Summary
Batmanhas tons of iconic villains in his rogues gallery, some of the best in comics, and the one who is often considered the greatest villain for Batman isthe Joker. Batman and the Joker have been fighting each other for decades and are true ideological opposites, but they actually have very few narrative reasons to fight other than their popularity among fans. The one villain perfectly suited to be Batman’s villain is actuallyTwo-Face.
There’s no denying that the Joker is Batman’s (current) greatest enemy, which has been the case for decades. The Joker has been the primary antagonist in several live action movies, the majority of Batman video games, and it seems impossible for a comic book run, no matter how seemingly unrelated to the Joker, to not include the Joker.
It makes sense why this is the case, as the Joker is possibly the most popular comic book villain ever created, and Batman is one of the most popular comic book heroes. Pitting them against each other has proven time and again to garner attention, but from a purely narrative perspective, there are few emotional stakes in the battle between Batman and the Joker, espcially since theJoker does not care about Bruce Wayne.
Joker Finally Admits Batman’s Worldview Is Right
Batman and the Joker have always had opposing world views, which has led to conflict, but now, Joker finally admits that he believes Batman is right.
The Joker Is Batman’s Biggest Enemy, Mostly Due to Popularity
The Joker and Batman Are Complete Opposites
The Joker and Batman have completely opposing viewpoints. The Joker believes that the world is nothing but chaos and that trying to impose meaning on it is pointless. The Joker also believes that anyone could be driven insane and would agree with his worldview if they just suffered “one bad day.” This attitude makes him a great foil for Batman, butthere’s more to Batman’s character than just his identity as Batman, and the Joker doesn’t challenge both aspects of Batman’s character. But Harvey Dent does.
Batman and Two-Face have a deep connection that goes all the way back to their childhood together.
Batman and the Joker have no connection with one another outside of them fighting one another as hero and villain. But Batman and Two-Face have a deep connection that goes all the way back to their childhood together.Two-Face cares very much about Bruce Wayneand can match Bruce in both identities. As Two-Face, he can battle Batman, and he has a deep emotional connection with Bruce Wayne as Harvey Dent.
Two-Face and Batman Have Been Connected Since Childhood
After the murder ofThomas and Martha Waynein Crime Alley, Bruce Wayne was left orphaned, and he dealt with this pain in several different ways. First, he tried to blame someone. He felt that the murder of his parents had to be something greater, and he blamed outside forces like the Court of Owls. Eventually,Bruce settled on trying to make the man responsible for it pay, that man being Joe Chill. Because of this desire for revenge, Bruce began practicing with fake guns, planning out the murder he wanted to commit.
Eventually, Alfred discovered Bruce’s plans, and unable to deal with this matter on his own, he sent young Bruce to the Arkham summer home for disturbed children, where Bruce received therapy for what he was going through. But he also met a young boy called 2A, as for privacy’s sake, no child at the summer home could use their real name. This chance meeting seemingly changed Bruce’s life and helped him decide to take up his no-killing rule.
Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent’s shared childhood can be seen inAll-Star Batman#3 by Scott Snyder, John Romita Jr, Danny Miki, Dean White, and Steve Wands.
Even as a kid, Harvey massively changed Bruce’s life and was seemingly partly responsible for Bruce’s eventual no-kill rule as Batman. But the similarities and connections between the two characters go even further than this chance encounter. In a story fromDetective Comics#1066 by Simon Spurrier, Hayden Sherman, Nick Filardi, and Steve Wands, it’s revealed thatone of the first times the Two-Face persona emerged was when a young Harvey Dent was attacked in Crime Alleyby a group of hooligans: the exact same alley where Batman was born.
Batman: Dark Victory#10 by Jeph Loeb, Tim Sale, Gregory Wright, Heroic Age, and Richard Starkings
As adults, Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent worked together closely to try and clean up Gotham City. Bruce felt so close to Harvey that he even considered making Harvey the first person to knowBatman’s secret identity before Robin. From every angle,Batman and Two-Face have a much stronger relationship as hero and villain than Batman and the Jokerever will. While the Joker is certainly an amazing villain, half of his gimmick is the fact he just appeared one day with no set past or history. Harvey, on the other hand, has a very set history, and it deeply involves Bruce Wayne.
A major debate among fans is whetherBatman is a mask or Bruce Wayneis. Bruce himself has struggled with his identity and with not knowing who he is at times as well. Two-Face perfectly mirrors this struggle, as Harvey Dent is a good man, but Two-Face is a monster. There have even been times when Harvey has fought against Two-Face,including by keeping Batman’s secret identity from Two-Face.While the Joker presents an opposing ideology to Batman, it is only for Batman. Harvey challenges both Bruce Wayne and Batman.
Two-Face is Ready To Be Redeemed, And DC Needs To Make It Happen
Two-Face has flip-flopped between potential hero and irredeemable villain time and time again, but his latest lease on life needs to stick.
Batman and Two-Face Are Two Sides of the Same Coin
Harvey Dent Will Always Be a Better Rival for Batman than the Joker
WhileBatman has tried to reform his villainsin the past, the only villain that he truly wants to save has always been Harvey Dent. Batman has even gone so far as referring to Harvey as his brother. The two characters have a deeper connection, one that is unshared by any other villain in Batman’s rogues gallery,giving them a perfect narrative tragedy to explore as hero and villain. It’s part of why Two-Face has been such an enduring villain, even if he never reached the same popularity as the Joker.
It’s unlikely that the Joker will ever be unseated as Batman’s arch-rival. The Joker is simply too popular and, make no mistake, a fantastic villain. But the best villains are always the ones who can challenge their heroes. The Joker has only ever challenged Batman, and a core part of the Joker’s character is his complete disinterest in Bruce Wayne. Unlike theJoker, Harvey Dent challenges every aspect of Bruce Wayne’s character, and that’s whyTwo-Facewill always beBatman’sperfect rival.
The Joker
The Joker is a psychopathic criminal mastermind with a warped sense of humor. Initially introduced as a remorseless serial killer, the character evolved over time, often oscillating between a prankster and a homicidal maniac. His relationship with Batman is one of the most complex in comic book history, defined by their mutual obsession. Over the decades, the Joker has become an enduring icon of chaos and madness, embodying the antithesis of Batman’s order and justice.
Batman
One of DC’s most iconic heroes, Batman is the vigilante superhero persona of billionaire Bruce Wayne. Forged by tragedy with the death of his parents, Bruce dedicated his life to becoming the world’s leading martial artist, detective, and tactician. Recruiting an entire family of allies and sidekicks, Bruce wages war on evil as the dark knight of his hometown, Gotham City.
