Music Meister

The Music Meister is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Mike Jelenic, and first appeared in "Mayhem of the Music Meister!", an episode of the Batman: The Brave and the Bold animated series.

Fictional character biography

Batman: The Brave and the Bold

The Music Meister, a villain capable of controlling others through song, first appeared in The Batman: The Brave and the Bold's episode "Mayhem of the Music Meister!" voiced by Neil Patrick Harris. In order to hijack a United Nations communications satellite, he induces Black Manta, Gorilla Grodd, Clock King (who are there to steal the satellite themselves), Black Canary, Green Arrow and Aquaman (there to stop the other villains) to commit the crime for him, launching it into space after they install a device inside it. ("I'm The Music Meister") During the song, Music Meister relates his origin:

Bullies used to pick on me because I sang in Choir.

But something very strange occurred when I kept singing higher.

The ruffians around me quickly fell into a trance, / and it was then with wicked glee I made those puppets dance.

When Batman intervenes, he orders them to attack the hero, which they do in a dance style reminiscent of West Side Story. His plan successful, the Meister escapes by forcing his captives to dance towards the rocket blast, leaving Batman to rescue them rather than apprehend the villain. Meister flees to an empty opera house where, in a reference to Phantom of the Opera, he plays the organ to a cardboard audience. Batman tries to capture him on a cross-town chase, as Meister releases the inmates and villains from Blackgate Prison and Arkham Asylum. ("Drives Us Bats") Having heard Black Canary sing about her unrequited love for Batman ("If Only)", the Meister falls for her, but not enough to give up villainy. Canary, in turn, firmly rejects him.

Meister manages to capture Black Canary and Batman and puts them in a death trap. ("Death Trap") They escape just as Music Meister uses the satellite to hypnotize the world with his music. ("The World Is Mine") When Black Canary becomes his slave, Batman tricks her into singing as high as he. He then seizes the Meister's microphone and uses the satellite to transmit Canary's sonic scream and break the mind control. Batman finally defeats the Music Meister and kindly rejects Black Canary's advances for a final time. Though Black Canary gives up on Batman, she finds love with Green Arrow, who had also held unrequited feelings for her for the duration of the episode ("If Only (Reprise)")

Comics

The Music Meister later appeared in the The All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold's issue #16. After Bat-Mite became instantly infatuated with Batgirl and tried to impress her with his magic, conjuring up scenarios from the comic books he's read. During the wedding, he teleported the Music Meister, Pied Piper, and another musician for entertainment. The Music Meister tried to take control of Bat-Mite, but he was knocked out before his powers could take effect.

Powers, abilities and equipment

The Music Meister is a metahuman with the ability to cause every living being who hears his voice to burst into singing and dancing as though they were in a musical. In this hypnotic state, they are compelled to obey the Meister's commands, including those that endanger themselves. The effects of his vocal hypnosis can be blocked out using ear plugs. The deaf and the hearing impaired are also immune to his powers. In addition, he appears to have the uncanny ability to change his outfits extremely quickly befitting different eras in music history, such as Elvis Presley's leisure suit and Cab Calloway's zoot suit.

Music Meister carries a rod-shaped weapon resembling a conductor's baton that fires energy blasts shaped like musical scores. For transportation, he rides a fast, highly maneuverable scooter in the shape of two beamed quarter notes.

In other media

Television

Live-action

• The Music Meister appears in The CW's Arrowverse, portrayed by Darren Criss.^[1] Dressed simply in a black suit with a red pocket square, he is an extra-dimensional being with the ability to hypnotize people through his eyes, sending them into a dream state based on their personal desires. He also can absorb the powers of those he hypnotizes while they are trapped in the dream world, and can materialize anywhere. This version of the Music Meister says that he "believes in the good guys", and is less of an antagonist and more someone who, in his own way, tries to help heroes with their personal problems.
  • In Supergirl, the Music Meister appears at the end of the episode "Star-Crossed", where he is a captured DEO prisoner who hypnotizes Kara, and then uses her inter-dimensional extrapolator to escape to Earth-1 as part of a plan to capture "the fastest man alive".
  • In The Flash episode "Borrowing Problems From the Future", an item on a news crawl in the future mentions that a person named "Music Meister" had gained a six-figure book deal. The Music Meister officially appears in the episode "Duet", where he puts The Flash into a shared coma with Supergirl, with the pair living inside the plot of a movie musical (leading Barry to nickname the alien the "Music Meister"). The Music Meister also steals both Supergirl and the Flash's powers to battle against the Martian Manhunter, Vibe, and Kid Flash. When Mon-El and Iris West are transported into the dream state by Vibe, they are able to use their love to bring Supergirl and Flash out of their comas. Once all four leave the dream, Music Meister reveals his motives: to help the couples come to terms with their recent break-ups as well as learn that love means "allowing themselves to be saved"; his actions are well-intentioned and his fight with the duo's friends was meant to distract them without causing mayhem. The Music Meister then vanishes, in order to teach his "lessons" to others.^[2][3]

Video games

• The Music Meister appears as a playable character in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, voiced by Troy Baker.
• The Music Meister is referenced in Batman: Arkham Knight. A store named "Music Meister's" can be found in Gotham City's Chinatown.

References