Batman: Arkham - All 40 Villains Ranked Worst To Best

Rocksteady's next Arkhamverse game is almost here, but before Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, who are the best Arkham villains??
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[@joshuanelson6795]

Black Mask really got the short end of the stick in this series. He only makes a tiny cameo in City where he's beaten senseless by Tyger guards, he's Joker's punching bag in Origins and he's unceremoniously kicked out of a window to his death by Red Hood in Knight.

[@LetUsPlayBetter]

Well - he did get a full segment in the Blackgate-game

[@joshuanelson6795]

@@LetUsPlayBetter He did, but unfortunately that game wasn't very good in my opinion.

[@jasontodd1896]

It’s ridiculous. Black mask is my favorite villain. He got buried. In the comics he was vicious. More than the joker . Only show that got black mask right kinda was batwoman tv show

[@Entertainer12314]

@@jasontodd1896How is getting killed by Red Hood equal getting buried?

[@LegendaryDarkKnight602]

Question, if Clay face fell into the Lazarus Pit isn't that a bad thing?

[@truth_e-lectric50]

I got to be honest, Cat Woman in the Arkham Universe is not really a villain. She's more of an Anti-Hero, if that makes sense.

[@alexandmatthewgaming1196]

Same with Freeze

[@Lukegargarella]

@@alexandmatthewgaming1196freeze a villain in city

[@creation5389]

Bro forgot Talia Al Ghul

[@PrincessMavenKittyDarkholme]

Same

[@Geohillierneo]

Yes, that makes sense 😂

[@Sunprism]

Professor Pyg is spelled with a Y because he's referencing Pygmalion, a Greek mythological figure who was a sculptor who fell in love with his sculpture and pined for her so much the gods brought her to life, also a play by George Bernard Shaw...Just a fun fact I thought y'all might want to know

[@LegendaryDarkKnight602]

That punch Batman gave him looked like it should've done more than just laid him out.

[@TheTobyOMG]

The Greek gods being kind? That's a first for me.

[@TheTobyOMG]

Also thank you for sharing!

[@gallodog-mh4le]

Thank you for interesting information!

[@Mr.DontOverThinkIt]

I believe "Nissa" is also spelled with a Y. Like "Nyssa."

[@cole6843]

Twoface was criminally underused in the series. I wish we had gotten more of him.

[@wesleypadgett6115]

The Arkham universe was so great. Now Rocksteady is run by a bunch of smooth brains.

[@TheDukeofMadness]

A very comprehensive list. I do agree Mr. Freeze was the best villain in the series. His relatively recent (1997) reimagining as a tortured scientist was, along with making the Penguin a crime boss, were likely the two best bits of Batman lore created in the last 30 years.

[@djangosusamogus742]

You mean 1992 in Batman the animated series for Mr Freeze. That episode Heart of ice literally won an emi award.

[@trappestarrgaming3422]

It was def not 97 it was 92 smh

[@The_Phantasm]

So happy to see Riddler so high at the top where he deserves to be. Honestly in my opinion these games have the best depiction of The Riddler outside the comics. Wally Wingert who voiced the character in all 4 games always delivered such an incredible performance that always managed to perfectly capture Riddler's obsessive personality, massive ego and superiority complex. It's honestly his voice I hear for Riddler in my head when I read comics with him. I really love that through each of his designs in every game you can see how his stability and mentality deteriorate. In Arkham Origins he doesn't entirely sound sure of himself. He looks quite fit and handsome like he actually takes care of himself but as the character progresses he becomes more and more unhinged. In Arkham Asylum he is more obsessed, in Arkham City he looks filled with dirt around his clothes, he has noticeable stubble, looks a lot skinnier and has gone to more extreme lengths to ensure Batman solves his riddles to the point where in Arkham Knight Batman is all he thinks about, so much so that no one else wanted to work with him and so he started building robots instead. I love the taunts and the boasts and the way he just completely melts down when he's beaten because he can't even begin to comprehend that he's not the smartest person in existence.

[@ghostchaser1631]

☝ This, right here, is the most perfect description of Riddler I've ever seen in a KZbin comment. He has become obsessed with out smarting Batman to the point that he just can't stand the thought of anyone else, especially the Dark Knight, being smarter than him. The only problem there is that Nygma's attempts at beating Batman constantly prove how stupid he really is (Nygma, not Batman). "Forget Scarecrow, it's time to face your REAL arch nemesis! That's right Batman, it is I, Edward Nygma, the Riddler, your true arch nemesis and intellectual superior!" Yeah, he wishes. Lol!

[@metalmac2347]

I agree with all of this. This series, to me, is exactly what would happen if The Animated Series had been done in video game form. Not just because of the voice actors, but the tone of it and the ability to play on the insanity of certain characters/situations without losing the seriousness of the impact of all of the villains'' actions.

[@ZBilbs]

Arkham Riddler is the reason why I found The Batman’s Riddler so bad

[@Alex-ng6hc]

Arkhamverse Scarecrow has to be my favourite adaptation of the villain ever. He was easily the scariest villain in Arkham Asylum. Then they turned him into a right proper Claude Frollo/ Darth Sidious like villain in Arkham Knight, and I loved it. I also loved John Noble's portrayal of him, I loved it

[@jp3813]

As legendary as the Mr. Freeze boss battle in Arkham City was, it sort of just comes out of nowhere and felt unneeded in terms of the story. It's like "I'll help you, Batman... NOW HELP ME OR DIE... Fine, I'll resume helping you."

[@musicaman8683]

I agree.

[@EIIoSunnyJim]

Freeze is most definitely smart enough that he should've figured giving batman the cure would put him in the debt to save nora (though by the same token he should know bats would want to save her anyway) but also by wanting to send bats to go get her first he's really endangering her with the possibility bats fails because of the weakened state or flat-out dies in the process. What was his plan after killing bats anyway? Offer joker the cure in exchange for his wife's return? He's smart enough to know joker's not the kind you can barter with too so no excuse besides maybe just acting without thinking in fear of his wife's safety and desperation

[@antfrancis9941]

They've should've done a calendar man side story in the same vein as the professor pyg side story.

[@PK.NOiR.7]

That was my favorite side mission in Knight

[@iamshyni69]

Wu-tang fan? That's really cool!

[@hamchurger4566]

Yeah even i loved pyg missions. Its like halloween should of been calander man. They could of done hush in origins, pyg in city and calander man in knight. Or they could of done the 2 like dectective stories in knight. Instead of so mamy bombs

[@K0nstantlyTragic]

Surprised, you didn't mention the Halrey Quinn Revenge DLC where she literally beats and captures batman after the Joker died. Something similar happened in the comics too.

[@emeraldsky2823]

As well in the animated series, funny how without the joker she can be a effective villain lol

[@zacky4204]

I still think Anchary should have been the Arkham knight! Batman could've taken him in after beating him as Robin after origins, and I think that it would've been a cool storyline

[@ghostchaser1631]

Agreed, that pissed me off. We got a huge tease between his jacket and mask showing up in the criminal property locker at GCPD along with a recording from Cash saying that nobody knows his current whereabouts and dialogue from the thugs, "Anybody seen that Anarky guy? That kid would love this!". Not only was he not associated with the Arkham Knight, he never showed up in the game at all and I found it very disappointing because he would have been a perfect fit.

[@memeapocolypse4498]

@@ghostchaser1631There was some other conversations saying that he got taken by the government or something

[@ghostchaser1631]

@@memeapocolypse4498 There you go. It was made pretty obvious at the game's launch that Anarky was not the Arkham Knight himself, so I was hoping that he would at least turn out to be the Knight's sergeant (the guy who was operating the tanks). Thanks for the empty tease Rocksteady.

[@djangosusamogus742]

There is an Easter egg in Knight. Near the waters there is an anarky logo sprayed on a wall. Underneath that is a line of blood. Maybe Killer Croc came out of the water and got him.

[@erg1947]

@@ghostchaser1631 Cash also thinks he was probably kidnapped by the government pointing out that they hate anarchists. Dude was either killed or locked up so tight he may as well be.

[@stueymon]

I really liked Joker's effect in Arkham Knight! The way as you progress through the game, the disease affecting batman gets worse. Statues , adverts and other stuff gets changed to his face which is you turn away and look back have changed. It's neat use of the fact that in modern gaming, everything you see is all that exists

[@taylorplank16]

I wonder if we should include Rocksteady on this list of Batman Arkham villains. Seeing how they were one of the very few to kill batman, "you ether die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."

[@MasterMewtwo239]

Poison Ivy dies similarly to Mr. Freeze in Arkham Knight: a villain forced into evil due to a higher purpose and call (if you consider Poison Ivy an agent of the Green like Swamp Thing).

[@linkheroofspiritsakatrains4812]

It is worth mentioning cat woman did have a role in Arkham origins blackgate and Grundy also had an appearance. Zazz had a brief appearance in knight. Shiva appeared again in the Arkham origins initiation campaign map where she was the final boss. Penguin was also in Arkham origins as well as black gate Some dlc worth mentioning Riddler in the Catwoman dlc Two face in the Robin dlc Harley Quinn’s dlc had penguin and poison ivy

[@scottie2hottyringer299]

Electrocutioner deserves to be higher, he was the perfect example of Batman’s lesser known (and possibly more loved” crap villains……. Long live The Condiment King!

[@wesleycolvin7158]

I totally disagree with Firefly being a 'simple' villain. The bridge sequence in Arkham Origins is fantastic and surprisingly complex...His role in Arkham Knight was a bit of a letdown.

[@MyronZhang]

Agreed. He's one of the most underrated and underutilised Batman villains with a really cool design and the potential to be one of the most destructive Batman foes with his arsenal. Moreover, out of all the assassins in Arkham Origins, he has the most elaborate plan and makes the biggest effort to collect the bounty. It contrasts a lot with his rather lukewarm role in Arkham Knight, as you said, but his presence in Origins should put him up higher on the list.

[@Geohillierneo]

"Copperhead has serpentine features such as s forked tongue and talons...." Apparently snakes have talons now!

[@icysweetsy]

Scarecrow is easily number one. He's my favorite type of villain.

[@Octavio_CantuTB5]

Calendar Man also comes out in Origins in the beginning of the game.

[@NightmareproductionsOFFICIAL]

I’ve never thought that he’s too present in Arkham knight. The series is about their relationship ever, it just is. And it’s one of the best Batman/joker stories ever made.

[@cole6843]

I'm happy riddler is so high on the list. He was always one of my favorite villains in the game.

[@Spoulard]

The Black Mask twist was NOT pointless. It was the best detective implementation in the entire series. It was a mystery that we didn’t even know was a mystery but that actually had clues the entire way through. Additionally the Joker reveal was an actual awesome surprise as there was no hint of him prior to the games release. It was a pretty dope retelling of the joker and Batman’s first encounter.

[@night6724]

No Joker was revealed to be in the game. I specifically remember one trailer ending with the scene when he blows up a building.

[@TheThird1977]

OK, less than a minute in and we've already crossed the border into Inaccuracy City. "He goes down in one spikey-gauntleted punch" - shows clip of Executioner going down in one heavy-booted kick. 🤣 EDIT - Next stop, Banesville. "During his research he comes extremely close to figuring out Batman's secret identity, and may well have done so..." is quite the statement considered Bane not only deduced Bruce Wayne is Batman, but as the player you find his evidence wall about it AND have to revive Alfred using the shock-gloves after Bane invaded the Batcave and brutally attacked the butler. EDIT - The list itself was pretty damn good, but Hush is waaaaaaaaay to high up for his limited time in the games.

[@robbiesrevelations3096]

To be honest, is Selina even a villain?

[@edgeworth097]

In Arkham, no, but she is in many comics, so I can see why she was included even though she isn't really a villain

[@robbiesrevelations3096]

@edgeworth097 I mean, yeah, but isn't a villain here, nor even much of an antagonist

[@MrFeeney1991]

I need a live action Mr. Freeze that shows the regret and mutual respect he and Batman have for each other. Done well, it will really change how people see Batman and show that he can be compassionate to his enemies

[@letsroamaround2189]

Go watch the Gotham show, it has a wonderfull mr freeze episode in it

[@MrFeeney1991]

@@letsroamaround2189YES!!! Best arc of the show

[@Rek2Chi]

As a nature man i gotta give it to Poison Ivy, she really saved the world 🌿 long live Ivy!!!

[@reecerichards5664]

She probably would have gone back to trying to exterminate humanity if she hadn't died. but I agree. good on her for saving Gotham.

[@shadowslayer2929]

yep she definitely brainwashed you two are you sitting somewhere saying I love you ivy 😍

[@reecerichards5664]

@@shadowslayer2929 Did you miss the part where I mentioned her genocidal tendencies?

[@saintbatman]

27:51 “Vertically challenged” pure GOLD 😭😭😂😂

[@nomis...]

how is starro a better villain than solomon grundy?

[@ledumpsterfire6474]

The little Manbat segment would've been so much more effective if they hadn't spent the rest of the game jump scaring you with the Joker hallucinations in exactly the same way. About the most it got out of me was a, "Huh. That was different."

[@HioshimaFried]

Im dying at the fact that 29:52 is marked as Racheal Ghoul

[@MrSinisterSandman]

Wait, so you totally forgot that Penguin was in Origins?

[@letsroamaround2189]

Mr.freeze being nr 1 is so based, he really is THE best batman villian with the best backstory and the best reason for why he does what he does.

[@Ken9284]

I wish we had at least one fight against catwoman throughout the Arkham series.

[@toadallyepic9653]

The new 52 version of freeze was a very interesting take, he was never married to her. She had been frozen for decades and was a project at Wayne industries as the first person to get frozen when she was sick. Victor was put on the project and ended up going insane. His perception was the same as it always was, he saw that as his wife and was determined to cure her. But in real life. They never met and he was obsessed

[@iancasleton6356]

Thefirst time i fought freeze in the second game- and he learns what you do so you cant attack the same way twice- so much fun.

[@NightmareproductionsOFFICIAL]

Catwoman shouldn’t be so low, she’s great.

[@MsKeylas]

yes, she is great, but she is not really a villain, that is why she is low on the list. Pay attention....

[@majesticbroccoli]

Damn Alberto Falcone over Catwoman? Didn’t even remember he was in the game

[@neuronensuppe6612]

The list I never knew I wanted

[@alejandrob.4961]

Good, I needed a TRON in my videogame rankings good job

[@Heinz_05]

Is there a lore reason on why Whatculture didn't give Jonkler number 1? Are they stupid??

[@undyne1]

I legit can't remember Black Mask in any of the games. I only saw his mask in Asylum as an easter egg, but that's about it. He really got the short end of the stick.

[@joshuaweston6531]

The Arkham series got so much right with so many (but not all) of it's depictions of it's many villains. Joker, Harley, Killer Croc, Scarecrow, Penguin, Mr. Freeze, Ras Al Gul, Riddler, Deathstroke...and so on!

[@vampireguy24]

Elecrocitionor: "With one spiky punch" *Kicks him* Good job with that script, mate.

[@bxj325]

I'll be honest. I never really played Batman games but this coverage of the worst to best.... AWESOME!!! I LOVED IT!!

[@Nov-5062]

You really should. It's a great series of games.

[@zachwalker522]

Very good list ❤

[@tactical_dingus]

Arkham Knight Joker is top tier. Written better thab most joker iterations

[@Paul_McSeol]

Awesome list. Thanks, Psy!

[@Olosekk]

IMO Mr Freeze is Super Underrated people think Joker is the best Villain and in live action ext he is but in arkham games for me freeze takes the n1 spot

[@user-rm7qs3qu5g]

For asrael’s mission there’s three options you could just leave and not even touch the sword

[@gaminggoof1542]

Nice list

[@Sunprism]

I would of enjoyed some missions where you were trying to actually Catch Catwoman

[@thinkfiend]

Lmaooo scarecrow below harley is stupid

[@kbreslin7289]

In terms of acts of sheer villanry, Fries doesn't make the top 10. Scarecrow tops it. It's strange Catwoman makes 39 for not being that villianous, while Mr Freeze is also not that villinous and comes top.

[@diverman467]

In fairness, at least Batman fights against freeze, and has to make it through his lair. Catwoman is borderline a member of the bat family

[@kbreslin7289]

@@diverman467 True, she could have been replaced by Fire Chief Underhill. You could also have had the 3 Joker Blood victims.

[@jordanhertel8605]

“Goes down in one punch” cut to him being kicked

[@glennparker7028]

2:23 This guy is the legendary holiday killer???!!!!!!

[@dragonrana88]

Hush is way way too high. For his appearances he should be low thirties. All build up no returns.

[@MrWeirdoweirdo]

1. If you included Starro, Stagg and others like that, why didn’t you include the “new” Jokers! 2. Hush is way too high, being above Bane, Killer Croc, Deathstroke and Mad Hatter is insane

[@mkaplan1383]

10:07 "Goodnight Humanitarian....."

[@linkheroofspiritsakatrains4812]

The twins were separated by Tommy Elliot as seen or heard in origins

[@purplemace6866]

Ivy in this serie IS iconic.

[@pancakenips3689]

How do you skip penguin in origins?? You guys are great at this!!😂

[@boi905]

Azrael sneak peak at 11:08

[@TONY-bt8xy]

EXCELENT LIST😊

[@gimmethepinkelephant3685]

A mobster who's tied up in a chair for a few minutes ends up with better ranking than Electocutioner and Catwoman.😂

[@djurrem4333]

Where would you put bronze tiger from blackgate?

[@calebmaybin6896]

No Bird or Bronze Tiger or Loose Lips LeBlanc?

[@slipperyslopedownward9041]

Loose lips deserves AT LEAST an honorable mention

[@Isaacisaperson4677]

Does bronze tiger ever appear in the games

[@calebmaybin6896]

Nintendo 3DS: Batman Arkham - Blackgate.

[@Isaacisaperson4677]

@@calebmaybin6896 so not really

[@Spanooki]

Not that I'm passionate nor care, but I've noticed that this list does not include Bird; who was one of the side-missions in Origins. You could chalk up up to just being another mobster punk but in a list that includes EVERY Arkham villain, including a lot of the other silly ones that made the bottom of the list, you'd think he'd be here too.

[@Ghost1218]

Its tough this list because alot of these villians are so iconic and threatening to Batman

[@pancakenips3689]

I think bane in origins did a little more than get close to finding out who batman is.. he calls him bruce and attacks alfred in the batcave...

[@EdibleViolas0]

Hatter views Batman as the bat in the 'twinkle twinkle little bat' rhyme. Alice is always any poor blonde little girl he finds.

[@EIIoSunnyJim]

as long as bane's only so low because 2/3 times we see him he's absolutely done DIRTY by rocksteady then i agree with the list... if it was origins' Bane the whole way through he'd have to be in the top three

[@icegod4767]

Ras al ghul is the best villain

[@thebeatlesloveisallyouneed]

Deathstroke is so awesome! Almost as awesome as Batman! Literally his best villain!

[@eldeadkilljohnkennedy3946]

Apparently, Victor has met his end after the event of Arkham Knight and they mentioned his death in suicide squad, killed the justice league by the hands of red hood.

[@tyleroutland435]

Stop spoiling

[@xtonys9786]

Source? Not seen anything to suggest that.

[@Isaacisaperson4677]

Jerk

[@MrSinisterSandman]

One might argue that a pyromaniac with horrific burns all over his body makes his ability with fire less of an 'aptitude' and more of a 'penchant'.

[@thomasvella1076]

Electrocutioner. the greatest boss fight the Arkham series NEVER had... could have been top tier.

[@yeetyeeterson1914]

Solomon Grundy is great in Arkham city. His boss fight is fun, the lead up is great, and his design is one of his best. Him being this low is a lil wild when a good amount of the characters above him are a lot worse imo. Anarky, Starro, Ferris Boil (what?), Quincy sharp (what?), copperhead, and more are worse imo

[@gamertimefuntime4245]

I dare you disrespect Electrocutioner! World’s greatest villain.

[@purplemace6866]

Copperhead one of my fav

[@joejohnson8966]

0:00 yes

[@benjthewhite]

Unless you count Arkham Origins Blackgate (which I don’t blame you if you don’t) Catwoman ain’t even a villain.

[@Basilisk-tu7ud]

Wait a second the long Halloween movie is Arkham canon????

[@bugg6597]

Talia condemns Batman to die. She’s just like ‘oops, just kidding’ when he ends up living. She’s gotta we way higher up on the list than cat women who alternatively saved batman without ever having tried to kill him. She’s not really a villain to be honest, more a female Han Solo. DC has softened her up into a borderline good guy in the past twenty years

[@andson02]

Who is 'Victor Frites' ?

[@Jumpyman_thegamerYT]

Meanwhile K*ller Moth being an absolute unit of a villain. Let me explain. He is largely considered a joke, meaning that he can essentially commit most crimes and proceed to get away with it as people don't perceive him as much of a threat and they have their guard down. Meanwhile most villains will alert every alarm within a 5-mile radius if spotted, K*ller Moth can probably slip past relatively un-noticed. Idk lol, I just kind of like him.

[@trystantrace]

Killer Moth. Stop with your unnecessary censorship.

[@Jumpyman_thegamerYT]

@@trystantrace You know as well as I do that KZbin will shadow ban literally any comment for no reason.

[@InvisibleMan95]

The Riddler sucks.

[@johnbuckleyjnr32]

The joker being black mask was a terrible call

[@pacoramon9468]

Killer Moth Number 1.

[@BigSteve1997]

I don't see how you can put characters you don't fight ahead of characters you do

[@sirekumasutra7022]

Mad Hatter in AK looks like Alice Cooper to me

[@mikesanders2500]

How is Harley number 4? I can't remember anything she really did in the games

[@melmeron7843]

How? She's literally in every game. Also she did some messed up junk when you read the Arkham-Stories

[@Taalsman]

Black Mask is one of my fav villains but he keeps getting shafted in games and movies..

[@lifeisberserk9566]

He was at least done pretty good in Under the red hood movie and The Batman show

[@estevaobrito871]

I like the list and all, but I don't think that was any sort of ranking. All that was said is each of the villains' roles in all of the games, but that just isn't ranking bro. I think the only exception is the Joker (whose ranking I absolutely hated, he's not number two no way no how, even to Freeze), you actually developed a good paragraph for him, but for the others you must make comparisons, see their backstory with Batman, see how much impact they each made along the games and/or how hard was it for Batman to catch them. We've all played the games, we all know what the story is yk

[@PillowEgg]

No. 1 should be Brainiac as he was able to control Batman and force him to kill innocents and go against his principles. Harley will be a second as it was her to end Batman’s life in Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League.

[@newageBoundhippie]

so just focusing on the 3D open world ones & ignoring Blackgate then ( yeah it's not exactly a good game but the story is interesting at least )....also the name Fries is pronounced the same as Freeze not like french fries....

[@jasontodd1896]

Deathstroke got buried in the Arkham games esp knight

[@xtonys9786]

Whoever did your research, sack them.

[@peekitty]

I enjoyed this as a retrospective of Arkham villains... but some of your ratings are NUTS. You ranked Hush higher than Zsasz? Calendar Man higher than Clayface? I am baffled by what metrics you're using here. Not going to argue with your Top 3 though.