I just wanted to say, I am not, nor have I ever been associated with comic book super heros or villians. (Yeah I know Darth Vader has a comic, but he’s not a comic character in origin so doesn’t count)
I can’t speak for Lefty on this matter
Ahh…wait.
If you’re gonna go THERE…
The Spleen’s prop/weapon is (fortunately) never seen and, in all likelihood, completely misnamed.
–G!
I think the Blue Raja’s completely theme-inappropriate cutlery-based attacks are dorkier.
He does vent it on occasion.
Can the Invisible Man be said to have a prop? And anti-prop?
I suspect Invisible Man isn’t his name, but I can’t remember any other name.
The original Golden Age Air-Wave had Static, the Proverb Parrot, who would join his adventures and quote appropriate proverbs as they fought the villains.
A lot of Silver Age Green Arrow’s arrows were pretty dorky.
Paste Pot Pete was taken, so:
Batman villain Polka-Dot Man. He has a suit covered in polka dots, Matthew Lesko-style, and can tear them off and throw them to make various themed projectiles.
Well, if this has degerated into a “dorkiest VILLIAN props”…
Oddball, who first appeared in a Hawkeye mini-series. He juggled colored balls, about the size of billiard balls, some of which had explosive or acid in them.
Not to be outdone, Oddball was later found to be a member of a team of supervillians, all of them jugglers, called…
…wait for it…
The Death-Throws
Including (besides Oddball):
- Ringleader, the honcho, who juggled razor-edged rings;
- Tenpin ---- bowling pins
- Bombshell, the sole female ---- miniature bombs
- Knickknack ----- various size objects
These bozos actually made the Serpent Society look classy.
I do think the Silver’s Surfer’s surfboard is the dorkiest prop of a successful superhero.
I dunno, Green Arrow is arguably of greater success (and has certainly been around longer) and he’s got that boxing-glove arrow…
Superman/Clark Kent’s glasses (with curly-cue).
My eyes are bad, but JEEZ! how is anyone fooled by that?
In the orginal 1960s Batman movie, Adam West certainly had a wide variety of dorky props.
In this memorable scene, he fights a large rubber shark that bites his leg while he clings to a rope ladder suspended from the Bat - copter. Robin, the Boy Wonder, comes to the rescue with a can of ‘Shark Repellant Bat spray’. One of a handy range of Oceanic Bat Sprays that also included repellents appropriate for sudden attacks by Barracuda, Manta Rays or Whales. Batman props were often quite carefully labelled, so you knew what each high tech gadget or gizmo was for.
I must admit, as a youngster, I was utterly captivated and too young to appreciate just how dorky this was. Batman was a wonderfully entertaining pantomime for kids and yes, I did have my own Batman costume at that tender age. I often patrolled the neighbourhood dressed as a caped crusader, ever on the look out for super villains and crime fighting opportunities.
There is an age, after which self conciousness sets in and you start to worry about what other people think of you. You grow anxious, desperate for others approval, to appear cool rather a dork.
Actors and writers from Batman to Mr Bean appeal to the young minds below that threshold, while their spirits are still free to be entertained by colourful characters and unlikely tales.
I imagine the people who made those shows must have had so much fun.
Combination prop/sidekick Cheeks the Toy Wonder-Ambush Bug.