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Batman rogue

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce our speaker: a bold force for progress, a man of vision with the will to execute his dreams, Roland Daggett!"
— Announcer

Roland Daggett was a corrupt business entrepreneur. His company competed with Wayne Enterprises, which left Daggett resorting to dubious schemes in order to gain the competitive edge.

History[]

The Renuyu Cream and Clayface[]

Roland Daggett was the owner and CEO of Daggett Industries, which specialized in chemicals among other things. The company was large enough to compete with Wayne Enterprises, but Daggett preferred to undermine his competition from the inside. To do so, he needed help.

Daggett analyzes the Renuyu cream

Roland Daggett analyzes the Renuyu cream.

Daggett's scientists developed Renuyu, a cream that allowed the wearer to reconfigure his or her face to whatever he or she wanted by loosening the facial cells of the user, and presented it as a skin conditioner. Secretly, the cream was addictive and fatal in larger doses; this did not deter Daggett from trying to secure a future for it as his flagship product. When stores in Gotham refused to market Renuyu because of its harmful effects, Daggett realized he still had a chance, by overtaking Wayne Industries through insider trading. He then employed the talents of actor Matt Hagen, who was disfigured in an accident years before, and who had been an addict of Renuyu for such a time, always remaining at Daggett's side for more of the cream. Daggett had Hagen impersonate Bruce Wayne and attempt to acquire the evidence Wayne Enterprises had built against him by eliminating Lucius Fox.

The job failed when Batman intervened. Irritated and concerned that Fox could incriminate Daggett by revealing what he carried in his suitcase that night, Daggett ordered the assassination of Hagen. Germs and Raymond Bell, who captured Hagen when he broke into Daggett Labs for more of the Renuyu formula, did not kill Hagen outright, but hyper-exposed him to the chemical by forcing him to ingest an entire canister of Renuyu, unintentionally but severely changing the man's cellular structure.

Daggett is attacked by Clayface

Daggett "defends" himself from Clayface's attack.

Daggett continued his plan to take over Wayne Enterprises to acquire its marketing network. With Hagen out of the way, he revised his takeover plan, and ordered Germs to assassinate Lucius. Meanwhile, Daggett began to heavily advertise the Renuyu cream. In an interview with Summer Gleeson, he showed the amazing properties of the chemical, and impressed many potential buyers: a potential that was lost when Clayface revealed himself from the audience and displayed the chemical's dangerous properties. Though Batman arrived and stopped Clayface, Daggett was detained by Batman and was mentioned to have been taken into police custody.

Crime Alley and Catwoman[]

Daggett prepares his new endeavor

Daggett prepares his new business endeavor.

Daggett eluded the charges and continued his business life. He became interested in Crime Alley, or rather, the potential Crime Alley had. The area was a slums, and with some major renovation could be turned into a profitable area. When the City Council rejected Daggett's proposal, he took matters into his own hands. Contacting the demolitions expert Nitro, he and Crocker planned to falsify a disaster and destroy the area, rendering it uninhabitable and a cheap source of prospective land.

As a "courtesy" to the inhabitants of Crime Alley, Daggett's men tried to warn them to leave their homes. However, they had nowhere else to go and refused. Force was the next action of choice, and that decision quickly attracted the attention of Batman, in the area for a meeting with Leslie Thompkins. When Batman was late, Thompkins began her own investigation, and needed mere moments before she came across Daggett's men setting explosives. The men captured and bound her to the detonation room.

Daggett's plan had the entire area detonating at 9 PM while he delivered a speech at the Gotham Better Business Council Dinner, and to an extent, he succeeded. However, Batman disarmed the bombs at the major areas, and Daggett's men only managed to destroy a few condemned buildings. Quick to save his image, Daggett played the innocent fool and claimed no involvement with the arson. Though angered, Batman knew his business with Daggett was not over. Thompkins states to Batman that Daggett can't avoid the law forever.

Daggett evades compromising questions

Daggett denies involvement to keep his reputation clean.

Daggett continued to search for ways to quickly build his reputation. In his latest one, he had his henchpeople Paunch and Jessy round up every stray animal in town. After meeting Dr. Milo, he employed the scientist to create a deadly virus. This virus had varying effects: it made animals feral and crazed, while humans became weak and sick shortly after exposure. Milo also created an antigen, which Daggett quickly mass-produced.

Milo gives Roland Daggett a demonstration

Dr. Milo displays his virus to Daggett.

Their plan was simple: infect the numerous stray animals of Gotham City with the virus, then act as the sole distributor of the cure. The effects would be two-fold: Daggett would become incredibly wealthy, and he'd be viewed as a hero in the public eye.

What Daggett didn't prepare for was the unlikely intervention of Catwoman. Recently out on parole, Selina Kyle discovered her cat, Isis, was missing from her home. Searching for her precious pet, she stumbled across Daggett's thugs capturing strays. After some investigation, she found Isis, and learned of the plot firsthand from Daggett himself. However, Isis had been infected just like the other strays, and in her deranged state bit Selina. Catwoman fled, but the virus quickly took hold. Had Batman not arrived, she may have died. Batman wasted no time searching for evidence, and found everything he needed in Daggett's warehouse. He broke up the conspiracy, but he once again pled innocence according to the latest newspaper.

Final venture and conviction[]

Daggett's numerous failed operations left Daggett Industries bankrupt and he disappeared. However, when the Jade Cat Statuette visited the Gotham Museum, he saw an opportunity. He could sell the statue to pay off his debts. Knowing that the criminal blame would be placed upon Catwoman, he arranged for the theft of the statue. Catwoman, however, wasn't about to sit idly by and take the fall for a crime she didn't commit just yet. With the help of Batgirl, she tracked Daggett back to the same lab the Renuyu formula was created in where Catwoman mentioned his part in turning Hagen into Clayface and infecting her and Isis with his virus. Daggett was prepared and ambushed the two women. His opponents captured, he planned to kill them in the laboratory's chemical vats. However, Robin's timely arrival saved the women's lives, and Daggett was arrested. It is likely that he was convicted and incarcerated this time.

Equipment and Abilities[]

Daggett Industries

The Daggett Industries headquarters.

Roland Daggett had no particular abilities of his own. In fact, he avoided getting his hands dirty at every possible opportunity. He was an intelligent businessman, and had his own agenda been a little less illegal, he may have been very successful.

Though he never used any equipment, he did have access to Daggett Industries, which (at the very least) produced the Renuyu cream and an unnamed virus. Additionally, Daggett had several henchmen, thugs, and underground connections. These people frequently did his dirty work for him, though when cornered, Daggett would brandish a gun or use any nearby object to defend himself in a physical confrontation with Batman or Catwoman.

Appearances[]

Batman: The Animated Series

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