Why is Batman's Rogues' Gallery So Famous?
The Blind Eternities forum
Posted on Aug. 2, 2020, 9:09 p.m. by DemonDragonJ
One of the reasons for which Batman is so famous (not the only reason, but certainly a very significant one) is that he has by far, the best-known rogues' gallery of any superhero; the only other superhero who comes close to having such a famous rogues' gallery is Spiderman.
Therefore, I naturally am wondering how Batman's villains became so famous; is it because they are such interesting and well-written characters, and, if so, is there one particular incarnation of the franchise that is responsible for them being so prominent in the public consciousness? I imagine that Batman: the Animated Series certainly helped to make many of Batman's villains popular, but, if that is the case, why did Superman: the Animated Series not do the same for Superman's villains? As long as I am asking that, why is it that Spiderman: the Animated Series helped to make Spiderman's villains so famous, while X-Men: the Animated Series failed to do so for the villains of the X-Men?
What does everyone else say about this? Why is Batman's rogues gallery so famous?
Batman was the first to the punch with mainstream audiences--the 1960s Adam West Batman was extremely successful, introducing the non-comic-reading world to Batman and his Rogue's Gallery. This was further cemented by 1989's Batman and the subsequent sequels (bad though some of them were).
It also helps that Batman's Rogue's Gallery is full of fun characters that can take on a lot of different roles. Joker, for example, can be campy and kooky, like in the 60s; he can be funny and creepy, like Mark Hamill's animated version; he can be insane and violent, like Ledger's.
Interesting characters, introduced early to the game and thus globally recognized, with protean personalities--it's a recipe for success.
jaymc1130 says... #2
I think it has a lot to do with power levels of the characters themselves.
Think about characters in the X-Men universe, they are all so inherently powerful with capabilities normal humans could never possess.
Same for a lot of Super man characters.
And the same for most Marvel or DC properties.
By contrast, a lot of the characters in the Spiderman and Batman universes are much closer to normal humans in terms of their inherent capabilities. This makes these characters a lot more relatable, obviously, and in some cases just flat out more interesting. Superman is so OP that it's difficult to feel he's ever truly under threat of anything dangerous. Batman is just a smart, well trained dude with some technical savvy and a vast monetary fortune, so a lot of the situations Batman finds himself in feel much more dangerous for the character and the same goes for his opposing numbers.
Naturally, there are some examples in each of these respective properties that don't follow this general script, Bane is pretty OP and Hawkeye is pretty UP, but for the most part, to me at least, this is what makes the cast of characters for both Spiderman and Batman more compelling as narrative devices.
August 2, 2020 9:29 p.m.