99 - Zeiss

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#99 - Zeiss

First Appearance: Batman #582 (Oct. 2000)

"Stop? Not while there are other opponents still standing." ~Zeiss

Zeiss was created by one of the great writers of Gotham lit., Ed Brubaker, who is better known for writing what is considered the greatest run on Captain America of all time. Philo Zeiss was the son of a Mafia gardener, but after his father died, a mob boss took him in. To repay the debt he owed the boss, Zeiss is given an experimental surgery that replaces his eyes with cybernetic goggles which give him a level of sight that alters his perception of time and heightens his reflexes. Zeiss has since worked as a mob enforcer for various criminals and villains in Gotham.

What I love about Zeiss is that he's one of the few villains to actually fight Batman to a standstill. It's not a boastful exaggeration either; Zeiss' goggles give him just enough of an edge when it comes to combat. Zeiss' behavior is always very cold, very detached - he's not passionate about a hatred towards Batman, nor is he necessarily apathetic to the plight of innocent Gothamites, but rather, he simply does his job. He's the sort of threat you like to see thrown into a story because he doesn't steal the spotlight from his boss (usually another great supervillain), yet he still is a welcome sight thanks to the opportunity to watch a really good hand-to-hand fight go down.

Greatest Zeiss Story Ever Told: Batman #597 - After Batman's initial stalemate with Zeiss, his confidence is shaken. However, Batman turns the tables in a rematch using typical Batman resourcefulness. A great story that reminds people of why the Bat-Family is valuable to Batman, and how sometimes there are villains that can't be stopped without a little ingenuity.

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