Half of Six is Three

I was rereading the current Secret Six run this weekend when I noticed something. It's pretty obvious and I'm sure I'm not the first to bring it up, but it's interesting nonetheless.

The current roster of the Six includes Ragdoll, Scandal Savage, Jeanette, Bane, Deadshot, and Catman. The first three are original characters created by Gail Simone (though Ragdoll and Scandal are legacies of a sort). The latter three all got their start as Batman villains. Deadshot made is first appearance in Batman #59 way back in 1950, Catman first debuted in the 60's, and Bane shouldn't need an introduction.

You have to wonder why exactly villains originally created to battle Batman have habitually filled out the list of Gail Simone's Secret Six. After all, before Bane we had Harley Quinn on the team for a while. And who could forget the Mad Hatter's appearance?

I think some of it has to do with the fact that Batman's villains are by and large more disturbed than most of the other characters. Superman's villains (with the exception of Toyman, perhaps) aren't crazy at all. They've got agendas. Flash's villains are in it for the cash. But Batman's villains -- even if they claim to have other motives -- are driven by their psychoses. These are seriously disturbed people.

Which is why they fit so well in the Secret Six. And why they're so fun to watch...