10 Most Interesting Batman Villains You've Never Heard Of

There aren't many fans who recall Lew Moxon, but he played a major role in turning the young Bruce Wayne from a spoiled rich kid into Batman. Moxon was a gangster of some renown in Gotham City back in the day, and his tale was told as far back as Detective Comics #235 in 1956.

Moxon once kidnapped Thomas Wayne from a costume party, where he was, of course, dressed as a giant bat — a bat-man, if you will. He needed Wayne to operate on him and remove a bullet, which he did, though, he managed to escape. Moxon was sentenced to 10 years in prison and vowed vengeance upon his escaped savior.

Years later, when Bruce was still a boy, Moxon ordered a hit on Thomas and Martha Wayne. He hired none other than Joe Chill, the man who killed the two in that alley so long ago, making Moxon instrumental in the creation of Batman.

Of course, this information wasn't revealed until years later. When Batman approached Moxon about the Wayne deaths, he did so while wearing his father's old bat costume. Seeing this, Moxon freaked out and ran into the street where he was promptly struck and killed by a truck. He reappeared decades later with a little retconning to introduce his daughter, Mallory, who happened to be Bruce's childhood love interest.