Batman’s bad men (and women)
Ranking the villains who fought the caped crusader
A superhero is only as strong as the villain he fights. Val Kilmer was not a bad Batman. The poor guy just had lousy competition. In fact, the main reason that Michael Keaton’s Batman is able to distance himself from wacky guy roles like “Mr. Mom,” is that the villains in Tim Burton’s installments are such perfect matches for the hero. Here, we look at what made the baddies in “Batman” work, or not.
“Batman” (1989)
Director: Tim Burton
Batman: Michael Keaton
Villain: Jack Nicholson as Joker
4.5 POWS!
Our favorite quote: “Can somebody tell me what kind of a world we live in, where a man dressed up as a bat gets all of my press? This town needs an enema!”
Analysis: With the first installment in the franchise, Tim Burton lays out a brilliant blueprint in casting an actor who personifies a comic book villain so well that it blurs the line between the actor and the role. When Nicholson’s Jack Napier reveals himself as Joker by declaring “Jack is dead,” it’s almost as if Nicholson, the actor, has been absorbed by the fictional maniacal prankster. Early reports indicate that Ledger’s Joker is just as enthralling.
“Batman Returns” (1992)
Director: Tim Burton
Batman: Michael Keaton
Villains: Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman, Danny DeVito as Penguin
4 POWS!
Our favorite quote: “I am Catwoman. Hear me roar.”
Analysis: Burton ups the ante on his formula of using actors who seemed born to play these roles. It’s as if he had watched Danny DeVito from early on in his career and said, “If I ever get the chance to make two ‘Batman’ movies, this guy needs to be my Penguin.” And the way Pfeiffer’s Catwoman writhes around in her skintight leather bodysuit (much sexier in what it doesn’t show than Halle Berry’s Catwoman bikini and chaps) is nothing short of tantalizing, and sexually confusing (see self-preening scene).
“Batman Forever” (1995)
Director: Joel Schumacher
Batman: Val Kilmer
Villains: Jim Carrey as Riddler, Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face
3 POWS!
Our favorite quote: “For if knowledge is power, then a God am I! ... Was that over the top? I can never tell.”
Analysis: Schumacher tries his hand at the Burton formula with Jim Carrey. Carrey basically just does Jim Carrey, but it works. Could any other actor say that quote about being “over the top” and get away with it? Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face is less of a force because his role seems, well, forced.
“Batman and Robin” (1997)
Director: Joel Schumacher
Batman: George Clooney
Villains: Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze, Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy
2 POWS!
Our favorite quote: “So many people to kill ... so little time.”
Analysis: With a cast as diverse as Clooney, Chris O’Donnell, Alicia Silverstone, the Guvernator and Thurman, this film resembles a celebrity circus. But an ensemble is to be expected from Schumacher, the guy who made “St. Elmo’s Fire” and “Lost Boys.” Thurman is an apt temptress/villainess in the James Bond tradition, but aside from reciting our favorite quote in the film, most of her dialogue is more corny than horny. When she tells Robin, “Forget the geriatric bat. Come, join me. My garden needs tending,” you can almost hear Nicholson’s Joker rolling over in his grave. And as for Ahhnuld, this role, more than any other, begs the question, “How on earth did this guy get to be governor?” (Well, it’s between that and 1977’s biographical “Pumping Iron.”)
“Batman Begins” (2005)
Director: Christopher Nolan
Batman: Christian Bale
Villains: Liam Neeson as Ra’s al Ghul, Cillian Murphy as The Scarecrow
4.5 POWS!
Our favorite quote: “There’s nothing to fear, but fear itself.”
Analysis: In the eight years since this series left off, the evil turned from theatrical to philosophical, which is almost always scarier. It’s perfectly fitting that our favorite quote takes place when Scarecrow rides a fire-breathing horse while paraphrasing FDR. Cillian Murphy’s coal-eyed secret identity is just as scary as his mask-wearing alter ego. And Neeson is a philosophical madman. He mercilessly tells Bruce Wayne that “training is nothing, will is everything.” Which is a perfect summation of why these bad guys work so well.