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His relationship with Batman is... unique, to say the least. In nearly every published Batman crossover/AU comic, The Joker is there as well. Joker has claimed again and again that Batman is the sole reason for his existence -- and that they're more alike than Bats will ever admit.
 
The Joker, as portrayed in various media -- [[Batman (Filmfilm)|Tim Burton's 1989 film]], ''[[Batman: The Animated Series (Animation)|Batman the Animated Series]]'', ''[[The Dark Knight]]'', and many an [[Alternate Continuity]] -- is a little bit different from the comic book version; specifically, the former are generally treated (if in unspoken terms) as psychopathic maniacs who have conned (or will con) others into thinking they are psychotically insane in the legal sense of the term, when really they just enjoy carnage and mayhem, and were usually murderous bastards even before he became a [[Monster Clown]]. The modern, mainstream, comic book Joker is treated much more like he really ''is'' insane (or at least, more insane than those other versions) and (sometimes) sees Batman as something of a psychological torment rather than an enemy or someone Joker just enjoys tormenting. Many versions fall somewhere in between the two extremes, largely [[Depending Onon the Writer]]. His [[Harmless Villain]] phase, by contrast, was actually pretty short lived.
 
As for his origin... well, no matter who tells it, it almost always involves him falling into a giant vat of acid (or something green). Most accept Alan Moore's portrayal of Joker as an unsuccessful comedian with a pregnant wife prior to the transformation, but as Joker said himself in that very story: "Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes the other! If I'm going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice!"
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== [[Harley Quinn (Comic Book)|Harley Quinn]] ==
{{quote| '''AKA:''' Harleen Quinzel}}
 
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Which genius decided to let a fresh-out-of-college intern be The Joker's therapist, we'll never know (it's heavily implied that no one actually wants to work at Arkham), but Harley Quinn was the result. As Joker's doctor, Dr. Harleen Quinzel tried -- like so many others before her -- to restore the psychotic killer to sanity. She not only failed, but ''fell in love with him''. The countless [[Freudian Excuse]] stories that Joker fed her were likely a part of it, since Harley has proclaimed that ever since she laid eyes on the clown, it was love at first sight.
 
Though it was ''[[Batman: The Animated Series (Animation)|Batman the Animated Series]]'' that introduced her (originally as just the Joker's henchgirl), Harley became popular enough to be included in the comics as well, and it was a comic (later adopted into a TV episode) that first told her origin. Perhaps even crazier than the Joker himself, you can count on Harley to be right alongside her "puddin'", mindlessly loyal to him, but cleverly lethal.
 
Not even Harley can stand the Joker's endless tirades of abuse and madcap lifestyle, however, and when she's in her downtime, she often finds consolation in Poison Ivy, whom she has [[Les Yay|a deep friendship with]].
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* [[Women Are Wiser]]: Despite being just as insane as her puddin' and just as indifferent to other people's death, she's still portrayed and perceived as being somewhat "less evil" than the Joker.
* [[Critical Psychoanalysis Failure]]: Granted, Joker does this ''a lot'', but none of his other doctors wound up ''in love with him''.
** She once wrote up a report on the Joker claiming that he was perfectly sane, but simply faking it to avoid the death penalty, and because he was enjoying his own maniacal behavior. This arguably subverts this trope, since [[Depending Onon the Writer]] this is ''exactly'' what [[The Joker]] is doing, meaning she is the first one to crack him (of course, she probably thinks [[Mad Love|this makes him a genius]]).
* [[Dark Action Girl]]
* [[Dark Mistress]]
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* [[The Dragon]]
* [[Drop the Hammer]]: Mallets have been identified as her [[Weapon of Choice]], though the Joker does use them on occasion as well.
* [[Dumb Blonde]]: She's ''really'' psychopathic, but still a ditzy, kinda sweet girl. Like [[Death Note (Manga)|Misa-Misa]].
{{quote| '''Harley:''' Hah! And here you thought I was just another bubble-headed, blonde bimbo! Well, the joke's on you; I'm not even a real blonde!}}
* [[Glass Cannon]]: In all continuities. Even though she definitely can fight, she isn't very resistant and is often easily knocked-out when things get physical.
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* [[Meganekko]]: Before her transformation.
* [[Multicolored Hair]]: The [http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/09/suicide-squad-1/ cover] for the 2011 [[Continuity Reboot]] version of ''[[Suicide Squad]]'' shows Harley sporting half red, half blue hair.
* [[Naughty Nurse Outfit]]: In ''[[Batman: Arkham Asylum]]''.
* [[Perky Female Minion]]
* [[Psychopathic Manchild]]: Occasionally pops up in the main comics, and practically outlined in her solo series. She often acts, and sometimes thinks, like a sugar-high kid.
* [[Red and Black Andand Evil All Over]]
* [[Sexy Jester]]
* [[She Fu]]: We're still not sure how someone who's studied to be a doctor can suddenly do Olympic-level gymnastics.
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** And received superhuman abilities from Poison Ivy during the first of their adventures.
* [[Shrinking Violet]]: She was very shy and reserved before meeting The Joker. Needless to say, that's changed quite a bit.
* [[Spell My Name Withwith an "S"]]: The DVD captions for ''Mad Love'' in Volume Four of ''Batman: The Animated Series'' spell her real name as "Harlene Quinzelle".
* [[Stating the Simple Solution]]: Suggested [[Just Shoot Him|just shooting Batman]] to Joker, who proceeds to blow up on her (then later use this idea).
* [[Steven Ulysses Perhero]]: C'mon, Harleen Quinzel? ''[[Batman: The Animated Series (Animation)|Batman the Animated Series]]'' [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshades]] it by having Joker point it out in the episode showing her origin, and her dryly responding [[Never Heard That One Before|that she's heard it before]]. This conversation was pretty much replicated in ''[[Batman: Arkham Asylum]]'' in one of her interview tapes.
* [[Unholy Matrimony]]: She and Mr J. are one textbook example.
* [[Villainous Harlequin]]
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Alongside the Joker and Ra's al-Ghul, Two-Face is one of Batman's greatest enemies, but not because of the threat he poses to the rest of the world. Instead, he reminds Batman of how far the greatest can fall, and how he cannot save all of his allies.
 
Note that in spite of his stature, Two-Face never made an appearance on the [[Batman (TV series)|sixties show]] (likely because that he wouldn't fit into their campy approach; however, Joel Schumacher proved them wrong in a big way). FALSE Face did, but that's a different character altogether.
 
=== Examples ===
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* [[Amoral Attorney]]: Averted; he was an incredibly honest and hardworking D.A. before the transformation.
* [[Anti-Hero]]: There are moments when he seems to be gunning for the title "The DCU's [[The Punisher|Punisher]]". It doesn't last.
* [[Anti-Villain]]: Sometimes, [[Depending Onon the Writer|depending on the writer]]. Type I, II and/or III, [[Depending Onon the Writer|depending on the writer]] as well.
* [[Black and White Insanity]]: The majority of his modern interpretations, from 1990 onwards. Quoting his revised origin:
{{quote| '''"Harvey"''': ''Good boys don't do bad things.''<br />
'''"Two-Face"''': ''BAD BOYS DON'T DO GOOD THINGS.'' }}
* [[Chronic Villainy]]: No matter how many times they repair his face, Two-Face always eventually comes back. Most recently the damage was self-inflicted, using a scalpel and concentrated nitric acid. Yikes.
* [[Depending Onon the Writer]]: Was Harvey Dent one of Bruce Wayne's best friends or did he consider Bruce to be a useless fop? Did Harvey consider Batman to be a great ally in the war against crime, or merely a slightly more benign symptom of what was wrong with Gotham? The answers to these questions depends on if you read ''[[The Long Halloween]]'', saw ''[[Batman: The Animated Series (Animation)|Batman the Animated Series]]'' or ''[[The Dark Knight]]''. The main consensus in the main comics seems to be that yes, he and Bruce were good friends, and yes, Dent grudingly considered Batman an useful ally.
** The nature of his psychosis and morality changes so much it's ridiculous. The statement in [[Arkham Asylum a Serious House Onon Serious Earth|Arkham Asylum]] about Joker's changing personality would likely better describe Dent.
* [[Fallen Hero]]
* [[Freudian Excuse]]: Being beaten as a child by his father. In fact, several versions actually state that this is where his coin came from in the first place.
* [[Go-Karting Withwith Bowser]]: Bruce Wayne has been known for going down to Arkham to play chess with Harvey Dent.
* [[Gollum Made Me Do It]]: During ''No Man's Land'', Jim Gordon escapes a "trial" that he set up by taking advantage of this.
* [[Guns Akimbo]]: Much less than you'd think, but still there occasionally.
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** In one issue, he and his gang are playing cards, and the rest of them are terrified that he'll set off when they start beating him, or other small stuff. He doesn't and actually laughs it off, and they let their guard down... then one of them [[Oh Crap|spills some wine by accident]], and he ''[[Disproportionate Retribution|shoots the guy dead.]]''
** For a time, he was infatuated with Detective Renee Montoya, who he met during ''No Man's Land'', and tried to woo her. Then she turns out to be a lesbian, and he goes ballistic and accuses her of "betraying" him.
** In one comic book adaptation of ''[[Batman: The Animated Series (Animation)|Batman the Animated Series]]'', Bruce and Gracie - Harvey's ex-fiancee before his accident - visit him in Arkham at a point he seems to be at last on the road to recovery; he himself notes that he's not using the coin as much, and he's genuinely grateful for the visit. Then [[Manipulative Bastard|The Joker]] suggests that Bruce and Gracie are seeing each other behind his back... and [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge|the predictable happens.]]
* [[Heads-Tails-Edge]]: He constantly gets screwed over by this trope.
* [[Heel Face Revolving Door]]
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* [[Large and In Charge]]: Sort of. He's far from being the tallest Batman villain, but he lacks any real fighting skills or training either. He is still a big, intimidating man, however, and tends to dominate his underlings - and go toe-to-toe with Batman - by relying on size and his [[Blue and Orange Morality|highly volatile moral compass]].
* [[Jekyll and Hyde]]: Naturally.
* [[Mismatched Eyes]]: His right eye is [[Blue Eyes|almost always depicted as blue]], but his left iris [[Depending Onon the Artist|tends to range from]] [[Red Eyes, Take Warning|blood red]] [[Prophet Eyes|to milky white]]. In [[Batman: The Animated Series (Animation)|the animated series]], his entire left eye turns [[Hellish Pupils|yellow and slitted]].
* [[Morality Pet]]: Depends on the writer ''sooo'' much, but his ex-wife Gilda (and arguably Renee Montoya) usually are this.
* [[Multicolored Hair]]: Usually a black/white pattern. [[Depending Onon the Artist|If they don't decide to have the "bad half" of his face have its hair being burned off instead]].
* [[Murder the Hypotenuse]]: Two-Face's [[Sarcasm Mode|brilliant idea]] to win Renee's affections/attentions.
* [[Noble Demon]]
* [[Numerological Motif]]: Guess.
* [[The Resenter]]: Initially felt this way towards Bruce Wayne. Probably couldn't care less now as Two-Face.
** [[Depending Onon the Writer|Except for the continuities where Harvey Dent and Bruce Wayne were best friends, of course.]]
* [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]]: During his retold origin in ''The Long Halloween'', he pulls this on his traitorous assistant, Vernon.
* [[Shadow Archetype]]: Like Batman, he shares two separate identities, although Harvey's are apart and opposed to each other, in contrast to Batman and Bruce Wayne being together.
* [[Split Personality]]
* [[Stalker Withwith a Crush]]: To Renee Montoya.
* [[Tragic Monster]]: [[Played for Drama]].
* [[Two-Faced]]: [[Incredibly Lame Pun|Ha ha ha.]]
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[[File:the-riddler_1528.jpg|frame]]
 
Thanks to the unforgettable [[Batman (TV series)|sixties show]] (where he essentially replaced the Joker as Batman's lead villain), the Riddler is one of the "big four" classic Bat-Rogues (alongside the Joker, Catwoman and the Penguin). Like most of the Bat-Rogues, the Riddler is victim to a mental disorder - in his case, an Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder that subconsciously forces him to leave clues in the form of riddles at the scenes of his crimes. Flashes into his past have shown an abusive father that would beat him every time he lied and an obsession with riddles, puzzles, and word games, all of which probably didn't help his descent into a criminal.
 
The Riddler is best known for his many (often silly) riddles that confound all but the Dynamic Duo, as well as his over-the-top deathtraps. He is, however, incredibly intelligent, yet considers his battles of wits with Batman to be a game - one in which he heavily respects his opponent.
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** Although, {{spoiler|the aftermath of ''Hush'' shown him getting beaten up by pretty much everyone he used before, as stated in the description above.}}
* [[Calling Card]]: His riddles, of course.
* [[Cane Fu]]: To the point where his cane in ''[[Batman: Arkham City (Video Game)|Batman Arkham City]]'' looks more like blunt weapon than a walking aid.
* [[The Chessmaster]] / [[The Dog Was the Mastermind]]: {{spoiler|During the ''Hush'' arc. For crying out loud, one of the cover arts even shows him playing chess with pieces looking like the characters! BUT Batman had dismissed him earlier since he had not updated his tactics like the others had.}}
** [[The Man Behind the Man]]: Another interpretation is, since he didn't use his signature riddles, that he more likely mostly provided contacts and resources for the other chessmaster, as Batman suspects.
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* [[Cutting the Knot]]: Batman often defeats Nigma using either this or by taking a third option.
* [[Death Trap]]: He loves these.
** In ''[[Batman: Arkham City (Video Game)|Batman Arkham City]]'', he uses them on innocents in a challenge for Batman. Some fans have pointed out that he's taken a few lessons from [[Saw|Jigsaw]]. While others would like to point out that [[Older Than They Think|Jigsaw took a few lessons from him]].
* [[Demonic Possession]]: During the "Dark Knight, Dark City" storyline. The result? An [[Ax Crazy]] version of the character that only ''[[Batman: Arkham Asylum]]'''s version can compete with.
* [[Depending Onon the Writer]]: Bumbling [[Cloudcuckoolander]]? Scheming near-equal to Batman? A [[Bunny Ears Lawyer]] version of both?
** And thanks to ''[[Batman: Arkham City (Video Game)|Batman Arkham City]]'', he might be a nerdy [[Saw|Jigsaw]].
* [[Domino Mask]]
* [[Evil Is Stylish]]: Both his suit and his leotard have their legions of fans.
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* [[Psychotic Smirk]]: A trademark of his.
* [[Screw This, I'm Outta Here]]: His reaction to the earthquake that created ''No Man's Land'' arc. Note that he's the ''only'' Arkhamite to even consider making a break for it. Which he does.
** In ''[[Batman: Arkham Asylum]]'', he does the same. He doesn't seem very concerned with escaping from [[Batman: Arkham City (Video Game)|Arkham City]], though.
* [[Spell My Name Withwith an "S"|Spell My Surname With An S]]: Is it "Nigma" with an "I" or "Nygma" with a "Y"?
* [[Spirited Competitor]]
* [[Smug Snake]]
{{quote| [[Batman: Arkham City (Video Game)|And as you lie blubbering on the floor like an ignorant child, you'll know...]]''[[Batman: Arkham City (Video Game)|that the Riddler is better than you]]''!}}
* [[Symbol Motif Clothing]]: When his outfits are adorned with question marks.
* [[Take a Third Option]]: Batman often gets past his riddles by doing this, beating them in ways Nigma didn't anticipate.
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Victor Fries was once a great scientist, who was accidentally exposed to some chemicals and was forever changed. While this was beneficial to the Flash, it ruined Fries' body physiology and he cannot survive for very long in high temperatures (even being in room temperature would eventually kill him). Being forced to create a suit to keep him cool, Fries eventually turned to crime, becoming the sinister Mr. Freeze.
 
That was all there was to the original Mr. Freeze (who actually debuted as Mr. Zero). He was just the gimmicky cold themed villain to fight and was eventually sent to Comic Book Limbo (where [[Animal Man (Comic Book)|Animal Man]] actually met him!). Then [[Batman: The Animated Series (Animation)|Batman the Animated Series]] gave him a tragic backstory and personality, turning him into an [[Anti-Villain]].
 
Nora Fries, wife of Victor, contracted a rare disease, of which there was no cure. Victor, wanting to save his wife, put her in cryo-stasis. Unfortunately, Fries' boss, [[Corrupt Corporate Executive|Ferris Boyle]] tried to pull the plug on Nora and knocks Victor into some chemicals and... yeah. Later, when '''Mr. Freeze''' tried to get revenge on Boyle, Nora's capsule was destroyed and she died. Swearing revenge on Batman, he escapes. Whenever Freeze is captured and taken into custody, he is always taken to Arkham Asylum, as it is the only place where he won't die due to the temperature while in custody (his room being essentially a remodeled meat locker).
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=== Examples ===
 
* [[A Day in Thethe Limelight]]: An issue of ''Legends Of The Dark Knight'' has him narrating a retelling of his own origin.
* [[An Ice Person]]: Unlike most examples, his powers don't come naturally. Instead, he has to use his gun (which may or may not be linked to his sub-zero body temperature) to achieve this. And although his condition would kill him in a room-temperature environment, he can walk around openly and quite comfortably in the frigid polar regions, as depicted in the DCAU.
** Most of the time. On ''[[The Batman (Animation)|The Batman]]'' however, he does have genuine freezing powers and thus has no use for a gun.
* [[Anti-Villain]]: Type I or II.
* [[Bald of Evil]]: The transformation process apparently caused all his hair to fall out.
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* [[Harmless Freezing]]: Sometimes. Most of the time, he ''does'' kill whoever he freezes.
* [[Human Popsicle]]: Did his to his wife. He's kind of a walking, talking, killing one himself.
* [[Lost in Imitation]]: With the exception of the one in [[Batman (TV series)|the Adam West show]], every version of Freeze draws from the [[DCAU]] one. Of course, this is partially because the ''comics themselves'' [[Canon Immigrant|adopted the DCAU version as his official backstory.]]
** The one in ''[[The Batman (Animation)|The Batman]]'' is actually much closer to the original version, lacking a [[Morality Pet]] wife... which led to a lot of nerd rage about him [[Ruined FOREVER|ruining]] the good name of the "real" Mr. Freeze.
* [[Love Makes You Evil]]: Especially when the one you loved is dead.
* [[Mad Scientist]]
* [[Necromantic]]: Not at first, since his wife was ''technically'' still alive, but after her death, he still did everything he does out of his love for her.
* [[Only Sane Man]]: [[Depending Onon the Writer|Usually]] shares this role with Penguin. He goes to Arkham not because he's insane, but because they're the only place that can accommodate him.
** A notable exception is his appearance in City of Crime, in which he is a delusional psychotic. Penguin even remarks that he hates working with crazy "freaks" like Mr. Freeze.
* [[Playing Withwith Fire]]: His wife came back with powers. Guess what they are. Did we mention his life ''sucks''?
* [[Ret Canon]]: After the animated episode pretty much won an Emmy, DC Comics hastily adapted Freeze's new origin into the comics as well.
* [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]]: On Boyle at first. His later career is supposedly one targeted towards Batman, and to a lesser extent, the rest of Gotham.
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Much like Mr. Freeze, and to some extent, the Riddler, the Scarecrow was a one-shot character in the comics, revived decades later to become a major part of the Bat-Rogues. Thin and bookish, he was (predictably) bullied by kids at school. As a result, he became even more withdrawn and angry at the world, culminating in him bringing a gun to the high school senior prom and attacking [[Jerk Jock]] Bo Griggs and his [[Alpha Bitch]] girlfriend Sherry Squires (who had rejected Crane's affections), killing the latter.
 
As an adult, Crane's psychopathic tendencies grew and grew. His interests in the human mind (especially fears and phobias) got him a job as a psychology professor at Gotham University, but firing a gun during one of his classes soon led to him being kicked out. Crane, obviously not taking this well, used his chemistry and psychology smarts to concoct a "fear toxin" and get his vengeance on the ones who fired him. Naturally, Batman stopped him. Naturally, he went to Arkham. Naturally, he would come back time after time to battle the Bat. As a character (inexplicably, given his use of gas) ignored by the [[Batman (TV series)|sixties show]], Scarecrow didn't require much of a revival when the Batman comics returned to their roots in the 70s, and as such didn't change much when he took on animated form (although his look certainly did).
 
In recent times, Crane has had a bit of a [[Freak-Out]] over the fact that he is pretty much nothing without his toxin. As a result, he abandons use of it (almost) entirely and instead relies on his expertise with the human mind in his criminal activities, beginning by [[Hannibal Lecture|driving two prison inmates to suicide with words alone]].
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* [[Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance]]: Take a wild guess as to what his costume resembles.
* [[Evil Mentor]]: Eventually revealed to be one to an Evil Student, {{spoiler|Thomas Elliot aka Hush}}.
* [[For Science!]]: [[Depending Onon the Writer|When writers decide to go for the MadScientist interpretation]]. Other times, he seems to just spray people with fear gas [[For the Evulz]].
* [[Freudian Excuse]]: Bullies + Abusive Grandmother + Unstable Nerd = EVIL.
* [[Hannibal Lecture]]: Has recently begun specialising in these.
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* [[Shadow Archetype]]: Like Batman, he uses fear as a gimmick in his actions, except Crane uses fear for malicious purposes.
* [[Sinister Scythe]]
* [[Things That Go Bump in Thethe Night]]: pretends to be such a thing.
* [[Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?]]: He himself is often depicted with either a fear of birds or a fear of bats. His fear gas reveals his victims' greatest phobias.
** {{spoiler|In ''Blackest Night'', it's revealed his constant exposure to his own fear gas has left him incapable of fearing anything. Except for Batman.}}
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You'll note that most of the entries on this page are rather old characters. One of the more recent Bat-Villains to make "the leap" to a top-tier threat was Bane, created in the 1990s for a specific purpose: to enable the writers to get Bruce Wayne out of the Bat-costume and replace him with a character intended to turn the readers against [[Nineties Anti-Hero]] Azrael, and [[Nineties Anti-Hero|Nineties Anti Heroes]] in general. The gambit worked spectacularly well.
 
To say Bane had a bad life is putting it mildly; he was essentially raised in a Central American prison, sentenced there for life ''while still in the womb'' for a crime committed by his father. However, once he managed to be old enough to defend himself, he thrived, and was selected for an experimentation program where he was made more durable (via the implantation of subcutaneous armor) and, more importantly, had a delivery system for a super steroid implanted in his body. While not quite superhuman in strength, when on the drugs he was very close, and combined with his genius-level intellect represented a foe unlike any Batman had faced to that point: one arguably as cunning as he was, but with far more physical prowess. After wearing Batman down, Bane eventually caught up to him and shattered his spine. Although eventually defeated by AzBats, that one storyline gave the character enough credibility that he instantly shot up to be one of the top Bat-Villains, and merited appearances on ''[[Batman: The Animated Series (Animation)|Batman the Animated Series]]'', ''[[Batman Beyond (Animation)|Batman Beyond]]'', and in the disastrous ''[[Batman (Filmfilm)|Batman & Robin]]'' movie as a result. The final installment of ''[[The Dark Knight Saga]]'' will feature him.
 
In recent years, he has weaned himself off the drugs and become something of an [[Anti-Hero]] himself. Bane currently is a team member of the [[Secret Six]].
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* [[Dangerously Genre Savvy]]: Why arrange an elaborate game of cat and mouse when you can have others do all the work and then finish the job like a piece of cake?
* [[Destination Defenestration]]: Used hilariously in one of the ''Secret Six'' books.
* [[Drugs Are Bad]]: He's been used a couple times (most notably in ''[[Batman Beyond (Animation)|Batman Beyond]]'') to deliver [[An Aesop]] on the dangers of steroid abuse. Currently in the comics, Bane has kicked his Venom addiction and relies on his natural strength--still way above average, but no longer quasi-superhuman.
* [[Genius Bruiser]]
* [[Poirot Speak]]: While Bane often drops spanish words into his speech in the various adaptations he appears in, he's almost always written with perfect english in the comics. If you only know him from there and don't know his origin, you might not even realize that he's supposed to be Latin-American.
* [[Recycled in Space]]/[[This Is Your Premise Onon Drugs]]: Bane's was created as [[Doc Savage]] except <small>EVIL AND ON STEROIDS!</small>
* [[Shadow Archetype]]: When he first appeared, the impression was given that he was comparable to Batman in terms of intellect and physical prowess; essentially, Batman if he had grown up hated, abused, and imprisoned rather than loved, privileged, and free.
* [[Super Serum]]
* [[Super Strength]]
* [[Super Intelligence]]: of the super learning and [[Photographic Memory|photographic memory]] kind. However, he doesn't emphasize his intellect any more than strenght. Willpower and discipline are more of his defining aspects anyway.
* [[What Could Have Been]]: There were hints in his origin that he might have actually been Bruce Wayne's half-brother, as various passing references indicated that his father had been a foreign doctor who had fled the country. While Batman having to deal with the idea of the saintly image he's built up of his father being tarnished might have been interesting, it's pretty understandable why future writers [[Armed Withwith Canon|declined to follow up on this]].
 
== Professor Hugo Strange ==
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One of the very first recurring villains Batman ever fought (the others being [[Mad Scientist|Doctor Death]] and [[Our Vampires Are Different|The Mad Monk]])<ref>[[Dating Catwoman|Catwoman]] and [[The Joker]] appeared several months later</ref>, Hugo Strange was introduced as [[Sherlock Holmes|The Moriarty]] to Batman's Holmes, a [[Mad Scientist]] who used ingenius inventions and brainwashed, mutated goons to [[Cut Lex Luthor a Check|carry out crimes]]. Post-Crisis he was reinvented as a criminal psychiatrist who had ties to the mob who became obsessed with Batman, and again experimented with mutated brutes (this time round known as the "Monster Men"), but both versions have him eventually figuring out the Dark Knight is really Bruce Wayne, making him one of his most dangerous and personal enemies.
 
[[What Happened to Thethe Mouse?|If he were used more.]]
 
Despite being one of the oldest and more important of Batman's regular foes, Strange nowadays is mostly notable by his absence. He rarely appears in the modern comics and is more associated with stories around Batman's early career. He had a single appearance in ''[[Batman: The Animated Series (Animation)|Batman the Animated Series]]'' and a cameo in ''[[Justice League Unlimited]]'' <ref> A popular theory is that he is the one who gave Batman's identitity to Cadmus</ref>, which would have led to something more were it not for the infamous [[Screwed Byby the Network|Bat Embargo]] in place at the time. However, he made up for it in ''[[The Batman (Animation)|The Batman]]'' where he became a major villain (he even became the ''final'' villain in the last episode....[[Big Bad Wannabe|almost)]] and is the [[Big Bad]] in ''[[Batman: Arkham City (Video Game)|Batman Arkham City]]''.
 
One of the more cerebral Bat rogues, Strange is nonetheless preoccupied with physical as well as mental perfection. He regards Batman as the embodiment of both, and at times his obsession reaches the point where he wants to 'be'' Batman, however he is just as often trying to create his own giant bruisers, and he is interested in pushing his own limits.
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=== Examples ===
 
* [[Arch Enemy]]: In the early years, he had arguably a better claim to being this than [[The Joker]], who was [[Put Onon a Bus]] shortly after his debut since the writers didn't want Batman to look impotent by letting the clown rack up a [[Irony|ridiculously high body count]]. Strange was a more frequent villain, and predated him.
** In ''[[The Batman (Animation)|The Batman]]'', he actually arguably ''does'' fit this trope better than that show's version of the Joker (who is still an A-list villian, but doesn't seem as menacing as the show's Strange.)
*** Which is either plain ironic or a [[Fridge Brilliance]] [[Actor Allusion]], seeing as Strange was voiced by Frank Gorshin, the Riddler from the 60's Live Action series, and in that show ''the Riddler'' had the best claim to being Batman's [[Arch Enemy]]<ref> He was the villain for the pilot, he appeared more than any other villain in the first season, and he was arguably the most homicidal of the rogues. [[The Joker]], for the record, didn't really become Batman's [[Arch Enemy]] until the 1970's.</ref>
* [[Awesome By Analysis]]
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* [[Bald of Evil]]
* [[Beard of Evil]]: Originally modeled a classic "villainous" goatee; he boasts a shaggy chinstrap in most recent appearances.
* [[Blackmail]]: In ''[[Batman: The Animated Series (Animation)|Batman the Animated Series]]'' he ran a clinic for the wealthy and powerful where he had a machine that let him read the minds of his patients, allowing him to dig up their darkest secrets and shames and later force them to pay for his silence. When Bruce checks in undercover he discovers he is Batman, but decides to have an [[Auction of Evil]] with Penguin, Two-Face and [[The Joker]] as the bidders. Adapted from the Pre-Crisis story where Strange first finds out Bruce is Batman, except blackmail had nothing to do with that one.
* [[Bond Villain Stupidity]]: Memorably averted in one Pre-Crisis story. You want to know how he originally found out Batman's secret identity? ''He took his mask off while he was bound and unconcious''. It was later changed to be a little more complicated than that, but you still have to admire his prudence.
* [[Brainwashed and Crazy]]: The Monster Men; [[Batman: Arkham Asylum|Quincy Sharp]].
* [[Classic Villain]]
* [[The Chessmaster]]
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* [[Manipulative Bastard]]: One of the masters in the ''Bat''-verse.
* [[The Man Behind the Man]]: To the 2nd Black Mask, Jeremiah Arkham.
* [[Mind Control]] / [[More Than Mind Control]]: Several. The Monster Men again; Sgt. Max Cort from ''Prey''; [[Batman: Arkham City (Video Game)|Quincy Sharp]] as the ultimate example.
* [[Nietzsche Wannabe]]
* [[The Syndicate]]: They funded some of his Monster Men research and its implied that they put him through college. Howver, he eventually decided that [[You Have Outlived Your Usefulness|it wasn't working for him.]]
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* [[Pint-Sized Powerhouse]]: In ''Batman and the Monster Men'', he is even shorter than normal, practically a dwarf, but he is still pretty buff.
* [[Psycho Psychologist]]
* [[Put Onon a Bus]]: He hardly ever shows up in the comics Post-Crisis despite being one of Batman's most notable enemies.
* [[Scary Shiny Glasses]]
* [[Shadow Archetype]]: Like Batman, he's a [[Crazy Prepared]] [[Badass Bookworm]] who is determined to push the limits of physical and mental perfection, the difference being he's a self-centred sociopath and a criminal mastermind, and Batman's limits are much higher than his.
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* [[Third Person Person]]: Pre-Crisis at least.
* [[Ubermensch]]: Sees Batman as one, and wants to be one himself.
* [[Villain Withwith Good Publicity]]: Didn't last long, though.
 
== Poison Ivy ==
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[[File:Poison_Ivy_5118.jpg|frame]]
 
Introduced (not surprisingly) in the [[Silver Age|sci-fi obsessed]] sixties, Poison Ivy is one of the few Bat-Rogues with actual powers. In her case, powers over all manner of flora. In addition, she's also got a special immunity towards all illnesses and toxins (sometimes naturally born with; sometimes not), and that's just as well, because she's often portrayed with the ability to naturally produce both lethal and non-lethal toxins from her body. This stems from her being seduced by her senior professor, Dr. Jason Woodrue, and used as a guinea pig for his experiments, although her origin comic by [[Neil Gaiman]] and his ''[[Black Orchid (Comic Book)|Black Orchid]]'' miniseries establish that the science was just a channel and she's actually, like Black Orchid, a mystical being called a May Queen with a connection to The Green (of ''[[Swamp Thing (Comic Book)|Swamp Thing]]'' fame).
 
She was originally just another gimmicky villain, but quickly grew into one of the senior members of Batman's rogues gallery. Instead of being after money, "Pam" was instead an eco-terrorist who genuinely cared about the well-being of plants (and animals, to a certain degree). Violent person that she was, she often attacked businessmen and others who damaged the environment for monetary gain... and her love for "innocent" living things, including human children, has made her [[Pet the Dog|waver]] on the path of villainy from time to time.
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* [[Anti-Villain]]: Short of Mr. Freeze, it's hard to find a rogue who gets the sympathy treatment as much.
* [[Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance]]: It's got a fair bit of [[Depending Onon the Artist]], but her appearance is always reminding of a plant.
* [[Dark Chick]]: As said below, she isn't much of a fighter but that doesn't make her any less dangerous.
* [[Depending Onon the Writer]]: Sometimes she is an extremist eco-terrorist hell bent on protecting Mother Earth from the ravages of humanity; originally and just as often, she is just a glorified superhuman crook and seductress in it for the money.
** She's even occasionally shown concern for "innocent" human life, children especially, most famously in a particular issue of ''[[Gotham Central]]''.
* [[Defrosting Ice Queen]]: Upon meeting Harley, Ivy [[Character Development|softened somewhat towards humans]], but still manages to be [[Tsundere|quite strict]] whenever Harley screws up her plans. [[Dojikko|Which is frequently]].
* [[Does Not Like Shoes]]: Some versions of her, such as the one from ''[[The Batman (Animation)|The Batman]]'' and the one from ''[[Batman: Arkham Asylum]]''.
* [[Evil Redhead]]
* [[Fiery Redhead]]
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* [[Mama Bear]]: Towards the orphans she looked after, as well as her plants, and Harley when the Joker's involved.
* [[Man-Eating Plant]]: Always has some kind of it ready & waiting to eat Batman.
* [[Never Be Hurt Again]]: Some portrayals of her emphasize this motivation. She got mutated when she fell for a guy [[Playing Withwith Syringes]]; now she is obsessed with controlling men.
* [[Not Good Withwith People]]: By which we mean that she cares little for their lives.
* [[Pet the Dog]]: Several, most notably during the ''No Man's Land'' arc, where she took in several dozen orphans despite her grudge against humanity.
* [[Blonde, Brunette, Redhead|Redhead]]: To Harley's Blonde and Catwoman's Brunette in some cases.
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* [[Torture Technician]]: Almost as much as the Scarecrow, she's a dedicated misanthrope who loves making people suffer.
* [[The Vamp]]: Started out this way, but eventually became an eco-terrorist. She still has shades of it though.
* [[Villainous Crush]]: [[Depending Onon the Writer]], she could have an attraction to Batman that stands from either a minor attraction to either lust or genuine affection. While not at the same level as his [[Dating Catwoman|relationship with Catwoman]] Batman could return her affection in some way, also depending on the writer.
** In one such issue, she mistook his saving her from death as proof he loves her, though he responds that she doesn't know the meaning of love.
* [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]]: But not in the same way as Ra's al-Ghul, since she couldn't care less about the morality of humans. She mainly wants to kill them all so that they can't harm her precious plants.
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With the assistance of the mysterious Lazaurus Pits, Ra's has achieved limited immortality, as they rejuvenate him every time he takes a dip. Such a practice has allowed him to live centuries, if not millennia, and he's taken advantage of such a long lifespan to master swordsmanship, war strategies, various fighting styles, and many other skills.
 
Interestingly, after being created in the 70s revival period, Ra's took much of the 1980s "off", rarely appearing as a Batman antagonist, before being revived in a big way for the 1990s. He's one of the few top-tier modern Batman villains who was created after the [[Batman (TV series)|sixties show]] aired, and as such didn't have a counterpart there.
 
Ra's has come to blows with both Batman and the rest of the [[Justice League of America]] many times, one time unleashing a genetically engineered virus on Gotham, and on another occasion, taking down most of the JLA with Batman's contingency files. He himself, however, was killed by one of his daughters, also a user of the Lazaurus Pits, who was furious at him for leaving her to die at a Nazi Concentration Camp. Though he eventually returned to life, Batman was able to imprison him in Arkham Asylum under the guise of an inmate named Terry Gene Kase, and assigns him "medication" that keeps him highly sedated.
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* [[Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter|Immortal Terrorist's Beautiful Daughter]]
* [[Mind Rape]]: At the hands of her own half-sister, no less.
* [[Not Even Bothering Withwith the Accent]]: In the videogames and the animated series, her "accent" is anything but Persian.
* [[Peek-a-Bangs]]
* [[Asian Baby Mama|Persian Babymama]]
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=== Examples ===
 
* [[Affably Evil]]: He knows he's a villain, but still sticks to what he believes to be gentlemanly behavior. [[Batman: Arkham City|Usually, anyway.]]
* [[All of the Other Reindeer]]: Almost all versions of his backstory incorporate this.
* [[Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance]]: Both his clothing and his appearance evoke the image of a penguin. How strongly this is portrayed depends on the writer/artist, with the [[Batman (Filmfilm)|Danny DeVito version]] taking the cake.
* [[Bad Guy Bar]]: The Iceberg Lounge technically counts.
* [[Civilian Villain]]: Even before his "official" reformation, he's gone through supposed reformations countless times.
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** And '''played straight''' in ''Penguin: Pain and Prejudice''.
* {{spoiler|[[Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas]]}}: In ''Penguin: Pain and Prejudice''.
* [[Everything's Better Withwith Penguins]]
* [[Evil Is Stylish]]
* [[Fat Bastard]]
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* [[Sinister Schnoz]]
* [[Training Montage]]: Briefly shown during ''Secret Origins Special'' #1, where he was shown lifting weights and practicing with a punching bag as a kid. Result? He knocks out a bully's teeth with a single punch.
* [[Villain Withwith Good Publicity]]: As of now in the mainstream [[DCU]] continuity. In the DCAU he eventually became Gotham's mayor!
* [[Wicked Cultured]]: At least, he tries to be.
 
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=== Examples ===
 
* [[And Your Little Dog, Too]]: Hush goes after those close to Batman (which makes Bruce realize that for a self-described loner, he sure has A LOT of friends) including, of all people, ''Superman''. Hush thinks big. He also kills {{spoiler|Harold, who was a severely injured cripple who used helped in the Batcave}}. {{spoiler|He}} was a [[C -List Fodder]] who had barely appeared in any comic since the 1980s, but it was still sad.
** He {{spoiler|cut out Catwoman's heart, because she still had feelings for Bruce (and vice-versa). Don't worry, it's only a [[Only a Flesh Wound]] via [[Applied Phlebotinum]] and she gets better.}}
* [[Ascended Meme]]: Hush was never a serial killer in the regular comics, but the wikipedia has been calling him one for unknown reasons. Then they actually made him one in ''[[Batman: Arkham City (Video Game)|Batman Arkham City]]''. As well as his [[Legacy Character]] in ''[[Batman Beyond (Comic Bookcomics)|Batman Beyond]]''.
* [[Badass Longcoat]]
* [[Batman Gambit]]: His mantra is "think like your opponent", which is pretty much this.
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* [[Gambit Roulette]]: Possibly the whole of ''Batman: Hush'', but there is no indication that the events could not have gone any other way.
* [[Guns Akimbo]]
* [[Kick the Dog]]: {{spoiler|Using Jason Todd in an attempt to mess with Bruce's mind, shooting Harold,}} cutting out Catwoman's heart, lying to Killer Croc about having a cure for his condition and then accelerating it instead, injecting a neurotic child with [[Psycho Serum|venom]], killing [[C -List Fodder|a minor villain]] just to [[The Only One Allowed to Defeat You|have Batman for himself]]... yeah, this is kind of his specialty.
* [[It's Personal]]: Batman and Hush are this to one another.
* [[Manipulative Bastard]]: Already as a kid. After he has a violent outburst on a summer camp, he coincidentally has Jonathan Crane as his therapist. Tommy admits he is guilty of [[Self-Made Orphan|much more]] than a mere attack, but gets Crane to declare him mentally stable with just a few words:
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* [[Motive Rant]]: He has one right after he {{spoiler|kills Harold}}.
* [[My Beloved Smother]]: Tommy's mom was like this even before the accident. Afterwards, she became so controlling she kept her son at home for nearly twenty years, using the family fortune as leverage. {{spoiler|When Tommy says he has enough, she tries to cut him out of her will and he smothers her with a pillow out of anger.}}
* [[Remember the New Guy?]]: Althought they tried justifying it with flashbacks and whatnot, one has to wonder why we've never heard of Bruce's (supposedly) dearest friend before.
* [[Self-Made Orphan]]
* [[Shadow Archetype]]: Another one of Batman; Hush being what would happen if Thomas and Martha Wayne's parenting of Bruce went horribly wrong and Batman became a villain.
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The Mad Hatter is possibly one of the strangest Bat-Rogues ever (which is saying something). Throughout his tenure, Tetch has been subject to several redesigns in both appearance and personality; he has gone from average height to quite short to an actual dwarf and has been a goofy thief, a scheming mastermind and a creepy pedophile-esque kidnapper. He's gotten a lot more serious in the comics and has proven to be a formidable and unpredictable opponent.
 
This character was indeed used in the [[Batman (TV series)|sixties show]], but the version was based on an imposter who posed as Tetch during a period in the comics. He appeared in only four episodes, all of them making use of his hypnotic machinery and showcasing his desire to add Batman's cowl to his collection of hats. The [[Batman: The Animated Series (Animation)|animated series]] turned Tetch into a criminal through his obsession for a co-worker (ironically named Alice), swearing vengeance on Batman when he foiled his plans to be with her (read as "hypnotize her boyfriend and stalk her"). This motivation went away though as the Hatter soon became another common thief. Still, he had a good run and several good episodes.
 
Incidentally, few people remember that his debut comic, ''Batman'' #49, also featured the debut of Vicki Vale- ''Arkham City'' might feature a [[Shout-Out]] to this in the scene he first appears in that game <ref> Vale finds herself trapped in Arkham City and after Batman rescues her, Tetch is seen watching the whole thing</ref>, but this might be a coincidence.
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=== Examples ===
 
* [[Alice in Wonderland (Literature)|Alice in Wonderland]]: Tetch quotes this constantly, with Jeph Loeb's incarnation speaking in nothing ''but'' quotes from the book.
* [[Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance]]
* [[Berserk Button]]: Do ''not'' touch his hat.
* [[Dead Person Impersonation]]: Not dead so much as [[Comic Book Limbo|missing]], but his redheaded [[Silver Age]] counterpart apparently [[Costume Copycat|stole his identity and M.O. for a time]]. The real Tetch later turns up alive; [[Killed Off for Real|the latter does not]].
* [[Depraved Dwarf]], although this [[Depending Onon the Writer|varies.]]
* [[Evil Is Stylish]]
* [[Gadgeteer Genius]]
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* [[More Than Mind Control]]: Some of Tetch's schemes have become very elaborate through this trope.
* [[Nice Hat]]: The Hatter ''lives'' by this trope.
* [[Off Withwith His Head]]: He actually utters this line in his very first appearance, appropriately holding an axe twice as tall as he is.
* [[Rhymes Onon a Dime]]: In ''[[Gotham Central]]'', he uses this [[Madness Mantra|as a coping mechanism]] when he feels threatened.
* [[Spot of Tea]]: Expect the Hatter's tea to always be laced with something.
 
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* [[Dragon Lady]]
* [[Deliver Us From Evil]]: Type 2. In Batgirl, its shown to be her [[Start of Darkness]].
* [[Duel to Thethe Death]]: She LOVES these, but that doesn't stop her from being forced into an [[Involuntary Battle to Thethe Death]] every now and then. Usually, people use her to get others into them. She'd rather choose her own targets.
* [[Forbidden Technique]]: The Leopard Blow.
* [[Finishing Move]]: The Leopard Blow. What it is varies from time to time, but one of the most gruesome versions involves ramming two fingers into a weapon point int he forehead, killing the target in one hit. Another version is smashing the nose and forcing the small bones of the nose into the brain. When later writers realized that was a physical impossibility, it was changed to the former version.
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{{quote| '''AKA:''' Deever, Dumfree and Dumson Tweed}}
 
Despite being cousins, Deever and Dumfree were so alike in both appearance and mannerisms that they could easily be mistaken for identical twins. Drawing inspiration from their shared love of ''[[Alice in Wonderland (Literature)|Alice in Wonderland]]'', the duo went on to commit multiple crimes in Gotham, dressed as the similarly-named twin brothers from ''Through The Looking Glass''. After the apparent death of Dumfree, his twin brother Dumson has since stepped in to take his place. Although they run their own separate criminal organization, they can often be seen in the employ of the Mad Hatter (see above).
 
=== Examples ===
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* Acrofatic: Depicted in the [[Golden Age]] as capable of [[Hyper-Destructive Bouncing Ball|rolling and bouncing at high speeds]].
* [[Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance]]
* [[Creepy Twins]]: [[Playing Withwith a Trope|Played with]]. They actually aren't, but they enjoy giving this impression, and Dumfree and Dumson certainly qualify.
* [[Squishy Wizard]]: Despite [[Stout Strength|their impressive size and strength]], they're [[Unskilled but Strong|not very adept at actual combat]], so they tend to take [[Hit and Run Tactics|a more hands-off approach]] to their robberies.
* [[Suspiciously Similar Substitute]]
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* [[Extreme Doormat]]: Wesker to Scarface.
* [[Gollum Made Me Do It]]: Some interpretations of him portray him as a perfectly innocent man being bossed around by a loud mouthed blockhead.
* [[Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane]]: [[Depending Onon the Writer]], Scarface is either simply a symptom of Wesker's disorder, or something more sinister and potentially supernatural.
** And on some occasions its implied to be neither and Wesker is just a [[Manipulative Bastard]] who wants everyone to ''think'' he's crazy or that the doll is possessed, and thus akin to some versions of [[The Joker]]. Given that this would mean he is willing to machine gun his own hands as part of his "act", this would probably make him even crazier.
* [[Multiple Choice Past]]: Some stories use the mafia family origin above; other stories have Wesker losing control of his anger in a bar and being sent to Blackgate prison, where he acquires the "Scarface" dummy after it had been carved from a piece of gallows wood by his cell-mate.
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* [[Arch Enemy]]: Arguably for Catwoman.
* [[Ascended Extra]]: He was active since the 1980's, but though always a competent and dangerous threat Black Mask remained a fairly obscure villain until he was re-imagined as an [[Ax Crazy]] [[Complete Monster]] and [[Snark Knight]] with a [[Skull for Aa Head]] who succesfully and violently took over the Gotham criminal underworld and generally [[Took a Level In Badass]]. Since then he was appeared in several adaptations and has had a major impact on Gotham in general and the Bat-family in particular.
* [[Ax Crazy]]
* [[Card-Carrying Villain]]
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* [[Politically-Incorrect Villain]]
* [[Religion of Evil]]: In ''No Man's Land'' he turned the False Facer's into a cult where everybody (himself included) horribly scarred their faces and shaved their heads so that they all looked alike, and turned them loose to basically go on a murderous rampage throughout the already devasted city. Black Mask II reffered to his organization as a "Ministry of Science", combining this with his [[Mad Scientist]] routine.
* [[Revenge Byby Proxy]]
* [[Self-Made Orphan]]
* [[Shadow Archetype]]: Similar to Hush (and preceding him), Black Mask is a Bruce Wayne who suffered from poor parenting and ran his own company into the ground. He's a millionare who became an extremely violent masked crime lord rather than a moderately violent masked vigilante, and he relys more on his natural hidden talents as a criminal than on years of hard work and study.
* [[Skull for Aa Head]]: Since he [[Took a Level In Badass]], his mask has become skull-like, whereas before it looked slightly more human if all-black.
* [[The Sociopath]]
* [[Took a Level In Badass]]: Mask has been around since the 80's, but it's only been in the aftermath of his recent appearances, where he's become a psycho to rival The Joker, that he's been elevated to a top-tier Bat villain, shown up in the cartoons, and is a fan favourite to appear in the movies, though the latter seems unlikely.
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=== Examples ===
 
* [[Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance]]: Exactly how much so [[Depending Onon the Artist|depends on the artist]].
* [[Asshole Victim]]: Don't think [[Morally-Bankrupt Banker|he didn't work hard]] to [[Break the Haughty|earn]] that [[Humiliation Conga]].
* [[Bald of Evil]]
* [[The Chessmaster]]: After Black Mask's death, he briefly managed to [[Villain Exit Stage Left|oust the Penguin from Gotham]] and control the city's rackets from [[Might Asas Well Not Be in Prison At All|inside his cell at Arkham]].
* [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]]: Gained his nickname for his ruthless and cold-blooded business practices.
* [[Hawaiian-Shirted Tourist|Hawaiian Shirted]] [[Jerkass]]: In ''Streets of Gotham''.
* [[Karma Houdini]]: {{spoiler|He's worked out a [[Deal Withwith the Devil|deal with the Torture Lords of Hell]] that will enable him to escape any punishment for his life's misdeeds.}} [[Etrigan]] is actually impressed.
* [[Loan Shark]]: [[Stealth Pun|Quite.]]
* [[Phrase Catcher]]: Warren White is [[Running Gag|the worst person you have ever met]].
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=== Examples ===
 
* [[Ascended Extra]]: Despite being a lesser-used villain overall, he was used in a substantial way in both [[Batman: Arkham Asylum|Arkham]] [[Batman: Arkham City|games]], which has raised mainstream awareness of the character substantially.
* [[Axe Crazy]]: Or rather, knife crazy.
* [[Berserk Button]]: He made a tally mark for Batman, only to learn that the Dark Knight wasn't dead; this caused him to wig out for a while.
* [[Depending Onon the Artist]]: Sometimes he's lean and muscular and has a buzz cut hair style, and other times he's scrawny and looks like a balding, emaciated, meth addict.
* [[Depending Onon the Writer]]: Zsasz is variably depicted as either [[Boss in Mook Clothing|a truly dangerous]] [[Genius Bruiser|and cunning foe]], or [[Mauve Shirt|just one step up]] from [[Faceless Mooks|your average rank-and-file goon]]. It's also [[Motive Decay|sometimes unclear]] as to whether he is a true [[Nietzsche Wannabe]], or if he simply kills [[For the Evulz]].
* [[Good Scars, Evil Scars]]: Soooooo many evil scars - one for every victim.
* [[Knife Nut]]: His signature weapon is a carving knife.
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* [[Elemental Shapeshifter]]: Clayface is a walking mountain of mud, and can use his powers for shapeshifting or brute strength.
* [[Disproportionate Retribution]]: He decides to murder people because they're remaking his film without him in the starring role, even though he was brought on as a consultant.
* [[Flanderization]]: Karlo was previously characterized as an ego-maniacal actor, but then writers and artists began depicting him more like the Clayface from the animated series, who was more-or-less an amalgamation of the first four Clayfaces, but more predominately Matt Hagen, the second. The difficulty in this is that, the comic version of Hagen died during ''[[Crisis Onon Infinite Earths]]'', and has remained dead. Unless it's outright stated in the story featuring him, readers have a hard time telling if Clayface is Karlo or Hagen.
* [[Large Ham]]: Comes with the acting background. After receiving the abilities of Preston Payne and Shondra Fuller, Karlo regarded himself as "THE ULTIMATE CLAYFACE!"
* [[Legacy Character]]: There have so far been eight Clayfaces.
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* [[Absurdly Spacious Sewer]]: Often finds himself in one of these.
* [[The Brute]]: In most appearances following the story in which he was introduced. In his first appearance, though, Croc was actually a [[Genius Bruiser]] who manipulated Batman's entire [[Rogues Gallery]]--sort of Bane 0.5.
* [[Depending Onon the Artist]]: Sometimes, Croc has a crocodile-like snout and a tail, sometimes not.
* [[Depending Onon the Writer]]: On top of the above, he seems to be one of those villains writers can never really pin down. It's hard to believe that he was an accomplished marksman and the precursor of ''Bane'', of all things.
* [[Dumb Muscle]]: After [[Flanderization]] set in. Especially prominent in [[Batman: The Animated Series (Animation)|Batman the Animated Series]].
** [[Justified Trope|Justified]] in that his condition is fully atavistic - everything, including his mind, just keeps regressing further and further as time goes on, which explains how he went from a [[Genius Bruiser]] who was basically Bane-lite to a feral, animalistic savage.
** Hell, even in the Animated Series, he was treated as a fairly competent schemer at times: his first appearance was ''Vendetta'', where he came up with a decent [[Evil Plan]] to frame Harvey Bullock, and very nearly succeeded, even fooling Batman for a while. His dumbest showing was in ''Almost Got `Em" and that was pretty justified {{spoiler|seeing as it was really Batman in disguise.}} It's just his dumb luck that that episode was one of the most popular and memorable in the entire show.
* [[Fangs Are Evil]]
* [[Hand Wave]]: Originally he was a man with a very, ''very'' bad skin condition. His appearance has gotten more monstrous over time, which has been explained as his condition worsening.
* [[Handwraps of Awesome]]: He sometimes wears these (e.g., in ''Batman Hush'' and the concept art for ''[[Batman: Arkham Asylum]]'').
* [[Hook Hand]]: Bit off the hand of Arkham guard Aaron Cash, causing him to need a hook-hand.
* [[I'm a Humanitarian]]
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* [[Scary Black Man]]: Is technically black, and yeah, he's not someone you want to run into. Ever.
* [[Super Strength]]
* [[Tragic Villain]]: He does seem to want to be normal very, very badly. Well, [[Depending Onon the Writer]], but this is a pretty frequently recurring quirk of his.
 
== Doctor Simon Hurt ==
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