Which Came First, Batman or the Super Villain?

DC Comics fans all know how Batman came to be - Bruce Wayne witnesses the death of his parents at the hands of a criminal and grows up to become a vigilante superhero (searching for the killer of his parents or inspired by the murder, depending on which storyline variation you are reading). But there are many schools of thought as to which came first, the vigilante or the super villain. Would Gotham have been safer without Batman? Did Gotham have simple criminals prior to his arrival or did the Super Villains emerge as a response to his crime fighting actions? Was criminal activity in Gotham seen as something of a challenge for the Super Villain to seek out simply because there was someone like Batman fighting crime there?

 

There is the Super Hero Paradox which pretty much describes where a higher caliber of villain arises to meet the challenge of these super heroes and you see this throughout comics. While there are probably a number of better IRL ones, you could use the LA bank bobbery/shootout as an example of the criminal element attempting to overcome the capabilities of law enforcement (body armor, automatic weapons) or even terrorist threats real or perceived which led to the up-arming of law enforcement.

An arms race of sorts is inevitable I think. Remember, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

 

That reminded me of this particular scene

 

By almost any reckoning it was the superhero, but the villains(Dr.Doom, Magneto, Dr Octopus, Mandarin)m weren't far behind! Anybody think as I do?