Monty's killing was a major WTF moment for me when reading Joker. So gruesome, love it.

I think you really should point out that it is Sarah Essen-GORDAN. That makes the death much more significant than a random detective.

You missed the one where he fed poinioned cotton candy to the boy scout troop.

What? No love for the Nicholson Joker? Everyone forgets that in '89. The idea of a homicidal Joker was new to a lot of people whose only previous knowledge was Ceaser Romero.

At least mention how he joy buzzes/fries a fellow mob boss who doesn't want in on the Joker's plan.

this list shows why the joker is fictions greatest pycho for the joker seems to think the killings are a way to get laughs and would have had both the one where he whacks Jason todd and also the killing Joke scene in the top five. but this list shows why the joker is truely batman greast foe for the guy is totaly messed up from this list

I may be wrong, but he doesn't only skin Monty alive, apparently he also cuts off his balls and dick.

Getting skinned alive for gawking at Harley Quinn's rack: totally worth it.

Well, Barbara primarily hasn't got the use of her legs back because,

1. she's an important part of the DCU as Oracle, providing information and co-ordination for multiple superheroes as well as teams like the JLA, JSA and the BoP when it was still around. So if she was to become Batgirl again that would be a significant step downwards from the position she's inhabited since the late Eighties.

2. DC doesn't have very many main characters with disablities, and getting rid of one of the main characters who happens to have one would be kind of cheap. Plus it would bring up the question as "if you can do it on her, why not do it for everyone with a severed spine?". It would be like Daredevil going to Reed Richards for some robotic eyes or something.

and 3. At this point in the comics, Barbara is roughly... in her mid to late twenties? Her replacing a teenager in the role of Batgirl when there's a Batwoman who is either the same age or only one or two years older than Barb would be kind of stupid. Plus people would think that Barbara is Batwoman's sidekick just because of the -girl prefix even though she's got more superhero experience then Kathy Kane does.

Steph has had a lot of experience with superheroing, and has a sizeable fanbase that overlaps with that of the previous Batgirl, Cassandra Cain (who I'm a fan of). Let's just see how she plays out, she might actually be good in the role. :)

Ah yes, the pencil trick. Worth the price of admission right there.

bob, you're my number one guyyyyyyy

"The greatest villain in all of comics?"

Please. Norman Osborn is much better. It's one thing to be crazy. Anyone can do crazy. It's another to be crazy and capable of presenting yourself as sane.

Some might say Lex Luthor can do that as well. Yes, but Osborn is a supervillain behind a desk and one who can get his hands dirty as the Green Goblin. He's the best of both worlds.

Joker is just your typical, run of the mill crazy who has a few creative kills under his belt.

Norman Osborn is the greatest villain comics have ever seen.

...and the pencil trick is insanely overrated. Bullseye has been doing it for years.

Thank you for providing this graphic illustration of exactly how idiotic and immoral Batman's "no killing" game is.

C'mon, Joker's suicide in "Dark Knight Returns" is as crazy as at least half of these entries...

I agree with McNasty, his OWN killing should've been included...

"Dumb move: The Clown shoots her when she has no choice but to catch one."

I can think of one movie with someone trying to catch a baby where just letting the thing fall to save your own neck is shown as a viable option.

@Templar: Whoa whoa whoa, so you're saying Batman's "no killing" rule is immoral? I would suggest that your understanding of that term might be flawed, dude. Refusing to kill a homicidal maniac is exceptionally moral, surely?

(whether it's "idiotic" or not is a whole other argument, but I'd take issue with that, too ... it's only idiotic if you assume that yeah it's literally impossible for any authority to imprison the Joker for more than five minutes without him escaping. But in a real world he'd be locked up forever and never get out, so executing him would simply be murder.)

The worst spoiler I ever read was that the Joker stabs someone with a pencil in TDK. Partly ruined the magic trick for me, since I knew what was coming. However, the audience's reaction was priceless.

"he's not just the Dark Knight's biggest foe, but the greatest villain in all of comics."

Nope, Magneto.

Osborn is an overrated goon with delusions of grandeur. Long live the Joker.

Osborne is boring, and while I'll agree that Magneto is the best villain in Marvel, he can't hold a candle to almost anyone in the rouge gallery of Batman. Plus, there's been multiple times where's he sided with the good guys, which is serious point off for real villians.

@Black Snow: First off, Joker an't nuts. He's super sane. Literally. If you look at some of the depates over time it has been proposed that the joke is so completely aware of his surroundings that he losses he possible sense of self. He is all the intellect of a genius without any motive to act in self preservation. I mean, look at how close he comes to death in some of his stunts. Unless it furthers his goals, likely fucking with Batman's day, then he doesn't care.

Greatest villain is all of comics?

Whoever masterminded Secret Invasion.

I mean whoever plotted the story, not the actual book villain(s).

Man, I blew that lame joke.

While I would be glad to agree that both Magneto and Osborn are great characters Magneto being somewhat of a more antihero than a true villain, no one in all comics can even touch the Joker. There is no limit to his madness. He continues to reinvent the true meaning of psycho on a daily basis. For example, Joker, the most prominent villain in the entire DC Universe even got the honor of bludgeoning Lois Lane to death in Kingdom Come, taking away what should have been Lex Luthor's right. Oh and not to mention Wizard Magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Villains of All Time ranked the Joker as #1.

Osborne? Please. Magneto? I agree, more antihero than villain. The Joker?

The man is a homicidal artist (didn't Jack say that in the Burton Batman?). His canvas is pain, his brush is agony, and his pigment is death. He kills solely for the joy of killing, for the lulz, for the...well, simply to kill. He can do it, and he does it, in every flavor, in every mood, in every style. And really, saying he does it for..." anything is pointless, because he has no actual reasons. He just kills.

Show me one other supervillain like this. The Joker has murdered every sort of people in every sort of combination and quantity, just to kill them. He has destroyed heroes, and villains, and common folk, and world leaders, and he enjoys every single one, regardless.

If it fucks with the Bat, so much the better.

Er, the title is CLEARLY a lie since he only PARALYZED and (probably) RAPED Barbara Gordon. She didn't die. This is called "the Joker's 10 Craziest KILLS". Also, I can understand mixing the movies, main continuity, and the DCAU on this list, but tossing Elseworlds stuff on feels like a bit of a stretch.

"@Templar: Whoa whoa whoa, so you're saying Batman's "no killing" rule is immoral? I would suggest that your understanding of that term might be flawed, dude. Refusing to kill a homicidal maniac is exceptionally moral, surely?" Batman doesn't just have blood on his hands, he's fucking swimming in it. He's even saved The Joker's life on multiple occasions, iirc.

There's no good non-meta reason The Joker didn't die long ago (even if Batman didn't do it, you'd think a police officer or some relative of one of The Joker's victims would have)...

I'd argue that the Joker is not a supervillain. There's nothing particularly "super" about him; He's just a normal guy who happens to be a grade-A sociopath. Oh, he does have a deformity (white skin, green hair) but that's hardly a super power. He's not even a decent fighter; His only realy weapon is being completely unpredictable and immoral. Therefore, you can't call him the greatest SUPERvillain.

Greatest villain? Sure. I'll give him that if you consider he only ever fights Batman. If he had to fight other heroes (ones with powers, or worse, ones who don't mind killing) he'd be screwed.

If the Punisher lived in Gotham, he'd have killed the Joker years ago, and would be dodging Batman for it ever since.

No, the greatest supervillain is probably Doctor Doom. He operates on a level beyond just being a random psycho, or a greedy crook. He doesn't NEED anything; He's lord of an entire nation. He is a supervillain because he goes beyond petty criminal, beyond crime boss, beyond billionaire industrialist, and even beyond head of national security-- He's a despot. He's everything the greatest villains aspired to be. He rules a nation with an iron fist, and enjoys the protection of international laws. He's the RIGHTFUL lord of Latveria, and there ain't jack-shit anyone can do about it.

He has the magical knowledge and skill to stand against the Sorcerer Supreme (and indeed, when Doctor Strange gave it up, he was worried that the Eye would pick Doom as the new Sorcerer Supreme).

He has the genius to match wits with anyone. He is one of the eight most intelligent people (mortals) on Marvel Earth, and the only villain to share that honor with the likes of Reed Richards, Tony Stark, Hank Pym, Henry McCoy, Amadeus Cho, The Leader and Bruce Banner. (Valeria Richards doesn't count, because she's 2 years old, and she pretends to be a normal 2-year-old when adults are around).

He has armor that is a match in every sense for Iron Man's own designs, as well as an army of robots in his image that are almost as tough as the armor he wears.

He has personally defeated Galactus, Morgan Le Fey, The Watcher, and a slew of cosmic entities that most people don't even know about. The man damn near succeeded in stealing the Beyonder's power.

He's dangerous and powerful enough to hold sway over any villain whom he chooses to recruit. None refuse Doom, if they know what's good for them. He kills without concern because he considers most people beneath him, and what 'side' you're on doesn't matter to him, because Doctor Doom is on Doctor Doom's side; No one else, save maybe for Richards or Stark, are considered worthy to be on the same side.

Doctor Doom would squash the Joker before the clown could trigger any gadgets or do anything unexpected. Doom would recognize the Joker as a chaotic, dangerous fly in the ointment, and would use him to his advantage until he became a nuisance-- Then the Joker would be dead, sent to another dimension, frozen in time, or just disintegrated.

And while I love Batman, I have to think a confrontation between Batman and Doctor Doom would end in the Batman needing to call for backup; Probably from Doom's dungeon.

@The Man With Two Brains: Go back. Read the title again. Now read the entry. Done? Ok. Get it yet? No? It's Batgirl he's saying was killed, not Barbara Gordan. For all intents and purposes, the Joker killed Batgirl here because he ended Babs' career as Batgirl.

The craziest kill came from a book from the golden age.

The scene starts with a a bus driving along side of the mountain in the middle of the night. There aren't any street lights and a young boy asks the bus driver how he's able to see anything since it's pitch black outside. The bus driver tells him that he just follows the yellow line in the middle of the road.

The bus suddenly drives off the edge of the mountain and kills everyone inside. The Joker re-painted the road so any oncoming traffic would drive off the mountain.

He did it for a good laugh. I happened on that issue as a really young kid and it freaked me out.

The Joker has done more damage then any other villain period. More trauma, more long lasting pain on the people he's faced off with, then the vastly over-rated Dr. Doom (and you can put Lex Luther in that class as well).

If you are going with a Marvel villain, Namor is a much better villain, as is Magneto.

Doom is a so-called super genius and socerer supreme that couldn't beat Luke Cage and Dazzler. He loses all the time. He puts the FF through some challenge, stands there like a complete dummy, while they figure a way to beat him, and at the end of the day, the FF go on with their lives as nothing happened.

Can't say that about Batman though. Even when he captures the Joker, the damage he's done haunts Batman forever.

And, he is a supervillain. He isn't just a sociopath, he's also a genius. The Punisher wouldn't stand a chance against someone like him. He'd never be able to find him, never be able to anticipate what he'll do next.

Black Snow needs to take the "pencil trick" out of his ass so maybe he can enjoy some real comics, rather than lapping at the balls of Marvel Comics' stance on villainy. I agree Norman has become far more interesting lately, but the fact remains: He's been nothing but a Spider-Man villain for 50 years up until "Secret Invasion". Plus, he wasn't even alive for about, oh, 35 of those years.

So let's just forget about Osborn being a contender, here...

"Highly over-rated", indeed...

I'm siding with JOE and Portion of Foxes. No Jack Nicholson joker?
He shot his own number one then replaced him in less than five seconds.
The greatest villian in all comics: Jeph Loeb

Nice article.

Still, the best?

Where's Dr. Doom? Or Thanos?!

Thanos, the Mad Titan! The guy who turned Galactus into a weapon (in Annihilation), and killed half the Universe (with the Infinity Gauntlet!) Not to mention a little something called, "Marvel: The End"?

Where Thanos destroys everybody in Marvel! And it's cannon!

Heck, his line in Annihilation is definetly on, or higher, than Joker level.

Background: Thanos has just turned Galactus into a planet busting weapon and helped the Annihilation wave annihilate a large part of the Universe.

Moondragon: You haven't anwsered my question. What's in it for you? Why did you involve yourself with Annihilus (leader of Annihilation Wave)

Thanos: I was bored with the regular life cycle. I was curious what a radical tilt in the Universe would play out.

Moondragon: You were curious?!

Thanos: You must admit, given the current circumstances, it is fascinating.

And that's after Thanos found out Annihilus was going to DESTROY TWO Universes! He was curious!

I'm surprised that the Dark Knight Returns bit where Joker kills David Letterman AND his studio audience with the smiley gas didn't score a mention. The Joker's smiley gas killing spree in the Tim Burton Batman was pretty horrific, too.

Thanos is another over-rated villain. Compare what Darkseid did to Superman at the end of Apocolypse Now. When has Doom or Thanos ever done that? Everything Thanos does is immediately undone.

But, this is another example of zombies talking about of both sides of their mouths. Joker isn't a supervillain cause he isn't powerful enough. Dr. Doom is soooo unbeatable, he's really smart, has iron-man armor, oh, and he's on par with Dr. Strange. Now why don't you all start cyring about how DC characters are too powerful.

Joker? Pfft. Calender Man, now there was a villain

Joker may be arguably the greatest villain, but Batman's greatest villain is Ra's Al Ghul. He's Batman's equal, they share a deep history and are more like family than anything else. Ra's is the only regular Batman villain who threatens the world on a global scale.

I love how the marvel fanboys keep coming out to claim a marvel villan is better.Sorry but no. It is and will allways be a matter of opinion! Use that brain instead of being a total idiot! (and I say that as a person who likes Marvel + DC equally)! Go out on the high street, ask a 100 random people to name 1 comic book villan and I bet the Joker or Lex Luthor pops up more because they have both been around a lot longer.

If you want to get technical, there's an excellent possibility that Monty is actually Harley Quinn's kill. It is she who walks out holding the bloody knife, after all.

As for the debate about the greatest comics villain- the Joker all the way, baby. There are plenty of others who are awesome, but the Joker alone is every bit as iconic as any superhero. And he is, in fact, a meta. His survival is evidence enough of that, and he also has a form of extrasensory perception. They call it "super sanity".

that's fucked up

I'm a Marvel fanboy. I just like Marvel Characters better. But while I was playing Arkham Asylum the other day it dawned on me that Joker really is the greatest, coolest and most charismatic villain ever conceived.

Well boys and girls, it is just so lovely to see so many people enjoying my work. Money and fame are for the birds after all...give me an adoring public and I'll be just giggling all day long.

So many young people these days are inspired to do things like "work" or "contribute" and it's really heart warming to know that a really good piece of terrorism inspired mass murder is still appreciated.

My fans actually make getting punched in the face by the ole' pointy eared stick the mud all worthwhile.

Now as for those of you who actually believe there's someone out there better then me, I'm a little disappointed! Perhaps we just haven't made that personal connection on an intimate level.

That's okay though because I just backtracked ALL your IP address and I'll be making a personal appearance to your home very soon...just as soon as I make parole (in 2059! LOL). Who knows? Maybe I'll be out sooner!*hint-hint*

Until then I've got plots to plot, dreams to dream, and guards to murder with a sharpened spoon when their back is turned!

TTFN...and if I don't see ya, LEAVE 'EM LAUGHIN'!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... ;>

@ J.White from cell 218: "LOL"? Really? Really??

Heath Ledger should have been at #1.

@Templar Absolutely. I tend to argue, very strenously, that the worst and vilest villain in Gotham City is quite possibly Batman himself. I mean think about it. He knows full well that killing the Joker and the rest of the freaks would fix a decent number of his cities' problems. But doesn't it seem he'd much rather just throw them in the 2 second revolving door of Arkham because they're crimes justify his sad, deluded existence? Plus he gets to feel all warm and fuzzy and morally superior. I'd love to see some sort of Elseworlds title that uses this take.

actully DreamWings. Batman has stated if he kills then he will become the bad guys he is fighting against even though the joker surely deserves to be pushing up daises espically after the killing joke. dc will never let batman kill for its against the characters estabilished core and they will never let the joker die. ying and yang

Do yourself a favour and get a copy of "The Futher Adventures of The Joker." It's a book of short stories (probably not in continuity) that detail various killing sprees and some early days of the Joker. Some horrific stuff in it.

ZeroCorpse,
"Greatest villain? Sure. I'll give him [The Joker] that if you consider he only ever fights Batman. If he had to fight other heroes (ones with powers, or worse, ones who don't mind killing) he'd be screwed."

By that logic Batman should be screwed when he fights opponents with real "powers", too, which is nonsense.

It's often said that Batman's power is his wealth and technology, but really that's inaccurate. Batman's nonlethal weaponry is a lot less effective than the guns and bombs that his opponents use. His real power is his mind. Batman is probably more determined, more intelligent, and more ready to sacrifice his own wellbeing for the success of his mission than any other superhero. Something similar can be said of The Joker in relationship to most other supervillains.

Sorry that this is going off subject, sorta. But is it me or does it seem that deep down inside, the Joker is kinda afraid of Batman? I'm serious. It seems that though he likes to taunt Batman, make him suffer through the aformentioned horrific crimes, and challenge his psyche, he's a bit freaked out by Batman's whole mood, persona, and feel to him. Matter of fact, I think both the Joker and Batman freak eachother out! He seem to imply throughout all of his history with the Caped Crusader that he's skittish around him, even when he(Batman) gets the upper hand over him when they're figthing.

Sorry. That was just out of the blue.

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