The new Batman 1989 sequel brings the DC villain I always wanted in a Batman movie to Tim Burton’s Gotham Universe

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Batman: Resurrection35 years after Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) ushered in the modern era of live-action Batman movies, a new sequel expanded the universe and gave me something I’ve wanted for as long as I’ve been a Batman fan. Burton’s movies introduced a number of what we would all consider top-tier Batman villains: the unhinged trinity of Joker, Catwoman and Penguin, of course, but new novel Batman: Resurrection Adds even more names to the Rogues Gallery.

One thing I’ve always been bummed about in Batman movies is the lack of imagination when it comes to choosing villains. We’ve seen the Joker a few times, the Riddler twice, the Penguin twice, Catwoman three times (whether as a villain or not), and beyond that, the Rogues have been limited. Sure, we’ve seen plenty of Batman villains imagined elsewhere, thanks to the likes of the Suicide Squad movies, but if they don’t face their greatest enemy, what’s the point?

Batman: Resurrection is an excellent reminder of how rich the other alternatives are. Not only is it a new origin story for Clayface – who has somehow never appeared in a live-action movie – but it also introduces a very popular villain that DC has seemingly discarded on the discard pile. And read Batman: Resurrection Is the kind of immediate justification for my love for the character that it is almost impossible to see outside of the comics.

Batman: Resurrection expands the story of Batman 1989

Set after Joker’s death at the end of Batman (1989), Batman: Resurrection Focuses heavily on the fallout from the insane attack on Gotham. Smilex’s victims are still dealing with the dire effects of his terror – including new orphans – but a new wave of his followers threaten to destabilize the city further.

Christianity Last Laughs by journalist Alexander Knox, they are behind a spate of arson attacks (thanks to hidden benefactors and Batman Returns Villain Max Shrek). then suddenly, A new evil emerges when a lowly aspiring actor is transformed by a Smilex-tinged package of stage makeup in ClayfaceAnd at the same time, Batman is confronted with the horrifying suspicion that Joker never actually died.

The book is a very satisfying expansion of Tim Burton’s Batman universe, dealing not only with the events that followed, but also with broader ideas about criminal fanaticism and obsession. Batman is still haunted by the Joker and as his mental condition unravels, the idea of ​​what is true and what is not becomes the heart of the drama. And in that quagmire steps The iconic DC villain I always wanted to see on screen: Hugo Strange.

Batman: Resurrection introduces iconic DC villain Hugo Strange

the resurrection Drops hints of the shadowy villain’s identity long before it becomes clear that Hugh Auslander is the one pulling the strings. The twist is well guarded by Auslander’s apparently charitable nature and his commitment to finding a cure for Clayface. Eventually, through the revelation that Auslander is in fact an impostor, Batman comes to learn that he is in fact former Axis Chemicals scientist and Joker accomplice Hugo Strange.

The novel reimagines Hugo Strange’s origin story, replacing his private hospital where he turns wealthy Gothamites into mindless monsters with Gotham Central’s Smilex ward. There, under the care of the healing Joker’s victims, Auslander conducts his own research, having sent his own Smilex variants into the world to test their impact on tragic victims. Clayface – formerly Karlo Babić (stage name Basil Karlo) – is the result of one of these variants.

Gradually, it was revealed that Strange has plans to transform Gothamites into his monster peopleUse a cocktail of chemicals in a grotesque agenda to encourage evolution. Just like he did in DC Comics, Strange plays God. Where he was once only an accomplice to Joker, and the man behind Napier’s access to the chemicals that created Smilex, Strange evolves into a huge threat to Gotham and the wider world.

Hugo Strange cannot be ignored for future Batman movies

I have no hesitation in saying that Hugo Strange is the perfect villain in Gotham City. Yes, even more than the Joker. That may seem like a bold statement, but consider Strange’s typical plans for Gotham, as well as the ever-present commentary on the city’s corrupt heart, and it’s easily justified.

While he may appear to be a mad scientist archetype on paper, bent on creating his own “improvement” vision of man, Strange’s obsession with his Monster Men offers a dark reflection of Batman’s own condition. Gotham created Batman as a vengeful monster, designed to strike fear into the hearts of criminals. He is very ghoul, as terrifying and awesome as the darkness, and a literal super human, even without the usually prerequisite powers.

Strange’s Monster Men are his own attempt to burn away the filth of Gotham and create a superior race. They are, essentially, his twisted take on Batman’s own mythology. And although Matt Reeves openly admitted that his Batman universe will ignore more traditionally supernatural villains, I can only hope that James Gunn’s penchant for the grotesque means that Hugo Strange can appear in the DCU.

Too many Batman movies repeatedly use the same villains, while overlooking the potential for the likes of Strange and Clayface as monstrous reflections of Batman himself. the resurrection Captures that parallel perfectly, and the Batman Sequel makes a truly compelling case for Strange to be added to a future Dark Knight movie.

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