Roland Daggett

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Roland Daggett is a fictional corrupt businessman and villain in Batman: The Animated Series, voiced by Edward Asner. The president of Daggett Industries, a pharmaceutical company, he is depicted as being a large, physically imposing man with smoothed back reddish-brown hair and blue eyes.

[edit] Inspiration

He is similar in personality and function to the post-Crisis Lex Luthor. It should also be noted that his look (and overall demeanor) bears a striking similarity to Norman Osborn as he originally appeared (minus the "Osborn Cornrows"). He was originally intended to be Max Shreck, Christopher Walken's character from Batman Returns, but it was decided instead to introduce a new character.

Alongside crime boss Rupert Thorne, Daggett is one of the main recurring antagonists of the series who isn't a member of the Rogue's Gallery.

Daggett could be considered a possible forerunner to Batman Beyond villain Derek Powers.

[edit] Bio

He was introduced in the two-part episode Feat of Clay, which is the origin episode of the shapeshifting villain Clayface. Daggett's largest role in the series is in this episode. His company develops "Renuyu," a face cream that makes the user's face malleable, like clay or putty, as an alternative to plastic surgery. Daggett made disfigured actor Matt Hagen his first test subject, and because Renuyu turned out to be non-FDA approved, contain highly addictive qualities and the effects would wear off after 24 hours, Hagen was made by Daggett to do his bidding in return for more. Daggett opts to use him in his scheme to take over Wayne Enterprises for the purposes of using their superior marketing operation to get the flawed Renuyu into stores. But when Hagen botched the mission which ended up hospitalizing Lucius Fox (in which at the time Matt was posing as Bruce Wayne), Daggett cut off Matt's Renuyu supply. When Matt Hagen broke into the factory to smuggle some Renuyu, Roland Daggett caught him doing this and had his henchmen Raymond Bell and Germs pour gallons of the untested product down Hagen's throat. They thought it would kill him after leaving him for dead, but it permanently transformed Matt Hagen into a hideous mass of shapeshifting clay. Daggett later sent Germs to finish off Lucius Fox only for Germs to end up defeated by Batman who also saved him from Clayface. Daggett was thereafter the target of Clayface's vengeance, but the attempt on his life was thwarted by Batman (who used his Batrope to bind Roland) when he was on Summer Gleason's show. Daggett was reported to have been taken into custody after his Renuyu product was exposed.

In Appointment in Crime Alley, an important episode in the series which reveals where Bruce Wayne's parents were murdered, Daggett plans to tear down the section of Gotham City known as Crime Alley to turn it into a mini-mall. To this end, he hires a demolitions expert named "Nitro" (who was mentioned to have been recently paroled) to blow up all the buildings regardless of whether or not there is anyone in them (and make it look as though it was an underground accident) while his henchman Crocker oversees it. The two almost endangered Dr. Leslie Thompkins when they left her to be blown up. Although Batman managed to rescue Leslie and foil the evil plot when he ensured that the explosives would only destroy abandoned buildings, Daggett, thanks to an alibi, was able to avoid justice while Nitro and Crocker were taken to jail. How Nitro and Crocker's testimonies were not enough to convict Daggett remains unknown.

His next scheme - possibly his greatest scheme - involved obtaining the services of Professor Milo in the episode Cat Scratch Fever. With Milo's help, Daggett planned to release a devastating virus into Gotham by infecting stray cats and dogs rounded up by his underlings Jessy and Paunch. Naturally, the only cure for the disease would be marketed exclusively by Daggett Industries, and had his plan succeeded Daggett would've not only made millions, but he would have restored his considerably tainted public image, becoming a hero. But this time it wasn't just Batman who stepped in to thwart Daggett: Catwoman also intervened once she learned of the inhuman experiments being conducted by Milo at Daggett Labs. Although Catwoman became infected with the virus when she was bitten by her cat Isis (used as a guinea pig by Milo), Batman was able to cure her, stop Daggett's henchmen from putting the infected animals onto the streets of Gotham, and expose Daggett's evil plan. This time, Daggett's legal fees result in his company becoming bankrupt. Daggett Industries and its multitude of subsidiary companies was no more, leaving Daggett penniless, despite his public claims of innocence.

His fourth and final appearance in the series was in the episode Batgirl Returns. He steals a jade cat statue from a museum, planning to sell it on the black market and use the money to get Daggett Industries up and running again. Catwoman, teaming with Batgirl, discovers his involvement, necessitating their elimination. Daggett captured them and takes them to the abandoned Daggett Labs, planning to shoot them and dispose of the bodies in vats of acid. They are saved thanks to the timely intervention of Robin. Daggett himself almost falls into the acid vat - taking the jade cat statue with him - but both the statue and the villain are rescued by Robin and Batgirl (Catwoman, bearing a grudge against Daggett for the whole virus episode, chose not to participate in his rescue).

Roland Daggett was eventually sent to jail. Although it is said that his lawyers are currently finding a loop hole that will get him out, he is not seen or mentioned again.