List of Batman family enemies in the context of "Detective Comics"

Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book Detective Comics on March 30, 1939. In the DC Universe, Batman is the alias of Bruce Wayne, a wealthy American playboy, philanthropist, and industrialist who resides in the fictional Gotham City. His origin story features him swearing vengeance against criminals after witnessing the murder of his parents, Thomas and Martha, as a child, a vendetta tempered by the ideal of justice. He trains himself physically and intellectually, crafts a bat-inspired persona, and monitors the Gotham streets at night. Kane, Finger, and other creators accompanied Batman with supporting characters, including his sidekicks Robin and Batgirl; allies Alfred Pennyworth and James Gordon; love interest and occasional adversary Catwoman; as well as foes such as the Penguin, the Riddler, Two-Face, and his archenemy, the Joker.

Kane conceived Batman in early 1939 to capitalize on the popularity of Superman; although Kane frequently claimed sole creation credit, Finger substantially developed the concept from a generic superhero into something more bat-like. They drew inspiration from pulp fiction characters like the Shadow, Sherlock Holmes, and the Green Hornet. Batman received a spin-off publication, Batman, in 1940. Kane and Finger introduced Batman as a ruthless vigilante who frequently killed or maimed criminals, but he evolved into a just, tempered superhero with a stringent moral code that prohibits killing during the 1940s. Unlike most superheroes, Batman does not possess any superpowers, instead relying on his intellect, fighting skills, and wealth. The 1960s Batman television series used a camp aesthetic, which continued to be associated with Batman for years after it ended. Various creators worked to return Batman to his darker roots in the 1970s and 1980s, culminating with the 1986 miniseries The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller.

Gotham City (/ˈɡɒθəm/ GOTH-əm), or simply Gotham, is a fictional city in the Northeastern United States that serves as the primary city appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is best known as the home of the superhero Batman and his allies and foes. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane, the city was first identified as Batman's place of residence in Batman #4 (December 1940) and has since been the primary setting for stories featuring the character. In most of its incarnations, Gotham is depicted as one of the most crime-ridden cities in the world.

Gotham City is traditionally depicted as being located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Gotham's look and atmosphere were primarily influenced by New York City, but over the years have drawn inspiration from Chicago and London as well. Architect Hugh Ferriss' designs also influenced the look and emotional feel of Gotham City, particularly in its later depictions. Bill Finger said that he chose the name "Gotham", and not New York, so that all readers in any city could identify with it.

The Riddler (Edward Nigma, later Edward Nygma or Edward Nashton) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, and debuted in Detective Comics #140 in October 1948. He has become one of the most enduring enemies of the superhero Batman and belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up his rogues gallery.

In his comic book appearances, the Riddler is depicted as a criminal mastermind in Gotham City. He has an obsessive compulsion to incorporate riddles, puzzles, and death traps in his schemes to prove his intellectual superiority over Batman and the police. His real name—Edward Nigma—is a pun itself; an "enigma" is a person or thing that is difficult to understand. With this self-conscious use of an elaborate gimmick, the Riddler's crimes are often theatrical and ostentatious. The character commonly wears a domino mask and either a green unitard decorated with question mark prints or a green suit and bowler hat. A black, green, or purple question mark serves as his visual motif. He commonly says "Riddle me this", before stating his iconic riddles.

Two-Face is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bob Kane, and first appeared in Detective Comics #66 (August 1942). He has become one of the superhero Batman's most enduring enemies belonging to the collective of adversaries that make up his rogues gallery.

In his comic book appearances, Two-Face is the alter ego of Harvey Dent, Gotham City's former district attorney who becomes a criminal mastermind obsessed with duality and the number two. Half of his face is hideously scarred after mob boss Sal Maroni throws acid at him. The resulting disfigurement drives him insane and causes him to make decisions based on the flip of a coin. The Modern Age of Comic Books portrays the character as having dissociative identity disorder, with Two-Face being an alternate personality that developed as a result of childhood abuse. The modern version is also established as having once been an ally of Batman and Commissioner James Gordon, and a close friend of Batman's secret identity, Bruce Wayne.

Bane is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Chuck Dixon, Doug Moench, and Graham Nolan, the character first appeared in Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1 (December 10, 1992). He is regarded as one of Batman’s most enduring enemies, part of the collective of adversaries that make up Batman's rogues gallery. In his comic book appearances, Bane is an international criminal with a combination of brute strength and exceptional intelligence. Born and raised in the Peña Duro prison on the Caribbean island of Santa Prisca, where he served a life sentence for his father King Snake's revolutionary activities, Bane becomes a test subject for the super-steroid known as "Venom". After escaping from the prison, Bane travels to Gotham City, where he defeats Batman and breaks the superhero's back. This event is commonly referred to as "Breaking the Bat", and Bane is often regarded as one of the few villains to have significantly challenged Batman both physically and mentally.

The character has been adapted in various media incarnations, portrayed in film by Robert Swenson in the 1997 film Batman & Robin, and by Tom Hardy in the 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises. In television, Bane was portrayed by Shane West in the Fox series Gotham. Henry Silva, Héctor Elizondo, Danny Trejo, Fred Tatasciore, JB Blanc, and others have provided Bane's voice in animation and video games. IGN's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time ranked Bane as #34.

Man-Bat (Dr. Robert Kirkland "Kirk" Langstrom) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Introduced in Detective Comics #400 (June 1970) as an enemy of the superhero Batman, the character belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up his rogues gallery. Originally portrayed as a supervillain, later incarnations show the Man-Bat as a sympathetic villain or antihero.

In the original version of the story, Kirk Langstrom was a zoologist who tried to give humans a bat's acute sonar sense. He managed to develop an extract that could supposedly do this. Upon testing it on himself, he transformed into an anthropomorphic feral half-bat hybrid, lacking sapience and acting purely on instinct. Batman managed to reverse the effects, but Langstrom would return as the Man-Bat time and time again, albeit not necessarily as a villain, as Langstrom would sometimes retain enough sanity to use his powers for good. Several other characters have since appeared as similar Man-Bat creatures, including Langstrom's wife Francine, his father Abraham Langstrom, and some League of Assassins operatives that make up the Man-Bat Commandos.

The Scarecrow is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane, the character first appeared in World's Finest Comics #3 (1941) as an adversary of the superhero Batman. Although the Scarecrow only made two appearances in the 1940s, he was revived by writer Gardner Fox and artist Sheldon Moldoff in Batman #189 (1967). The character has since become one of Batman's most enduring enemies, belonging to the collective of adversaries that make up his rogues gallery.

In the DC Universe, the Scarecrow is the alias of Jonathan Crane, a professor of psychology turned criminal mastermind. Abused and bullied in his youth, he becomes obsessed with fear and develops a hallucinogenic drug—dubbed "fear toxin"—to terrorize Gotham City and exploit the phobias of its protector, Batman. As the self-proclaimed "Master of Fear", the Scarecrow's crimes do not stem from a common desire for wealth or power, but from a sadistic pleasure in subjecting others to his experiments on the manipulation of fear. An outfit symbolic of his namesake with a stitched burlap mask serves as the Scarecrow's visual motif.