No matter where you go in the comic book fandom, there's one aspect of the medium that might be discussed more than anything else; the rogues galleries. Which character has the nastiest, most compelling selection of villains to face every month? Is it Superman's collection of cosmic planet destroyers and scientific amalgamations? Or is it the literal animal kingdom that Spider-Man inhabits?
Regardless of where you sit, it's hard to deny that Batman's villains are some of the most iconic and fascinating villains to ever grace the four-color world. Everyone has their place, and everyone feels realistically tethered to Batman's off-balance surroundings of mental anguish. The Joker's maniacal deeds of destruction are a perfect counterpoint to the underground crime ring of Black Mask, reminding you that while all villains aren't necessarily in the same class, they all make sense in the Bat's disturbed playground.
Batman's villains stand in stark contrast to the other rogues galleries in comics lore; they're an unusual collection of freaks who generally blame the Dark Knight for their existence to begin with. Batman villains are usually cut off from reality, often coming to terms with a deranged part of their psyche - mirroring the darkness and split that also defines the Bat. These motifs serve to identify the antagonists in a very clear and concise way, a large part of why Batman's villains have become so popular.
So let's take a trip through the halls of Arkham Asylum and count down the 30 greatest Batman villains of all time.
30. Ra's Al Ghul
The Demon's Head himself has become a permanent fixture in Batman's ongoing mythology, a deeply mystical character that commands the just as important League of Assassins.
Ra's al Ghul is one of Batman's few intellectual and physical equals, a villain whose appearances will instantly give the story some weight and gravitas that no other villain in the rogues gallery can touch.