Egghead (Batman) - Definition and Overview

Egghead was a villain created for the campy 1960's Batman television series. Played by horror film mainstay Vincent Price, the character was identifiable by his pale bald head and white and yellow suit. He believed himself to be "the world's smartest criminal," and his crimes would usually have an egg-motiff to them as well as including egg puns in his speech where appropriate such as "eggs-zactly" and "eggs-celent". Additionally, he would use a wide assortment of egg-shaped weapons, such as laughing gas eggs and tear gas eggs.

Egghead was introduced in the second season two-parter, An Egg Grows in Gotham and The Yegg Foes in Gotham, where he schemed with Chief Screaming Chicken of the Mohican Indian tribe to revert control of Gotham City back to the Chief's people. In return, Egghead would also govern the city and enable the criminal underground to run amok. Needless to say their scheme was foiled by Batman and Robin. Egghead would return numerous times in the third season with his new partner and love interest, Olga, Queen of the Cossacks.

Egghead never appeared in other Batman mediums outside of the 1960's series and has never been a part of the comic book continuity (although humurous allusions to him are made from time to time). Along with fellow villain King Tut, he's considered a goofier element of Batman's past that wouldn't fit in well with the darker, more realistic portrayal of the character that's been in effect since the 1980's.