poison ivy

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.

Happy Monday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another list of five. Today’s Top 5 list centers around comic book villains who could be the main character in a television series or movie. The DCU and DCEU have been better showcasing their villains. Penguin, Black Adam, Joker, Clayface, and even Harley Quinn have all had television shows or movies featuring them as the main characters. Marvel has been less prolific. This may be a Marvel-heavy list of five, but I’ll try to sprinkle in some DC Comics characters who haven’t yet seen the limelight. Let’s get started with our list of Comic Book Villains who can be the main character in a movie or television series.

Honorable Mentions

We have multiple characters who could claim an honorable mention spot, so we’ll run through a few here. Darkseid can and should get the Thanos (in Avengers: Infinity War) treatment, and Kingpin could have his own series akin to HBO Max’s Penguin. None of them make this list because this is more of an inevitability. While we won’t shy away from obvious choices (more on that with our top spots), we don’t want to include characters who are all but assured a movie or show. With that said, we’ll give a shout-out to anti-hero and sometimes villain Lobo. I’m writing this post early and haven’t yet watched Supergirl, but if Lobo captures fans’ hearts, he could easily get his own movie or show. Consider this the Penguin effect. Fans loved Colin Farrell’s portrayal of the character and demanded a show.

5: Vermin

Vermin is a strange choice, especially when he’s the only Spider-Man villain who made this list, but his inclusion makes some sense. I’d love to see a Marvel show, film, or special presentation of the Spider-Man story, “The Child Within.” Vermin is the main character in that story. Geekly has mentioned “The Child Within” in the past, but we’ll give you a quick breakdown. Vermin encounters a nine or ten-year-old child in the sewer. The child asks Vermin to help take him home. Vermin reluctantly agrees. He leads the child to a mansion (his home), but the boy is too scared to enter. We learn the child is Vermin’s inner child. This mansion is his family’s home.

“The Child Within” tells Vermin’s backstory. Vermin is one of Marvel’s most tragic villains, so what this show portrays may not be for everyone. But “The Child Within” explores identity and the power of acceptance. Both of these topics have a strong pull in today’s climate. This story is long overdue for a live-action telling. Make it happen, Marvel.

4: Poison Ivy and Bane

My head tells me Bane should take this spot. My heart insists Poison Ivy claims the fourth spot. I went with both. Let’s begin with Bane.

Bane seldom gets a fair shake on the big screen. Ironically, he was little more than Poison Ivy’s mindless pawn in Batman and Robin, and he served as an underboss in The Dark Knight Rises. Neither one of these versions does Bane justice. Heck. Bane often gets sidelined in his own stories. “Knightfall,” the storyline where Bane builds a Gotham empire, breaks Batman’s back, and arguably Bane’s most well-known story, pushes Bane aside to focus on Azrael (the replacement Batman), midway through its arc. Not everyone likes Tom King’s run on Batman, but I thought it did a great job showing Bane at his conniving best. “City of Bane” could showcase this underrated villain like no other big screen project has.

Simply put, Poison Ivy is a fan favorite. She co-stars in the Harley Quinn Animated Series, but has rarely seen the limelight on the big screen. Poison Ivy is more of a sure thing. I could easily see her featured in a future movie or show.

3: Atrocitus

Wonder Woman and Superman villains don’t lend themselves to solo movies too well. I can’t really see Lex Luthor outside the context of a Superman movie. I’d love to see that, but I question if it could work. I also didn’t want to include multiple Batman villains on this list, and Flash hasn’t landed as a big-screen superhero…yet. That leaves Green Lantern villains. Several could’ve made this list. Star Sapphire is more of a hero at this point. Nekron and Black Hand could certainly headline a film, but we may need to wait several years for the DCU to set up those characters. Sinestro is Green Lantern’s longest-running foe, but Atrocitus serves a specific purpose in Green Lantern lore. The Guardians of the Universe (the ones behind the Green Lanterns) make mistakes and can commit atrocities.

Hey! Atrocitus sounds close to atrocities. Coincidence? I think not. The Guardians destroyed Atrocitus’s home world and murdered his people. He gains the red power ring, fueled by rage (part of the emotional spectrum, with green meaning will and yellow fear), and goes on a revenge tour. Atrocitus has a clear goal. Fans could even root for him to succeed. This can make Atrocitus as compelling a villain as Thanos for a solo movie. Sure, Sinestro recruits his army of yellow lanterns, but his goals reek of selfishness. Atrocitus believes in a righteous cause. And I like the idea of the Guardians owning a checkered past.

2: Apocalypse

Ever since his first appearance forty years ago (1986), Apocalypse has been one of the X-Men’s most consistent villains. As the oldest known mutant, Apocalypse’s origin stretches back to Ancient Egypt. He has a simple philosophy: Survival of the Fittest. Apocalypse embodies this philosophy. And it’s this philosophy that makes Apocalypse a great villain with which to focus a movie or show. Funny how having clear goals makes a villain a good candidate as a main character. While I could see several Apocalypse storylines translated to the big screen, “Age of Apocalypse” may be the most fun.

“Age of Apocalypse” asks what would happen if Apocalypse got his way, where only the strong survive. This storyline contains some of the bleakest storylines in X-Men lore. There are too many to count, but believe me, they can tug at one’s heartstrings. And “Age of Apocalypse” hasn’t graced the big screen in earnest. I’d love to see A Pair of Lips, I mean, Apocalypse headline a Marvel movie or show.

1: Doctor Doom and Magneto

Doctor Doom and Magneto had to top this list. They’re the obvious ones. They’re two of the most recognizable villains in comic book history. They have compelling backstories, and I don’t believe Marvel has plans to give either one their own movie or show–at this time. Sure, Avengers: Doomsday includes Doctor Doom’s name in its title, but this team-up movie will include so many characters I can’t imagine Doctor Doom will get significant screen time. We need a Doctor Doom and Magneto story like Avengers: Infinity War had with Thanos. These are two of the most complicated villains in comic books. Both could single-handedly carry a movie.

That’s our list of comic book villains who could be a movie or show’s main character. Which comic book villain would you like see get their own movie or show? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Tag: poison ivy

Who Would be in Batman’s Sinister Six?