Warning! Spoilers ahead for Future State: Batman/Superman #2
The previews for Future State’s version of a Batman foe didn’t adequately prepare readers for how grotesque Professor Pyg has become. Lazlo Valentin is a skilled surgeon whose psychotic obsession with beauty and perfection causes him to mutilate his victims for his “art” and turn them into lobotomized Dollortrons. This quest for perfection has horrifying results for one of the Dark Knight’s most disturbing enemies.
DC Comics’ Future State event promised “a glimpse into the unwritten worlds of tomorrow.” For some characters, like Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, that has meant having newcomers stepping in and upholding their legacies. Other characters have been thrown into unfamiliar roles, like the once solitary Green Lantern Jo Mullein assuming leadership in the Justice League. As the mysteries of Future State have been unveiled, some reveals are beyond what any fan could anticipate.
When Professor Pyg made his Future State appearance fighting Batman and Superman, his latest incarnation was more even more abnormal than initially expected. Future State: Harley Quinn #1 provided a peek at the new Lazlo Valentin, whose simple pig mask had been replaced by a more complex and off-putting mask, complete with tubing and ventilators. However, that was not the extent of Professor Pyg’s update. In Future State: Batman/Superman #2, written by Gene Luen Yan with art by Scott McDaniel, Ben Oliver, Stephen Segovia, the heroes’ efforts to quell the rise of a False Face Serum in Gotham leads them into the clutches of Valentin. When Batman confronts Lazlo, Pyg administers the serum on himself. His hands wae mutated into the heads of boars, with sharp tusks protruding wildly. The cover of the issue suggested the villain would become a monstrous, pig-like version of himself, but the reality is even more nightmare-inducing.
In Future State, Pyg’s experimentations have evolved with him, as Lazlo produces several monstrosities for the Magistrate’s mission to oppress Gotham. He uses synthesized Kryptonite to mine Superman’s DNA to create an army of vermin with X-ray and heat vision, as well as a False Face Serum Superman. Even with these horrors, Pyg’s frightening boar-head hands stand out as their own special horror and ensure the Professor Pyg of Future State now has a physical appearance that is as equally repulsive as his mind.
Professor Pyg will seemingly never stop trying to transform people into his twisted vision of perfection. While Future State has offered a look at what the legacy of DC’s heroes may one day hold, it’s also provided plenty of examples of how deranged villains could become. The purpose of Magistrate’s presence in Gotham is allegedly to keep citizens safe, but Professor Pyg makes it clear they’re enabling some of Batman’s villains to become the worst versions of themselves.