#if he's black mask i think it idk cheapens the effect?

[emma-d-klutz]

You know I really do not need Jeremiah Arkham to be Black Mask at any time ever. Someone’s gotta fill the niche of mental health professional who is 100% not a supervillain. A guy whose evildoing comes only as an example of what a psych ward can do to you if they just choose. 

The tension of knowing he started out extremely dedicated and genuinely wanting to help people, seeing him victimized and bullied by rogues in his care until even the last shreds of professionalism that held place of his already run down empathy wear out, and despite being sympathetic to this hopeless state being nonetheless nauseatingly horrified when he turns to abusing his patients because in his position he can just do that and hypothetically could have chosen to do that over anything,

is way better to have in there to work with Batman’s exploratory themes of power, justice, corruption and institution, mental illness, and ‘Society’ ect ect

than just saying “and then he snapped too much so now he’s in a legacy costume and a straight jacket too.” 

No hate to my other villains who have lost their licenses. Some of those guys are some of my favorite rogues, and I love them dearly, but we need one uncostumed one. 

(Yes, I am arguing that something from a giant superhero franchise should not have another costumed villain because themes, as if costumed villains is not the whole genre. I am also the sort of person who gave up on No Game, No Life after reading more volumes than I’d care to admit, because I got sick of wading through the gross parts waiting for them to tackle the subjects of debilitating phobias, isolation, codependency, and family that I thought were promised to me before realizing that was never gonna happen. So. Take me however you will. Please pretend reblogs are disabled bc tumblr isnt giving me the option rn)