10 Batman villains who have broken into the Batcave

Batman keeps his personal life pretty close to the chest, even with his allies. So when someone discovers something about him, it's a little unsettling. He has no shortage of enemies that would give up anything to know his identity. Having that information would give them an upper hand if and when they need to go toe-to-toe with the Dark Knight.

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Unfortunately for Batman, a handful of villains have discovered his base of operations. The Batcave. This is his sanctum sanctorum. His home away from home. The Batcave houses Batman's suits, gadgets, vehicles, and trophies. If a supervillain were to gain access to the Batcave, it could be catastrophic for Bruce, other superheroes, and the people of Gotham.

Batman villains that dared to break into the Batcave

Bane

Bane is the man who broke Batman's back. He did this inside the Batcave. After rounding up all the villains released from Arkham, Bruce returns home to Wayne Manor. Bane waited inside the manor to ambush an exhausted Bruce. It wasn't difficult for the master tactician to defeat the Caped Crusader.

Bruce had to choose a successor to his mantle to keep Gotham safe. He thought he chose the right person for the job in Jean-Paul Valley. Unfortunately, that would only lead to another defeat inside the Batcave.

Catman

In Detective Comics #538 from 1984, there was a new man in the magical spandex that Thomas Blake wore. This person was Blake’s cellmate, Collins. Collins had a hidden stash of money in a cave not far from Bruce's Batcave. When Collins went looking for the loot and could not retrieve it, he wandered into the elusive Batcave.

Bruce was not a fan of his uninvited guest. While Collins proved more resourceful and capable than Batman initially expected, he was still no match for the world's greatest detective.

The Court of Owls

Scott Snyder took over the Batman comics after Grant Morrison finished his story. Snyder wrote stories for several Batmen, not just Bruce Wayne. However, his "Night of Owls" story was genuinely harrowing and showed just how dangerous the Dark Knight's new villains were.

The Court of Owls was a secret organization that used money and murder to orchestrate events throughout Gotham's history. In "Night of Owls," the court's army of Talons invade Wayne Manor and find their way into the Batcave.

Bruce defended his home using an advanced suit of armor and temperature warfare. The immortal assassins are forced into a deep slumber when the cave's temperature is decreased.

Azrael

Jean-Paul Valley is AzBat (Image via DC Comics)

This one's a bit of a cheat because Jean-Paul Valley didn't so much so break into the Batcave as he was given access to the Batcave. Jean-Paul Valley took over Bruce's role when Batman's back was broken, and he was off healing. Not one of the better Batmans, though. By the time Bruce was fully healed and ready to return as Batman, Jean-Paul wasn't prepared to hand over the cape and cowl.

Jean-Paul Valley sealed off the entire Batcave. He knew about all the entrances because there was an entrance through a dry well that Robin used to confront Azrael. Bruce eventually broke into the cave through the secret clock entrance from Wayne Manor. Two confrontations later, Bruce would have his mantle back.

David Cain

Cassandra Cain, the mute Batgirl, was once trained to be an assassin. The person that trained her was her father: David Cain. He also happens to be another person who managed to find their way into the secluded Batcave.

Ed Brubaker, known for writing The Winter Soldier storyline in Captain America, wrote Batman #605. In this issue, David Cain suspects that Bruce is Batman and sets up a test to discover the truth. When Bruce runs off to capture the assassin, Barbara Gordon stays behind in the Batcave. She quickly learns that Cain is already inside.

Doctor Hurt

Doctor Simon Hurt is an immortal ancestor to Thomas Wayne and by extension, Bruce Wayne. He toys with Bruce in the most sinister of ways. He drives the Caped Crusader mad. With his secret society, the Black Glove, Hurt sneaks into the Batcave, tortures Alfred Pennyworth, and gets Bruce to forget his identity.

Bruce eventually manages to claw his way back into the realm of sanity, but not without a fight. He takes a detour as the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh, where he dresses in a vibrant purple and yellow bat costume. The imaginary caricature Bat-Mite travels with him, which doesn't help matters.

Hush

Hush's story is a convoluted one at that. He's supposed to be Thomas Elliott, an old childhood friend of Bruce's. However, through some poor storytelling choices, it was uncertain if it was Jason Todd returned from the dead or maybe Clayface toying with Bruce.

Years later, in the Heart of Hush storyline, written by Paul Dini, Elliott manipulated his face to look exactly like Bruce Wayne. He intends to take Bruce's place in life. To do this, he finds his way into the Batcave, where he and Bruce fight. Unfortunately for Thomas, Bruce is the superior fighter. Hush is forced to retreat, but it's not the last Bruce sees of his once childhood friend.

Joker

Joker needs no introduction. He has been in countless comic books, including his own, and just as many feature films. He's been around since The Dark Knight's inception during the golden age of comics.

By now, fans know how complicated a character the Joker is. He often doesn't want to defeat the Dark Knight in the traditional sense. The conventional reason is death. He enjoys the attention the Caped Crusader gives him. So when he managed to swim into the Batcave during the Endgame storyline only to steal a few trophies.

Ra's al Ghul

Ra's al Ghul is often considered Batman's most powerful adversary. He has a network of assassins at his disposal and centuries of wealth saved up. He's just as resourceful as the Dark Knight. Not to mention just as capable, if not more, in a fight. Batman and Ra's have a complicated relationship, with Ra's often seeing Bruce as an equal.

In his first appearance in 1971 by Neal Adams and Denny O'Neil, Ra's is already inside the Batcave. He was smart enough to discover Bruce's identity and clever enough to use that to his advantage.

Two-Face

In 2009, Judd Winnick wrote a Batman story after Bruce's death. Two-Face was desperate to discover Batman's true identity and learn who was pretending to be the Dark Knight. Using a Batarang, Harvey Dent finds a teleporter that can take him to where the Batarang was created. This brings him into the Batcave.