Who's fearful of The Dark Knight - By: Jason Mcdonald

With the long running history of Batman comes a very large number of enemies that have become a part of Gothams woes. Making a full listing of them along with their details and secret agendas would be more fitting as a book or novel so, how about taking a brief look at some of the most established and perilous characters in Batmans Universe.

Of course the first one to bring up is the Joker. He is by far to be considered the arch nemesis to Batman. The Joker, name aside, is not to be taken softly. He is a admirable opponent of Batman and is extremely erratic and dangerous. Jack Nicholson did a remarkable job of playing the character in 1989's Batman but Heath Ledger could possibily be considered the best Joker, possibly because of the more realistic approach that director Nolan allowed for in The Dark Knight.

Then up is The Penguin, called this because of his appearance and its similarity to that frozen bird that can not fly. With his lengthy, beak-like snout and dumpy corpse he is a very nauseating individual. He is, nevertheless, a very clever man. Penguin pictures himself as a person who is above every one others, but he is also very much of an outcast. In the sixties Batman series he was portrayed by Burgess Meredith but of the actors that have played the role Danny DeVito got it down to a tee in 1992's Batman Returns. While we are on the issue of that motion picture there is also Catwoman to talk about. Who could forget Michelle Pfeiffer's spin of the P.V.C. clad villainess? Catwoman had already been played very well by Eartha Kitt. The owner of the title to the greatest catwoman is still debatable

Riddle me this Riddle me that is the call of another of The dark knights toughest and most unforgettable enemies. The Riddler is a very intelligent and complex scientist that was rubbed the wrong way. After completely losing it as Edward Nygma he becomes the Riddler and as his name notes, Riddler leaves riddles or clues as to his crimes. Frank Gorshin played The Riddler in the sixties series and in 1995 the popular actor Jim Carrey became the insane enemy in the film Batman Forever.

Finally comes Mr. Freeze, last but not least. He first appeared in Detective Comics as Mr. Zero and wasn't a particularly dangerous character. Later on, after the series in the sixties he became known as Mr. Freeze, a completely different and more dangerous persona. He is a mad scientist who just so happens to have a great understanding of cryonics. To survive anywhere except for a unique refrigeration unit, Mr. Freeze must wear a special cryogenic suit in order to stay cold. This suit grants superhuman powers and special arms that typically make use of the cold. Arnold Schwarzenegger played Mr. Freeze in 1997's Batman and Robin.

With these and every one of the other insane villains Batman has to mess with, you can appreciate how hard Batmans struggle truely is.

Like any other respectable hero, Batman has had his adequate share of enemies. Taking into account that it is nearly seventy years since the creation of Batman you can imagine that to comprise a detailed dossier of each and every foe that Batman has faced would be a very sizeable job.

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