Things You Probably Didn't Know About Infamous Batman Villains

When the Joker was introduced in Batman #1 in 1940, he was a minor character, and the plan was to do away with him in that story, but he was spared by the book's editor, Whitney Ellsworth. According to comic book writer Steve Englehart in an NPR interview, Ellsworth said, "Wait a minute - this guy is pretty good!" Batman wasn't meant to terminate the newly introduced villain; instead, the Joker was supposed to accidentally take his own life by driving a knife into his own chest instead of Batman's. The scene plays out in the book, but instead of perishing, the Joker survives. This decision was made only after the art was already finished, leaving room for a final text change in which a doctor pronounces the Joker still alive. That made it seem as if his survival was crammed into the story at the last minute, and that's exactly what happened when Ellsworth saved him. BONUS FACT: Heath Ledger was brilliant as the Joker in The Dark Knight, but it wasn't the first role offered to him. Christopher Nolan wanted him to play Batman, but he declined. That role went to Christian Bale, and Ledger politely told Nolan "he would never be involved in a comic book film." After watching Batman Begins, he changed his mind and took on the role that won him an Academy Award.

Wonder Woman's origin story has gone through some changes through the years, but at one point, it was said she was originally formed from clay by her mother and brought to life on Themyscira. You know who else has a thing for clay: Clayface! The villain opted to take on the Amazonian princess in a story aptly called "A Piece of You" after he took a beating from Poison Ivy. He found and bombarded Wonder Woman, even managing to absorb a portion of her power, thanks to his mastery over clay. When this happened, Wonder Woman reverted to a younger version of herself, so she looked just like Donna Troy. This didn't last for too long, and when Diana teamed up with the real Donna Troy, she managed to lure Clayface into a trap. Once it was sprung, she managed to draw out her clay, returning herself to full strength.

One of the best ways to preserve someone for long periods of time in just about every science fiction universe is to freeze them cryogenically. Doing so stops the aging process, so a person on an interstellar flight goes to sleep at the beginning of the journey and awakens at the end. Mr. Freeze's condition has a similar effect on him - since his body is constantly frozen, he ages incredibly slowly. This is clear in the Batman Beyond episode "Meltdown," which takes place in 2039. Mr. Freeze is still alive, though his condition has resulted in him just being a head kept in cold storage. Still, he is alive and hasn't aged by that point. In the episode, the technology is finally developed to cure him, so a cloned body is used to bring him back. Unfortunately, his condition persists, and his new body is once more frozen within a new suit of armor.

Dr. Jonathan Crane is one of Batman's crazier enemies whose insanity and love of fear make him particularly dangerous. Over time, Crane developed a fear toxin, which he uses on his targets to force them to experience their nightmares. It took him a while to create the toxin, but he was slaying and tormenting people long before developing it, and his first targets came when he was just a teenager. He was raised by his grandmother, who was abusive and particularly nasty. Towards the end of his high school education, he was roped into a Carrie-type situation that saw him humiliated by Sharry Squires, the most beautiful cheerleader in his school. He got over his fear of asking her out, and she agreed. Unfortunately, it was all a trick, and Sharry went to the dance with Bo Griggs, her true boyfriend. When Jonathan arrived to pick her up, he was greeted by Bo, who was dressed up as the Headless Horseman from Sleepy Hollow. This was in line with Crane's nickname, Ichabod, which was given to him to tease him for his look and last name. Enraged, he managed to cause a car accident (while dressed as a scarecrow), resulting in Bo losing his legs and the loss of Sharry's life. Soon after, he took his grandmother's life after he had enough of her abuse, and his criminal career was well underway.

This isn't a pun on the man's name; there really are two people who have called themselves Two-Face in the DC Universe. Most fans know the story of how Harvey Dent, the district attorney of Gotham City, was horribly disfigured. He blamed Batman for failing to save him and developed a new personality along with his scarred visage, becoming the crook known to the world as Two-Face. As it happens, he's not the only one. Back in the Silver Age of comics, an accident occurred on a film set, resulting in an actor named Paul Sloane being injured in exactly the same way as Dent. His injuries developed into a full-blown psychosis, which made him believe he was Two-Face, so he began committing misdeeds as the villain. He's not seen very much in the comics these days, but he has appeared in post-Crisis on Infinite Earths continuity. These days, he goes by the name Charlatan, better known as the Master of Disguise.

Oswald Cobblepot is called the Penguin for a number of reasons, but more than any other, it's his look and the way he acts that earned him the moniker. Still, he has a history with birds going back to his early childhood. He spent a lot of his early years with his mother, who owned a bird shop. He enjoyed spending time in the store, where he became very close with the birds. This blossomed as he grew older, and when it came time for him to attend college, he opted to study ornithology. It was going well enough for a little while, but he soon opted to leave his studies behind. His reason for doing this was because he came to the inevitable conclusion that he knew more about birds than his professors ever would, so he struck out on his own.

Movie fans were likely first introduced to Roman Sionis, otherwise known as Black Mask, in Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). Of course, the character has been around for quite some time, and anyone who knows Roman knows the man is a master manipulator. He also ran Gotham's largest criminal enterprise and is a pretty nasty person. Still, there was this one time during the "War Games" event when he opted to cosplay as the Dark Knight, and he did so convincingly. He managed to fool just about everyone who came into contact with him that he was Batman, but one person wasn't fooled: the Joker. He saw through the disguise immediately, and a short time later, he shot Roman for his efforts. Regardless, Black Mask managed to pull off a pretty big con for a little while, at least.

Long ago, Bruce Wayne lost his parents when they were gunned down in the street. It's an origin story everyone knows, and that includes Ra's al Ghul. During the Tower of Babel story arc, the villain did something particularly nasty - he stole the cadavers of Bruce's parents. He did this to distract Batman, knowing he would stop at nothing to recover his family's remains. His reasoning for doing so was to swipe some data Batman compiled for a very specific reason. Batman has trust issues, so he devised a means of taking down every member of the Justice League should they ever turn evil, and Ra's al Ghul wanted that data. Ultimately, Batman confronted the bad guy, who offered to resurrect his folks via the Lazarus Pit, but he turned the offer down. Instead, he did what was right and stopped Ra's al Ghul, leaving his parents to rest in peace.

These days, Jason Todd is running around the DC Universe, calling himself the Red Hood, but he isn't the first person to do so. In Alan Moore's Batman: The Killing Joke, it is revealed the man who would eventually become the Joker started out very differently. He was caught up in a criminal group who made him disguise himself as the Red Hood. He was wearing the disguise when he fell into a vat of chemicals, transforming him into the Joker. The story is played out in the comic, but it's never confirmed whether or not it's canon. It could have been complete balderdash, as the Joker isn't the most reliable source of information. Still, it could be legit, and when Jason Todd chose to become the Red Hood, he may have done so to overcome his fear. After all, it was the Joker who beat him, seemingly, to death, so he adopted his own fear in his new persona.

The Riddler is one of Batman's most enigmatic villains, and that's entirely by design. If you saw Batman Forever, you know Jim Carrey ended up bringing the character to life on the silver screen, but he wasn't the only interested party. Michael Jackson really wanted to score that role, so he lobbied hard for it despite being more of a singer than an actor. Joel Schumacher revealed the story of Jackson's interest in a 2003 interview when he explained that he ended up turning him down before going on to cast Carrey. He didn't elaborate on why, but another person was considered before Carrey. Originally, Schumacher offered the role to Robin Williams, but he was so offended about being denied the role of the Joker in 1989's Batman (Jack Nicholson took the part from him), he refused to even discuss working on Batman Forever.

Most people who aren't familiar with her first appearances probably think Harley Quinn originated in the pages of DC Comics, but that's not how she stormed onto the scene. In reality, she made her first appearance in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Joker's Favor" on September 11, 1992. The character was incredibly popular, and she became a series regular, appearing in most episodes that featured the Joker. Because she was so popular with fans of the cartoon, it wasn't long before she made her first appearance in the comics. That came in The Batman Adventures #12 in September 1993. With her introduction to the comics, she became a canon member of the DC Universe. From that point on, she continued to grow in popularity, going on to score several solo series of her own, as well as appearances in other books, cartoons, video games, and multiple live-action films.

Even fans with only a passing knowledge of Deathstroke know he's missing an eye. For one thing, his costume goes out of its way to show this, and whenever he isn't in his normal outfit, he wears an eyepatch. It's easily his most recognizable characteristic - but do you know how he lost that eye in the first place? Fans of Arrow believe it was Oliver Queen who took it from him, but the comics handled it much differently. When Slade Wilson was denied reenlistment into the Army, he became a mercenary in secret and didn't tell his wife. In fact, he kept it from her as much as possible, but a rival merc named the Jackal mucked it all up for him. He learned where the Wilson family was and snatched Slade's son, Jericho. He then strongarmed Slade, but Deathstroke didn't take kindly to that, and he refused, so the Jackal slashed the kid's throat, rendering him mute. When his wife found out, she tried to slay him but only managed to take out his eye.

The origin story for Solomon Grundy begins with a crook named Cyrus Gold. He was a nasty fellow who had no qualms about beating the life out of people to get what he wanted. One day during a caper, his own men betrayed him, slaying him in cold blood. They dumped his body into Slaughter Swamp and went on with their lives. After several years, a zombie resembling Gold walked out of the swamp and took the life of the first person he came across, and Solomon Grundy was born. Of course, he didn't have that name at first. In fact, he had no memories when he was "reborn," and his intellect was significantly diminished - he was a zombie, after all. When he was asked who he was, all he could remember and say was, "I was born on a Monday." The man he told this to recalled "Solomon Grundy," an old English nursery rhyme: Solomon Grundy Born on a Monday Christened on Tuesday Married on Wednesday Took ill on Thursday Grew worse on Friday Died on Saturday Buried on Sunday That was the end Of Solomon Grundy The man mentioned the rhyme to him, and he replied, "Yes... That is a good name. Solomon Grundy... It will be my name."

Killer Croc's name wasn't given to him simply because he looks like a killer crocodile... well, it was, but not in the way most people might think. Waylon Jones never had it easy, and when he was 16, he was busted and tried as an adult. He went to jail for 18 years before being paroled. When he got out, he had few options for work, so looking the way he did, he went and found a job at a carnival. It was at the carnival he earned the name "Killer Croc." While people came by to look at the man who resembled an alligator, that wasn't the limit of his attraction. He wrestled alligators in front of adoring fans. His strength was far greater than the scaled beasts, and he was able to snap their backs with his bare hands. Of course, he never left his criminal life behind, and he went on to become a supervillain who used his skills to take on the Dark Knight and anyone else who got in his way.

Tom Hardy's portrayal of Bane in The Dark Knight Rises showed the world just how much of a bruiser Bane could be, but if you read the comics back in the 1990s, you know that movie was just the tip of the iceberg. In the books, Bane caused all sorts of trouble for Batman by releasing everyone held in Arkham Asylum. Batman spent months rounding everyone up and returning them, which drained the man of his energy. When he was at his weakest, Bane chose to do something nobody had succeeded in doing before: he broke the Bat. That's not a euphemism, either; the man literally broke Batman by snapping his spine over his knee. This sent Batman into a period of temporary, yet forced, retirement. Bane's actions in breaking Batman's back cemented him as one of the Caped Crusader's most dangerous enemies, and it's not a feat that's been repeated as drastically since.