Ordering the murder of any assassin that fails is a pretty foolish policy. It does not take a genius to recognize that making enemies out of near-invincible assassins might have negative consequences in the long run. From the moment they set up that policy, it was just a matter of time before the Society of Assassins destroyed itself. It goes to show why it is so important to reserve the worst punishments for the worst crimes, because once you sentence someone to the worst possible punishment, they no longer have any motivation to follow your rules.
She may not be the most complex or layered character in the world, but she is cool. She's a badass assassin who can take names and has a cool look and sometimes that all you need for a character.
@@SerumLake I prefer it remain a mystery. It adds intrigue and even a bit of creepiness to the character. After all, we greater fear what we don't know.
@@CountCrane2065 Agreed. It's similar to how Boba Fett gained a following among Star Wars fans because so little was known about him, including his appearance.
While we never see her appearance behind the mask, Batman does get to see her face at one point and his reaction makes it clear that she probably does look a lot like that original sketch.
She's like John Wick fused with Asaaj Ventress after getting betrayed by Count Dooku, and sometimes that's all you need for a cool character. She wasn't overused, and her lack of dialogue was a change of pace for McGuiness being the quipy new Batman.
Curare has what a friend of mine called the Faceless Canvas appeal. We put so much focus on a person's face. So many non verbal cues just aren't there so the character needed to over emphasis other things like voice or movement. And by using those as a stand in for the face, we the audience, not only get to paste our own ideal face onto the character, but in the back of our head we feel that this characters face must be just as compelling as thier voice or skill. A similar character is Tali Zora from the Mass Effect games. We never see her face other than some barely seen glowing eyes (the photoshoped model doesn't count!) Yet she is often voted the most romance-able female character in the series, based almost entirely on her voice and personality. Curare is similar except we get little of her personality, but we get ample evidence of her badass skills. And yeah thr costume does help. But I think it is because we can project so much of our own ideal vision onto here that makes her so popular.
Ah, good old Tali. Loads better than Liara, in my opinion. And as another Mass Effect aside, Curaré sure succeeds where the Reapers failed when it comes to preserving their air of fearful mystery. Turning the Reapers into glorified ancient alien A.I. that went rogue just... loses their horror.
i like Curare as just a treat with goals not died to batman she show up for her own reasons and batman just happen to be in the way the frist time and 2nd time it show her ego even without her saying a word
It's pretty well established in "Out of the Past" that Ra's Al Ghul was believed to have died during the "near apocalypse of '09." So my own personal head-cannon dictates that "The Society of Shadows" organization rebranded itself "The Society of Assassins" fallowing his apparent death. I myself always found it a little curious that Curare had such a vaunted reputation, given that she was routinely beaten by Terry, despite the fact that he just started as Batman by the time of "A Touch of Curare".
We kinda saw that once Bruce retired a lot changed so most likely when Batman retired EVERYBODY retired. So there wasn't that barrier anymore Curare is good but she might not be Katana or Lady Shiva good.
Or at least they're a splinter group, not unlike Count Vertigo's cell back in the in-universe 1990s. Eh, win some, lose some, and even the best sportsmasters start losing their stride later on even against simple rookies.
Even with the Royal Flush Gang, they were new to the DCAU at the time with only Bruce's word that they were a preexisting group, while some of their history was later filled in on "Justice League."
I always enjoyed the simplicity of her story, plus the the fact she didn't speak while aiming to get the job done. Plus her laser-sharpened sword that sliced through everything! Interesting to see they beefed up her story in the DC comics.
I wish we had gotten just one more episode with Curare, one where Batman can be like "what is her damage?!" and really delve into what makes her tick. She's an interesting enough concept and she filled the role of deadly henchmen well (which this channel has talked about with other characters). But getting just one more with a bit of background could have really rounded out the character into something quite memorable.
I think having a big tall blue lady NOT dressed in the Neo Gotham style and wielding a big sword into battle was far more striking of a Batman Beyond villain.
I honestly hope these obscure Batman Beyond antagonists show up someday in future Batman media. Since I personally feel like DC have been kind of safe when it comes to who they choose to show up in there films or shows. Especially with how often (Joker) has stolen the spot light away from the other bad boys or girls when he already gets plenty enough love as is. And also it sometimes feels like DC or the fans forget there's more to Batman than just than just the Joker, No offense to the many who are fans of the clown prince heck I also feel he's a solid character for the most part minus no surprise (Jared Leto's) cringey portrayal. And I'm also fully aware why he's popular with the fans heck while he's not my favorite character personally. I still hold a lot of respect for him and the writers for him and the actors who played him such as (Mark Hamill) & the late (Heath Ledger) from Chris Nolan's film the Dark Knight as examples. But sometimes it feels like the over usage of the Joker himself is a little bit uninspired when it comes to how often he's the main antagonist in a Batman story. And it would honestly be pretty refreshing to have those other baddies that I mentioned show up more often or have other characters like (Anarky) or (Professor Pyg) as other examples showing up in major villain roles in a Batman story for more than once. Not sure if this is a controversial opinion but it’s at least how I personally feel.
Personally, I find Curaré to be the kind of character that is originally made to be nothing more than a "skilled thug", a minion-like character that just works as an assassin or henchperson for someone or something bigger and more powerful, but that the creators liked so much or thought was cool enough that they made them into a larger character, kinda like Harley Quinn. But unlike Harley, the creators either didn't know what to do or didn't want to do something bigger with her, and just left her as a one-note assassin-like character, which isn't bad, but they do pretty much just write themselves into a corner, which makes it hurt a little bit when they later, like in the comics, tries to flesh out her character, when she was originally just one thing; a self-preserving, morally bankrupt murderer. Still, great analys, per usual Serum. I can't wait for the day you choose to make a video on Mad Stan, one of my favorit villains mainly just due to how funny it is having a massive guy blowing things up just because he hates bureaucracy.
A good Batman Beyond story combines a physical threat and a social threat. Curare is like Deadshot or Deathstroke, she's there to provide a physical threat without a social component so there can be a social threat in parallel. That's really how she's used in both her episodes.
I'm reminded of The Tick cartoon's Mad Bomber (still the best version of the Tick imho btw) and both give The Punisher vibes but neither hold a candle to Frank Castle
Despite only appearing in 2 Episodes shes a Badass and is quite Popular Curare is a Batman Beyond Villain i think should be done in live action, i'd have: 1. the blue skin be Paint (Face Paint esc) rather than a potion drink 2. Keep her Disfigured but not what The Concept Art showed us ( Her face looks creepy 😱,) if she was done in live action id have her face Disfigured but not resembling a Skull, Curare would have a psychological need to hide her face, whenever she removes it she like Calendar Girl would get insecure and feels like shes Ugly and not an attractive Woman 3. I'd have a large distinctive Scar on her Throat, hence why shes a mute 4. She wouldn't be bald shed have Brunette Black Hair 5. I wouldn't make her Native Tibetan, for live action make her Caucasian European or Hispanic, keep it interesting i do find it interesting that her backstory was explored in the Batman Beyond Mainstream Comics as a tibetan monk and has a connection to BB's Green Lantern but personally i think her backstory shouldn't be revealed, Keep it a mystery, Same we never got a fight sequence between Stalker and Curare, Hes an African Big Game Hunter with Cybernetics and shes a Deadly Assassin, (id love to see their fighting abilities against each other, maybe Stalker sees Curare as Worthy Prey) personally I think The Society of Assassins should be an off-shoot of The League of Assassins who were Members of The League of Assassins who went rogue and stsrted their own group and took some of The Lazarus Pit Waters with them, id make them a John Wick Style of Assassins from all over The World, The Leader of The Society of Assassins's Accent i think concretely is German
This make it seems like Curare inspired Cassandra Cain. Since they're overall the same character. So if Curare ever became a "Bat" she would take that role
She didn't just utilize ANY OL' SCIMITAR! But a scimitar with an edge as thin as a molecule by means of "LASER" (Doctor Evil style quotation marks) sharpeners! I'm surprised that sword didn't cause explosions when cutting. I'm sure Oetsu Nimaya would recommend that sword be carried around in a gelatine filled box because there is no sheath that could hold such a sword without getting sliced!
Curare was one of the most unique villains ever in the show mainly because we never really knew anything about her or where she came from, the fact that she never talked or we never ever saw her face really added to her mystique. Mysterious, great costume and a kickass warrior who can more than hold her own in a fight. Everything you need for an epic Batman villain.
Mysterious lady assassin working for an evil organization whose skin turned blue at some point... inspiration for Widowmaker, perhaps? The getup and function of the character also reminds me of the animated Clone Wars version of General Grievous. Would have liked to see an origin episode for her.
that 7:46 curare cover is hot as hell gatdamb edit: i generally agree that she didnt have a lot of impact, but i thought she was really cool specifically because she was a contrast to the high tech semi scifi, a very old school kind of threat
6:47 I actually like this origin Curare and having her be related to Kai-Ro. Maybe if they tweak their backstory a bit and I could see it being canon to the Beyond show.
I really hope I wasn't the only one who thought that the Society of Assassins was them just renaming the Society of Shadows to be more accurate to the comic name of League of Assassins. I still like to head canon that it's part of the same umbrella and Curaré reports directly to Ra's al Ghul.
Well, if he was connected to them then Curaré would've killed him too, right? The Rebirth comic books make an explicit link between The League of Assassins and the Society of Assassins though, so, really, it could work. Sorta feels like another one of those choices that was just too obvious to me though.
@@SerumLake The names are so similar though for me that it just feels like a missed opportunity not to have them linked. Also kind of makes the Society of Assassins feel more important to the world otherwise they're just as inconsequential as Kobra if not less. Plus, it's possible that Curaré was not aware that Ra's was alive in Talia's body since he could switch back and forth between voices. It could be that the ones she killed were the members that were left after Ra's died in "Out of the Past".
Sure, it's possible, but that's all pretty convoluted, isn't it? And kinda against the spirit of Batman Beyond (which is my prime complaint about the Rebirth era comics)
@@SerumLake I mean despite anyone's efforts, there's always going to be elements, albeit small ones, about every continuity that aren't totally straightforward. The explanation for Terry being Bruce's son was a bit convoluted but it still was heartfelt. In this case it's not convoluted enough where it loses the plot for me so I can live with it. Plus I just think it adds more to the world in a positive way.
Oh, I like the idea of Curare having a relationship with Green Lantern's Kai-Ro. A Cain and Abel relationship, I mean. It's a shame it wasn't used in the final season of Batman Beyond or Justice League Unlimited.
Guess it should be canon. Who knows, perhaps her original backstory could be rewritten as her being a wannabe holy medic during that refugee conflict who unfortunately got caught in the crossfire.
One adaption (I can't remember which one) actually said that Ubu was from a family that had sworn to serve R'as generations ago, so there's a legacy of similar looking guys doing similar jobs for the league.
Honestly, we need simple "I have one thing and I do that thing well" characters to help balance out complex characters. It's good to have Two-Face, Mr. Freeze, and Baby Doll, but sometimes you just need a good Moth Man to shake things up.
@@SerumLake The comics and cartoons are separate continuities anyway. They might bear similarities, but ultimately their differences are irreconcilable.
@@Duothimir I agree, except for Volumes 1 and 2, which were written by Hilary Bader to slot in between episodes of the show. Everything else is just supplemental.
The mystery around her was interesting as was the assassin organization she works for. Not sure what they would have done with her afterwards after she murdered them all..
But it better be a true sequel set in the same universe and made by the right people. We need another Extreme Ghostbusters, not another Elseworlds-ish The Legend of Korra/Beast Machines: Transformers (even if those shows have their fine moments at times, I admit).
I find it interesting the way they made her in the futures end comics given that her blue skin looks kind of metallic in a way. Though yeah, in general, I kind of think that they should do more with Curare and possibly explore her character better, but more so in terms of her personality, motivation, and some hints to her backstory which can give us some understanding of why she is the way she is.
Not real excited by the way Harley Quinn has gone since DCAU, but I loved her in DCAU, so looking forward to that. I liked Curare too-she wasn't overused like Inque and we DON'T know her background or motivations, which is why she's interesting in the first place. If we knew those things, or if she were used more … she just wouldn't be as interesting IMO.
Inque was such a wasted opportunity. Her final animated appearance was such a letdown. The last we see of her she just gets splatted by Supes and that's it. No more Inque. She doesn't even get any dialogue, ffs.
Im glad someone else thinks Max could have taken on the mantle of being Oracle. I know some fans want her to be Batgirl Beyond, but after final cut, she would probably be very reluctant to don that life.
Well said. She would have made a fine Oracle by the time Bruce passes on. Meantime, I still hope Matt McGinnis becomes Robin Beyond. Kid needs more of a spotlight.
@@michaelandreipalon359 that implies that DC has the spine to let Bruce die and keep him dead (yeah yeah I know, rule #1 of comics is nobody stays dead except uncle Ben, Thomas and Martha wayne), which they don't. I believe in some of the Beyond comics, Matt has become Robin Beyond
@@seanmills7168 Well, he does pass away in the 2.0 comics, so... Oh, I know. I just want his DCAU take to get some cool character development and to ditch away his scrappy status on the fandom.
@@SerumLakeCuiver's Unstable Mutated Form at the end of Splicers is still creepy and Scary, It looks like something from The Thing (1982), imagine if Cuiver in that Form went loose in Neo-Gotham, It would be nightmare fueling, it's definitely one of the scariest moments in Batman Beyond, I don't think they should have brought Cuiver back in the comics, no way he could have survived the explosion, I think he should have remained dead, it was Fitting end for him, loved the animal kingdom and loved Splicing but ended up turning into an freakish Unnatural Behemoth by taking far too much Animal DNA, I would even make Cuiver a Member of Kobra, maybe it's head Scientist
I think you make an mistake in your understanding of what is the assassin code for the story, it's not a standard or principle they are expected to follow if they fail in a mission, but a threat and consequences of failure to a mission, and she perfectly understood it; no loyalty among thieves and all of that. All the members are all amoral murderous monsters who knows no loyalty to each other, and who wouldn't think twice in getting rid of any their members if they could get a leg up on the other or to grab more power for themselves; that is how the game actually work in their circles; there is no principle or loyalty just the job and office politics. Curaré was trained and survived and thrived in their training understood that, she thinks exactly like them and instead of taking laying down to let them finish her off she she brought the fight to them. When she created her own league of assassins she was merely recreating the kind of world she was brought in and more familiar and is what she knows that help finance her ruthless enterprise, she is only doing it for gain more power for herself. The apparent hypocrisy is only shallow deep, as she doesn't have any morals or principle herself, as the death for failure and no talking thing is just the flavor she chose to decorate her group with. The code is completely arbitrary for the grunts to follow and obviously is design to favors the leadership or serves to help immolate her better and the attitude she wants them to adopt in their duties. In short the hypocrisy is completely meaningless as they are following her because of any loyalty, through sycophancy would be expected, but because out of greed, sadism, ambition, or fear, the code is just meant to keep them in line, not for any principle, moral or martial stance of any kind and none of them would actually care if the code was broken only the consequences of doing so.
Personally, I'm quite interested in her sword. Sharpening it down to a molecule edge so that it can cut through almost anything makes it an extremely dangerous weapon with the offensive ability of a Star War lightsaber! Just one wrong move by Terry, and he'd be missing part of a limb or worse! It makes me wonder why more criminals didn't use such weaponry, although you would have to be well trained to make sure you didn't accidentally maim yourself. Also, where did Curare get her second sword after her first one was destroyed and she no longer had the resources of her former organization available to her?!
Being that sharp also requires a massive amount of upkeep, so I have this funny mental image of Curare just sitting around, constantly honing her sword with a whetstone for hours every day.
Cuare I feel like could have teamed up with Kyodai Ken & Red Claw . But she also definitely looks like she would have been a Member of the League of Shadows and Ra's Al Ghoul society of assassins. ( Ra's was still alive in the beyond timeline) Cuare I wish could have been in the comics too ( like the mainline continuity) But I really like Cuare''s Sword and how damn sharp it was in her 2 episodes. She's cool 😎 the DCAU originals needs a Bad Ass Team ( Kyodai, Red Claw , Lock Up , Inque )
Alas, she couldn't have teamed up even with old versions of Kyodai and RC, since one died via Japanese volcano and the other possibly froze to death in the North Sea.
@@michaelandreipalon359 Lmao 🤣 Well DC does have the Multiverse & Elseworlds So there can be variants . Or in the DCAU Batman beyond universe someone would figure out a way to Clone Red Claw & Kyodai ..like The Terrorist group Kobra was using some advanced tech and well Ra's Al Ghoul cheated death so he would have the tech some Rogue group would use . Even Amanda Waller would have clone Red Claw & Kyodai for a suicide squad mission and they some how would go rogue in the beyond era .
I've always considered Curare to be the biggest miss of the Beyond rouges gallery. She's supposed to be a super dangerous master assassin but her appearances in the show don't really live up that. She kind of sucks at her job.
I imagine in a different realm, a variant of CURAR’E, whose birth name is VALA, went from being a assassin, to becoming an Anti-Hero. And later she earns the right, to be chosen, to become an Indigo-Lantern. I also imagine, when she was an assassin, LAYLA, always wore a high tech mask, in order to hide her true face, from all those she doesn’t trust. Plus to add I imagine that, only she knew how to take off, the high tech mask, that she wears, so this way if she got captured. Or landed somewhere, discovered by someone, who then took her to the hospital, no one would be able take it off, to see her true face.
Would have been neat to have an episode on secret identities , contrasting how people can’t really know who is behind the mask, with her being the villainous parallel to the Batman.
I love Curare, the fact that she never speaks is what makes her leave such an impact. She's very obviously the "new Stalker", just like Inque is the "new Clayface". But she was far more interesting than Stalker, and her motivation is far more nuanced than simply wanting to prove the best hunter in the world. Not only is she just as good as Stalker, she has actual stakes, as failure is quite literally not an option for her.
I think the main "gimmick" for her as a villain is that we aren't supposed to get attachments to her. She is a relentless unfeeling killer. Because she doesn't talk we don't know anything about her personality, she is an inhuman force that , in theory, if she wants to kill you she WILL kill you. No motivation, no talk back, no emotions, no nothing. Just certain death awaits. ...Unless you cross paths with Batman. I think for her first appearance she was used very well, the second one... I have gripes about the execution of how Max was implemented despite the idea and the character herself are fine. So maybe my personal bias of being a Max-centric episode might contribute to my opinion. And the writing of the Batman Beyond comic books post Nu-53 isn't my cup of tea, so less said about my opinion on that the better. But I think that the JLBeyond story she was incorporated to the Green Lantern's background because her original one was too close to Inque's. It is almost the same, but less biological experimentation.
I always thought that, if Batman Beyond had continued, Max would've been a cool choice for Robin Beyond. I don't know why, but the red/pink hair always felt to me like a hint that Robin was her destiny.
Curare may not be that complex, but she was cool and relentless. I kinda like the idea of her being related to the GL of the future, and with a few tweaks, it could be more plausible within the DCAU.
*(reads description)* I don't think she's hypocritical. Heck, how should we know if she's that kind of person, considering she never, ever gloats and whined about it *because she can't talk.* And that's the beauty of it, really. Like the Shivans of FreeSpace, and unlike the Reapers of Mass Effect and maybe even the Vorlons and Shadows of Babylon 5, we can never know her truest dark intentions, which helps boost her appeal of mystery and danger... small wonder why I like her as a Batman Beyond villain, regardless of her few appearances. Guess that backstory should be canon. Doesn't contradict any DCAU lore, after all, and it just sounds right. However, however, some elements of the Justice League Beyond comic should also fit right in as well. 1:38: Hmm, why so braless, like certain anime gals? 2:25: Maybe there's a chance they're another splinter group, akin to Count Vertigo back in B: TAS, after all. 2:53: Gotta love that tense moment. "Batgirl?! *SHE'S BATGIRL?!?"* 2:59: Still got it, girl. Interesting how she's non-lethal against her former superiors, although let's face it, mind erasure is surprisingly more damaging than just martyring. 3:51: Voiced by the ever flappable Tim Curry, no less! Ah, the Terry and Max team up relationship. Uninformed fans really should stop hating on it, and should watch the show in production order, for they'll notice some neat character development for the perceived scrappy gal. Which says something, since her absence in Return of the Joker felt jarring. Nary a mention too. 4:48: As a plane fan, seeing craft like the Red Baron triplane made me squee. As an animation fan, the fine sequence movement made me squee more, and it reminds me of when Annie shoved Clayface away from Robin back in TNBA. Issue 9 sure can easily fit in canon. Easy recommendation. 7:05: This DCAU parallel worldline is lucky. Our real world hasn't seen Tibet be liberated from the Commie tyrants yet. 7:16: I don't think this is compatible with Kai-Ro's spotlight two-parter in the Batman Beyond Vol. II comics, since he wasn't exiled. I actually don't mind the "sons and daughters" legacy bits of those AU comics too much. Sidenote for any SL video's end: please don't ditch the Burtonverse Batman smirk clip at the "TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT ME" anytime soon. It's so good! 1-year anniversary. Why does it feel like three or so years have passed since then?
Quick Question: was she the assassin that was sent to kill Terry's parents, so that he would go onto the path to be Batman? That was said in the episode, where they were talking about the past with a grown up Terry, and the black-n'-white cuts, that were all in his mind? That one?
I didn't find her particularly interesting either. "Mysterious" and easily recognizable with blue skin don't really go together. Since she didn't have a secret identity at all, hiding her face didn't seem mysterious or necessary. It just felt like an extension of a mindless killing machine.
I don’t mean to be rude, but I have to ask: Do you plan on also doing a more character-focused video essay for Harley too sometime soon? Frankly, I’m intrigued that she hasn’t really had one done already, considering that she’s the final A-List Villain of BTAS (yes, there was the tribute video, but that one was more focused on Arleen herself and her legacy and not about Harley’s history in the DCAU specifically, similar to the other character essays). Apologies if I sound rude.
Not rude at all! I did one about Harley when Arleen Sorkin passed away, and next week’s video is also about Harley’s character. Plus the Caped Crusader version will get a video in a couple of weeks.
