10 DC Characters Who Survived Terrible Debuts
6. Catman
Thomas Blake, The Catman, as the name implies, is basically a male version of Catwoman and was one of the “camp” characters created in the 1960s. He was created by Bill Finger and Jim Mooney for Detective Comics #311. The creators leaned heavily into the goofier aspects of the character and he became one of the “jokes” of Batman’s Rogues Gallery. It wasn’t until recent times that a very skilled writer turned Catman into a layered character to be respected.
Catman fell into the gimmick trope that was common in many villains of the period. He stole cat-themed items, cat statues, cat-eye jewels, and the like. He also used the word “cat” as a descriptor for his equipment in the same way that Batman used “bat.” He had a cat line, a cat car, and even sailed in a catamaran. He was easily defeated. At every outing. Decades later in the Green Arrow Archers Quest story arc, he was a pathetic overweight loser that the Shade hired to do a job for him.
In 2005’s Villains United, writer Gail Simone took Blake to Africa to live among the lions. He lost weight and found his self-worth. He became a gifted fighter, now able to hold his own with some of the most skilled fighters on Earth. He went on to lead the Secret Six against both heroes and other villains.