With the lengthy history Batman has had, he’s had a villain or two that’s a stinker. Sometimes you get Joker and sometimes, you get Gotham and Gotham-Girl. Recently though, a common trend has been to reinvent Batman villains with dark new backstories and update their looks as well. You can see it with Kite Man in Tom King’s run on Batman and what Ram V did with the Ten-Eyed Man in his run on Detective Comics. With the former now a tragic figure with a goofy gimmick and the latter now an ethereal being with supernatural elements, they’re proof that the strategy or giving villains a makeover works and should be implemented way more than it has been.
Here are six Batman villains that should be next on the list to get a makeover on the pages of DC Comics.
1) Polka-Dot Man
After the success of James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, Polka-Dot Man is now a household name. However he’s still a bit of a joke in the comics and that makes him perfect for a glow up. I’m not saying copy what the movie did, but it’s certainly a solid start and could give this colorful character a fresh chance at comics greatness. The great thing here is that given that Polka-Dot Man has always been a little bit on the goofy side, there’s plenty of room with a refresh to give Batman someone lighter challenges that still have real stakes, depending on how it was handled.
2) Crazy Quilt
Easily one of the biggest joke characters in Batman’s world we have Crazy Quilt. Having gone blind from his color technology, he’s ended up a bit one note in comics. However, there’s a lot that could be done even with his silliness. Perhaps a revamp that takes the direction of what happens when someone who was, well, goofy, goes dark might just be a great way to revisit this character. That and there is something to be said for something colorful being rather bleak.
3) The Eraser
The Silver Age of comics had some of the best stories. It also had some of the weirdest villains and that brings us to the Eraser. As cool as the costume is (and it is cool), this villain unfortunately has a very one-note gimmick that is entirely based on the outfit design. The dude looks literally like a living pencil. Since he was largely known for erasing crimes scenes with his head, perhaps a new costume is something he could use and that might break him into something much more intersting.
4) Film Freak
Where to begin with Film Freak. He’s already got a creepy design. He’s a serial killer that does kills from famous movies. Both of the men who’ve taken the Film Freak name have done that but never to much success. Maybe what really needs to happen here is less of a makeover and more that he just needs to be used more. In the digital age, there are a lot of great opportunities to make Film Freak a truly creepy and terrifying villain. He might even have the potential to be as terrifying as the Joker.
5) Maxie Zeus
Perhaps better suited for Batman Beyond, Maxie Zeus has needed a makeover for a long time. He falls under the joke banner a lot of the time but he could be a threat if given the chance. The Arkham games had the right idea from the creepy atmosphere with his stories in game. We never saw him physically but those stories made some interesting easter eggs.
Mess with his backstory a bit, and you could turn him from someone that’s a running joke into a decent sized threat. He was shown once to to control a mob, maybe just amp up the themes with that and go from there.
6) Condiment King
Joked about by Batman actor Robert Pattinson, Condiment King would be hysterical to see as a serious threat. Genuinely, give a writer the chance and see how he could make this guy serious. If somebody does it could be lowkey the coolest thing we’ve ever seen. Absolute Condiment King sounds fun if you ask me
He’s maybe the most one note villain of the bunch here but anytime he shows up it’s always a fun read. Who knows where he’ll go next but with relishing in the fact that he could take over Gotham would be super fun.
What Batman villains do you think needs a makeover? Let us know what you’re thinking.
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