Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here, and today, we’re trying something a little different. If Batman were to have a super villain team like the Sinister Six, who would comprise the team? Spider-Man can’t have all the fun. JK. There are a lot of factors to consider when composing a Batman Sinister Six. We could’ve gone in multiple directions, and Batman has such a storied rogues gallery that any number of his villains could make the team. I also don’t think we need to go one for one with Spider-Man’s Sinister Six, meaning we don’t need a Batman villain version of each Sinister Six member, but I’ll explain which role a villain could serve. We’ll get to Batman’s Sinister Six soon enough, but there are two notable omissions that I would like to address.
Notable Omission #1: The Joker
Simply put, The Joker doesn’t work well in a team. If Batman were to receive a Sinister Six in the comics, there’s no way the creative team would leave off The Joker. He’s too important and marketable a villain. I’ll note who I’d exchange The Joker for on the hypothetical team I created, but The Joker does what The Joker wants to do. He’ll have plans he won’t divulge to the rest of the Sinister Six. Heck, he may even devise plans that would split apart the team. If The Joker was included in a Batman Sinister Six, he’d be my choice for the reason the team fails.
Notable Omission #2: Ra’s al Ghul
While Ra’s al Ghul would serve as a better “leader” for a potential Batman Sinister Six, he doesn’t suffer fools. The first time anyone disagrees with him, Ra’s will ask them to leave. If that person gets in his way, he’ll end them. Plus, there’s the fact that Ra’s al Ghul detests unlawfulness. At some point, he’ll grow tired of being surrounded by Batman’s other rogues. The underlying issues with Ra’s and The Joker may differ slightly, but the end result remains. Neither of them would work in a team setting.
Geekly’s Version of Batman’s Sinister Six
The Riddler
Oftentimes, The Riddler annoys me. Few writers get the character right, but when The Riddler is written well, he can be a menace and worthy of being Batman’s Sinister Six de facto leader. (Coincidentally, The Riddler is the character I would replace with The Joker or Ra’s al Ghul if someone wanted to go in that direction.)
Doctor Octopus represents Spider-Man’s intellectual equal. The Riddler is every bit Batman’s intellectual equal. Does that make The Riddler the best option to lead a Sinister Six? Probably not. Doctor Octopus does hold more sway within Spider-Man’s rogues than I believe The Riddler has in Batman’s rogues. But I’ll point you in the direction of “The War of Jokes and Riddles.” During Tim King’s Batman run, The Riddler instigates a group of Batman villains to terrorize Gotham City. Notice how I didn’t say “led” or “commanded.” The Riddler will need to use his powers of persuasion and present a common goal. Luckily, a Batman Sinister Six would be united in defeating Batman.
Poison Ivy
Electro is one of Spider-Man’s most powerful villains; he may be the most powerful of Spider-Man’s popular villains. The same can be said of Poison Ivy. It also doesn’t hurt that Poison Ivy is a force of nature. In short, Poison Ivy will create enough chaos in Gotham City to keep Batman busy, while the rest of the Sinister Six can focus on Batman himself. Poison Ivy and another member of this group (who we’ll discuss later) can also be the team’s turncoat. Unlike others on this list, Batman could reason with Poison Ivy. Most versions of Spider-Man’s Sinister Six include a member or two who could turn against the team. This serves as a means of giving the hero a chance to overcome insurmountable odds.
Bane
Bane slots in as Batman’s version of Kraven, but Bane has a lot more going for him than just brute strength. Bane is a leader of Gotham’s underworld. He could galvanize Gotham’s various mafia groups into a single banner through coercion. This would add another level of depth to the trouble Batman will face. A splintered mafia makes it easy for Batman to police Gotham’s criminal activity. If they’re all under Bane’s control, that causes some serious issues.
Scarecrow
Obviously, Scarecrow shares similarities with Mysterio in Spider-Man’s rogues, but he makes this list because he uses fear as a weapon, which is what Batman does as well. Scarecrow mirrors Batman. And just when you think you’re safe from plants overtaking the city and the underworld working as one to put an end to Batman, we cue the nightmare sequence. Scarecrow’s moments in the Batman Arkham video game series served as great changes of pace. Just as you’re getting comfortable with how the narrative unfolds. Bam! Scarecrow. I see Scarecrow working similarly in Batman’s Sinister Six.
Clayface
Batman’s Clayface, Spider-Man’s Sandman. There are parallels, but like so many of the previous parallels with Spider-Man’s Sinister Six, Clayface offers a little more. I don’t believe Sandman disguises himself. He certainly doesn’t do that as often as Clayface. Clayface’s position on this list is by design. After Scarecrow causes Batman to question his reality, Clayface can pour gasoline on Scarecrow’s effects by taking the form of Batman’s friends, extending the effects of the nightmare.
Mr. Freeze
We have no parallel in Spider-Man’s Sinister Six for Mr. Freeze. Question the Batman and Robin movie all you want, but it did get one element right. Mister Freeze plays well off of Poison Ivy. The visuals are stark contrasts. Their powers complement each other. Those two work well together as a hypothetical super villain team, and they’ll do so again in Batman’s Sinister Six. Funnily enough, Mister Freeze happens to be the other potential Sinister Six turncoat. He isn’t wholly evil. In fact, the Sinister Six would need to hook Mr. Freeze with some benefit to his research or hold his wife, Nora, for ransom. Mr. Freeze should be the most reluctant member of this team.
And that’s our list for Batman’s Sinister Six. Who would you add? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
