Killer Croc: Monster or Victim

Killer Croc is one of Batman’s toughest and most powerful villains born with a rare disease that caused him to have crocodile skin. Waylon Jones was bullied as a child and was always an outcast eventually pushing him to live in the sewer in solidarity. This would all turn him into the villain and monster he is today. His abilities are super strength, fast swimming, powerful teeth, strong durability, and night vision 

From: batman arkham asylum

The first time I saw Killer Croc was actually in the video game Lego Batman on the Nintendo DS this was around the year 2008-2010 and at that time I was a child. I remember at the time being scared of him because I thought he looked scary. Later I would find him again in Batman: the animated series which used to play on teletoon retro. In the show I thought he looked cool but when I really started to appreciate him as a villain was in 2013-2015 when I got the video game Batman: Arkham Asylum. In the game Killer Croc has a section that is kind of like a horror game where you have to move slowly or he will hear your footsteps and not only that sometimes he pops up so you have to throw a batarang at him fast enough.

The genius behind Killer Croc as a monster is that he is not dumb like a lot of monsters in media are portrayed. He can talk and can think like any other person. That fact is what makes him much more dangerous than people give him credit for. He is a stone-cold killing machine that usually has a plan of his own and plays by his own rules.

From: red hood and the outlaws #3

He’s also however shown to have some compassion proving that he’s mostly a monster on the outside but a little bit less on the inside like. One example while not showing a whole lot of compassion does show a lot about him in terms of his less bloodthirsty side was when one of DC’s characters Roy Harper, who happens to be one of Red Hood's friends was trying to commit suicide by fighting Croc. What happened however was Croc realized that Roy was trying to kill himself and told him “Sure you got beat up earlier but is this really how you want to go out, also if you want to kill yourself leave me out of it”. While not entirely compassionate it shows a hint of his more human side.

In conclusion, while Killer Croc is one of DC’s most feared monster villains he is more than that. He is a person who was mistreated by society and cast away creating him into the beast he is. Killer Croc is a victim of the system in the end with the only people who know about his true nature being people he trusts which are very few people and Batman plus his allies. This is why he will go down in the history books as not only a monster but a tragic monster.

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Hello, my name is Andrew Stone. I have many years of gaming under my belt and I am an avid comic book enjoyer. If I were to say what my favorite superhero was it would be Batman as I believe his unwavering sense of justice and belief in doing the right thing is compelling in modern-day society.  I look forward to writing blogs about the subjects I enjoy the most.

A look into Batman in the DCAU

Spoilers for multiple tv shows ahead

Credit: DC

Batman has been an influential figure in my life and in many others. Thus different opinions can be formed about him. One thing that some people get wrong about Batman however is that he isn’t a heartless vigilante who likes beating people up. People usually get that misconception due to how the media portrays him nowadays. The DCAU is a prime example of who Batman is meant to be portrayed as. He has a brutal side but he also has a compassionate side. In an episode of Batman: the animated series, Batman has to take down a dangerous criminal called Babydoll who is revealed to be someone with a disease called hypoplasia which causes her to have a permanent childlike state.

Credit: dc

It is shown that because of said disease, she is not taken seriously and that she just wants to be like everybody else. The episode ends with a confrontation between her and Batman in which they enter a funhouse where in the mirror room with a bunch of distorting mirrors she sees herself as an adult and is interrupted by Batman after which she breaks down and Batman comforts her as she cries before she turns herself in peacefully.

Another example can be found in the final episode of Justice League Unlimited. In the episode a little girl named Ace is causing chaos in the city because her powers developed and her powers allow her to cause hallucinations and alter reality after a hard-fought battle batman is tasked with a device that can kill Ace now you might be wondering isn’t that messed up well the circumstance is that ace Is dying of a brain aneurism and if she dies she will pretty much nuke the city because of the whiplash of her ability so when batman gets to her ace reads his mind and its revealed that while batman had volunteered to do it he had no intentions of using the device to kill her. Instead, he chooses to talk to her as he has a connection to her as they are both orphans and he asks her if she can revert the changes, she made willingly so that her dying would not destroy everything. she accepts and asks Batman if he would sit with her as she dies. Batman is then seen walking with Ace dead in his arms.

credit: dc

My last example is from the final episode of the original Justice League tv show from 2004. In this episode, the league is in a fight with the Thanagarian’s and to stop them they would have to collide the Justice League watchtower into the Thanagarian's planet at first batman and his teammates go to the escape pods to help evacuate the watchtower. Batman then locks his teammates in the escape pods and reveals that someone needs to stay on the watchtower to guide it to its destination. Batman then proceeds to take the controls and pilot it to the planet's surface and he is seen struggling to stay awake from the entry speed and fire around him but he is saved by Superman before the tower collides

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Hello, my name is Andrew Stone. I have many years of gaming under my belt and I am an avid comic book enjoyer. If I were to say what my favorite superhero was it would be Batman as I believe his unwavering sense of justice and belief in doing the right thing is compelling in modern-day society.  I look forward to writing blogs about the subjects I enjoy the most.

Scoob! is a movie about the power of friendship

Scoob is a theatrical movie based on the hit TV series Scooby-doo. The movie was released in 2020 originally only on digital but it was later released in theatres. I would like to take a moment to look at the movie, 3 years later, to see if it holds up as well as I remember. 

*Warning Spoilers!*

(Photo of the poster for the movie, owned by Warner brothers)

photo from warnerbroscanada.

This intro sequence is pretty good as it establishes something that Scooby doo fans have always wanted to see an origin story of how Scooby and Shaggy met it also sets up the theme of the movie quite well this theme is that of friendship and camaraderie this is very apparent throughout the film. The main conflict of this film other than the villain himself is the straining friendship between Scooby and Shaggy. Throughout the film, Shaggy starts feeling more and more depressed about himself and his inability to help Scooby. This as well leads to some jealousy on his part as he wants to feel important as well.

Photo from warnerbroscanada

This all comes to a head at the end of the film when Shaggy gives Scooby an ultimatum, stay with him or go with The Blue Falcon. Scooby ultimately chooses to do with The Blue Falcon but this would cause Shaggy to be kidnapped and forces Scooby to play right into the villain's hands. Shaggy makes a sacrifice to save Scooby and decides that he will stay in the underworld to keep the gate closed. This scene In particular is what describes the theme of this movie perfectly.

Shaggy in the end after all of his jealousy and feelings of uselessness decides that his purpose in the end is to be a friend to Scooby and chooses him over his own life. In the end, this causes another exit to open ultimately allowing Shaggy to escape the underworld but regardless the scene is still very heartwarming and impactful. I will say this, while this movie has its ups and downs the core message of this movie causes you to think about yourself and others that is what truly makes this movie special. 

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Hello my name is Andrew Stone. I have many years of gaming under my belt and I am an avid comic book enjoyer. If I were to say what my favorite superhero was it would be batman as I believe his unwavering sense of justice and belief in doing the right thing is compelling in modern day society.  I look forward to writing blogs about the subjects I enjoy the most.