Robin!

[PNGwynne]

The two characters with the most iconic Rogues Gallery are definitely Batman and Spider Man. In Spider Man Doc Ock is the lame fat guy who relies on a weapon. I wish they had given us more than just Lizard and Gobby in that department.

Yes, I sorry miss a vintage Dr. Octopus, too.

[PNGwynne]

The comments about the more recent "crime-boss" Penguin are spot-on. He's pure Dick Tracy-evil & an apt foe--does every Bat-foe need to be insane or super-athletic to be a threat? He fill's a niche, just like Superman's Toyman.

Changing times have made the Penguin seemingly passe, but he can be handled credibly and is an iconic 1st-tier villain.

We get that you just don't dig him, BM.

The real mystery to me is Riddler, a Joker-wannabee. The idea of making him an obssessive-compulsive master schemer who cheats is more interesting.

[rlkrefft]

Also we are talking retro here are we not? If you are thinking the current comics than both Penguin and Riddler are not as popular as they once were. But Retro is anything pre-Crisis (IMO) and in this time the only DC villains anybody on the street knew (I'm talking household names) were Batman's fab four (Joker,Penguin,Riddler and Catwoman) and Lex Luthor. I'll also add when I meant Superman had lame villains I meant back in those days. Lex was the only real threat to Superman (with Brainiac coming in next) Bizarro was just as lame as Mxyzptlk back in the day. Superman was famous for having weak foes that is why in all the old movies Lex was used over and over again because no one knew his other villains. It wasn't like Batman who had several famous villains to choose from. I may also point out many fans think Batman Returns was the best Batman film of the original set of movies...and that had Penguin and Catwoman in it...not Joker.

I know Penguin and Riddler have lost a bit of steam and popularity over the years,I agree. However you would have to be totally blind to say these two are still not two of Batman's most well known bad guys. Mattel uses Penguin in every line they do...before Riddler,before Two Face. I think the fat old guy is pretty amazing that after all these years he still gets produced in toys more than other Batman foes (with the exception of Joker) and he sure as heck deserves to be made in this line. If there is room for Captain Cold and Black Adam there is room for Penguin. As much as I loved the Mego version I know these guys can do him much better. Umbrella accessory? Removable hat? There are many areas where he can be done even better.

[bizzaro megomauler]

The two characters with the most iconic Rogues Gallery are definitely Batman and Spider Man. In Spider Man Doc Ock is the lame fat guy who relies on a weapon. I wish they had given us more than just Lizard and Gobby in that department.

[generic]

Icons means "best" in my eyes and for my money's worth Supes always
had the BEST rogue's gallery of ANY DC character.

LUTHOR, BRAINIAC, ZOD, MYX, BIZARRO, TOYMAN and DOOMSDAY
would beat the "best of Bats" in AND out of my personal opinion
if not for all the opportunities that Bats' baddies have had on T.V. and
in the movies.

Although I think that Batman's rogue's gallery was more iconic as a whole, I will give you that Lex Luthor may have beat out The Joker in fame if not for 66 Batman and I will certainly admit that The Riddler was a very minor character who had only made a couple of appearances in the comic before the 66 Batman really gave him life, but since 66 Batman did shape DC Comics history and lead to many more appearances of The Joker, The Penguin, The Riddler & Catwoman, I think it's safe to say that (regardless of the “what if there was no 66 Batman” question) both Superman and Batman do have an iconic rogue's gallery - with Lex Luthor and The Joker being probably the two most famous super hero villains of all time.

[Earth 2 Chris]

Mego failing to give Penguin an umbrella was a big ding against him. That's his whole edge as far as physical confrontations go. But being a huge Batman mark, I'm always up for more villains, and Penguin's in the top tier.

Chris

[bizzaro megomauler]

That is not true about Penguin. He was one of the top selling Megos of all time. It was Batman,Superman,Robin,Joker and Penguin that sold the most. He was with the run to the very end. Even Wonder Woman,Riddler,
Catwoman,Batgirl and Supergirl were all dropped by Mego due to lack of sales. I agree with you about Mxyzptlk though,on that you are right. The Mego Penguin was a beautiful figure. One of the best faces of all of them, next to Joker. To say the figure wasn't popular is just not true. Everyone I knew had a Joker and a Penguin. Not many had Riddler and even less had Catwoman (though that had more to do with the ugly outfit Mego picked to use...had it been the purple dress she would have been a bigger hit)

never said he wasn't a big seller, Just stating that the character is a fat old guy with a pickle nose, that none of us wanted to play with. Think about kids logic, ok batman can beat up so and so.... honestly which mego could the Penguin beat up? maybe on a really good day grandpa Walton....

[huedell]

Penguin and Riddler are icons in DC. Most all of Superman's foes are lame as well. So does this mean we won't get popular characters just because they are a bit lame?

Icons means "best" in my eyes and for my money's worth Supes always
had the BEST rogue's gallery of ANY DC character.

LUTHOR, BRAINIAC, ZOD, MYX, BIZARRO, TOYMAN and DOOMSDAY
would beat the "best of Bats" in AND out of my personal opinion
if not for all the opportunities that Bats' baddies have had on T.V. and
in the movies.

I blame the Salkinds among others... I don't blame the caliber or
potential of Supes' rogues' gallery.

[CrimsonGhost]

I would possibly argue that the Batman Animated series Penguin, where he owned the nightclub and was a crime boss was the best version. The thing I always hated about Penguin was that Batman could easily best the short fat man in a fist fight. No contest easily. He would have more trouble fighting a couple of kindergartners. And he's going to fight Batman with a gimmick umbrella? Please. Batman is used to fighting Ra's Al Ghul and Killer Croc.
The somewhat untouchable crime boss made him formidable. In that role, he could give Batman a problem. It made that character work for me. I believe it.
And as much as I love the Riddler, I can admit he's somewhat lame. At least he looked like he could hold his own in a fist fight.

[rlkrefft]

I agree the 60's TV Penguin was the best version of the character. I also think the 60's TV Riddler was the best as well. Yes Penguin may be a lame foe but so is Riddler. I think that was the charm they both had. They didn't need to be complete nutjobs like Joker and Two Face,yet both remain popular for all these decades. Mattel would be foolish not to have you guys make these villians (especially when you consider some of the minor foes that have already been done) Penguin and Riddler are icons in DC. Most all of Superman's foes are lame as well. So does this mean we won't get popular characters just because they are a bit lame? These tend to based on Super Friends era. Super Friends is about as lame as DC has ever allowed these characters to be. I think it's all part of the Mego charm. Please do not tell me there are no plans to make two of Batman's most famous villains. A retro DC line without a Penguin and Riddler? Wow.

[Remco Monster]

I just wish they would hurry up and make a Joker, I need his suit.

[PNGwynne]

Burgess Meredith made Penguin cool. No other version - before '66 or after -
has topped the TV Penguin.

Buzz is perfect, but his portrayal is pretty faithful to the earlier comics.

As to Mego desirability, he seemed pretty plentiful in my neighbor hood. Even with Mattel, he's a widely merchandised character in various lines & Happy Meals.

And look at how they "push" Aquaman now--hooray!

[huedell]

And yes, "retro" refers to the style of action figure, not the characters.

Frankly, the only ones not aware of that would be the people who didn't
know the Yellow Sinestro existed and/or who he is... cause heck, that's
about as "newtro" ahem "modern" as you can get.

It still doesn't mean that releasing anything other than Bronze Age Robin
first wouldn't have the majority of Mattel Bat-holders having their heads
scratching on why they couldn't get a congruent Robin pronto.

[drmego]

Burgess Meredith made Penguin cool. No other version - before '66 or after -
has topped the TV Penguin.

And yes, "retro" refers to the style of action figure, not the characters.

[rlkrefft]

That is not true about Penguin. He was one of the top selling Megos of all time. It was Batman,Superman,Robin,Joker and Penguin that sold the most. He was with the run to the very end. Even Wonder Woman,Riddler,
Catwoman,Batgirl and Supergirl were all dropped by Mego due to lack of sales. I agree with you about Mxyzptlk though,on that you are right. The Mego Penguin was a beautiful figure. One of the best faces of all of them, next to Joker. To say the figure wasn't popular is just not true. Everyone I knew had a Joker and a Penguin. Not many had Riddler and even less had Catwoman (though that had more to do with the ugly outfit Mego picked to use...had it been the purple dress she would have been a bigger hit)