Villainous Forensic Psychiatrists and Psychologists from the Batman Universe
| Character | Background | First Appearance |
|---|---|---|
| Hugo Strange | Psychologist (?) but trained in psychiatry, chemistry, and biology. May be why he likes to make “monster men.” | Detective Comics #36 (February 1940); created by Bob Krane and Bill Finger; although he predates some of Wertham's most notable activities, with time the character evolved from “mad scientist” to “mad psychiatrist.” |
| Scarecrow, a.k.a. Jonathan Crane | Psychologist (?), made a fear toxin and commits crimes to fund research. | World's Finest Comics #3 (September 1941); created by Bob Krane, Bill Finger, Jerry Robinson. |
| Mad Hatter, a.k.a. Jervis Tetch | Neuroscientist who utilizes mind-control technology and is fascinated with Alice in Wonderland. | Batman #49 (October 1948); created by Bill Finger and Lew Sayre Schwartz. |
| Dr. Hurt, a.k.a. Simon Hurt, a.k.a. Bruce Wayne (not the one who is Batman) | Psychiatrist (?), devil worshipper granted long life, who wants to destroy the Wayne family name. | Batman #156 (June 1963); created by Sheldon Moldoff, Charles Paris, and Grant Morrison. |
| Anders Overbeck (TV), a.k.a. Red Hood (variant) | Psychiatrist who took the identity of existing villain Red Hood. | Batman TV show (January 1967), The Contaminated Cowl; created by Bill Finger, Lew Sayre Schwartz, and Charles Hoffman (Bill Finger, one of the original comic book creators, was also actively involved in the original TV show). |
| Amadeus Arkham | Psychiatrist, original founder of Arkham Asylum who later became a patient of Arkham Asylum. | Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth (1989); created by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean. |
| Jeremiah Arkham, a.k.a. Black Mask (variant) | Psychiatrist, director of Arkham Asylum and relative of Amadeus Arkham, who often blames Batman for stopping patients' rehabilitation. | Batman: Shadow of the Bat (June 1992); created by Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle. |
| Harley Quinn (TV), a.k.a. Harleen Quinzel | Psychiatrist, fell in love with the Joker and became evil; due to popularity, at times is more of an anti-hero. | Batman the Animated Series: the Joker's Favor (1992); created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm. |
| Spellbinder (TV), a.k.a. Ira Billings | School psychologist, hypnotized students to steal; in other story lines, he is a psychiatrist. | Spellbound (May 1, 1999); created by Robert Goodman. |
| Charles Nigaff | Psychologist, works at Arkham Asylum, convinced children to use the steroid Venom. | Batman: Orphans #1 (February 2011); created by Eddie Berganza and Carlo Barberi. |
| Merrymaker, a.k.a. Bryon Merideth | Therapist to those obsessed with the Joker. | Detective Comics #16 (March 2013); created by John Layman and Jason Fabok. |
| Harlequin (TV), a.k.a. Holly Quinn (on TV, predates Harley Quinn on TV, postdates Harley Quinn in comics) | Psychiatrist, worked at Arkham Asylum with the Red Hood. | Batman TV show (1966), Batman '66 #3 (November 2013); created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm. |
| Bethanie Ravencroft | Psychologist, affiliated with the League of Assassins; like Harley Quinn, was introduced in a children's TV cartoon. | Beware the Batman TV show (July 20, 2013), Secrets; created by Mitch Watson. |
| Dr. Double X, a.k.a. Simon Ecks | Psychiatrist, worked at Arkham Asylum, gained the ability to mentally project energy. | Batman Eternal #16 (September 2014); created by Dave Wood and Sheldon Moldoff. |
| Miss Peabody, a.k.a. Ethel Peabody (TV) | Doctor, worked with Dr. Hugo Strange on Gotham TV show. | Gotham TV show (November 30, 2015), Rise of the Villains: Worse Than a Crime; created by Bruno Heller. |