#Joker and the Catwoman are more skilled than Roman I think

[masquenoire]

How strong is Roman physically speaking?

He’s not the strongest man in Gotham but Roman can definitely give most people a run for their money. He’s in peak physical condition and, providing he hasn’t recently been injured or locked up in Arkham, the best shape he’s ever been in his life. Roman eats a balanced diet, working out consecutively most days to ensure he doesn’t stagnate or lose muscle between long hours of work and has absurdly high tolerance for pain, making him a troubling opponent should one consider taking him on. For those who are, one thing to keep in mind is that he lacks the skill of Batman and isn’t as youthful as Red Hood, nor has he been strengthened by any outside sources such as a Lazarus Pit. Roman is pure brawn and fury, his additional height and strength an unintentional consequence of the traumatic head injury he suffered in infancy. All this combined with his ferocious temper and resistance to pain makes Roman Sionis a nasty opponent to throw down with, especially without back up or additional weapons on hand to give yourself a fighting chance. Only a few people are capable of besting him fairly one on one, those individuals being Batman, Nightwing, Robin(s), Red Hood, Catwoman, Killer Croc, Bane and the Joker.

[enigmainvestigations]

Character list

This is going to be a brief breakdown of Ed’s relationships with the other characters in Gotham mostly from his Riddler days. This is from his perspective, theirs are mostly still open (besides the ones that I explain here). Also, these relations can change over time which many of them will. Please note- This list is for those who are curious, and for writers who might need some inspiration in the case a character comes up in their writing and they get stuck. You don’t have to reference this, these are just my current ideas on these character relations.   

Heroes: 

Batman- HATE. I’ve gone over this already in his bio, but I’ll use this to explain some things from Batman’s perspective. At first Batman saw Ed as someone unable to control their compulsive behavior, and thought Eddie just needed some intervention. However, as the years went by and he began to be the focus of Ed’s schemes he started to see him as a cunning, intelligent, and very dangerous criminal. Especially when it became clear to him that Ed had no regard for others, and Ed’s plans regularly put other’s lives and well being at risk. He knows that Ed’s intelligence and his ability to process and retain knowledge is extremely high, and he worries that Ed’s intellect might surpass his at some point. Ed’s motives were always rather simplistic even if his methods weren’t, but Batman saw his potential and believed if Ed truly applied himself he could become much too dangerous. Because of this he handled Eddie very specifically. He would normally take on the Riddler on his own in hopes of controlling their interactions, and keep himself as the main focus of Ed’s ire. Nightwing- Greatly dislikes. From his time as Robin being a bratty teen with a smart mouth, Ed sees him as an annoyance despite only having brief encounters with him through the years. Oracle- Ed has no idea Oracle is the previous Batgirl, but he REALLY dislikes her. Since Batman doesn’t really control Batgirl he’s had more interactions with her than the Robins. He’s been on the receiving end of too many of her beastmode attacks to have anything but negative feelings toward her. Jason Todd- **I haven’t decided if this is post, pre, or if the Red Hood arc is going to play out like the canon* Robin (Tim)- Ed doesn’t like any of the Robins, but he does have a very slight respect for Tim. He’s had much more interactions with him than the previous two, and he knows that he’s smart and capable. He certainly keeps his guard up around him, and chooses his words wisely so not to divulge too information. Batgirl (Steph)- Dislikes, but doesn’t take her too seriously. 

Batgirl (Cass)- Dislikes. Only in his brief interactions with her, he really doesn’t like her. The reasons should be obvious.

Alfred Pennyworth- None

Jim Gordon- This one is a bit complicated. When Ed worked for the GCPD he had very few interactions with Jim, but the two were cordial. When Ed became The Riddler Jim felt betrayed since he used a lot of information he’d complied while working at the department. Over the years though Jim began to see Ed as someone who couldn’t control himself and was suffering with mental issues. He took the stance of treating Ed the way he treated him, but tries not to get him too riled up. He figured out that if he treated Ed with respect then Ed tended to behave and not get too excitable. On the other hand, Eddie actually likes interacting with Jim. He finds him quite entertaining, and likes watching Jim try to hold his tongue in his presence. 

Renee Montoya- Complicated as well. When Ed worked for the GCPD Renee found him to be very odd, and he gave her the creeps though she couldn’t quite put her finger on why. When Ed became The Riddler she also felt betrayed, but she was much more confrontational with her anger toward him than Jim. Through time she also began to see Eddie the same way as Gordon, but she finds it hard to control her distaste toward him. The fact that he can escape handcuffs, and any cell they put him in makes her very nervous around him whenever he’s in custody. Eddie tends to find her outbursts rather funny, and usually would try to get on her nerves whenever he was bored when around her. Renee was rarely the main focus of his attention, but when she was he would be quite rude to her in hopes of getting her riled up. Harvey Bullock- Also complicated. Same situation as the other two, but Harvey actually liked Ed a bit when he worked at the department. He found his snide comments to be very humorous, as long as they were directed toward someone else. He also felt betrayed, but Harvey personally suffered more from Ed’s betrayal. Since then he has a deep disdain toward Ed, and feels zero sympathy or understanding for him. He’s very open about his anger with Eddie, and would often berate him whenever he was in custody. Eddie however loves interacting with Bullock. He finds Harvey’s anger very entertaining, and typically focuses on baiting him into an outburst. He’s used these situations multiple times as a distraction to escape custody.

Villains:

Bane- They haven’t had much interaction, but anyone who breaks the Bat Ed is going to like at least a little bit. Black Mask- Good. Ignoring Roman’s trigger happy temper, Ed tends to find him easy to work with since Roman’s motives are relatively simple. Clayface- Good. He’s hired Basil on a few occasions and found him pretty easy to work with. Catwoman- Dislikes, despite the two not having any real confrontations. The two are respectful to each other, but Selina thinks outside the box too much for Ed’s liking. She’s also better at certain skills than he is, which really messes with his ego since he doesn’t trust her. Long and short of it is- Selina makes Ed feel inadequate so he avoids her, but he’s not stupid so he doesn’t piss her off. Harley Quinn- As The Riddler Ed found Harley to be an annoyance, and couldn’t understand why Joker wouldn’t just kill her. He viewed her as unintelligent, and a waste of time. He generally treated her like he would a child, which sometimes worked and other times Harley found patronizing. *By the time Ed quits his criminal career however, him and Harley have an odd relationship. They’ve survived some very close calls, and even though he still finds her annoying he seems to accept her presence around him even though he tends to ignore most of what she says. Their chumminess is odd, and quite suspicious to everyone else in the city.  Hush-**I haven’t decided if this is post Hush, pre Hush, or if Hush plays out like the canon or not**

The Joker- Ed is one of the few people who can be around Joker repeatedly without getting killed. He made the mistake of teaming up with Joker once, and quickly learned his lesson never to do it again. After that he figured out how to deal with Joker, and kept him at arms length. He has The Joker mostly figured out, and doesn’t find interactions with him to be as unpredictable as others do. He also likes that whenever Joker comes to him needing something silly for one of his plans, he can charge him ridiculously high prices and Joker will pay without a second thought. His reputation of dealing with Joker is a bit of an ego boost for him, thinking he’s learned how to manipulate him. The reality is though, Joker doesn’t kill him simply because he finds Ed’s sensitive ego and his self destructive behavior hilarious. Killer Croc- Eddie thinks they’re alright, but they’re really not. 

Mad Hatter- They’re alright. Ed can’t be around Jervis for too long because his fantastical ramblings get on his nerves, but he tends to play along with Jervis�� delusions enough that Jervis thinks he understands. Because of this Ed finds him easy to influence. He has little interest in Jervis, but his mind control tech is something Ed’s always been trying to get his hands on. Unfortunately for him, currently Jervis is unwilling to fully share it.

Mr. Freeze- Its really 50/50 with these two. Even though Ed sees Victor as an easy way to make some money, or someone to have do some dirty work for him if need be, he also finds Victor’s anger to be exhausting to deal with. He knows Victor doesn’t like him and only really uses him for his own objectives, but Victor also makes their interactions quiet rocky. Ed will work with him if the opportunity arises, but he’ll keep their business brief. The Penguin- Good. The two of them have very similar skills at persuasion, manipulation, and deception. They practically do a constant dance of give and take with each other, to the point that now they both see the other as a valuable resource. Since they both dabble in similar assets the two have found its easier to work together than to be competition, which has really made them both more successful in the long run. From Ed’s perspective this is a battle of intelligence, but he has recognized that Os is aware of it and surprisingly isn’t put off by it like others are. He respects Os’s boundaries, and finds business with him to be smooth sailing. Os has a good level of respect for Ed. Not only because of his intelligence, and reliability, but also that Ed is smart enough to never fully trust Os. He’s used to being underestimated by people, and Ed’s unwillingness to divulge too much is a level of cunning he admires. *Os is not happy about Ed’s “career” change. He doesn’t believe Ed has turned over a new leaf, but his sudden switch makes him very uneasy. He has people watching Eddie very closely.  Poison Ivy- Not at all good. Ed made the mistake of underestimating Ivy early on, giving her the opportunity to see him as the manipulative jerk he really was. She hasn’t trusted him since, and he usually has to avoid her in order to not get crushed by her plants.  Ra’s al Ghul- None. **I currently really want to keep the Gotham criminals in the dark about the League** Scarecrow- Dislike. Considering that Crane is an actual intellectual and a genius, Ed does not like interacting with him. He isn’t outwardly hostile toward Crane, but he definitely avoids him whenever he can. Crane’s intelligence really messes with Ed’s ego. Mix that with Crane’s creepy nature, and his constant psychological analyzing, he usually makes Ed feel like an inferior child. He’s also a bit scared of him and that fear toxin. Two-Face- Also 50/50 with them (I didn’t do that on purpose). Having to interact with two people in one body with two separate motivations can be quite stressful for Ed, but at the same time he enjoys the game. Harvey isn’t as easy for him to manipulate as he can with others, and he’s had a few close calls with Harvey where he pushed things too far. This seems to have fueled his interest in the game more, rather than deter him.

[atomheartz]

why i think birds of prey ( 2020 ) is a white feminist girl boss film

for a person who doesn’t read comics, birds of prey is an entertaining movie about women kicking ass.

for a person ( me ) who doesn’t read comics but has friends who do and they explain things to you and then you go and do some research, birds of prey wasn’t all that. let me explain.

first of all, there are many elephants in the room. the major two are the erasure of cassandra cain’s disability and trauma, and the complete erasure of barbara gordon, along with her disability as well.

for those unaware, barbara gordon is a major part of the birds of prey, along with dinah lance ( black canary ) and helena bertinelli ( huntress ). there would be no birds of prey without barbara gordon, who goes by the name oracle after being paralyzed by the joker.

now, i’ll be frank, i don’t know much about cassandra cain. but i do know that she was deprived of learning any speech skills by her father, her mother was lady shiva, because of her parentage she dealt with so much childhood trauma, ( she was traumatized after killing a man when she was 8 years old ), was homeless for i believe 9 years, and in gotham, barbara was a major influence in her life. 

[ starting out, barbara was harsh towards cassandra. to me, she was needlessly hostile, and that’s poor writing. the way i see it, there was no reason for any dc writers to make babs cruel towards steph or cass. in my opinion, she should have been a mentor and older sister figure, but that’s besides the point. ]

in short, birds of prey erased cassandra’s trauma and disability to make her a quirky kleptomaniac.

now to barbara.

dc has this huge issue of infantilizing barbara gordon. she’s constantly de-aged so she can be with dick ( i’m a dickbabs shipper, don’t get me wrong. but this is ridiculous ), and dc is constantly erasing her disability. she hardly gets to move beyond batgirl to give steph or cass time in the role. and barbara herself has said in the comics that she feels more powerful as oracle. for a brief moment, dc put an able bodied barbara in the clocktower, oracle’s hq, which disabled fans had a major problem with. 

barbara became oracle after the joker paralyzed her to prove she couldn’t be kept down. for babs, becoming oracle was taking her power back, and not letting her disability define her, because she, like all other disabled people, is more than her disability. as oracle, barbara is a powerhouse, and without her, there is no birds of prey. so by replacing babs with harley, you’re erasing what little representation disabled people have in superhero media.

this movie, to me, is essentially a white feminist girl boss movie. i get it, harley quinn moving on from the joker is a huge step for the character. she’s leaving a toxic and abusive relationship and taking her power back. but dc didn’t have to erase two disabled women to get there, especially when gotham sirens are right there. 

harley quinn is already a gotham siren. she, catwoman, and poison ivy could have been given a film together, and the film could have had the same plot, just take out cass cain ( and give her to writers who will actually write her well ), and create an all new character. and while we’re at it, take out roman sionis’s gay stereotypes and actually write a good villain, please i’m begging.

[cloakedsparrow]

In Red Hood's new Rebirth collection, Jason Todd finds himself working for the REAL King of Gotham City—Black Mask. What's that you say? The Joker's the King of Gotham? The Penguin? Two-Face? They're all low-level thugs! Allow us to explain why Black Mask rules the GC streets...

If you spend long enough in Gotham City, you’re going to start hearing some names. Some of them are good: Batman, Robin, Jim Gordon…you know the drill. Others? Not so much. You’ll probably get your fair share of warnings about guys like the Joker, the Penguin, maybe even the Riddler.

Those are all well and good, but I’m here to tell you that it’s time to forget all of ‘em and start thinking about one person and one person only: Roman Sionus, the Black Mask.  

Now, listen, I get that you’ve probably heard of him before—he’s pretty famous, after all—but most of what you know is probably coming from that Spoiler girl or that Red Hood punk and his merry band of wannabe crime fighters, so it’s hardly reliable, okay? And it’s well past time to set the record straight once and for all as to who the real king of crime in these parts actually is.

Again, it’s very, very important that you don’t listen to anything the Spoiler or the Red Hood have to say about him. It’s probably for the better if you just...y’know, don’t look too closely at RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS VOL. 1: DARK TRINITY, even though it’s now available everywhere. Everyone’s allowed to have their bad days, right? Everyone makes bad calls sometimes, even the most powerful crime lords in Gotham. It’s not a big deal.

So, with that in mind, let’s take a look back at some of the biggest highlights in Black Mask’s incredible (and incredibly successful) career.

No Man’s Land

Some villains surround themselves with hired muscle, the kind of low level crooks who offer up their services to whoever they think can pay or protect them better than the guy next door. Totally amateur moves if you ask Black Mask. Hiring muscle is fine when you’re in a pinch, but if you want real loyalty, you’ve gotta start your very own cult.

The False Facers were members of Black Mask’s “False Face Society,” which was the more or less official name for his gang back in the early days of his life in Gotham. Okay, sure, the name “False Face Society” may have been something he stole from the Joker, but it’s not like he was really using it anyway. Besides, what do clowns have to do with “false faces” anyway? It’s totally off theme.

Anyway.

The False Face Society started as a pretty simple gang of petty crooks, but it didn’t take long for Black Mask push it to the next level. Every member of the society was given a mask that would reveal their “true” selves, and the whole practice eventually became a sort of religious experience, making the False Facers some of the most loyal and devoted scumbags around. Which was a pretty huge asset when the whole of Gotham City collapsed into the NO MAN’S LAND back in the early 90s.

Black Mask and his False Facers were able to make a huge power grab during the whole ordeal. Their turf was situated mostly in the Garment District too, because that sort of theming is important if you want to be taken seriously in these parts.

So, okay, sure, some of the False Facers went a little too far into the deep end and started disfiguring themselves under the name banner of the “True Facers”...and, fine, the whole of No Man’s Land collapsed eventually leaving Black Mask all but dead at the hands of Catwoman, but still… Not many people in Gotham’s upper criminal echelons get to boast that sort of success in their early years, so we’re going to count this one as a resounding win.

War Games

Inspiring semi-delusional loyalty is only one item on Black Mask’s long list of enviable skills. He also happens to be a master business strategist and entrepreneur. You can see these skills really shining during yet another one of Gotham’s major catastrophes, the top-to-bottom, all out crime catastrophe known as WAR GAMES.

Here’s the story: once upon a time, a vigilante and former Robin who called herself Spoiler made a pretty big miscalculation and inadvertently engineered the death or arrest of just about every crime boss this side of Metropolis. Sounds like a well-executed plan, right?

Wrong.

See, nature, as they say, abhors a vacuum and that’s what Gotham’s underworld was suddenly facing. With just about every major player dead, there was a vacancy at the top of the food chain and it was something that Black Mask was more than willing to step into.

Of course, that was easier said than done. Every two-bit crook who happened to have a connection or two was ready to make a power grab. The whole city descended into chaos almost overnight. It took a whole lot of work and no shortage of sneaking around for Black Mask to come out on top this time. He eventually came out of the blood bath with a crown and a throne, proving yet again that he’s the crime lord that Gotham deserves.

Not even the Bat could bring him down this time.

...At least, not for a while. That part’s not important. The take away here is that Black Mask was the King of Crime for a good long while, and don’t you forget it.

Under the Red Hood

Ugh.

Okay, you know how the Joker and Batman have their whole rivalry-till-death thing? So, Black Mask has something like that going on, too. And despite being a pretty huge thorn in everyone’s side, it’s actually a status symbol, really, when you think about it. After all, what kind of super-villain doesn’t have an arch nemesis? That’s an important part of the package.

So anyway, there’s this guy who calls himself the Red Hood, and he’s a pain. He showed up one day and just started...well, ruining everything. And not ruining things the way Batman ruins things but like, really ruining things. People died. It was bad. But more than that, it was frustrating. It was even kind of embarrassing.

Honestly, half the time it felt like this Red Hood character was trying to be a hero and the other half it felt like he was trying to be Gotham City’s Next Top Crime Boss. The point is, it wasn’t a great time for Black Mask or anyone involved, really, and Red Hood is the sort of guy you really ought to avoid if you can as we learned in UNDER THE RED HOOD.

But don’t you worry. This story never could’ve ended there. Black Mask wouldn’t be the man he is today if he let people just disrespect him like that. They were all but destined to have a rematch at some point.

...It just may not be the sort of rematch you’d expect, given the historical circumstances. Let it never be said that Black Mask isn’t a smart and benevolent leader, because now? It just so happens he’s has got a business proposal for this Red Hood character. And it’s the sort of thing that could spell bad news for just about everyone involved. It’s a risk, sure, but if there’s one thing real businessmen understand, its risks and rewards.

You can find out if that old saying about keeping friends close and enemies closer rings true in a place like Gotham City in Black Mask’s most recent adventure, Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 1 (yeah, I know that Red Hood got cover credit—blasted focus groups!), on shelves now.