The second episode re-introduces a famous golden-age villain!
SPOILER WARNING! The following contains spoilers for Batman: Caped Crusader Episode 2 titled “…And Be a Villain”. Do not proceed if you wish to avoid spoilers!
MAJOR POINTS
- This was Clayface’s origin, though that name is never used in the episode
- Renee Montoya knows Batman listens in on her work
The opening stinger sees actress Yvonne Francis abducted by an unknown assailant.
Renee Montoya questions Bruce Wayne, who offers a donation to keep his identity secret from the press. She bluntly refuses, stating that not everything in Gotham is for sale. Lucius Fox storms in and warns Bruce not to say anything to the police. Sometime later, Batman tunes his radio to a transmitter he planted on Montoya, enabling him to listen in on her conversations.
Montoya talks to actor Basil Karbo about Yvonne’s disappearance. He says he hadn’t seen her in months and worried something bad would happen to her. Later, she finds a photo showing Karlo was around her a few days prior. However, when she goes to confront Karlo, she finds him stabbed to death in his home. A masked figure resembling The Shadow slips through the fire exit and is pursued by Batman. He escapes, but not before Batman sees a glimpse of his disfigured face.
Clayface electrocutes Lew Manning, the producer of Karlo’s next film. Batman deduces that the killer has direct access to the studio.
Montoya interviews one of Karlo’s co-stars, Darryl Manning, and a seamstress. Manning glows about Karlo’s talent and brushes off any relationship with Francis. The seamstress states that Karlo was infatuated with Francis, and felt that he would be a bigger star if he was more handsome like Manning. Film director Edmund Hayes tells Montoya that Karlo sought help from a plastic surgeon named Jack Ellman to change his look.
That night Batman stops Clayface from murdering Hayes. They swordfight through a movie set. Clayface topples a set piece onto Batman, who escapes through the floor. There he finds the bodies of Manning and Valentine. Later, he sneaks into the morgue and locates Karlo’s body, only to find that it’s a fake.
Montoya talks to Jack Ellman, who claims to not know about Karlo’s murder. He knocks her unconscious with a pipe, but not before she punches him and leaves a malleable imprint on his face.
She wakes up bound to a chair in the presence of the disfigured Basil Karlo. He confesses to the murders of Ellman, Valentine, and Manning, and that the body she thought was his was actually Ellman’s. He also reveals Yvonne Francis, bound up in a similar way to her last movie role.
Batman busts in and neutralizes Karlo. The police arrive just as Montoya is about to question Batman. After Batman escapes, she realizes she was bugged the whole time and warns Bats that they are not done.
MAJOR QUESTIONS
- Will we see Clayface again this season?
- Will Montoya keep the radio tap? Or did she destroy it after warning Batman?
EASTER EGGS
- Clayface’s real name Basil Karlo is a tribute to legendary actors Basil Rathbone and Boris Karloff while his look and laugh are tributes to The Shadow.
- Alfred mentions Gloria Swanson, a real-life Golden Age Hollywood actress.
- Yvonne is mentioned in a photo wearing an Edith Head dress. Edith Head was a legendary Hollywood costume designer.
FINAL GRADE: A
Now THAT’S Batman! There have been many takes on Batman through the years. But in the end, Batman is The World’s Greatest Detective. This was not so much a superhero story as it was a detective story with Batman as the detective and Clayface as the killer. I’m sure the 1930s vibe was inspired by the initial Bob Kane/Bill Finger stories. It also set up elements for future episodes with Montoya’s uneasy alliance with Batman, and two villains now locked up.