against them or pushed to their limits, but you don’t need heat vision or super-strength

to be truly terrifying. Sometimes, all it takes is a criminal blessed with determination,

and an opponent pushing them to their true potential. Here are Screen Rant’s 10 Most

Dangerous Comic Book Criminals.

The Joker

No one knows his story, his motivations, or his endgame - but everyone knows his name:

Joker. Over the years, Batman's arch-nemesis has been portrayed as a serial killer, a crime

boss, a madman, and an agent of chaos, in nearly every form of entertainment. Every

fan may have their favourite, but The Joker is so fragmented and crazed, it's impossible

to even call one version more faithful than any other. Without any superpower, super weapon,

or even backup, Joker's calculated mayhem hasn't just made him a comic book icon, but

one of the most complicated and terrifying villains in history. Not bad for a guy with

nothing but a knife, a pistol, and a plan.

Kingpin

He may not be much to look at, but Wilson Fisk has proven to be not only one of the

most brilliant and ruthless crime bosses the comic book world has ever seen, but a physical

threat capable of fighting some of Marvel’s most impressive heroes. Bullied in his childhood

because of his weight, Fisk hit the gym, turning his former bullies into henchmen, and beginning

his rise to the top of Hell’s Kitchen’s underworld, letting his fists and wits do

the talking, eventually becoming the Kingpin of Crime. Don’t be fooled by the lack of

a gun or club, either: The Kingpin prefers to kill with his bare hands, and whatever

furniture is nearby. He may not be a supervillain, but a man with his talents for organized crime

who can beat Daredevil and Spider-Man in a fight deserves more credit than he’s usually

given.

Killer Croc

Born with a rare genetic condition that caused his skin to grow hard and scaly like a reptile,

Waylon Jones was an outcast, bullied by schoolmates and abused and abandoned by an alcoholic aunt.

As he grew bigger and badder, a job wrestling alligators for the circus seemed a waste of

his talents. Waylon knew how to be tough, and knew a life of crime was his destiny.

Taking the name Killer Croc, he set out to organize and rule the criminals of Gotham

City, proving a serious player even without his bulletproof skin and superstrength. He

would do battle with Batman too many times to count, but what he lacked in brains, he

made up for in brutality. Did we mention he's also a cannibal?

The Darkness

As one of the few comic criminals who is neither good or evil, Jackie Estacado began his life

as an orphan, adopted into the Franchetti crime family at the tender age of 6. Making

his first kill at the age of 16, Jackie would become the family’s most skilled and ruthless

hitman, doing more than just killing his targets to send a message. But on his 21st birthday,

he learned that his induction into the mafia was no coincidence: he was the latest in a

long line of men entrusted with The Darkness: an ancient force granting its host nearly

limitless power. In the hands of Jackie, the power to create any weapon or creature as

long as he stayed in the shadows was a perfect fit, seeking vengeance on all who had wronged

him in the past. With the power to take on Superman himself, Jackie took over the crime

family with ease, putting his skills learned on the streets to work taking over an entire

country.

The Riddler

Unlike most criminal masterminds, the Prince of Puzzlers can't resist telling the absolute

truth. But his need to prove he's the smartest person in the room means The Riddler can't

do anything simply. His green costume and obsession with riddles and brainteasers made

Edward Nigma a bit of a joke to mainstream audiences, but comic fans have seen him develop

into a twisted, terrifying and truly dangerous criminal over the years. The well-known "Hush"

storyline saw Riddler pulling the strings behind every single Batman villain as part

of his plan to bring down Bruce Wayne once and for all. More recently, "Batman: Zero

Year" saw Riddler take complete control over Gotham, turning the city to ruins until a

citizen could solve his riddles. Puzzles aren't too scary, but in the hands of The Riddler,

they can be fatal.

Carnage

Spider-Man knew that the Alien symbiotic behind his black suit was bad news, and when it merged

with Eddie Brock to become Venom, his most popular enemy was born. But not his most dangerous.

When Brock found himself sharing a cell with serial killer psychopath Cletus Kasady, he

wanted out - fast. His alien partner came to the rescue, but left its child behind,

soon entering Kasady's bloodstream - and just like that, Carnage was born. What was most

horrifying about the murderous rampages that followed wasn't the villain's powers, but

placing them in Kasady's hands. It was the madman's belief that murder was the mark of

true courage that made him a menace, meaning he's just as deadly without the suit. He was

created to show what DC's Joker could do if given superpowers, and Carnage has yet to

disappoint.

Bullseye

Putting his skills with throwing projectiles to use as a baseball player, the pitcher who

would become known as “Bullseye” found throwing a no-hitter too boring. Killing the

batter with a ball to the head sent him on his path of murders-for-hire, becoming one

of the deadliest assassins the Marvel Universe has ever seen. But becoming a soldier of fortune

for villains like The Kingpin wasn’t enough – Bullseye wanted fame as well. Bragging

to New York’s Daily Bugle about his many kills and the fact that he “never misses”

put Daredevil on his tail – and the two have been at war ever since. If his mastery

of martial arts, guns and blades wasn’t deadly enough. Bullseye can turn toothpicks,

paperclips, and even his own teeth into lethal weapons. For the right price, of course.

Arcade

Who says insanity and homicidal tendencies can’t be profitable? The Marvel villain

known as “Arcade” learned there’s good money in killing, and as is usually the case,

bigger is better. When the pampered young man was cut off by his wealthy father, he

killed him, and took the money for himself. Flush with cash and realizing his love of

murder, Arcade became a globetrotting assassin. But when the murder game became too boring,

he hatched a different plan: he’d build his own deathtrap known as “Murderworld,”

and drop his targets into the fatal theme park to give them a fighting chance. The villain’s

similarities to DC’s Joker are obvious, but his one-of-a-kind humor and genuine thrill

at seeing his victims attempt to escape made him a hit, appearing alongside many of Marvel’s

most well-known heroes. Even if that meant he racked up more failures than kills.

Two-Face

What’s more tragic than seeing an embodiment of law and order flipped on its head, embracing

crime, chaos and violence instead? The answer is a man who can’t even decide between the

two. Every Batman fan knows the tragic story of Harvey Dent, once an upstanding District

Attorney who develops a split personality when half of his face is burned with acid.

Although the darker side of his character may be more than a little crazed, it still

has access to the brilliant intelligence and knowledge of Gotham’s underworld. The result

is Two-Face, a crime boss who sees every attack against Gotham as an opportunity. But what

makes the villain truly dangerous is his signature coin, used to make nearly every decision facing

his fractured mind. Sure, he may have become predictable over the years, but when the flip

of a coin means Harvey Dent may help Batman save the day – or commit an unspeakable

act of violence, he becomes a villain unlike any other the Dark Knight has had to face.

Prometheus

If there’s one criminal in the world of DC Comics who is truly underrated, it has

to be Prometheus. Raised by two criminals, the young boy travelled across America, learning

the outlaw life until his parents were shot down by police. Just as Bruce Wayne dedicated

his life to avenging his parents, Prometheus did the same. Spending time in South American

fighting pits, working as an African mercenary and as an international terrorist, Prometheus

became a true student of crime and violence, eventually killing the cops who killed his

parents, and turning his finely-tuned skills to bringing down the Justice League. He may

have required some gadgets to get the job done, but an everyday criminal who can take

down Batman, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter deserves some respect.

So what do you think of our list? Did we miss any of your favorite comic book crooks, killer

and thieves? Let us know in our comment section and don't forget to subscribe to our channel

for more videos like this one.