The Dark Knight Rises Hugo Strange

[protoctista]

Well then you can expect Ben Kingsley's character from Shutter Island.

 

[ModestMr.Green]

I never heard of Hugo Strange until I came around here, but he certainly seems interesting, from the discussed story possibilities. Any good graphic novels I should check out that feature him in a central role?

 

[Mister H.]

^ Read Strange Apparitions. There are elements there that could fit in a third Batman film, if Strange was the direction they wanted to go.

 

[Keyser Soze]

Strange Apparitions is the one I've read. But I also hear Batman: Prey, Batman: Terror and Batman and the Monster Men are great Hugo Strange stories.

 

[Keyser Soze]

Also, something to consider for those fearing Hugo Strange could be too obscure to feature on film. Though I wasn't really a fan of the show, Hugo Strange was actually one of the more prominent recurring villains on The Batman, voiced by the late, great Frank Gorshin. And he's reported to be one of the main Big Bads in the upcoming sequel to the Arkham Asylum video game, Arkham City. So by the time summer 2012 rolls around, he'll have at least some degree of pop culture familiarity.

 

[Octoberist]

RIP Frank Gorshin

 

[Two-Face=Badass]

Strange Apparitions is the one I've read. But I also hear Batman: Prey, Batman: Terror and Batman and the Monster Men are great Hugo Strange stories.

Prey is excellent, and is probably Strange at some of his most screwed up moments. I won Monster Men, and the lovely Matt Wagner art is worth it alone. The characterisation of strange is very neat as he starts out as a scientist and gradually degrades the the course of the story. I espeically like it because it follows the trend of having Strange as surprisingly very, very fit and athletic despite his appearance, which he loathes and wishes to rectify.

RIP Frank Gorshin

Frank Gorshin was such a legend, I was heartbroken when I learned he died.

 

[Keyser Soze]

Prey is excellent, and is probably Strange at some of his most screwed up moments. I won Monster Men, and the lovely Matt Wagner art is worth it alone. The characterisation of strange is very neat as he starts out as a scientist and gradually degrades the the course of the story. I espeically like it because it follows the trend of having Strange as surprisingly very, very fit and athletic despite his appearance, which he loathes and wishes to rectify.

Prey is impossible to find at a decent price, even online. I may pick up Batman and the Monster Men, though. I'll definitely get it if Hugo Strange does turn out to be the villain.

 

[Paste Pot Pete]

The trade is hard to come by, but you can find the single issues pretty cheap and easy.

 

[itsthebatman]

Prey is impossible to find at a decent price, even online. I may pick up Batman and the Monster Men, though. I'll definitely get it if Hugo Strange does turn out to be the villain.

I picked up Prey as single issues years ago. you should read both volumes of Dark Moon Rising - Monster Men and Mad Monk. I love Matt Wagner's depiction of Batman.

 

[Keyser Soze]

Thanks for the advice. I may seek these stories out!

Also, for people having difficulty visualising Hugo Strange as a younger, more physical presence, think of the concept art from the Arkham Asylum video game:

That gives me a bit of a "Tom Hardy in Bronson" vibe.

 

[Keyser Soze]

EDIT: Oops, double post!

 

[The Guard]

That...that design is awful.

I'm willing to sell my copy of BATMAN: PREY.

FIFTY BUCKS.

 

[Keyser Soze]

That...that design is awful.

I'm willing to sell my copy of BATMAN: PREY.

FIFTY BUCKS.

Fifty bucks!? My being a cheapskate is why I haven't bought it already!

 

[Keyser Soze]

And here was the character profile that went alongside that concept art in the game:

PROFESSOR HUGO STRANGE

Story:
First gaining fame as a psychiatrist who declared that he'd fully analyzed the
Dark Knight from afar, Professor Hugo Strange lent credence to his own claims by
deducing Batman's true identity as Bruce Wayne. However, his interest in the
Batman turned into a deranged obsession, and he's used his medical expertise to
hatch a series of bizarre plots based around genetics and mind control in order
to defeat the Batman and possibly take his place. Strange's fragile mental state
has left him with intermittent knowledge of Batman's true identity, a fact that
hangs over Bruce Wayne's head - for if Strange ever snaps completely, Batman's
greatest secret might be revealed...

Facts:
Real Name: Professor Hugo Strange

Occupation: Psychiatrist

Base of Operations: Gotham City

Eyes: Grey

Hair: None

Height: 5 ft 10 in

Weight: 160 lb

First Appearance: Detective Comics #36 (February, 1940)

Attributes:
- Trained to a physical perfection
- Brilliant psychological analyst
- Extensive knowledge of genetics
- Obsessed with Batman and Batman's secret identity
- Plagued by schizophrenic episodes that leave him confused and dangerous

 

[Dark Knight]

Robin Williams as Hugo Strange FTW!

 

[Boom]

Robin Williams as Hugo Strange FTW!

Agreed. It'd be so perfect.

 

[Nepenthes]

I could actually see a relationship forming between Hugo and Bane. A relationship built on banging injectables

 

[Seen]

I honestly think Tom Hardy could be an inspired choice for Hugo Strange, if that's the role Hardy is playing. Nolan likes to cast young for these movies- apart from Ra's al Ghul, most of the villains have been young actors (Cillian Murphy and Heath Ledger spring to mind). I think Nolan wants a contemporary sparing against Bale, similar to Murphy in Batman Begins and Ledger in The Dark Knight.

Hardy could fit that with Strange, whilst being a bit more younger than what we might expect from a live-action Strange, he has the immense physicality as exhibited in Bronson to actually make Strange a formidable threat- after all, in the comics at one point Strange becomes a "dark Batman" so it makes sense that Strange would be fit and a little buff, at the very least somewhat physically imposing. Also, Hardy can do the quiet, introspective, reflective type very well, as seen in Black Hawk Down, Layer Cake and Wuthering Heights. Strange is after all a fantastic intellect and a psychologist so it's absolutely imperative that Strange can challenge Batman not just on a physical scale but on a psychological scale as well.

Of course, all of this could be moot and Hardy could be playing Deadshot or Bane or Black Mask (all of which I think would be a disservice to Hardy's versatile talent, but I would be okay with Deadshot or Black Mask) but I guess I'm really holding out that Hardy is Strange for the reasons I listed above and more. Strange might be an "obscure" villain by some standards, but he's really underrated and one of the most psychologically dense of all Batman's Rogue Gallery. He also fits Nolan's mold very well, and his storytelling sensibilities, and if The Riddler isn't the villain, I think Strange would fit into the type of world Nolan has built very well.

 

[The Guard]

Begin Operation Make-Strange-Thread-Bigger-Than-Blackfire-Thread:

Hugo Strange creating Bane wouldn't be the worst idea in the world. Actually, I could see Strange creating/exacerbating many of the freaks. Monster Men and all that.

 

[Keyser Soze]

I honestly think Tom Hardy could be an inspired choice for Hugo Strange, if that's the role Hardy is playing. Nolan likes to cast young for these movies- apart from Ra's al Ghul, most of the villains have been young actors (Cillian Murphy and Heath Ledger spring to mind). I think Nolan wants a contemporary sparing against Bale, similar to Murphy in Batman Begins and Ledger in The Dark Knight.

Hardy could fit that with Strange, whilst being a bit more younger than what we might expect from a live-action Strange, he has the immense physicality as exhibited in Bronson to actually make Strange a formidable threat- after all, in the comics at one point Strange becomes a "dark Batman" so it makes sense that Strange would be fit and a little buff, at the very least somewhat physically imposing. Also, Hardy can do the quiet, introspective, reflective type very well, as seen in Black Hawk Down, Layer Cake and Wuthering Heights. Strange is after all a fantastic intellect and a psychologist so it's absolutely imperative that Strange can challenge Batman not just on a physical scale but on a psychological scale as well.

Of course, all of this could be moot and Hardy could be playing Deadshot or Bane or Black Mask (all of which I think would be a disservice to Hardy's versatile talent, but I would be okay with Deadshot or Black Mask) but I guess I'm really holding out that Hardy is Strange for the reasons I listed above and more. Strange might be an "obscure" villain by some standards, but he's really underrated and one of the most psychologically dense of all Batman's Rogue Gallery. He also fits Nolan's mold very well, and his storytelling sensibilities, and if The Riddler isn't the villain, I think Strange would fit into the type of world Nolan has built very well.

Good post, well said with fair points. I too would be okay with other choices, but at this stage I think Hugo Strange is the best fit.

 

[Keyser Soze]

 

[returntovoid]

Thanks for the advice. I may seek these stories out!

Also, for people having difficulty visualising Hugo Strange as a younger, more physical presence, think of the concept art from the Arkham Asylum video game:

That gives me a bit of a "Tom Hardy in Bronson" vibe.

Strange with the muscles....

 

[Keyser Soze]

Strange with the muscles....

Yeah, it does look a bit silly. But at the same time, I can kinda see what the concept artists were getting at. Hugo Strange is obsessed with replacing Batman, and as such as pushed his body to physical perfection much like Bruce Wayne has. And given Batman's chunky design in the game, they probably gave Hugo Strange a similar build to further this "dark mirror image" aspect of the character.

 

[The Demon's Head]

Here's a question for you guys: Could Hugo Strange threaten the city in a way that either forces Batman into action, or forces Gotham's citizens to accept Batman?