Batman: The Animated Series left a lasting legacy, thanks to its mature themes as opposed to the cartoonish nature of other animated superhero shows. The series won plenty of awards and is often considered second only to The Dark Knight among all Batman on-screen adaptations.
Bruce Wayne faced off against plenty of foes in Batman: The Animated Series. Some had already appeared in the comics, while some were created specifically for the show. Most of the depictions of villains went on to become the default portrayals in future comics. Here's a look at the villains that were great as well as those that were uninspiring.
10 Best: Poison Ivy
Pamela Isley was a scholar and botanist who adopted the villainous persona Poison Ivy to protect plant life. She even handed down brutal punishment to anyone who attempted to destroy plants. Ivy was also able to control plants and use them as weapons.
When Batman found out about her, he tried to stop her on several occasions but often failed. As the series progressed, she devised ways to turn plant destroyers into actual plants as punishment. She also set up a factory where she could manufacture giant plant beasts.
9 Worst: Lock-Up
Batman rarely went up against other vigilantes in the series but Lock-Up was one that had to be dealt with. Real name Lyle Bolton, Lock-Up was a ruthless night guard at the Arkham Asylum. Believing that they were despicable, he enjoyed torturing the hundreds of inmates
Batman had about Bolton's inhumane tactics so he had him fired. Angry, Bolton adopted the Lock-Up persona and began going after cops and court officials he felt didn't give proper punishment to criminals. Not only did he have a bad outfit but he also had ridiculous ways to stop Batman. At one point, he put a wheel clamp on the Batmobile.
8 Best: Clayface
The origin story of Clayface is an interesting one. He started out as a popular actor named Matt Hagen. Sadly, his career was destroyed after he was involved in a road crash that left him disfigured. Eager to hide his scars, he tried an experimental cream and got addicted to it.
After he was dumped in a vat full of the cream, he transformed into Clayface. Resigned to his fate, he decided to be a criminal. Given that punches and bullets simply went through his body, Batman and the Gotham PD always had a hard time dealing with him.
7 Worst: Mad Bomber
Mad Bomber (real name Ted Dymer) first appeared in the episode "Beware the Gray Ghost. " He was a toy shop owner who was obsessed with a villain named The Mad Bomber from the TV series The Gray Ghost. He thus decided to copy the bombing spree of the TV villain.
Ted used remote-controlled toys to plant bombs all over Gotham. He threatened to bring down all buildings in the city unless his ransom demands were met. Batman had an easy time with Ted. All he had to do was get clues on how to stop him from the lead actor of The Gray Ghost.
6 Best: Mr. Freeze
Victor Fries aka Mr. Freeze was a scientist working at GothCorp. While experimenting to find a cure for his terminally ill wife, his own body ended up being affected. He could no longer withstand higher temperatures hence he had to wear a bodysuit designed as a freezer.
After he was expelled from GothCorp's lab, he decided to become a criminal in order to get more money to fund his experiment. The villain was so good that "Heart of Ice," the episode that introduced him, won an Emmy for "Outstanding Writing In An Animated Program."
5 Worst: Sewer King
Sewer King was a gang leader that lived in the sewers and recruited orphans and homeless people into his criminal empire. The villain also enjoyed using children as petty thieves. The children were forced to live in fear and any form of disobedience was severely punished.
He also had trained alligators that he used to attack his enemies. Sounds like something that should have been left to Killer Croc? Given that his costume looked like something out of the Victorian-era, he'd have been better off as a vampire or magician. Sadly, all he could do was hide behind alligators and children.
4 Best: The Mad Hatter
Due to his brilliance, The Mad Hatter ended up appearing in several episodes. He was a villain with the ability to mind-control people. He was also a big fan of the Alice In Wonderland story and that's where he basically got his persona from.
Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy revealed that “Perchance To Dream” is the episode he adores the most, In it, the Mad Hatter attached a dream machine to Bruce Wayne's head. The billionaire thus woke up in a strange world where he was engaged to Selina Kyle and both his parents were alive.
3 Worst: Man-Bat
Man-Bat was the first villain to appear in the series. He was a zoologist named Kirk Langstrom who drank a serum that enabled him to turn into a creature that was half-man, half-bat. Apart from causing unnecessary damage to property and fighting Batman, Man-Bat was hardly interesting.
He was portrayed as a Bruce Banner figure with the creature inside him being beyond his control. The manner in which he is defeated is even duller. He accidentally flies into a wall and is thus unable to see.
2 Best: Joker
Mark Hamill's Joker will always be iconic, thanks to the infectious laughs and the cold-heartedness. What makes Joker so great is that he is impossible to defeat. Batman also appears to have a soft spot for him. No matter what terrible thing he does, Batman never goes out of his way to stop him for good.
Throughout the series, Joker is also shown as a leader. He plays cards and schemes with other villains but he is always the one in command. Most of the time, he backstabs his fellow villains but their retaliation attempts fail because he is too smart.
1 Worst: Boss Biggis
Boss Biggis almost feels like a bad imitation of Marvel's iconic villain named Kingpin and James Bond's Goldfinger. He is a short guy who keeps eating every minute. Biggis also owns a gold mine. In order to get free labor, he captured all homeless people in Gotham and forced them to work at the mine without pay.
Despite not paying them, the villain keeps complaining about their laziness. Luckily, Batman uncovered the evil scheme and made it his mission to stop Biggis. The villain proves to be no real challenge because he doesn't know how to fight. All he could do was waddle around with a pistol.
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