Batman has one of the largest filmographies of any superhero, with his live-action feature-length movies dating all the way back to the 1960s. With multiple different iterations of the character getting multiple films, it isn’t surprising that tons of villains from Batman’s rogue’s gallery have made their way to the big screen as well. Some are stronger than others, so here are Batman’s five most powerful villains from the movies, ranked from weakest to strongest.

This list will focus exclusively on antagonists who have appeared in live-action Batman movies, meaning that the various films from the DCAU aren’t being considered. Plus, Batman villains in non-Batman movies like Suicide Squad and villains Batman faced in crossover movies like Justice League won’t be considered. That still leaves a ton of villains to consider. While characters like Joker, Catwoman, and Riddler are iconic, they aren’t as powerful as these five villains.

5) Poison Ivy

In Batman‘s filmography, one of his most iconic female villains has only been adapted into live-action one time. Poison Ivy appeared in 1997’s Batman & Robin, where she was played by Uma Thurman. In the film, she is a botanist named Pamela Isley who is mutated by the Venom serum that is used to create Bane. This turns her into Poison Ivy, a supervillain who uses her powers to advocate for the environment, although in deadlier ways than one may expect. She is only one of the villains who appear in Batman & Robin, but she poses the second biggest threat to the Dynamic Duo throughout the film.

Ivy is underpowered in Batman & Robin compared to her usual iterations, but she is still incredibly deadly. Her main ability in the film is her poison lips. A kiss from Ivy is fatal to anyone who swallows the poison she secretes. Ivy also has the ability to seduce men, something she does to Batman and Robin multiple times throughout the film. This allows her to manipulate them in any way she pleases, giving her immense power over the heroes. On top of that, she seemingly has the ability to control plants. While this isn’t explicitly explained in the film, Batman & Robin suggests that she can manipulate vines and some of the dangerous plants she creates, upping her danger level even more.

4) Mr. Freeze

Unfortunately, Poison Ivy can’t live up to the danger level of Mr. Freeze, one of the other main antagonists in Batman & Robin. Played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Victor Fries was a scientist who was working to cure his wife of a chronic disease. As a result of a lab accident, Fries became unable to live outside of a cryogenic suit. The suit can only be powered by diamonds, causing Fries to turn to a life of crime and take up the mantle of Mr. Freeze. Freeze’s burglaries are what kick off the events of Batman & Robin, and while the character’s appearance and catchphrases are incredibly silly, this doesn’t take away from how dangerous he is.

Even before the accident, Freeze was incredibly intelligent and was an Olympian, meaning that he was almost inhumanly strong. However, Freeze’s suit is where his real power comes from. His suit lets him fly, take powerful hits, and use all kinds of weaponry. Freeze’s main weapon is his freeze gun, which allows him to freeze people and environments. Freeze also has icicle bombs, a freeze truck, and all kinds of other technology that he built in his lair.

3) Ra’s al Ghul

Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy immediately stepped things up with the release of the first film, 2005’s Batman Begins. In the film, Liam Neeson plays Ra’s al Ghul, an ally turned enemy of Bruce Wayne. In the film, the real Ra’s al Ghul is the leader of the League of Shadows, an ancient and powerful organization that attempts to shape the world to its vision. Ra’s has a plan to destroy Gotham’s water supply and release Scarecrow’s toxin into the air, giving all of Gotham terrifying hallucinations.

Ra’s al Ghul is an incredibly talented martial artist, as he was the man who trained Bruce Wayne. This makes Ra’s arguably more powerful than Batman, as he knows everything that Bruce knows. Plus, his leadership of the League of Shadows gives him massive resources, which says a lot since he is facing off with Bruce Wayne.

2) Bane

Bane’s first live-action movie appearance was in Batman & Robin, but a new iteration of the supervillain later appeared in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises. Bane is a former member of the League of Shadows who hopes to finish Ra’s al Ghul’s mission of destroying Gotham.

Bane is the only villain in a Batman movie to successfully take over Gotham, proving that almost no one can compare to him. He has training from the League of Shadows and a massive army of followers, made only larger when he takes over the city. While Bane doesn’t technically have super strength in Nolan’s trilogy, he is in peak human condition. He breaks Batman’s back over his knee and is able to dispose of anyone who faces him with ease. He is the main antagonist of The Dark Knight trilogy’s conclusion, and he is the biggest threat that Bruce faces in the series.

1) Doomsday

In all of Batman’s movies, there is never a villain he faces that is more powerful than Doomsday. In 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Doomsday is a monster that Lex Luthor creates by combining his DNA with Zod’s. While he is weak to Kryptonite, Doomsday is basically unkillable without it. His strength and speed outmatch any other Batman villain’s, and he could defeat any of them without breaking a sweat.

Batman is only able to kill Doomsday by working together with Superman and Wonder Woman. Even then, Superman dies in the process of killing Doomsday. Batman is the least powerful character in the group, and he is definitely playing out of his league with Doomsday. Even though he isn’t technically classified as a Batman villain, Doomsday is in a Batman movie, making him the most powerful contender.

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