4. Hugo Strange Learns Batmans Secret Identity
Hugo Strange is one of the more underrated villains Batman faces on a regular basis, even though he pre-dates the appearance of The Joker. Hugo Strange is still a dangerous foe and one that should be taken very, very seriously. Back in the 1970s, Hugo Strange was involved in a story called Strange Apparitions. Strange opened a hospital for the very wealthy and then held them hostage. Bruce Wayne becomes one of his patients following a fight with a new villain and Strange discovers that Bruce Wayne is Batman. In an instant, the one thing that Batman protected above everything else was immediately compromised. What does Strange do with this information? Like any good villain, he auctions off Batmans identity to the highest bidder but not before causing a little chaos in Waynes life. The potential buyers included The Joker, The Penguin and mob boss Rupert Thorne. Instead of playing nice and paying like the rest, Thorne kidnaps Strange and beats him to death while trying to get the secret out of him. Thorne is then haunted by a ghost of Hugo Strange, but never learns the secret. This is a triumph because with a little detective work, Hugo Strange was able to figure out that Bruce Wayne was Batman. This leaves Batman vulnerable to attacks not just as Batman, but also as Bruce Wayne. He also runs the risk of Hugo Strange telling the world that he is Batman and completely destroying his entire operation. While not the biggest name in the hall of Batman villains, Hugo Strange is certainly formidable.