Villain redesign

[MorganL]

How would you reboot/alter/redesign a lame Batman villain who would it be and how would you go about changing them?

[Mutant God]

I did some of these on the thread http://community.comicbookresources....as-the-Big-Bad


KGBeast/The Beast: Former KGB agent Anatoli Knyazev immigrated to Gotham City and became a mobster. With his metal prosthetic of his right arm he struck fear to his enemies and to some of his fellow allies he quickly became a top crime lord.

Tweedledum and Tweedledee: Twin serial killers who always know what the other one is thinking is when one of them doesn't finish their victim the other one will finish it no matter what, and they are join by Tweedledie and Tweedledo'h lol. To me they could be a combination of Uncle Fester from the Addams Family and the twins from The Shining (come play with us).

Egghead - A political elitist who thinks he knows whats best for Gotham and everthing that happens in Gotham needs to go by him kind of like Batman looking over the town. Or have James Gordon Jr. become Egghead after becoming Mayor of Gotham (instead of his father in some worlds) and turns Gotham into a police state having Batman being hunted down, blowing up Arkham Asylum, and strict punishment for criminals.

Bruno (from The Dark Knight comic): A woman who believes she is the reincarnation of a WWII Nazi who found his way to Gotham City and became a serial killer who preyed on people with Jewish ancestry (could work on a personal level with and Bruce and Kate).

Not really a villain but this idea came to me and it was kinda creepy:
Bat-Mite: A stalker of Batman who creates new villains for Batman to fight, the creepier the better in his mind. Also he is such a fan of Batman that he turns his appearance into a young Bruce Wayne wearing a home made Batman costume which makes a good foil for Batman a child who loves horror movies, violent video games, and the creepiness of Gotham City and its serial killers unlike Bruce who was traumatized by it. Or making it creepier have a child call himself Bat-Mite who puts himself in danger so Batman can save him which goes to the point of hero worship of pure delusion.

[Vinsanity]

Kite Man: Is an actual kite.

What? That's scary.

Oh and have a mime cause mimes are evil.

[Mutant God]

Kite Man: Is an actual kite.

What? That's scary.

Oh and have a mime cause mimes are evil.

Theres is a villain named Mime actually - http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Camilla_Ortin_(New_Earth)


Actually I could see Kite Man and Roxie Rocket as Xtreme Sports addicts who try to one up each other in crimes and stunts.


Also I would redesign Film Freak to look like the Nostalgia Critic - https://www.youtube.com/user/achannelthatsawesome

[godisawesome]

Magpie- Margaret Sorrow experiences an experiment similar to the one inflicted on her in Beware the Batman; it enhances and exacerbates her physical abilities and her obsessive and kleptomaniac tendencies. The change up here is that Margaret Sorrow was selected by Higo Strange to be an experiment; based off his hypothesis that Batman unknowingly creates extraordinary individuals, Strange wanted to see if he could one-up Batman. So he intentionally tried to create a more powerful and "perfected" version of Catwoman. When Selina Kyle figures this out, it freaks her out.

Bane- Not so much a redesign, but definitely a repackaging. Bane has had the Venom tubes surgically placed below his skin to make them less vulnerable, while his Venom addiction has reached a near-critical point: he can still use it, but he is already in near constant pain that gets made worse when his Venom is activated. To off set this, he has taking to using aerosol anasthetics, but not in the permanent way of TDKR. Instead, his armored mask comes equipped with a supply to use in conjunction only with Venom, while he uses a hi-tech inhaler when not suited up, and generally avoids using Venom at all. This mean that when not active in combat, he is razor sharp in his focus and meditation, while every time he gets into combat he starts off with no drugs at all, showcasing his skill and intelligence, while getting down right taciturn when on Venom and the anasthetic.

Bane, Continued.,-And, to kind of go with this repackaging of Bane himself, Santa Prisca gets an overhaul. Instead of just being a run of the mill drug-money Bananna Republic, Santa Prisca is a wholly unique island nation defined by the prison of Pena Duro. It never had quite enough farmland to support a major populace, but it came with a natural area for a mercenary prison employed by the island's regime and foreign governments, which has existed there since the 1800's. It used to just be nearly inescapable; now under Bane, it is. However, the most dangerous inhabitants are used by Bane as his personal army; he generally employs the, to go make him money as mercenaries or conquer smaller criminal fiefdoms, and he only deploys them directly when he's engaged.

[darkseidpwns]

Really like Mutantgod's idea for KGBeast and Godisawesome's ideas for Bane, shame Bat writers just want to write Joker over and over to really give other villains much thought beyond a filler arc or fodder roles.

[scary harpy]

Magpie- Margaret Sorrow experiences an experiment similar to the one inflicted on her in Beware the Batman; it enhances and exacerbates her physical abilities and her obsessive and kleptomaniac tendencies. The change up here is that Margaret Sorrow was selected by Higo Strange to be an experiment; based off his hypothesis that Batman unknowingly creates extraordinary individuals, Strange wanted to see if he could one-up Batman. So he intentionally tried to create a more powerful and "perfected" version of Catwoman. When Selina Kyle figures this out, it freaks her out.

I liked Magpie in Beware the Batman too.

I maybe one of the few but I actually enjoyed that show. I wish I could have seen what they would have done with King Kraken.

[scary harpy]

Theres is a villain named Mime actually - http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Camilla_Ortin_(New_Earth)

Thank you! I thought I was the only one who remembered her.

Actually I could see Kite Man and Roxie Rocket as Xtreme Sports addicts who try to one up each other in crimes and stunts.

That's brilliant! They then would both be great foes for Nightwing.

[Pohzee]

Step 1: Make them into a metaphor about Batman, about society, or about whatever.

Step 2: Make them dark and twisted, as disturbing as possible.

Step 3: Batman must combat inner demons while fighting them: use this as an opportunity to explore his broken psyche.

Step 4: Shock value, make them commit a disturbing act the readers won't forget.

Step 5: Monologues

Step 6: Profit???

[Batarang]

you never know... may be someday a creative team comes who do a succesful series involving Kite Man... They do a series with squirrel girl at Marvel, i think she is even in two series or something... I don't follow them just saw some covers but if they can make her work, someday someone can make Kite Man work too i guess.

[Mutant God]

Not a really a redesign but just an alternate look at these characters that could happen in an alternate universe:

Joe Chill - The murderer of Batman's parents who in some universes Batman could never capture, but why...because hes already died a long time ago. Joe Chill is actually a a ghoul/ghost/spirit who was created by the many deaths in Crime Alley. Or Joe, Solomon Grundy and Gentleman Ghost were a group of robbers who after stealing from a magical person had a curse put on each of them, where Joe's spirit was bound to Crime Alley.

(Caution! The next idea can be a bit offensive/too realistic because of some modern issues)
Henry Ducard - Once a proud blue collar soldier from Gotham City who after taking a break from the army comes home and finds his wife and son murdered. Trying to figure out why and talking to the police, Henry figures out it that the police not only know who it is but also refuse to do anything about it because they are being bribed. Feeling distraught Henry goes back to the army and is station in the Middle East but goes M.I.A. (missing in action) and wonders through the desert where he meets the League of Assassins. The LoA hear his problems and decide take him in and teach him their ways of fighting and their philosophy, places that are corrupt need to be wiped off the map. Returning home with a bunch of military weapons he stolen and bladed weapons, Henry goes to a bar full of corrupt cops and shoots up the place taking along innocent bystanders. Before any help can come along Henry uses his new stealth skills to disappear sending a message of random violence and fear, where he promises to burn Gotham City to the ground.

[K. Jones]

I feel like I have a laundry list of these, but I'm having a little trouble remembering them all. Usually I reserve my thoughts about dramatic revamping (of costume, never really thematics) for like, the Z-List.

But one that stands out to me is "The Eraser", from the sixties "New Yellow Oval" period. The guy's name is Lenny Fiasco - fantastic name - and he was like, what, Bruce Wayne's roommate or something? He has a major connection as a friend of Bruce's from youth, but he goes by The Eraser and in full ridiculous silly mode dresses like a yellow No. 2 pencil with an eraser for a head/mask. That's daffy as hell. But the notion that an old close friend of Bruce's, is a dapper, showy consulting criminal who "erases" the evidence for other criminals is gorgeous, and the notion that he might've educated himself at the same university as Bruce in criminal investigation/crime scene studies, but uses that knowledge-base to make life almost impossible for the dark knight detective is just utterly great.

I'd pay homage to the silly pencil costume by having him have a special "crime scene erasing" hazmat-type costume, that's yellow, and having him wear a lot of sleek gold suits and stuff. He'd be so rich, too, that the only reason Batman could solve the cases is because of the happenstance/luck that Bruce Wayne just happens to know the guy personally. Batman can't solve the case, without Bruce Wayne, because Lenny sees Bruce as a dilettante who wasted his criminology education by becoming a rich playboy and charity fundraiser.

I mean, he'd be the B-villain probably, in an arc about the criminal who was criming the big crimes and using Eraser to get away with them, whether that be a gangster or major villain or something. But a total thorn in Batman's side.

[adrikito]

I don´t know I can´t see hope for minor villains...

Cluemaster was called for batman one Riddler of 3rd class.. That is really sad, compare someone with him..

[scary harpy]

"The Mirror Man is a criminal scientist who uses mirrors in his crimes, in a fashion similar to the Mirror Master. He often tries to expose Batman's secret identity."

Mirror_Man_BTBATB.jpg
The Mirror Man a.k.a. Floyd Ventris (and Not Mirror Master!)

I would have Floyd explore the magical side of mirrors...especially since his escape from prison. While he would become skilled at mirror magic, he is also older...and wiser.

"By his own admission, Ventris remained inactive and content with obscurity. As he aged he lost the appetite for grandiose capers and focused on small, modest heists. Based on his intimate knowledge of the bulky two-way electronic mirror used in his original crimes, Mirror Man was able to replicate and refine the technology. He was left for dead by another minor villain, Tony Finch, and was last reported in critical condition at Gotham General Hospital. (H.E.R.O. #9, December 2003)"

I would have him take on an apprentice...The Mirror Mage. I don't know if Floyd recovered from his critical injuries or not...but the Mirror Mage would be his legacy.

[Alan2099]

Let me hit you with one of the most obscure of the obscure.

Slasher.



He appeared in one issue back in 1990 for three pages.

With the name "Slasher", I'd want to play into the horror angle. I see him as more along the lines of a modern Scarecrow and would give the two characters a bit of a rivalry. While Scarecrow is far more Edgar Allan Poe and Hammer Horror, Slasher is far more Wes Craven. He wants to bring a reign of fear and terror by way of bloody deaths. The tormented and picked on geek is a good angle for an origin. He's good with tools and created the transforming multi tool/weapons he wears.

Also his design needs tweaking, but just a little. Give the mask a slight more horrific look and throw a little ragged cloak over the guy. Let him look more like Phantasm or the Grim Reaper.