John Daggett Batman -

What makes him memorable here is his cruelty. When Napier quips, "You wouldn't kill me, boss. I know the books," Daggett doesn't hesitate. He shoots first. This Daggett isn't a master planner; he is a blunt instrument of capitalism. He creates the monster (the Joker) through his own greed, then is immediately killed by him. He is the spark that lights the fuse of Batman’s worst nightmare.

He funds Bane and the League of Shadows because he believes he is hiring muscle to clear the way for a pipeline. His fatal flaw is the same as the 1989 version: he underestimates the monster he hires. When Daggett tries to renegotiate his deal with Bane, he receives the most chilling line in the film: "Do you feel in charge?" john daggett batman

Played by the late Jack Palance, the 1989 John Daggett is a relic of old-school greed. He is the boss of a corrupt Axis Chemicals, and his primary goal is insurance fraud. He hires the Joker (then Jack Napier) to burn down his own factory to collect the cash. What makes him memorable here is his cruelty

But lurking in the background—signing eviction notices, cooking ledgers, and hosting rubber chicken luncheons at the Gotham Country Club—is a villain far more terrifying because he is utterly real . He shoots first

And unlike the Joker, you can't lock up a system .

Bane then breaks his back over his knee (metaphorically and literally), reminding us that money is just paper when faced with true fanaticism. Why don't we put Daggett on a t-shirt? Why don't we cosplay as him at Comic-Con?