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[[WMG:[[center:[-''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'' '''[[Characters/{{Batman}} Main Character Index]]'''\\
'''Title Character'''\\
[[Characters/BatmanTheCharacter Batman]]\\
'''Allies'''\\
[[Characters/BatmanBatFamily The Bat-Family]] (Characters/{{Batgirl}} | Characters/{{Batwoman}} | [[Characters/BatmanJasonTodd Jason Todd]] | Characters/{{Robin}}) | [[Characters/BatmanSupportingCast Extended Bat-Family & Other Supporting Cast]] (Characters/{{Azrael}} | [[Characters/BatmanHuntress Huntress]])\\
'''[[Characters/BatmanRoguesGallery Villains]]'''\\
[[Characters/BatmanBane Bane]] | Characters/{{Catwoman}} ([[Characters/CatwomanSelinaKyle Selina Kyle]]) | [[Characters/BatmanClayface Clayface]] | Characters/HarleyQuinn ([[Characters/HarleyQuinnTheCharacter Harleen Quinzel]]) | [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]] | [[Characters/BatmanLadyShiva Lady Shiva]] | [[Characters/BatmanMrFreeze Mr. Freeze]] | [[Characters/BatmanThePenguin The Penguin]] | [[Characters/BatmanPoisonIvy Poison Ivy]] | [[Characters/BatmanTheRiddler The Riddler]] | [[Characters/BatmanTheScarecrow The Scarecrow]] | [[Characters/BatmanTwoFace Two Face]] | '''Criminal Organizations''' ([[Characters/BatmanLeagueOfAssassins League of Assassins]] [[[Characters/BatmanRasAlGhul Ra's Al Ghul]] | [[Characters/BatmanTaliaAlGhul Talia Al Ghul]]]) \\
'''Spin-Offs'''\\
''Characters/Batgirl2000'' | ''Characters/BatmanAndTheOutsiders'' | ''Characters/DarkNightsMetal'' ([[Characters/DarkNightsMetalTheBatmanWhoLaughs The Batman Who Laughs]]) | ''Characters/IAmBatman'' | ''Characters/{{Nightwing}}'' ([[Characters/NightwingDickGrayson Dick Grayson]]) | ''Characters/RedHoodAndTheOutlaws'' | ''Characters/Robin1993'' ([[Characters/RobinTimDrake Tim Drake]]) | ''Characters/Robin2021'' ([[Characters/RobinDamianWayne Damian Wayne]])-]]]]]
----
[[foldercontrol]]
!!Falcone Crime Family
[[folder:Carmine Falcone]]
!!Carmine Falcone
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/carmine_falcone.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:''"I'll burn it all down -- before I let a '''freak''' have it!"'']]
!!!'''Alter Ego:''' The Roman
!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Batman'' #404 (February 1987)
->''"The war for the soul of Gotham City is being waged from all sides, seen and unseen. But together, you and me, we're going to set this city right again."''
Another "normal" Batman foe. First appearing in ''ComicBook/BatmanYearOne'' and ''ComicBook/TheLongHalloween'', Carmine tends to appear in stories or adaptations set earlier in Batman's career, where he's made out to be the top crime lord in Gotham back before the advent of super villains, though he sometimes appears in present-day stories post-reboot. Members of his crime family have also popped up as standalone villains. Some works imply that he's Catwoman's father.
----
* BornInTheWrongCentury: He's very much a traditional crime boss and isn't suited to the world of supervillains and masked vigilantes.
* TheBusCameBack: Returns during the New 52 in ''ComicBook/BatmanEternal'' as part of the BigBadEnsemble.
* CompositeCharacter: Most adaptations want to cut down on the number of vanilla gangster characters, so Falcone typically winds up blended with Lew Moxon (the guy who hired Joe Chill) or Sal Maroni (the guy who scarred [[Characters/BatmanTwoFace Two-Face]]).
* TheDon: Of Gotham City.
* TheDreaded: He's one of the most powerful and feared men in Gotham and everyone, from other gangsters to police to politicians, is frightened of him.
* EndOfAnAge: Most stories featuring him show his empire giving way to the more classic Bat-rogues.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He loves his son Alberto and wants him to lead a legitimate life outside of crime.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He's very much a believer in the old school mafia code and is openly disdainful of super villains and unhinged sadists like the Joker who kill and cause chaos for no reason than their own amusement.
* EvilOldFolks: He's always portrayed as being at least well into middle age and old enough to have adult children and is a ruthless mob boss.
* {{Expy}}: A rather obvious one for [[Film/TheGodfather Don Corleone]], with his son Alberto taking the role of Fredo, Mario the role of Michael and Sofia Gigante the one of Sonny. His appearance is closer to that of Creator/RobertDeNiro - who portrayed the younger Vito Corleone. In turn, the animated series seems to replace Falcone with Arnold Stromwell.
* FeudingFamilies: His outfit vs. Sal Maroni's.
* GenericEthnicCrimeGang: He's Italian. His enforcers are Irish.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: Has three scars on the side of his face courtesy of Catwoman's claws.
* {{Irony}}: Despises the new breed of insane criminal popping up in Gotham, yet one of his children might be the [[ComicBook/TheLongHalloween Holiday Killer]], another one of his kids is the [[ComicBook/BatmanDarkVictory Hangman]], and Catwoman might be another one of his kids.
* KilledOffForReal: He's gunned down by the newly created Two-Face at the conclusion of ''ComicBook/TheLongHalloween.''
* RedBaron: Called the Roman, both because he's from Rome and because he controls a massive criminal empire, which is also referred to as "The Roman Empire".
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Alberto Falcone]]
!!Alberto Falcone / Holiday
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/albertonfalcone_profile_bmlh_p14_v1_401x600_masthead.jpg]]
!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Batman: The Long Halloween'' #1 (December 1996)
->''"Now, look at me. I'm bigger than all of you put together. I am Holiday!"''
The youngest of Carmine Falcone's three children, who desperately wants to join the "family business".
----
* AmbiguousEnding: In ''ComicBook/TheLongHalloween'', it's left unclear [[spoiler:if he really was the Holiday Killer, thank to Gilda stating at the end that she started the murders and her belief that Harvey took it up with New Year's. Was she right? Did she start the killing, but she's otherwise wrong and Alberto ''did'' usurp the identity by faking his own death? Or did she snap from what happened, her and Harvey being the killers is a delusion, and Alberto was indeed the Holiday Killer all along? The only thing known is Alberto did kill Sal Maroni]].
* DudeWhereIsMyRespect: He's looked down by the rest of the Falcone family, leading to lay claim to all the Holiday Killer murders in order to assume an status greater than that of his father.
* {{Expy}}: He's based on [[Film/TheGodfather Alfredo "Fredo" Corleone]], particularly his appearance and his low status within the family despite being a son of TheDon.
* GreenEyedMonster: He's jealous of his elder siblings, Mario and Sofia.
* KarmicDeath: Ultimately killed by the ''other'' holiday-themed killer, Calendar Man, for stealing his modus operandi.
* TheUnfavourite: He gets no respect from the other members of the mob, despite being a son of the Roman.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Alberto is desperate for his father's approval.
[[/folder]]
!!False Face Society
[[folder:Black Mask I]]
!!Black Mask I
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Black_Mask_0003_1813.jpg]]
!!!'''Real Name:''' Roman Sionis
!!!'''Team Affiliations:''' False Face Society, Secret Society of Supervillains, Ministry of Science
!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Batman'' #386 (August 1985)
->''"I am the new, undisputed, absolute crime lord of Gotham City. I am everything this city deserves -- and more. I am the darkness that fills the heart of every living soul in this sordid little town... including the blackest, most twisted soul of all... I think you know who I'm talking about."''
\\\
Roman Sionis was about the same age as Bruce Wayne, and likewise had wealthy parents. However, Roman's parents were extremely neglectful and uncaring towards their son; he grew to resent them and the "Masks" they wore (of good, friendly people), when in private they were miserable. Sionis eventually killed his parents, but ran their business into the ground, at which point it was bought out by Bruce Wayne. Sionis snapped, breaking into his parents' crypt and carving a mask out of his mother's coffin. An attempt to get revenge on Wayne by lashing out at his employees failed due to the intervention of Batman, and ended up causing Sionis's Black Mask to be burned onto his face, making it unremovable.
Sionis was a capable gangster (often leading a mask-themed gang called the False-Facers), managing to regain his hold over organized crime after long stays in jail. Sionis grew even more insane and obsessed with torture as time went on. In a notable ''Catwoman'' arc, Sionis discovered Selina Kyle's secret identity, and in vengeance for Catwoman attacking his drug rings, tortured Kyle's brother-in-law to death, and forced her sister to [[ImAHumanitarian eat pieces of his corpse]], driving her insane. Sionis was thought dead when after an extended fight, he fell out of his penthouse.
Later, in the ''ComicBook/BatmanWarGames'' story arc, Black Mask managed to successfully play the opposing forces of a Gotham Gang war against each other. He managed to kill Orpheus, one of Batman's inside men, and assume his identity, and tortured Stephanie Brown, alias the Spoiler, leading to her apparent demise. Sionis became the de facto leader of all of Gotham's organized crime following this. He was later killed when he once again sought to ruin Catwoman's life mistakenly believing she would abide by the No-Kill rule; she responded by [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim shooting him]]. After Batman's "[[NotQuiteDead death]]", a new Black Mask has surfaced, who turns out to be [[spoiler: an AxCrazy Dr. Jeremiah Arkham]], but he was revealed to be [[spoiler: BrainwashedAndCrazy]] after his defeat, and following the reboot is probably no longer in action (especially considering that the reboot also [[RetCon retconned]] Sionis' death and he has recently reclaimed his old identity).
----
* ArchEnemy: In some extent for Catwoman prior to the ''ComicBook/{{New 52}}''. He was developing a rivalry with the Red Hood shortly before Catwoman killed him, and this feud continues after he "gets better".
* AscendedExtra: 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 AxCrazy dude with a SkullForAHead who successfully and violently took over the Gotham criminal underworld and generally TookALevelInBadass (this also coincided with his becoming Catwoman's ArchEnemy in her solo title). Since then he was appeared in several adaptations and has had a major impact on Gotham in general and the Bat-family in particular.
* AstonishinglyAppropriateAppearance: Roman's start of villainy began with him making poor business decisions, now his face has been disfigured to the point where it's just a skull. He's a literal bonehead.
* AxCrazy: Par excellence. He's a gleefully sadistic TortureTechnician with a HairTriggerTemper, and is generally depicted as one of Batman and Catwoman's most brutally insane adversaries (which is saying a great deal).
* BadassInANiceSuit: Sionis is almost always seen in a fancy business suit, and has been able to take on various allies of Batman.
* BackFromTheDead: Sionis, by way of a Black Lantern ring in the ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'' crossover, and by way of a RetCon in the [=DCnU=].
* BadBoss: Watching him in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanUnderTheRedHood'', ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'', or ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'' where he regularly beats or kills his own henchmen for little to no reason, can make one wonder who would still want to work for him. In the story mode of ''Arkham Origins'', [[spoiler: this is eventually downplayed, as it turns out that the Joker (possibly the epitome of this trope) was impersonating Black Mask since before the game's story began, and Sionis apparently treated some of his henchmen well enough that many of them ended up being killed when they refused to follow Joker, while others were loyal to Roman due to paranoia. This trope is otherwise played straight in the challenge maps]].
* BigBad: For ''War Games'' and the last pre-''New 52'' Catwoman series.
* TheChessmaster: In ''War Games'', especially.
* ChildhoodBrainDamage: Dropped on his head while ''being delivered'', no less.
* ColdBloodedTorture: In one arc he cut up a woman's fiance and ''fed'' bits of him to her. It was given all the weight it deserved.
* ColorCharacter: ''Black'' Mask.
* CoolMask: Prior to ''ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand'', he wore a black wooden mask which hid his whole face.
-->'''Black Mask:''' Knows that the mask destroy one identity while creating another. Know that the mask recreates its wearer. Know that through the sublimation of personality, inhibitions die and the nature of the wearer is altered -- so that deeper drives and more primitive instincts rise to the surface.
* CriminalDoppelganger: In ''War Crimes'', following his takeover of the Gotham City underworld, he attempts to get rid of Batman by disguising himself as the Caped Crusader and going out killing people in order to frame him for murder. It's foiled by [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]], who is annoyed that Sionis ([[NotQuiteDead seemingly]]) killed Stephanie Brown, because she used to be a Robin and Joker thought that meant ''[[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou he]]'' should have been the one to kill her.
* {{Cult}}: The "True-Facers" in ''No Man's Land'', of which he was the leader, was this.
* CutLexLuthorACheck: {{Inverted|Trope}}. With his incredible skills at planning and organization, he probably could have been a great businessman, right? Wrong. As it turns out, Black Mask subverted this trope when he started out as a legitimate businessman, failed spectacularly, and turned to crime instead. He showed considerably more ''elan'' as a crime lord than he ever did as a business executive.
* DeadpanSnarker: Especially during his tenure as crime lord after ''War Games'', where most of his commentary [[CrossesTheLineTwice crossed the line twice]]. And were ''hilarious''.
-->'''Mask''': I'm not pleased, you know. Not pleased at all. And despite appearances, this isn't a damned smile on my face.
* DeadPersonImpersonation: Uses the identity of Orpheus, an ally of Batman, during ''War Games''.
* DependingOnTheWriter: Just how crazy he really is. Some storylines have him as a gibbering lunatic, others as just an eccentric (and particularly sadistic) mastermind. The latter is much more common, though.
* DiabolicalMastermind: One of the few crime lords who nearly dominated the Gotham underworld, at least for a brief time. So successful was he that he became a LegacyCharacter when a new Black Mask used his reputation to nearly do the same.
* DisproportionateRetribution: The stuff he did to Catwoman's sister just to get to Catwoman doesn't bare repeating.
* EvilFormerFriend: Like Hush, he was a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne.
* FacialHorror: While adaptations portray his current SkullForAHead look as a mask, in the comics, it's his actual face, the result of burns caused during one of his earliest battles with Batman. Even before he ditched the mask in ''No Man's Land'', it was fused to his face as a result of the fire that caused the disfigurement.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He can put up a polite and casual demeanor when he wants to, but it does nothing to conceal the fact that he's rotten to the core.
* FreudianExcuse: Three of them: he was dropped on his head by the doctor seconds after being born (which may or may not have caused brain damage that permanently altered his personality), and was later bitten by a rabid raccoon. To top it off, he had [[AbusiveParents extremely neglectful parents]], who pretended to be happy to the outside world but were actually privately unloving and miserable.
* GeniusBruiser: He's a giant of a man who is both smart enough to near-completely dominate Gotham's underworld and a skilled enough combatant to fight Batman and Catwoman evenly.
* GunsAkimbo: Dual handguns are a trademark of his.
* HateSink: Despite some of his villainy being [[LaughablyEvil darkly entertaining]], Roman stands out as among the more unlikable and unsympathetic of Batman's foes, being a psychotic brat with a disgusting view towards women and a crazed obsession for torture. It stands for a reason he's one of those enemies that Batman outright despises.
* HeManWomanHater: One of Sionis' especially heinous qualities is his blatant misogyny and willingness to torture women. Not that he's not willing to torture men, of course - he's an equal-opportunity {{Sadist}} - but considering what he did to Catwoman's sister and poor Stephanie Brown and how much he clearly enjoyed himself in the process, it's clear that he has a preference. When he hired Red Claw to kill Selina, Catwoman tells her that he probably only paid her half what he would've a man for the same job, because he's that much of an asshole.
* HeroKiller: Murdered Orpheus, a member and ally of the Batman family and fellow Gotham vigilante, by slitting his throat and has the distinction of being the second Batman villain besides the Joker to torture and seemingly kill off a Robin in the form of [[KillTheCutie Stephanie Brown]].
* ItsPersonal: Going after Catwoman's sister was not his smartest move, though by this point ItsPersonal for the two of them.
* KnightOfCerebus: When he's not being LaughablyEvil, he's among the darkest of Batman's foes.
* LargeAndInCharge: At 6'0, he's not the largest of Batman's foes, but he's still a big man with a fairly bulky build.
* LargeHam: Sometimes, like in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanUnderTheRedHood'' (and the arc it adapts).
* LaughablyEvil: When he's not being an absolute monster, Sionis' HairTriggerTemper and DeadpanSnarker tendencies can actually be pretty hilarious, especially in the "Under the Red Hood" story arc.
* LegacyCharacter: A new Black Mask has been introduced, although since the ''New 52'' ContinuityReboot, Sionis has reclaimed the title.
* LetsGetDangerous: He's most well known for being a master manipulator, but he was a skilled enough combatant to hold his own against an enraged Catwoman, which is no mean feat.
* MadeOfIron: Part of what makes him an effective hand-to-hand combatant. He's definitely not as skilled as Batman or Catwoman, but he's a big man who can hit hard and take a ''lot'' of punishment.
* ManipulativeBastard: In ''War Games'' especially, when - posing as Orpheus - he was supposed to give a speech to the assembled gangs of Gotham calling for restraint to avert a gang war; instead, he gave one that ''started'' the war, and a riot to boot.
* MultilayerFacade: During ''War Games'', he assumed Orpheus's identity by applying make up over his face. On top of that, he also had to wear Orpheus's helmet. [[spoiler:He did the same thing while impersonating Batman in ''War Crimes''.]]
* NoIndoorVoice: Sionis often throws [[MotiveRant unnecessary tantrums]] with little provocation, particularly when written by Creator/JuddWinick.
* NonIndicativeName: Eventually. While he did start off wearing a black mask, his charred SkullForAHead look, first seen in ''ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand'' is, in fact, his actual face, having ditched the mask in that story. Not helping this misconception is ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'', the ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries'', ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBadBlood'' and ''Film/BirdsOfPrey2020'' going for the skull look, but depicting it as an actual mask.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: A horrific sadist and brutal misogynist. But ''damn'' if he isn't funny.
* ReligionOfEvil: In ''No Man's Land'', he turned the False Facers 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 go on a murderous rampage throughout the already devastated city. The second Black Mask referred to his organization as a "Ministry of Science", combining this with his MadScientist routine.
-->'''Black Mask:''' Everything is different, now. Identity shatters. Gotham's mine. Yours. No masks. No disguises. Only shards. We are revealed as what we have always been. Nothing. A mosaic of pieces. We are Gotham's true face. We are Gotham stripped bare. All who see must know. And those who do not see, they must be purged.
* RevengeByProxy: Many times, but most notoriously in the "Relentless" arc of the 2000s ''ComicBook/{{Catwoman}}'' series, where after working out Selena Kyle's identity he kidnapped her sister and brother-in-law, and tortured the brother-in-law to death in front of the sister while force-feeding her parts of his body, driving her permanently insane.
* RoguesGalleryTransplant: Switching from fighting Batman to tormenting Catwoman to level up, and then using the boost in notoriety that gave him to become, for a time, top villain in Gotham and start fighting Batman again.
* {{Sadist}}: Perhaps his defining characteristic is his enthusiasm for making people suffer. He's a near-unparalleled TortureTechnician whose love of cruelty is at constant war with his business sense. He actually provides the main page quote.
* SelfMadeOrphan: He killed his parents in a fire to inherit their business and fortune. Unfortunately, he was a lousy businessman and when he tried to burn down the factory to cover his tracks, he wound up with the facial injury that gave him his villain name. He was a lot better at being AxCrazy than a businessman anyways.
* ShadowArchetype: 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 millionaire who became an extremely violent masked crime lord rather than a moderately violent masked vigilante, and he relies more on his natural hidden talents as a criminal than on years of hard work and study.
* SkullForAHead: Since he TookALevelInBadass, he ditched the mask, revealing that the burns made his face look like a charred skull, whereas before he merely wore a mask.
* TheSociopath: One of the purest, most straightforward examples in Gotham - manipulative, impulsive, and hedonistic, with a total LackOfEmpathy and a total disregard for social norms (especially the ones about it being wrong to torture people). Whether he's high-functioning or low-functioning is a matter DependingOnTheWriter, but it'll always be the core one of his personality.
%%%* StrawNihilist: His ramblings in ''ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand'' .
* TookALevelInBadass: Mask has been around since the 80's, but it's only been in the aftermath of his appearances as Catwoman's arch-enemy, where he's become a dangerous 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 favorite to appear in movie adaptations.
* TortureTechnician: One of Gotham's foremost experts and aficionados, with a notoriously long string of victims to his name. Maggie Kyle is a standout example.
-->'''Mask''': Before we begin, I'd like to address the topic of screaming ... by saying this: go right ahead.
* TribalFacePaint: The members of Black Mask's False Face Society wear masks as a sign of belonging and loyalty to Black Mask. However, one of Black Mask's lieutenants--the aptly named Tattoo--chooses to go in for elaborate facial tattoos rather than wearing a mask (with the effect being the same, i.e. giving him a 'false face').
%%* VillainInAWhiteSuit: Starting with ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'', and popularized with ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'', Black Mask has worn a white suit in the ''New 52'' ComicBook/{{Catwoman}} comics and in the film ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBadBlood''.
* VillainsWantMercy: After torturing Catwoman's sister and driving her permanently insane by force-feeding her fiance's eyeballs to her, he and Catwoman end up in a fight that takes them to the rooftop under the rain. Ending up clinging to a wet ledge and slipping, he has the audacity to plead to Selina for help, to which she incredulously responds [[YoureInsane he's even crazier than she thought.]]
* WouldHurtAChild: Thinks nothing of sadistically torturing a teenage girl.
* WrongLineOfWork: He took control of the family company after murdering his parents, but quickly proved himself to have zero business sense whatsoever. He's shown far more skill at being a crime boss than he ever did as a businessman.
[[/folder]]
!!Black Glove
[[folder:Doctor Simon Hurt]]
!!Doctor Simon Hurt
[[quoteright:244:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Doctor_Hurt_62.png]]
!!!'''Alter Ego:''' Thomas Wayne Jr.
!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Batman'' #156 (June 1963)
->''"'''Batman's''' a hardy specimen, with an above-average mind[=--=]but even a '''Batman''' can succumb to stress and shock!"''
\\\
A psychiatrist that observed Batman during an isolation experiment, Simon Hurt is the leader of a mysterious organization called The Black Glove. He wants to completely and utterly break Batman, physically and mentally.
----
* AdaptationDistillation: [[spoiler:His backstory had him being found by Thomas and Martha Wayne and then taken to a mental hospital to get help. In a Pre-''Crisis'' story, Bruce discovered he had an older brother, Thomas Jr., who suffered head injuries and was sent to live in Willowood Asylum. Thomas Jr. escaped at some point and became an assassin named the Boomerang Killer who fought Batman and Deadman together before pulling an impulsive HeroicSacrifice to save Bruce]].
* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler:Last seen being BuriedAlive by the Joker somewhere on the grounds of Wayne Manor, because [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou there's only one person]] who the Joker wants messing with Batman's head]]. He later escaped, but the intervening time can't have been very fun...
* AscendedExtra: Creator/GrantMorrison ascended him out of an unnamed psychiatrist in UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|OfComicBooks}} story "Robin Dies at Dawn"
* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:It's incredibly hard not to fist pump as the Joker buries him]].
* BackForTheDead: He returns in the ''ComicBook/{{Convergence}}'' series, only to get blown up.
* BeenThereShapedHistory: It's implied that the UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper Whitehchapel murders might have been done by Hurt as part of the ritual to keep himself alive.
* BetterTheDevilYouKnow: When Hurt is taken out of the picture, a global conspiracy known as Leviathan takes over, upping the ante.
* BigBad: Of The Black Glove StoryArc in [[ComicBook/BatmanGrantMorrison Grant Morrison's run]].
* BigBadWannabe: By ''Batman and Robin'', he starts to fall into this, simply because he keeps believing that he will be the one to break Batman. As it turns out, [[{{Determinator}} Batman simply doesn't break]], no matter what Hurt does to him, and manages to turn the tables at every turn - most pivotally, the deep-rooted mental commands that Hurt places in Batman to destroy his personality fail because [[spoiler: [[CrazyPrepared Batman was putting in a mental command to counter such an attack at the same time]]]]. In pretty much every interaction he has with the Joker, the latter tells him to stop underestimating Batman, and Hurt's response is to dismiss both Batman and the Joker. [[LaserGuidedKarma He turns out to be wrong on both counts]].
** In some ways, consulting his story from beginning to end, he was always this. He talks a great game, and has enough skill, intelligence, and resources to put together some decent evil plans in scope and methods, but he believes that he's akin to a universal force of corruption and darkness (ala [[Characters/NewGodsDarkseid Darkseid]]) whose cast shadow breaks noble souls and whose will turns the best and brightest into the foulest parodies of what they once were, when in reality he's basically a jumped up rich-kid sociopath who thinks going out of his way to 'destroy good' makes him the pinnacle of malevolence, instead of a glorified child holding a magnifying glass over an ant hill.[[note]]It is fitting that he tries to carry himself like Darkseid, as it was being exposed to the god's living weapon, the Hyper-Adaptor, that made him more than just a normal man in the first place.[[/note]]
* {{Blackmail}}: Threatens to sully the entire Wayne Family's reputation if Batman does not join him.
* BloodbathVillainOrigin: His Batman-impersonators were subjected to this.
* CardCarryingVillain: He speaks very proudly about how he wants to break the hero that is Batman.
* TheCorruptor: One of his most frequent goals. He attempts it with Batman and Damian, it's implied that he's responsible for making Professor Pyg and Eduardo Flamingo into what they now are, and he launched a nearly-successful campaign to drive the whole of Gotham City mad with a viral addiction, tempting other characters along the way.
* CrazyPrepared: He planted the trigger Zurr-En-Arrh in order to MindRape Batman.
* DontYouDarePityMe: Part of his grand revenge scheme against not only Batman but Thomas and Martha Wayne is because [[spoiler: they actually tried to help him by bringing him to the Willowood mental hospital under the guise of their other son]].
* EccentricMillionaire: Evil version.
* EvilOnlyHasToWinOnce: Averted. Hurt has had plenty of successes in his lifetime, but he has to keep on scheming to stay on top.
* EvilPowerVacuum: Puts his plan in motion after Batman manages to finally lock up all of Gotham's criminals.
* EvilWearsBlack: Noticeable compared to Batman's other enemies.
* ForTheEvulz: Loves to make people's lives (and Batman's life, in particular) miserable and broken and hosts it as a gambling game just because he can.
* {{Glamour}}: Implied to have this to some degree. He's able to convince the masses he's Thomas Wayne and that he faked his death, despite altering his face so that not only does he look nothing like a Wayne, but he looks too young to be Bruce's father.
* AGlassOfChianti: Known to pour one out for crime.
* GodOfEvil: He talks about himself like this, viewing himself as an unstoppable force of corruption in human form. He also worships his own God of Evil in the form of Barbatos.
* GreaterScopeVillain: He's responsible for the creation of "The Batman of Zur-En-Arrh", who becomes an EnemyWithin to Bruce throughout Creator/ChipZdarsky's run.
* HijackedByGanon: In his case, [[spoiler:Darkseid]].
* HollywoodSatanism: He started out as a devil-worshipper in the 18th century, and today his rituals have all the traditional trappings.
* HumanoidAbomination: Styles himself as this, referring to himself as "the hole in things" and "the piece that can never fit".
* HumanSacrifice: Tries to make Batman this on numerous occasions.
* IdenticalGrandson: [[spoiler:Bears a notable resemblance to Bruce Wayne's father Dr. Thomas Wayne. See below for why]].
* IHaveManyNames: Doctor Simon Hurt, Thomas Wayne, Mangrove Pierce, El Penitente, the Black Glove, the Hole in Things, Jack the Ripper (possibly), the Devil...
* ImmortalsFearDeath: ''The Return of Bruce Wayne'' reveals the real reason he sought immortality; his ancestor got on the bad side of a witch and she cursed his entire bloodline. Family curses tend to manifest as unpleasant deaths, which would explain the deaths of Thomas, Martha [[spoiler: and Damian]], so Hurt naturally wanted to avoid this at all costs.
* KneelBeforeZod: Either tempts or coerces his foes into coming to his side. In an alternate future, Damian and the POTUS both take him up on it.
* LouisCypher: Some characters (including the Joker) think he's this, and even Batman himself wonders by the end. As far as Morrison is concerned, [[spoiler: sure, the mundane explanation is that he's a 17th Century Wayne, but why should the mundane explanation be the ''only'' true one?]]
* LukeIAmYourFather: At one point attempted to convince Bruce that he was actually his father Dr. Thomas Wayne, who had faked his own death and murdered his wife. [[spoiler:He's actually a distant paternal ancestor of Bruce, also named Thomas Wayne, corrupted and turned immortal by [[Character/NewGodsDarkseid Darkseid]]'s Hyper Adapter.]]
* ManOfWealthAndTaste: In both senses of the word.
* MeaningfulName: "Doctor Hurt". Doctors are tasked with helping people, not hurting them. This perversion of a well-respected profession fits with Hurt's modus operandi of destroying reputations.
* MindRape: What he does to the replacement Batmen and Bruce himself.
* ProfessionalGambler: His organization, Black Glove, has a gambling theme.
* PsychoPsychologist: What he is a doctor of.
* ThePsychoRangers: While Batman has the Club of Heroes, consisting of vigilantes from various countries, Hurt has the Club of Villains, consisting of their respective arch enemies.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: He's about 400.
* ReligionOfEvil: He has ties to the Church of Crime, and he himself worships the demonic Barbatos.
* RichBitch: Male version.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Part of the reason none of his crimes have been reported is because he has the mayor and several other officials in his back pocket.
* SlasherSmile: Indulges in them whenever he thinks he's won. Batman at one point describes it as being as unpleasant as Joker venom and fear gas.
* SmugSnake: Fully believed the law could never stop him due to [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney all the Black Glove's money]]. [[spoiler: He didn't count on [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]] [[BuriedAlive putting a stop to him]].]]
* TallDarkAndSnarky: Tries to be this at first, but gradually loses his dignity, becoming more and more of a FauxAffablyEvil SmugSnake.
* ToCreateAPlaygroundForEvil: Once Batman is (seemingly) out of the picture, Hurt's plan is to make Gotham into a Capitol of Crime where man's worst instincts reign supreme.
* UngratefulBastard: Thomas and Martha Wayne tried to have his horrifying behavior psychologically treated. His response is to try and ruin their son and destroy their legacy, as well as possibly having them killed.
* VillainDecay: Goes from executing plans that took years to put together to eventually just hiring a gang of mooks to do his dirty work. Hurt briefly appears in the ''Convergence'' series, [[spoiler:but is just one of many random Batman villains who gets blown up by the Joker]].
* YouHaveNoChanceToSurvive: Gets proven wrong repeatedly, but never gives up.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Le Bossu]]
!!Le Bossu
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/le_bossu_01_77.jpg]]
!!!'''Alter Ego:''' Guy Dax
!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Batman'' #676 (June 2008)
->''"Look at me. You see what most people see--Doctor Guy Dax. A respected neurosurgeon, a family man with two beautiful daughters and a gifted, brilliant wife. No one knows that my ugliness is inside. Or what I do to others, I often dream of doing to my own family. Polite society does not permit me to be the man I truly am. Mine is the twisted soul of a monster. In order to give expression to the honest beast within, I am compelled to an elaborate process of disguise. Inside I am broken, perverse, grotesque and violent. The image of my self-loathing I call Le Bossu."''
A famous French neurosurgeon who dresses up in a Hunchback costume to lead a double life of killing and maiming. He first came to Gotham after being recruited into Simon Hurt's Club of Villains. After being scarred by the Joker during his crimes and thus unable to return to his old life without being exposed, he stays in Gotham to devote his whole life to evil.
----
* AxCrazy: Definitely. He even once killed a man just to see how well the Black Glove could cover it up.
* BecomingTheMask: A literal example. He used to wear a deformed mask when he went into his Le Bossu role. After attempting to get the Joker to join the Club of Villains, the Joker attacks him and cuts his face up to resemble the mask.
* BrokenPedestal: A villainous version. When Doctor Hurt and the Club of Villains take over Arkham Asylum, Le Bossu recruits the Joker, while telling him how much Bossu and the other members of the Club admire him. The Joker's response is to carve up Bossu's face, and joins the Club only to later turn on them, the Black Glove, and Doctor Hurt.
* EvilCripple: Subverted. He at first appears to have a deformed back, but it's later revealed that it's just a costume he wears as part of his criminal recreation.
* LivingADoubleLife: Before he moved to Gotham, he lived two lives, one as a respected neurosurgeon and family man, and the other as a sadistic supervillain.
* {{Lobotomy}}: This is his specialty.
* MadDoctor: Uses his medical skills for evil.
* OurGargoylesRock: His henchmen dress up in gargoyle costumes.
* PsychoPsychologist: Poses as this when he infiltrates Arkham Asylum.
* {{Sadist}}: He leads a whole double life devoted to hurting people for his own pleasure.
* ShoutOut: His whole aesthetic, from his costume to his gargoyle henchmen, is a reference to ''Literature/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame''.
* TemptingFate: ''"Even Batman and Robin are dead..."'' Cue Dick Grayson as Batman and Damian Wayne as Robin appearing to take him down.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Three Ghosts of Batman]]
!!Bat-Cop (Josef Muller), Bat-Bane (Branca), Bat-Devil (Michael Lane)
[[quoteright:201:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/3bat.jpg]]
Three policemen chosen to be replacements for Batman, should anything happen to him. However, they were corrupted and made into monsters by the mysterious Doctor Hurt.
----
* TheAntiChrist: Michael Lane styles himself after this idea.
* AscendedExtra: After his stint as Bat-Devil, Michael Lane became the new Azrael.
* BatmanGrabsAGun: Josef Muller invokes this trope when he shoots the Joker, though as a Batman who has no problems with guns he averts it in practice.
* TheBerserker: Branca, the Bat-Bane, fights this way, [[spoiler: and it's ultimately what gets him killed]].
* CoupDeGrace: Muller, the Bat-Cop, shoots the Joker in the face after being at his mercy.
* TheDragon: Lane is this to Doctor Hurt, being the only replacement Batman to directly work for him, and also serves as his lackey during ''Batman RIP''.
* {{Expy}}: In-universe, Branca's strength, costume, and behavior were crafted to echo Bane.
* FantasticDrug: Bat-Bane uses a SuperSerum to get the strength that rivals Bane.
* FreudianExcuse: Invoked. Doctor Hurt, seeing that Batman was made who he was by tragedy, arranged for Lane's family to be killed so that Lane would have a similar driving pain.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: Lane's Bat-Devil costume has round glowing eyes.
* ManlyMan: Bat-Bane is a larger-than-life mass of muscle who has inhumanly high levels of testosterone and keeps his hideout stocked with pizza and women.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: The Bat-Devil outfit has glowing red eyes.
* ShadowArchetype: Invoked by Doctor Hurt when he created the Three Ghosts. All three are reflections of what Batman could be if he forsook his morals:
** Bat-Cop uses firearms and kills his opponents.
** Bat-Bane is what would happen if Batman resorted to serums like Bane's venom, and gave up control of his rage.
** Bat-Devil is what would happen if Batman agreed to a deal with Doctor Hurt.
* SuperSerum: Bat-Bane is made inhumanly big and strong through a combination of Bane's venom and Hugo Strange's monster serum.
* SuperStrength: Bat-Bane is so strong, he can lift the Batmobile.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: While Bat-Bane was killed and Bat-Devil became the second Azrael, the whereabouts of Bat-Cop are completely unknown. He just vanishes from the story after being arrested and is never mentioned again.
* WouldHitAGirl: Branca is kept pacified by a steady stream of prostitutes, and as he grows more and more unstable the girls meet increasingly grisly ends, one of which Batman encounters the remains of.
* WouldHurtAChild: Branca also has no problems with harming children, though thankfully Robin is more capable of taking care of himself than most children.
[[/folder]]
!!!'''Club of Villains'''
[[folder:Charlie Caligula]]
!!Charlie Caligula
[[quoteright:336:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/charlie_caligula.JPG]]
!!!'''Alter Ego:''' Carlo Calzone
!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Batman'' #676 (June, 2008)
->''"You mess with Charlie, you mess with an empire of grief!"''
Charlie Caligula started out his crime career as Little Boots Calzone, the Boy-King of Organized Crime in Rome. He came into conflict with the Roman hero the Legionary several times, before the Legionary became lax and allowed Caligula to take over the town. When the Legionary is murdered, he is murdered in a manner similar to Caesar's death in the Shakespeare play, to cast suspicion onto Caligula and a possible Club of Villains. When the actual Club of Villains is formed, Caligula and his centurion themed goons are drafted.
----
* ArchEnemy: To the Legionary.
* BadassInANiceSuit: Wears a designer suit combined with Joker-like face paint and a laurel wreath.
* DiscoDan: Is obsessed with the Roman Empire.
* EvilRedhead: The ArchEnemy of the Legionary and a redhead.
* ICallItVera: Smacks underperforming underlings with [[ShamuFu a fish]] he refers to as "Senator Fishy".
* NapoleonDelusion: Pretends to believe he is the Emperor Caligula as an ObfuscatingInsanity.
* NonActionBigBad: Is not much of a combatant and usually relies on his army of centurion themed goons to do his fighting for him.
* ObfuscatingInsanity: Pretends to be insane like the Joker, but Batman sees through the act immediately.
* RedBaron: Also known as 'The God-Emperor of Crime'.
* ShamuFu: Smacks underperforming underlings with a fish he refers to as "[[ICallItVera Senator Fishy]]".
[[/folder]]
[[folder:King Kraken]]
!!King Kraken
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/king_kraken.JPG]]
!!!'''Alter Ego:''' Unknown
!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Batman'' #676 (June, 2008)
->''"Henchmen are for wussies."''
The villain known as King Kraken was once a deep sea diver who became disfigured. Following his disfigurement, he turned pirate. He has had numerous run ins with the hero known as the Wingman, and is a member of the Club of Villains. His weapon of choice is an electric rifle.
----
* ArchEnemy: The Wingman
* CreepyOldFashionedDivingSuit: His costume deliberately invokes this.
* LightningGun: His weapon of choice is an electric rifle.
* MysteriousPast: The reason of his disfigurement and his animosity with Wigman are unexplored.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: King Kraken's true name has never been revealed.
* SubmarinePirates: His ''modus operandi''.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Pierrot Lunaire]]
!!Pierrot Lunaire
[[quoteright:232:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pierrot_lunaire.jpg]]
!!!'''Alter Ego:''' Unknown
!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Batman'' #676 (June, 2008)
The supercriminal called Pierrot Lunaire is a French criminal and foe of the Musketeer. When the Club of Heroes reunited, Lunaire's name was throw around as a possible member of the Club of Villains. When the actual Club of Villains was put together by Dr. Hurt, Lunaire was one of the members.
----
%%* ArchEnemy: To the Musketeer.
* CombatParkour: An expert martial artist, Lunaire uses astonishing acrobatics while fighting Robin atop his motorcycle.
* ElectiveMute: Owing to the tradition of Mimes, he never speaks.
* EnemyMime: A criminal who dresses as the Commedia dell'arte character Pierrot. Owing to the tradition of Mimes, he never speaks.
* TheSpeechless: Owing to the tradition of Mimes, he never speaks.
* VillainousHarlequin: A criminal who dresses as the Commedia dell'arte character Pierrot.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Scorpiana]]
!!Scorpiana
[[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/scorpiana.jpg]]
!!!'''Alter Ego:''' Tristessa Delicias
!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Batman'' #67 (June 2008)
->''"Little man...I know you're not used to seeing a real woman, but if you are going to film me...Make sure to get my good side."''
Scorpiana is an Argentinean villain who specializes in poisons. She leaves a deadly blue scorpion behind at the scene of her crimes as her CallingCard. She has clashed repeatedly with the Argentinean masked hero known as El Gaucho. When the international organization known as the Club of Heroes reunited, Dr. Hurt decided to found a Club of Villains and recruited Scorpiana as one of the members. The Club of Villains clashed with both the Club of Heroes and the Batman family, and Scorpiana almost succeeded in killing Nightwing. The Club of Villains ultimately collapsed, but she was able to escape back to her homeland and continue her efforts to taunt El Gaucho. Later she was recruited into the global criminal cartel known as Leviathan.
----
* AnimalThemedSuperbeing: An 'Animal Abilities' type. Her cybernetic enhancements give her scorpion-like abilities, and all of her attacks utilize scorpion venom.
* BewareMyStingerTail: Her cybernetic enhancements include a scorpion tail that can inject venom.
* CallingCard: Leaves behind a deadly blue scorpion at the scene of her crimes.
* {{Cyborg}}: Scorpiana has bionic enhancements which boost her just beyond peak human strength, reflexes, and agility.
* DatingCatwoman: She is the Catwoman to El Gaucho's Batman.
* LeotardOfPower: Wears a silver leotard as part of her costume.
* MasterPoisoner: Prefers to kill using poison, and all of her equipment makes use of scorpion venom.
* OutlawCouple: She and el Sombrero used to lovers and partners in crime.
* ProfessionalKiller: Is primarily an assassin.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:El Sombrero]]
!!El Sombrero
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/el_sombrero.jpg]]
!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Batman'' #676 (June 2008)
->''" You'd... agree with me that a truly agonizing... inescapable deathtrap would... have to be so much more than nuts... and bolts. At best... it takes the victim's deepest principles... his core values, and turns them into murder weapons. Men who fight and risk their lives for the weak and vulnerable... can so easily be destroyed by that same spirit... of self-sacrifice."''
El Sombrero is a lunatic in a luchador mask who designs near inescapable death traps for anyone willing to pay. He is an enemy of the Gaucho and a member of the Club of Villains. As such, he has come into conflict with Batman.
----
* CallingCard: Marks his work with an image of a skull in a sombrero.
* CoolMask: Wears a luchador mask at all times.
* DeathTrap: Specializes in designing death traps.
* EvilCripple: Is confined to a wheelchair and uses a computer to speak but he's a murderous TrapMaster.
* GeniusCripple: Being confined to a wheelchair has not slowed the workings of his mind.
* OutlawCouple: He and Scorpiana were once lovers.
* SombreroEqualsMexican: He's literally called ''El Sombrero'' and does wear one, so yeah he's Mexican.
* TrapMaster: Designs inescapable death traps for anyone willing to pay.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Swagman]]
!!Swagman
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/swagman.jpg]]
!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Batman'' #676 (June 2008)
->''"Come out, come out, wherever you are! Yer fancy bike's a write-off. Yer weird little game of dress-up and play's all over. Yer just a little kid in a big, bad world and daddy Batman's gone troppo. Show yerself an I'll do you a nice, quick head shot."''
The Swagman is an enemy of the Australian hero the Ranger and an agent of the Black Glove.
----
* ArchEnemy: Of Ranger and later Dark Ranger.
* AwesomeAnachronisticApparel: Dresses in a replica of Ned Kelly's armour.
* AwesomeAussie: Is physical one of the toughest members of the Club of Villains.
* BadassBiker: Is a skilled motorcyclist.
* BadassLongcoat: He's easily identified by his yellow trench coat.
* BadassNormal: Has no superpowers but can take on multiple members of the Bat-family.
* GunsAkimbo: Wields a revolver in each hand.
* MysteriousPast: His backstory or the reason behind his enmity with Ranger has never been revealed.
* SupervillainPackingHeat: Carries a pair of revolvers.
* TotallyRadical: Uses a lot of extremely dated Australian slang.
[[/folder]]
!!Leviathan
[[folder:The Heretic]]
!!The Heretic
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/heretic.jpeg]]
!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Batman and Robin'' #12 (July 2010)
->''"Sons are born to die in war."''
The Heretic, also known as the Fatherless and the Other, is a clone of Damian Wayne, artificially aged and genetically enhanced by [[Characters/BatmanTaliaAlGhul Talia Al-Ghul]], and birthed from the carcass of a whale. He is Leviathan's most fearsome soldier, having killed both Knight and his "brother", Damian.
----
* BackFromTheDead: After he was decapitated by Talia, a rogue member of her organization intent on preserving Ra's Al-Ghul, revived the Heretic using the Lazarus Pit.
* OffWithHisHead: Talia decapitated him after he killed Damien and declared himself the new Batman.
* PsychopathicManchild: His fights against the Bat-Family illustrates that despite his strength and physique, he's a spoiled toddler in mind, ranting childishly and shouting petty insults.
* TheSpeechless: Heretic's neck was sewn back to his body after his death and he had to be fitted with a voice box to be able to talk.
* SuperStrength: Due to either the armour he wears or a genetic ability, the Heretic has superhuman strength. He can easily lift grown men with one hand, send Batman flying with a kick, and crack two men's skulls together in a single move.
* SuperToughness: Possesses superhuman durability. He showed very little reaction after being hit by Nightwing and Robin in the face at the same time, and can take punches from one of Batman's mechanical suits.
* WhereIWasBornAndRazed: After fighting his way free of the whale, the Heretic subsequently decimated the entire population of metahumans in the illegal bio-genetic factory where he was grown as he honed his killing skills.
* WhyAmITicking: After Talia decapitates him, she attached a bomb to his spine and used his body to blow up Wayne Tower.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Death Man]]
!!Death Man/Lord Death Man
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/3437950_talon_cv16_v1pklhcw4f__527c397a5b39e452833422.jpg]]
!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Batman'' #180 (May 1966)
->''"So you think you've captured me? Why-- you've got nothing but the black shadow of death in your hands! I can drift right between your fingers like smoke -- anytime I wish! [[EvilLaugh HA-HA-HA-HA!]]"''
A criminal mastermind who can perfectly imitate death (and later developed regenerative abilities). He was active in Bruce's early career as Batman before disappearing. He reemerged years later and relocated to Japan, while also working with Leviathan.
----
* AbhorrentAdmirer: To Harley Quinn. He has a whole StalkerShrine within an arcade machine and hired her to kill him to [[InLoveWithYourCarnage see how she would kill him]].
* BewareTheSillyOnes: He's a cackling old-school supervillain in a skeleton costume, and anyone who underestimates him because of that does so at their own peril. Not only did he kill the original Mr. Unknown, he nearly wiped out the ''entire superhero population of Japan,'' and gleefully made sure as many innocents as possible got caught in the crossfire.
* CardCarryingVillain: A key part of his whole "old TV serial villain" schtick. Lord Death Man loves being evil, and he wants everyone who sees him to know it.
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: He once boasted about [[HiddenDepths memorizing the names of every Pokémon]] "and their evolved forms." If you learn the names of every single Pokémon, that would include the names of the evolved forms.
* EvilLaugh: Someone calling himself Lord Death Man has to have one.
* EvilMentor: He has a sidekick named Flatline, who he's taught to absorb knowledge from the deaths of others. According to her, he also never let her operate without him [[FantasyForbiddingFather and refuses to allow her to read manga]].
* ExpressiveMask: His skull mask seems capable of changing with his emotions.
* TheFaceless: Has never been seen without the skull mask.
* FakingTheDead: Has mastered the yoga art of controlling his body to mask his vital signs, creating the illusion of death. This technique even came in handy after he gained ResurrectiveImmortality, as a gambit to break free from a League of Assassins lab.
* HealingFactor: Later in his career, he became ''unkillable''.
* HiddenDepths: In ''ComicBook/{{Talon}}'', he claims his PhotographicMemory allows him to perfectly recall everything he's learned, including the names of every Franchise/{{Pokemon}} "and their evolved forms".
* LargeHam: His dialogue makes him sound like a campy serial villain. He went from "Death Man" to "Lord Death Man" and even introduced the latter alias with "Mighty Lord Death Man!"
* MayDecemberRomance: In ''ComicBook/Robin2021,'' it's revealed that he's the lover of Mother Soul/Ruh Al Ghul, who is at least '' a thousand years'' older than him.
* MundaneMadeAwesome: Historically, his ability to return from death has been ascribed to his mastery of yoga.
* OmnicidalManiac: Wants nothing more than to destroy all superheroes and murder as many people as he can in the process.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: His true name and backstory are unknown.
* ResurrectiveImmortality: In modern continuities, his ability to seem dead and come back became this instead of a yoga technique.
* SkullForAHead: His actual face beneath the costume is unknown, but he's pretty recognizable due to his skull face.
* TookALevelInBadass: Death Man developed the ability to genuinely heal from fatal injuries, rather than just enter a death-like state.
[[/folder]]
!!Court of Owls
[[folder:The Court of Owls]]
!!The Court of Owls/The Parliament of Owls
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_courtofowls_1549.png]]
!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Batman'' (Vol 2) #2 (December 2011)
-> ''"[[AncientConspiracy Beware the Court of Owls]]\\
[[BigBrotherIsWatching that watches all the time]].\\
[[TheManBehindTheMan Ruling Gotham from shadowed perch]],\\
behind granite and lime.\\
\\
They watch you at your hearth.\\
they watch you in your bed,\\
speak not a whispered word of them,\\
or they'll send [[ImplacableMan The Talon]] for your head."''
\\\
The Court of Owls is a secret organization centuries old with immense power and influence embedded into the very architecture and history of Gotham City. When Batman, and subsequently Bruce Wayne, began to make an impression on the city (through crime fighting and Bruce's many charitable foundations/renovation of the Narrows), they felt threatened and declared war on Batman and his allies.
----
* AncientConspiracy: They've been around since Gotham's founding, back in Pre-Revolutionary America, and have been influencing the city on the political and economic level ever since.
* BreakoutCharacter: For a villainous group introduced [[ComicBook/New52 relatively recently]], they've already become quite the staple of the Batman mythos, appearing in ''Series/{{Gotham}}'' and in ''VideoGame/GothamKnights2022''.
* ChildSoldiers: The Court indoctrinates their Talons at a very young age, and specifically targets orphans and abandoned children for their ranks. They even had their eyes on a young Dick Grayson for a time, before Bruce Wayne swept in to adopt the boy instead.
* CompositeCharacter: [[spoiler:Lincoln March/Thomas Wayne, Jr. combines both the Owlman (owl motif, evil mirror of Bruce) and Boomerang Killer (brain-damaged Wayne brother) versions of Thomas Jr]].
* {{Determinator}}: ''All'' of the Talons are this. Even death won't stop them from hunting down and killing their targets.
* TheDragon: [[spoiler:Lincoln March a.k.a. Thomas Wayne Jr.]] in their organization. [[spoiler:He's also TheStarscream, as [[KlingonPromotion he kills off most of the Court's top members to take advantage of the organization]].]]
* TheDreaded: The most powerful force in Gotham, and those who know of them are very aware of how dangerous they are.
* EliteMooks: Their assassins, the Talons.
* EntitledBastard: Most of the higher-ups are descendants of the original founders of Gotham, and thus consider Gotham to be ''their'' city, to do with as they please.
* EvilSoundsDeep: The Talons are implied to sound this way, as [[PaintingTheMedium their dialogue is drawn with black speech bubbles]].
* FamilialFoe: The Waynes were one of the only families in Gotham who opposed the machinations of the Court. They believed in using their wealth to genuinely help the city and its people rather than simply gain power, and for this reason, the Court views them as their bitter enemies. Interestingly enough, however, the Court was not actually responsible for the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne, despite having previously assassinated at least one of their distant ancestors.
* HealingFactor: The Talons all sport this, although they can be killed, at least temporarily.
* TheIlluminati: They've been manipulating Gotham since olden times.
* KidsAreCruel: One particular member of the Court is a little girl (possibly the child of one of the families involved in the conspiracy), who takes special glee in ordering the Talon to beat Batman to death for her amusement.
* LightningBruiser: All of the Talons are not only superhumanly fast and skilled in combat, but they're also extremely durable on account of being zombies.
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: In their first appearance, they're alternately shown to be both normal people with owl masks and actual mutant owl humanoids. During this time, Batman had been starved and tortured for quite a while so it's not clear if some of them really were mutant owl people or Batman was simply hallucinating at that point and seeing them as such.
* MythologyGag: Their role as owls that antagonize bats with agents known as Talons, [[spoiler:Thomas Wayne, Jr.]] in particular, is a reference to Owlman and Talon, the evil MirrorUniverse counterparts to Batman and Robin pre-''ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}}''.
* OminousOwl: Their whole motif. The fact that owls are the natural predators of bats lends itself quite well to the imagery.
* TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness: As an evil AncientConspiracy.
* WhiteMaskOfDoom: Members of the Court wear creepy barn owl masks.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Owlman (Court of Owls)]]
!!Owlman
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/batman_11_variant_cover_andy_clarke_owlman.jpg]]
!!!'''Alter Ego:''' "Lincoln March"/Thomas Wayne Jr.
!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Batman'' (Vol 2) #1
->''"You wanted to know if the Court had anything to do with our parents' deaths, Bruce. the answer is no. They didn't. That was all your fault, brother. An I'm going to make you pay. So finish cutting through that net. And lets have this out once and for all...For the City of Gotham. Wayne to Wayne."''
"Lincoln March" is the on-again off-again leader of the Court of Owls and one of Batman's most dangerous enemies. His enhanced biology and power armor give him an advantage every time he gets into a fight with Batman. He also knows Bats' secret identity and believes himself to be his younger brother, Thomas Wayne, Jr. To date, this has not been proven or denied.
Owlman has a crazy fixation on Bruce, wants to be the one to take Batman down and just might be a great deal of trouble for Bruce, the Bat Family and Gotham City. Unlike previous version of Owlman he is from the same universe as Batman (in this case, Prime Earth).
----
* AmbiguouslyRelated: He believes himself to Bruce Wayne's brother, but this has yet to be proven or disproven.
* AndIMustScream: At the end of ''ComicBook/BatmanEternal'', the Court find him and lock him up in a tomb, suggesting they ''might'' let him back out eventually. In about fifty years or so. [[spoiler:They ultimately let him out a lot earlier, in time for ''ComicBook/RobinWar'']].
* AntiVillain: In the odd let-Gotham-burn way.
* AxCrazy: He's a raving lunatic, especially when fighting.
* TheDeterminator: "Lincoln" has taken some truly amazing punishment, but his hatred for Bruce will always push him forward.
* TheDragon[=/=]TheStarscream: He acts as the Dragon to the Court of Owls, worming his way into Gotham's political system. However, he's got plans of his own, and soon leads them.
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: He's killed by [[spoiler:Raptor]] in [[spoiler:''ComicBook/NightwingRebirth'' in its debut issue]].
* EmpoweredBadassNormal: He's badass on his own, but he's got an amazing HealingFactor as well.
* EvilCounterpart: While the owl motif is pure coincidence, according to him he's a Wayne who never got over his parents' deaths. But instead of using this drive to help people, he uses it to kill and conspire.
* FreudianExcuse: Born with a birth defect, shunned by society and only visited by his mother, his parents dying and nobody knowing he's a Wayne, his inheritance given to a brother he never knew and being used as a weapon by the Court of Owls. Well, [[UnreliableNarrator maybe]].
* HealingFactor: He can basically recover from most mortal wounds, so long as cold isn't involved anyway.
* TheManBehindTheMan: [[spoiler:In ''Batman: Eternal''. The overall plan may be Cluemaster's, but it's Lincoln giving him the means to carry it all out. When Cluemaster decides to try and kill Batman, Lincoln intervenes.]]
* TheResenter: Very obviously resents Bruce for being the Wayne who inherited everything while he was stuck in a children's home.
* {{Tykebomb}}: "March" was trained by the Court of Owls since early childhood.
* UnreliableNarrator: His speech to Batman about his history as Bruce Wayne's brother sounds at least possible, but Bruce can come up with alternative explanations for all of the 'evidence' Lincoln uses to justify his belief that he is Thomas Wayne Jr., although Bruce admits that there's no way to be sure about what's true or not without a DNA test.
* WhiteMaskOfDoom: He sports the mask of the Court of Owls, but in his Owl Suit, he also has glowing yellow eyes, adding to the effect.
[[/folder]]
----
%%
%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
%%
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[[WMG:[[center:[-''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'' '''[[Characters/{{Batman}} Main Character Index]]'''\\
'''Title Character'''\\
[[Characters/BatmanTheCharacter Batman]]\\
'''Allies'''\\
[[Characters/BatmanBatFamily The Bat-Family]] (Characters/{{Batgirl}} | Characters/{{Batwoman}} | [[Characters/BatmanJasonTodd Jason Todd]] | Characters/{{Robin}}) | [[Characters/BatmanSupportingCast Extended Bat-Family & Other Supporting Cast]] (Characters/{{Azrael}} | [[Characters/BatmanHuntress Huntress]])\\
'''[[Characters/BatmanRoguesGallery Villains]]'''\\
[[Characters/BatmanBane Bane]] | Characters/{{Catwoman}} ([[Characters/CatwomanSelinaKyle Selina Kyle]]) | [[Characters/BatmanClayface Clayface]] | Characters/HarleyQuinn ([[Characters/HarleyQuinnTheCharacter Harleen Quinzel]]) | [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]] | [[Characters/BatmanLadyShiva Lady Shiva]] | [[Characters/BatmanMrFreeze Mr. Freeze]] | [[Characters/BatmanThePenguin The Penguin]] | [[Characters/BatmanPoisonIvy Poison Ivy]] | [[Characters/BatmanTheRiddler The Riddler]] | [[Characters/BatmanTheScarecrow The Scarecrow]] | [[Characters/BatmanTwoFace Two Face]] | '''Criminal Organizations''' ([[Characters/BatmanLeagueOfAssassins League of Assassins]] [[[Characters/BatmanRasAlGhul Ra's Al Ghul]] | [[Characters/BatmanTaliaAlGhul Talia Al Ghul]]]) \\
'''Spin-Offs'''\\
''Characters/Batgirl2000'' | ''Characters/BatmanAndTheOutsiders'' | ''Characters/DarkNightsMetal'' ([[Characters/DarkNightsMetalTheBatmanWhoLaughs The Batman Who Laughs]]) | ''Characters/IAmBatman'' | ''Characters/{{Nightwing}}'' ([[Characters/NightwingDickGrayson Dick Grayson]]) | ''Characters/RedHoodAndTheOutlaws'' | ''Characters/Robin1993'' ([[Characters/RobinTimDrake Tim Drake]]) | ''Characters/Robin2021'' ([[Characters/RobinDamianWayne Damian Wayne]])-]]]]]
----
[[foldercontrol]]
!!Falcone Crime Family
[[folder:Carmine Falcone]]
!!Carmine Falcone
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/carmine_falcone.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:''"I'll burn it all down -- before I let a '''freak''' have it!"'']]
!!!'''Alter Ego:''' The Roman
!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Batman'' #404 (February 1987)
->''"The war for the soul of Gotham City is being waged from all sides, seen and unseen. But together, you and me, we're going to set this city right again."''
Another "normal" Batman foe. First appearing in ''ComicBook/BatmanYearOne'' and ''ComicBook/TheLongHalloween'', Carmine tends to appear in stories or adaptations set earlier in Batman's career, where he's made out to be the top crime lord in Gotham back before the advent of super villains, though he sometimes appears in present-day stories post-reboot. Members of his crime family have also popped up as standalone villains. Some works imply that he's Catwoman's father.
----
* BornInTheWrongCentury: He's very much a traditional crime boss and isn't suited to the world of supervillains and masked vigilantes.
* TheBusCameBack: Returns during the New 52 in ''ComicBook/BatmanEternal'' as part of the BigBadEnsemble.
* CompositeCharacter: Most adaptations want to cut down on the number of vanilla gangster characters, so Falcone typically winds up blended with Lew Moxon (the guy who hired Joe Chill) or Sal Maroni (the guy who scarred [[Characters/BatmanTwoFace Two-Face]]).
* TheDon: Of Gotham City.
* TheDreaded: He's one of the most powerful and feared men in Gotham and everyone, from other gangsters to police to politicians, is frightened of him.
* EndOfAnAge: Most stories featuring him show his empire giving way to the more classic Bat-rogues.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He loves his son Alberto and wants him to lead a legitimate life outside of crime.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He's very much a believer in the old school mafia code and is openly disdainful of super villains and unhinged sadists like the Joker who kill and cause chaos for no reason than their own amusement.
* EvilOldFolks: He's always portrayed as being at least well into middle age and old enough to have adult children and is a ruthless mob boss.
* {{Expy}}: A rather obvious one for [[Film/TheGodfather Don Corleone]], with his son Alberto taking the role of Fredo, Mario the role of Michael and Sofia Gigante the one of Sonny. His appearance is closer to that of Creator/RobertDeNiro - who portrayed the younger Vito Corleone. In turn, the animated series seems to replace Falcone with Arnold Stromwell.
* FeudingFamilies: His outfit vs. Sal Maroni's.
* GenericEthnicCrimeGang: He's Italian. His enforcers are Irish.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: Has three scars on the side of his face courtesy of Catwoman's claws.
* {{Irony}}: Despises the new breed of insane criminal popping up in Gotham, yet one of his children might be the [[ComicBook/TheLongHalloween Holiday Killer]], another one of his kids is the [[ComicBook/BatmanDarkVictory Hangman]], and Catwoman might be another one of his kids.
* KilledOffForReal: He's gunned down by the newly created Two-Face at the conclusion of ''ComicBook/TheLongHalloween.''
* RedBaron: Called the Roman, both because he's from Rome and because he controls a massive criminal empire, which is also referred to as "The Roman Empire".
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Alberto Falcone]]
!!Alberto Falcone / Holiday
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/albertonfalcone_profile_bmlh_p14_v1_401x600_masthead.jpg]]
!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Batman: The Long Halloween'' #1 (December 1996)
->''"Now, look at me. I'm bigger than all of you put together. I am Holiday!"''
The youngest of Carmine Falcone's three children, who desperately wants to join the "family business".
----
* AmbiguousEnding: In ''ComicBook/TheLongHalloween'', it's left unclear [[spoiler:if he really was the Holiday Killer, thank to Gilda stating at the end that she started the murders and her belief that Harvey took it up with New Year's. Was she right? Did she start the killing, but she's otherwise wrong and Alberto ''did'' usurp the identity by faking his own death? Or did she snap from what happened, her and Harvey being the killers is a delusion, and Alberto was indeed the Holiday Killer all along? The only thing known is Alberto did kill Sal Maroni]].
* DudeWhereIsMyRespect: He's looked down by the rest of the Falcone family, leading to lay claim to all the Holiday Killer murders in order to assume an status greater than that of his father.
* {{Expy}}: He's based on [[Film/TheGodfather Alfredo "Fredo" Corleone]], particularly his appearance and his low status within the family despite being a son of TheDon.
* GreenEyedMonster: He's jealous of his elder siblings, Mario and Sofia.
* KarmicDeath: Ultimately killed by the ''other'' holiday-themed killer, Calendar Man, for stealing his modus operandi.
* TheUnfavourite: He gets no respect from the other members of the mob, despite being a son of the Roman.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Alberto is desperate for his father's approval.
[[/folder]]
!!False Face Society
[[folder:Black Mask I]]
!!Black Mask I
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Black_Mask_0003_1813.jpg]]
!!!'''Real Name:''' Roman Sionis
!!!'''Team Affiliations:''' False Face Society, Secret Society of Supervillains, Ministry of Science
!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Batman'' #386 (August 1985)
->''"I am the new, undisputed, absolute crime lord of Gotham City. I am everything this city deserves -- and more. I am the darkness that fills the heart of every living soul in this sordid little town... including the blackest, most twisted soul of all... I think you know who I'm talking about."''
\\\
Roman Sionis was about the same age as Bruce Wayne, and likewise had wealthy parents. However, Roman's parents were extremely neglectful and uncaring towards their son; he grew to resent them and the "Masks" they wore (of good, friendly people), when in private they were miserable. Sionis eventually killed his parents, but ran their business into the ground, at which point it was bought out by Bruce Wayne. Sionis snapped, breaking into his parents' crypt and carving a mask out of his mother's coffin. An attempt to get revenge on Wayne by lashing out at his employees failed due to the intervention of Batman, and ended up causing Sionis's Black Mask to be burned onto his face, making it unremovable.
Sionis was a capable gangster (often leading a mask-themed gang called the False-Facers), managing to regain his hold over organized crime after long stays in jail. Sionis grew even more insane and obsessed with torture as time went on. In a notable ''Catwoman'' arc, Sionis discovered Selina Kyle's secret identity, and in vengeance for Catwoman attacking his drug rings, tortured Kyle's brother-in-law to death, and forced her sister to [[ImAHumanitarian eat pieces of his corpse]], driving her insane. Sionis was thought dead when after an extended fight, he fell out of his penthouse.
Later, in the ''ComicBook/BatmanWarGames'' story arc, Black Mask managed to successfully play the opposing forces of a Gotham Gang war against each other. He managed to kill Orpheus, one of Batman's inside men, and assume his identity, and tortured Stephanie Brown, alias the Spoiler, leading to her apparent demise. Sionis became the de facto leader of all of Gotham's organized crime following this. He was later killed when he once again sought to ruin Catwoman's life mistakenly believing she would abide by the No-Kill rule; she responded by [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim shooting him]]. After Batman's "[[NotQuiteDead death]]", a new Black Mask has surfaced, who turns out to be [[spoiler: an AxCrazy Dr. Jeremiah Arkham]], but he was revealed to be [[spoiler: BrainwashedAndCrazy]] after his defeat, and following the reboot is probably no longer in action (especially considering that the reboot also [[RetCon retconned]] Sionis' death and he has recently reclaimed his old identity).
----
* ArchEnemy: In some extent for Catwoman prior to the ''ComicBook/{{New 52}}''. He was developing a rivalry with the Red Hood shortly before Catwoman killed him, and this feud continues after he "gets better".
* AscendedExtra: 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 AxCrazy dude with a SkullForAHead who successfully and violently took over the Gotham criminal underworld and generally TookALevelInBadass (this also coincided with his becoming Catwoman's ArchEnemy in her solo title). Since then he was appeared in several adaptations and has had a major impact on Gotham in general and the Bat-family in particular.
* AstonishinglyAppropriateAppearance: Roman's start of villainy began with him making poor business decisions, now his face has been disfigured to the point where it's just a skull. He's a literal bonehead.
* AxCrazy: Par excellence. He's a gleefully sadistic TortureTechnician with a HairTriggerTemper, and is generally depicted as one of Batman and Catwoman's most brutally insane adversaries (which is saying a great deal).
* BadassInANiceSuit: Sionis is almost always seen in a fancy business suit, and has been able to take on various allies of Batman.
* BackFromTheDead: Sionis, by way of a Black Lantern ring in the ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'' crossover, and by way of a RetCon in the [=DCnU=].
* BadBoss: Watching him in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanUnderTheRedHood'', ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'', or ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'' where he regularly beats or kills his own henchmen for little to no reason, can make one wonder who would still want to work for him. In the story mode of ''Arkham Origins'', [[spoiler: this is eventually downplayed, as it turns out that the Joker (possibly the epitome of this trope) was impersonating Black Mask since before the game's story began, and Sionis apparently treated some of his henchmen well enough that many of them ended up being killed when they refused to follow Joker, while others were loyal to Roman due to paranoia. This trope is otherwise played straight in the challenge maps]].
* BigBad: For ''War Games'' and the last pre-''New 52'' Catwoman series.
* TheChessmaster: In ''War Games'', especially.
* ChildhoodBrainDamage: Dropped on his head while ''being delivered'', no less.
* ColdBloodedTorture: In one arc he cut up a woman's fiance and ''fed'' bits of him to her. It was given all the weight it deserved.
* ColorCharacter: ''Black'' Mask.
* CoolMask: Prior to ''ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand'', he wore a black wooden mask which hid his whole face.
-->'''Black Mask:''' Knows that the mask destroy one identity while creating another. Know that the mask recreates its wearer. Know that through the sublimation of personality, inhibitions die and the nature of the wearer is altered -- so that deeper drives and more primitive instincts rise to the surface.
* CriminalDoppelganger: In ''War Crimes'', following his takeover of the Gotham City underworld, he attempts to get rid of Batman by disguising himself as the Caped Crusader and going out killing people in order to frame him for murder. It's foiled by [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]], who is annoyed that Sionis ([[NotQuiteDead seemingly]]) killed Stephanie Brown, because she used to be a Robin and Joker thought that meant ''[[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou he]]'' should have been the one to kill her.
* {{Cult}}: The "True-Facers" in ''No Man's Land'', of which he was the leader, was this.
* CutLexLuthorACheck: {{Inverted|Trope}}. With his incredible skills at planning and organization, he probably could have been a great businessman, right? Wrong. As it turns out, Black Mask subverted this trope when he started out as a legitimate businessman, failed spectacularly, and turned to crime instead. He showed considerably more ''elan'' as a crime lord than he ever did as a business executive.
* DeadpanSnarker: Especially during his tenure as crime lord after ''War Games'', where most of his commentary [[CrossesTheLineTwice crossed the line twice]]. And were ''hilarious''.
-->'''Mask''': I'm not pleased, you know. Not pleased at all. And despite appearances, this isn't a damned smile on my face.
* DeadPersonImpersonation: Uses the identity of Orpheus, an ally of Batman, during ''War Games''.
* DependingOnTheWriter: Just how crazy he really is. Some storylines have him as a gibbering lunatic, others as just an eccentric (and particularly sadistic) mastermind. The latter is much more common, though.
* DiabolicalMastermind: One of the few crime lords who nearly dominated the Gotham underworld, at least for a brief time. So successful was he that he became a LegacyCharacter when a new Black Mask used his reputation to nearly do the same.
* DisproportionateRetribution: The stuff he did to Catwoman's sister just to get to Catwoman doesn't bare repeating.
* EvilFormerFriend: Like Hush, he was a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne.
* FacialHorror: While adaptations portray his current SkullForAHead look as a mask, in the comics, it's his actual face, the result of burns caused during one of his earliest battles with Batman. Even before he ditched the mask in ''No Man's Land'', it was fused to his face as a result of the fire that caused the disfigurement.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He can put up a polite and casual demeanor when he wants to, but it does nothing to conceal the fact that he's rotten to the core.
* FreudianExcuse: Three of them: he was dropped on his head by the doctor seconds after being born (which may or may not have caused brain damage that permanently altered his personality), and was later bitten by a rabid raccoon. To top it off, he had [[AbusiveParents extremely neglectful parents]], who pretended to be happy to the outside world but were actually privately unloving and miserable.
* GeniusBruiser: He's a giant of a man who is both smart enough to near-completely dominate Gotham's underworld and a skilled enough combatant to fight Batman and Catwoman evenly.
* GunsAkimbo: Dual handguns are a trademark of his.
* HateSink: Despite some of his villainy being [[LaughablyEvil darkly entertaining]], Roman stands out as among the more unlikable and unsympathetic of Batman's foes, being a psychotic brat with a disgusting view towards women and a crazed obsession for torture. It stands for a reason he's one of those enemies that Batman outright despises.
* HeManWomanHater: One of Sionis' especially heinous qualities is his blatant misogyny and willingness to torture women. Not that he's not willing to torture men, of course - he's an equal-opportunity {{Sadist}} - but considering what he did to Catwoman's sister and poor Stephanie Brown and how much he clearly enjoyed himself in the process, it's clear that he has a preference. When he hired Red Claw to kill Selina, Catwoman tells her that he probably only paid her half what he would've a man for the same job, because he's that much of an asshole.
* HeroKiller: Murdered Orpheus, a member and ally of the Batman family and fellow Gotham vigilante, by slitting his throat and has the distinction of being the second Batman villain besides the Joker to torture and seemingly kill off a Robin in the form of [[KillTheCutie Stephanie Brown]].
* ItsPersonal: Going after Catwoman's sister was not his smartest move, though by this point ItsPersonal for the two of them.
* KnightOfCerebus: When he's not being LaughablyEvil, he's among the darkest of Batman's foes.
* LargeAndInCharge: At 6'0, he's not the largest of Batman's foes, but he's still a big man with a fairly bulky build.
* LargeHam: Sometimes, like in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanUnderTheRedHood'' (and the arc it adapts).
* LaughablyEvil: When he's not being an absolute monster, Sionis' HairTriggerTemper and DeadpanSnarker tendencies can actually be pretty hilarious, especially in the "Under the Red Hood" story arc.
* LegacyCharacter: A new Black Mask has been introduced, although since the ''New 52'' ContinuityReboot, Sionis has reclaimed the title.
* LetsGetDangerous: He's most well known for being a master manipulator, but he was a skilled enough combatant to hold his own against an enraged Catwoman, which is no mean feat.
* MadeOfIron: Part of what makes him an effective hand-to-hand combatant. He's definitely not as skilled as Batman or Catwoman, but he's a big man who can hit hard and take a ''lot'' of punishment.
* ManipulativeBastard: In ''War Games'' especially, when - posing as Orpheus - he was supposed to give a speech to the assembled gangs of Gotham calling for restraint to avert a gang war; instead, he gave one that ''started'' the war, and a riot to boot.
* MultilayerFacade: During ''War Games'', he assumed Orpheus's identity by applying make up over his face. On top of that, he also had to wear Orpheus's helmet. [[spoiler:He did the same thing while impersonating Batman in ''War Crimes''.]]
* NoIndoorVoice: Sionis often throws [[MotiveRant unnecessary tantrums]] with little provocation, particularly when written by Creator/JuddWinick.
* NonIndicativeName: Eventually. While he did start off wearing a black mask, his charred SkullForAHead look, first seen in ''ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand'' is, in fact, his actual face, having ditched the mask in that story. Not helping this misconception is ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'', the ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries'', ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBadBlood'' and ''Film/BirdsOfPrey2020'' going for the skull look, but depicting it as an actual mask.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: A horrific sadist and brutal misogynist. But ''damn'' if he isn't funny.
* ReligionOfEvil: In ''No Man's Land'', he turned the False Facers 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 go on a murderous rampage throughout the already devastated city. The second Black Mask referred to his organization as a "Ministry of Science", combining this with his MadScientist routine.
-->'''Black Mask:''' Everything is different, now. Identity shatters. Gotham's mine. Yours. No masks. No disguises. Only shards. We are revealed as what we have always been. Nothing. A mosaic of pieces. We are Gotham's true face. We are Gotham stripped bare. All who see must know. And those who do not see, they must be purged.
* RevengeByProxy: Many times, but most notoriously in the "Relentless" arc of the 2000s ''ComicBook/{{Catwoman}}'' series, where after working out Selena Kyle's identity he kidnapped her sister and brother-in-law, and tortured the brother-in-law to death in front of the sister while force-feeding her parts of his body, driving her permanently insane.
* RoguesGalleryTransplant: Switching from fighting Batman to tormenting Catwoman to level up, and then using the boost in notoriety that gave him to become, for a time, top villain in Gotham and start fighting Batman again.
* {{Sadist}}: Perhaps his defining characteristic is his enthusiasm for making people suffer. He's a near-unparalleled TortureTechnician whose love of cruelty is at constant war with his business sense. He actually provides the main page quote.
* SelfMadeOrphan: He killed his parents in a fire to inherit their business and fortune. Unfortunately, he was a lousy businessman and when he tried to burn down the factory to cover his tracks, he wound up with the facial injury that gave him his villain name. He was a lot better at being AxCrazy than a businessman anyways.
* ShadowArchetype: 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 millionaire who became an extremely violent masked crime lord rather than a moderately violent masked vigilante, and he relies more on his natural hidden talents as a criminal than on years of hard work and study.
* SkullForAHead: Since he TookALevelInBadass, he ditched the mask, revealing that the burns made his face look like a charred skull, whereas before he merely wore a mask.
* TheSociopath: One of the purest, most straightforward examples in Gotham - manipulative, impulsive, and hedonistic, with a total LackOfEmpathy and a total disregard for social norms (especially the ones about it being wrong to torture people). Whether he's high-functioning or low-functioning is a matter DependingOnTheWriter, but it'll always be the core one of his personality.
%%%* StrawNihilist: His ramblings in ''ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand'' .
* TookALevelInBadass: Mask has been around since the 80's, but it's only been in the aftermath of his appearances as Catwoman's arch-enemy, where he's become a dangerous 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 favorite to appear in movie adaptations.
* TortureTechnician: One of Gotham's foremost experts and aficionados, with a notoriously long string of victims to his name. Maggie Kyle is a standout example.
-->'''Mask''': Before we begin, I'd like to address the topic of screaming ... by saying this: go right ahead.
* TribalFacePaint: The members of Black Mask's False Face Society wear masks as a sign of belonging and loyalty to Black Mask. However, one of Black Mask's lieutenants--the aptly named Tattoo--chooses to go in for elaborate facial tattoos rather than wearing a mask (with the effect being the same, i.e. giving him a 'false face').
%%* VillainInAWhiteSuit: Starting with ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'', and popularized with ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'', Black Mask has worn a white suit in the ''New 52'' ComicBook/{{Catwoman}} comics and in the film ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBadBlood''.
* VillainsWantMercy: After torturing Catwoman's sister and driving her permanently insane by force-feeding her fiance's eyeballs to her, he and Catwoman end up in a fight that takes them to the rooftop under the rain. Ending up clinging to a wet ledge and slipping, he has the audacity to plead to Selina for help, to which she incredulously responds [[YoureInsane he's even crazier than she thought.]]
* WouldHurtAChild: Thinks nothing of sadistically torturing a teenage girl.
* WrongLineOfWork: He took control of the family company after murdering his parents, but quickly proved himself to have zero business sense whatsoever. He's shown far more skill at being a crime boss than he ever did as a businessman.
[[/folder]]
!!Black Glove
[[folder:Doctor Simon Hurt]]
!!Doctor Simon Hurt
[[quoteright:244:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Doctor_Hurt_62.png]]
!!!'''Alter Ego:''' Thomas Wayne Jr.
!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Batman'' #156 (June 1963)
->''"'''Batman's''' a hardy specimen, with an above-average mind[=--=]but even a '''Batman''' can succumb to stress and shock!"''
\\\
A psychiatrist that observed Batman during an isolation experiment, Simon Hurt is the leader of a mysterious organization called The Black Glove. He wants to completely and utterly break Batman, physically and mentally.
----
* AdaptationDistillation: [[spoiler:His backstory had him being found by Thomas and Martha Wayne and then taken to a mental hospital to get help. In a Pre-''Crisis'' story, Bruce discovered he had an older brother, Thomas Jr., who suffered head injuries and was sent to live in Willowood Asylum. Thomas Jr. escaped at some point and became an assassin named the Boomerang Killer who fought Batman and Deadman together before pulling an impulsive HeroicSacrifice to save Bruce]].
* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler:Last seen being BuriedAlive by the Joker somewhere on the grounds of Wayne Manor, because [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou there's only one person]] who the Joker wants messing with Batman's head]]. He later escaped, but the intervening time can't have been very fun...
* AscendedExtra: Creator/GrantMorrison ascended him out of an unnamed psychiatrist in UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|OfComicBooks}} story "Robin Dies at Dawn"
* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:It's incredibly hard not to fist pump as the Joker buries him]].
* BackForTheDead: He returns in the ''ComicBook/{{Convergence}}'' series, only to get blown up.
* BeenThereShapedHistory: It's implied that the UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper Whitehchapel murders might have been done by Hurt as part of the ritual to keep himself alive.
* BetterTheDevilYouKnow: When Hurt is taken out of the picture, a global conspiracy known as Leviathan takes over, upping the ante.
* BigBad: Of The Black Glove StoryArc in [[ComicBook/BatmanGrantMorrison Grant Morrison's run]].
* BigBadWannabe: By ''Batman and Robin'', he starts to fall into this, simply because he keeps believing that he will be the one to break Batman. As it turns out, [[{{Determinator}} Batman simply doesn't break]], no matter what Hurt does to him, and manages to turn the tables at every turn - most pivotally, the deep-rooted mental commands that Hurt places in Batman to destroy his personality fail because [[spoiler: [[CrazyPrepared Batman was putting in a mental command to counter such an attack at the same time]]]]. In pretty much every interaction he has with the Joker, the latter tells him to stop underestimating Batman, and Hurt's response is to dismiss both Batman and the Joker. [[LaserGuidedKarma He turns out to be wrong on both counts]].
** In some ways, consulting his story from beginning to end, he was always this. He talks a great game, and has enough skill, intelligence, and resources to put together some decent evil plans in scope and methods, but he believes that he's akin to a universal force of corruption and darkness (ala [[Characters/NewGodsDarkseid Darkseid]]) whose cast shadow breaks noble souls and whose will turns the best and brightest into the foulest parodies of what they once were, when in reality he's basically a jumped up rich-kid sociopath who thinks going out of his way to 'destroy good' makes him the pinnacle of malevolence, instead of a glorified child holding a magnifying glass over an ant hill.[[note]]It is fitting that he tries to carry himself like Darkseid, as it was being exposed to the god's living weapon, the Hyper-Adaptor, that made him more than just a normal man in the first place.[[/note]]
* {{Blackmail}}: Threatens to sully the entire Wayne Family's reputation if Batman does not join him.
* BloodbathVillainOrigin: His Batman-impersonators were subjected to this.
* CardCarryingVillain: He speaks very proudly about how he wants to break the hero that is Batman.
* TheCorruptor: One of his most frequent goals. He attempts it with Batman and Damian, it's implied that he's responsible for making Professor Pyg and Eduardo Flamingo into what they now are, and he launched a nearly-successful campaign to drive the whole of Gotham City mad with a viral addiction, tempting other characters along the way.
* CrazyPrepared: He planted the trigger Zurr-En-Arrh in order to MindRape Batman.
* DontYouDarePityMe: Part of his grand revenge scheme against not only Batman but Thomas and Martha Wayne is because [[spoiler: they actually tried to help him by bringing him to the Willowood mental hospital under the guise of their other son]].
* EccentricMillionaire: Evil version.
* EvilOnlyHasToWinOnce: Averted. Hurt has had plenty of successes in his lifetime, but he has to keep on scheming to stay on top.
* EvilPowerVacuum: Puts his plan in motion after Batman manages to finally lock up all of Gotham's criminals.
* EvilWearsBlack: Noticeable compared to Batman's other enemies.
* ForTheEvulz: Loves to make people's lives (and Batman's life, in particular) miserable and broken and hosts it as a gambling game just because he can.
* {{Glamour}}: Implied to have this to some degree. He's able to convince the masses he's Thomas Wayne and that he faked his death, despite altering his face so that not only does he look nothing like a Wayne, but he looks too young to be Bruce's father.
* AGlassOfChianti: Known to pour one out for crime.
* GodOfEvil: He talks about himself like this, viewing himself as an unstoppable force of corruption in human form. He also worships his own God of Evil in the form of Barbatos.
* GreaterScopeVillain: He's responsible for the creation of "The Batman of Zur-En-Arrh", who becomes an EnemyWithin to Bruce throughout Creator/ChipZdarsky's run.
* HijackedByGanon: In his case, [[spoiler:Darkseid]].
* HollywoodSatanism: He started out as a devil-worshipper in the 18th century, and today his rituals have all the traditional trappings.
* HumanoidAbomination: Styles himself as this, referring to himself as "the hole in things" and "the piece that can never fit".
* HumanSacrifice: Tries to make Batman this on numerous occasions.
* IdenticalGrandson: [[spoiler:Bears a notable resemblance to Bruce Wayne's father Dr. Thomas Wayne. See below for why]].
* IHaveManyNames: Doctor Simon Hurt, Thomas Wayne, Mangrove Pierce, El Penitente, the Black Glove, the Hole in Things, Jack the Ripper (possibly), the Devil...
* ImmortalsFearDeath: ''The Return of Bruce Wayne'' reveals the real reason he sought immortality; his ancestor got on the bad side of a witch and she cursed his entire bloodline. Family curses tend to manifest as unpleasant deaths, which would explain the deaths of Thomas, Martha [[spoiler: and Damian]], so Hurt naturally wanted to avoid this at all costs.
* KneelBeforeZod: Either tempts or coerces his foes into coming to his side. In an alternate future, Damian and the POTUS both take him up on it.
* LouisCypher: Some characters (including the Joker) think he's this, and even Batman himself wonders by the end. As far as Morrison is concerned, [[spoiler: sure, the mundane explanation is that he's a 17th Century Wayne, but why should the mundane explanation be the ''only'' true one?]]
* LukeIAmYourFather: At one point attempted to convince Bruce that he was actually his father Dr. Thomas Wayne, who had faked his own death and murdered his wife. [[spoiler:He's actually a distant paternal ancestor of Bruce, also named Thomas Wayne, corrupted and turned immortal by [[Character/NewGodsDarkseid Darkseid]]'s Hyper Adapter.]]
* ManOfWealthAndTaste: In both senses of the word.
* MeaningfulName: "Doctor Hurt". Doctors are tasked with helping people, not hurting them. This perversion of a well-respected profession fits with Hurt's modus operandi of destroying reputations.
* MindRape: What he does to the replacement Batmen and Bruce himself.
* ProfessionalGambler: His organization, Black Glove, has a gambling theme.
* PsychoPsychologist: What he is a doctor of.
* ThePsychoRangers: While Batman has the Club of Heroes, consisting of vigilantes from various countries, Hurt has the Club of Villains, consisting of their respective arch enemies.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: He's about 400.
* ReligionOfEvil: He has ties to the Church of Crime, and he himself worships the demonic Barbatos.
* RichBitch: Male version.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Part of the reason none of his crimes have been reported is because he has the mayor and several other officials in his back pocket.
* SlasherSmile: Indulges in them whenever he thinks he's won. Batman at one point describes it as being as unpleasant as Joker venom and fear gas.
* SmugSnake: Fully believed the law could never stop him due to [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney all the Black Glove's money]]. [[spoiler: He didn't count on [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]] [[BuriedAlive putting a stop to him]].]]
* TallDarkAndSnarky: Tries to be this at first, but gradually loses his dignity, becoming more and more of a FauxAffablyEvil SmugSnake.
* ToCreateAPlaygroundForEvil: Once Batman is (seemingly) out of the picture, Hurt's plan is to make Gotham into a Capitol of Crime where man's worst instincts reign supreme.
* UngratefulBastard: Thomas and Martha Wayne tried to have his horrifying behavior psychologically treated. His response is to try and ruin their son and destroy their legacy, as well as possibly having them killed.
* VillainDecay: Goes from executing plans that took years to put together to eventually just hiring a gang of mooks to do his dirty work. Hurt briefly appears in the ''Convergence'' series, [[spoiler:but is just one of many random Batman villains who gets blown up by the Joker]].
* YouHaveNoChanceToSurvive: Gets proven wrong repeatedly, but never gives up.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Le Bossu]]
!!Le Bossu
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/le_bossu_01_77.jpg]]
!!!'''Alter Ego:''' Guy Dax
!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Batman'' #676 (June 2008)
->''"Look at me. You see what most people see--Doctor Guy Dax. A respected neurosurgeon, a family man with two beautiful daughters and a gifted, brilliant wife. No one knows that my ugliness is inside. Or what I do to others, I often dream of doing to my own family. Polite society does not permit me to be the man I truly am. Mine is the twisted soul of a monster. In order to give expression to the honest beast within, I am compelled to an elaborate process of disguise. Inside I am broken, perverse, grotesque and violent. The image of my self-loathing I call Le Bossu."''
A famous French neurosurgeon who dresses up in a Hunchback costume to lead a double life of killing and maiming. He first came to Gotham after being recruited into Simon Hurt's Club of Villains. After being scarred by the Joker during his crimes and thus unable to return to his old life without being exposed, he stays in Gotham to devote his whole life to evil.
----
* AxCrazy: Definitely. He even once killed a man just to see how well the Black Glove could cover it up.
* BecomingTheMask: A literal example. He used to wear a deformed mask when he went into his Le Bossu role. After attempting to get the Joker to join the Club of Villains, the Joker attacks him and cuts his face up to resemble the mask.
* BrokenPedestal: A villainous version. When Doctor Hurt and the Club of Villains take over Arkham Asylum, Le Bossu recruits the Joker, while telling him how much Bossu and the other members of the Club admire him. The Joker's response is to carve up Bossu's face, and joins the Club only to later turn on them, the Black Glove, and Doctor Hurt.
* EvilCripple: Subverted. He at first appears to have a deformed back, but it's later revealed that it's just a costume he wears as part of his criminal recreation.
* LivingADoubleLife: Before he moved to Gotham, he lived two lives, one as a respected neurosurgeon and family man, and the other as a sadistic supervillain.
* {{Lobotomy}}: This is his specialty.
* MadDoctor: Uses his medical skills for evil.
* OurGargoylesRock: His henchmen dress up in gargoyle costumes.
* PsychoPsychologist: Poses as this when he infiltrates Arkham Asylum.
* {{Sadist}}: He leads a whole double life devoted to hurting people for his own pleasure.
* ShoutOut: His whole aesthetic, from his costume to his gargoyle henchmen, is a reference to ''Literature/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame''.
* TemptingFate: ''"Even Batman and Robin are dead..."'' Cue Dick Grayson as Batman and Damian Wayne as Robin appearing to take him down.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Three Ghosts of Batman]]
!!Bat-Cop (Josef Muller), Bat-Bane (Branca), Bat-Devil (Michael Lane)
[[quoteright:201:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/3bat.jpg]]
Three policemen chosen to be replacements for Batman, should anything happen to him. However, they were corrupted and made into monsters by the mysterious Doctor Hurt.
----
* TheAntiChrist: Michael Lane styles himself after this idea.
* AscendedExtra: After his stint as Bat-Devil, Michael Lane became the new Azrael.
* BatmanGrabsAGun: Josef Muller invokes this trope when he shoots the Joker, though as a Batman who has no problems with guns he averts it in practice.
* TheBerserker: Branca, the Bat-Bane, fights this way, [[spoiler: and it's ultimately what gets him killed]].
* CoupDeGrace: Muller, the Bat-Cop, shoots the Joker in the face after being at his mercy.
* TheDragon: Lane is this to Doctor Hurt, being the only replacement Batman to directly work for him, and also serves as his lackey during ''Batman RIP''.
* {{Expy}}: In-universe, Branca's strength, costume, and behavior were crafted to echo Bane.
* FantasticDrug: Bat-Bane uses a SuperSerum to get the strength that rivals Bane.
* FreudianExcuse: Invoked. Doctor Hurt, seeing that Batman was made who he was by tragedy, arranged for Lane's family to be killed so that Lane would have a similar driving pain.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: Lane's Bat-Devil costume has round glowing eyes.
* ManlyMan: Bat-Bane is a larger-than-life mass of muscle who has inhumanly high levels of testosterone and keeps his hideout stocked with pizza and women.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: The Bat-Devil outfit has glowing red eyes.
* ShadowArchetype: Invoked by Doctor Hurt when he created the Three Ghosts. All three are reflections of what Batman could be if he forsook his morals:
** Bat-Cop uses firearms and kills his opponents.
** Bat-Bane is what would happen if Batman resorted to serums like Bane's venom, and gave up control of his rage.
** Bat-Devil is what would happen if Batman agreed to a deal with Doctor Hurt.
* SuperSerum: Bat-Bane is made inhumanly big and strong through a combination of Bane's venom and Hugo Strange's monster serum.
* SuperStrength: Bat-Bane is so strong, he can lift the Batmobile.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: While Bat-Bane was killed and Bat-Devil became the second Azrael, the whereabouts of Bat-Cop are completely unknown. He just vanishes from the story after being arrested and is never mentioned again.
* WouldHitAGirl: Branca is kept pacified by a steady stream of prostitutes, and as he grows more and more unstable the girls meet increasingly grisly ends, one of which Batman encounters the remains of.
* WouldHurtAChild: Branca also has no problems with harming children, though thankfully Robin is more capable of taking care of himself than most children.
[[/folder]]
!!!'''Club of Villains'''
[[folder:Charlie Caligula]]
!!Charlie Caligula
[[quoteright:336:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/charlie_caligula.JPG]]
!!!'''Alter Ego:''' Carlo Calzone
!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Batman'' #676 (June, 2008)
->''"You mess with Charlie, you mess with an empire of grief!"''
Charlie Caligula started out his crime career as Little Boots Calzone, the Boy-King of Organized Crime in Rome. He came into conflict with the Roman hero the Legionary several times, before the Legionary became lax and allowed Caligula to take over the town. When the Legionary is murdered, he is murdered in a manner similar to Caesar's death in the Shakespeare play, to cast suspicion onto Caligula and a possible Club of Villains. When the actual Club of Villains is formed, Caligula and his centurion themed goons are drafted.
----
* ArchEnemy: To the Legionary.
* BadassInANiceSuit: Wears a designer suit combined with Joker-like face paint and a laurel wreath.
* DiscoDan: Is obsessed with the Roman Empire.
* EvilRedhead: The ArchEnemy of the Legionary and a redhead.
* ICallItVera: Smacks underperforming underlings with [[ShamuFu a fish]] he refers to as "Senator Fishy".
* NapoleonDelusion: Pretends to believe he is the Emperor Caligula as an ObfuscatingInsanity.
* NonActionBigBad: Is not much of a combatant and usually relies on his army of centurion themed goons to do his fighting for him.
* ObfuscatingInsanity: Pretends to be insane like the Joker, but Batman sees through the act immediately.
* RedBaron: Also known as 'The God-Emperor of Crime'.
* ShamuFu: Smacks underperforming underlings with a fish he refers to as "[[ICallItVera Senator Fishy]]".
[[/folder]]
[[folder:King Kraken]]
!!King Kraken
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/king_kraken.JPG]]
!!!'''Alter Ego:''' Unknown
!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Batman'' #676 (June, 2008)
->''"Henchmen are for wussies."''
The villain known as King Kraken was once a deep sea diver who became disfigured. Following his disfigurement, he turned pirate. He has had numerous run ins with the hero known as the Wingman, and is a member of the Club of Villains. His weapon of choice is an electric rifle.
----
* ArchEnemy: The Wingman
* CreepyOldFashionedDivingSuit: His costume deliberately invokes this.
* LightningGun: His weapon of choice is an electric rifle.
* MysteriousPast: The reason of his disfigurement and his animosity with Wigman are unexplored.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: King Kraken's true name has never been revealed.
* SubmarinePirates: His ''modus operandi''.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Pierrot Lunaire]]
!!Pierrot Lunaire
[[quoteright:232:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pierrot_lunaire.jpg]]
!!!'''Alter Ego:''' Unknown
!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Batman'' #676 (June, 2008)
The supercriminal called Pierrot Lunaire is a French criminal and foe of the Musketeer. When the Club of Heroes reunited, Lunaire's name was throw around as a possible member of the Club of Villains. When the actual Club of Villains was put together by Dr. Hurt, Lunaire was one of the members.
----
%%* ArchEnemy: To the Musketeer.
* CombatParkour: An expert martial artist, Lunaire uses astonishing acrobatics while fighting Robin atop his motorcycle.
* ElectiveMute: Owing to the tradition of Mimes, he never speaks.
* EnemyMime: A criminal who dresses as the Commedia dell'arte character Pierrot. Owing to the tradition of Mimes, he never speaks.
* TheSpeechless: Owing to the tradition of Mimes, he never speaks.
* VillainousHarlequin: A criminal who dresses as the Commedia dell'arte character Pierrot.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Scorpiana]]
!!Scorpiana
[[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/scorpiana.jpg]]
!!!'''Alter Ego:''' Tristessa Delicias
!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Batman'' #67 (June 2008)
->''"Little man...I know you're not used to seeing a real woman, but if you are going to film me...Make sure to get my good side."''
Scorpiana is an Argentinean villain who specializes in poisons. She leaves a deadly blue scorpion behind at the scene of her crimes as her CallingCard. She has clashed repeatedly with the Argentinean masked hero known as El Gaucho. When the international organization known as the Club of Heroes reunited, Dr. Hurt decided to found a Club of Villains and recruited Scorpiana as one of the members. The Club of Villains clashed with both the Club of Heroes and the Batman family, and Scorpiana almost succeeded in killing Nightwing. The Club of Villains ultimately collapsed, but she was able to escape back to her homeland and continue her efforts to taunt El Gaucho. Later she was recruited into the global criminal cartel known as Leviathan.
----
* AnimalThemedSuperbeing: An 'Animal Abilities' type. Her cybernetic enhancements give her scorpion-like abilities, and all of her attacks utilize scorpion venom.
* BewareMyStingerTail: Her cybernetic enhancements include a scorpion tail that can inject venom.
* CallingCard: Leaves behind a deadly blue scorpion at the scene of her crimes.
* {{Cyborg}}: Scorpiana has bionic enhancements which boost her just beyond peak human strength, reflexes, and agility.
* DatingCatwoman: She is the Catwoman to El Gaucho's Batman.
* LeotardOfPower: Wears a silver leotard as part of her costume.
* MasterPoisoner: Prefers to kill using poison, and all of her equipment makes use of scorpion venom.
* OutlawCouple: She and el Sombrero used to lovers and partners in crime.
* ProfessionalKiller: Is primarily an assassin.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:El Sombrero]]
!!El Sombrero
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/el_sombrero.jpg]]
!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Batman'' #676 (June 2008)
->''" You'd... agree with me that a truly agonizing... inescapable deathtrap would... have to be so much more than nuts... and bolts. At best... it takes the victim's deepest principles... his core values, and turns them into murder weapons. Men who fight and risk their lives for the weak and vulnerable... can so easily be destroyed by that same spirit... of self-sacrifice."''
El Sombrero is a lunatic in a luchador mask who designs near inescapable death traps for anyone willing to pay. He is an enemy of the Gaucho and a member of the Club of Villains. As such, he has come into conflict with Batman.
----
* CallingCard: Marks his work with an image of a skull in a sombrero.
* CoolMask: Wears a luchador mask at all times.
* DeathTrap: Specializes in designing death traps.
* EvilCripple: Is confined to a wheelchair and uses a computer to speak but he's a murderous TrapMaster.
* GeniusCripple: Being confined to a wheelchair has not slowed the workings of his mind.
* OutlawCouple: He and Scorpiana were once lovers.
* SombreroEqualsMexican: He's literally called ''El Sombrero'' and does wear one, so yeah he's Mexican.
* TrapMaster: Designs inescapable death traps for anyone willing to pay.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Swagman]]
!!Swagman
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/swagman.jpg]]
!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Batman'' #676 (June 2008)
->''"Come out, come out, wherever you are! Yer fancy bike's a write-off. Yer weird little game of dress-up and play's all over. Yer just a little kid in a big, bad world and daddy Batman's gone troppo. Show yerself an I'll do you a nice, quick head shot."''
The Swagman is an enemy of the Australian hero the Ranger and an agent of the Black Glove.
----
* ArchEnemy: Of Ranger and later Dark Ranger.
* AwesomeAnachronisticApparel: Dresses in a replica of Ned Kelly's armour.
* AwesomeAussie: Is physical one of the toughest members of the Club of Villains.
* BadassBiker: Is a skilled motorcyclist.
* BadassLongcoat: He's easily identified by his yellow trench coat.
* BadassNormal: Has no superpowers but can take on multiple members of the Bat-family.
* GunsAkimbo: Wields a revolver in each hand.
* MysteriousPast: His backstory or the reason behind his enmity with Ranger has never been revealed.
* SupervillainPackingHeat: Carries a pair of revolvers.
* TotallyRadical: Uses a lot of extremely dated Australian slang.
[[/folder]]
!!Leviathan
[[folder:The Heretic]]
!!The Heretic
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/heretic.jpeg]]
!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Batman and Robin'' #12 (July 2010)
->''"Sons are born to die in war."''
The Heretic, also known as the Fatherless and the Other, is a clone of Damian Wayne, artificially aged and genetically enhanced by [[Characters/BatmanTaliaAlGhul Talia Al-Ghul]], and birthed from the carcass of a whale. He is Leviathan's most fearsome soldier, having killed both Knight and his "brother", Damian.
----
* BackFromTheDead: After he was decapitated by Talia, a rogue member of her organization intent on preserving Ra's Al-Ghul, revived the Heretic using the Lazarus Pit.
* OffWithHisHead: Talia decapitated him after he killed Damien and declared himself the new Batman.
* PsychopathicManchild: His fights against the Bat-Family illustrates that despite his strength and physique, he's a spoiled toddler in mind, ranting childishly and shouting petty insults.
* TheSpeechless: Heretic's neck was sewn back to his body after his death and he had to be fitted with a voice box to be able to talk.
* SuperStrength: Due to either the armour he wears or a genetic ability, the Heretic has superhuman strength. He can easily lift grown men with one hand, send Batman flying with a kick, and crack two men's skulls together in a single move.
* SuperToughness: Possesses superhuman durability. He showed very little reaction after being hit by Nightwing and Robin in the face at the same time, and can take punches from one of Batman's mechanical suits.
* WhereIWasBornAndRazed: After fighting his way free of the whale, the Heretic subsequently decimated the entire population of metahumans in the illegal bio-genetic factory where he was grown as he honed his killing skills.
* WhyAmITicking: After Talia decapitates him, she attached a bomb to his spine and used his body to blow up Wayne Tower.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Death Man]]
!!Death Man/Lord Death Man
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/3437950_talon_cv16_v1pklhcw4f__527c397a5b39e452833422.jpg]]
!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Batman'' #180 (May 1966)
->''"So you think you've captured me? Why-- you've got nothing but the black shadow of death in your hands! I can drift right between your fingers like smoke -- anytime I wish! [[EvilLaugh HA-HA-HA-HA!]]"''
A criminal mastermind who can perfectly imitate death (and later developed regenerative abilities). He was active in Bruce's early career as Batman before disappearing. He reemerged years later and relocated to Japan, while also working with Leviathan.
----
* AbhorrentAdmirer: To Harley Quinn. He has a whole StalkerShrine within an arcade machine and hired her to kill him to [[InLoveWithYourCarnage see how she would kill him]].
* BewareTheSillyOnes: He's a cackling old-school supervillain in a skeleton costume, and anyone who underestimates him because of that does so at their own peril. Not only did he kill the original Mr. Unknown, he nearly wiped out the ''entire superhero population of Japan,'' and gleefully made sure as many innocents as possible got caught in the crossfire.
* CardCarryingVillain: A key part of his whole "old TV serial villain" schtick. Lord Death Man loves being evil, and he wants everyone who sees him to know it.
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: He once boasted about [[HiddenDepths memorizing the names of every Pokémon]] "and their evolved forms." If you learn the names of every single Pokémon, that would include the names of the evolved forms.
* EvilLaugh: Someone calling himself Lord Death Man has to have one.
* EvilMentor: He has a sidekick named Flatline, who he's taught to absorb knowledge from the deaths of others. According to her, he also never let her operate without him [[FantasyForbiddingFather and refuses to allow her to read manga]].
* ExpressiveMask: His skull mask seems capable of changing with his emotions.
* TheFaceless: Has never been seen without the skull mask.
* FakingTheDead: Has mastered the yoga art of controlling his body to mask his vital signs, creating the illusion of death. This technique even came in handy after he gained ResurrectiveImmortality, as a gambit to break free from a League of Assassins lab.
* HealingFactor: Later in his career, he became ''unkillable''.
* HiddenDepths: In ''ComicBook/{{Talon}}'', he claims his PhotographicMemory allows him to perfectly recall everything he's learned, including the names of every Franchise/{{Pokemon}} "and their evolved forms".
* LargeHam: His dialogue makes him sound like a campy serial villain. He went from "Death Man" to "Lord Death Man" and even introduced the latter alias with "Mighty Lord Death Man!"
* MayDecemberRomance: In ''ComicBook/Robin2021,'' it's revealed that he's the lover of Mother Soul/Ruh Al Ghul, who is at least '' a thousand years'' older than him.
* MundaneMadeAwesome: Historically, his ability to return from death has been ascribed to his mastery of yoga.
* OmnicidalManiac: Wants nothing more than to destroy all superheroes and murder as many people as he can in the process.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: His true name and backstory are unknown.
* ResurrectiveImmortality: In modern continuities, his ability to seem dead and come back became this instead of a yoga technique.
* SkullForAHead: His actual face beneath the costume is unknown, but he's pretty recognizable due to his skull face.
* TookALevelInBadass: Death Man developed the ability to genuinely heal from fatal injuries, rather than just enter a death-like state.
[[/folder]]
!!Court of Owls
[[folder:The Court of Owls]]
!!The Court of Owls/The Parliament of Owls
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_courtofowls_1549.png]]
!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Batman'' (Vol 2) #2 (December 2011)
-> ''"[[AncientConspiracy Beware the Court of Owls]]\\
[[BigBrotherIsWatching that watches all the time]].\\
[[TheManBehindTheMan Ruling Gotham from shadowed perch]],\\
behind granite and lime.\\
\\
They watch you at your hearth.\\
they watch you in your bed,\\
speak not a whispered word of them,\\
or they'll send [[ImplacableMan The Talon]] for your head."''
\\\
The Court of Owls is a secret organization centuries old with immense power and influence embedded into the very architecture and history of Gotham City. When Batman, and subsequently Bruce Wayne, began to make an impression on the city (through crime fighting and Bruce's many charitable foundations/renovation of the Narrows), they felt threatened and declared war on Batman and his allies.
----
* AncientConspiracy: They've been around since Gotham's founding, back in Pre-Revolutionary America, and have been influencing the city on the political and economic level ever since.
* BreakoutCharacter: For a villainous group introduced [[ComicBook/New52 relatively recently]], they've already become quite the staple of the Batman mythos, appearing in ''Series/{{Gotham}}'' and in ''VideoGame/GothamKnights2022''.
* ChildSoldiers: The Court indoctrinates their Talons at a very young age, and specifically targets orphans and abandoned children for their ranks. They even had their eyes on a young Dick Grayson for a time, before Bruce Wayne swept in to adopt the boy instead.
* CompositeCharacter: [[spoiler:Lincoln March/Thomas Wayne, Jr. combines both the Owlman (owl motif, evil mirror of Bruce) and Boomerang Killer (brain-damaged Wayne brother) versions of Thomas Jr]].
* {{Determinator}}: ''All'' of the Talons are this. Even death won't stop them from hunting down and killing their targets.
* TheDragon: [[spoiler:Lincoln March a.k.a. Thomas Wayne Jr.]] in their organization. [[spoiler:He's also TheStarscream, as [[KlingonPromotion he kills off most of the Court's top members to take advantage of the organization]].]]
* TheDreaded: The most powerful force in Gotham, and those who know of them are very aware of how dangerous they are.
* EliteMooks: Their assassins, the Talons.
* EntitledBastard: Most of the higher-ups are descendants of the original founders of Gotham, and thus consider Gotham to be ''their'' city, to do with as they please.
* EvilSoundsDeep: The Talons are implied to sound this way, as [[PaintingTheMedium their dialogue is drawn with black speech bubbles]].
* FamilialFoe: The Waynes were one of the only families in Gotham who opposed the machinations of the Court. They believed in using their wealth to genuinely help the city and its people rather than simply gain power, and for this reason, the Court views them as their bitter enemies. Interestingly enough, however, the Court was not actually responsible for the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne, despite having previously assassinated at least one of their distant ancestors.
* HealingFactor: The Talons all sport this, although they can be killed, at least temporarily.
* TheIlluminati: They've been manipulating Gotham since olden times.
* KidsAreCruel: One particular member of the Court is a little girl (possibly the child of one of the families involved in the conspiracy), who takes special glee in ordering the Talon to beat Batman to death for her amusement.
* LightningBruiser: All of the Talons are not only superhumanly fast and skilled in combat, but they're also extremely durable on account of being zombies.
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: In their first appearance, they're alternately shown to be both normal people with owl masks and actual mutant owl humanoids. During this time, Batman had been starved and tortured for quite a while so it's not clear if some of them really were mutant owl people or Batman was simply hallucinating at that point and seeing them as such.
* MythologyGag: Their role as owls that antagonize bats with agents known as Talons, [[spoiler:Thomas Wayne, Jr.]] in particular, is a reference to Owlman and Talon, the evil MirrorUniverse counterparts to Batman and Robin pre-''ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}}''.
* OminousOwl: Their whole motif. The fact that owls are the natural predators of bats lends itself quite well to the imagery.
* TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness: As an evil AncientConspiracy.
* WhiteMaskOfDoom: Members of the Court wear creepy barn owl masks.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Owlman (Court of Owls)]]
!!Owlman
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/batman_11_variant_cover_andy_clarke_owlman.jpg]]
!!!'''Alter Ego:''' "Lincoln March"/Thomas Wayne Jr.
!!!'''First Appearance:''' ''Batman'' (Vol 2) #1
->''"You wanted to know if the Court had anything to do with our parents' deaths, Bruce. the answer is no. They didn't. That was all your fault, brother. An I'm going to make you pay. So finish cutting through that net. And lets have this out once and for all...For the City of Gotham. Wayne to Wayne."''
"Lincoln March" is the on-again off-again leader of the Court of Owls and one of Batman's most dangerous enemies. His enhanced biology and power armor give him an advantage every time he gets into a fight with Batman. He also knows Bats' secret identity and believes himself to be his younger brother, Thomas Wayne, Jr. To date, this has not been proven or denied.
Owlman has a crazy fixation on Bruce, wants to be the one to take Batman down and just might be a great deal of trouble for Bruce, the Bat Family and Gotham City. Unlike previous version of Owlman he is from the same universe as Batman (in this case, Prime Earth).
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* AmbiguouslyRelated: He believes himself to Bruce Wayne's brother, but this has yet to be proven or disproven.
* AndIMustScream: At the end of ''ComicBook/BatmanEternal'', the Court find him and lock him up in a tomb, suggesting they ''might'' let him back out eventually. In about fifty years or so. [[spoiler:They ultimately let him out a lot earlier, in time for ''ComicBook/RobinWar'']].
* AntiVillain: In the odd let-Gotham-burn way.
* AxCrazy: He's a raving lunatic, especially when fighting.
* TheDeterminator: "Lincoln" has taken some truly amazing punishment, but his hatred for Bruce will always push him forward.
* TheDragon[=/=]TheStarscream: He acts as the Dragon to the Court of Owls, worming his way into Gotham's political system. However, he's got plans of his own, and soon leads them.
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: He's killed by [[spoiler:Raptor]] in [[spoiler:''ComicBook/NightwingRebirth'' in its debut issue]].
* EmpoweredBadassNormal: He's badass on his own, but he's got an amazing HealingFactor as well.
* EvilCounterpart: While the owl motif is pure coincidence, according to him he's a Wayne who never got over his parents' deaths. But instead of using this drive to help people, he uses it to kill and conspire.
* FreudianExcuse: Born with a birth defect, shunned by society and only visited by his mother, his parents dying and nobody knowing he's a Wayne, his inheritance given to a brother he never knew and being used as a weapon by the Court of Owls. Well, [[UnreliableNarrator maybe]].
* HealingFactor: He can basically recover from most mortal wounds, so long as cold isn't involved anyway.
* TheManBehindTheMan: [[spoiler:In ''Batman: Eternal''. The overall plan may be Cluemaster's, but it's Lincoln giving him the means to carry it all out. When Cluemaster decides to try and kill Batman, Lincoln intervenes.]]
* TheResenter: Very obviously resents Bruce for being the Wayne who inherited everything while he was stuck in a children's home.
* {{Tykebomb}}: "March" was trained by the Court of Owls since early childhood.
* UnreliableNarrator: His speech to Batman about his history as Bruce Wayne's brother sounds at least possible, but Bruce can come up with alternative explanations for all of the 'evidence' Lincoln uses to justify his belief that he is Thomas Wayne Jr., although Bruce admits that there's no way to be sure about what's true or not without a DNA test.
* WhiteMaskOfDoom: He sports the mask of the Court of Owls, but in his Owl Suit, he also has glowing yellow eyes, adding to the effect.
[[/folder]]
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