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Some of them then don’t necessarily come across as villains, most usually because they have a tragic backstory or try to redeem themselves. As a result, it’s easy to feel sympathy toward several of Batman’s enemies simply because they’re not evil just for the sake of being evil, and there’s much more to them than meets the eye.
6 Clayface
Although Clayface’s backstory isn’t as known to people as with other villains, that doesn’t make him any less sympathetic. Basil Carlo used to be a successful actor until the day he had an accident that deformed his face. When he tried to fix himself, it didn’t work, and he became Clayface. After working so hard to become the person he wanted to be, it’s no wonder Clayface was desperate when he felt he had lost everything.
For a time, he joined Batman and his team in the Detective Comics series and worked with them as he was controlling his temper and was determined to do some good. Unfortunately, he was tricked into attacking people, and it seemed that Batwoman had killed him. Those who want to see the more sympathetic side of Clayface should read the series, or they can watch the animated TV show, Harley Quinn, where Clayface is portrayed ultimately as a nice character.
5 Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn holds a unique position in the world of Batman’s villains. Not only is she a relatively new villain, having first appeared in 1992, but her first appearance also didn’t happen in the comics but in the show Batman: The Animated Series. Harley’s history has been explored in the comics, so the readers know she was once a promising young psychiatrist who just wanted to help people. That changed when she met the Joker, fell for him, and became Harley Quinn.
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Despite all the evil things that Harley has done, she still comes across as sympathetic because of the way the Joker treats her. It helps that Harley isn’t so bad and has teamed up with the heroes many times before to help them out when things were tough. She became even more popular when she finally broke things off with the Joker and instead focused more on herself, as well as her bond with fellow Batman villain, Poison Ivy.
4 Mr. Freeze
For a villain to end up sympathetic in the eyes of superhero fans, they usually need to have a tragic backstory or just be charming enough. Mr. Freeze falls in the first category. All of his actions have been motivated by the effort to cure his wife Nora who fell ill and was dying. Unlike other villains who like to cause chaos just because they think it’s fun, Mr. Freeze always considers Nora first, and she’s the most important person for him.
The live-action Batman movies haven’t really given Mr. Freeze a lot of space but even the critically shunned Batman and Robin (1997) with Arnold Schwarzenegger tossing around a lot of ice puns suggested that there’s much more to Mr. Freeze than meets the eye.
3 Poison Ivy
Just like her off-again, on-again girlfriend and good friend Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy isn’t as villainous as some might think. Her methods are questionable, but her intentions are good. Ivy simply wants to protect nature that has been hurt by humans so many times. She’s aware of the changes the climate has undergone and is trying her best to fix them.
While it seems that Poison Ivy has very little interest in humans and only gives her affection to plants, the stories about her relationship with Harley prove that’s not the case. Poison Ivy isn’t the type of person who would open herself up to many people, but she’s also capable of love and affection, which humanizes her even more. Plus, she also worked with the heroes before when the situation was dire.
2 Red Hood
A lot of Batman villains move between good and evil, but rarely any of them has ever worked so closely with the Caped Crusader as Jason Todd, aka Red Hood, who went from a hero to a villain. Jason used to be Batman’s Robin before the Joker killed him. As it often happens in the comics, Jason didn’t stay dead and was resurrected by the Lazarus Pit. From there on, he did his best to bring down criminals and also fought Batman, who initially didn’t know who Red Hood was and disapproved of the vigilante’s violent methods.
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Even though they later started working side by side, they still clashed from time to time. Red Hood’s case is complicated as his tragic backstory makes it easy for the audience and readers to sympathize with him. Especially since Jason feels like Batman betrayed him by not killing the Joker when he had the chance. Those who want to know more about the complicated relationship between Red Hood and Batman should watch the 2010 animated movie Batman: Under the Red Hood.
1 Two-Face
Harvey Dent’s story is yet another example of the old truth that sometimes the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Harvey just wanted to clean up the city and make Gotham a better place for everyone to live in. He got acid thrown in his face for his effort, and it twisted his mind, making Harvey Dent into Two-Face. But even when he was a villain, Two-Face still followed his strange code, which is more than can be said for many others of Batman’s enemies.
If that wasn’t enough, another important fact is that Two-Face tried to turn over a new leaf many times over the years after his fateful transformation. Even though it didn’t work so well, it made him more sympathetic since no true villain would bother with trying to reform and become a better person.
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