Batman villains we don’t need to see again
Batman’s rogues gallery is full of some of the most recognizable names in comic book history, including legends like the Joker, the Riddler, the Penguin, and Mr. Freeze. For every villain that’s become an integral part of the Batman mythos, however, there are at least a dozen that, in hindsight, might have been better left on the drawing board. This list represents some of our”favorites.”The Bouncer (Detective Comics 347, 1966): This villain, a metallurgist who created an alloy called Elastalloy, put his discovery to use by creating a body suit which allowed him to “bounce tremendous distances or from great heightsyet not be harmed at all.” Somehow, this character just didn’t stick, and his appearances can luckily be numbered on one hand.The Condiment King (Batman: The Animated Series, 1994): Some might think it wrong to include this villain since he was primarily created as a comic relief villain. However, a pun-spouting, condiment-gun-shooting villain just doesn’t cut the mustard, no matter how you look at it.Film Freak (Batman 395, 1986): Comic book fans are already obsessive enoughwe don’t need a villain that patterns his crimes off of popular movies. DC can’t even be bothered to keep the character’s status straightafter being killed by Bane during the Knightfall storyline, Film Freak somehow mysteriously reappeared in the 2000s in the pages of Catwoman.Kite Man (Batman 133, 1960): Charles Brown used kites to commit crimes, and Batman used crimes to defeat him. So why are we still hearing about him 40 years later? He tangled with Hawkman, Hawkgirl, and Zatanna in the 1980s and was thrown off a tower during Infinite Crisis. Surviving that, he was captured and killed by the psychopathic Bruno Mannheim. Some guys just can’t catch a break.Mr. Polka-Dot/Polka-Dot Man (Detective Comics 300, 1962): This Silver Age villain used the various polka dots on his uniform as weapons to fight Batman and Robin. He also based his crimes around the general theme of dots and spots. He was killed during Final Crisis Aftermath by Human Flame, and hasn’t been heard from since. Now if only we could get some of these other villains to follow suit.Signalman (Batman 112, 1957): Perhaps this sign-and-symbol-obsessed villain was created as some sort of commentary on the chaotic symbols of modern times, but that’s not quite strong enough to build a Batman villain off of. After designing an ugly, signal-covered costume for himself, Signalman has appeared during often various villain crowd scenes, often being mocked by his colleagues.Tweedledum and Tweedledee (Detective Comics 74, 1943): Perhaps it’s not surprising that these characters have been used so many times, since another storybook-themed villain, the Mad Hatter, is a hallmark of Batman’s rogues gallery. We actually don’t mind them so much when used well, but you’ve got to admit that their main power (bouncing and rolling on their fat bodies) leaves something to be desired.