- "Some other lifetime, Batman."
- ―Egghead[src]
Zelda the Great, also know as the "Bank Bandit", was a villainess created for the 1960s Batman television series. She was portrayed by Anne Baxter. Unlike other villains of the Batman series, she didn't commit crime for personal profit, but to pay her ally, Eivol Ekdol to make her annual escape device. Otherwise she made her living as a magician. She was known for being clever and being able to keep up with Batman during her only appearances.
History
Every year on April Fools Day, Zelda would rob a bank of exactly $100,000 to pay Eivol Ekdol of her annual big escape trap. After two years on the case, Commissioner Gordon called in Batman and Robin to solve the case. With virtually no leads, thanks to Zelda's careful planning, Batman decided to make one by planting a pair of phony stories. The first was that the money the Bank Bandit had stolen was counterfeit that was in the vault awaiting transport to be disposed. The other was that a rare emerald would be on display at Stonewall's Jewelry for one day only, it's value was $100,000. While Zelda and Eivol believed the story about the counterfeit money, Zelda saw through the other one saying it was too convenient a target. A quick scouting trip confirmed her suspicions. As a result she before stealing the emerald, just to taunt the dynamic duo, she arranges the kidnap of Aunt Harriet for the necessary money. As Aunt Harriet is lured outside to meet the special taxi, she was met with a terrycloth rag tied around her mouth. Followed by a green scarf wrapped around her head. As Aunt Harriet moaned and struggled, a sedative was sprayed over her scarfed face. She slumped into the arms of her abductors. The two men dragged her inside the car and spirited her away. Encasing her inside a black nylon straitjacket along the way to Zelda. Once there, Aunt Harriet is dragged inside and hoisted on a cable to dangle over a vat of boiling oil. The heat wakes her up. She kicked her nylon stocking feet in a frenzy from the overwhelming heat. Zelda sat in her chair knitting. Watching television. She would glance over at Aunt Harriet now and again. Zelda watched as Aunt Harriets' repeated kicking caused her shoes to fall one by one into the boiling oil. Aunt Harriet would bend her knees to keep her exposed sheer pantyhosed feet from the heat. Through a television program, Commissioner Gordon, Robin, and Batman (as Bruce Wayne), make contact with Zelda. Revealing that both stories were false Robin pleads convinces Zelda to release Aunt Harriet. However beforehand, she slips a book of matches with the name of the bookstore that acts as a front to Eivol's workshop. This is due to the fact that Eivol himself can't figure out how to escape his newest invention. What Zelda didn't know was after Batman escaped he would be killed by syndicate contract killers. When she found out she was very displeased as she abhorred violence. As a result she tips Batman off about the second trap, and the killers only shoot each other. While Eivol tried to run and was knocked out by a Batarang, Zelda surrender willingly. Afterward, Bruce Wayne offered her a job at one of the Wayne Foundation Hospitals as resident magician when she was released, an offer Zelda accepted at once. As a result Zelda never reappeared during the series.
Known Associates
- Eivol Ekdol - A strange Albanian genius who made the various escape devices for Zelda each year for the price of $100,000. Unlike Zelda, Eivol was truly crooked and his high prices were the reason she had take up crime.
Appearances
- Season 1
- Zelda The Great/A Death Worse Than Fate
Notes
- While Zelda never appear again Anne Baxter did in season 3 as Olga, Queen of the Cossacks.