Backstory: The infamous owner of several nightclubs around Gotham City and son of the eccentric gangster Oswald Cobblepot, Roman Sionis enjoys his reputation. He’s dabbled in drug running, arms dealing and black market wheeling, jobs that have often put him at odds with Batman. However, rumors come every once and awhile about grisly murders connected to Sionis, but none ever lead back to him. Sionis knows of Batman’s fall, but it doesn’t bother him. He knows that Batman isn’t crazy enough to start a gang war. That is, until Ra’s Al Ghul approaches him about joining his budding Cabal. Who knows, maybe it is time to bring down the Bat. Behind the Scenes: Black Mask! I dunno, there’s something about the Gotham gangsters that I really love, and Black Mask is one of the most brutal. This version definitely doesn’t do some of his most disgusting acts in the comics (seriously, some are absolutely sickening) but maybe he participates in face-cutting from time to time. (Think of this universe as usually as fairly PG, not that it won’t have dark storylines; think of it as similar to the DCAU in that respect.) Him being the son of the Penguin was a choice I was happy with; the amount of gangsters in Gotham is ridiculous, so at least make it a bit more plausible if he actually comes from a family. I really wanted him to be in Ra’s cabal, so here he is.
This has been a bit of a blessing in my universe, because if you pace them over a longer period of time, you can have a rogues’ gallery that lasts, shifting and changing, from the late 70s all the way to now
Fantastic as always. I love the use of that mask piece to give extra dimensions to the skull, it really does just feel flat otherwise. With this precedent set, I’m now just excited to see what you’re going to do with some of Batman’s other villains for this cabal.
Backstory: Adalyn Stern was a young medical school student who gained her doctorate with a thesis on fear and how it affects the human mind. Fear fascinated her to an immense degree, and loved studying it…on simulated subjects, of course. However, after her father committed theft and was beaten to an inch of life by Batman, Adalyn became terrified of the vigilante. However, after weeks of suffering from this terrible fear, Adalyn decided to put it to good use. Using her study as a basis and forging an identity for herself as the villainous Scarecrow, she stalked the Bat, trying to make him feel the fear she felt. While she’s never been successful, she’s always gotten away and comes back stronger with every new, terrifying method. She joins Ra’s Al Ghul’s cabal in order to finally defeat the Bat for good, and hopefully make him scream the whole time. Behind the Scenes: There’s only so much one can do with a design like the Scarecrow, but personally I think I made the most of it! I actually haven’t seen any Scarecrow design utilize a pumpkin head, which was actually the first design choice I made! The character of Adalyn Stern actually comes from Batman Beyond, and I liked the character enough for it to be this universe’s fearmonger.
Backstory: Formerly known as Mandy Fuller, beautiful Hollywood leading lady, Mandy, along with costars Matt Hagen and Basil Karlo, was nearly killed by a freak electrical accident at a laboratory while researching a role for an upcoming film. The chemicals in the lab interacted with the actors similarly, each gaining a malleable clay-like substance for a body. Each wanted to strike back against the studios that had let them get hurt, becoming Clayface (Hagen), Claything (Karlo) and Lady Clay (Fuller). Fuller was by far the most murderous of the crew, and pretty soon became her own villain, battling Batman and Robin many times. Fuller was hesitant to accept Ra’s Al Ghul’s offer to join his group, but once she saw the potential in a Bat-less Gotham, she happily joined. Behind the Scenes: Clayface is one of my absolute favorite Batman villains, and I wanted to represent him somehow early on. However, joining Ra’s cabal doesn’t seem to fit the MO of either Karlo or Hagen, but I still wanted them to be around. So, I repurposed the far lesser-known Fuller Lady Clay for the role, and bam, here she is! This is, of course, suggesting that the technic pin arms like the small one and Hagrid arm would have the standard arm connection, but that’s a small price to pay for disfigurement. Anyway, that’s the whole Cabal! Just one more member of the cabal; another heavy-hitter, with a mind to match.
Backstory: An infamous drug dealer from Central America, Bane has heard tell of the Bat of Gotham. Being one of the strongest men in the world aided by his unique Venom drug, Bane longs to test his strength in battle against this opponent. Not only has he honed his muscles, however; he is a veritable tactical genius, able to predict his enemy’s movements as if he was psychic. Still, he has been biding his time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. When Ra’s Al Ghul asks him to join his group, Bane sees that the opportunity has finally arrived. Behind the Scenes: Not the most complex backstory, but I wanted the figure to speak for itself this time. I can’t say I know the most about Bane, hence the backstory, but I’ve always loved his design. And for this one I tried to mashup the comics look and TDKR for what you see above. That’s it for the cabal!
You know…I completely forgot about Deathstroke, but you’re right. He would fit in perfectly. Well, actually, I had an idea for what the Cabal could become, so he might come along down the line.
Probably not at the moment…Batman’ll probably break their backs, to be honest. XD
#14: Blue Beetle and Booster Gold Backstory: Micheal Carter and Ted Kord, aliases Booster Gold and Blue Beetle, are two up-and-comers who make their own paths in life…if those paths include partying and lazing around at any available opportunity. Booster is a hero from the 25th century, whenever that is, with a high-tech battle suit and a wisecracking robotic sidekick, Skeets. Beetle is the young heir of Kord Industries, tinkering whenever he gets the chance and creator of his own supersuit. Together, they fight crime and the hero duo Blue and Gold, trying to stick it to those bigwigs in the Justice League. If only they could actually do anything to stick it to the bigwigs! Behind the Scenes: Taking a break from the Bat storyline, here’s a couple fun ones! Not much to say design-wise, except that I’m really happy with them.
Backstory: Selina Kyle lived a good life. Considering herself a modern day Robin Hood, she stole from the rich and gave to the poor. The poor being herself. Sometimes she made off with the loot, but more often she was caught by the Bat of Gotham, someone who interested her almost as much as the jewelry. His Bat persona even inspired her to create her own alter-ego: the Catwoman. With an on-again-off-again relationship with the Bat and a wealth of Gotham elite to steal from, Selina lived a good life. That is, until the Bat went rogue. Now, she’s found herself forced to be an intercessor between the Bat and his victims, convincing him to stay his hand before he can finish the job. Selina knows it’s because the Bat cares for her immensely, and respects her just as much. But what happens when he stops caring? It would mean the end of the good life. Behind the Scenes: Catwoman is another character that’s hard to change up a lot, but again, I think this works well, especially with the purple lining. She’s here more because of her importance to the story than a special design, but yeah!
Backstory: The Clown Prince of Crime came to Gotham and seems to be here to stay. After rumors of a laughing man terrorizing innocents fell on deaf ears for many years, this man claimed the incidents and became the Joker. While his crimes can range from the bombastic to the barbaric, it seems that the Joker hasn’t killed a single person - he’s even outright refused to. With rumors swirling that the Dark Knight had some hand in his creation, the Joker embraces the chaos surrounding him and uses it to his greatest advantage. Behind the Scenes: Fairly traditional design, sure, but there’s more easter eggs on this figure than probably anybody else I’ve made. The Batfamily is pretty screwed up in this universe, and it can all be traced back to the origin of the Joker.
