Thanks to a 2024 retcon, 1989’s Batman's live-action movie landscape, but also the superhero genre and the way big-budget blockbusters are marketed. The film made Batman DC Comics and Warner Bros’s most marketable superhero property and directly (or indirectly) led to a slew of beloved superhero properties, from various sequels and reboots to the DC Animated Universe itself.
The Tim Burton Batman universe – which includes no less than three branching timelines after the events of Batman Returns – continues to be explored via comics like Batman ’89 and the 2024 novel Batman: Resurrection, by John Jackson Miller. The latter takes place in between 1989’s Batman and Batman Returns, combining characters from both films and exploring how Gotham City’s citizens – including Batman himself – deal with the fallout of the Joker’s reign of terror. Of the novel’s two main villains, one is a classic Batman foe who has now been retroactively inserted into 1989’s Batman.
Batman: Resurrection Introduces Hugo Strange & Retcons Him Into 1989 Batman
Batman: Resurrection includes the seemingly original character “Hugh Auslander”, who eventually reveals him to be the Burton Batman universe’s version of DC villain Hugo Strange. Moreover, the book retroactively makes Hugo Strange a minor character in the 1989 film itself. Resurrection’s retcon establishes that the Axis Chemicals scientist who is seen inspecting and shipping out Smylex-contaminated products is, in fact, Hugo Strange. Strange survived Batman’s destruction of Axis Chemicals simply by escaping before the Batmobile’s explosives detonated.
Hugo Strange survives the events of Resurrection, which coincides with the Batman ’89: Echoes comics.
In the Burton Batman universe, Hugo Strange is a chemist who wishes to create an army of super strong yet mindless Monster Men. Strange was a chemist who previously posed as a psychiatrist to enter Carl Grissom’s criminal empire and continue his work after being fired from his US Government position. Strange was invaluable to the Joker’s creation of Smylex, though Strange only saw him as a means to finalize his Monster Men endeavors.
Who Is Hugo Strange In The Comics?
Hugo Strange is one of Batman’s earliest major villains, having debuted in Golden Age Batman comics and preceded even major villains like the Joker. Hugo Strange is both a mad scientist and crime boss who initially used his genius to create advanced devices and his iconic Monster Men, but he eventually became obsessed with Batman and even discovered his secret identity, making him one of Batman’s most dangerous foes. Before being retconned into 1989’s Batman, Hugo Strange made his live-action debut in Gotham, played by BD Wong.
Batman
- Release Date
- June 23, 1989
- Runtime
- 126 Minutes
- Director
- Tim Burton
WHERE TO WATCH
Batman is a 1989 superhero movie directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne. The film features Jack Nicholson's chilling portrayal as Jack Napier, who turns into the Joker and reigns terror on Gotham. Kim Basinger also stars in the film as Vicki Vale, along with Michael Gough as Bruce's trusty butler named Alfred.
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