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8 villains from Batman 1966 you probably won't see in the next Batman movie
The Joker, The Riddler, and Catwoman made the leap from the small screen to theaters. Egghead, Bookworm, and Ma Parker? Not so much.
Recently, the 2022 Batman movie starring Robert Pattinson cast a spotlight on the classic Batman villain, The Riddler. While The Joker has become Batman's go-to nemesis in pop culture, we've seen lots of the rogues gallery onscreen over the years. Who could forget Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze? Or Danny DeVito as The Penguin?
Of course, while The Riddler, The Joker, Mr. Freeze, and more all appeared on the Adam West Batman show in the 1960s, there were quite a few other colorful villains that West's Batman went up against. Here's eight of them that you probably won't see when the next Batman movie hits theaters.
1. The Mad Hatter
When we meet The Mad Hatter, we hear about how he's stealing hats of the jurors who sent him to prison. He's also stealing the jurors, but that's less important. The Hatter has his eyes set on Batman's cowl, and he's going to steal every hat in Gotham to get to it if he has to! The hat with hypnotizing eyes that pop out is a pretty nifty gadget.
2. The Bookworm
The Bookworm commits crimes taken from – you guessed it – books. Inspired by literary plots, he also leaves clues behind for our hero about his next crime. Of course, the clues are all book-themed. What books would he use for his crimes if he was featured in the next Batman movie? If he used Twilight, there could be a wonderful Robert Pattinson crossover.
3. The Clock King
With his "stuck in an hourglass slowly filling with sand" trap, The Clock King may have actually been ahead of his time! In the show he wanted to steal surrealist paintings that dealt with time and antique watches. He did technically appear in a hit 2017 Batman movie – as a cameo in The Lego Batman Movie.
4. Ma Parker
Ma Parker is an interesting villain. Think if Aunt Bee decided to go into crime using Andy and Barney as henchmen. She's like a Martha Stewart mob boss when she convinces other villains, especially Catwoman, to follow her. Unfortunately hair clip smoke bombs and rocket powered wheelchairs aren't especially cinematic these days, so we probably won't be seeing her going up against Batman on the big screen anytime soon.
5. Egghead
One of the characters who certainly won't show up on the big screen as a lead villain, but one of them on the list that we most would love to see. Egghead is fondly remembered as Vincent Price from the '66 series, where he chewed the scenery as only Vincent Price can, did his best to make every sentence an egg pun, and sat around in his breakfast-food themed lair. Along with Clock King, he got a brief cameo in The Lego Batman Movie.
6. Shame
Yeehaw! This "Conniving Cowboy of Crime" adds a splash of flair to his western look with a purple polka-dotted bandana that he wears during hold-ups. This character was known for his cowardice and dirty tricks, saying "Doggone it, Batman. You cheated, you know we ain't no good in a fair fight."
7. Colonel Gumm
If this bubblegum pink villain looks familiar, you might recognize the actor, Roger C. Carmel as Harry Mudd from Star Trek. Gumm was obsessed with stamps and alphabet soup, but the most iconic thing about this baddie was his motif of hot pink. Get it? Gum, pink, bubblegum? Nobody ever said the '66 series was subtle.
8. Louie the Lilac
Louie is styled after a 1920s gangster, but he's into flowers. Like, really into flowers. That and his love of perfume sets this tough apart from the crowd. This is another one that is unlikely to ever be highlighted in theaters, but boy would it be fun to see. In the show, he used a lilac on his jacket that sprayed a mind-control fragrance, as well as man-eating lilacs.
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