#39 - Owlman
First Appearance: Justice League of America #29 (Aug 1964)
"We'll conquer this planet, raze its cities, and reduce it to ash. For a start." ~Owlman
Why do I like Owlman? Because he's a douchebag, and a great one. Owlman, as many of you may know is the Earth-3 doppelganger of Batman, his evil opposite in many distinct way. Except when he's the Earth-2 doppelganger. Or the Antimatter Universe doppelganger. It gets confusing.
Regardless, Owlman is extremely charismatic and in many ways is probably the most competent member of the Crime Syndicate; the guy is banging his universe's Lois Lane right in front of Ultraman, and Ultraman can't do **** about it. Now THAT is the sort of power you can't buy, right? In all seriousness, though, Owlman and the entire Crime Syndicate has always been one of my favorite aspects of the Multiverse because when it comes right down to it, we love to see equally matched fights, and you really can't beat the evil doppelganger aspect. Especially when you're part of a universe that is pretty much an evil counterpart to the one we know and love, it provides us a great chance to dissect the psyche of a vigilante. What is really the difference between Owlman and Batman? Power. It's the ultimate corrupter and the ultimate cross to bear. Owlman lusts for it, and Batman loathes it, yet they both operate outside the conventional system of society to achieve their goals. In fact, they both, in their very actions, rewrite the laws of civilization for their worlds by their very existence. And that's what I love about comic books; even the simplest concepts, like Owlman, provide a really deep character study into more profound concepts.
Greatest Owlman Story Ever Told: JLA: Earth 2 - A brilliant tongue-in-cheek look at the Authority from Wildstorm is played out with the Crime Syndicate, as the JLA must go head-to-head with egomaniacal self-centered psychopathic doppelgangers and help a battered hero in the form of Lex Luthor protect two worlds from total domination. Owlman is easily my favorite character in this story.
YOU ARE READING
Top 100 Batman VILLAINS
RandomName basically describes it. It's a list of the top 100 Batman villains. (Note: This isn't MY list. So, if you don't agree with it, don't freak out and rant in the comments)
