37 - Hugo Strange

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#37 - Professor Hugo Strange
First Appearance: Detective Comics #36 (Feb 1940)

"You know the sort of people I've gone up against, so you know I don't say this lightly... but the Joker? Riddler? Croc, Scarecrow and the others? He's in their league. Only without the crippling psychoses to cloud his judgment." ~Batman

Strange. A lot of people don't recognize him as one of the top-tier Batman villains, but if you stop for a moment to examine Hugo Strange's record, you'll see that Strange is easily one of the most intriguing, cerebral villains in the Batman arsenal. The beautiful thing about Hugo Strange is that he just as easily can sway public opinion through his eloquent patterns of speech as he can get into Batman's head with his superintelligent use of psychological tactics. It's hard to describe the pattern Strange uses, but that's simply because there really is no pattern: Strange's motives seem to range the entire spectrum of villainy, and his actions mirror that. Strange has never tried the same thing twice, and that makes him amazing.

Just look at some of the great stories Strange has been a crucial part of: Batman: Prey, Strange Apparitions, Batman: Terror, Batman: Transference, Catwoman: The Ones You Love, Arkham City... I mean, these are greatest hits-level stories for Batman, let alone a B-list villain. Give me Hugo Strange any day, and despite him not being memorable in appearance or personality, he will certainly leave an impression on you with the sort of mind games that prove a level of intelligence and evil that is nearly unparalleled.

Greatest Hugo Strange Story Ever Told:Batman and the Monster Men - In an amazing retelling of Batman's first encounter with Strange, Batman must stop a group of Arkham inmates experimented on by Hugo Strange while in the employ of Sal Maroni. Strange is fit perfectly into the early Batman years alongside the old school mobsters and proves a perfect match for an untested, young Dark Knight.

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