TheBatman: Arkhamseries is beloved for a reason, and the Arkhamverse has featured many ofBatman’s greatest and most obscured villains over the years, providing players and fans with a Rogue’s Gallery to be proud of. However, even some of Batman’s best villains falter a tad across a multitude of the bestBatman Arkhamgames, for they can be seen as underused and underutilized.
Considering theBatman Arkhamgames are so large in life, it’s no surprise that some villains were left sidelined, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Listed below are many great villains that the Arkhamverse introduced, but didn’t exactly deliver on using these brilliant DC villains totheir truest potential.
8Deathstroke
The Ultimate Assassin, Reduced to a Tank Boss Fight
The Terminator himself has abilities and martial arts skills that rival that of Batman, which is why their legendary clash inBatman: Arkham Originsis so fun. These twoexpert combatantsuse gadgets against each other, throwing fists, kicks, and counters – but that one fight spells the end of their feud, even though it would’ve been great to see them battle again.
Deathstroke does return forBatman: Arkham Knight, but everyone can agree that the fight itself is mediocre at best since Deathstroke is reduced to a Cobra Tank battle that has already been experienced twice before. The fact that the person who could go fist-for-fist against Batman is reduced to a tank-boss battle is disappointing, to say the least.
7Hush
The Twisted Villain Who Seeks to Dismantle Bruce Wayne’s Life
Hush was criminally underused in theArkhamgames. First teased inBatman: Arkham Asylum, then revealed inBatman: Arkham City, Hush was a promising threat that woulduphold the greatnessof Thomas Elliot and his spite towards Bruce Wayne. However, this hope was diminished inBatman: Arkham Knightwhen Hush was reduced to a quick time event side mission that had Batman sucker punch Hush and that was about it.
There is so much room for Hush’s growth and the dismantling of Bruce Wayne’s private life as both a father to the Bat-Family and a CEO at Wayne Industries, and yet Hush doesn’t take to any of it. Hush is a great villain who definitely deserves to do something more.
6Calander Man
A Chilling Villain, Always Seen Locked Up, But Never in Action
Calander Man is most certainly one of the creepiest aspects of the Arkhamverse. Everything about him is menacing, from his design to his motives. Committing heinous crimes on every holiday that he has memorized, Calander Man’s antics make him worthy of the death penalty and staying behind bars to avoid any moredespicable acts of twisted violence.
Players can interact with Calander Man inBatman: Arkham Citythroughout different holiday seasons, and the fact that he is still locked up despite the free reign of a prison city, shows how dangerous he is. However, players never get to experience this danger directly, and they can only imagine what twisted schemes Calander Man had in store forBatman: Arkham Knight’s Halloween.
5Two-Face
Bruce Wayne’s Best Friend, Tragically Turned to… Catwoman’s Villain?
A character with so much potential and history, reduced to side missions for Catwoman inBatman: Arkham City. Two-Face is brilliant and twisted in every aspect of his design and personality, and his suffering from DID makes him compelling to watch and terrifying to fight against. However, Two-Face’s potential was left on the reserves for a lacking side missioninBatman: Arkham Knightwho just wants to rob banks.
Batman: Arkham Shadowdid a brilliant job of showing the Arkhamverse relationship and brotherhood between Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent before Harvey’s Dissociative Identity Disorder grew worse. It’s a great origin for Two-Face, and the potential for one of Batman’s greatest villains to be one of his former best friends is truly tragic.
4Clayface
The Horrific Twisting Monstrocity Only Features at the End of Arkham City
Clayface plays an important yet disclosed role inBatman: Arkham City, where he plays the role of the Joker to trick Batman into thinking he’s completely healthy. Despite the greatness and unexpected nature of this twist, Clayface himself doesn’t serve much purpose in the entire series outside of an awesome boss fight.
Considering Clayface’s potential as a villain, some more moments with him would’ve been great, especially in Arkham Knight with refined graphics and mechanics that could truly make a menacing clay monster work – especially after Clayface’s mixture with the Lazarus Pit.
3Killer Croc
What Starts Out as a Terrifying Monster in the Sewers Becomes a Beat-Em-Up Boss
Killer Croc had one of the scariest levels inBatman: Arkham Asylum, and running down into his sewer lairs was one that many with nostalgia for the game will remember and hope to forget for how terrifying it was to skulk about this domain with a cannibalistic crocodile man chasing Batman so he could havea bat-themed snack.
Despite the terror in Killer Croc, the villain rarely returned, and while he features as a boss fight inBatman: Arkham Originsand a side mission for the Season of Infamy content withBatman: Arkham Knight, he’s wildly underutilized – as having free roam over Gotham in Arkham Knight would’ve made for a fun time hunting the terrifying Killer Croc in the sewers below.
2Black Mask
A Sick and Twisted Mob Boss of Gotham City Reserved for a Twist
Black Mask was one of the central villains ofBatman: Arkham Origins– or so audiences thought. Black Mask had put a bounty on Batman’s head on Christmas Eve, and many bounty hunters and assassins had claimed the bounty to collect on the head and cowl. However, this bounty wasn’t even made by Black Mask, but in fact Joker in disguise.
Black Mask’s later appearances were reduced to a one-time side mission and even his murder by Red Hood in a DLC challenge pack forArkham Knight. Considering the gang wars of Gotham City are one of the moreinteresting aspects of Batman’s character, it’s a shame Black Mask had little involvement.
1Bane
Physically and Mentally Strong to Rival Batman, Reduced to a Hulk
Bane is arguably the most underused villain in the entirety of theBatman Arkhamseries. His first debut inBatman: Arkham Asylumin some ways ruined his image, as the calm and calculating villain who could break Batman andbring Gotham to its kneeswas reduced to a hulking fool who acted more like the Incredible Hulk than he did as Bane.
There were some great moments with Bane, like his entire arc inBatman: Arkham Origins, however, it was a shame to see Bane at his highest potential just to be left with a gigantic brute of a character in future installments. It would’ve been great if Bane returned to Gotham in Arkham Knight, cured of his TN-1 brain fog, and back with a vengeance against Batman.
