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.
