Batman Characters
Batman Villians
There are plenty enemies Batman faces in Gotham City on a nightly basis. These enemies play a very important role when it comes to his character. Some of these villians hate Batman, but many, you would be surprised to know, admire, and even love him.
Joker
Joker is Batman's mortal (and immortal) enemy.
The dynamic between the two is one of both love and hate.
Joker openly states in many comics that he loves Batman, while
Batman always responds with hate. Though, in some comics, such as Batman:
Endgame, Batman considers Joker an old, close friend. Joker's main motive
in most of the comics is to simply "dance" with Batman. They are equals
in his mind. Batman interacts with Joker in a way many of the characters
in the comics pick up on as being selfish. There are times others are willing
to finish the job he won't, yet he always tries to stop them.
This isn't because of his sense of justice, it is because he needs someone to vent frustrations on.
Joker has a shaky background at best. It changes comic to comic what enabled the man to become what he is.
He has many different appearances but he always has green hair and pasty white skin. He usually wears a purple suit or some other whimsical design. He doesn't typically use too many weapons aside from a gun. He also wears makeup. Bright red lipstick is the most notable.
Riddler
Riddler( Aka Edward Nigma) is in the same boat in Joker in the sense that he
doesn't hate Batman. He resents him, while also seeking him out.
A rivalry. Riddler grew up a genius, winning awards, building gadgets,
and solving riddles, winning competitions for it. He did all this obsessively
because his father, a drunk, refused to acknowledge his intelligence.
His father believed he was as dumb as a rock, he believed Edward Nigma
lied about all his awards. He never got the validation in his childhood,
so his character obsessively tries to prove both to Batman and the rest of
the world that he is as smart as it gets. Batman shows respect to Riddler in many
comics, that being said he also treats him like a nuisance. Where Riddler is a side
character, most of the time it is simply between Batman and himself. Batman obviously
doesn't respond to these attempts. So then Nigma gets hostages involved. Riddler is one
of the few villians Joker doesn't hate, as he believes Riddler only pushes Batman to become an
even better hero.
Two Face
Two Face (Aka Harvey Dent) was a close friend of Bruce Wayne. He was
the District Attorney of Gotham. In most stories, while he was at a debate,
Sal Maroni, a mob boss, threw acid at his face, melting half his face off
and exposing bone and muscle. The trauma of this incident caused him to
have 'A split personality' (While it may be called that in the comics, it
is nothing like the condition in real life) with a good and bad side in
reference to justice. The normal part of Dent is morally right and often
questions his other parts decisions. His other side, the dark side,
often is almost abusive to the moral part of Harvey Dent and almost always
wins over in arguments. His reason for committing crime is revenge against
Gotham for turning him into a monster even though he tried to help as a District
Attorney. It shattered his view on justice and now he feels the need to take
it out on everyone else.
Often times, his fights with Batman involve being angry at him for not saving him. But there is always the real Harvey trying to control himself while Two Face takes control. Most depictions of Harvey have his face half burned off, with a charred or black suit on one side and a pristine white one on the other. He carries around a coin with two heads which he uses to deliver justice. Of course it is a metaphor on how Harvey rigged the game from the start.
Clayface
Clayface (Aka Basil Karlo) has simple motive and an unclear
background. Clayface has the ability to become anybody at all.
At least physically. In his backstory, Karlo was a world reknowned
actor, however he was past his prime and he stopped getting roles.
Desperate to continue his passion, he experimented with a substance
that gave him the ability to turn into clay. He often is in the stories
because he is looking for his "perfect role." A good example of this is Batman:
Arkham City, where he follows Joker's plan without recieving anything
in return simply because "It was the
role of a lifetime."
Clayface is a relatively small character compared to the others, yet he is one of the most interesting. Clayface does what he does not because he is trying to beat Batman or become wealthy, but because he misses the spotlight he had when he was the worlds star. Everything he does is in chase of that life that slowly faded away the older he got. He is often potrayed as being a big clay glob with a monster like face.
Mr. Freeze
Mr Freeze (Aka Victor Friess) has a sad backstory. His wife, Nora
became ill with a condition which has no cure. He cryogenically froze
Nora, hoping freezing her in time would keep her alive as he desperately
tried to find a cure for her. During these experiments, he had an accident
with the cryo that turned him into an ice man. Most of his stories revolve around
elaborate, evil plans that he believes will help him find a cure for his wife.
Freeze is often depicted as a blue, icy man with no hair and a cryogenic suit. He is a very smart scientist and his outfit reflects that. In most versions, he uses a solution to keep him alive, and without his suit he cannot survive, as he must be kept in sub zero conditions in order to live. He is often cold (no pun intended) towards Batman and sometimes tries to ask for his help.
This barely scratches the surface of characters in Batman. Some others I wont describe could be the ventriloquist, the electrocutioner, the punisher, Dr. Phsophorus, Joe Chill. Harley Quinn, Duela Dent, Poison Ivy, etc. There are so many more, and I could go on and on, but I will move on to allies.
Allies
Catwoman
I debated putting Catwoman(Aka Selina Kyle) in the villian section,
however she is more ally than enemy in most comics. Seline Kyle is a
love interest, enemy, and ally of Batman all at once. She is a burgular
with a love for cats. She usually knows Batman's identity. They often argue,
but rarely does Batman turn her in. She is hardly a bad person, most of the time
she is actually the voice of reason, even when if on her own she is selfish.
Catwoman typically has a black latex bodysuit on with cat ears on the top. Shes been a thief her whole life and is never very adamant on anything other than robberies. She has many cats in her apartment. Some pin her as opulent though most comics potray her as living relatively normal. She usually has an apartment, filled with her treasures, a bunch of cats and no more.
Robin
There are so many Robins that they cannot all be addressed. Robin is a title passed on generation to generation. The main Robins are:
- Dick Grayson - now Nightwing
- Jason Todd - now Redhood
- Tim Drake - now Red Robin
- Stephanie Brown - previously Spoiler, now Batgirl
- Damian Wayne - current Robin
Some of these names will be familiar to everyone, some not so much. Stephanie Brown was the character of a minor Batman villian, Cluemaster. Damian Wayne is the only biological kid belonging to Bruce Wayne.
There is a very popular Batman trope around the batfamily. Usually this is a sweet, somewhat fatherly version of Batman.
Many people, such as me, prefer the more gritty tropes involving the family. Most of the
children get along with each other, but not Batman. Jason Todd despises his father. He was the Robin from Death In The Family.
That is the comic where Joker beats Robin to death with a crowbar. You may be wondering, if he died, how is he still alive.
Good question! There is a Batman villian called Ra's Al Ghul (his daughter is Talia al Ghul, the biological mother of Damien Wayne).
His name means "The demon's head." He is the leader of the League of Assassins.
He has lived for thousand of years due to a body of water called the "Lazarus Pit."
Taking a dip in this pit resurrects whoever is placed there. Jason Todd was resurrected in this way.
He becomes a villain in response to his father's failures. It is widely accepted that Jason Todd was Batman's
favorite son.
Alfred
Alfred Pennyworth is Bruce's primary caretaker growing up as well as his Butler.
He is sassy but elegant. He is fiercly protective over Bruce and often
can talk Bruce down from situations he knows are avoidable.
He is an iconic character in DC and even has his own show.
Alfred is ex-military and is no stranger to fighting when necessary. There are more comics than you would think where he dies, however. Some are of cancer and others the hands of his enemies. Fun fact about Alfred, he took a pill and beat up Superman once for beating up Bruce. He has a daughter who comes into the storyline occasionally, she is a grown adult.
Alfred typically wears a fancy suit. He is usually half bald with white or gray hair.
Oracle
Oracle (Aka Barbara Gordon) is the daughter of commissioner James
Gordon. She used to be Batgirl, however during the comic 'The Killing Joke'
Joker shot her in the spine, leaving her paralyzed and wheelchair bound.
She still wanted to help Bruce, as her being kind is a big part of her
character. She became Oracle. She often is the one researching and informing
Batman mid mission.
She is a very important character to the series. She helps Bruce more than anyone else. There are times Bruce would have died if not for her. She is logical and tech smart. She still decided to help even after she was left paralyzed due to it.