Villain redesign

[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???

[Mutant God]

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???

Profit Indeed!

Actually we could do a check list for every Batman villain, and the most successful ones would hit all six points.

[scary harpy]

Johnny Witts

He was a non-costumed bat-villain who loved to match wits with the Dark Knight. He seemed to replace the Riddler for a time.

I would reimagine him as Nathan Witz alias Johnny Witcraft; he would Riddler’s Harley Quinn. He would be clever, capable and in awe of Eddie.

[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.

[ABH]

I generally don't like the idea of one villain taking from another, but I really like the idea of Scarecrow wearing an apothecary/plague doctor mask, like what the Merrymaker wore.

I don't see much being done with the Merrymaker in the future, so let Crane rock that mask.

[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.

[JBatmanFan05]

I might not share, because all of my villain redesign ideas mostly involve villains I'd want to take back to their roots or core (or sometimes their most popular incarnation). Thus, it's often the redesigns that I find problematic.

[Mutant God]

I might not share, because all of my villain redesign ideas mostly involve villains I'd want to take back to their roots or core (or sometimes their most popular incarnation). Thus, it's often the redesigns that I find problematic.

So you wouldn't add anything to those villains that could make them a bit more symbollic/reflect towards Batman or society? Plus half the villains we named were lame villains who needed a direction or a quirky personality trait to make them stand out more.

[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.

[scary harpy]

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.

I really like the Joe Chill idea. I've wanted him actively incorporated into Bat Mythology for a while. This sounds promising.

[Mutant God]

Baby Doll (with some influences from Mad Hatter and children's toy Barbie): A controlling bulimic perfectionist businesswoman who gets violent when not getting her high expectations achieve on what shes wants: her (dream) house, her (dream) boyfriend, her (dream) life. Also willing to go to extremes to look perfect in every way.

[LordLeviathan]

Killer-Croc: If it weren't for his affliction, Waylon would be just another two-bit crock. He's not massively crazy, nor massively stupid. Just unremarkable but regularly bunched in with the Arkham inmates due to his monstrous appearances. He killed Jason Todd's parents in his boistorous younger days. He's neither proud of what he did nor remotely interested in changing his ways, he has a massively high pain tolerance and ability to regrow his limbs and tail, which all make it impossible for unforgiving, grudgefilled Jason to ever get revenge on him in any satisfactory manner. Waylon assumes the man behind the Bat mask is much like himself, born with an physical affliction that left him monstrous or incapable of just being part of the normal society and is never humbled in the least for being bested by him.

It seems you're forgetting his backstory : abandoned by his partents at birth, raised by an alcoholic abusive aunt, cheated and misstreated and abused most of his life by other people. let's be honest his origin is sad and tragic. (funny side note: it appears Gotham turned Bruce Wayne into batman and Waylon jones into Killer Croc)

[Mutant God]

Azrael - Take out the Sacred Order of St. Dumas and Magic Sword and I came up with religious serial killer, could also turn him into a bodyguard for Deacon Blackfire.
Works well with ex-cop Michael Lane, with turning him into a cop who is also a serial killer but covers up his mistakes before any other cop finds out.

[Mutant God]

Court of Owls - Batman Beyond villains, who are white collar criminals who take advantage of Gotham after Bruce gives up being Batman and use their money to influence Gotham and protect themselves. Future James Gordon Jr. could be apart of it.

[ComicBookNoob]

Red Hood: Rather than bring back Jason Todd would just make him an adult Damian Wayne following the following the events of Batman: Son of the Demon. Having grown up in the middle east after the death of his adopted parents were killed Damian grows up in a warrior in a war torn land, gaining the necessary skills to survive and seeing the worst humanity has to offer. With the only hint of his true heritage being the bat-medallion left with him at birth Damian eventually finds his way to Gotham where he quickly deduces his linage as the heir apparent of the Dark Knight, thinking he was abandoned for being weak he adopts the mantle of the Red Hood and begins systematically hunting down Batman's rogues and amassing an empire in a misguided attempt to prove himself to his father.

This is kind of crazy actually, maybe as an Elseworld comic or something this would be kind of dope

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.

What I like about this idea is that then Batman still has to deal with never avenging his parent's death. So is it worth being Batman if he can't even stop his parents's murder from terrorizing other people? His reason for being Batman is still out there and Batman can't stop him