Batman is one of the DC Universe's biggest heroes, but with villains like his, it's a wonder he has time to help out the other heroes against anyone else. Batman has more great villains than just about any hero in comics, with even the lame ones needing just a little twist to make them amazing. Batman's villains are the types of villains a great hero needs to shine.
Not to be the left behind, though, is the Flash and his Rogues. While many of Flash's villains are rightfully forgotten, the ones who aren't are among the best villains and have banded together to bedevil the Scarlet Speedster, trying to prove they are the best villains around.
10 Batman's Villains: Better Backstories
For a villain to be truly be interesting and more than just a cackling criminal cliché, they need a good backstory— and Batman's villains have some of the best. Mr. Freeze springs to mind immediately, a scientist who has turned to a life of crime to fund research into curing his wife's disease. But Batman's villains have a wealth of interesting backstories, ones that give a reason for their madness or criminal inclinations.
From Bane to Catwoman to Two-Face to the Joker, Batman villains have backstories that are tragic or say something profound about the character, elevating them above the villains other heroes face.
9 Flash's Villains: Comrades In Arms
Armed with the power of the Speed Force, the Flash is one of the most formidable heroes in the DC Universe. Flash's villains made a decision early on: There was no way they could match the speed of the Flash but if they teamed up, it would give them a greater chance of success against the Scarlet Speedster, and thus the Rogues were born.
The Rogues were a different kind of villain group. While often times, groups of villains don't work together well and squabble amongst themselves, dooming their endeavors, the Rogues embraced teamwork and camaraderie. They work together against the Flash and divvy up the spoils between themselves.
8 Batman Villains: Dark Mirrors
Batman is a fascinating character in regards to his psychology. A boy who lost his parents, Bruce Wayne retreated behind a mask to work out his complex feelings about the event, creating his own family to make up for the one he lost and putting himself through even more mental anguish as the years went by. Batman's enemies often put a dark mirror up to the Caped Crusader, their issues twisted mirror images of his own.
Batman's foes give him a dark look at what he could be if he ever lost control, as their neuroses and psychological foibles are similar to his— yet taken to dark extremes.
7 Flash's Villains: Science Run Amok
The Flash is one of those heroes who is emblematic of the Silver Age and one of the big themes of Silver Age comics was science, even if the comics had a very juvenile view of the subject. Heroes and villains alike were given powers and abilities because of science and Flash's Rogues were no different. Most of their gadgets and abilities are all based on strange Silver Age science gone amok.
From Weather Wizard's weather controlling wand to Captain Cold's cold gun to Trickster's weaponized gags, the Rogues are an example of science and technology used for evil, creating formidable villains who could stand against one of the toughest heroes around.
6 Batman's Villains: Some Of The Most Dangerous Villains In Comics
Being Batman has never been easy and a big reasons for that is because of the actions of his villains. Batman's foes are some of the most dangerous villains around and have went out of their way to make Batman's life a living hell.
Battling Batman is no easy task and his villains have to up the ante all the time, taking the fight to him in new and deadly ways. Even though most of Batman's villains have no powers, most heroes dread facing them— taking on Batman has made them into alpha predators, crafty and dangerous foes who make other villains look like fluffy puppies and will do anything to win.
5 Flash's Villains: Surprisingly Good At What They Do
Many of Flash's villain have their Silver Age bonafides written on them and at first glance can seem kind of lame. Captain Cold is a guy in a parka with a gun that freezes things. Captain Boomerang throws boomerangs. Heatwave wears a fireproof suit and has a flamethrower, and the list goes on. None of these villains seems like they have any chance against someone who can move at the speed of light.
However, Flash's Rogues have proven over the years that they can hang with the Fastest Man Alive. They've learned how to fight against someone who can run through time and space and are very good at what they do.
4 Batman's Villains: Criminal Masterminds
Batman's greatest weapon isn't anything in the Batcave or on his utility belt, but his brain. It's allowed him to figure out how to beat even the toughest foes and come home, whether it be on his own or with the Justice League. Batman's best foes have had to deal with this type of brainpower for years and it has made them into some of the smartest, most capable villains around.
While not all of his foes are super intelligent masterminds, enough of them are, having carved out impressive holdings in a city that is patrolled by one of the most dangerous vigilantes in the DC Universe.
3 Flash's Villains: The Speedsters
Not all of the enemies Flash faces are members of the Rogues; he often times battles other speedsters just like him and these can be his most harrowing battles. The Speed Force is a very powerful weapon and in the wrong hands can be used for some terrible things. These battles push the Flash to their limit, testing him against villains who have the same abilities he does.
It's rare for the Flash to find a foe that can match him in any way, but the evil speedsters he faces are some of his greatest challenges. From Savitar to Godspeed to Zoom, the Flash's greatest foes are the ones who just like him.
2 Batman's Villains: The Joker
Every hero has that one villain, the one who defines them— and for Batman, that's the Joker. The Clown Prince of Crime has been the most consistent and dangerous thorn in Batman's side over the years, battling him to a standstill on many occasions, his crazy schemes not for money or power but merely to indulge his twisted sense of humor.
If Batman is a force of order in a city often gone mad, the Joker is the madness at the center of that city, the all consuming chaos that Batman has to hold back at any cost. While his other villains often have some kind of purpose, the Joker just enjoys the destruction and death. Everything else is just a means to an end.
1 Flash's Villains: Reverse Flash
Eobard Thawne is a man from the future whose obsession with the Flash went to some dangerous places. Becoming the engine of the Negative Speed Force, Thawne would go back in time to indulge his obsession and became the Flash's most dangerous foe. The Reverse Flash has used his powers for one thing and one thing only: To try and destroy Barry Allen's life.
Reverse Flash is the opposite of the Flash in every way, from his costume's color scheme to his actions. His powers make him one of the deadliest beings in the DC Universe and every time he and the Flash face each other, it's an event, one that the Flash might not run away from.
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