Nolan Batman Series Villains

Joe Chill
(Played by Richard Brake) A homeless criminal who held the Wayne family at gunpoint as they were leaving the opera. He demanded money and Mrs Wayne's necklace, and when Mrs. Wayne hesitated out of fear, he turned his gun on her. Mr. Wayne stepped in front of his wife to shield her, and Chill got angry and fatally shot them both. He then fled the scene. Later that same night he was caught by Loeb's men, and was subsequently convicted and imprisoned. 14 years later he made a deal with the district attorney to testify against Carmine Falcone, whom he had shared a cell with and gained information on in exchange for his freedom. However immediately after he was released from custody he was shot at close range and killed by a hitwoman hired by Falcone.

Carmine Falcone
(Played by Tom Wilkinson) The most powerful mob boss in Gotham City, Falcone created a wave of crime and corruption in the wake of an economic depression that left significant numbers of Gotham's citizens homeless and desperate. At some point early in his tenure he was imprisoned and shared a cell with Joe Chill. He was released, and when he learned Chill was up for parole he hired an assassin to prevent him from testifying about things he had learned in prison. Later that same day Bruce Wayne confronted him while he was dining at his restaurant. Falcone responded by mocking Wayne and had his bodyguards throw him out. Seven years later, when Wayne returned to Gotham, Falcone remained leader of the mob. He sent two thugs to kill Dawes, but they were taken down by Batman before they could succeed. At the docks he witnessed batman taking down his men and tried to flee, but found his driver unconscious. He loaded a rifle he kept inside the limo, but Batman surprised him by breaking through the sunroof and hauling him out through it. Batman headbutted him hard enough to knock out one of Falcone's teeth, and chained him unconscious to a large spotlight, his silouette casting the outline of a bat against the sky. He and his thugs were captured by the GCPD at the scene. Not long after being taken into custody he cut his wrists to secure a meeting with Dr. Crane. He threatened to reveal everything he knew about Crane and his plans if he was not included. This backfired horribly for Falcone, as Crane instead poisoned him with a concentrated dose of his new toxin, causing him to suffer a complete and irreversible psychotic breakdown.

Judge Faden
(Played by Gerard Murphy) An extremely corrupt judge in the service of Carmine Falcone, he presided over the hearing in which Joe Chill was released. He was paid off by Falcone to make the hearing public, so that his assassin would have a clear shot at Chill. He was instrumental in keeping Falcone from being taken down, as the DA knew prosecuting Falcone would be futile with Faden on the bench. Batman managed to take an assortment of incriminating and humiliating photographs of Faden with call girls hired by Falcone, and gave them to Rachel Dawes, who used them to gain leverage over the judge and prevent him from interfering with DA Carl Finch's prosecution of Falcone and his men.

Ra's Al Ghul
(Played by Ken Watanabe) The mysterious man Bruce was introduced to as the leader of the League of Shadows. He observed Bruce's training, and when he deemed Bruce worthy he assigned him the task of executing a murderer from a nearby village. Bruce refused, and Ra's is disappointed that When Bruce set the fortress on fire Ra's attempted to kill Bruce in a sword fight, but was himself killed when a section of burning balcony gave way and crushed him.

Henri Ducard
(Played by Liam Neeson) Bruce first encountered Ducard in the Chinese prison, when Ducard visited the Chiese prison he was incarcerated in. He revealed that he was a member of the League of Shadows, a powerful brotherhood of crime fighting warriors, and that its mysterious leader, Ra's Al Ghul, wished for Bruce to join their society. He arranged for Bruce's release, and as his first task instructed him to deliver a rare blue flower to their fortress high in the Himalayas. Bruce succeeded, and was introduced to Ra's Al Ghul. Ducard was responsible for mentoring Bruce and overseeing the physical and psychological training necessary to join the League. When it was clear that Bruce had become a powerful warrior Ducard was ready to make him a leader in the League. However, as a last test he commanded Bruce to behead a murderer the League had captured. Ducard shocks Bruce when he appears at the party and reveals that he is in fact Ra's Al Ghul, and that the league of Shadows is planning to destroy the city using a stolen microwave emitter. As his men set Wayne Manor on fire, he attacks Bruce and leaves him pinned under a wooden beam. He sets off the device in the Narrows, covering the area in the deadly hallucinogen and causing mass chaos. He and his men then load the emitter onto a train. Ducard fights Bruce aboard the speeding train and manages to force him to the ground. When he is distracted by the collapse of the tracks ahead of the train Bruce manages to force him to the ground. Ducard asks Bruce if he has finally learned to do what is necessary. Bruce does not kill him, The train plummeted off the elevated tracks and into an underground parking garage. The damage from the crash caused the microwave emitter to explode in a fireball that ripped the wrecked train apart, killing Ducard.

Jonathan Crane
(Played by Cillian Murphy) The twisted director of Arkham Asylum, Dr. Crane was an utterly unscrupulous man who performed He gained the attention of Rachel Dawes when she saw that he was declaring several of Falone's men insane so that they could avoid jail time. When Falcone was captured and threatened to tell the DA everything he knew Crane silenced him by spraying his fully developed halluciongen in his face. When Rachel became suspicious of Falcone's condition Crane lured her into Arkham's basement and poisoned her with the toxin as well. Batman entered the Asylum and dispatched Crane's thugs, and forced Crane to gas himself with his own toxin. The police stormed the building shortly afterward, and discovered Crane in a psychotic state so they restrained him in the asylum. That same night the maximum security wing of the Asylum was broken open by the League of Shadows, and they returned Crane his mask and released him along with the rest of the inmates into the Narrows. Sometime in the events that followed Crane kills a SWAT officer and steals his horse, riding it through the streets. Completely taken over by the persona of the Scarecrow, he cornered Rachel and a small boy, and would have killed them had not Rachel hit him in the face with a tazer, causing him to yell in agony and spooking the horse, which ran off with Crane dangling from the saddle. The Scarecrow returns in The Dark Knight where he's confronted by Chechen for putting his fear gas into drugs, scaring away his customers. Crane taunts the mobster because (apparently) Crane is the only criminal in Gotham who has access to drugs anymore, since Batman scared off the others. The party is ambushed by a group of Batman imitators. The group, along with Crane is quickly subdued by the real Batman.

Victor Zsasz
(Played by Tim Booth) A mob hitman, notable for the tally-mark scars on his neck. He was declared insane by Dr. Crane as part of an agreement between Crane and Falcone, thus ending up in Arkham Asylum instead of prison. He escaped into the Narrows when the League of Shadows broke Arkham Asylum open, and became genuinely insane at least temporarily when the toxin was released into the air. He attempted to kill Rachel Dawes and a small boy she was protecting, but Batman dropped off a nearby roof and quickly disabled Zsasz.

Arnold Flass
(Played by Mark Boone Junior) A corrupt Gotham City detective who moonlights as a low-level enforcer for Falcone. He was partnered with Seargant Gordon, who was disgusted with his extortion activities and association with the mob, but knew it would be pointless to report him in a city as corrupt as Gotham. At the request of Falcone, he was present at the docks when Batman first He managed to escape the area, but was seen by Batman at the scene. Batman caught up with him and extracted information from him by dangling him by his ankle over the streets. When the water mains burst he was hit directly in the face by a jet of the freshly vaporized toxin, and began to experience severe hallucinations almost immediately. He nearly shot two teenagers before Seargant Gordon knocked him unconscious and handcuffed him to a pole.

Gotham Bank Manager
(Played by William Fichtner). The manager of Gotham Bank appears in the opening scene of The Dark Knight when a group of criminals wearing clown masks enter with the intention of robbing the bank, which is actually owned by the mob. One of the criminals is really the Joker who has all of the others killed until he remains. The manager somewhat helps when he brings out a shotgun and starts shooting at the thieves. However, he is shot by the Joker. Just as the Joker makes his departure from the bank, the bank manager laments on how criminal's in Gotham used to believe in honour and asks what the Joker believes in. The Joker responds with "I believe what doesn't kill simply makes you stranger." The Joker then inserts a grenade into the manager's mouth and drives off in a stolen school bus, a string on the back of the bus activating the grenade which turns out to be a smoke grenade. It is unknown if the manager survived, but it is likely as the police arrive shortly after the Joker escapes.

The Joker
(Played by Heath Ledger). The Joker is a twisted homicidal maniac who brings to Gotham a new wave of anarchy. He thinks of himself as an "agent of chaos". He hates the use of firearms, even though he does use them, and prefers to use knives instead to give more pain to a victim. He often reminds himself and victims of how he got the scars on either side of his mouth, usually referring to an abusive father and a shallow wife, his story altering several times. After Batman is able to capture the Joker's fingerprint, it's stated that his real name could be "Melvin White", although this is never confirmed. He seems to care little for his own safety and life, wearing scruffy clothes and wears makeup (or warpaint as one criminal describes it as). The Joker robs from a mob bank and then visits a meeting between the main mobsters of Gotham, suggesting that they kill the Batman and asks for half of the money owned by the mob. A mobster, Gambol, sends out a reward for killing the Joker. The Joker fakes his death and kills Gambol. Most of the city's mobsters are rounded up and put on trial, so the Joker is hired by the Chechen to kill Batman. The Joker begins killing off law representatives of Gotham day by day as a warning for Batman, wanting him to unmask and hand himself in to the authorities. Among the casualties of the Joker's murdering spree is Police Commissioner Loeb.

The Joker attempts to assassinate Mayor Garcia during Loeb's funeral march, and then his next target is Rachel Dawes and Harvey Dent. Dent announces he is Batman, and is placed in a SWAT Van for protection. The Joker and his goons attack them in a chase, using a truck for transport. Batman and James Gordon stops the Joker, and arrest him. However, it is revealed that he deliberately allowed himself to be arrested so Dawes and Dent could be captured. Batman interrogatesd the Joker is a violent manner until he reveals the addresses the two district attorneys are located at. Batman and Gordon race to the two locations, but only Dent is saved. The Joker blows up the police headquarters of Gotham PD and escapes, the bomb installed in a mobile phone which in turn was placed inside a man's stomach. The Joker visits Dent in Gotham General Hospital, crossdressing as a nurse and convinces him to eliminate those responsible for Dawes' death. He then proceeds to blow up the hospital, escaping on a school bus. That night, the Joker announces he will bring Gotham to the ground by midnight and advises everyone to evacuate. The Joker gives bombs to people onboard two ferries and gives them the option to blow one of the others boats up before midnight, otherwise both will be destroyed by him. He also holds hostages inside a building. However, Batman manages to stop him, the people on the ferries refusing to kill each other. The Joker is captured by Batman, and is left suspended in midair by Batman after the Joker tells him how he corrupted Dent.

Gambol
(Played by Michael Jai White). Gambol is an African-American mobster who has an extreme disliking towards the Joker for stealing his money from Gotham Bank and insulting him. He sends out a warrant for the Joker to be killed, a reward for the person who kills him. The Joker fakes his death and is brought in to Gambol's lair, where he takes Gambol at knifepoint and tells him how he got his scars, and then kills him. Gambol's minions are given the chance to join the Joker's group.

Lau
(Played by Chin Han). Lau is a Chinese accountant for the mobs of Gotham, owning a corporation in Hong Kong. After Gotham Bank is robbed by the Joker, Lau moves all of the mob's money to his corporation for safekeeping, but the Joker promises him that Batman will find and capture him. Batman goes to Hong Kong and apprehends Lau, bringing him back to Gotham where he is interrogated by Rachel Dawes and is placed in a prison cell in Gotahm DP's headquarters. Apparently, Lau was planning to keep the money for himself if the Mob was taken down. When the Joker partially blows up part of Gotham DP's building, Lau is found by the Joker and captured. He is last seen strapped to a large pile of money which the Joker sets on fire, Lau burning alive and presumably dying.

Salvatore Maroni
(Played by Eric Roberts). Sal Maroni is the new crime boss of the mobs in Gotham after Carmone Falcone's arrest. He is a rather suave and laidback person with little cares, and unlike most criminals, appears on television and in public. He even appears to talk to Mike Engel on Gotham Tonight, a television talkshow (seen on the DVD release of The Dark Knight). He describes himself as a "fall guy", taking the blame for all the crime in Gotham when he had nothing to do with it (so he claims). He is put on trial several times by Harvey Dent, but appears to get off free every time. He is interrogated by Batman to find out the Joker's location, Batman dropping Maroni from a high window to the ground where he breaks his legs. He recovers and later is seen with a cane, but can walk. He meets Harvey Dent, now Two-Face, in his limo. Dent asks him who was the second police officer to kidnap Rachel, having already killed one. Maroni reveals the officer as Ramirez, Commissioner Gordon's assistant. Dent then flips his coin to decide Maroni's fate. Maroni is spared, but Dent then flips the coin again and shoots the limo driver. The limo is then scene flipping over several times. It is unknown if Maroni survived or not, Dent surviving because he put a seatbelt on before shooting the limo driver.

The Chechen
(Played by Ritchie Coster). The Chechen is a Russian mobster working in Gotham. He seems to be good friends with Sal Maroni due to their constantly seen together in several scenes. The Chechen is very laidback and deeply cares for his guarddogs, who he calls his "princes". The Chechen first appears in a meeting with the Scarecrow in a multi-story car park, but flees when Batman shows up. He is next seen in a mob meeting which the Joker interrupts, the Chechen taking a liking to the bizarre villain who offers his services to the group. After Lau is arrested, the Chechen decides to call the Joker for assistance to killing Batman. He is last seen when the Joker kills Lau by setting him on a large pile of money which he sets on fire using a cigar the Chechen is smoking. The Chechen is quite shocked by this, and the Joker asks his minions to work for him. The Joker looks down on the Chechen for caring only aboout money, stating that Gotham deserves "a better class of criminal". It is implied, but not seen, that the Joker had the Russian gangster mauled to death by his own dogs.

Wuertz
(Played by Ron Dean). Wuertz is an aging officer in Gotham PD, and appears to be leading the investigation into figuring out who Batman's identity is. A group of photos of Elvis Presley, Abraham Lincoln and the Abominable Snowman are seen on a notice board close to Wuertz desk, hinting he is not having much luck. Wuertz is responsible for kidnapping Rachel Dawes, which leads to her death. Harvey Dent confronts Wuertz in a bar on his day off, asking him who else was responsible for Rachel's abduction. He then shoots Wuertz by the judgement of his coin. It's unknown what means the Joker used to ensure Wuertz' cooperation.

Ramirez
(Played by Monique Curnen). Ramirez is a Hispanic officer in Gotham PD. She's part of Jim Gordon's unit, and is often seen with him, reporting news. She appears to be the one Gordon trusts most. She, along with Wuertz, worked with the Joker. She kidnapped Rachel and turned her over to the Joker's goons. When confronted by Two-Face, she pleaded for mercy, saying that the Joker threatened her ill mother to coax her into agreeing. Two-face forces her to get Gordon's wife out into the open. He spares Ramirez, but, unsatisfied, punches her out cold and walks away. Her character resembles Renee Montoya from the comics.

Thomas Schiff
(Played by David Dastmalchian) A Paranoid Schizophrenic and former patient at Arkham Asylum. "The kind of mind the Joker attracts," Batman tells Harvey Dent as the frustrated District Attorney holds Schiff at gunpoint in an abandoned warehouse. He was first seen in disguise as one of the Joker's 'Honor Guard' with a nametag reading "Rachel Dawes" at the funeral for Police Commissioner Loeb and was part of the assassination plot against the Mayor. Dent abducted him and threatened him for information on the Joker, introducing Harvey Dent's signature "toin coss". Dent was rebuked by Batman for leaving a life to chance, to which th D.A. replies, "not exactly". It's later revealed that Dent's coin is two-headed. He used the coin toss to intimidate Schiff into telling him about the Joker. Whether Schiff is still living or not is not fully known.

Two-Face
(Played by Aaron Eckhart)

Newly elected District Attorney of Gotham City, Harvey Dent has put half of the city's criminals in prison, but his work at internal affairs (Finding and exposing corrupt police officers) makes him unliked by Gotham's Police Force, for which he is called "Harvey Two-Face". He dated Rachel Dawes and wants to marry her, thus creating a rivalry between him and Bruce Wayne. Dent, along with Gordon and Batman, work together to retrieve Lau and arrest the other mobsters. When Batman offers to turn himself in, Harvey takes the fall instead, stating that he is Batman. During a prison transfer, Dent's car is attacked by the Joker. He is rescued by Batman, only to be captured by the Joker again soon afterwards. He is once again rescued by Batman. This saddened him because he knew that Rachel would die. Batman saved his life, but half of Dent's face was burned by the explosion. Later, the Joker visited him in a hospital and convinced him to turn his revenge to those truly responsible. Harvey went on a killing spree which left five people dead. He held Gordon's son at gunpoint, but before he could take action, he was tackled over a rail by Batman in which he fell to his death.