Victor Zsasz may not be one of the most famous members of Batman’s rogues gallery, but he is certainly one of the deadliest. Relax as we take you on cinematic journey through the best and worst incarnations of the infamous Batman villain.
WHO IS VICTOR ZSASZ?
Victor Zsasz is a truly disturbed individual, a nihilist and a sadist whose weapon of choice is the blade of a knife. He believes that his murders are merciful, a sort of benevolent liberation from a meaningless existence.Â
After losing his parents, his fortune, and ultimately his freedom, Zsasz decided to commit suicide. A homeless man tried to mug him before he could go through with it, leading Zsasz to take his assailant’s life with his own blade.
Before plunging the cold steel into his first victim, Zsasz looked into his eyes and realized the emptiness of reality. In that moment, he became the deranged killer that would go on to slaughter the citizens of Gotham for years. Through his disturbed eyes, life is a hollow prison, and unfortunately, murder serves as his sole source of pleasure and purpose while imprisoned.
His costume design has varied throughout the years depending on the medium and the artist, but one trademark quality has always stuck – his self-inflicted scars. He cuts a tally mark into his flesh for each life that he takes, relishing in the stinging pain of his skin separating.Â
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This striking villain has resonated with Bat-fans since his debut in 1992’s Batman: Shadow Of The Bat #1, but he’s only received more mainstream exposure within the last decade. Zsasz has had four notable adaptations in film and television since 2005.Â
Please enjoy our breakdown and ranking of each version.Â
#4: The Dark Knight Trilogy
Long before Chris Messina brought the violent sociopath to life alongside Ewan Mcgregor in Birds of Prey, Victor Zsasz was first portrayed by Tim Booth in the first entry of The Dark Knight trilogy, Batman Begins. His role featured no speaking lines, and was little more than a cameo despite multiple brief appearances peppered throughout the film.Â
This version of Zsasz had a unique costume design, his trademark scars are much less prominent than in other incarnations. He also brandishes a goatee. His backstory was altered as well, now working as a hitman for Don Carmine Falcone. This alteration would be adopted years later on Fox’s Gotham.
Although this version does appear in what is widely considered to be the best Batman adaptation of all time, his extremely limited role in the franchise meant placing dead last in our ranking.
