The first two games in the Batman Arkham series featured some really cool villains – with the exception of Arkham Knight, whose identity reveal was very anti-climate (especially if you read the “Death In The Family” story from the comics). The Dark Knight has one of, if not the best gallery of cheats in all of the comics, and Arkham Games really showcase what makes them so unique and deadly.
For this list, we’ll rank the series’ villains based on how satisfying their boss fights are. But they must be part of the main games – DLC battles are not allowed. The only plus rule is that if a villain – like Bane and Killer Croc – fights multiple boss battles over different games, we’ll only pick their best ones.
10/10 Killer Croc (Arkham Asylum)
Killer Croc’s lair in Arkham Asylum is one of the scariest places in the entire series. The horror level reaches 11 because you don’t know when or where he will jump to send you to a watery grave. You also have to walk slowly across the planks to avoid alerting him to where you are and collect germs to get the antidote to Joker’s Titan formula.
The only way to defeat Croc is to throw Batarangs – which is not always accurate – onto the shock collar, forcing him to fall into the water. The climax of the battle is a giant chase where you have to run hundreds of meters and detonate an explosive to end the fight.
9/10 Clives
Clyves first appears as a prisoner in Arkham Asylum, his appearance changing every time you stop looking at his cell. However, it was Arkham City that gave the villain an unexpected fight. Throughout the fight, you revolve around a theater throwing freeze grenades at Clayface as he rolls, throws projectiles, and hits you.
His attacks can be easily evaded, but the main reason why Clayface is on our list is that you can use Talia Al Ghul’s sword to cut him to shreds.
8/10 Solomon Grundy
He may have been born on a Monday, died on a Saturday, and was buried on a Sunday, but Solomon Grundy shouldn’t be put off the list of Arkham’s best villains. Fighting against Grundy is no picnic by any means – largely because he uses electricity to restore health throughout the fight.
At one point, Penguin injects Solomon with electricity that it explodes into a new form, washing him and his shackles into a fire. Then he throws all the weights around you like a hammer throw. While Grundy is doing that, you have to plant and detonate explosives to damage him enough to throw some punches at him.
7/10 Poison ivy
Poison Ivy has appeared in every Arkham game except for Arkham Origins, and fighting its boss at Arkham Asylum is sure to be a frenetic one. Not only did Ivy take over all the plants on the island, but she also put herself into a giant plant that shoots you. You are always forced to roll and dodge because Ivy controls the deadly vines that appear from the ground to completely spoil your day. Ivy also unleashes possessed guards during combat and attempts to stab you.
You can only damage and defeat the game by throwing Batarangs when their shield drops after attacks, but the window for doing so is fairly short. Defeating her and normalizing the situation on the island somewhat was a huge relief.
6/10 Professor Page
Professor Pyg’s boss fight is one of the scariest in the entire series. Before joining the fight, Pyg sends his surgically created minions, Dollotrons, to attack you inside his surgical room while opera music plays in the background. The only way to get them out is by doing a unique takedown after they knock down – even then, they still get up and keep fighting you. After eliminating his followers, Pyg sings “I’ll Make You Perfect” in an opera-style tone and starts throwing chunks of meat as more followers surround you.
By pressing the counter button, you can grab Pyg’s machetes and return them to him to stun the villain. But as you try to take advantage of Pyg’s stupor, he evades attacks by moving around the operating table, and all his minions surround you, making the area feel very claustrophobic. Oh, and you only have a certain amount of time to attack Pyg while he is stunned. It’s a very tense battle, but deeply unforgettable.
5/10 Scarecrow (Arkham Asylum)
Even though you fight him in Arkham Knight, the terrifying scarecrow battles in Asylum are much better because they make him seem more imposing. Plus, the sheer use of stealth makes the battles in Asylum stand out a bit more. Every battle you will go through in an infernal world, all while trying to evade the spectacle of the scarecrow. If he sees you die. Each battle is designed differently and gives you several ways to create cover and evade it with your equipment.
There are also some combat elements where Crane injects the ground with a needle gauntlet, causing the skeletons to rise from the ground. Although you never fight a scarecrow physically, it’s really cool to use the terrifying bat’s signal to escape his grasp and eventually defeat him.
4/10 Ra’s al Ghul (Arkham City)
When he’s not trying to split you in two with his sword attacks, Ra’s Al Ghul disguises himself as one of his henchmen and throws giant shurikens at you after he gets bigger. The boss battle puts Ra in the top five because it is unique. You have to use electric charges to smash his giant shape while avoiding deadly blades that slither towards you like a fleet of metallic shark fins.
The boss fight also plays an integral role in the story of Arkham City. Your father-in-law may be bad, but at least he’s not the leader of a group of killers with a Lazarus pit.
3/10 Deathstroke (Arkham Origins)
We all agree that the fight against Deathstroke in Arkham Knight is disappointing, as it is nothing more than a tank battle. However, his fight with Batman in Arkham Origins is quite satisfying. The entire scene plays out as a cinematic fight series between well-trained fighters. The animation is so captivating that it’s easy to get distracted and misplace the counter button.
Deathstroke uses smoke bombs to blind you as he jumps and falls from the sky, hitting you with blows from his team. The combat also becomes very fiery when you gain the ability to use your Batclaw, grab an exploding barrel, and throw it at him.
2/10 Bane (Arkham Origins)
The fight with Bane in Arkham Origins begins with a great scene where he pulls you down through the elevator ceiling and decides to get into a hall brawl. After he throws you through the window, the battle begins, and it takes three consecutive attacks to stun Bane before you can unload a series of punches on him. Just when you think you beat him, the super villain appears again later in the game in the form of a monster.
Once Bane reaches his brutal state, the fight goes from combat to heavy stealth where you have to perform silent takedowns on him. Later on, the fight throws a scary chase element as Bane follows you after each attack. It also destroys the clamps after learning your tricks and maneuvers, forcing you to be more tactical when sneaking into it to remain invisible.
1/10 Mr. Freeze (Arkham City)
The fight against Mr. Freeze in Arkham City is the most famous fight in the series, which is why he is considered the best villain in Arkham video games. Throughout the battle, Freeze can kill you instantly after knowing your location, so you have to defeat the mad scientist in stealth. Like Bane, Freeze also learns your patterns and attacks. If you surprise him with the clamps out, he will freeze them, tracking you the whole time by following the heat left by your footsteps. Also, if Freeze can’t find you himself, he will launch tracking drones into the air.
When the drones determine your exact location, Freeze fires ice bombs to deal damage. He will also shoot snow bombs where he thinks you are hiding; Each of his movements is very well calculated. You might be thinking, “Well, I have detective mode, so I can see where he is at all times.” Unfortunately, this doesn’t work because if you use the detective mode for a long time, Mr. Freeze will jam it, and it can only be used for very small periods for the rest of the fight. Hitting it leaves you with an unparalleled feeling of satisfaction.
Next: Yakuza 8 should be improved on the JRPG side of its predecessor
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