In movies, comics, and television shows, the reconsideration of classic villains is often an exercise in how far a character can be bent without breaking. The Riddler and Penguin of the Fox series Gotham, with their erotically charged love-hate relationship, bear little resemblance to the characters of, say, the ’60s TV series. Like virtually every long-running comic book character, Penguin and Riddler have evolved, at times radically. The core elements have remained the same over the years, but the details have changed. While many of their contemporaries in Batvillainy have fallen into obscurity, both Penguin and Riddler have proved resilient, recurring in one different incarnation of Gotham City after another, up to and including Matt Reeves’s new movie, The Batman. The same can be said of Riddler-the puzzle-loving criminal most often otherwise known as Edward Nygma-who followed Penguin into the pages of Detective Comics in 1948. The character’s bird fixation had yet to surface, but the Penguin of 1941 is instantly recognizable as one of the most famous members of Batman’s rogues’ gallery. Penguin, a rotund, dapperly dressed gangster with an arsenal of trick umbrellas. 58 from December 1941 features the first appearance of Oswald Cobblepot, a.k.a. Many characters are introduced most don’t have the stuff to go the distance.ĭetective Comics no. Familiar villains like Joker, Catwoman, and Clayface also made appearances, but reading Golden Age Batman adventures can feel a bit like watching the first rounds of a reality competition show. Here are a few of the foes Batman faced in his earliest days as a comic book superhero: Hook Morgan and his Harbor Pirates, a spy called “The Brain Burglar,” a golem-like Native American statue (actually a strongman in disguise), Blackbeard (actually a gangster in a pirate costume), a dragon (after Batman and Robin are sucked into a storybook by an experimental machine), the Clock Maker (not to be confused with the Clock King, who wouldn’t make his debut until the ’60s), and the ill-fated Professor Radium. To prepare, join The Ringer this week as we navigate the grime of Gotham and explore the history of one of the most recognizable superheroes in the comic-book landscape. The Caped Crusader is back: On March 4, Robert Pattinson will become the seventh actor to don the cowl in a live-action film with The Batman.
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