You are wrong. Nothing is more important than the movies. Nothing. 
- — Film Freak src
History
The man known only as Edison, who prefers to call himself Film Freak, was a disturbed film buff who hosted a late-night W.U.A.B. TV Studios-operated show displaying amateur film clips made by his underlings (who also robbed high-end cameras on his behalf).[1][2]
He exposed a footage showing Holly Robinson posing as Catwoman and fighting Angle Man. He subsequently struck an alliance with the same Angle Man in order to film Catwoman's defeat at the latter's hands. In the meanwhile, he was forced to hand Holly's footage to GCPD detective Jim Lenahan, whom at the time was also on Catwoman's path.[3]
After obtaining a footage from one of his henchmen, showing Selina Kyle and Holly both wearing their Catwoman suits, he poisoned his goon, citing Alfred Hitchcock's Suspicion, in order to not let him divulge the information. He later deduced the real Catwoman, Selina, was hiding in Gotham City under the pseudonym of "Irena Dubrovna", the main character of Val Lewton's 1942 movie: Cat People.[4] He, along with Angle Man, broke in Selina's apartment and threatened her infant daughter, Helena. Eventually, due to Film Freak's obsession with shots and filming, she was able to incapacitate both of them. She also asked her friend Zatanna to wipe her identity from their minds (similarly to what she had done earlier with Dr. Light), and make them confess their crimes to the authorities.[5][6]
Somewhat, Film Freak's mind misinterpreted Zatanna's orders, believing he had "crimes to confess...crimes against cinema". He killed the station manager at W.U.A.B., John Rinaldi, in a manner reminiscent of the famous shower scene in Psycho, then shot to death a cameraman, citing The Great Train Robbery.[6][7] He continued his movie-themed crime spree by killing two policemen in a Buster Keaton's Steamboat Bill, Jr. scenario in which he made a building collapse over them, then disfigured a S.T.A.R. Labs employee, Arlene Owens, by pushing an acid-soaked grapefruit in her face, citing another classic: The Public Enemy. After killing a cab driver over not knowing the James Cagney film Taxi!, he employed Arlene's credentials to burst into a S.T.A.R. Labs facility (citing the famous snowball premise of Citizen Kane) and set a giant gorilla speciman free to wreak havoc in the East End, a re-enactment of the famed King Kong.[7][8]
As a final act, he managed to obtain an atom bomb, paying homage to Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove, and, while citing Network, announced on live that all Gothamites would have had their life saved if they were able to solve a film-themed riddle. After shooting to death a movie critic he employed to deliver the Uranium for the bomb, avoiding radiation poisoning, Film Freak was finally defeated by Catwoman, who also managed to defuse the bomb.[9]
Powers and Abilities
Abilities
- Historiography: Deep knowledge of apparently anything concerning movies and the art of cinematography.
Weaknesses
- Mental Disorder: Film Freak is a vicious psychopath and a delusional individual. He is obsessed with movies and cinematography, almost compulsively taking footages of his crimes and being perpetually convinced to be in a movie.
Notes
- Zatanna described Film Freak's mind as having "no memories to speak off, at least not in the normal sense. Just film clip after film clip after film clip" and as being like "a master cinema history class, every genre and era covered in detail".[6]
Related
- 12 Appearances of Film Freak II (New Earth)
- 2 Images featuring Film Freak II (New Earth)
- 1 Quotations by or about Film Freak II (New Earth)
- Character Gallery: Film Freak II (New Earth)
Footnotes
This article needs maintenance and organization, as it may have become cluttered or confusing. Its heart is in a good place, it's just a little special. Won't you please help out an article in need? This template will categorize articles that include it into the Clean Up task category.
  Batman Villain(s) |