Nolan's Joker knew how to draw up a complex, multi-faceted plot, Bane knew how to phrase things to be incredibly menacing, and Schumacher's goons were the kings and queen of excruciating one-liners, but none of them were furnished with the sense of occasion as Burton's villains. All of the four main villains including Max Schreck were grotesque super-villains of the oldest tradition, almost worthy of Hammer horror billing, and still bearing the hallmarks of the oldest and most successful villain archetypes. They had the perfect pomp and circumstance to their malevolent ploys, and it is their grandiose commitment to making a statement and leaving a scar as a group that pushes them ahead of Nolan's take on Batman's villains. There are flashes of that in Nolan's trilogy, but in his quest for realism he took something away from the fundamental make-up of what makes the rogue's gallery so enduringly popular.
