Batman Villains tend to have a lot of different facets to their madness. Professor PigFor example, Gein used to go hand in hand, in his paraplegic phenomena, with his wire mother, who was inspired by a disturbing life experiment.
Professor Pyg’s obsession with perfecting people and turning them into dolls-o-trons is well-known, but over time, this has become his primary goal, and the protection of his sick mother is often forgotten. Pig’s obsession with the wire mother experiment is explained by writer and Pig co-creator Grant Morrison In the back matter of the collected edition Batman and Robin: Batman Reborn By Morrison, Frank Quitely and Phillip Tan.
Morrison explains more about why Pig cares about the wire mother and the real-life explanation for it. While the wire mother may seem like a random addition to Pig’s character, there is another disturbing element that is often forgotten – which is a shame, because it adds a level of twisted vulnerability to Pig’s character.
Professor Pig’s only source of comfort is the wire mother
Professor Pig first appearance: Batman and Robin #1 by Morrison and Quitely
The Wire mother experiments were, in fact, conducted by American psychologist Harry Harlow. These experiments involved giving a group of monkeys two “mothers”: the cloth mother and the wire mother. Both were essentially just stick figure statues, but one was covered in cloth, and one was covered in wire. The tests revealed that the monkeys overwhelmingly prefer the cloth mother, even if the cloth mother has nothing to offer them. The only time the monkeys chose the wire mother was when she had food, and only when they were hungry.
Professor Pig prefers the hideous and terrifying to the warm and loving.
It is interesting to note that Professor Fig does not have a cloth mother to go with his wire mother. The monkeys in the original experiment overwhelmingly preferred the cloth mother in all situations, probably because she was softer and warmer. But Professor Pig is shown using the wire mother twice, exemplifying how demented Professor Pig is – that he prefers the charming and terrifying to the warm and loving. Either way, it is A great character trait that really isn’t explored nearly as much as it deserves, With Pyg’s focus shifting to his obsession with perfection over the years.
Professor Pig is more complicated than most fans think
The Gotham villain has more to offer
All of Batman’s greatest villains are more complex than they might first seem. The Riddler, for example, may look like a guy who leaves riddles because of the gimmick, but he is actually someone with a deep inferiority complex who needs to prove that he is right because of his obsessive-compulsive disorder. Likewise, Professor Pig is more complicated than he seems. While most creators just use him as a generic serial killer obsessed with perfection, the wire mother’s few appearances prove that there’s more to it. Batman Villain Professor Pig As meets the eye.
Batman and Robin: Batman Reborn is now available as a DC Comics Collected Edition!