The Search for the Greatest Villain of All-Time

I honest tried NOT to pick the Joker. I wanted to go against the grain and be that annoying person who claims the Joker is not the greatest villain ever… but it simply cannot be done.

However, I won’t be mentioning The Dark Knight, because, other than not needing to, I am of the opinion that the Joker’s greatness in The Dark Knight has more to do with Heath Ledger’s performance rather than the character of the Joker. And honestly, even a D-list, red shirt henchman would become legendary after a performance like that.

Unholy Matrimony

Never in the history of anything has there ever been a hero-villain dynamic so perfectly matched by being complete opposites. The two are distorted reflections of the other. Where Bruce does his best to maintain his sanity, the Joker revels in his madness. He knows he’s the complete opposite of Batman, and takes pride in it. Batman will never kill; the Joker will torture, maim, and kill every human connection Batman has, while never touching Batman himself. They provide each other a twisted sense of purpose that neither would achieve with any other counterpart.

One could argue that the Joker is just as much of a household name as Batman himself.

The Clown Prince of Crime

The Joker is an unpredictable psychopath with zero regard for human life, even his own. He doesn’t want to rule the world, and has no interested in money, power, or fame. He holds everything as a joke, and takes nothing seriously. He is insanity personified. Proven when he had his face surgically removed and the rotting skin stapled to his bloody visage.

With no agenda, he simply wants to cause chaos, kill as many people as possible, and see anarchy reign. Beyond that, his only other reason for living is to torment Batman. While the rest of the criminal underworld of Gotham is tearing each other apart for territory, money, and power, the Joker is simply tearing everything apart and basking in the mayhem.

Although without superpowers, he is still far more of a supervillain than those with, and is in a league of his own when compared to pretty much anyone. A true architect of madness and mayhem with a rap sheet that reads like nonother. But he doesn’t just kill with no rhyme or reason, he instead makes his crimes so extremely personal to the point of breaking his enemies’ will. Why should he kill a random civilian when he can kill Batman’s sidekick, Jason Todd? Why should he manipulate an average Joe to murder, when he can trick Superman into killing Lois Lane, causing the entire city of Metropolis to be destroyed? Adding a personal touch doesn’t just make his crimes more horrific, they force Batman to feel responsible. If Jason wasn’t Batman’s sidekick, he wouldn’t have been killed. If Jim Gordon wasn’t Batman’s friend, the Joker wouldn’t have paralyzed his daughter or murdered his wife.

Even other villains are not safe from the Joker’s wrath. Take the time he skinned alive a former business partner in order to reclaim his territory following a long stay in Arkham Asylum. Or when Maxie Zeus threatened the Joker to give up his power, and the Joker decided to kill Maxie’s nephew by blowing up an entire school.

The Joker doesn’t just destroy his enemies, he destroys their psyche.