Batman Villains and a Measure of Insanity Part One

As some of you  know, I’m not the biggest superhero fan. But that does not apply to Batman and his villains. I saw Clayface a few weeks ago and I was pretty happy with that. I’m looking forward to the upcoming Batman movie coming out in 2028 with Robert Pattinson. In the meantime Gotham City is teaming with criminals and here I sit down with the superhero fan and film aficionado (and my boyfriend) Justin Favaro to discuss the more nefarious ones. Let’s start with perhaps the most notorious: the Joker.

The Joker: “The Joker is a very interesting case because alot of people think he is absolutely insane but really the Joker is aware of his actions and enjoys it. Inflicting pain is funny to him” Justin says. He is not insane but rather, he is sadistic. The Joker is not afraid to commit mass murder and he has one of the highest body counts  among Batman villains. He also goes after people who are close to the Batman. He beat Jason Todd (the second Robin, one of Batman’s partners) to death with a crowbar and blew up the warehouse where he and his mother were being held. He crippled Barbara Gordon (Commissioner Gordon’s daughter) by shooting her in the spine. “He also did unspeakable things to women while taking pictures just to break Commissioner Gordon into being as crazy as he is because he is sort of under this philosophy that “one bad day is all it takes to drive a sane person mad” The Joker, however, may love one person and this would  be the Batman. More specifically it would be the game of Cat and Mouse they are always engaged in. “The Joker always designs a way for Batman to win” Justin says. If the Joker wanted, Batman would be dead a long time ago. He enjoys being the yin to Batman’s yang.

Harley Quinn: Few Batman fans know the Joker without knowing his sidekick and partner in crime, Harley Quinn. Formally known as Dr. Harleen Quinzel, she was sharp and career driven. She worked as a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum where she met the Joker. “The Joker manipulated her and gave her a sob story so she couldn’t help but fall for him” Justin says. The Joker, Justin says, pushed all the right buttons. “It’s even believed in some continuities that the Joker pushed her into the same vat of chemicals that he was pushed into to complete her transformation” And Harley never becomes sane again though in some continuities she is portrayed as an anti-hero rather than a villain. The Joker never cared about  Harley Quinn. “It was a case of mad love” said Justin. Entirely onesided. The only person Joker ever loved besides himself is the Batman. 

Harvey Dent (Two Faced): Some people may suggest Harvey/ Two Faced has dissociative identity disorder however, symptoms point in another direction. Someone with DID isn’t aware of what the other identity is doing (as a general rule) but that is not the case with Two Faced. He is aware of what Two Faced does and he doesn't try to stop it. “He had trauma way before his disfigurement. His father was a cruel man.  He would have a sick game he played with Harvey where he would flip a coin and if it landed on heads Harvey would get a beating. What was even sicker than that is that it was a double headed coin. That’s the coin Harvey/ Two Face carries with him” Justin explains.

Join us tomorrow to analyze more criminals lurking in the shadows of Gotham.