Batman, without a doubt, has one of the worst histories with the circus. The Dark Knight has witnessed the death of the Flying Graysons and a countless number of The Joker's crimes committed under the big top. Even so, the X-Men come close to Batman's level of circus-related trauma.
Marvel's Mutants had their first major encounter with the circus in Uncanny X-Men #111, by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. In this issue, the X-Men were kidnapped and brainwashed into becoming circus performers. While Banshee got a slightly more glamorous job as the circus barker, the others were subjected to much ridicule.
Storm was given a demeaning role as the "goddess," with men gawking at her through glass. Wolverine was chained up as a half-naked "man-beast," while Nightcrawler was advertised as a demon. Colossus and Phoenix got slightly more flattering roles, but they were still kept in confinement for the amusement of others. The whole ordeal was pretty embarrassing for the X-Men. Fortunately, Beast arrived to save his fellow mutants from this experience. Hank McCoy's intervention allowed the X-Men to break free from their physical and mental restraints. Once the team discovered that Mesmero was behind this whole plot, they defeated his lackeys and escaped their imprisonment.
History repeated itself in Wolverine and the X-Men #21, by Jason Aaron and Nick Bradshaw. This time, the Murder Circus, led by Frankenstein's Monster, came into town. The Circus kidnapped the faculty of the Jean Grey School and brainwashed the X-Men just like before. Wolverine, Storm and Beast were part of this circus, while other mutants like Iceman, Rachel Grey and Kitty Pryde also experienced the humiliation of their teammates. Even Warbird, a Shi'ar warrior, was forced into the circus. The most ridiculous part of this ordeal was Wolverine being turned into a clown.
What makes the X-Men's circus experiences so humiliating is the sheer exploitation involved. In both of these instances, the X-Men were brainwashed and used as "freaks" to entertain the public. This kind of exploitation only served to remind the X-Men how society saw them as aberrations from the rest of the world. Mutants like Nightcrawler and The Blob started off as circus performers as well, demonstrating the marginalization of mutants in the Marvel Universe.
Still, Batman's circus adventures might be more psychologically damaging. The Caped Crusader has seen some truly horrific events at circuses and carnivals. First and foremost, in Detective Comics #38, by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, Bruce Wayne witnessed the murder of Dick Grayson's parents. This traumatic event has been emphasized in later iterations of Robin's origin, illustrating the pain this murder has caused both Dick and Bruce.
The Joker has also committed several circus-related atrocities during his career. As a clown, The Joker represents a darker, twisted side of entertainment. In the classic Batman: the Killing Joke, by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland, Commissioner Gordon was physically and psychologically tortured by The Joker and his circus henchmen, with Batman left to pick up the pieces.
Events like these highlight how painful settings like the circus must be for Batman. One especially disturbing experience came in Batman and Robin #3, by Grant Morrsion and Frank Quitely. Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne took on the deranged Professor Pyg and the Circus of Strange, in an especially violent and gruesome adventure.
The X-Men's circus experiences have certainly been humiliating, but Batman has seen some real violence and insanity in the big top. Marvel's Mutants have had the fortune of surviving their ordeals with the circus, while Batman has seen countless deaths committed by like The Joker or others like Professor Pyg. The X-Men may not have been damaged by the circus the way Batman was, but they certainly come close.
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