IN EXPLORING OUR CAPED CRUSADER’S

rogue’s gallery, it is important to acknowledge Batman’s lesser known, but nonetheless, menacing and completely underrated villains. These rank among his most deadly and powerful of foes and either mirror or act as the complete antithesis of the Dark Knight himself. Now, there will be plenty of Comic-Con fans and avid graphic novel readers that will be more than familiar with this list, but for the rest, these are some of Gotham’s lesserknown villains who deserve greater recognition:

First appearance: 1984

Our favourite Gotham villains are often a true reflection, a dark doppelganger, of the billionaire Bruce Wayne, and that is what makes the Wrath so dangerous. Complete with a Batcave like lair, advanced vehicles, his own sidekick and dark protégé, he is a force to be reckoned with. Like Batman, he is focused on waging his own pursuit of justice with Gotham P.D. lodged firmly in his sights as he fights to gain his own sense of retribution for the death of his parents at the hands of a young James Gordon. The creation of Mike W. Barr and Michael Golden, The Wrath first appeared in Batman Special #1 from 1984 and has gone on to enjoy a cult status among fans of the comic series.

7. CALENDAR MAN

First appearance: 1958

Calendar Man is another one of Batman’s most intriguing supervillains. With another tragic backstory, the result of severe neglect and exposure by some truly horrific parents, Calendar Man soon learned the importance of having dates and key events seared inside his brain. His original conception in 1958 was very mediocre, but with his evolution in 1996, when Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale created Batman: Long Halloween, he became a serial killer, largely inspired by Hannibal Lecter. As a serial killer trapped inside a glass cage, he would soon become a vital informant to Batman and Commissioner Gordon. The decision was a stroke of genius and allowed Calendar Man to fit the role completely, elevating his status among Batman’s villains.

First appearance: 2003

Like Bruce Wayne, Thomas Elliot was born into a very wealthy family and after a series of dark twists and turns, including killing both his parents, his transformation into Hush makes him a legendary adversary for the Dark Knight. Equipped with wealth, a superior intellect and skills as a plastic surgeon and marksman, Hush has proven himself to be more than a match for Batman and is quickly becoming a comic fan favourite since his first appearance in Batman: Hush from 2003.

First Appearance: 1992

First appearance: 1976

First Appearance: 2011

Introducing Gotham’s Matilda Mathis, deranged serial killer and daughter of the infamous Dollmaker. Dollhouse is the first-born child of Barton Mathis. She was quickly raised in her father’s vocation, hunting and slaughtering people, as well as harvesting their organs for the family’s twisted business. Typically wearing a doll face grafted onto her skin, clad in a nurse’s outfit and holding a large sledgehammer, Dollhouse makes a more horrific addition to Batman’s cast of villainy.

Like others on the list, Victor Zsasz is a prolific serial killer born into a wealthy family and driven to madness by a tragic family back story. His path quickly diverged from Bruce Wayne’s, turning Zsasz into a homicidal maniac whose calling card is to cut a tally mark on his body whenever he kills someone. What makes Zsasz a unique villain is his weapon of mind control, possessing the minds of people like Jeremiah Arkham to torture people within Arkham Asylum, including Batman. This evil narcissist is another classic but underrated foil to Batman.

Duela Dent, aka Joker’s daughter, has an origin story as ambiguous as her supposed father’s. Popular story arcs and theories suggest she is Harvey Dent’s daughter while others suggest she is the love child of Harley Quinn and the Joker. Her true parentage may be a mystery, but what is clear is her desire for mayhem and theatrics. She originally joined Teen Titans followed by The Suicide Squad before Red Hood took her under his wing. After having a Joker mask grafted on her face by the Dollmaker, the Joker’s daughter produced a reign of terror on Gotham resulting in a series of kidnappings and murders that would make even the Joker blush. Perhaps the poisoned apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

2. CORNELIUS STIRK

First appearance: 1988

It was difficult not to rate Cornelius Stirk even higher in the rankings. Definitely an unsung villain of this list, he continues to be a thorn in Batman’s side which is largely due to the depth of his insanity and psychotic tendencies. Another student from the culinary school of Hannibal Lecter, Stirk’s level of evil makes the Scarecrow look positively tame by comparison. His supposed cannibalistic need to devour the nutrients and hormones from people’s hearts makes him quite a horrific addition to Gotham’s gallery of villains. Like the Scarecrow, he is a supervillain who has the capabilities of great fear among his enemies through hallucination and appears frequently as a powerful adversary of Batman’s.

1. PROFESSOR PYG

First appearance: 2007

Drawing such a frightening similarity to real life serial killer Ed Gein, Professor Pyg takes the mantle as one of the greatest but underrated Batman villains. Possibly the darkest and most disturbing of all the Batman villains, (and that is saying a lot), the Pygmalion inspired transformation of Laszlo Valentin’s sadistic surgeon has been another horrifying adversary that almost fatally ended Robin’s life. Pyg could also be included in the Dexter world, as he uses all sorts of surgical instruments such as drills, hammers and ice picks to disfigure his victims for the process of turning them into Dollotrons or lobotomising them. While fortunately he spends most of his days in Arkham Asylum, Pyg is such a horrific inclusion to our morbid but underappreciated rogue’s gallery.

BY ETHAN BREHM