Batman Villains Part 2

Today we are back exploring some more Gotham villains. I’m starting with someone who may be a little familiar to us especially those who saw his latest movie: Clayface.

Clayface: Clayface was an actor. “He was involved in a freak accident or in some instances was attacked by the mob. He was offered this claylike substance, Renuyu (pronounced Renew You) which would allow you to restructure your face. But it was very volatile, very toxic, very addictive” Clayface tried to get back to his acting career but the deteriorating of his mental capacities and sense of self and sense of ego made it so he had trouble distinguishing right from wrong. He began to resort to crime to get more Renew You. He was also involved in a shoot out where the clay to got all over him and damaged his molecular biology. In a Batman plot known as Batman: One Bad Day, Clayface wanted to go back into acting and actually went so far as to kill a casting director, a director, a writer and a producer (plus several others) on a movie project inn the name of improving the movie and all in the span of one day. One bad day indeed. When I asked Justin how faithful the character of Clayface was in the  recent movie Justin says “I think it did a good job of portraying his deteriorating moral compass. With each death, with each kill he becomes less and less of a sympathetic protagonist and just becomes more and more of a  villain. And obviously we see him fully transform at the very end”

Victor Zsasz: Justin has deemed Victor Zsasz the most sociopathic of the Batman villains. He came from a rich, loving family and when his family passed away he blew all his money on gambling. On the brink of suicide, feeling empty and soulless, he was mugged one night. In the  mugger’s eyes he saw his own emptiness and despair reflected. And so he killed him and decided that would be his MO: “saving people from the emptiness of life” And with each kill he cuts a tally into his skin. He needs to kill. “It’s an inner desire to kill people that cannot be quelled” Justin said. One of the most sadistic Batman killers.

Poison Ivy:  She was a botanist who worked with a scientist who poisoned her and left her for dead. When I asked why he would do this, Justin wasn't quite sure.  “I would assume it was out of jealousy or disdain. Or perhaps a ruined relationship. He’s a villain but not a Batman villain. It could have been him being crazy or not wanting to leave traces of his work or it could have been him wanting to to protect his work in case she disapproved of it. However, instead of killing her the poison actually made her connected with plant life down to a molecular level. In fact, some people think she’s more plant than human. However, it gave her a very misanthropic view of humanity especially the way humanity treats plant life (ex. rainforests etc). She’d rather save a single rose than a school filled children; an ego-terrorist to the highest degree. She probably could survive on photosynthesis alone.

Catwoman: “Catwoman was a creature of the night” (read hooker) who was inspired by Batman but instead of fighting for good she uses her street smarts to become a cat burglar. “Allegedly she is the illegitimate daughter of Carmine Falconni. She is not mentally ill as far as I can tell though she might have a kleptomania streak. Batman can talk her down out of anything particularly heinous” Apparently, she listens to Batman. Though they do have several differences. For example “Catwoman is willing to kill if she believes it  is for the greater good. Batman has a no kill code”

With every dose of Batman, I continue to believe he has the best villains.