You Should Be Bricking It: LEGO Batman Set Brings Back Insane Villains

The Caped Crusader certainly has had a colorful history over his 77 years of comics, but none more bright than his trip into the world of #LEGO. Going where the live action films daren't to go, Warner Animation Groups' #TheLEGOBatmanMovie will be plumbing the depths of Bruce Wayne's obscure rogue's gallery to bring out villains other than Harley and Joker. Now the LEGO Batman Movie Collectible Minifigures Series just dropped a brick load of forgotten villains in our lap and we can't wait to "build" on the hype.

2017's LEGO Batman will once again see Will Arnett click on the cowl of the plastic crimefighter in a whole new adventure. While we will have to wait until February for the film to fly onto our screens, the real fun starts on January 1 with LEGO's clever marketing campaign.

All 20 of the LEGO Batman figures will be available to purchase in "blind bags," so it may be some time before you complete the set, but we promise it is worth it. Alongside the classic version of Bruce and co. we also have Fairy Batman, Caveman Batman, Lobster-loving Batman, and even Heavy Metal Batman. If the cells of Arkham aren't already full enough, the rest of the LEGO figures will be joined by Nurse Harley and The Joker, but let's look who else we can drag out of the asylum.

The Calculator

Real name: Noah Kuttler

First appearance: Detective Comics #463 (September 1976)

While The Calculator of 2016 is more of a Wolf of Wall Street broker in a suit, his origins involved the incredibly camp suit with visor — perfect for a LEGO adaptation. The Calculator's original outfit may not have aged as well, he is a timely reflection of the Bronze Era of the comics. He is effectively a pre-recession player of the stock market, stealing items when they are their most valuable. Thankfully those all important buttons on his suit have made their way into LEGO too. They weren't just a way to spell "BOOBS." The Calculator used them to record his battles and analyze later.

Orca

Real name: Dr. Grace Balin

First appearance: Batman #579 (July 2000)

A poor man's King Shark, Orca's canny abilities include earning her 500m breaststroke and having the best whale fancy dress for Halloween. The turn of the new millennium brought Sea World's worst nightmare and Dr. Grace Balin. After an accident leaves her wheelchair-bound, Balin experiments with orca spinal cord tissue to cure her disability. After the Gotham Aquarium closes, she develops a serum that can turn her into the orca/human hybrid. The LEGO Batman version doesn't include her signature bosoms, which were definitely her *erm* greatest asset in the comics.

The Eraser

Real name: Lenny Fiasco

First appearance: Batman #188 (December, 1966)

The premise is simple, for a 20% cut of the booty, Lenny Fiasco would "erase" the evidence of your crime. One of Bruce Wayne's many disgruntled classmates, Fiasco turned to crime after a childhood of being mocked. We never quite got to the bottom of why he chose such an unusual costume, but it works for one of DC's more obscure villains, while always coming in handy if you made a mistake. Could The Eraser be one of the best LEGO figures ever? Hell yeah!

March Harriet

Real name: Harriet Pratt

First appearance: Detective Comics #841 (April 2008)

Secret Diary of a Call Girl crossed with Alice in Wonderland, Harriet Pratt was the high-class escort and grifter from Gotham. Forming part of The Wonderland Gang, Pratt was usually found alongside the formidable Mad Hatter a.k.a. Jervis Tetch. While Pratt's LEGO outfit might not be as sexy as her comic counterpart's, we should remember LEGO is "supposed" to be for kids.

Zodiac Master

Real name: Unknown

First appearance: Detective Comics #323 (January 1964)

The Mystic Meg of Gotham, Zodiac Master had an uncanny talent for predicting disasters before they happened. However, Zodiac wasn't as gifted as he claimed, having actually orchestrated the events himself. He took his life of crime to the underworld and advised the various mobs on when to strike. One of the most ambiguous of the Batman rogues, we don't even know who lurks under that powder blue mask. Zodiac Does have some pretty cool zodiac shaped weapons, I mean come on, the last thing you want to be hit by is a flying crab. Note: the crab is also included in the LEGO set!

King Tut

Real name: William Omaha McElroy

First Appearance: "The Curse of Tut" (April 13, 1966)

The very essence of the campy '60's Batman, King Tut was created specifically for the ABC series and portrayed by the larger-than-life Victor Buono. William Omaha McElroy was a highly respected professor of Egyptology at Yale, until one day a rock knocked him into thinking he was the incarnation of Tutankhamun. Seeing Gotham as the great city of Thebes, King Tut was determined to claim the city as his, even building a giant sphinx (not from LEGO). While the figure may just look like any old LEGO Egypt figure, real Batfans know the truth!

Mime

Real name: Camilla Ortin

First Appearance: Batman #412 (October, 1987)

To end, let's go completely off-piste with Mime and the neon colors of '80s Batman. After a fireworks factory explosion renders Camilla Ortin an orphan, she turns to a life of crime and silence. Her skills include (wait for it) dancing... and miming. If Batman had a fear of mime artists, then boy was he in trouble, otherwise s'all good. God knows where LEGO dragged this from, but they have nailed the craziness of Mime's campy clown costume and rocking '80s mohawk.

Stealing the show of 2014's The LEGO Movie, it is about time the Dark Knight got his own plastic fantastic adventure. Also starring Zach Galifianakis, Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson, and Ralph Fiennes, The LEGO Batman Movie is released on February 10. Let's be honest though, we are secretly more excited for the figures.