10 Even More Movie Villains You Didn't Realise Actually Won
2. The Joker - The Dark Knight
The Joker's (Heath Ledger) rampage in The Dark Knight is seemingly concluded when he's captured by Batman (Christian Bale) and, we can assume, taken to Arkham Asylum.
Yet The Joker's terrorist acts throughout the film end up having far-reaching consequences for Gotham City, namely his success in corrupting District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart).
The Clown Prince of Crime not only facilitated Dent's downfall, he killed Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal), forced Batman to kill Dent, and consequently compelled him to take the blame for Dent's rampage, in turn going into hiding.
Beyond this, eight years later in The Dark Knight Rises, Bane (Tom Hardy) finally exposes the truth of Dent's actions, in turn throwing Gotham's justice system into chaotic disrepute just as The Joker initially intended.
And finally, we see Bane release the prisoners from Blackgate Penitentiary and, presumably, Arkham Asylum, which one assumes would most certainly include The Joker himself - who, for obvious reasons, didn't appear in the sequel.
On the balance of victimisation and overall plan success, The Joker absolutely triumphed over Batman, and there's a fair assumption he's still out there, somewhere.
Though let's be honest - a villain like The Joker isn't going to stay quiet for long, so he'll be left to Bruce Wayne's Batman successor, John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), to deal with.