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There was never any doubt in our minds the enigmatic, psychopathic Clown Prince of Crime would yield the top spot amongst DC Comics' villains. The Joker is the definition of a scene-stealing, deliciously wicked character, one that is quite possibly more interesting than his superhero counterpart.
A year ago we argued Joker wasn't necessarily Batman's greatest enemy, a fact which would clearly make his high rank here a bit of a mystery. Over the past year, however, three high profile projects reminded us why this character is absolutely one of the best ever created and developed throughout the history of superhero comic books. The Dark Knight, Joker and Batman R.I.P. are not only three of the greatest Batman stories ever created, but perfect examples of why the Joker is the quintessential comic book villain. He exists because of his enemy, and without creatures like the Joker, there would be no Batman. More importantly, this villain is capable of reinventing himself in various iterations, whether it's the savage, sadistic one in R.I.P., the chaos agent in Knight or even the light-hearted comedian from the animated series some 15 years ago.
A great villain isn't just capable of wicked deeds or murder. Depth and layer matter. Heroes and villains are inextricably linked, and just as the sign of a great hero is a great villain, the opposite is true. The Joker must stand up to and alongside the Caped Crusader. This is one of the rare villains to possibly do even more than that. As his movie role last summer proved, he can even surpass one of the greatest heroes of all time. That takes a special something.