Jab’s Builds! (Lawnmower Man! Samus Aran! Metroids!)

[Bladewind]

-The "final" version of the character is seen in a Batman Beyond movie, where it's revealed that he was killed after trying to "Joker-ize" Tim Drake. A sobbing Drake was rescued, but immediately retired- years later, we'd discover an embittered Drake forced into "replicating" the Joker onto himself via a computer program, but Terry McGinnis, the new Batman, manages to stop him.

That scene was actually quite scary...

The Joker had pretty much turned Tim into a young version of himself, and Tim had a gun on Bats and the conditioning broke down... and he did too.

Great part of that was how McGinnis dealt with the Joker... Bruce tells him to keep silent and push through.... but instead Tim talks to the Joker, call him out as a buffoon and not funny... absolutely enraging the Joker in the process... and wins with the Joker`s own electric joy buzzer !

[Jabroniville]

From my notes at last year's Edmonton Comic Expo:
Kevin Conroy's Panel- fun stuff. He mostly talked about having Batman be his first animation job, and how he was only familiar with the Adam West version ("WE'RE NOT DOING THAT!" cried Bruce Timm). He's mainly a theatre guy. And when Timm explained to him who Batman WAS, and what the trauma of his life was about, "I brought myself to a really dark place" to create the role, and just did it that way. And EVERY TIME he does the role, he treats it like theatre- "where it might be the 1000th time YOU'VE done it, but it's the first time THEY'RE hearing it?"- so he brings himself back to that moment instead of tries to "copy the same voice" from before.

* He was like "WTF?" when they cast Mark Hammill, figuring him too "Whitebread" for The Joker. And ended up being mortified and freaked out in the booth, because he rubberfaces the whole way and acts weird.

* Andrea Romano got name-dropped a lot- arguably the MOST important person in DCAU history (she's the Voice Director).

* Harley Quinn came about entirely because "Paul Dini was in love with Arleen Sorkin, and that was some character she'd put on". He notes that Paul eventually married someone else.

* The Am I Blue? song wasn't a Timm idea- it was because everyone knew Conroy, a theatre actor, was a natural ham. Of COURSE he sang it live.

* He got asked about the 9/11 story, and went on a five-minute tangent about it. About how his native New York came together as one, with EVERYONE working. And how he served food in some place, because they literally had more helpers/rescuers than they needed, but people still needed to get fed. And after a week, some guy asks him what he does, and freaks out. He calls out to the assembled people "BATMAN is serving us food!". He apologizes to the kids in the audience, but quotes a construction guy going "Bull SHIT!" And so he hammers out the "I am VENGEANCE!" line in full, everyone freezes, and the same voice goes "Holy FUCK!"

* Why doesn't he do the voice for every DC Movie? Well, different producers like to work with "their guys", so if Timm isn't directing it, it isn't usually him.

* He points out the reason for Batman's enduring popularity- the NOBILITY of the character. The fact that he was so traumatised and horrified, but manages to lift himself UP from that and becomes a heroic figure, unbroken by his past.

* Doing video games is rough, because it's literally 8 hours a day for WEEKS getting every single variation of a line out there. And you have to do it alone, because the vocal tracks have to be "clean".

These things really should run more than 45 minutes sometimes, especially for a ham like Conroy (he clearly LOVES to tell stories)- a ton of people couldn't ask questions. He apparently loves going to cons, because the "feedback" part of live theatre is lost in the booth.

[Jabroniville]

"Wanna rev up your HARLEY?"

HARLEY QUINN (Doctor Harleen Quinzell)
Created By: Bruce Timm & Paul Dini
Role: Villain's Right Hand, Quirky Girl, Comic Relief (to the Comic Relief Villain)
Mental Problems: Is in love with THE JOKER
Voice Actor: Arleen Sorkin
First Episode: "Joker's Favor"
Finest Moment: Came up with a prank all her own, that nearly killed The Batman.
PL 8 (105)
STRENGTH 1 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+11)
Deception 7 (+10)
Expertise (Animal Handling) 8 (+11)
Expertise (Criminal) 4 (+6)
Expertise (Psychologist) 6 (+8)
Intimidation 3 (+6)
Perception 3 (+4)
Vehicles 3 (+8)

Advantages:
Attractive, Daze (Deception), Equipment 6 (Bazooka, Gun, Mallet), Power Attack, Ranged Attack 5, Taunt

Equipment:
"Bazooka" Blast 8 (30ft. Area Burst 6) (Inaccurate -1) (21)
"Giant Mallet" Strength-Damage +3 (Feats: Reach) (4)

Offense:
Unarmed +9 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Giant Mallet +9 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Bazooka +8 & +6 Area (+8 +6 Ranged Damage, DC 23 & 21)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
Dodge +11 (DC 21), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +2, Fortitude +4, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Fun, Greed)
Relationship ("Babies!")- Harley is very devoted to her pair of non-housebroken Hyenas.
Relationship ("Puddin'!")- Harley is desperately in love with The Joker, and will even take him back with open arms after he's beaten her or tried to kill her.

Total: Abilities: 58 / Skills: 40--20 / Advantages: 15 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 12 (105)

SPOTTED HYENA (Crocuta crocuta)
Role: Token Villainous Predator, Evil Even Compared to Other Predators
PL 5 (56)- Minion Rank 4, Sidekick Rank 12
Normal Version: PL 3-4
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Athletics 5 (+7)
Close Combat (Bite) 4 (+9)
Expertise (Survival) 6 (+7)
Intimidation 7 (+4)
Perception 5 (+6)
Stealth 3 (+5)

Advantages:
Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Bite), Improved Trip, Teamwork

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 4 (Low-Light Vision, Acute & Extended Scent, Tracking-Scent) [4]
Speed 2 (8 mph) [2]

"Hyena's Bite" Strength-Damage +3 (Extras: Penetrating 5) [8]

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Bite +9 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +4, Fortitude +6, Will +3

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Hyenas cannot speak to humans, nor use their paws to easily manipulate objects.
Reputation (Evil)- Cultures all over the world fear and hate the Hyena, disliking their creepy laughter. Even animal-lovers tend to dislike them.
Enemy (Lions)- Lions & Hyenas have a dark relationship with each other, frequently killing each others' infants, and stealing kills.

Total: Abilities: 14 / Skills: 30--15 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 14 / Defenses: 9 (56)

-Man, this is a weird one. Who goes from a Guest-Shot Walk-On role (created entirely because the producer had a hard-on for an actress) and then becomes one of the biggest icons in modern comics?

-The infamous Harley Quinn was basically a walk-on character in the Joker's Favor episode, but Bruce Timm (Kevin Conroy says that Paul Dini only created the character because he had a crush on Arleen Sorkin) did such an AMAZING job on her character design that she immediately took off, and became a recurring character as The Joker's Number Two. An ideal sidekick, she gave a sense of obsessive romance and gleeful anarchy to an already crazy Joker, and it was so perfect they copied it entirely for the mainstream comics (of course, they couldn't resist dinking it up by making her a half-good guy and breaking her up with Mistah Jay almost immediately- I think they've spent far more time apart now). She was ALMOST sympathetic if not for the fact that she was so easily led.

-I still say most of her popularity comes from that episode that pretty much stated as text (as opposed to subtext) that she & Poison Ivy were totally "close" (wink wink, nudge nudge) during that one episode where they formed a girl posse. Heck, the writers even had The Joker call them a "pair of busy little beavers!" before they thought better of it (it even passed the censor board!). All thanks to one "sexy shirt switch".

-But yeah, Harley was a great character, a fun design, a remorseless Mook, and more... all of it came together with Sorkin's phenomenal "Brooklyn Valley Girl" acting in the role. And then they went and made her SYMPATHETIC. Her origin was finally explained- she was a young, naiive prison psychologist who was taken in by the Joker, easily manipulated into feeling sympathy for him, and finally got so twisted that she became his Girl Friday. And best/worst of all... she was basically unappreciated. Just there to do a role, nothing more. Joker's obsessive desires for revenge and what-not even led him to IGNORE HER WANTING TO BONE HIM, as a lingerie-clad Harley begs him to "Rev up your HARLEY!" Another episode has her try to impress him with "Smiling Piranhas", but he's so enraged over her EXPLAINING THE JOKE that he viciously backhands her and insults her for misunderstanding comedy. So she's this abusive, psychotic, obsessive girlfriend- a few episodes even show that she, of all the villains, could perhaps be saved- an attempt to reform still leads her back to prison, but even her kidnapping victim is sympathetic.

-So of course this iconic Abused Girlfriend would go on to become a popular symbol of joy and mayhem . Hell, she's even a Main Character in the DC SuperHero Girls doll line! She's targetted towards LITTLE GIRLS! The "Rev up your Harley!" chick! But really... that's kind of just how things go. One great design (though notably the comics, movies and other shows have long-since dropped the old design and muted the clown features into more of a "Harlequin" look that looks sexier on a flesh & blood human being) and that's all it takes. Hell, much of the media just drops the Joker entirely.

-Harley, like Mr. Freeze, would eventually change the Batman comics. However, it would take a bit longer, and almost immediately lead to her going solo. The character got various nutty solo books, a team-up book with Poison Ivy & Catwoman, and more. She even got the starring role in the Suicide Squad movie, which basically gave her a "slutty chick with lots of mascara" design, but had her played by the current "This Is Our New Big Thing; Don't Fight It" actress Margot Robbie.

-So they put the character as the most prominent member in the Suicide Squad movie, push her toy in DC SuperHero Girls, and overall have upgraded her to be primed as their #2 or 3 "Female Character". This also has the effect of edging out Marvel, who's still only pushed any women in secondary roles in the supporting materials (Black Widow is only on Hawkeye's level in the movies; most women in the cartoons are mere Tokens), making DC the much more "Girl-Friendly" option. They've got most of the famous female superheroes, and the most popular female villain (Catwoman by a country mile over anyone else). I mean, I'd argue that a Marvel SuperHero Girls cartoon could be every bit as good, have even better characters, and WAY more choices for Ethnic Friends (Storm, Monica Rambeau, Kamala Khan, Jubilee, Kitty Pryde I guess, etc.)... most of them ain't famous.

-Harley is a capable PL 8 minion to The Joker, with a pair of Hyenas all her own, but comes up way under-pointed. Since this is the cartoon version, she's not really a physical threat to Batman, more of an annoyance and distraction, though her Bazooka and other Gadgets will give most anyone pause.

About the Performer: Arleen Sorkin is best known as an actress for "Days of Our Lives", playing the cooky, lovable Calliope Jones. She was also the original female co-host of "America's Funniest Home Videos", and was a sexy maid on "Duet" for a couple years. She married TV writer Christopher Lloyd, and was the in-studio caller on his show "Frasier" (her lines would be replaced by bigger celebrities in post-production). Her college friend Paul Dini was inspired by her to create Harley Quinn, giving her a longtime job in animation. Her over-the-top, bombastic Brooklynite delivery just MADE the character- it's hard to exaggerate how important her delivery of stuff like "Mistah JAY!" was to the enduring popularity of the character- if she hadn't nailed it immediately, she may have been done with just that one little cameo. But no- the character ended up being wildly popular, and is now internationally famous.

[Ares]

Okay, response time!

"One of these days, I'm going to nail his feet to the floor!"

COMMISSIONER GORDON (James Gordon)
Created By: Bob Kane & Bill Finger
First Appearance: Detective Comics #27 (May 1939)
Role: The Commish
Mental Problems: None (!!)
Voice Actor: Bob Hastings
First Episode: "On Leather Wings"
Group Affiliations: The Gotham City Police Department
Finest Moment: Saved Batman at least once.

Jim Gordon is an often unappreciated aspect of the Batman mythology. He often gets flanderized into being this useless buffoon who needs to call Batman in to tie his shoes (one reason I maintain LEGO Batman is an entertaining film but a terrible adaptation of the Batman mythos), but he's really essential to the whole Batman mythology. By having a respected member of the police working with him, it helps legitimize what Batman is doing and doesn't simply make him this creepy outlaw dispensing justice the way the Shadow or the Spider use to. It shows that Batman has a strong desire to work with the law, and works outside the law to the smallest degree possible. In some ways, Batman functions as a special consultant to the GCPD.

Gordon is also, more often than not, the moral center of the Batman mythos. He's an honest cop who through sheer grit, determination and cleverness managed to become commissioner of one of the most corrupt police departments in America, and then set about cleaning it up. In at least one instance, Gordon has been shown capable of taking out a tall, massively built ex-Green Beret using nothing but his fists. During the Killing Joke, it wasn't BATMAN the Joker was trying to break, but JIM GORDON. And it FAILED. More often than not, Gordon is the one who keeps Batman on the straight and narrow, and it's Batman's respect and admiration for Gordon that helps reinforce his morality. It's heavily implied that Gordon knows Batman's secret identity, but never outright calls him "Bruce" for various reasons ranging from the need for secrecy to it potentially making things awkward between them.

Every good Batman adaptation makes it clear that Gordon and Batman are friends bound by mutual respect.

"Hm. Almost got 'im!"

CATWOMAN (Selina Kyle)
Created By: Bill Finger & Bob Kane
First Appearance: Batman #1 (Spring 1940)
Role: The Hero's Seducer, Extreme Environmentalist
Mental Problems: Greed, Desperation (For Respect)
Voice Actor: Adrienne Barbeau
First Episode: "The Cat and the Claw, Part I"
Group Affiliations: None
Finest Moment: Made Batman fall in love with a criminal.

Catwoman wound up in an awkard place in the Batman series, because like Mr. Freeze, you can only make her so sympathetic while keeping her a recurring criminal. They eventually had an episode with the Ventriloquist where she complained about feeling "constrained" by having to be a good girl and fully embraced her criminal side again. They basically dropped her environmentalist aspect and had her go full bad girl when she tried to sucker Nightwing into helping her steal something. They also phased her out because Bruce Timm just has this weird obsession with pairing Bruce Wayne and Barbara Gordon as a couple, which is just messed up in my mind.

Catwoman is honestly someone that needs to be handled carefully to maintain her place in the Bat-mythos. She needs to be an amazing cat-burglar, but she can't do anything outright villainous because Bruce would never really fall for someone who is stealing from people who don't deserve it. There needs to be a plausible reason for the attraction between her and Batman, and it needs to be mutual. Having her as a Robin Hood style thief who steals largely from evil people is one good way to get around it, as well as her going out of her way not to hurt anyone, and making her encounters feel more like a game or flirting with Bruce.

Overall, Catwoman needs to be someone fun who makes Bruce feel alive and like a normal guy, while having enough good qualities that a re-form/redemption story seems entirely plausible.

Joker's Theme

THE JOKER (Jack Napier, among others)
Created By: Jerry Robinson, Bob Kane & Bill Finger
First Appearance: Batman #1 (Spring 1940)
Role: Batman's Arch-Foe, Crazy Villain, The Embodiment of Chaotic Evil
Mental Problems: Anger Issues, Finds Humor in Everything, Hatred, Obsessive-Compulsive, Tourette's Syndrome (laughter), Complete Lack of Morals, Obsession with Breaking Batman & Gordon, Bipolar Disorder (hell, just read a list of Wikipedia's mental disorders and throw darts at the screen. He's probably got whatever you hit)
Voice Actor: Mark Hamill
First Episode: "Christmas With The Joker"
Finest Moment: When defending himself from near-certain death against The Phantasm, Joker could have used the sharp knife, or the slab of salami. He chose the salami. AND IT WORKED.

The animated Joker was pretty much the best version of the character we've seen in forever. Like Jab says, most modern writers suffer from a bad case of "trying too hard" to make the Joker this sadistic serial killer or over the top mass murder, when that causes so many problems. Insane or no, if the Joker is this mass murdering psychopath, then he would be dead at this point. There's no reason the legal system wouldn't have just shoved a needle in his arm and called it a day.

The DCAU Joker is, above all things, a performer and an artist. Like Mark Hamill said during an interview "He considers himself this artistic genius, it isn't his fault if you don't get why what he does is funny". The Joker is not someone who is just going to knife some guy he walks by in an alley, because it wouldn't be funny. Now kill a guy who was rude to him in some ironic way that involves an explosion? THAT'S funny to him. Ironically, the League of Legends designers would use this as reasoning for why the character Jinx isn't evil, saying "she'd only blow someone up if it was entertaining". I worry about some people sometimes.

But yeah, Hamill really came into his own in the role, the original visual design for the Joker was just perfect, and he was incredibly versatile for the show. You could have a story about him flooding the city with laughing gas so he could rob it, and then follow it up with him taking up some kid as an apprentice and screwing with his head. And fortunately, since Batman prevents the Joker from really killing anyone but a few people (usually other criminals), this Joker avoids the problem of leaving a mass murdering psychopath alive.

HARLEY QUINN (Doctor Harleen Quinzell)
Created By: Bruce Timm & Paul Dini
Role: Villain's Right Hand, Quirky Girl, Comic Relief (to the Comic Relief Villain)
Mental Problems: Is in love with THE JOKER
Voice Actor: Arleen Sorkin
First Episode: "Joker's Favor"
Finest Moment: Came up with a prank all her own, that nearly killed The Batman.

Poor Harley. If anything, she's in potentially even a worse spot than Mr. Freeze and Catwoman. Her original role as the Joker's loveable sidekick worked fine, she was entertaining, funny and hot, being the perfect update to the old "Gun Molls" of old gangster flicks. If they'd kept her as just that, she likely wouldn't have been as popular, but she would have worked in that role.

But then they made her sympathetic. ENDEARINGLY sympathetic. On finding out her origins, watches how the Joker treats her, sees how utterly heartbroken she can be, pretty much everyone wants to give her a hug and save her. And there are times where they tease that she is someone who can be saved. Harley's Holiday showcased her as essentially a victim of circumstance who was trying to do the right thing, and that Batman was honestly rooting for her to turn her life around. It lead to a very touching moment when Harley has to go back to Arkham, after Batman spent all day trying to keep her out of trouble.

Harley: There's one thing I gotta know. Why did you stay with me all day, risking your butt for somebody who's never given you anything but trouble?
Batman: I know what it's like to try and rebuild a life. *takes out a bag and hands Harley her dress*I had a bad day too, once.
Harley: *softly* Nice guys like you shouldn't have bad days.

So pretty much everyone is rooting for Harley to get away from the Joker and turn her life around. Especially once they make her relationship to the Joker the equivalent of a battered spouse who keeps returning to her abusive husband. The problem is, Harley is basically too entertaining to completely reform, and her interactions with the Joker are often too entertaining outside of the abuse.

There's also the fact that Harley has actually done some pretty evil stuff, both on the Joker's orders and of her own volition. Despite how much the Joker has messed her up, you can only use that excuse so often before she has to be held accountable for her own actions and the fact that she keeps going back to him.

There's also the fact that they just keep making her outfits progressively more and more slutty instead of just sticking with her original outfit, which is a SKIN TIGHT COSTUME that shows off her every curve. I mean, it technically covers everything, but is it really any less sexy than the weird bondage outfits they give her, or the short shorts and belly shirts? That costume is a classic for a reason.

So yeah, Harley is in a weird place. She's someone who feels like they're "this" close to being reformed, but have also done too much evil stuff to write her off as just a victim. She's fun with the Joker, but the relationship becomes uncomfortable after a while and you realize you're being entertained by watching a guy essentially beat his wife. Is she a victim in need of saving? Is she a potential heroine in need of a reform arc? Is she the perfect sidekick to Batman's most popular nemesis? Is she genuinely too far gone to save and every bit as evil as the Joker?

They really need to figure her out because there's too much conflict there for the character to work.

[Jabroniville]

THE RED CLAW (Real Name Unknown)
Created By: Jules Dennis, Richard Mueller, Sean Catherine Derek, Laren Bright & Kevin Altieri
Role: Terrorist Leader
Mental Problems: Greed, Lust for Power
Voice Actor: Kate Mulgrew
First Episode: "The Cat and the Claw"
Finest Moment: Beat up Catwoman
PL 8 (123)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+9)
Athletics 4 (+6)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 3 (+13)
Expertise (Terrorist) 11 (+14)
Insight 4 (+7)
Intimidation 3 (+6)
Investigation 3 (+6)
Perception 4 (+7)
Stealth 5 (+9)
Technology 2 (+5)
Vehicles 2 (+6)

Advantages:
Benefit 3 (Terrorist Leader), Connected, Diehard, Equipment 5 (Anything), Improved Critical (Unarmed), Power Attack, Ranged Attack 6, Well-Informed

Equipment:
"Gun" Blast 5 (Extras: Multiattack) (15)

Offense:
Unarmed +13 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Gun +10 (+5 Ranged Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +12 (DC 22), Parry +13 (DC 23), Toughness +3, Fortitude +6, Will +6

Complications:
Motivation (Greed)
Responsibility (Stands Out)- Rhino is well over seven feet tall, and wide as a house. In no way could he pass for anyone else.

Total: Abilities: 64 / Skills: 46--23 / Advantages: 19 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 17 (123)

-Red Claw was kind of a generic, place-filler villain, acting as the threat in The Cat and the Claw, as a reason for Catwoman to be on Batman's side in their first meeting. She's an evil terrorist leader, and wasn't created by Timm & Dini as far as I can tell, meaning that they had no love for her, unlike their TV creations like Harley Quinn. There wasn't much to Red Claw's character, so after she harassed Alfred Pennyworth (related to his old Spy career in England), she never appeared again.

-Red Claw's an interesting study in "relative Power Levels". In the final part of The Cat and the Claw, she absolutely hands Catwoman her ASS, when Batman was barely able to get his hands on her the first part. She basically just kicks Selina all over the place in anger. With Batman indisposed, a mountain lion (which had been seen earlier, and seemed to like Selina) jumped Claw, knocking her to the ground and effortlessly holding her there, allowing the Police to arrest her. This means that using this one example, mountain lions are better than Red Claw, who is good enough to tag Catwoman, while Batman can't. Ergo, Mountain Lions >>> Batman? Just one of those funny things- I'm sure Batman could take all three in separate situations, though wild animals were REALLY dangerously powerful in this show, as they would be in real life. The show's adherence to natural laws of physics and fighting (ie. "One guy can't just kick four people's asses at once without a LOT of work") left certain feats much trickier than they would be in the comics.

About the Performer: Haha, oh shit- really? Kate Mulgrew is probably best known to nerds for playing the Captain on the most-hated "Star Trek" show- "Voyager". I watched a LOT of it when I was in college (we only had 17 channels, and it was on at a particular time at night when I would be home), and yeah, it was pretty awful. Her Captain Janeway was written so poorly that a fan theory went around that the show was more fun if you imagined the character was bipolar.

-Mulgrew actually has a solid career circling that show, however, doing soap opera work and being in a lot of side roles and one-offs. So it was a solid career out of playing memorable bit parts on "Cheers" and stuff, before she got a seven-year run on "Voyager", back when being on a sci-fi show kind of earmarked you as a "Sci-Fi Actor". She even pointed out the difficulties- "The downside of that is also that it continues to resonate, and threatens to eclipse all else in one's long career if one does not up the ante and stay at it, in a way that may not ordinarily be necessary. I have to work at changing and constantly reinventing myself in a way that probably would not have happened had Star Trek not come along. I knew that going in, and I think that all of the perks attached to this journey have been really inexpressively great. So the negatives are small."

-She followed up Janeway by disappearing into theater for a while, before ending up getting noticed (as a much older woman, by this point) for other bit parts she played. Her distinctive voice and delivery actually made her in demand for "Older Woman" roles, and she's been on "Orange Is The New Black" for years. Her performance as Red Claw was pretty forgettable, as was Titania in "Gargoyles", but these are just eyeblinks in her career.

[Jabroniville]

Observation: Bruce Timm is good at drawing Poison Ivy.




"They can bury me in the depths, as deep as they like. But remember... we always grow back. Don't we, baby?"

POISON IVY (Pamela Isley)
Created By: Robert Kanigher & Sheldon Moldoff
First Appearance: Batman #181 (June 1966)
Role: Femme Fatale, Evil Environmentalist
Mental Problems: Chlorophile, Misanthropy, Misandry in General
Voice Actor: Diane Pershing
First Episode: "Pretty Poison"
Finest Moment: Kicking The Joker square in the balls.
PL 9 (126)
STRENGTH 1 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 4 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 5

Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+10)
Athletics 6 (+7)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+11)
Deception 3 (+8, +13 Attractive)
Expertise (Botany) 11 (+15)
Insight 4 (+7)
Investigation 3 (+6)
Perception 3 (+6)
Persuasion 3 (+8, +13 Attractive)
Ranged Combat (Crossbow) 2 (+12)
Stealth 3 (+8)

Advantages:
Attractive 2, Daze (Persuasion), Diehard, Equipment 4 (Crossbow, Plant Gear), Fascination (Persuasion), Improved Aim, Improved Critical (Crossbow), Improved Defense, Ranged Attack 6, Ultimate Botany Skill

Powers:
"Strong Kick" Strength-Damage +1 [1]
Immunity 1 (Poison) [1]

Equipment:
"Hand Crossbow" Blast 5 (Extras: Multiattack) (15)

Offense:
Unarmed +11 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Crossbow +12 (+5 Ranged Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
Dodge +11 (DC 21), Parry +11 (DC 21), Toughness +3, Fortitude +6, Will +6

Complications:
Obsession (Plants)- Ivy loves plants far more than people- anyone who harms plants, forests, etc., will do so at their peril.
Responsibility (Family Life)- Though she is immune to poisons thanks to her experience with them, the results have also left her infertile. Deep down, she wishes for a family of her very own- even if she has to create them.

Total: Abilities: 70 / Skills: 44--22 / Advantages: 19 / Powers: 2 / Defenses: 13 (126)

-Another Bat-character I never knew existed until the show came out, Poison Ivy could've been politely described as a silly D-league Bat-villain with no future, until the Timmverse crew saved her. Instead of a plant-controller, she was a more down-to-earth concept as an insane botanist with a love for poisons, introduced very early on. Of course, her insane hotness might've helped her become more popular, as they just went ALL OUT with the beauty on this design, making her face alone a worthy object of worship, to say nothing of her curvy little body. The swimsuit costume, the movie-star good looks, the vampish Femme Fatale personality, etc.- it's basically what happens when the best in the business get together and say "let's make this the hottest woman ever".

-Ivy's appearance and personality were so well done that you could ignore that her M.O. was pretty stupid- basically a PETA psycho who was obsessed with PLANTS, she tried to kill Harvey Dent for digging up a rare plant out of ignorance. It was really dumb... but in her debut episode, she does a sexy walk, then disrobes behind a sheer curtain in front of Batman, and you suddenly no longer care WHAT her motivation was. Hell, in Almost Got 'Im, she replaces her outfit for a ONE-PIECE BLACK SWIMSUIT (keeping the outfit and ditching the leggings and boots, essentially), and it's stuck with me for decades as one of the most mind-blowingly sexy moments I've ever seen in animation.

-Ivy's subsequent appearances run the gamut- her turning Alfred and his girlfriend into plant-people was pretty goofy. Her desiring a "family" and accomplishing it by creating HORRIFYING PLANT MONSTERS was one of the big "holy CRAP this is disturbing" episodes, as her "children" look like little boys, then turn into her "new husband", and finally mutate into this disgusting plant dudes. But of course the most legendary episode has her and Harley Quinn act out "Movie Lesbian" tropes, going on a girl/girl adventure, hanging out in their t-shirts and bare legs (even SWAPPING SHIRTS), and more. The "Harley & Ivy" thing became so iconic that the comics soon developed it, even though their version of Pamela Isley was this weird Plant-Magic chick who was more of a protective mother-figure than a complete loon with a weed fetish.

-She was among the characters most-damaged by the Adventures redesigns, in my opinion, as what was a curvy, glamorous woman with flowing hair dropped that for the angular "Easier to Animate" Timm design, flat hair, and that sickly-green skin that never really got to me the way that Jade/She-Hulk-type skin does.

-Poison Ivy is quite deadly, but her limited focus makes her a bit weaker. Not having Plant Control, she merely has the use of a Minion or two with a base most of the time. She's okay in combat (mostly with the Crossbow), but the "Poison Kiss" from the first episode is particularly nasty- a Weaken Stamina Poison effect that's a little bit hard to hit with (it's harder to kiss someone in melee than to punch them, really, so it's Grab-Based). Other nasty tricks vary by the episode- she has a deadly gas that's more like a Transform Humans to Trees (Extras: Continuous +3) Cloud Area effect (Limited to When Ingesting Separate Ingredients) in one episode, and a horrifically creepy 'family' of tree monster-men in another. Like most Bat-villains, it's all about the single adventure with her, rather than a knock-down drag-out fight with the Bat.

About the Performer: Diane Pershing is more of a "working Voice Actress" than celebrity-VA like many other characters. She played Spinerella & Netossa on "She-Ra" in the '80s, for example. Poison Ivy is actually her biggest role ever.

GIANT VENUS FLYTRAP
Role: Large Minion
PL 9 (73)
STRENGTH 7 STAMINA 7 AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -- AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE --

Skills:
None

Advantages:
Fast Grab, Improved Initiative 2, Improved Hold

Powers:
Immunity 11 (Disease, Mental Effects) [11]
"Sharp Teeth" Strength-Damage +2 (Flaws: Grab-Based) [1]
"Creeping Vines" Snare 8 (Feats: Tether, Reversible) [26]

Offense:
Unarmed +9 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Teeth +9 (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Initiative +8

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +7, Fortitude +7, Will +0

Complications:
Weakness (Herbicides, Fire, Cold)

Total: Abilities: 26 / Skills: 00--0 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 38 / Defenses: 5 (73)

[Jabroniville]

ROLAND DAGGETT
Created By: Marv Wolfman & Michael Reaves
First Appearance: Feat of Clay- Part I
Role: Corrupt Businessman
Mental Problems: Greed, Maliciousness
Voice Actor: Ed Asner
Finest Moment: Remains free for years despite committing countless crimes.
PL 2 (55), PL 3 (55) Businessman
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 2 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 4 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Deception 8 (+12)
Expertise (Business) 9 (+13)
Expertise (Criminal) 4 (+8)
Insight 2 (+6)
Persuasion 1 (+5)

Advantages:
Benefit 3 (Wealth), Ranged Combat 2

Equipment:
"Tommy Gun" Blast 6 (Extras: Multiattack) (18)

Offense:
Unarmed +2 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Initiative +0

Defenses:
Dodge +2 (DC 12), Parry +2 (DC 12), Toughness +2, Fortitude +2, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Greed)
Enemy (Batman, Clayface)

Total: Abilities: 36 / Skills: 24--12 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 2 (55)

-Roland Daggett is one of those character types that shows up in every "Superhero Cartoon" of the era- the Corrupt Businessman. He was vicious, sneaky, and scheming, functioning similar to Lex Luthor and others, being a riff on "Big Pharma" years before that'd be a major public boogeyman. Apparently, he was supposed to be Max Shreck from Batman Returns, but they decided to recolor Norman Osborn and make a new character instead. Daggett's crimes include creating Clayface (promoting his Renu-Yu pharmaceuticals despite the addictive properties and dangers), trying to burn down Crime Alley to build a mall, poisoning Catwoman, and more. He even tried to create a disease that only HE had the cure for- this was the one that cost him, as he lost his reputation, his company, and his freedom- being arrested. In his final appearance, he was reduced to committing mere ROBBERY in order to rebuild his fortune, but was again caught.

About the Performer: Ed Asner is one of the most decorated actors alive, having won a score of Emmys, Annies and more- he has won more Emmys than any male actor in history (seven in total; five for playing Lou Grant). He got his start in theatre, but gained national fame for playing the infamously-grumpy Mr. Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore show. A tough, but fair boss, Lou stunned a job-seeking Mary with the famous line "You've got spunk!" "Why, thank y--" "I hate spunk". When MTM finally ended, he promptly got his own series as Lou- a drama this time (where the TV producer now became a newspaperman)- in the end, he played Grant for twelve years (ending only when CBS suddenly cancelled the highly-rated show amidst controversy, probably due to Asner's vocal political leanings). With a distinctive, gravelly voice and a dour appearance, he was perfect for any number of "Character" roles.

-He appeared in a lot of legitimate productions (like Roots) as well as "popular" stuff, and even segued into a career in voice acting in the 1990s- he's heard as J. Jonah Jameson on the '90s "Spider-Man" cartoon, Hoggish Greedly on "Captain Planet", and Hudson on "Gargoyles" (a job he handily acquired, as the creators based the character off of Lou Grant). He was a horrifying Granny Goodness in the DC Animated Universe, too. This career continues to this day, where he was Ed Wuncler on "The Boonducks", and won an Annie award for playing Carl in "Up". He's also know for doing a LOT of left-wing political stuff, acting as the chairman of the Screen Actors Guild twice, and leading numerous political movements.

[Ares]

You know, when they brought back Batman:TAS following the success of Superman for the New Batman Adventures, they really screwed up a lot of solid character designs. Commissioner Gordon, the Joker, Poison Ivy, Catwoman, the Riddler, Bane, Mr. Freeze, even Batman and Robin were a step down.

The only ones whose looks improved were Batgirl, who now sported her classic black and gold uniform, and the Scarecrow, who looked frickin terrifying. And maybe the Penguin, since he didn't look like the deformed Tim Burton version anymore.

[Jabroniville]

They really took a lot of the "soul" out of the designs by simplifying them so hard.

But man... the art and music is really what keeps Batman: TAS afloat over the other incarnations of the character(s). The badass character motifs, the beautiful fluid animation, the character designs, etc. The animation in Feet of Clay, Part II and Robin's Reckoning, Part I (which I just re-watched) are easily the best ever seen in episodic television, and beat out some MOVIES. There's really just no comparison.

And DC never really did better for Voice Acting than the cast, here. Andrea Romano really WAS the "MVP" at Warner Brothers.

[HalloweenJack]

I dunno, I kinda liked the change in Catwoman.

[Ken]

What about Harley's expertise in singing early 80s songs?

[Jabroniville]

Two-Face: "Ivy... Half of me wants to strangle ya!
Ivy: "And what does the other half want?"
Two-Face: ".... To hit you with a TRUCK!"
Joker & Penguin: "...."
Ivy: "... we used to date."
Joker & Penguin: "AHHHHHH..."

TWO-FACE (Harvey Dent)
Created By: Bob Kane & Bill Finger
First Appearance: Detective Comics #66 (Aug. 1942)
Role: Friend-Turned-Foe, Obsessive Madman
Mental Problems: Split Personality Disorder, Anger Issues
Voice Actor: Richard Moll
First Episode: "On Leather Wings" (as Harvey), "Two-Face, Part I" (as Two-Face)
Finest Moment: Afformentioned line to Poison Ivy
PL 9 (135)
STRENGTH 3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 4 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Athletics 5 (+8)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+11)
Deception 8 (+12)
Expertise (Criminal) 9 (+13)
Expertise (District Attorney) 9 (+13)
Insight 2 (+6)
Intimidation 6 (+10)
Investigation 4 (+8)
Perception 3 (+7)
Ranged Combat (Firearms) 4 (+12)
Stealth 2 (+6)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Benefit 2 (Wealth), Daze (Intimidation), Equipment 5 (Advanced Tommy Gun +5, Car), Fast Grab, Improved Aim, Improved Critical (Tommy Gun), Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Hold, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 8, Startle, Taunt

Equipment:
"Tommy Gun" Blast 6 (Extras: Multiattack) (18)

Offense:
Unarmed +11 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Tommy Gun +13 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +11 (DC 21), Parry +11 (DC 21), Toughness +4, Fortitude +7, Will +7

Complications:
Responsibility (Split Personality Disorder)
Responsibility (MUST Go With the Coin)- Two-Face makes all of his decisions based off of the coin- he is compelled to follow the choice the coin presents.
Enemy (Batman)
Enemy (Rupert Thorne)- Thorne's boys destroyed Harvey Dent's life. Two-Face is devoted to destroying them.
Motivation (Justice)- Despite his insanity and criminal ways, Harvey Dent is a just man underneath it all. Eventually, this duality creates a third persona, The Judge, who is an obsessive, murderous vigilante.

Total: Abilities: 72 / Skills: 54--27 / Advantages: 21 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 15 (135)

-Two-Face, like the Batman movies, ended up getting a prior role as Harvey Dent without the deformity for a short bit, mainly to lend weight to his eventual transformation- it was neat for me as a kid, as even *I* was aware of two Two-Face was, so seeing these little glimpses of the guy (like when he was poisoned by Poison Ivy) was terrific. This version of Two-Face was BRILLIANT, arguably better than any other variant (though Jeph Loeb's masterpiece, The Long Halloween, may have it beat)- here, he was a good-natured District Attorney with a dark side he desperately kept hidden. In a great moment, when he was taunted with this information by mobster Rupert Thorne, a blackmail-fearing Dent simply responded "There's only one problem... You're talkin' to the WRONG HARVEY..." and lays waste to most of the group. But an accident at the chemical plant hideout burns half of his body terribly, leading to the famous reveal at the end of the first part- his fiance faints from the shock of his green, thick-lipped face, hair bleached shock-white on that one side.

-The second part can't quite keep up the same energy, but Batman cleverly undoes what is a new, gravelly-voiced Harvey (Richard Moll previously played him as a charming, humorous guy) by throwing a whole drawer full of coins at him while he's trying to make a decision. The show thus turns this into a recurring thing- Two-Face never makes a decision without flipping a coin- one side is permanently-etched and scarred, and inevitably provides the more evil option. Using it, he often let people live or refused to steal based off of chance, forcing his boys to go with his actions. We sadly never see his fiance Grace again, and he becomes more of a "Generic Bad Guy" after the fact.

-Mostly, it was Bruce's reaction to Harvey's madness that made "Two-Face" episodes great, as it was a permanent source of guilt for Bats. Not that it stopped them from occasionally sticking Harv into "generic crime boss" scenariors as Batman's #3 villain in many episodes. In a much later episode, Harvey's guilt over the Two-Face persona would create the ultra-violent vigilante "The Judge", who punished many Gotham criminals (including TWO-FACE). One of the few times we saw that it was still Harvey Dent in there.

-So Two-Face is dangerous, equivalent to Batman with his Tommy Gun, and a PL 8 melee fighter, due to his berserker strength as "Big Bad Harv" (he grabs the immense fat-ass Rupert Thorne, and hucks him all the way across the room onto his Goons, then raises Batman-level hell over the entire gang). It's more about the planning and the Goons with him, as Batman can disarm him and beat him rather handily at times. He's far from helpless, though- a Gun is a MAJOR threat to Batman, and sends him scurrying to the hills every time a guy gets the drop on him with one. Dent's a big, strong guy, and when he gets going (All-Out Attack, Power Attack) he's a bit of a threat. The secret also is to screw up his coin, because it nearly always creates some psychological mess for the poor guy.

About the Performer: Huh- Two-Face is played by BULL from "Night Court"! The 6'8" Richard Moll was known for his great height and deep voice, which led to a lot of "Mook" roles, but he was most famous for playing the bailiff "Bull". He was also Big Ben in the 1986 horror movie, "House", and was The Scorpion on the '90s "Spider-Man" cartoon (and The Abomination in the Hulk's show). He still acts, all the way into his seventies.

[Jabroniville]

What about Harley's expertise in singing early 80s songs?

Ehhhhhhhhhhhh... she didn't really SING it that well. It's just a kick-ass song. Though that clip is amazeballs- Batman being caught doing "normal people things" is great, and Nightwing's teasing, then rocking out, is perfect.

I think her "Presence 3" still covers it .

[Ken]

What about Harley's expertise in singing early 80s songs?

Ehhhhhhhhhhhh... she didn't really SING it that well. It's just a kick-ass song. Though that clip is amazeballs- Batman being caught doing "normal people things" is great, and Nightwing's teasing, then rocking out, is perfect.

I think her "Presence 3" still covers it .

I just wanted a pretext for posting the link. Besides "Here's Harley singing and shaking her titties".

[Jabroniville]

ROMULUS (Anthony Romulus)
Created By: Bruce Timm & Paul Dini
Role: Werewolf, Athlete
Mental Problems: Obsession With Winning
Voice Actor: Harry Hamlin/Frank Welker
First Episode: "Moon of the Wolf"
Finest Moment: Almost shredded The Batman in hand-to-hand
PL 10 (76)
STRENGTH 7 STAMINA 8 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -3 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+8)
Athletics 6 (+13)
Close Combat (Natural Weapons) 4 (+12)
Expertise (Hunter) 7 (+7)
Insight 2 (+2)
Intimidation 14 (+12)
Perception 8 (+8)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Fast Grab, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Natural Weapons), Improved Pin, Improved Trip, Power Attack, Startle

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 6 (Acute & Extended Scent, Low-Light Vision, Scent-Tracking, Ultra & Extended Hearing) [6]
"Animal Physiology" Speed 2 (8 mph) [2]
"Natural Weapons- Teeth" Strength-Damage +1 [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Natural Weapons +12 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +11 (DC 21), Toughness +8, Fortitude +9, Will +3

Complications:
Normal Identity/Involuntary Transformation (Anthomy Romulus, In Daylight)- Romulus' stats as a normal person are: ST 3, STA 4, AGI 5, FIGHTING 8, DEX 0, INT 0, AWA 0 & PRE 3
Secret (Took Super-Steroids)

Total: Abilities: 46 / Skills: 44--22 / Advantages: 8 / Powers: 9 / Defenses: 11 (76)

-A one-shot character in Batman: The Animated Series but a memorable one (if only for the AWESOME guitar riffs that followed in the wolf's wake). Romulus was a pro athlete who was big in Gotham, but his desire to win led him to take experimental steroids containing wolf serum. Told that the "cure" necessitated him going full-blown wolf (he was actually just really hairy at first), as lycanthropy was only curable in its full state, he went crazy and started stalking the Gotham nights, eventually opposing Batman. The episode had a sad end, as he ruined his chance for a cure, and we never saw him again. The scientist responsible, Milo, later appeared on JLU as a Cadmus worker. Downgraded in importance after his work turned into a mess of failures, he broke Doomsday out of containment, hoping for a revenge plot. However, Doomsday merely executed him on the spot.

-Seeing such a supernatural foe in the gritty series was a fun quirk, as it was purely SCIENTIFIC lycanthropy (which, to be fair, we'd already seen with the Man-Bat). Which is funny, because growing all that muscle mass from literally nothing, all that hair, and even CHANGING HIS BONE STRUCTURE is all completely ludicrous and impossible. Good thing it looks SO AWESOME that nobody ever cares.

-A pretty one-note animalistic attacker, he's short on points in a big way, but one of the more combat-capable Bat-foes (he's actually more bad-ass than the Man-Bat). Romulus' stats on his own aren't that bad, likely being high across the board, with Expertise (Athlete) as a Skill. Still not too much Awareness, though- the Evil Scientist played him like a harp.

About the Performer: Harry Hamlin is most famous for playing Perseus in the 1981 "Clash of the Titans" film, and was also on "L.A. Law" (the big 1980s "Lawyer Drama") for a number of years.