Summary
- Batman’s villains are getting a new twist in fan art by Tom Hoskisson, including undead variants and monstrous creations.
- The strange and demented world of Gotham City has always been home to bizarre villains, and these new additions fit right in.
- The weirder, the better – from living decks of cards to skeletal cowboys, Batman’s rogues have always been outlandish.
Batman has some of the best villains in comic book history. While new villains aren’t created often, they’re usually brilliant when they’re added to Gotham lore, such as Professor Pyg and the Court of Owls. Now talented artist Tom Hoskisson is showing off his own take on these brilliant villains and even has a few new additions of their own.
Hoskisson had already redesigned Batman and Robin in amazing fanart and has since decided that it was time to give Gotham’s villains the same treatment in two new posts on Instagram. The fanart stars bizarre characters such as Nauty_Boy, who bears a striking resemblance to the Joker’s Red Hood look, as well as Sir Klick, a beetle that takes the form of a medieval knight.
Some of these designs are fun twists on existing characters, such as Ra’s al Ghul becoming Ra’s al Ghoul, an undead variant who seems to have become a monster after thousands of years of Lazarus exposure. There’s also Dustspark and Nobody, an evil cowboy skeleton and their dreaded undead horse.
These New Gotham Villains Are from a Demented and Strange World
Batman’s Villains Have Always Been Strange
Not content with just one strange Batman, Hoskisson has created a second, with even weirder villains, such as Darkseid and Crow, the Pigeon Corps, Wu-Man, and Worm. One of the more interesting is the Pigeon Corps, which seems to somehow be an even more demented version of the Court of Owls. Wu-Man looks like a classic Looney Tunes witch, and Worm is outright terrifying, a giant being that lurks beneath the sand that Batman requires a tank to defeat. While all of these seem absurd, it’s honestly fantastic, as Batman’s villains have always been weird.
Batman’s rogues have always been bizarre and outlandish.
While all of these villains seem absurd — such as the Deck, a seemingly living deck of playing cards — they’re honestly not that different from Batman’s regular rogues. Batman’s rogues have always been bizarre. Look at Professor Pyg, a deranged surgeon who dresses up like a pig and is obsessed with the Greek fable of Pygmalion, which motivates all his actions. The Mad Hatter is another good example: a tiny man who believes himself to be a character from a children’s story and deploys mind control to get what he wants. Batman’s rogues have always been bizarre and outlandish, and this artist taps into that energy perfectly.
When Making Batman Villains, the Stranger Is Usually the Better
Killer Croc, Mister Freeze, Poison Ivy, Clayface, and More
Gotham City is a strange and Gothic place, and while it used to be run by normal mobsters, that status quo has pretty much run its course. Now crime is controlled by absurd beings like killer clowns, sentient clay golems, and a man who decides all his crimes with the flip of a coin. The villains of Gotham have been and always will be strange. So adding in a few new characters, like a living deck of cards, a skeletal cowboy, or an army of militarized pigeons, isn’t just fun, it fits entirely with Batman’s classic villains.
Batman
One of DC’s most iconic heroes, Batman is the vigilante superhero persona of billionaire Bruce Wayne. Forged by tragedy with the death of his parents, Bruce dedicated his life to becoming the world’s leading martial artist, detective, and tactician. Recruiting an entire family of allies and sidekicks, Bruce wages war on evil as the dark knight of his hometown, Gotham City.
- Created By
- Bob Kane , Bill Finger
- Alias
- Bruce Wayne
- Alliance
- Justice League, Outsiders, Batman Family
- Race
- Human
- FIRST APP
- Detective Comics #27 (1939)
