History NightmareFuel / Batman

* Roman Sionis. Or as his well-known alias in crime, The Black Mask. Roman is another dark image of what would have happened or come to be if Bruce was a remorseless business mogul. Roman Sionis's road to crime began because of a few mistakes in his poor planning and control of the business. Seeing turmoil of Roman's mistakes, Bruce Wayne bought the struggling business from Roman and relieved him of his control and began fluctuating his once previously owned business the Janus Cosmetic company, and began making its return in booming success. Roman was outraged by this. In turn, he founded the False Face Society and undertook many autocracies, and became a [[BigBad big player in the criminal underworld.]] Not only does he deal in the [[ColdBloodedTorture "arrangements"]] of his business against his associates or rivals alike, he makes sure that he gets his points across as best as he can. And as a Bonus! During a certain moment in Batman's crime-fighting career, during a bout against the Dark Knight. Roman's desperate attempt to thwart Batman and Robin at his father's manor ended up with Roman setting it ablaze. Desperate to flee the burning structure, Batman and Robin incapacitate his legs with a Batarang attached cable causing him to fall face-first into his flame-engulfed, toys bringing his horrific accident to fruition. Roman ended up [[BodyHorror searing the very mask that is forever bound to his face]]. His face, now a grimacing skull of hate and rage as an untitled vendetta against Batman and his allies. He should be mentioned here for the horrific inducing moments that he has delivered in Gotham City.

* Batman #497, [[WhamEpisode also known as the 11th issue in the infamous]] ''ComicBook/{{Knightfall}}'' [[WhamEpisode story arc]], but better known by its title of ''[[GameBreakingInjury The Broken Bat.]]'' Imagine being a little kid, or a long time Batman fan (which many of us likely were at that time) wondering how things would go with Bruce's confrontation with Bane, Batman gives a big speech, slaps on his mask... [[CurbStompBattle and then spends the whole issue getting his ass kicked.]] Really, after the first few pages where Bane lays out his motives, it's a one-sided confrontation from start to finish. Imagine the horror that must have gone through the minds of many readers as they watched their hero get massacred, his every attempt to fight back failing pitifully. the battle was over before it even began, and both Bane and Batman knew it. And then final terrifying moment [[http://jaymckinnon.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/bane-breaks-batmans-back-rises.jpg where Bane puts Batman out of his misery and breaks his back.]]

''[[AC:ComicBook/GrantMorrisonsBatman]]''

** Other versions, like the ''Arkham'' games, play up his penchant for [[DeathTrap Death Traps]] to [[Franchise/{{Saw}} Jigsaw]]-levels.

* Batman himself is this in ComicBook/AllStarBatmanAndRobinTheBoyWonder. Unlike his dark but heroic counterparts in most media adaptations and comic books, this Batman is a psychotic, violent, unstable, bloodthirsty sadist who KIDNAPS Dick Grayson and forces him to become Robin against his own will, verbally and physically abuses him, to prevent him from grieving over his parents' deaths, even slapping the boy in the face and gloats that he is going to put Dick through hell with a sadistic smile on his face, which is NightmareFuel in itself. He also leaves Dick to fend for himself in the Batcave, by eating rats, and then when he finds out Alfred fed him a proper meal, he threatens him. Alfred is the closest thing Bruce currently has to a father. He also takes a creepy and borderline pedophilic interest in Dick, watching him ''before'' he became Robin. And as pointed out in [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara's]] review of the comic, Batman sounded like he was going to kidnap Dick Grayson even if his parents were alive and possibly would have killed the boy's parents himself if the assassin didn't do it first. And that's not all. He murders criminals in various cruel and shocking ways, like throwing a Molotov cocktail that engulfs several criminals with flames and also attacking corrupt police officers with sadistic joy. Also, thanks to AlternativeCharacterInterpretation via possibly AccidentalInnuendo, it is implied that Batman was involved in an incestuous relationship with or sexually abused by either of his parents, giving him a FreudianExcuse.

* Professor Hugo Strange, another well-remembered and early recurring antagonist that predates fellow rogues [[ComicBook/TheJoker the Joker]] and Comicbook/{{Catwoman}}. In his early heydays, the Professor (like many others that fit the theme and times of the days of old) was a classic MadScientist throughout the 1940s. Mastering the art of chemicals, psychology, genealogy he did many unspeakable things ForTheEvulz. (Batman and the Monster Men come to mind?) He always pulled off cliffhangers on our readers and always returned [[TheUnfettered more determined than the last]]. In recent years, he has proven to be more wily, dangerous, and even deranged than his previous incarnations. Being the very first villain and man to discover Batman's secret identity and having deep-rooted resentment against Batman in very squicky fantasies (dressing up as Batman in a very creepy makeshift costume based on his, talking to a female mannequin, and kidnapping Mayor Klass's daughter). Heck, the man managed to gain control for a brief time in Gotham during the Legends of the Dark Knight saga "Prey" by helping the G.C.P.D as a profiler to pursue and discover Batman's identity. Secretly, to tip the scale between Hugo and Batman he manages to take in an officer with seething hate and disposition with the Dark Knight and manages to hypnotize him and groom him into a murderous vigilante called "Night Scourge". Using this as a means to show Gotham that Batman is a threat to society than being its protector nearly [[ThePerfectCrime got away with it and almost turned all of Gotham against him]]. Fortunately, Batman cleared his name and made a brave stance, and managed to prove to the police as well as the city that Hugo was not to be trusted. It gets [[FromBadToWorse so much worse though]] in the next arc titled "Terror". Hugo is working hand in hand with ComicBook/TheScarecrow. The entirety of the story [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope shows Hugo more unhinged, deranged, and dangerous than previously in Prey.]] It proves that when Hugo shows up. Something is very wrong, that trouble is brewing with his presence...

** And now Snyder's added the Joker to his run. And thus we're greeted with a [[http://assets1.ignimgs.com/2012/07/02/batmanpromojpg-9d705f_800w.jpg terrifying, pants-shitting-worthy image of Joker]] holding his cut off face, as it was cut off at the beginning of the ComicBook/New52 reboot of Detective Comics, teasing his return. And the storyline title? it's called "Death of the Family". [[TonightSomeoneDies That's right, somebody close to Batman will die again]].

* Batman #497, [[WhamEpisode also known as the 11th issue in the infamous]] ''ComicBook/{{Knightfall}}'' [[WhamEpisode story arc]], but better known by its title of ''[[GameBreakingInjury The Broken Bat.]]'' Imagine being a little kid, or a long time Batman fan(which many of us likely were at that time) wondering how things would go with Bruce's confrontation with Bane, Batman gives a big speech, slaps on his mask... [[CurbStompBattle and then spends the whole issue getting his ass kicked.]] Really, after the first few pages where Bane lays out his motives, it's a one-sided confrontation from start to finish. Imagine the horror that must have gone through the minds of many readers as they watched their hero get massacred, his every attempt to fight back failing pitifully. the battle was over before it even began, and both Bane and Batman knew it. And then final terrifying moment [[http://jaymckinnon.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/bane-breaks-batmans-back-rises.jpg where Bane puts Batman out of his misery and breaks his back.]]

* In Creator/ScottSnyder's run on the 2011 reboot of Batman, we're introduced to an AncientConspiracy in Gotham. [[UpToEleven One who knows Gotham better than Batman.]] This, in of itself, isn't particularly terrifying. However, the more Batman investigates, the more he discovers just how powerful they are. And then they capture Batman himself, drug him and start to drive him completely insane in an enormous maze beneath Gotham. Seeing someone as cool and collected as Batman raving and terrified is shocking.

* Oh, about Joker's plan to kidnap babies? It's because he wants to kill them all off on New Year's, just to destroy the fragile spirit of the people of Gotham City. And let's not get started on what [[BoomHeadShot he does to Commissioner Gordon's wife.]]

* Creator/NeilGaiman's ''ComicBook/WhateverHappenedToTheCapedCrusader?'': Alfred dressing up slowly as the Joker is bizarrely terrifying.

** Batman #23.2 does a good job showing [[NotSoHarmlessVillain how terrifying]] [[BewareTheSillyOnes Riddler can be.]] Breaking into Wayne Enterprises, killing anyone who stands in his way, all so he can [[ItMakesSenseInContext play a game of solitaire in peace]].

* Batman's [[ThouShaltNotKill code against killing]] [[GoodIsNotSoft suddenly becomes terrifying]]:

* The countless [[FountainOfExpies expies]] that Batman (and his allies) had to deal with throughout his years as a vigilante crimefighter is no laughing matter either! They're virtually literal dark mirrors on the Dark Knight himself and what he would have done had he not been so vigilant in his struggles for justice and the sanctity of Gotham City and the Gothamites residing. There are a few that deserve well-given mentions here since in their encounters they become something to dread whenever they show up. The infamous few that are just as much as our beloved Cape Crusader himself: 1. Owlman 2. The Wrath (I & II) 3. Hellhound 4. Catman 5. Killer Moth and finally the best for last. 6. Prometheus. Why him? [[BatmanGambit Because he single-handedly]] [[CrazyPrepared out bested the entire JLA]]! And of course, to add more to this already hellish mentioning of true evils that mirror the Batman to a T. We have [[ComicBook/TheJoker Joker]], [[SplitPersonality Two-Face]], [[InsufferableGenius Riddler]], [[TheDreaded Scarecrow]] to name the few that mirror him just as well. Albeit, not as close as the aforementioned doppelgangers before them but just as bad.

* Two-Face. [[BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind Harvey Dent's bout with his "evil" side of himself holds many classic struggles of one's internal thoughts.]] Not only is he unpredictable, well organized, and wily, but he's also shown to be adept and highly dangerous. From his obsession with the number two (.22 caliber guns, second place trophies, the 2nd National Banks, etc.) [[JudgeJuryAndExecutioner judging people's fate by a flip of his scarred sided coin]], to being a creepy StalkerWithACrush with Renee Montoya. Everybody knows of his [[BodyHorror horrific]] [[FacialHorror mangled left-sided face.]] But when [[ThroughTheEyesOfMadness you delve deep into his character and history,]] one can understand and summarize on what [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope drove him to become on who or what he is.]] All because of one instance during court by a certain thug Salvatore Maroni [[ComicBook/TheLongHalloween testifying during the infamous "Holiday" murders.]]

* Batman's code against killing suddenly becomes terrifying:

** Not only that, having to witness the rise and fall of empires and containing many world knowledge makes him a worthy and terrifying foe in Batman's gallery of pure evil. And if that wasn't enough, there’s always the dreadful temporary side effects of the Lazarus Pit. [[spoiler: The user would undergo temporary insanity and blood lust. Often attacking friend or foe alike with little to no remorse]].

** In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'', he has seemingly died, and his daughter Talia has taken over the League of Assassins, returning to a now elderly Bruce and trying to persuade him to undergo rejuvenation in the Lazarus Pit. It eventually revealed that Raz had switched his mind with Talia to avoid death when his body finally broke down and is now trying to get Bruce's as well.

** Not only that, having to witness the rise and fall of empires and containing many world knowledge makes him a worthy and terrifying foe in Batman's gallery of pure evil. And if that wasn't enough. There's always the dreadful temporary side effects of the Lazarus pit [[spoiler: The user would undergo temporary insanity and blood lust. Often attacking friend or foe alike with little to no remorse]].

** Then there is Preston Payne, the third Clayface. Unlike his predecessors Basil Karlo (originally just a man wearing a clay mask) and Matt Hagen (the first Clayface with superpowers), Payne was a scientist who created an enzyme from Matt Hagens blood, intended to cure a pituitary gland disorder. It seemingly worked and also briefly gave him shapeshifting powers, but this was short-lived, and Payne's flesh began to painfully ''melt'', as well as giving him the ability to meet others by touch. This understandably drives him completely insane and forces him to wear a containment suit, but he is driven to kill because spreading his contagion to others is the only thing that stops the pain of his Bodyhorror. Notably, this is the version that appears in ''ComicBook/ArkhamAsylumASeriousHouseOnSeriousEarth''. His appearance there is ever more horrifying.

* Bane. Merciless, bloodthirsty, [[GeniusBruiser intel]][[TheChessmaster ligent]], [[TheStrategist tactical]], and completely, ''unbelievably'' ''[[CombatPragmatist bru]]''''[[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown tal]]'', he's the one remembered for delivering the legendary finishing blow in the 1993 story arch ''ComicBook/{{Knightfall}}''. The blow that not only shattered Batman's spinal cord and forced the Dark Knight into a [[TenMinuteRetirement brief retirement]] but also ruined him [[DespairEventHorizon spiritually]] as well. Even after the "Knightsaga" Bane is still a nightmarish force to be reckoned with. His highlights on the list? [[SchmuckBait Lets have a look]]! Bane fought Killer Croc to a standstill handicapped without the use of his precious Venom. He murders his father in a justifiable yet still dark DisproportionateRetribution his father was King Snake, a terrorist leader, martial artist, and ruler of a terrorist organization called Kobra. And if you want to be in his crosshairs, wait till he [[BodyHorror juices up with Venom]]. Being a [[ShadowArchetype dark mirror]] (like many villains that go against Batman) it goes to show how utterly terrifying Bane can be just like his rival.

* Two-Face. [[BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind Harvey Dent's bout with his "evil" side of himself holds many classic struggles of one's internal thoughts.]] Not only is he unpredictable, well organized, and wily. But, he's also shown to be adept and highly dangerous. From his obsession with the number two (.22 caliber guns, second place trophies, the 2nd National Banks, etc.) [[JudgeJuryAndExecutioner judging people's fate by a flip of his scarred sided coin]], to being a creepy StalkerWithACrush with Renee Montoya. Everybody knows of his [[BodyHorror horrific]] [[FacialHorror mangled left-sided face.]] But when [[ThroughTheEyesOfMadness you delve deep into his character and history,]] one can understand and summarize on what [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope drove him to become on who or what he is.]] All because of one instance during court by a certain thug Salvatore Maroni [[ComicBook/TheLongHalloween testifying during the infamous "Holiday" murders.]]

* Batman's disturbing portrayal of drug dependency in Venom which has a good dose of NightmareFuel and TruthInTelevision thrown in full spades. Part of the Legends of the Dark Knight anthology series (issues 16-20). Batman's reason for turning towards the fictional synthetic drug is because he failed to save one little girl from drowning to death in a cavernous section of the sewer. He ends up working unwillingly with the creator of the very drug and the father of the said aforementioned girl, Randolph Porter, and begins developing sensational use of the drug. Batman starts undergoing many changes (physically, psychologically, and through motor functions). It's hard to read the whole story from beginning to end since we get to see firsthand that Batman's reliance and dependency on Venom end up showing an almost rarely seen human side of him. Begging and pleading for more of the stuff and wallowing in himself inside. And besides being weak, he becomes more highly deranged with occasional roid rages and enjoys causing pain and suffering on his foes (surprisingly without nearly killing them!). It's both [[NightmareFuel disturbing]] and [[TearJerker sad]] to see the beloved Dark Knight turn into a big shambling drug user. And not only does it affect him, but it also nearly destroys the kindled friendships of Commissioner James Gordon and Alfred, with him beginning to question Bruce's health and well-being. For Bruce to overcome the addiction, he needed to isolate himself for a straight 30 days in his cave! As you might expect, during his detoxing period. He undergoes various craves and also [[SanitySlippage suffers horrific hallucinations]]. This very arc from beginning to end is just NightmareFuel, to begin with. Oh! And if you think just the description itself is bad... [[SchmuckBait Wait till you]] [[http://i.imgur.com/4RSZD6K.png get a]] [[http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/11112/111121690/3690821-1951947864-batma.jpg load of]] [[http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/scale_large/6/67663/2403056-new_edition.jpg This!]]

[[caption-width-right:280: "Some men just want to watch the world burn."]]

[[caption-width-right:280:"Some men just want to watch the world burn."]]

Heavy spoilers for several comic series below. Non-comic books examples for Batman belong on those appropriate pages.

* Brian Azzarello's ''ComicBook/{{Joker}}'' is full of nightmare-inducing sequences including skinning a man alive, rape, torture, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking the Joker crying on a hooker-like Harley Quinn]], and much, much more. The comic's narrator becomes so horrified by the Joker's world view that he ends up committing suicide to escape.

* As [[WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief unbelievable]] as people find it, the ''No Man's Land'' storyline had quite a bit. First, the very premise: Gotham City is mostly destroyed and public facilities are practically destroyed, then cut off from the rest of America, all laws, and all support, while the wackos run free and split the remains of the city into a GangsterLand. Add multiple references to cannibalism, constant moral ambiguity, and the Joker doing classically barbaric Joker-things like kidnapping babies and inciting insane cops to shoot their own, and you have horror that's near impossible to laugh off. It was so bad that people wanted to stay in the HellholePrison that was being run by [[KnightTemplar Lock-Up]] just to avoid living in the streets of Gotham.

* For a start, this run is the on that introduced Professor Pyg.

* [[spoiler:The Heretic's face: the head of a baby in a body of an adult.]]

[[AC:Other]]

** And now Snyder's added the Joker to his run. And thus we're greeted with a [[http://assets1.ignimgs.com/2012/07/02/batmanpromojpg-9d705f_800w.jpg terrifying, pants-shitting-worthy image of Joker]] holding his cut off face, as it was cut off in the beginning of the ComicBook/New52 reboot of Detective Comics, teasing his return. And the storyline title? it's called "Death of the Family". [[TonightSomeoneDies That's right, somebody close to Batman will die again]].

* Batman #497, [[WhamEpisode also known as the 11th issue in the infamous]] ''ComicBook/{{Knightfall}}'' [[WhamEpisode story arc]], but better known by it's title of of ''[[GameBreakingInjury The Broken Bat.]]'' Imagine being a little kid, or a long time Batman fan(which many of us likely were at that time) wondering how things would go with Bruce's confrontation with Bane, Batman gives a big speech, slaps on his mask... [[CurbStompBattle and then spends the whole issue getting his ass kicked.]] Really, after the first few pages where Bane lays out his motives, it's a one sided confrontation from start to finish. Imagine the horror that must have went through the minds of many readers as they watched their hero get massacred, his every attempt to fight back failing pitifully. the battle was over before it even began, and both Bane and Batman knew it. And then final terrifying moment [[http://jaymckinnon.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/bane-breaks-batmans-back-rises.jpg where Bane puts Batman out of his misery, and breaks his back.]]

* An alternate version of Two-Face's backstory is presented in Batman: ''Jekyll and Hyde''. Two Face was, as a child, accidentally responsible for the death of his older brother Murray, though his true innocence is up for debate. The implication is that said dead brother's spirit is inhabiting Harvey's body, responsible for the evil side of his personality.

** Jane Doe casually taking the identity and life of Dr.Carver in prior to the events of the story. [[spoiler: Anyone who knows Jane Doe in the DC Universe takes the very essence and identity of her victims through various information on her victims and literally taking their guise BodyHorror style!]]
* In ''Arkham Asylum: Tales of Madness'', an innocent Arkham guard named Greg is held hostage by a bunch of villains, all in [[ArtShift different art styles]], as they take turns telling scary stories for the right to kill him. Greg narrates at the beginning of the story that he survived the ordeal, but at the end they ask who told the scariest story, and when Greg says they're ''all'' scary and can't choose, they close in on him. Cut to weeks later where Greg's fiancee wants to see him, but when she does she finds [[spoiler:he's in a catatonic state with the villains' names carved into portions of his body, his sanity utterly shattered. To top it off he reveals they call him "Jigsaw Man"]].

* '''''ComicBook/TheJoker'''''. Pre-Crisis, Post-Crisis, it doesn't matter - he is the TropeCodifier for MonsterClown for a reason. In his very first appearance, he utilizes his horrible Joker Venom without a second thought, laughing off any inevitable deaths he causes. Chronologically-speaking, even when you read a goofy Silver Age story where he's pulling some harmless heist, you're still looking at a MonsterClown with [[LackOfEmpathy completely apathetic]] spree-killings on his criminal record[[note]]which, not counting unearthly forces, contains the single biggest kill count in the DC universe (being over 2,000 murders)[[/note]]. Another part of what makes him so scary is how ''random'' he is -- he can be a harmless jester pulling elaborate pranks one minute and without warning try to poison the whole of Gotham. The worst part is that the Joker doesn't seem to notice any difference; pin-balling from HarmlessVillain to crossing the MoralEventHorizon is as easy as breathing for him. Lastly, he instills fear into many in-and-out-of universe, especially if you happen to be coulrophobic (scared of clowns). All of this manageable by someone who has no powers apart from an utterly unhinged mindset.

* The Riddler. Yeah, go on, laugh. Nerdy guy who can't even throw a punch, right? Just leaves stupid clues and makes it easy for Batman to catch him, right? Go read "Dark Knight, Dark City" (''Batman'' #452-#454), which has, among other things, Riddler forcing Batman into slitting a baby's throat[[note]]to perform a tracheotomy[[/note]].
** Notably, as is noted multiple times by both Batman and Riddler's henchmen, Riddler's ''lethal'' streak is flat-out uncharacteristic of him, not least because he flat-out kills a security guard, almost hangs another by the neck with a hangman's noose, and left a baby to choke to death... it gets worse when you find out that [[spoiler:Batman rescuing the hanged guard by mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and Batman opening the baby's throat to perform a tracheotomy were actually all part of Riddler's plan, but TheReveal gives no such reason for him killing the unfortunate other guard]].
** And why is he doing all this? He's performing a Satanic Ritual with Batman as the sacrifice and is putting Bats through all the pre-lim stuff before he kills him to unleash a demon on Gotham City. ''Holy fuck.''

* Professor Pyg is what would happen if Creator/DavidLynch created a Batman villain. He's a middle aged man with a pig mask and butcher clothing and he's ''terrifying.'' In his first appearance, he has a bunch of Dollotrons (human zombie dolls) hold a criminal accomplice down so Pyg can make him one as well and tells said accomplice that he'll then help Pyg do the same to the man's niece. Then, in the third appearance, he gives a tied Robin (Damian Wayne) a very odd and disturbing MotiveRant that seeps quickly into a VillainousBreakdown, all while dancing with power tools to "sexy hot" disco music. Robin simply responds as he breaks free, [[http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7mn1u1v1p1qz742do1_1280.jpg "You just redefined 'wrong'."]]
** The Dollotrons themselves are deeply disturbing, being regular people who have unwillingly undergone a process of creation that is not entirely revealed, but is implied to involve brain surgery, genital mutilation, and mind-altering drugs. They are also given a fleshy doll-like mask which is permanently attached to the victim's face.

* James Gordon Jr. is one of the scariest new villains in recent comic book history. Completely separate of his heroic family members, James Gordon Jr. is an unrepentant [[TheSociopath psychopath]] and SerialKiller through and through. Part of what makes him so terrifying is that he can pull off a feeling of normalcy but there's always a sense that there's something wrong with him. Then we understand how vicious he truly is when we see him dismembering a man who stole his glasses a decade before. His psychological mind games are brutal and reminiscent of ComicBook/TheJoker in ways but without any comedy factor. For example, driving knives into his sister's paralyzed legs, letting her know that they're in arteries and also saving her by blocking them from bleeding it, and then proceeding to pull one out.
** Then there's his ultimate plan. Taking a drug designed to curb sociopathic tendencies and induce some empathy and reversing the effects, in order to drug every infant in Gotham to turn them into sociopathic killers like him. Even worse, he may have succeeded.
* One particularly creepy, but rather unknown, adversary of Batman is Jane Doe. She is, as quoted by one of her personas, "a cipher, she's incomplete, her life is empty, so she covets the lives of others. She takes their lives so she can have their lives." In short, she learns people's traits, kills them, then wears their skin and acts like them. If that, and [[NauseaFuel what's really under her skin]] doesn't unnerve, it's also worth noting she's primarily responsible for turn Warren White into The Great White Shark, who would go onto be one of Gotham's most feared mob bosses.
* Batman himself is this in ComicBook/AllStarBatmanAndRobinTheBoyWonder. Unlike his dark but heroic counterparts in most media adaptations and comic books, this Batman is psychotic, violent, unstable, bloodthirsty sadist who KIDNAPS Dick Grayson and forces him to become Robin against his own will, verbally and physically abuses him, in order to prevent him from grieving over his parents' deaths, even slapping the boy in the face and gloats that he is going to put Dick through hell with sadistic smile on his face, which is NightmareFuel in itself. He also leaves Dick to fend for himself in the Batcave, by eating rats and then when he finds out Alfred fed him a proper meal, he threatens him. Alfred is closest thing Bruce currently has to a father. He also takes really creepy and borderline pedophilic interest in Dick, watching him ''before'' he became Robin. And as pointed out in [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara's]] review of the comic, Batman sounded like he was going to kidnap Dick Grayson even if his parents were alive and possibly would have killed the boy's parents himself if the assassin didn't do it first. And that's not all. He murders criminals in various cruel and shocking ways, like he throwing a Molotov cocktail that engulfs several of criminals with flames and also attacking corrupt police officers with sadistic joy. Also, thanks to AlternativeCharacterInterpretation via possibly AccidentalInnuendo, it is implied that Batman was involved in an incestuous relationship with or sexually abused by either of his parents, giving him a FreudianExcuse.

* There's a reason Victor Zsasz hasn't been featured or alluded to in any family-friendly animated adaptations. The man carves a mark into himself for every victim he kills... and he has a ''lot'' of marks. Zsasz stands out among Batman's rogue's gallery in being a simple, straight-up serial-killing psychopath. He has no supervillain origin, no sympathetic motives, he just likes to kill people. Or "free the zombies" as he calls it. Especially women. He doesn't wear a suit, or rule an empire. He's just some guy. He could literally ''be anyone.''

* The countless [[FountainOfExpies expies]] that Batman (and his allies) had to deal with throughout his years as a vigilante crimefighter is no laughing matter either! They're virtually literal dark mirrors on the Dark Knight himself and what he would have done had he not been so vigilant in his struggles for justice and the sanctity of Gotham City and the Gothamites residing. There are a few that deserve well given mentions here since in their encounters they become something to dread whenever they show up. The infamous few that are just as much as our beloved Cape Crusader himself: 1. Owlman 2. The Wrath (I & II) 3. Hellhound 4. Catman 5. Killer Moth and finally the best for last. 6. Prometheus. Why him? [[BatmanGambit Because he single handedly]] [[CrazyPrepared out bested the whole entire JLA]]! And of course, to add more to this already hellish mentioning of true evils that mirror the Batman to a T. We have [[ComicBook/TheJoker Joker]], [[SplitPersonality Two-Face]], [[InsufferableGenius Riddler]], [[TheDreaded Scarecrow]] to name the few that mirror him just as well. Albeit, not as close as the aforementioned doppelgangers before them but just as bad.

* There's also dark mirrors of Bruce Wayne as well to add more to the fuel. Thomas Elliot a.k.a Hush is the perfect closest to a doppelganger to Bruce. The [[LampshadeHanging irony that these two share when they were once childhood friends to one another's families]] and to each other. At the same time both suffered the losses of their mothers and fathers. The only slight difference? [[TearJerker Bruce lost his family through heart wrenching tragedy]]. Thomas on the other hand, lost his through his own means. He sought personal independence due to the many years of abuse from his father and frail mother and wanted to obtain his inheritance sooner. He cut his parent's tire breaks on their car and manages to kill his own father, yet his mother was saved by the exceptional operational skill of Dr. Thomas Wayne fueling his hate for the Waynes. Years later he finished what he started by suffocating his own mother in cold blood with a pillow, all as the world thought that it was just a simple household accident. He murdered them just to obtain the family fortune. And he resents Bruce because he obtained his through true loss BEFORE his own family's demise. Hush's sole purpose in life is to destroy both the Batman and Bruce Wayne and [[TheUnfettered will stop at nothing to accomplish his goals]].
* Roman Sionis. Or as his well known alias in crime, The Black Mask. Roman is another dark image on what would have happened or came to be if Bruce was a remorseless business mogul. Roman Sionis's road to crime began because of a few mistakes on his poor planning and control in business. Seeing turmoil of Roman's mistakes, Bruce Wayne bought the struggling business from Roman and relieved him of his control and began fluctuating his once previously owned business the Janus Cosmetic company and began making it return in booming success. Roman was outraged by this. In turn he founded the False Face Society and undertook many autocracies and became a [[BigBad big player in the criminal underworld.]] Not only does he deal in the [[ColdBloodedTorture "arrangements"]] of his business against his own associates or rivals alike, he makes sure that he get's his points across as best as he can. And as a Bonus! During a certain moment in Batman's crime fighting career, during a bout against the Dark Knight. Roman's desperate attempt to thwart Batman and Robin at his father's manor ended up with Roman setting it ablaze. Desperate to flee the burning structure, Batman and Robin incapacitate his legs with a batarang attached cable causing him to fall face first into his flame-engulfed, toys bringing his horrific accident to fruition. Roman ended up [[BodyHorror searing the very mask that is forever bound to his face]]. His face, now a grimacing skull of hate and rage as an untitled vendetta against Batman and his allies. He should definitely be mentioned here for the horrific inducing moments that he has delivered in Gotham City.
* Batman's disturbing portrayal of drug dependency in Venom which has a good dose of NightmareFuel and TruthInTelevision thrown in full spades. Part of the Legends of the Dark Knight anthology series (issues 16-20). Batman's reason to turning towards the fictional synthetic drug is because he failed to save one little girl from drowning to death in a cavernous section of the sewer. He ends up working unwillingly with the creator of the very drug and father of said aforementioned girl, Randolph Porter and begins developing sensational use of the drug. Batman starts undergoing many changes (physically, psychologically and through motor functions). It's hard to read the whole story from beginning to end since we get to see first hand that Batman's reliance and dependency on Venom ends up showing an almost rarely seen human side of him. Begging and pleading for more of the stuff and wallowing in himself inside. And besides being weak, he becomes more highly deranged with occasional roid rages and actually enjoys causing pain and suffering on his foes (surprisingly without nearly killing them!). It's both [[NightmareFuel disturbing]] and [[TearJerker sad]] to see the beloved Dark Knight turn into a big shambling drug user. And not only does it affect him, but it also nearly destroys the kindled friendships of Commissioner James Gordon and Alfred, with him beginning to question Bruce's health and well being. In order for Bruce to overcome the addiction, he needed to isolate himself for a straight 30 days in his own cave! As you might expect, during his detoxing period. He undergoes various craves and also [[SanitySlippage suffers horrific hallucinations]]. This very arc from beginning to end is just NightmareFuel to begin with. Oh! And if you think just the description itself is bad... [[SchmuckBait Wait till you]] [[http://i.imgur.com/4RSZD6K.png get a]] [[http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/11112/111121690/3690821-1951947864-batma.jpg load of]] [[http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/scale_large/6/67663/2403056-new_edition.jpg This!]]
* Two-Face. [[BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind Harvey Dent's bout with his "evil" side of himself holds many classic struggles of one's internal thoughts.]] Not only is he unpredictable, well organized and wily. But, he's also shown to be adept and highly dangerous. From his obsession with the number two (.22 caliber guns, second place trophies, the 2nd National Banks, etc.) [[JudgeJuryAndExecutioner judging people's fate by a flip of his scarred sided coin]], to being a creepy StalkerWithACrush with Renee Montoya. Everybody knows of his [[BodyHorror horrific]] [[FacialHorror mangled left sided face.]] But when [[ThroughTheEyesOfMadness you really delve deep into his character and history,]] one can understand and summarize on what [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope drove him to becoming on who or what he is.]] All because of one instance during court by a certain thug Salvatore Maroni [[ComicBook/TheLongHalloween testifying during the infamous "Holiday" murders.]]
* Killer Croc. A terrifying semi-human monster. He's completely ruthless, has the strength of a crocodile, and he can regenerate. As time as gone on, his mind has regressed more and more into that of a deranged animal. He now resides in he sewers beneath Gotham and preys on [[ImAHumanitarian anyone]] unfortunate enough to get lost down there.

* Bane. Merciless, blood thirsty, [[GeniusBruiser intel]][[TheChessmaster ligent]], [[TheStrategist tactical]], and completely, ''unbelievably'' ''[[CombatPragmatist bru]]''''[[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown tal]]'', he's the one remembered for delivering the legendary finishing blow in the 1993 story arch ''ComicBook/{{Knightfall}}''. The blow that not only shattered Batman's spinal cord and forced the Dark Knight into a [[TenMinuteRetirement brief retirement]] but also ruined him [[DespairEventHorizon spiritually]] as well. Even after the "Knightsaga" Bane is still a nightmarish force to be reckoned with. His highlights on the list? [[SchmuckBait Lets have a look]]! Bane fought Killer Croc to a stand still handicapped without the use of his precious Venom. He murders his father in a justifiable yet still dark DisproportionateRetribution his father was King Snake, a terrorist leader, martial artist and ruler of a terrorist organization called Kobra. And if you really want to be in his crosshairs, wait till he [[BodyHorror juices up with Venom]]. Being a [[ShadowArchetype dark mirror]] (like many villains that go against Batman) it goes to show how utterly terrifying Bane can be just like his rival.
* [[ElementalShapeshifter Clayface]]. Formerly a prestigious actor acclaimed for a certain role, now he is just a sadistic, psychopathic killer. Sure, a humongous, hulking mud body may not be that scary to some (though it really depends on the source material), but think about this: he can physically turn into ''anybody''. From your best buddy, to your loving partner, even to your mom or dad. And you may not even realise it, until he decides to turn you into a pasty red smear.
** His updated story from ''Detective Comics'' considerably ups the BodyHorror. Here, it's shown Karlo Senior was a Creator/RayHarryhausen expy, specializing in monster movies, whose preferred medium was a mixture of wax, putty and a gel designed to remold industrial plastics without heat. When, later in life, Basil gets in a disfiguring car accident, he uses the remainder of his dad's stock to remold his face, and later tries to buy more. However, he's unsuccessful - the company pulled it out of the market because it had the bad habit of melting off the hands of the people who worked with it. Eventually, as per Clayface tradition, Basil gets a full-body bath of the stuff.

** Then there is Preston Payne, the third Clayface. Unlike his predecessors Basil Karlo (originally just a man wearing a clay mask) and Matt Hagen (the first Clayface with superpowers), Payne was a scientist who created an enzyme from Matt Hagens blood, intended to cure a pituitary gland disorder. It seemingly worked and also briefly gave him shapeshifting powers, but this was short lived, and Paynes flesh began to painfully ''melt'', as well as giving him the ability to melt others by touch. This understandably drives him completely insane and forces him to wear a containment suit, but he is driven to kill because spreading his contagion to others is the only thing that stops the pain of his BodyHorror. Notably, this is the version that appears in ''ComicBook/ArkhamAsylumASeriousHouseOnSeriousEarth''. His appearance there is ever more horrifying.
* Ra's al Ghul. A man who has lived a millennia throughout time and many centuries come and gone. A man who in his mind was cursed than truly blessed. His cynicism towards his fellow man is horrid yet, somewhat understandingly truthful. Seeing humanity grow greedy and vile throughout the years he decided to take upon himself his supposed best course of action to take. Which is pure global genocide. There was a time that Batman actually agreed (in an understanding and intellectual conversation) about his view. Yet is disgusted that it has to involve the many lives that it would cost. Batman stands his ground and protects all life which in Ra's eyes is most unfortunate.

** The sheer fanaticism of the man in pursuit of his twisted "ecological" goals is frightening. We are talking about a man who cheerfully supported the Holocaust. Worse, we are talking about a man who not only allowed his own daughter to be put in a concentration camp, he actually showed up at the camp to talk to her, dismiss her begging for salvation for herself or at least her children, and explicitly state that this is ''necessary''. Both to cull humanity's numbers, and because she had the audacity to not agree with his genocidal plans.
** How about the fact that, in recent years at least, the publishers have stopped presenting him as anything other than a delusional madman enraptured with his own immortality and status as a "living god" who clings to his goals so he doesn't have to admit he's just a monster?
** In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'', he has seemingly died, and his daughter Talia has taken over the League of Assassins, returning to a now elderly Bruce and tries to persuade him to undergo rejuvenation in the Lazarus Pit. Its eventually revealed that Raz had switched his mind with Talia to avoid death when his body finally broke down, and is now trying to get Bruce's as well.

* Professor Hugo Strange, another well remembered and early recurring antagonist that predates fellow rogues [[ComicBook/TheJoker the Joker]] and Comicbook/{{Catwoman}}. In his early heydays, the Professor (like many others that fit the theme and times of the days of old) was a classic MadScientist throughout the 1940's. Mastering the art of chemicals, psychology, genealogy he did many unspeakable things ForTheEvulz. (Batman and the Monster Men come to mind?) He always pulled off cliffhangers on our readers and always returned [[TheUnfettered more determined then the last]]. In recent years, he has proven to be more wily, dangerous and even deranged than his previous incarnations. Being the very first villain and man to discover Batman's secret identity and having deep rooted resentment against Batman in very squicky fantasies (dressing up as Batman in a very creepy makeshift costume based on his, talking to a female mannequin and kidnapping Mayor Klass's daughter). Heck, the man managed to gain control for a brief time in Gotham during the Legends of the Dark Knight saga "Prey" by helping the G.C.P.D as a profiler in order to pursue and discover Batman's identity. Secretly, to tip the scale between Hugo and Batman he manages to take in an officer with a seething hate and disposition with the Dark Knight and manages to hypnotize him and groom him into a murderous vigilante called "Night Scourge". Using this as a means to show Gotham that Batman is a threat to society than being it's protector nearly [[ThePerfectCrime got away with it and almost turned all of Gotham against him]]. Fortunately, Batman cleared his name and made a brave stance and managed to prove to the police as well as the city that Hugo was not to be trusted. It get's [[FromBadToWorse so much worse though]] in the next arc titled "Terror". Hugo working hand in hand with ComicBook/TheScarecrow. The entirety of the story [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope shows Hugo more unhinged, deranged and dangerous than previously in Prey.]] It proves that, when Hugo shows up. Something is very wrong, that trouble is brewing with his presence...

* Doctor Death (Karl Hellfern), a recurring villain for Cassandra Cain, is an arms dealer that specializes in weapons of mass destruction. At one point, he creates a gas that ''turns people into oil'' which would then be sold to help fund a tyrannical regime. Another time, he harvests hundreds of corpses to create a drug called Soul that turns people AxeCrazy. His motivations seem to solely be a combination of money and ForScience.
** An interesting thing to take note on Doctor Death, he was the very first recurring villain to actually tangle with the Batman in the same year as the Cape Crusader made his first appearance in 1939! As the years continued, so did his vile hatred of the Batman and his ungodly experiments and private war against "do gooders" alike.

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* The countless [[FountainOfExpies expies]] that Batman (and his allies) had to deal with throughout his years as a vigilante crimefighter is no laughing matter either! They're virtually literal dark mirrors on the Dark Knight himself and what he would have done had he not been so vigilant in his struggles for justice and the sanctity of Gotham City and the Gothamites residing. There are a few that deserve well deserve mention here since in their encounters they become something to dread whenever they show up. The infamous few that are just as much as our beloved Cape Crusader himself: 1. Owlman 2. The Wrath (I & II) 3. Hellhound 4. Catman 5. Killer Moth and finally the best for last. 6. Prometheus. Why him? [[BatmanGambit Because he single handedly]] [[CrazyPrepared out bested the whole entire JLA]]! And of course, to add more to this already hellish mentioning of true evils that mirror the Batman to a T. We have [[ComicBook/TheJoker Joker]], [[SplitPersonality Two-Face]], [[InsufferableGenius Riddler]], [[TheDreaded Scarecrow]] to name the few that mirror him just as well. Albeit, not as close as the aforementioned doppelgangers before them but just as bad.

* The first two issues of ''Batman: Streets of Gotham'' has Firefly secretly inject thousands of civilians with a chemical that allows him to cause them to spontaneously combust at the click of a button. Which he does, resulting in thousands of people burning to death at random.

* ''[[NightmareFuel/RedRobin''

* ''[[NightmareFuel/RobinSeries Red Robin]]''

* As [[WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief unbelievable]] as people find it, the ''No Man's Land'' storyline had quite a bit. First, the very premise: Gotham City is mostly destroyed and public facilities are practically destroyed, then cut off from the rest of America, all laws, and all support, while the wackos run free and split the remains of the city into a GangsterLand. Add multiple references to cannibalism, constant moral ambiguity, and the Joker doing classically barbaric Joker-things like kidnapping babies and inciting insane cops to shoot their own, and you have horror that's near impossible to laugh off. It was so bad that people wanted to stay in the HellholePrison that was being run by [[KnighTemplar Lock-Up]] just to avoid living in the streets of Gotham.

* As [[WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief unbelievable]] as people find it, the ''No Man's Land'' storyline had quite a bit. First, the very premise: Gotham City is mostly destroyed, then cut off from the rest of America, all laws, and all support, while the wackos run free. Add multiple references to cannibalism, constant moral ambiguity, and the Joker doing classically barbaric Joker-things like kidnapping babies and inciting insane cops to shoot their own, and you have horror that's near impossible to laugh off. It was so bad that people wanted to stay in the prison that was being run by Lock-Up.
* Oh, about Joker's plan to kidnap babies? It's because he wants to kill them all off on New Year's, just to destroy the fragile spirit of the people of Gotham City. And let's not get started on what he does to Commissioner Gordon's wife.

** To add more fuel to the fire. Here's the legendary image that might be a good way (in the victim's perspective) to show how horrifying he is. Definitely a hideous sight before one's demise. [[http://www.comicbookbrain.com/_imagery/2013-08-12/eric-powell-arkham-asylum-4-killer-croc-cover.jpg Here's the link.]]

* ''Batman'' Film Series (1989-1997)