DC Absolute Batman Villains: 13 New Designs & New Origins

Think you know Gotham? Well, think again. In DC’s Absolute comic book series, Batman’s Rogues Gallery receives startling, shocking updates. For many, they feel like entirely new characters. The Absolute books are doing a fascinating job of redefining the core traits of the DC Trinity (Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman) as well as Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, The Flash, Green Arrow, and more. But the super-villains are also along for the ride.

With new origins and, in some cases, new powers and motivations, these members of the Rogues Gallery are only vaguely recognizable. Expectations are absolutely subverted in every issue. Each super-villain boasts an intriguing redesign — but a new costume is only scratching the surface of how these 13 iconic antagonists have been reborn in the Absolute universe. Let’s take a deep dive into each major Batman villain’s Absolute persona.

• Black Mask
• Mr. Freeze
• Bane
• Catwoman
• Killer Croc
• Two-Face
• The Penguin
• The Riddler
• Poison Ivy
• Harley Quinn
• Deathstroke
• Scarecrow
• The Joker

Bat-Warning: Major spoilers ahead for Absolute Batman #1 – 20

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Black Mask

• First Appearance: Absolute Batman #1
• Absolute Quote: “Huh. That is one ugly bat.”
• How He’s Different: No link to Janus Cosmetics, works for The Joker, doesn’t rely on mind control

Throughout regular DC continuity, Roman Sionis is a formidable criminal overlord. In Absolute Batman, those treacherous qualities are amplified as Absolute Black Mask. Using advanced technology via microchipped skulls, Sionis builds a sprawling network of masked thugs for hire. All across Gotham City, he pits street gangs against each other and tempts regular citizens to target high-profile people, such as Martha Wayne and Jim Gordon. Black Mask’s minions are fueled by his own cryptocurrency and his underworld empire is funded by J.K. Holdings. Does that sound like a joke? Well, you might be onto something…

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Mr. Freeze

• First Appearance: Absolute Batman #7
• Absolute Quote: “Ice grinds and twists … the ice isn’t grace. It is fury. It’s reckoning.”
• How He’s Different: Son of Victor and Nora, transforms into icy zombie creature

Victor Fries has always had a tragic past. But this Victor is a little different. He’s the orphaned son of two celebrated scientists whose work in experimental cryogenics pushed them to pursue human test subjects — such as their own son. Batman encounters Victor in the family’s lab, who then transforms himself into a gangly, frostbitten zombie creature. Absolute Mr. Freeze feels more like a walking urban legend than a brooding, vengeful scientist but the chilling encounter works well as an episodic duel between Batman and a fan-favorite villain. The whole arc reads like a horror movie that sends a shiver down your spine with each panel.

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Bane

• First Appearance: Absolute Batman #9
• Absolute Quote: “‘Peace,’ he said, ‘is the pretty pictures we draw over the ever-warring stars.'”
• How He’s Different: Works for The Joker, capable of cellular regrowth

Whether it’s main continuity or the Absolute Universe, Bane is not only an absolute powerhouse but also a tactical genius. His brains easily match his brawn in any iteration of the villain. While Absolute Bane might not be an entirely original characterization, he does follow the tendency of the Absolute Universe to exaggerate everything to the max. Which is to say, this man is colossal. Gargantuan doesn’t even begin to describe the rippling mass of muscle that Batman must face when Bane injects himself with horrifying levels of Venom. And thanks to all the Venom, Bane proves capable of embryonic levels of cellular regrowth. We haven’t seen the last of Bane.

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Catwoman

• First Appearance: Absolute Batman #12
• Absolute Quote: “If the rules aren’t fair … stop playing by them.”
• How She’s Different: Childhood friend of Bruce Wayne, mechanized suit, goes by “Se”

As always, Selina Kyle toes the line between friend and foe. She challenges Bruce Wayne’s moral compass in ways nobody else can, and it drives him wild. In the Absolute Universe, Bruce and Selina also aren’t a will-they-or-won’t-they, since they already have and will probably continue to do so. Their chemistry is as potent as ever especially since they already share so much history. As an adult, Selina is perhaps even more cunning than this world’s Batman. Catwoman has no qualms about using Black Mask tech in her suit. Yet she also holds onto the hope of what Batman could be — especially in the moments when Bruce Wayne forgets that vision.

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Killer Croc

• First Appearance: Absolute Batman #10
• Absolute Quote: “The hungerrrr, Bruce. It hurtssss too much.”
• How He’s Different: Childhood friend of Bruce Wayne, partially cured, potential Batman ally

One of the biggest inversions of the Absolute Universe is the shared history among Bruce Wayne and Waylon Jones, Selina Kyle, Oswald Cobblepot, Edward Nygma, and Harvey Dent. Rather than becoming enemies as adults, they were children together in Crime Alley. This change between Batman and five of his core villains is crucial to the emotional impact of Absolute Batman. They became victims of Bane, tools to break the Bat and, in the process, they’re broken themselves. Though their wounds are vastly different, Bruce’s childhood friends must grapple with their memories of him and their tortuous present. And for Waylon, that means navigating life as a slithering, flesh-eating reptilian hybrid called Killer Croc.

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Two-Face

• First Appearance: Absolute Batman #21
• Absolute Quote: “If it’s any consolation, though … I only hate you half the time.”
• How He’s Different: Childhood friend of Bruce Wayne, long all-white hair

Following Bane’s attack, Harvey Dent is shown hospitalized in Absolute Batman #12 but at that point he was not yet Two-Face … not quite. His full, unbandaged debut is teased for Absolute Batman #21, but judging by Harvey’s conflicted response to Bruce becoming Batman, readers are in for a real face off. Harvey’s bitter rage toward Bruce is fuel for what Two-Face will bring to Gotham. Are we in for the villain’s classic brand of organized crime or something even more nefarious? Only time will tell but fingers crossed for a bit of both.

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The Penguin

• First Appearance: Absolute Batman #21
• Absolute Quote: “And now you can’t even look at us, can you? CAN YOU?!”
• How He’s Different: Childhood friend of Bruce Wayne, crutches are used as bazookas

Just like Harvey Dent, Oswald is in the hospital due to Bane. Poor Ozzie’s entire body has undergone a grotesque transformation. But Absolute Batman #21 is where The Penguin will take his first official waddling steps. Broken in both body and spirit, Ozzie arguably seems the most angry at Bruce for everything that’s happened. And an angry bird is certainly not someone to underestimate.

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The Riddler

• First Appearance: Absolute Batman #20
• Absolute Quote: “So this is me looking at you, asking you. To please. Stop.”
• How He’s Different: Childhood friend of Bruce Wayne, frontal lobe impaired, remains attached to machinery

Inquiring minds want to know: What happens when your entire frontal lobe is smashed to tiny scrambled bits? Even before Bane’s attack, Eddie Nygma was always the quirky one in the friend group. Now, his entire thought process is propelled by questions. He seems to have fused with his artificial intelligence robot, further pushing him from man to machine as Absolute Riddler. He’s coded for answers but when will the questions turn against Batman?

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Poison Ivy

• First Appearance: Absolute Batman #17
• Absolute Quote: “What does Ivy do? It climbs.”
• How She’s Different: Draws power from all six kingdoms of life (animals, fungi, and beyond)

What if Pamela Isley mastered more than plants? Absolute Poison Ivy’s biological dominion extends across all six kingdoms, including but not limited to flora. Taking a note from Mr. Freeze’s comic origins, Pamela’s mother became sick and Pamela was motivated to do everything she could to conquer the disease. In that pursuit of power, she decided to not only study plants but also animals, fungi, protists, eubacteria, even archaebacteria. All that’s a fancy way of saying that this Poison Ivy combines the various strengths of literally all living things into her cells. Evolution is the name of her game.

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Harley Quinn

• First Appearance: Absolute Batman #13
• Absolute Quote: “…Now you’re speaking my @#$% language.”
• How She’s Different: Part of the Red Hood Gang, works with Batman

Unlike her usual bombastic self, this Harley Quinn is relatively subdued. She’s still foul-mouthed and has a similar harlequin aesthetic, but most details of her past are unclear. Still, she does hold a grudge against Ark M, the mega prison that’s owned by J.K. Holdings. During the climactic fight with Bane, she aligns her Red Hood Gang with Batman and goes on to become his man in the chair alongside Alfred. Despite all this, you can’t really be sure what she’s up to — if faced with a more attractive option, would Harley switch sides?

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Scarecrow

• First Appearance: Absolute Batman #19
• Absolute Quote: “And that’s not fear. That’s something newly grown, something special. That’s dread.”
• How He’s Different: Not a doctor, working with The Joker

You know what they call a group of crows? A murder, which feels fitting for the straw man who is followed by crows everywhere he goes. With a stitched-up, stretched-out smile that matches The Joker in creep factor, Absolute Scarecrow is as clever as ever. He uses his uncanny understanding of fear to reap chaos across Gotham City, starting in a corn field but quickly ascending to a rooftop showdown that changes everything for Batman. Scarecrow is aligned with The Joker as the main puppeteer controlling Gotham’s strings. The worst part is those strings come attached to some terrifying secrets.

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Deathstroke

• First Appearance: Absolute Batman #19
• Absolute Quote: “No more creatures of the night terrorizing your streets.”
• How He’s Different: Works for The Joker, missing pieces of face, in charge of the Robins

Slade Wilson is first alluded to in an Alfred flashback. Then, he popped up in Gotham as the military leader of the Robin Initiative, a program for wayward youth. At Wilson’s word, the mech-operating Robins swoop in and capture Gotham’s hearts. But, it’s all part of a bigger plan by Jack Grimm. He’s a wealthy Gothamite whose family is much like the Waynes of traditional DC history. In main DC continuity, Deathstroke has also often been an adversary for Nightwing and the Teen Titans, so these new Absolute character connections makes sense. However, those panels of Deathstroke piecing together his face are certainly concerning.

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The Joker

• First Appearance: Absolute Batman #1
• Absolute Quote: “The one whose laughter we only hear until it’s too late.”
• How He’s Different: Operates under Jack Grimm alias, has family fortune, wears baby suit to regenerate, monster alternate form

Finally, we come to Batman’s ultimate foil. This version of The Joker is like nothing we’ve ever seen before. In issue 15, his backstory as Jack Grimm is clearly laid out. Well, as clear as a story can be when nitrous oxide is laced with strychnine. Truth is still a matter of unhinged sanity when it comes to The Joker and his ravenous beast alter ego. Now, Batman and The Joker’s roles have truly been reversed. Jack Grimm, in his many forms, is Gotham’s fortunate son while Bruce Wayne is a struggling nobody. There’s something distinctly Faustian to this Joker, a diabolical depravity that has been unfolding behind the scenes since issue 1.

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On an interesting side note, the classic Rogues Gallery villain Ra’s al Ghul exists over in Absolute Superman rather than in Gotham. His ongoing quest to find the perfect heir has landed on Kal-El, which honestly makes a lot of sense in the Absolute Universe.

Plus, Clayface has a cameo in Absolute Batman #10, with Kirk Langstrom and Hugo Strange getting name drops in #7. Martha Wayne remains a watchful presence in Absolute Bruce’s life and Barbara Gordon waits in the wings of GCPD for her vengeance. Even Alfred has gotten the Absolute treatment, turning him into a rugged mercenary with ties to Deathstroke.

Which Absolute transformations are your favorites? Join the conversation with other DC fans over at Sideshow Social Network or in side.show/geekgroup, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!