Firefly: The Overlooked Batman Villain Ready to Blaze
When discussing the most famous Batman villains, the underrated Firefly might not be the first to come to mind. He’s appeared in several cartoons and video games, but the average comic book reader might need a refresher on this lesser-known antagonist. Why is he considered a minor villain? Well, his backstory isn’t as tragic as Two-Face or Mr. Freeze, and he’s not responsible for some of the worst crimes against Gotham like Joker or Bane. However, he’s still an intriguing character. It’s worth noting that he’s the opposite of cool, given his pyromania – hence, the name Firefly. If you’re like me and have been eager to see this villain in the movies, guess what? He’ll be making his first proper live-action debut in the DC Cinematic Universe in the upcoming Batgirl movie on HBO Max. Firefly will be the primary antagonist for the film, portrayed by none other than Brendan Fraser. Speaking of which, it’s great to see him returning to movies. I haven’t seen him in Doom Patrol yet, but I hear he’s fantastic in it. I need to give it a watch, but the old Brendan Fraser was a bona fide movie star.
Is Brendan Fraser the Right Choice for Firefly?
As far as I can recall, Fraser doesn’t have much experience playing villains, but he’s still a talented actor. To make a convincing Firefly, he needs to capture the unhinged, sociopathic, and self-destructive nature of the character. I’m confident Brendan Fraser can deliver, but I’m just dying to see what he’ll look like. This villain has a unique appearance that has evolved over the years, and I’m eager to see how it translates to live-action. Let’s take a step back and discuss his past appearances in other media. For instance, he made another live-action debut in the first season of Arrow. However, he wasn’t exactly the Firefly we knew from the comics. In fact, he was almost the exact opposite. For those who want to take a trip down memory lane, Firefly was never actually called Firefly, but he was a firefighter working with a group of other firefighters called the Fireflies. He was thought to be dead by his team, but the horribly scarred man embarked on a mission of vengeance to kill his former colleagues.
This Firefly never donned his insulated, fireproof battle suit from the comics. The Arrowverse version operated under his civilian identity, Garfield Lynns, and was only seen in his firefighter uniform. Beneath the gear and the helmet was the disfigured and terribly scarred body he had to live with. This was actually pretty accurate to what the comic version had to endure. The comic version of Garfield Lynns has third-degree burns on 90 percent of his body and is rarely seen without his suit on. This was due to his own madness, which indirectly caused a blaze at a chemical factory, but the pyromaniac Lynns cared little. His obsession with setting things on fire was his only goal, and he’s attempted to burn all of Gotham on several occasions. Of course, this didn’t sit too well with Batman, leading to some heated (no pun intended) encounters between the two. In a way, he’s much like Batman himself because Firefly has no superhuman powers or abilities. He relies entirely on his gadgets, which, as you can probably guess, are all fire-centric. He’s got all the incendiary devices you can think of, from smoke bombs, grenades, napalm, and his signature military-grade flamethrower. But guess what? He can also fly. That’s right, he’s got a winged jetpack to soar around while setting everything ablaze. That fits the Firefly name pretty well, doesn’t it?
Firefly: A Perfect Match for Batgirl
With all of his gear and pyromaniac madness, Firefly is a villain with some serious issues. But then again, he wouldn’t really be a Batman villain if he didn’t, would he? That’s what makes him an engaging antagonist, but this time around, he’ll be facing one of Batman’s top proteges, Barbara Gordon. I’ve written before about which villain she should face, and I did mention Firefly. Why him, exactly? Well, since Barbara is getting her own movie, I think it’s fitting for her to face a villain who isn’t on the same popularity level as the more well-known Batman villains. With The Batman coming out next year, Robert Pattinson‘s Batman will be taking on three of his most popular adversaries. In other movies, he’s battled the best of the worst, including Joker, Two-Face, Scarecrow, and Bane. These are the villains every comic fan knows about, but you’ll never see Batgirl fight these villains alone. I think it’s safe to assume that she was never crippled by the Joker yet (if it ever happens in the DCEU), so Barbara is probably at the height of her crimefighting career. Speaking of which, where does Batman fit into this movie? There are many variables to consider, but the film has the significant step covered with the villain.
The fact that we’ve never seen Firefly in a movie before is a significant advantage. I love seeing new villains introduced in films, especially when they’re lesser-known. This is an excellent opportunity for Batgirl to flex her muscles as well since she’s not taking on a villain out of her league. Firefly can be a challenge for her, but she must be able to defeat him without Batman’s aid. She can undoubtedly do it, but that doesn’t mean Firefly won’t give her problems. This is a highly unstable villain with a dangerous obsession with setting things on fire. To add to the insanity, he actually believes he sees visions in the flames. Does he see a bat? If it’s enough to get him to fight Batgirl, then that’s good enough for me. Firefly has already appeared in a tie-in prequel comic to Batman vs. Superman, where Batman actually captures him. With that, we know he already has a grudge against Batman, so going after Batgirl could be his revenge. This sounds like solid motivation for Firefly, but I personally hope they do this version similar to the one from the Arkham games. That was a fun boss fight. Aside from that, listening to him talk was scary enough since he truly had a sick obsession with fire. I hope Brendan Fraser delivers a performance like that and gives Batgirl a good fight.
Follow Us
