10 Villains Who Outsmarted Batman

5. Prometheus - JLA #17/ JLA #37

Prometheus, much like the myth he gets his name from, is a character who can teach you a solid lesson on learning about boundaries. For the mythological figure, this boundary is taking fire to man, which the famous figure does, and is then punished for forever. For his comic counterpart, the lesson is far more simple, as this Prometheus decides to fight Batman not just once, but twice.

And by all means, he does outsmart Batman for the lion's share of his time on page, using the armour he programmed to teach him the fighting skills of countless accomplished fighters to swiftly take down the Dark Knight. It's an especially clever plan, as said programming device also taught him all the fighting capabilities of one crucial figure: that of Batman himself.

Armed with Batman's fighting prowess - and able to surprise him with this complete knowledge of his fighting style - it was almost set in stone that Prometheus would win against the Caped Crusader.

Or, win once at least, because Prometheus decides outsmarting one of the smartest superheroes on the planet a mere once isn't enough for him. Instead he decides to try and fight Batman again, despite the fact that he now knows how the villain is beating him. While Prometheus naturally loses, it's hard to forget that, had he known when to stop, he would have had a permanent one-up on Gotham's Protector.