Batman‘s stories tend to have some of the most interesting villains from DC Comics, but there are certain villains who have yet to get the spotlight despite multiple appearances. Batman’s Rogues Gallery is filled to the brim with compelling and twisted villains, all with unique places in comic book history.
And, with several iconic villains to choose from, many movies have gone back to the same series of antagonists: The Joker, the Riddler, Two-Face, the Penguin, and mob bosses like Carmine Falcone and Salvatore Maroni. But there is one villain who, despite repeated appearances, appears to be forgotten.
Killer Croc Has Been Effectively Hidden In All His Major Batman Movie Series Appearances
Waylon Jones, aka Killer Croc, was born with a genetic mutation that resulted in him having extremely tough, reptile-like skin. As he grew, his condition advanced, and Jones developed more attributes in common with crocodiles, such as his incredible strength, and his ability to swiftly navigate through water.
Interestingly, this character does exist in the world of many modern Batman stories, including Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, and Matt Reeves’ The Batman. However, in both of these, the character is relegated to lesser-known side projects.
For The Dark Knight trilogy, Croc appears in Batman: Gotham Knight, a series of six animated shorts that depict the character and his rivals set between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Meanwhile, in Reeves’ Batverse, there is a crocodile referenced in the Riddler comics that is likely to be this universe’s iteration of the character.
Even Killer Croc’s Biggest DC Movie Role Pushed Him To One Side
While both of the above universes obscured Killer Croc from the central storylines depicted in theatrical releases, the DCEU put Killer Croc on display in 2016’s Suicide Squad. However, the character still fades into obscurity thanks to his lack of a story arc.
While characters like Harley Quinn and Deadshot take center stage, Killer Croc fades into the background, once again, in many scenes of the film. And considering Batman existed in this universe, there was an opportunity to have these two characters go head-to-head.
Unfortunately, the film repeats the trend of reducing the character’s role, and making him into something so much less than his potential in the comic books. This is an unfortunate fate for Killer Croc, and hopefully one that can be turned around by the DCU as they expand their reach and introduce heroes like Batman in future projects.
Until then, Killer Croc appears to have all of his best stories taking place in the comics, while the movies opt to ignore him. While this is understandable with regard to how many exciting villains there are for Batman to go up against in Gotham, it is something that should be rectified in a future Batman story.
