He’s certainly one of DC’s most bizarre, noteworthy villains, so who is the Music Meister? Batman probably has one of the best rogue’s galleries of any superhero, from the Joker to Bane, The Penguin, Catwoman, Two-Face and many more. Each one of those characters is iconic in their own right, and they have their own distinct fanbases and spinoffs.
That said, the caped crusader has run into a few duds along the way too, including Kite-Man, Clock King and Crazy Quilt. One of the more bizarre, and, intriguing recent additions to the line-up is the Music Meister. This villain was introduced in animated series Batman: The Brave And The Bold, voiced by Neil Patrick Harris (Gone Girl). When the Music Meister sings at a high pitch he’s able to hypnotize anyone to do his bidding.
Batman: The Brave And The Bold introduces Music Meister taking control of heroes and villains alike, such as Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Black Manta during a heist, and forcing them to battle Batman via dance. His ultimate scheme is to hypnotize the entire world with his music, but after a short battle Batman knocks him out with a solid punch. Though the character only really appeared once on the show, he gained a fanbase from this episode alone. His cult popularity led to appearances and easter egg mentions in video games like Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham and Batman: Arkham Knight. He also showed up in the Batman: The Brave And The Bold comic series, causing more musical mischief.
Music Meister made his live-action debut in a crossover between The CW’s Supergirl and The Flash, played by Darren Criss (Glee). In this Arrowverse version, he’s a metahuman who captures both characters and sends them into a fantasy where they’re both singers in a 1940s-style musical. He eventually reveals he’s just a fan of both superheroes and brought them together in the hope of teaching them about love.
While its a little hard to find him seriously threatening, it can’t be denied Music Meister is one of the more unique DC villains. It’s not every villain who forces his victims to burst into song and dance, has great fashion sense and carries a conductor’s baton that doubles as an energy weapon. It’s doubtful Music Meister’s popularity will ever rival that of the Joker or Lex Luther, but the character is certainly one of the most entertaining villains in the DC universe.
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