"The Stuff of Nightmares": DC Wants to Reinvent Gotham's Villains In the Darkest Possible Way

Most comic fans are on the same page when it comes to agreeing that Batman has some of the most terrifying villains on comic book history. Shapeshifting mud monsters, killer clowns, serial killers, killers who literally use people's worst fears, crocodile men, the list goes on. Batman has many horrifying villains, but now they're about to get a lot scarier.

In a recent Q&A on Twitter/X, Scott Snyder admitted that he wants to make Batman's absolute villains some of the most frightening versions so far. The Absolute Universe has been a major new element of DC's mythology, and it has been completely rewriting nearly all of DC's most iconic characters.

Batman has been majorly changed and is currently going up against Black Mask as his first villain. As intimidating as Black Mask is, he seems to be the least scary of what writer Scott Snyder has in store.

Absolute Mr. Freeze Already Looks Terrifying, Proving Scott Snyder Is On The Right Track

Absolute Batman #8 – Written By Scott Snyder; Art By Nick Dragotta; Color By Frank Martin; Lettering By Clayton Cowles

Absolute Batman Standing Next to Mister Freeze Featured DC

Mr. Freeze was recently shown off in a preview for Absolute Batman #8, and he looks unlike anything readers have ever seen before. He looks like a combination of Mr. Bloom and some manner of demented Smurf. Gone is the iconic suit of cyro armor that keeps him alive. Instead, he sports red eyes, massively elongated limbs and legs, and several tubes coming out of his back. He also appears to have sharpened teeth, giving him a truly inhuman appearance. Currently, nothing is none about this new version of Mr. Freeze, other than he looks pretty scary.

If Mr. Freeze is this frightening, just how terrifying will Scarecrow be?

Early in comic book history, the norm for villains was to be either a gangster or a mad scientist, but Batman was one of the first to go up against someone like the Joker, who was just a flat-out serial killer. From there, his villains got scarier and scarier, introducing a crocodile man, and a serial killer who uses fear. It seems like that trend has only continued, as DC's infamousNew 52 pushed the horror element further, and the Absolute Universe is going even further still. If Mr. Freeze is this frightening, just how terrifying will Scarecrow be?

Scott Snyder Has Experience With Terrifying Villains, But He's Just Getting Warmed Up

New 52 Era Batman Set A High Bar Snyder Intends On Clearing

While Scott Snyder is a prolific writer for DC, he also has major experience in the horror genre. That was the energy that he first brought to the New 52 version of Batman. While everything in the New 52 era got darker, Batman was by far the darkest.All of Scott Snyder's takes on Batman's classic villains were far more horrific than anything they were before. By and large, they were much less sympathetic, with characters like Mr. Freeze completely losing the tragic element of their character.

Get Ready, Absolute Batman Is About to Unleash Its Own Mr. Freeze

Another addition to Batman's alternate rogues’ gallery is on the horizon as DC teases the arrival of the Absolute Universe's Mr. Freeze in April.

Posts

By far, the most horrific change in the New 52 was the Joker. While the Joker was always a demented serial killer, the New 52 took him to an entirely new level. Now, the Joker had tortured and killed dozens of women, each one manipulated into becoming a version of Harley Quinn before he met Harleen Quinzel. Joker cut off his own face to prove a point to Batman, and his attacks on the Bat-Family became more gruesome and brutal than ever before. Now it seems that Scott Snyder is bringing his classic horror touch to the rest of Batman's rogues.

Source: Scott Snyder Q&A on Twitter/X

Absolute Batman #8 will be available May 14, 2025 from DC Comics!