On the latest episode of “Batwoman,” viewers were introduced to the villain Cluemaster, marking the character’s first-ever live action appearance. As you’ll see below, they got more than just the hair right when translating him from comics to TV. Of course, he’s far from the only DC villain to make it into “Batwoman” and that got us thinking: How do those other bad guys compare to the comics? Read on, oh reader, and find out for yourself.
Arthur Brown/Cluemaster. Created by Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino in 1966, Cluemaster is a Batman villain who turned to crime after failing as a game show host. On “Batwoman,” his story is largely the same, having gone on a murder spree after getting fired from hosting duties on a show called “Quiz Bowl.” He’s also the father of Stephanie Brown, known as the vigilante Spoiler in the comics.
Circe Sionis. On “Batwoman,” Circe is Roman Sionis’ daughter. He believes she was killed by Batwoman, leading to that whole faked death-kidnapping-hypnosis storyline. In the comics, things are pretty different. Created by Douh Moench and Tom Mandrake in 1982, Circe was Roman’s ex girlfriend who, through a convoluted series of betrayals ended up turning him into the supervillain Black Mask. For revenge, Roman burned her face with chemicals, forcing her to hide her face behind a mask of her own.
Roman Sionis/Black Mask. Also seen in 2020’s “Birds of Prey” where he was played by Ewan McGregor, on “Batwoman” Roman Sionis/Black Mask is played by Peter Outerbridge. He first debuted in “Batman #386,” and was also created by Doug Moench and Tom Mandrake. For the most part, his story arc has followed his comic counterpart in “Batwoman,” as he leads the False Face Society in Gotham.
Enigma. On “Batwoman,” Enigma, known publicly as Dr. Evelyn Rhyme, hypnotized Kate Kane into believing that she’s Circe Sionis, and also wiped Alice and Ocean’s memories of each other. In the comics, Enigma was much younger, first appearing in “Teen Titans.” Created by Geoff Johns and Tony Daniel, she’s actually The Riddler’s daughter.
Safiyah Sohail. Queen of the pirate island Coryana was created by Marguerite Bennett, James Tynion IV and Steve Epting in 2017. In the comics she’s an old lover of Batwoman’s but on “Batwoman,” Safiyah trained and essentially created Alice. Safiyah was later framed for killing Kate Kane, drawing Alice back to Coryana to confront her. It’s also revealed that Safiyah once harbored romantic feelings for Alice, rather than Kate.
Victor Zsasz. Originally created by Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle, Zsasz is an assassin who commemorates each of his victims by carving a mark onto his body. On “Batwoman,” Zsasz was played by Alex Morf.
Tommy Elliot. Best known as the supervillain Hush, on “Batwoman,” Elliot believes he was Bruce Wayne’s best friend, even after they eventually fell out, and is essentially responsible for making him Batman. He was created by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee.
Magpie. Created by John Byrne, Magpie first appeared in “Man of Steel #3,” and is notable for being the first post-Crisis villain that Superman and Batman fought together as a team.
Nocturna. Among the old foes of Batman that popped up on “Batwoman” early in season one was Nocturna. She was essentially a vampire, first created by Doug Moench and Gene Colan.