Top 100 Batman VILLAINS

74 - The Hyperclan

#74 - The Hyperclan
First Appearance: JLA #1 (Jan 1997)

" 'Armek'; 'Zenturion'! They sound like a line of cheap toys! Why don't they get themselves regular names, like every other Joe in spandex?" ~Metamorpho

When you list off Batman's Greatest fights, every list eventually ends with this one in the top 1, 2 or 3. It's one of the most well-known, game-changing moments for Batman, as it introduced the concept of Bat-God: Batman can beat anyone with a little prep time. And, from my point of view, this new conceptualization of Batman's resourcefulness has shaped the entire creative view of Batman ever since. Could Batman have been such a vital member of the JLA in events like World War III, Infinite Crisis, Golden Perfect and other cosmically-scaled instances of near-universal destruction? The odds are slim. And to imagine it all started in Antarctica with a lighter.

The Hyperclan themselves were a great threat, combining the threat of an unknown menace prevalent in most conspiracy films (they're us!) to the grand old sci-fi idea of the aliens landing on Earth. The Avengers film cribbed the idea somewhat be using the Chitauri as the first threat for the MCU Avengers team, and it works well because aliens are easy to root against, but not easy to stop. And the Hyperclan was a hyper-threat. Led by Protex, they're smart, manipulative, and all equally as powerful as the Martian Manhunter to boot. That's tough. But enough about them, let the fight speak for itself:

Batman first pulls the ultimate act of stealth on an individual with heightened senses:
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a193/HourmanLives/jla00315-1.jpg

And next we see him? This:
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a193/HourmanLives/jla00317-1.jpg

Then he gets surrounded by three members of the Hyperclan, and the rest is classic:
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a193/HourmanLives/jla00319-1.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a193/HourmanLives/jla00318-1.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a193/HourmanLives/jla00319-2.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a193/HourmanLives/jla00320-1.jpg

So, to recap. Batman, alone and with nothing but a lighter, takes out FOUR Martian Manhunter-level threats. Three of them at the same time. 'Nuff said. Erm, shown.

Greatest Hyperclan Story Ever Told:Terra Incognita - Mark Waid brought the Hyperclan back into the fray with the JLA, where the first order of business is to take out Batman and Martian Manhunter (they do). Of course, this time it takes the entire DCU to step in and fill his shows, and even then the Hyperclan almost claims victory. It's pretty great.