Krank Up the Creepy: Who is Batman’s Villain The Toymaker?

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Batman has lots and lots of villains to combat in Gotham City. Plus, writers from comics, television, movies, and even video games all have free rein to create a new villain of the week. Additionally, Bruce Wayne frequently makes his own enemies when not wearing the cape and cowl. That really stacks up over time!

One such villain, made by Bruce Wayne and not Batman, is the Toymaker (not to be confused with Superman’s Toyman). Of course, Batman took care of Toymaker in the end. But who is the Toymaker, and why does he hate Bruce Wayne so much? Let’s learn about Cosmo Krank and his nefarious Krank Co. below.

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The Batman animated series (2004 – 2008)

The Batman was a 2004 DC animated series that ran on Kids’ WB. While The Batman utilized original comic characters and built on pre-existing storylines, it did not follow DC canon continuity. This show also did not connect to previous animated Batman series. Rather, it created its own world and ambiance. This was especially apparent due to the art and animation style bearing a strong resemblance to Jackie Chan Adventures — which made sense given both were based on designs by the same artist/producer.

Season 1 of The Batman showed fans a Batman in his late twenties. Although he was three years into his role as the Caped Crusader, he was just starting to meet his greatest foes such as The Joker, Mr. Freeze, Clayface, and Penguin, among others. The series additionally introduced new characters into the story. Most of the new characters were Gotham City citizens, political figures, or GCPD detectives. By season 3, however, The Batman had changed entire origin stories and even invented new villains. One such newcomer was the Toymaker, AKA Cosmo Krank.

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The Toymaker is the villainous Cosmo Krank

“Can Bruce come out and play? No? Oh, he’s buried under a building? Aw.”

The Toymaker first appeared in The Batman season 3 episode 9, entitled “Cash for Toys.” Audiences first met him as Cosmo Krank, founder and C.E.O. of Krank Co. Toys. Cosmo’s inventions were absolutely brilliant. However, the futuristic “toys” resembled weapons more than anything else, and were entirely unsuitable for children. Many of these toys caused severe accidents and child endangerment. Bruce Wayne, with the power of Wayne Industries behind him, led a campaign that shut down Krank Co. Toys for good. Of course, Cosmo swore revenge on the man who foiled his plans. After essentially declaring war on Bruce Wayne — and trying to kill him multiple times — the Toymaker came face to face with Batman.

Cosmo attempted to maim, slaughter, and kidnap Bruce. He sent robots to Wayne Industry meetings as well as to Wayne Manor. Later, we discovered that the Toymaker’s ultimate goal was to use a giant robot to dip Bruce Wayne into molten plastic in order to create a “non-action figure.”  (We really prefer our highly mobile and life-like action figures). Naturally, all of Cosmo’s attempts on Bruce’s life ended with Cosmo being defeated by Batman. All of Cosmo’s failures did not dissuade him, though. Even once imprisoned, the Toymaker craved vengeance against both Bruce Wayne and Batman — and he never found out they were the same man.

Toymaker’s abilities

Cosmo Krank was a genius engineer, especially when it came to mechanical engineering. His gadgets, while incredibly dangerous, were also extremely impressive. Toymaker had also showcased aviation abilities when using his robots, animatronics, and flying saucers. Additionally, Cosmo had a keen sense of direction and agility when it came to remote controlling his weapons/toys. Unfortunately, Cosmo used all that intellect to be incredibly irrational and evil. But that’s Gotham City for you!

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Gotham (2014 – 2019)

Fox’s Gotham live-action television series altered Toymaker’s backstory to best suit the live-action series’ grit and grime in “A Dark Knight: Pieces of a Broken Mirror.” In Gotham’s corner of the multiverse, Cosmo was the son of Griffin Crank. Griffin was an assassin who used the moniker Toy Maker when killing. Griffin modified antique toys into weapons to help him. When Grifiin was caught trying to murder Lee Thompkins on behalf of The Riddler, Cosmo replaced him as owner of Krank Toys and Models. Cosmo was not necessarily a villain, but he also tried to protect his father from the police. Cosmo did not appear again in the series, leading viewers to wonder if he would continue his father’s legacy or not.

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Batman: Arkham City (2011)

While Toymaker himself didn’t appear in Batman: Arkham City, his company did. The unsettling green neon sign and rusted metal animal above Krank Co. Toys were one of the game’s many Easter eggs. But the building functioned as more than just a fun tribute. Bane used the building as his hideout. During the gameplay, players had to destroy containers that held Titan, a chemical solution similar to Bane Venom. Then, they had to fight Bane. The battle ended with Batman destroying the Krank Co. Toys building with explosive gel. We can’t imagine Cosmo was too thrilled about that.

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Who is your favorite Batman villain? Does the Toymaker AKA Cosmo Krank make your list? Pick a fave and then grab some Batman action figures to combat these baddies. Then, show off your collection at side.show/geekgroup or in the Sideshow Social Network. And as always, don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!