Bruce Wayne’s Batman is one of the greatest fighters in the world, but in the course of protecting Gotham City, he’s had occasion to fight several villains who are even better.

Here are the ten villains who DC has explicitly stated are skilled enough to out-fight Batman. For this list, we’re focusing on combat skill, not characters who can just overpower Batman with superhuman strength, so there’ll be no Solomon Grundy or Clayface.

We’re not saying that these villains always beat Batman, but DC has confirmed they have the skills to outfight him one-on-one.

10

Lady Shiva, aka Sandra Wu-San

Lady Shiva is the entry every DC fan knew would be on this list – the world’s greatest hand-to-hand fighter and one of the deadliest assassins in history.

Lady Shiva has a habit of destroying Batman in one-on-one fights, with 2017’s Detective Comics #952 (from James Tynion IV, Christian Duce and Fernando Blanco) even going back and retconning her rare losses as tactical choices for her larger agenda – and showing her effortlessly besting Batman in the process.

Even DC’s official blog lists Batman losing to Shiva as his greatest defeat of all time, not because of the injuries he incurred, but because she definitely proved she’s his better as a combatant and always will be.

9

Zeiss, aka Philo Zeiss

Zeiss is a hired killer linked to the mafia, with the ability to perfectly learn any fighting style. His cybernetic goggles rapidly analyze combat and allow him to predict every possible move of his opponent. He’s also incredibly fast and strong, even compared to Batman.

Zeiss has fought Batman to a standstill multiple times, and even beaten him, learning Batman’s skills to the point where there was no way for the Dark Knight to win… at least, not alone.

In Batman #597 (from Ed Brubaker and Scott McDaniel), Batman finally defeats Zeiss by asking Cass Cain’s Batgirl to take his place in the fight, taking down Zeiss with a fighter he hasn’t had the time to study.

It may not have been a fair victory, but as Batman explained, “All I wanted was to put you down. You’re the one with his ego tied up in it.”

8

KGBeast, aka Anatoli Knyazev

KGBeast is a mercenary and assassin who frequently works in what he believes are Russia’s best interests. Batman has admitted on multiple occasions that he takes his life in his hands whenever he fights KGBeast, admitting, “You’re a great fighter, Anatoli. On your best day, you might even beat me.”

Indeed, KGBeast has pushed Batman further than pretty much any other villain. In both Batman #420 (Jim Starlin and Jim Aparao) and Batman #57 (Tom King, Tony S. Daniel), Batman has defeated KGBeast in a way that leaves him for dead, leaving it to others to decide if his otherwise strict ‘No Kill’ rule is broken.

However, pushing Batman is exactly why KGBeast fails to beat him, despite his fighting skill. KGBeast goes after Batman’s family in a way that enrages the Dark Knight, giving him an edge that makes him unbeatable. KGBeast may have the edge in skill, but the wrath he awakens in Batman’s heart means that isn’t enough to win.

7

Prometheus, Real Name Unknown

Prometheus was introduced as the anti-Batman – the son of two criminals killed by cops who dedicated his life to a war on law and order. In JLA #16-17 (Grant Morrison, Howard Porter), Prometheus infiltrates the Justice League’s base and methodically beats each member of the team.

That includes Batman, thanks to a cybernetic device which feeds the fighting skills of the world’s greatest martial artists into Prometheus’ central nervous system. That list includes Batman’s own skills, and Prometheus successfully knocks out Batman in a one-on-one fight.

Yes, he also used a strobe to disorient Batman, but you better believe the Dark Knight deployed his own gadgets in this fight and still lost. Prometheus has never been quite as cool as in this debut arc, but he does often return to Gotham to cause trouble, and is a frequent ally of Batman foe Hush. DC’s official blog notes that losing to Prometheus was Batman’s fifth greatest defeat of all time.

6

Bane, Real Name Unknown

Raised in the world’s most brutal prison, Bane is one of the most gifted tacticians and fighters to ever live. He’s every bit as dedicated and creative as Batman, and like Bruce, he focuses on choosing the perfect time and place for his battles, as well as honing his body into a fighting machine.

Bane iconically broke Batman’s back in 1993’s ‘Knightfall’ arc, from Doug Moench and Jim Aparo. However, in that case, he was using the strength-enhancing ‘Venom’ drug.

However, Bane has equaled Batman since without that superhuman advantage. During Tom King’s Batman run, Bane battered Nightwing, Red Hood and Robin and hanged them in Bruce’s cave. He fights Batman to a standstill multiple times, only losing because Bruce ‘cheats’ by having Catwoman step in against him.

Bane is one of those villains who is treated as Batman’s exact equal, with the fight going to whoever prepped better and set up the right advantages. However, he’s never beaten Batman quite as decisively as in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises, where Christian Bale is simply hammered by Tom Hardy’s stronger, more durable fighter.

5

Failsafe, aka Batman of Zur-En-Arrh

A recent addition to Batman lore, Failsafe is a robot that Bruce created to bring him down if he ever broke his ‘No Kill’ rule. The robot was later possessed by the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh – an ’emergency’ persona Bruce had created, representing the concept of ‘Batman’ without human limits.

It’s worth saying that Failsafe was unfathomably powerful, single-handedly taking down the Justice League thanks to its advanced strength and custom countermeasures, including kryptonite knives to incapacitate Superman.

However, Failsafe was also one of the world’s greatest fighters, possessing all Batman’s skills with none of his hesitation to hurt others.

In Failsafe, Batman essentially created a being as powerful as Superman but with his skills and tactical insight. Batman only beat Failsafe by setting it up to (temporarily) kill the Red Hood, turning its programming against it.

4

Bronze Tiger, aka Benjamin Turner

A conflicted antihero, Bronze Tiger is one of the greatest martial artists of all time, and often associated with the Suicide Squad. Bronze Tiger has been able to defeat Batman even when it matters most – in Detective Comics #485 (Dennis O’Neil, Don Newton), he takes down the Dark Knight so decisively that Batman is unable to prevent the murder of original Batwoman Kathy Kane.

Today, Bronze Tiger is depicted as more of an honorable antihero, but no less skilled for it. In 2016’s Batman Volume 3 #9 (Tom King, Mikel Janin), Batman spars against Bronze Tiger and admits that while he’s slowing down with age, his old rival is only getting faster.

3

The Reaper, aka Judson Caspian

In his second year as Batman, Bruce Wayne faced off against Gotham’s original vigilante – the scythe-wielding Reaper. In their first clash in Detective Comics #575 (Mike W. Barr, Alan Davis), the Reaper pulverizes Batman, who is forced to escape into the sewers to survive.

Batman was so outmatched by the Reaper, he considered retiring his ‘No Guns’ rule to stand a chance. The villain managed to murder countless Gotham criminals – including Joe Chill, the killer of Bruce’s parents – before choosing to fall to his death, believing that Batman was a suitably lethal successor.

2

Deathstroke, aka Slade Wilson

Like Bane, Deathstroke is generally depicted as Batman’s exact equal, with the outcome of any individual fight always in question. Deathstroke earned his reputation by hammering Batman in 1991’s Deathstroke: The Terminator #7 (Marv Wolfman, Steve Erwin).

As Deathstroke points out in that issue, he has an edge due to his enhanced strength and speed, but also because while Batman trained to fight, he trained to kill.

1

Harley Quinn, aka Harleen Quinzel

Harley Quinn has been beating Batman since her very first canon comic appearance. 1999’s Batman: Harley Quinn #1 (Paul Dini, Yvel Guichet) sees Quinn’s acrobatic skill, unpredictability and gigantic mallet get the better of the Dark Knight.

Harley’s skill was hammered home in Heroes in Crisis (Tom King, Clay Mann), when she beat the combined Justice League trinity, causing Superman to exclaim, “I see how she got the drop on you, Bruce. She’s good. As good as you.”

Batman has confirmed in the past that Cassandra Cain’s Batgirl is his superior as a fighter, but even she struggles to beat Harley. In Birds of Prey #1 (Kelly Thompson, Leonardo Romero), Cass falters against Harley because her fighting style is so utterly unpredictable.

Those are the ten Gotham villains that even DC’s own comics admit are skilled enough to beat Batman in a fight. Let us know below what you think of our picks, and what other villains are skilled enough to take down Batman.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Created By

Bob Kane, Bill Finger

Alias

Bruce Wayne

Alliance

Justice League, Outsiders, Batman Family

Race

Human

Franchise

D.C.