In the World of DC Comics, the villains are often as interesting and charismatic as the heroes. And each superhero seems to attract his own varied brand of nemesis. But who has the best (or worst, depending on your view) rogues gallery?

It really comes down to four heroes. These four, Flash, Batman, Superman and Green Lantern, have attracted a more diverse and deadly group of villains than any other superhero in the DC Universe.

So who has the biggest challenge?

Let's start at the bottom and work our way to the top. In fourth place: Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern.

Hal's rogues include such luminaries as Killer Shark, Dr. Light, Dr. Polaris, Eclipso, Evil Star, Hector Hammond, Major Disaster, Sonar, Star Sapphire and the Tattooed Man. But the only one that really stands out as a major, kick-butt villain is his arch-nemesis Sinestro. Sure, the others have caused GL major headaches and attempted to kill him, but Sinestro is definitely more powerful than Green Lantern, and if he wasn't so blinded by vengeance would probably have killed him by now... a good group of rogues, but not in our top three today.

In third place: Superman, the Man of Steel.

Superman's Rogues Gallery contains some of the most powerful baddies in the DC Universe, such as Darkseid, Doomsday, Parasite, Metallo, Zod, Titano, and other more subtle, but no-less-dangerous-types such as Mxyztplk, Brainiac, Toyman, the Prankster and Lex Luthor. One villain, Doomsday, even managed to kill Superman on one occasion. And Luthor became President of the United States. While the challenge of defeating these villains might be insurmountable for most heroes, Superman has done it time and time again.

This brings us to the top two: Flash and Batman. It is a hard decision as to who has the honor of having the best Rogues Gallery. Both are incredibly strong, featuring villains running the gamut of powers from magic to strength to speed to brains and even insanity. Wally West himself said it best speaking to Batman in Flash #217: "Do you think the Rogues here are simple? Do you think just because they aren't mentally screwed to the hilt that I have an easy time? Your guys are different, Bruce. They work on a completely cerebral level. They leave clues. They like to kill. My guys? They're organized. They may have goofy names and wear bright colors, but that doesn't mean they're idiots."

However, only one can win, so here goes.

In a very close race, second place goes to: The Flash.

The Flash's gallery has one deadly factor none of the other superhero rogues have….organization. The Flash's Rogues have formed their own "villains club," featuring Captain Cold, Dr. Alchemy, Mirror Master, The Top, Heat Wave, Trickster and more. They meet regularly, assist each other in breaking out of jail, and trade secrets on their nemesis. This alone makes them fearsome, but when you add in the independents such as Zoom, Grodd, Cicada, the Turtle and Abra Kadabra, you see the deadliness of this gallery of villains. Luckily, the Flash is the fastest man alive. Otherwise, he surely couldn't keep up with all of these villains' activities.

And although the leader of this little organization, Captain Cold, isn't necessarily a cold-blooded (no pun intended) killer, the real strong-arm of the group is Mirror Master. He is intelligent, controls some number of alternate dimensions, can kill you from anywhere, uses mirrors to scry the future and his foes, and then carries out his plans with a a large degree of precision and ruthlessness.

But although the Flash has some truly fearsome, organized foes, first place today goes to The Batman.

For sheer determination, downright devilry, and pure atrocity, you can't top Batman's rogues. Let's run down the list, shall we?

We have the Joker, who shot Barbara Gordon, then photographed the whole thing; we have Bane, who broke the Batman's back; we have the Scarecrow who kills people through psychotropic-drug-induced visions. And need we mention Catwoman, Riddler, Penguin, Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, Clayface, The Red Hood, Two-Face, Mad Hatter, Killer Croc and Mr. J's favorite Harley Quinn?

But the one villain that put Batman over the top in our little list here is probably the most sinister and deadly of all: Ra's Al Ghul. What puts Ra's above all the other villains in all the other Rogues Galleries? If he dies, he can come back. He gains experience and intelligence with each failure, to be reborn in the Lazarus Pit and put his new-found knowledge into fruition. He knows Batman is Bruce Wayne, and he knows the hero's weaknesses. Ra's knows it's only a matter of time until he wins….and time is the one factor that is on his side.

There you have it: my opinion on the rogues of the DC Universe. I had a tough time debating between Flash and Batman, as Flash's rogues are personal favorites of mine. I'd love to hear your opinions on this as well. We don't have to agree on an order, just on the fact that there are some great villains in DC comics!

*** On a side note, if you haven't received your copy of the STL survey and returned it, it's not too late! There are a few days left to have your voice heard! Simply download the survey, or drop me a PM on the forum and one will be delivered to you promptly. After filling it out, simply return it to me at caradon_2000@yahoo.com. A future column will be devoted to the results.