Batman: An Obscure Villain Just Became a Huge New Threat

Warning: spoilers for Future State: Batman/Superman #1!

An obscure Batman villain has just been reimagined and turned into a massive threat. While Mr. Toad has troubled Batman before, he was punched out within the issue. Now, however, he’s the leader of the False Face Society, and someone capable of taking down even Clark Kent, aka Superman.

While Gotham City is under the tyranny of the Magistrate in DC Comics’ Future State, Batman is vastly outnumbered and needs some backup investigating a drug that changes the appearance of its users. The Dark Knight is joined by Superman, who seems unaware of the extent to which Gotham’s near future has exponentially increased the danger on its streets, and the World’s Finest search for the manufacturer of the False Face drug, entering the crime-ridden trenches beneath the city. Future State: Batman/Superman #1 is written by Gene Luen Yang with art by Ben Oliver.

Soon, Superman encounters a man who has used the False Face drug to alter his own appearance, now with the head of a toad. Longtime readers will recognize Mr. Toad as a Z-list villain who was killed while in police custody. The obscure Batman antagonist first appeared alongside Professor Pyg, running the Circus of Crime, in the benchmark Batman and Robin #1 written by Grant Morrison with art by Frank Quitely. Unlike the original crime boss, this new iteration is able to morph back to a human appearance, and is not the result of a permanent genetic mutation. Not only does this version of the character seem more grounded, he also proves himself as a threat to the unprepared Man of Steel, when Mr. Toad pulls out a Kryptonite knife and stabs him in the ribs.

The new Mr. Toad seems to have a vastly different philosophy to the original. Formerly working as a professor at Gotham University, he has chosen to live underground and operate as the head of the False Face Society to fight for the city’s freedom against the fascistic Magistrate. This turn of events means that he’s technically a vigilante, fighting for a similar cause to Batman. He’s clearly prepared for his work, and is even unfazed when Superman shows up, stabbing him after Clark reveals Toad’s daughter has become a freedom fighter in his absence.

As the issue begins by showing that someone has been experimenting on Superman before flashing back to how he was captured, it’s likely that Mr. Toad is once again working with Professor Pyg, suggesting darker methods – and perhaps hidden motives – that go beyond his opposition to the Magistrate’s tactics. Whatever happens next, it’s a treat for fans to see a formerly one-note villain transformed into a real threat with a unique gimmick. With animal-headed goons and the intelligence to take down a Kryptonian without any personal enhancements, this Mr. Toad is a welcome addition to Gotham – though readers are likely looking forward to seeing what he does next a lot more than Batman.

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