ra’s al ghul

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.

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. We’re kicking off spooky season a little late with a Top 5. The Top 5 Batman Villains to be exact. I struggled with whether to include The Joker and call it the Top 5 Batman Villains Not Named The Joker. But I decided to keep the Joker and add a sixth, honorable mention villain. The best of both worlds? This sixth villain is someone who wouldn’t have made the list. Eek! Batman has so many great villains. Let’s get started.

6: The Riddler

Yep. The Riddler almost didn’t make the list. This doesn’t mean that he’s a poor villain. It doesn’t mean that any of the villains you don’t see on this list are poor villains. I may have to make a Top 5 Underrated Batman Villains at some point. Let me know yours in the comments. Batman has a stacked rogues gallery.

Back to the Riddler. The Riddler began as a joke villain. TV executives even modeled the vibe of the 1960s Batman series starring Adam West from a Batman comic book cover that featured the Riddler. He’s been reimagined so many times that the Riddler has become a formidable foe. He got a little drip from the Batman: The Animated Series. He’s still one of my favorite villains from that cartoon series. “The War of Jokes and Riddles” is a must read if you’d like to see the Riddler portrayed as Joker’s equal. But the Riddler’s best story may come from Batman: Earth One, Volume Two.

Batman: Earth One shows a newer Batman navigating Gotham’s underbelly. The Riddler from Volume Two does a lot of Riddler schtick. He asks riddles of Batman and states that if Batman doesn’t solve the riddle in time, he’ll detonate a bomb killing hundreds. Batman solves the riddle in time because he’s Batman. But the Riddler detonates the bomb anyway. This isn’t your typical Riddler.

5: Two-Face

Two-Face has always been a layered Batman villain. He started as one of Bruce Wayne’s good friends and lost touch with reality after a criminal threw acid on the left side of his face. He’s another great villain from the Batman: The Animated Series. His two-part origin story in that series was fantastic and worth a watch. Aaron Eckhart’s portrayal of Harvey Dent was one of the most underrated elements of 2008’s The Dark Knight. But I’d have to go with the source material and 1990’s “The Eye of the Beholder.”

“The Eye of the Beholder” may sound familiar to fans of Batman: TAS. Commissioner Gordon and Harvey Dent form an alliance with Batman to rid Gotham of crime. Little do Gordon and Batman know, Harvey suppresses a second personality. “The Eye of the Beholder” does a great job of diving into Dent’s psychology and is well worth the read.

4: Mr. Freeze

Like the Riddler, Mr. Freeze began as a gag character. He used the name Mr. Zero at first and the 1960s TV show portrayed him like he appeared in the comics. Wild! It took Batman: The Animated Series to reimagine into the Mr. Freeze we know today. Mr. Freeze differs from most Batman villains. He isn’t crazy. He just wants to save his cryogenically frozen wife and will do so by any means. Tim Hill had a great Mr. Freeze story that took a different turn for the villain; he was a victim of Batman’s abuse. But I’d go back to the Batman: TAS classic episode “Heart of Ice” as a go-to Mr. Freeze story.

“Heart of Ice” earned a well-deserved Emmy. It’s the story that transformed Mr. Freeze from a gag villain into the tragic one we know today.

3: Bane

Bane not only matches Batman in brawn, but he can also go toe-to-toe with Batman on an intellectual level. That makes Bane’s inclusion in 1997’s shlocky Batman & Robin even more reprehensible. Tom Hardy’s turn as the villain in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises gets closer to who the villain is. In the comics, Bane grew up in a prison, atoning for the crimes his father had committed. While in prison, he honed his body and mind. Tim Hill’s run on the Batman featured Bane as the main villain, but I’d go with the classic Batman: Knightfall story as starting point for Bane.

Batman: Knightfall features the moment that Bane “broke the bat.” He raises Batman up and breaks him over one knee, leaving Batman a paraplegic. This story will sound familiar to anyone who’s seen The Dark Knight Rises. This story element appears prominently in the film.

2: Ra’s Al Ghul

Ra’s Al Ghul translates to “Head of the Demon.” He’s another Batman villain who differs from most of the rest in that he believes his actions are just. Ra’s wants to save the planet and attain a perfect environmental balance by eliminating most of humanity. Marvel’s Thanos would borrow more than a little of this mentality. The Lazarus Pits he uses keeps him virtually immortal. Yet again, Batman: The Animated Series does a great job showcasing Ra’s Al Ghul’s origin. But I would turn again to the source material.

Ra’s Al Ghul first appeared in Batman #232 “Daughter of the Demon” and the story plays out almost exactly as Batman: TAS. So, never mind. I guess you could watch the show instead.

1: The Joker

I spoiled this one. I can’t see a world without the Joker as Batman’s ultimate villain. The Joker may be the greatest villain in all of comics. He needs no introduction. There have been numerous actors who have given powerful performances as the Joker. Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Hamill embodied the Joker in one way or another. I’ll always have a soft spot for Jack Nickolson’s Joker, even if he did venture from the characters a bit. John DiMaggio took the Joker to a gritty place with his vocal performances. But Heath Ledger’s Joker still takes the cake.

The Joker has too many great comic book stories to mention here. I could do a Top 5 of these stories. I’ll rattle off a few: “A Death in the Family,” “The Laughing Fish,” “Joker’s Five-Way Revenge,” “Batman: The Man Who Laughs,” and of course, “The Killing Joke.” The Clown Prince of Crime reigns supreme for a reason.

Did we get the list right? Let us know in the comments. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

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Who Would be in Batman’s Sinister Six?