🔴8 Most Disturbing Fates Of Batman: The Animated Series Villains🔴
08 Most Disturbing Fates Of Batman: The Animated Series Villains
Even if Batman himself never directly killed anyone in Batman: The Animated Series, that doesn't mean that all of his villains got away without suffering some terrifying consequences. Known as the best animated Batman show, Batman: The Animated Series is the premiere version of The Dark Knight for many fans. That also goes for his villains, who have gone on to suffer some seriously gruesome fates over the years that make one wonder if it might have been a mercy for Batman to break his famous "no-kill" rule over the course of the series.
Not every Batman villain in the DC Animated Universe has had such a nasty fate. Harvey Dent goes on to receive treatment for his psychosis, and even becomes a movie star, whereas Harley Quinn manages to live to old age, becoming a grandmother. However, some Batman villains went on to suffer fates worse than death as Batman: The Animated Series concluded, usually brought about by their own hubris. Whether depicted in Justice League Unlimited, Batman Beyond, or any number of DCAU tie-in comics, time has not been kind to many original Batman antagonists.
Primarily appearing in Batman Beyond, the Royal Flush gang was a criminal organization of thieves with a playing card theme, each member being named after a face card. Consisting of Ace, Jack, King, Queen, and Ten, the members of the gang initially seemed to have no remorse for their destructive actions, reveling the unbridled joy of wanton cruelty. However, over time, the gang's strength and resolve began to waver, and several members went from a tight-knit band of troublemakers to a dysfunctional found family.
Ten, who's real name is Melanie, goes on to turn over a new leaf after the gang dissolves, going clean with a legit job in the food service industry. Taking the young Jack under her wing, Melanie manages to get him a job at the same restaurant, ensuring that at least two members of the former villain group have completely reformed. Tragically, the Batman Beyond tie-in comic revealed that Jack relapsed into criminal activity, attempting to start his own Royal Flush gang as a new King before being sent to prison.
Of all the villains in Batman: The Animated Series, Dr. Victor Fries was always one of the most sympathetic. Batman: The Animated Series re-wrote Mr. Freeze to have a tragic origin surrounding his late wife, Nora, taking him from a dime-a-dozen gimmick villain to a complex anti-hero. By the time of Batman Beyond, it seems as though Mr. Freeze's villaions side had solidified itself into an entire alternate personality, re-emerging in the future after lying dormant in the ice for decades.
Gruesomely, Mr. Freeze managed to preserve himself in the far future as a literal head, using his cutting-edge cryogenic technology to far outlive his biological shelf-life. After languishing in the solitude of cold storage for 50 years, Fries was resurrected in the future of Neo Gotham. It seemed as though Victor Fries has been redeemed by his experience, gaining a new cloned body unaffected by his previous condition. Eventually, the suppressed persona of Mr. Freeze reared its ugly head, and the doctor became a cold-hearted machine that the new Batman had no choice but to put down.
After over-exposure to the dangerous experimental chemical concoction Renuyu, Matt Hagen becomes Clayface, weaponizing his new colloidal body in a life of crime. One of the most durable of Batman's villains, it's hard to imagine that any permanent damage could be meaningfully done to Clayface's unique biology, able to shrug off conventional attacks and re-form itself with ease. However, it appears as though the nigh-invulnerability of Clayface's amorphous body had some terrifying implications behind it, briefly explored in the Justice League animated series.
The next time Clayface is seen in the DC Animated Universe, it's in a villainous team-up alongside Gorilla Grodd in an episode of Justice League. Here, it's revealed that Matt spent the last unknown number of years split apart and contained within various biohazard containers, courtesy of the villain Morgan Edge. Finally freed from this maddening prison, Clayface accepts Grodd's rescue, working with him in hopes of finally fixing his condition, only to be blown to bits again by the Flash and Hawkgirl. It's safe to say that Clayface's powers are far more of a curse than a blessing.