot more seriously.