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Top 5 Underrated Underused Superman Comic Book Villains

5 Underrated/Underused Superman Comic Book Villains

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Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another underrated/underused villains list. Today’s topic is Superman’s rogues. When will I learn? I set out for a list like this, research it quite a bit, and find that I have three or even four lists in one. So, this will be the first of a series of Superman Villains Lists. We’ll save the underused in the film and TV villains for a future list. Superman has way too many of these, and the big names (like Brainiac and Bizarro) would dominate the list. Instead, let’s discuss some underrated/underused, emphasis on the underused, Superman villains from the comics. That should generate some odd names. So, this is a list of five underrated/underused Superman Comic Book Villains.

5: The Prankster

The Prankster debuted in Action Comics #51 in 1942, making him one of Superman’s first villains. Fresh from the success of The Joker, DC Comics wanted another clownish villain for Superman. Jerry Siegel created The Prankster. Chasing this trend didn’t really work out for The Prankster. Sure. He had plenty of run in comic book’s golden age, saw a handful of appearances in the silver age, and has even had a few other iterations. But The Prankster never really took off, and DC Comics stopped trying to make this third-rate Joker work in 2011 (during the New 52). The Prankster needs to be something other than a Joker clone.

Oddly enough, The New 52 version of The Prankster might’ve been on to something. This version of The Prankster uses pranks or punks to disrupt the flow of government in the name of political activism. During one storyline, The Prankster disabled a vital subway line because the mayor of Chicago was corrupt. Technically, The Prankster qualified as an evil-doer, but Superman struggled with the moral ambiguity of this version of the character. It might be time for The Prankster’s glow up.

4: Faora

Faora may be the most recognizable face on this list. Typically, she’s General Zod’s right-hand woman. Be honest. Most of you didn’t know the name of the woman who usually accompanies General Zod. And that’s my point. Well, that’s one of my points. You see, Faora almost always shows up to aid General Zod in the movies or television shows Zod graces with his appearance. She doesn’t show up nearly as much in the comics, and she has her own complicated past and ideology.

Sure, Faora does tend to share a lot of Zod’s dogmatic beliefs, but she is her own person. Her martial arts ability and a knack for targeting someone’s pressure points make her particularly deadly to Superman. In some iterations, she’s been on Jor-El’s side (that’d be Superman’s father). Other iterations cast her as an artificial intelligence running the Phantom Zone. What? DC Comics doesn’t know what it wants to do with Faora. I’d love to see a comic explore a definitive version of this character.

3: Zha-Vam

As always, I place a difficult character to stratify at the three spot. Don’t know where to place someone? Three. But Zha-Vam is an interesting case. Zha-Vam was an early attempt by DC Comics to make their own version of Captain Marvel (Shazam) before the company acquired Shazam’s rights. Zha-Vam is primarily a Superman villain who doesn’t get nearly enough comic book issues. Instead, DC Comics likes to contrive reasons for Shazam and Superman to fight.

What are you doing, DC Comics? You have a second Shazam in Zha-Vam. Canonically, Zha-Vam has every reason to fight Superman, but you’re too scared to use him. Stop making up reasons for Shazam and Superman to fight. Build up Zha-Vam. Okay. Maybe the Zha-Vam name is a little silly, but Shazam isn’t much better. Make it happen, DC Comics.

2: Toyman

Here we go. Like The Prankster, Toyman is another early Superman villain (one of Supes’s first ten), and he gets a handful of stories here and there, but for the most part, DC Comics doesn’t know what to do with Toyman. There may be a reason for this. Ironically, Toyman suffers from a similar problem as The Prankster. While The Prankster is a third-rate Joker, Toyman is a villain better suited for Batman. But that makes Toyman invaluable to Superman’s rogues’ gallery. The better Toyman stories have involved a criminal pathology Superman is ill-equipped to comprehend. This makes Toyman interesting.

I’d much rather see Superman writers develop Toyman over bringing in one of Batman’s rogues–usually The Joker–to fill a similar role. This is an argument similar to the previous one with Zha-Vam. Quit contriving reasons for Superman and The Joker to spar when you have a perfectly sadistic villain in Toyman, waiting in the darker corners of Superman’s rogues.

1: Funnyface

Okay. All of these other Superman villains have shown up in multiple comic books and stories. Funnyface is our first truly obscure villain. Funnyface appeared in one comic (Superman #19) and perhaps had one or two other cameos, and was never heard from again. That’s a shame. Funnyface (real name never revealed) was a failed comic artist who wished he could have sold one strip to a syndicate. He was more gifted in science and developed a way to materialize figures out of two-dimensional images. In other words, the pictures Funnyface draws come to life.

While Funnyface’s origin makes little sense (Who fails at being an artist, but they’re awesome at science for some reason?), the idea of drawings coming to life is fertile ground for a comic book story. Superman could have his hands full. All Funnyface would have to do is draw himself an army, which is what he does in his one major comic book appearance. And that one comic book appearance occurred in the 1940s. Who knows what twisted direction a DC Comics creative team would do with this character in a modern comic book setting? Sign me up for that, please.

And that’s our list of five underrated/underused Superman Comic Book Villains. Who would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Clayface Review

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Happy Halloween, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here. We have a special review in honor of Spooky Season and Halloween. All of our Geekly Writers watched Clayface together this past week, and we’ll share our thoughts on the latest entry in the DCU. We’ve only seen the movie once, so this will be more of a reaction than a full review. I’ll kick off this post by sharing my thoughts.

Kyra’s Thoughts

Clayface works well as an introduction to the character. Seriously, we watched the movie with someone who has never seen anything with Batman, and he left wanting to consume more. Clayface dives into the character’s psyche. As if we needed more evidence (beyond Joker and Penguin), Clayface proves that you don’t need Batman to tell a solid story steeped in Gotham City lore. These characters have pathos to spare. Clayface does an excellent job of showing how layered Matt Hagen is with a healthy side of body horror. For those who know the character, the movie goes how you would expect the movie to go. Clayface borrows plenty from Batman: The Animated Series, the Arkham video game series, and the comics. It’s a great watch. And I agree with Season’s sentiment (after leaving the theater), Clayface may have to go on our Halloween movie rotation.

I appreciate Clayface exploring Matt Hagen’s personality. Even before his “accident,” the movie presents Hagen as someone struggling with his identity. The moment he shares celebrating with his deceased mother. The scene with a late night show host asking him to do impressions and when he asks who the real Matt Hagen is, Hagen doesn’t have a good answer. He loses himself in his roles. He searches for himself. And I like how Clayface foreshadows with Hagen sharing with late show host Vic Chissler (great name) that he’s scared of finding his real self. Great foreshadowing.

This also ties into Clayface’s second half: the revenge plotline. I’m skipping over the body horror elements (which dominated Clayface’s first half) for now, so I can focus on Clayface/Matt Hagen as a character. I’ll return to the body horror. Don’t worry. Once Matt Hagen discovers his true self (Clayface), he goes on a killing spree. I want to share a great quote from the movie.

You wanna know how I feel? The people I trusted betrayed me. The justice system failed me. They stole my career, my money, my life! I’m a monster.

Clayface has great quotes to spare. I can see people reciting these for years. As you can tell from the above quote, the movie does a great job of building up Matt Hagen before he becomes Clayface. It puts in the work, so you care about who Hagen is as a person. While he does these horrible things, you can’t help but sympathize with him–to a point. And Clayface’s rampage borrows scenes straight from Batman: The Animated Series. Two of his kills are ripped right from the cartoon series. Ah! Now, I want watch BTAS again. Or at least “Feat of Clay” and “Mudslide.”

But Clayface explores the title character’s power set a little bit, providing a touch of new uses to his existing abilities. Clayface’s body always had the ability to reattach itself after getting flung elsewhere. Hagen uses this to his advantage, specifically his blood in a particularly gruesome death scene near the end. It makes sense for Hagen to cut himself, bleed into someone’s orifices, and wait for his blood to return to his body, ripping the other person apart from the inside. Ugh! So good though. The character who dies this way had it coming, and that’s a good segue to talk about Clayface’s body horror.

Our Geekly writers squirmed in their seats at the beginning of Clayface. It’s uncomfortable. By now, most of us have seen Clayface trailers that featured Matt Hagen’s eyes swelling shut. He runs to an airplane lavatory and uses a pair of scissors to cut open his eyelids. Despite having this scene spoiled (sort of) in the trailers, watching it in real time is something else. This was a tense scene, and there are a number of uncomfortable (in the best ways) scenes, but Clayface does drop the body horror midway through its runtime to focus on Hagen’s revenge story.

I appreciated Clayface’s practical effects, but the movie did use a handful of CGI sequences that looked painfully CGI. The story also tried to science up Clayface’s abilities. Let’s throw in nanobots, goofy futuristic medical jargon, and AI. What would happen if the AI goes rogue? That’s not as quotable as some of the other lines in Clayface. AI felt tacked on. The film doesn’t really explore the AI within Clayface’s body going rogue. This was a lame attempt to make the film feel “modern.” I could’ve done without the addition of AI. If you’re going to include AI, make it count.

I’ve mentioned the writing. A few hiccups aside, it’s solid. The direction and cinematography (outside of a couple of laughable CGI SNAFUs) are great. And the acting is spot on. Tom Rhys Harries nails it as Matt Hagen/Clayface. Naomi Ackie kills it as Dr. Corr. The supporting cast was phenomenal. They made Gotham City feel lived in. Clayface is a fun watch.

Clayface kind of has two endings. I prefer the second. It’s heartbreaking and shows Hagen/Clayface’s mental state. And we see Clayface in all his glory in the closing moments. Clayface made the right choice delaying its main character’s reveal. Clayface can be cartoony. I liked being grounded with the character and watching his descent.

Those are my thoughts on Clayface. Let’s check in with Skye.

Skye’s Thoughts

I’d like to start by saying that I was genuinely excited to see this movie. While Clayface isn’t my all-time favorite Batman villain, he’s one that I’ve been fascinated by for a long time, hasn’t had an official cinematic debut until now, and is a villain that has a lot of big-screen potential. After seeing Clayface in theaters with the rest of the Geekly Crew a few days ago, I’m very satisfied with the results. Clayface did a great job of delivering on the body horror elements built up in the trailers, and I liked the film the most when it made me squirm in my seat. Not only that, but Clayface managed to deliver a story that was both faithful to the character yet still felt fresh.

If I had to nitpick anything about Clayface, I’d say the romance didn’t quite fit with the tone of the rest of the film. While it’s necessary to humanize your characters from a storytelling standpoint, I don’t believe giving the lead a love-interest was the best way to do that in this case. Even if she was the best character in Clayface aside from Matt Hagen himself (Sidenote: the acting is stellar in this movie).

Overall, I had a very good time with Clayface and would enjoy doing a deeper dive on it after its inevitable release on streaming. Clayface is also a great spooky movie for Halloween, so if you’re looking for something creepy that’s hard to watch at times, Clayface might be the perfect fit for you. Happy Halloween!

Those are our writers’ thoughts on Clayface. What did you think of the movie? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Geekly Casting: Young Justice

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Happy Monday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here. It’s time for another Geekly Casting. Today, I’m flying solo with casting Young Justice. While Young Justice has had an on-again, off-again monthly comic book series, I’ll lean heavily on the critically acclaimed animated series of the same name for the characters today. Heck! Most DC Comics fans will know the cartoon before the comic book. Why not lean into it? Robin (Dick Grayson), Aqualad, Kid Flash, Superboy, Miss Martian, and Artemis Crock are on the casting docket today. Alright, let’s get started with Geekly’s Casting for Young Justice.

Aqualad: Jharrel Jerome

While casting this superhero team, I’m trying to stick with actors in their mid-twenties or younger. Jharrel Jerome (28 years old as of writing this post) as Aqualad is one of two exceptions. But an older Aqualad makes sense. He’s the team leader. He has a cool, calm demeanor. And Jharrel Jerome is an amazing actor. He debuted in the Academy Award-winning film Moonlight. Seriously, Jerome’s Hollywood debut was in the best film of the year. And Jerome is the voice of Miles Morales in the Spider-Verse film franchise. That makes Jerome a respected actor who has no problem portraying a superhero. He’d make a perfect Kaldur’ahm.

Robin: Asher Angel

Asher Angel (23) is a reclamation project. He starred as Billy Batson in the DCEU Shazam films. Angel was the strongest actor in both of those films. You know, it might be easy to outdo Zachary Levi as an actor. Regardless, Angel deserves a second chance. He showed enough in the Shazam movies to prove he could grow from Dick Grayson as Robin into Nightwing. If Jason Momoa can transition from Aquaman to Lobo, why not give Angel a different shade of tights?

Kid Flash: Jacob Tremblay

Jacob Tremblay (19) may be one of the youngest members on this list, but he has plenty of range. Tremblay portrayed a five-year-old captive child in the psychological thriller Room and provided the voice of the titular character in Luca. He’s even done voice work as Damien Wayne (Robin) in the Harley Quinn Animated Series. Tremblay possesses the acting and comedic chops to pull off a young Wally West, or even Impulse, if Young Justice chose to go in that direction.

Superboy: Garrett Wareing

Superboy occupies an awkward space within Young Justice. I want to cast him young, but not too young, because he is the love interest for the next character on this list. Garrett Wareing as Superboy is a long shot, but I’m sticking with him. Wareing may not have as long a resume as many of the actors on this list, but his turn as Lucas Russell on Ransom Canyon shows he can pull off a complicated Superboy. Young Justice’s version of Superboy will be a binary clone of Superman and Lex Luthor. We’re talking a Superboy with anger management issues. Wareing may be newer to the acting scene, but he’s proven he can handle dramatic roles. And it doesn’t hurt to lean on his Texas charm. Gig ‘Em!

Miss Martian: Ella Purnell

I knew who I would cast as Miss Martian before any other member of Young Justice: Ella Purnell. Miss Martian begins as a bubbly new recruit, but her bright facade hides a dark secret. Despite her green skin, Miss Martian is a White Martian, the race of Martians who exploited Mars (until it became the uninhabitable planet it is today) and subjugated the Green Martians as slaves. Ashamed of her heritage, M’gann M’orzz chooses to shapeshift into green skin. Miss Martian is a fan favorite because she was the character comic book writers used to explore white guilt. Purnell has a knack for portraying effervescent characters, who may also have dark pasts.

Artemis Crock: Peyton List

Best known for School Spirits and Cobra Kai, Peyton List has plenty of experience in action roles. She was even in Spider-Man 2 as a young child. Yowza! Similar to Miss Martian, Artemis Crock hides her past. Her parents are supervillains (Sportsmaster and Huntress). Despite her family’s past, Artemis proves herself to the point where she’s Aqualad’s lieutenant and has served as Young Justice’s leader. Peyton List is more than up for the challenge.

Vandal Savage: Khary Payton

We have our first–and hopefully only–repeat casting from a previous Casting list: Khary Payton as Vandal Savage. For all the reasons I mentioned in our Justice League Casting, Payton would kill it as Vandal Savage. He’s voiced almost every character in the DC Animated Universe, and Savage often disguises his voice. Yes! Give me an actor so ubiquitous in the DC Animated Universe that he voices himself.

Deathstroke: Joe Manganiello

Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke is a gimmie. He was supposed to have portrayed the character in the DCEU, but it never happened. Manganiello is a decade older than he was when he was first cast as Deathstroke, but that works in his favor. The Deathstroke in Young Justice is an older, grizzled Deathstroke. Perfect!

Granny Goodness: Jamie Lee Curtis

There are so many great options for Granny Goodness. I love that Hollywood has embraced older actors. But I wanted to go against type with Granny Goodness. Her name is a misnomer. Besides Darkseid himself, Granny Goodness is the most feared person on Apokolips. She’s sadistic. She rules her underlings (like Big Barda and Desaad) with an iron fist. So, I went with Jamie Lee Curtis. She’s never come close to portraying a character like Granny Goodness, but I think she could handle it. And she’d be amazing.

Klarion the Witch Boy: Aidan Gallagher

Klarion is chaos personified. Stadistic and cruel, Klarion the Witch Boy can also be hilarious, especially when he takes himself too seriously. Even though Klarion looks to be as old as his Young Justice counterparts, he’s millions of years old. We’ll need a young actor with experience portraying someone much older than themselves. How about The Umbrella Academy’s Aidan Gallagher? Five’s powers in that series come off as magical, and Gallagher gave a layered performance. Seeing those two side-by-side, I can’t see anyone other than Aidan Gallagher portraying Klarion the Witch Boy.

Lady Shiva: Go Ara

As a member of the League of Assassins, Lady Shiva trained under Ra’s Al Ghul. Her voice is as serene as she is ruthless. Korean actor Go Ara hasn’t crossed over into American pop culture. Yet. But Ara is building a nice acting resume. She’s done a little bit of everything from Rom-Coms to Fantasy to straight-up Action. That’ll come in handy. Lady Shiva’s daughter (she was a young mother) grows up to become Orphan, another complex character who could be introduced in a future Young Justice film. Lady Shiva has a long and complicated history that I’m sure Ara would bring to life.

That’s all I have for the Geekly Casting of Young Justice. Who would you cast in which role? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Lanterns “Dirt and Stars” Review

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Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another another review/reaction of this week’s episode of Lanterns, “Dirt and Stars.” If you want to see our thoughts on last week’s episode, “The Jordan Boys Legacy,” here’s a link to that review. “Dirt and Stars” tidied up most of Lanterns‘ loose ends. Did it tie up those ends in the best way. Maybe, maybe not. But the show’s finale does what Lanterns has been doing this entire season, keeping the narrative focused on its characters.

I loved the moment in the car between John Stewart and Noah (Kerry’s son and the Manhunter’s grandson). Lanterns has explored upbringing and the concept of nature versus nurture this entire season. Kudos to Lanterns for doing that. Did I like the reveal of Noah as the last remaining Manhunter. Yeah. It was good. It tied into the events of Rushville. Having a Manhunter as the “final boss” (so to say) was better than trying to shoehorn Parallax into the final three episodes. Did I like the fake out of Kerry being the one who killed Hal? Not as much. It made sense for her character, but Kerry loses something as a character when she impulsively shoots Hal after Hal talks about moving Noah. Clearly, Hal doesn’t want to harm Noah; he wouldn’t have suggested moving. Kerry may be a mother, but she’s also a sheriff. While I could see Kerry shooting Hal in defense, I don’t know if this scene sold why she’d do so.

Again, the acting was phenomenal. You couldn’t have asked for a better cast. I love all of the main cast here. Lanterns (from a writing a direction standpoint) did a fantastic job of conveying these characters. Most of them are flawed and that makes them compelling. Sure, I took Lanterns to task for adding full episodes of backstory for its characters. This caused the show to mark time and not propel its narrative forward. Most creative writing instructors would advise against taking this action. But the characters are so intriguing that I didn’t mind. I wanted to know more about John and Hal’s upbringing. And I think setting Lanterns on Earth was a good move. Would I like to see interstellar Green Lantern stories in the future? Of course. Setting Lanterns on Earth reduces budget costs. I can see the DCU containing its live-action television series to Earth, while its movies explore the cosmos.

Despite grounding the characters (on Earth), Lanterns does a good enough job of adapting the Green Lantern from the comics. I don’t read too many other reviewers’ posts until after I finished reviewing a movie or show myself, but I can imagine a lot of reviewers and specifically reviewers who are comic book readers, complaining that Lanterns should’ve been set in the cosmos. If you plan to make a Green Lantern television series, that series needs to be set in space. I agree with that to some extent, but Green Lantern has had terrestrial stories as well. I remind you of the groundbreaking Green Lantern/Green Arrow comic book series of the 1970s by Dennis O’Neal and Neal Adams. Lanterns made more than one reference to this series, most notably the scene between the Guardian and John’s mother. So good.

Arguing about how Lanterns does or does not adapt the comics plays out like a windshield wiper. It doesn’t work because of this, but it does work because of that. And so on. I return to the characters. Kyle Chandler does a phenomenal job as a broken Hal Jordan. While Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart borrows a few elements from another Green Lantern (Kyle Raynor’s artist abilities), Lanterns does a great job of weaving those elements into John’s character. I’m always down for more Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, and I can’t wait to see if Gardner gets his red power ring. From the main cast to recurring characters and supporting characters, most, if not all, the actors do a great job. I enjoyed this show. Is it a perfect representation of Green Lantern from the comics. Not exactly. But I draw your attention to DC Comics’ Elseworlds. It’s the multiverse without the interconnection. The characters are close enough to their comic book counterparts.

John Stewart was a military veteran and had an odd upbringing. Guy Gardner always had a chip on his shoulder and suffered from an inferiority complex. While he spent most of his life as a hero, Hal Jordan did become a villain. It’s the online chatter about Jordan that makes me laugh.

In the comics, Hal Jordan killed all but one Guardian (in Lanterns, Jordan’s mentor Sinestro killed a single Guardian), and then Hal began killing every Green Lantern and claiming their rings for himself. That’s where we get the iconic image above. Fans became so outraged, claiming Hal would never do those heinous acts. This isn’t my Hal. Hal’s a hero. He isn’t broken. The complaints became so loud that DC Comics backtracked the story. Instead of Hal becoming Parallax, they made Hal possessed by Parallax. It wasn’t Hal’s fault. It was someone else’s. LOL Lanterns had shades of Hal as Parallax, and Green Lantern fans are doing the same thing online in 2026 as they did in the 1990s. My time machine works. It’s the 1990s again.

See what I mean? We can go on for hours like a windshield wiper with Lanterns being a “good adaptation” of Green Lantern. Most points have counterpoints. I will add that Lanterns did set up the concepts of the emotional spectrum (what each color of power ring represents) in subtle ways. I can’t wait to see how Lanterns explores the emotional spectrum in the future (if it gets renewed for a second season, that is). I mentioned Guy gaining a red power ring. Red power rings are fueled by rage. He’s a list of DC Comics’ Emotional Electromagnetic Spectrum:

Red/Rage
Orange/Avarice
Yellow/Fear
Green/Will
Blue/Hope
Indigo/Compassion
Violet/Love
Grey/Sorrow
Black/Death
White/Life

The lantern John uses to power up his ring has yellow streaks: fear. Sinestro mentions that fear can be the most powerful force in the universe. Of course he’d say that, he’s the most famous wearer of a yellow power ring. While in bed, Hal says to Kerry that he “wills” her to stay. This is a great nod to what powers the green power ring; it’s another great moment of Hal trying to reclaim his hero status after his fall. And I mentioned in previous reviews that Parallax (DC Comics’ living embodiment of fear) was hinted at more than once in Lanterns. The show eases viewers into this concept. An emotional spectrum is odd, but I can’t wait to see what the DCU has in store for the emotional spectrum’s future.

Yes. Guy gains a red power ring, but he may be the one character who has worn the most unique color of power rings. I’d like to see the DCU explore Guy’s character arc with these various rings. I’d also love to see the DCU adapt Supergirl gaining a red power ring. This dovetails into 2026’s Supergirl. So many people derided Supergirl because the main character was too angry. During a comic book event when most DC characters gained a power ring, Supergirl gets a red power ring. Buried under the weight of expectations (superhero, member of the House of El, part of the Superman family, and various gender roles as a woman), Supergirl embraced the red power ring by saying “F#@% this S#!t.” It was a joy to see an unleashed Supergirl.

I enjoyed Lanterns season one. The show had flaws. I mentioned several weeks ago that I couldn’t see how Lanterns could regain its momentum after the events of Rushville (episode five), and the show struggled to do just that. The momentum slowed to a crawl. I’d say the first five episode of this season were fantastic. I’d gladly rewatch them. The last three episodes leave a little to be desired, but overall, Lanterns season one held my interest.

Those are my thoughts on Lanterns “Dirt and Stars” and the show as a whole. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

5 Underrated Misused Batman Villains

Five Popular But Underused/Misused Batman Villains

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Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another Top 5 Batman Villains list. What? I warned you that I found numerous Batman villains while researching Batman’s Rogues Gallery. I still have enough unused villains for at least two more lists. The last list was 5 Underrated/Underused Women Batman Villains. Today’s list will feature popular Batman villains who, for some reason, aren’t used as much as they could or should be, or they get misused. Plenty of Batman villains could make this list. These are our five picks who fit the bill. There is a chance a villain you’re thinking of makes a future list. Seriously, we have at least another two Top 5 Lists in this series. Leave a comment on who you would add to this list of Five Popular but Underused/Misused Batman Villains.

5: Clayface

I wrote this post months ago, so the Clayface film has yet to be released. I hope it does well. I liked the teaser trailer (just a hint of when I wrote this, LOL). This is a list of popular Batman villains. We’re not going obscure here; that’ll be another list. Clayface makes this list because of their interpretation in the comics. At least ten different characters (men and women) have taken the mantle of Clayface. The character has two main power sets: body manipulation (the most well-known) and rot touch (less well-known). Because of these two distinct power sets, DC Comics writers retell Clayface’s origin. A lot. Too much. Most new Batman creative team that decides to include Clayface tend to give Clayface a new given name. Because two power sets exist, that same Batman creative team will introduce the character with their origin.

Too many origins. Unless it has changed significantly, stop retelling Clayface’s origin. Ironically, media outside of comics do a better job of interpreting Clayface. Again, I hope the Clayface movie does well. We may see a Clayface renaissance. This development is also why Clayface is this low on the list. They narrowly beat out another popular Batman rogue, Scarecrow. Scarecrow has a similar issue in the comics. For whatever reason, comic book writers liked retelling Scarecrow’s origin, despite Jonathan Crane being the only Scarecrow in DC Comics, and his powers seldom changed. Scarecrow also has a spottier record with media outside of comics, but Clayface’s volume of origin stories gives them the edge.

4: Hugo Strange

Hugo Strange may have the strangest history in comics. Pun intended. He’s one of the few characters who know Batman’s identity, which makes him a unique threat to the Caped Crusader. He even dressed as Batman, trying his best to out Batman the Batman. Interesting. Comic book writers thought Strange posed too much of a threat, so they killed him in the Eighties. But he became a ghost, haunting Batman and his rogues for years. Bizarre. I told you Hugo Strange has a coconut comic book history.

Essentially, Doctor Hugo Strange is a mad scientist. He’s one of those classic mad scientists who remained relevant beyond the comic books’ Golden Age. Back in the 40s, half of every superhero’s rogues gallery consisted of mad scientists. But Hugo Strange endured because comic book creative teams gave him second and third chances. They built on the stories that came before. The reason Hugo Strange makes this list is that he’s never had a live-action portrayal. That could change soon. Two-time Oscar Winner Tom Hanks has expressed interest in being Strange–Hugo Strange, that is–and the character has seen spotty appearances in the comics in recent decades.

3: Bane

Bane has been done dirty outside the comics. Tom Hardy gave a good performance as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, but it was undercut by the reveal that he was Talia al Ghul’s stooge. I could forgive that if Bane wasn’t comically taken out by someone driving a truck over him. The less said about Bane’s portrayal in Batman and Robin, the better. The character often gets cast as a muscle-bound idiot. He’s at least not as intelligent as other Batman rogues. But Bane is highly intelligent. He’s a crime lord for crying out loud. Bane represents one of several reverse-Batmans in Batman’s rogues, and yet, the comics also do Bane dirty.

Bane gained notoriety as the “Man who Broke the Bat.” The scene where Bane snaps Batman’s back lives in comic book lore. It’s iconic. But do you remember what happens after Batman nurses himself back–get it?–to health? The replacement Batman (Jean-Paul) becomes unstable and assumes the identity of Azrael, who, in turn, becomes a greater threat than Bane. Yeah. What I dinged The Dark Knight Rises for, revealing a stronger adversary in Bane’s place, happens in Bane’s most iconic comic book story, Knightfall. Bane could really use a good publicist.

2: Ventriloquist

Like Mister Freeze (another character who just missed the list), Ventriloquist was put on the map by Batman: The Animated Series. People forgot the Ventriloquist existed. During BTAS’s run, fans demanded to see more of the Ventriloquist in the comics. While Mister Freeze found some success in the comic book medium, comic book creators didn’t know what to do with the Ventriloquist. Despite an intriguing backstory, he doesn’t evolve beyond being a novelty.

I could see Ventriloquist stories exploring identity. Is Scarface the true personality? Or could it be the man with his hand up Scarface’s backside? Scarface pictures himself as a crime boss, and yet Ventriloquist never gets cast as a crime boss. I could see Ventriloquist existing in the same space as the Falcones and Rupert Thorne. Ventriloquist may need his own solo movie. Make it happen, DCU.

1: Mad Hatter

Mad Hatter is another example of a character whose stock increased after a handful of fantastic Batman: The Animated Series episodes. But Mad Hatter comic books may be more frustrating than the Ventriloquist. BTAS did for the Mad Hatter what it did for Mister Freeze. It revamped Jervis Tetch’s backstory. It turned an also-ran, joke caricature of a character into a living, breathing human. It even pitted Mad Hatter as a different reflection of Batman, another reverse-Batman, if you will. Joker covers chaos, versus Batman’s order. Two-Face shows what could happen if ones alter-ego goes unchecked. Mad Hatter turns Batman’s need for control up to a million.

That’s right. If Batman ever gave in completely to his desire for control, he could easily turn into a version of Mad Hatter. Sure. Mad Hatter “loves” Alice, but the part of Alice can be played by another person. What Tetch wants most is control. We see that in more than a few BTAS episodes. It’s a shame Mad Hatter’s glow-up in BTAS didn’t end up increasing his comic book profile.

And that’s our list of five popular underused/misused Batman villains. Who would you have added? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Batman's Rogues

Who Would be in Batman’s Sinister Six?

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

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.

Lanterns “The Jordan Boys Legacy” Review

Published on by Kyra1 Comment

Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another another review/reaction of this week’s episode of Lanterns, “The Jordan Boys Legacy.” If you want to see our thoughts on last week’s episode, “Bad Optics,” here’s a link to that review. “The Jordan Boys Legacy” had some great callbacks. That’s good, sometimes even great. And this week’s episode did some things to progress Lanterns season one’s plot, but I’m afraid it may not have done enough. The season finale has a ton of work. As the episode’s title implies, “The Jordan Boys Legacy” dives into Hal Jordan’s backstory. That may not sound like it’s a bad thing, but remember, Hal’s gone. Any longform story with Hal is backtracking when the finale is next week. And this episode builds up the idea of Hal unaliving himself. Can I use the S-word here? You know what, I will. This episode suggests Hal may have committed suicide, but I think this is a red herring.

Before we get any further, spoiler warnings are in effect. You’ve been warned. If Hal committed suicide, it’ll be because he was under the influence of the fear toxins John Stewart encountered in this week’s episode, and that fear toxin originates from Parallax and/or the Sinestro Corps. Lanterns hasn’t done enough to build up these threats. We’ve physically seen Sinestro himself in a couple of episodes, but he’s been imprisoned. I should take a moment and acknowledge that this week’s episode of Lanterns did answer one of the questions I had from last week. Hal Jordan must’ve “freed” Sinestro. More precisely, Hal relocated Sinestro from one prison to another. This answer leads to more questions:

How did Hal know which planet to imprison Sinestro? Antaan implanted John Stewart with the memories of his people, not Hal.

Was Hal involved with Antaan’s people getting massacred or did he clean up the mess? Maybe.

Was Sinestro somehow involved? Probably.

When did Hal imprison Sinestro? I’m guessing during 2016 because his ring must’ve been decommissioned after the events at Rushville, but Lanterns made it sound as if Hal “freed” Sinestro in the past few years. Someone with the ability to fly through the cosmos “freed” Sinestro. Hal couldn’t do that without a power ring. Could he?

Was Hal possessed by Parallax? Ah! That may be what Lanterns is building toward. I mentioned Parallax last week. It’s the embodiment of fear in the DC Comics Universe, and Parallax has a history in the comics of poisoning Hal Jordan. Heck, Parallax was first introduced in DC Comics with the being possessing Hal Jordan. Okay. Technically, Green Lantern writers wanted Hal to fall from grace; fan outcry led to the writers inventing Parallax (it wasn’t Hal; it was Parallax). The story was still a compelling one even if it got retconned. While a Parallax possession would explain Hal’s demeanor during Rushville, why he would mess with Sinestro, and even why he would commit suicide, I would’ve liked Lanterns to mention Parallax as a concept or by name before the season finale.

Sure, Lanterns season one has played around with the concept of fear. Fear was why John’s father wasn’t chosen as Earth’s Green Lantern. John must prove he has no fear. Antaan’s people massacred each other out of fear. During “The Jordan Boys Legacy” episode, John asks old Hal (the construct from the ring) to ask him if he’s afraid, and John has a fearful moment in the middle of the poisoned lake–more on that wonderful scene later–but Lanterns revealing Parallax as the big bad could backfire.

It’s a risky move. One that would be difficult to pull off without the twist sounding like a gotcha moment. One that only comic book readers would know. If Parallax is the big bad, it could read a lot like the CW’s Flash season two. Zoom was the big bad. Several characters were presented as compelling candidates for Zoom. Flash chose to stick to a comic book accurate Hunter Zolomon, who barely appeared in the season prior to his name drop. Geekly covered that series as it aired nine years ago. Has it really been nine years? Yikes! I face palmed when I heard the Hunter Zolomon name drop and pleaded for Zolomon not to be Zoom. He was the least interesting option as Zoom. I’m not quite there with Lanterns and Parallax, but it’s close. Like I said, it’s risky.

Hal as Parallax only adds more questions that need to be answered, and Lanterns has one hour to answer the above questions, the four or five remaining questions from last week, and these new questions. The Lanterns season finale has a mountain of work. If Hal is Parallax or possessed by Parallax, here are some additional questions:

Was Parallax in control of Hal the entire time or did it influence Hal? My guess is influencing Hal because I don’t think Hal could fall in love with Sheriff Kerry if Parallax took full control of him, and we return to the timing of Sinestro leaving space prison. Does Parallax float in and out of Hal’s consciousness? How does it work? Or is someone or something else behind Sinestro’s relocation?

If Hal (possessed by Parallax) broke Sinestro out of space prison in the last couple of years, did Parallax grant Hal the ability to fly to space prison? Maybe. But that would sound convenient.

Why would Parallax want Sinestro imprisoned on this other planet? Sinestro serves Parallax’s ends. Why keep him imprisoned?

Antaan wanted The Manhunter dead in 2016. Was The Manhunter in cahoots with Parallax? If so, how did that work?

Parallax can work as Lanterns season one’s big bad villain. It also functions a lot like The King in Yellow, who influenced the first season of True Detective. Lanterns‘ showrunners cite the first season of True Detective as an influence. I don’t mind this comparison. R. W. Chambers’ The King in Yellow is one of the most influential weird fiction creations. I highly recommend reading this collection of short stories.

While many creators focus on the first several stories in this collection (the play that bears The King in Yellow’s name drives people insane when they read the second act), fewer creators explore the second half of The King in Yellow. The characters presented in these stories (the romances) avoid the King in Yellow’s influence. In large part, they overcome the King in Yellow because they overcome their fears. That sounds a lot like Parallax. This is why I still have hope for Lanterns season one finale.

Lanterns has kept its focus on its core characters. I appreciate that. The scene with John Stewart facing his past on the poisoned lake works because we know his past. Old Hal helps John through this moment and after doing so, shares his past (his father committing suicide) with John. If Parallax took control of (or influenced) Hal, it makes sense if it did so through Hal’s fear of becoming his father. Even though “The Jordan Boys Legacy” didn’t progress the story as much as it could in preparation of Lanterns season finale, I’m still withholding final judgement until the finale.

I prefer if the show resolves most–if not all–of the questions it poses. This week’s episode left a lot of questions unanswered, presented new questions with the one it did, and the potential big bad may present even more questions. Parallax is a compelling villain if done well. Lanterns “The Jordan Boys Legacy” left a lot of work for the season’s final episode. Seriously, I double checked to see if there was a planned ninth episode. If the show sticks the landing (a tall order for sure), you know I’ll be rewatching this series more than once. Those are my thoughts on Lanterns “The Jordan Boys Legacy.” Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.