Bad Guys From Comics Who Love Their Casino Games

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Comic book villains love their jobs! Yes, they might lose all the time but, as a general rule, they usually enjoy their schemes. It is probably the adrenaline rush that makes it all worth their time. So, it comes as no surprise that many of the most popular comic book villains love gambling!

The Joker

No list about comic book villains can start without mentioning the Joker. This DC comics villain is probably the single most famous bad guy that has ever graced (or should we say “disgraced”) the pages of a comic book. He has been clashing heads with the biggest hero in the world, Batman, ever since issue 1 of Batman back in 1940.

Now, to be perfectly fair, the authors never took the time to show him actually gambling. But that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t do it! Because if you take a closer look, you can see that his entire “deal” comes hand in hand with the world of gambling. For starters, his super-villain name is the Joker — the Wild Card in many variations of poker.

But, even if we don’t see him pass chips around during a game (let’s face it, the Joker wouldn’t even follow the rules anyway, would he?) we have seen him gamble with his life many times over. He even designs games for Batman to beat if the Dark Knight wants to stop the Joker. After all, it is all about that thrill of the game!

Blockbuster

Blockbuster might seem like the typical brick-style supervillain. He uses a super-steroid to become a huge monster and fight superheroes. He has even fought Superman upon occasion. But, when he is not using his serum, he is actually a successful business manager. And his own particular niche is nothing other than gambling!

Roland Desmond (his actual name) is the owner and CEO of the Marcus Casino in Bludhaven. He was even shown enjoying his own games. But his true love for gambling comes from the house edge his casino boasts. So, Roland can always rely on gambling to bring him a profit.

Chance

For this particular entry, we will turn to Chance from Marvel Comics, one of Spider-Man’s recurring enemies. His alter ego is Nicholas Powell, a successful gambler who simply couldn’t get enough excitement in a casino. So, he turned his focus to villainy instead! To get the thrill the tables couldn’t bring, he became a gun for hire. But at least he didn’t let his gambling experience go to waste!

Instead of just taking a payment, he actually bets on the result of his mission. So, if he succeeds, he wins the agreed-upon sum. But, if he fails in his mission, he has to pay up and give the money to the person that hired him. He would bet $5,000 for theft or burglary, $10,000 for assassination, and $20,000 for high-stake thefts. What you should keep in mind is the fact that he first appeared back in 1986, so those figures should be adjusted for inflation. But, even with adjusted prices, he sure was inexpensive. When you look at it, while he was a gambler himself, hiring him was the perfect opportunity for a number of other bad guys,

Later on, he was one of the competitors in the event aptly dubbed “The Great Game,” where a number of incredibly rich “Sponsors” used super-villains as something to bet on. He was the only one betting on himself!

8-Ball

Another entry coming from the Marvel fictional universe is Jeff Hagees, also known (or, not very well known) as 8-Ball. Now, he isn’t on anyone’s list of favorite villains, but, we simply have to mention him due to the fact that he is one of those rare comic book characters that has actually developed a gambling addiction.

But, his addiction didn’t have much to do with your typical casino experience. Instead, he got hooked on playing Pool for money! So once his hobby became a problem, it was too late for him to cut the habit. In order to pay off the debts he has accumulated over time, he had to turn to villainy instead.

Gambler

When you talk about gambling, you simply have to bring up DC’s Gambler. His real name is Steven Sharpe III, and he has been around for almost as long as the Joker himself. His first appearance was way back in 1944 when he showed up in Green Lantern issue 12.

As for Steven Sharpe III, gambling was a part of life since he was a boy. Both his father and his grandfather were problem gamblers in their own right. And, it is that heritage that caused his girlfriend to leave him for someone she felt was more stable for her. From there on, Steven decided to always take whatever he could, and he quickly became a villain.

His love for gambling became an issue once again when, at a later age, he started playing in the Taj Mahal Casino in Las Vegas (this, however, is not a real casino outside of the comic book world!) Unfortunately for him, the casino had rigged all the popular games. Over time, he had lost every penny he had ever made in the casino. The losses proved too much for him and, in the end, he decided to take his own life.

Two-Face

For Harvey Dent, every single decision he makes is a gamble; because, due to his schizophrenia, he no longer allows himself to make choices! Instead, he relies on Lady Luck and his silver coin to help him with every decision.

That approach to decision making started from a young age, when his father would flip a coin and promise to spare him from a beating if the coin ends up landing on tails. But, the coin that his father used had two heads. So, Harvey himself uses a double-headed coin. Fortunately for his potential victims, one of the heads is scratched out to mimic his damaged side of the face, while the other remains untouched. This Gotham City Villain might not gamble in a casino, but Two-Face makes everything in his life an even-odds bet.

Summary

Seems like gambling has found a way into the backstory of many popular DC and Marvel comics characters. But, we would like to point out that this activity isn’t only for the bad guys. In fact, there are many more heroes that enjoy games of chance than villains! I believe most of us are already acquainted with Gambit, a super-hero whose main weapons are his playing cards.