Supervillain Origins: Dr. Hugo Strange

Supervillain Origins: Dr. Hugo Strange He is one of Batman’s earliest adversaries, and one of the few to learn the Dark Knight’s secret identity. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’ll we will be taking a look at the origins of Professor Hugo Strange. As with most comic book characters, there are often re-imaginings and different versions to a character’s past. We have chosen to primarily follow the storyline, which unfolded in Detective Comics and Batman #1. Pre-dating the Joker as Batman’s primary antagonist, Hugo Strange invented the fear toxin and exploited Batman’s secret identity before others did the same years later. In fact, Dr. Strange is such an early series villain that he entered the fray before the creation of the original Batman comics. This was a time when the Caped Crusader was still the protector of Manhattan, instead of the famous and fictitious Gotham. Walking the fine line between genius and insanity, Strange was first introduced as a criminal scientist. In his debut, he used a stolen “Concentrated Lightning” machine to generate a dense fog, and this allowed him to rob the city’s banks unseen. Foiled and locked away by Batman, he quickly escaped from Manhattan’s City Asylum with five fellow patients. Like guinea pigs, he transformed them into hulking mindless zombies through the use of a powerful artificial growth hormone. He then administered the drug to Batman. However, the Caped Crusader managed to create a vaccine to save himself, and went on to stop the monsters from destroying the city. Later, Batman tracked him down to a secret hangar, and the two fought until Strange was knocked off a cliff. Surviving, he appeared in Gotham City years later disguised as the head of a private hospital for the city’s wealthiest citizens. His scheme was to hold them for ransom, so he was especially pleased when Bruce Wayne checked in to recover from bizarre radiation burns. Piecing things together, the doctor soon discovered that the millionaire was, in fact, his arch nemesis. Strange then attempted to auction off his knowledge to Gotham’s top villains. Mafia boss Rupert Thorne accidentally killed the professor during a brutal interrogation, and cast his body underwater within a barrel. However, Strange had tricked him by dramatically slowing his heartbeat. Escaping with his life, Strange plotted revenge against his would-be murderers by creating a holographic ‘ghost’ to haunt Thorne. He then used drugs and androids to weaken Bruce Wayne so that he could take on the role of Batman. Becoming the Dark Knight, Strange went on a crime spree. He used toxins, blackmail and intimidation to gather all of the stock in the Wayne Foundation. Taking possession of all of Bruce Wayne’s assets, Strange left the millionaire in a state of personal bankruptcy. After discovering who had taken over his life, Batman and his pal Robin confronted Strange in the Bat-cave. After Strange’s defeat, they handed him over the authorities, and created a story of false memories to protect their secret identities. A bizarre and ruthless villain within the franchise, Strange is unique for not only respecting and adoring the Batman, but also for his desire to wear his costume. A master of psychological warfare, Strange built a reputation out of disappearing and re-emerging years later. His genius intellect allowed him to learn new sciences, including robotics and holography. These skills helped him make his victims question their own sanity. Never featured in the live-action Batman television series or films, the character has appeared several times in more recent cartoons. After being rediscovered by fans, Strange was made a major villain for the highly anticipated video game “Batman: Arkham City.”