I said last week that Batman had the best Rogues Gallery in comics, and I stand by that claim! But even Batman has some stinkers in the bunch. Well, OK, he has more than a few stinkers. The guy has been in comics since 1939, and he can’t fight the Joker all the time. Batman has fought a lot of stupid bad guys, some who last only one issue and some who faded into obscurity years ago. But there are a special few losers who seem to stick around, who manage to claw back into the comics every now and again to remind us just how lame they really are.

Beware the Condiment King!

Don’t get me wrong, this is by no means a complete list. Batman and Robin have fought a lot of bozos over the years. These are just my pick for the 6 lamest Batman bad guys ever! And there are some ground rules. Guys like the Condiment King are purposefully lame. But this list is of legitimate villains who are just super lame. And I’d love to hear your suggestions in the comments!

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6. Black Mask

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Essentially he’s really just the ‘Black Skull’

Some fans might tell you that Black Mask is cool – those people are fools. Back when he first premiered, Roman Sionis made himself a super-villain by carving a black mask out of his father’s casket. That sounds kind of badass. But since then, that mask has transformed into just a generic black skull. And Black Mask has transformed into just a generic evil crime boss. Nothing special. He’s crazy, kills his own people, and basically just acts like an evil business man. It’s like DC saw the popularity of Marvel’s Red Skull character and decided they would make him cooler by just making his skull black instead. Black is cooler than red, right? I’m glad he’s dead.

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5. Ratcatcher

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The name ‘Pied Piper’ is already taken by a Flash villain

Somehow this guy earned references in both Batman: Arkham games. Your guess is as good as mine as to why. He’s just a dude – the oddly named Otis Flannegan – who likes rats. He has some control over them, and has flooded Gotham City with those vermin, but he is about as awkward as super-villains get. The Ratcatcher might represent rats, but Batman represents rats with wings! Take to the skies, you grim avenger! You might even consider Batman to be the Ratcatcher-catcher…but you shouldn’t.

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4. Red Claw

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She did not make the leap to comics

Oh Batman the Animated Series, sometimes you tried just a little too hard. Red Claw was so lame that she got defeated by Alfred in one episode! BtAS was known for creating some very memorable villains – like Harley Quinn and Baby Doll – but Red Claw was boring and generic. She was just a vaguely European terrorist whose shtick was a red claw tattoo and a stupid red unitard. That was about it. She had vaguely sinister evil plans, but Batman barely broke a sweat defeating her. And unlike Harley Quinn, Red Claw was never heard from again.

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3. Crazy Quilt

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My eyeballs are vomiting!

Believe it or not, Crazy Quilt was a legitimate bad guy, even dressed like that. Why he named himself after a comfortable bed spread, who knows! The dude was a color freak. He underwent some strange surgery to fix his vision long before laser surgery was a thing, and he ended up only able to see bright, vivid colors. It drove him insane. Crazy Quilt was already a criminal before the surgery, so he just became an insane criminal. He used that color theme to create a hypnotizing helmet and…jeez, just look at that costume. And that mustache! How could anyone take him seriously? Fun fact: Crazy Quilt hated Robin more than Batman, but then nobody ever became famous by being Robin’s arch-nemesis.

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2. Cluemaster

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Who needs a utility belt when you can wear utility suspenders!

I guess somebody didn’t get the memo that the Riddler exists. Seriously, he’s the Riddler in a dumber costume. Cluemaster, otherwise known as Arthur Brown, is a thief who leaves clues behind so that he can be caught. But he doesn’t have the style, the flair, or the intelligence of the Riddler. The only good thing to come of the Cluemaster was his daughter, Stephanie, who decided to become a superhero just so she could help put her father back behind bars. Even his own family wants Cluemaster stopped. He’s just a dumb knock-off, the non-union Mexican equivalent.

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1. Wrath

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Might as well add a letter ‘L’ on his forehead

Once upon a time, some comic book writer had the brilliant idea to create the anti-Batman. Hey, he called his friends around, what if this guy’s parents were both crooks, and they were killed by a police officer when he was a child. And then he dedicated his life to becoming a powerful vigilante, but one who fought cops instead of fighting crime. He’d also have a utility belt, a sidekick and a costume just like Batman! Only instead of something cool like a bat, the Wrath would have a big, freakin’ letter ‘W’ on his face!

It shouldn’t come to anyone’s surprise that this dingus ended up dying in his first appearance – only to be brought back several years later, this time with his former sidekick taking up the mantle of ‘Wrath’. He also – against all common sense – earned an episode of The Batman cartoon. No wonder that show never caught on. What kind of ho-hum name is ‘Wrath’ anyway? They couldn’t be bothered to call him ‘Wrathman’?