- "I haven't the foggiest notion, Batman."
- ―Lord Marmaduke Ffogg[src]
Lord Marmaduke Ffogg was a arch-criminal and enemy of Batman.
Lord Marmaduke Ffogg and his sister, Lady Penelope Peasoup, are well known throughout Londinium as typical upper-class citizens. But in fact, they led quite a different life away from the public eye. They started a ladies' finishing school on their estate, which claimed to teach young girls how to fend for themselves, but in actuality trained young thieves.
The lord and lady themselves had a habit of breaking into the homes of Londinium aristocrats and removing their valuables. After baffling the inspectors at venerable Ireland Yard for some time, Batman and Robin were called in to investigate. Within moments after arriving, Batman suspected who the culprits were and wrapped the case up not long afterwards.
Ffogg was a crafty villain who always made his escape by using man made fog which came out of his pipe. He also pretended that he had gout on his foot so that he wouldn't be suspected of any of his crimes. But he found out that not even fog can slow down Batman and was taken to the Londinium Tombs.
History
Lord Ffogg and his sister Lady Peasoup
Lord Marmaduke Ffogg is a well respected aristocrat that came from Fogshire, he had a daughter called Prudence and a sister named Penelope Peasoup. They operate a school at Ffogg Place for female criminals, disguised as a girl's finishing school.
He made his debut in Londinium at the Queen's private museum at the royal Chuckingham Palace, where he and Lady Peasoup steal priceless snuffboxes and use Ffogg's special pipe of fog to cover their tracks and make their escape. In Gotham City, Commissioner Gordon and Chief Clancy O'Hara are informed by the President of the United States about a number of serious crimes happening overseas in England and that crooks always seem to make their escape using a mysterious cloud of fog.
After finding out that the President only wants Batman to solve this crime, Gordon contacts Batman and his partner, Robin to inform him of the international relations at stake. Thus, under their secret identities of Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson, (along with their butler Alfred,) board a luxury liner that will take them to Londinium. They are warmly greeted by the Commissioner and Barbara Gordon, who were going to spend two weeks there on vacation.
Bruce tells Gordon that he is traveling overseas for some Wayne Foundation business and that Dick is there for his studies. After a tearful goodbye to Police Chief O'Hara, the liner sets off.
In Londinium, Lord Ffogg and Lady Peasoup steal jewelled Russian easter eggs from the treasure-filled gallery of the Easterland House, where they once again use the fog to make their escape.
At their home called Ffogg Place, Lady Peasoup looks at the morning paper and tells Lord Ffogg that Batman and Robin have been assigned by the authorities to solve these fog-based mysteries. But Ffogg doesn't seem worried at all, claiming that his special pipe of fog will give them the advantage over them that their other adversaries couldn't. He goes on to say that their previous robberies of stealing the Count's coin collection, the Duchess' diamonds and the Queen's snuffboxes are nothing compared to his latest scheme of stealing the crown jewels that are kept in the tower of Londinium.
Batman, Robin, and Alfred set up a new Batcave in a dungeon underneath a country manor house near Londinium owned by Bruce Wayne. They had secretly put their equipment on board the liner disguised as some of Dick's studying materials. The Caped Crusaders then set off at once in the Batmobile to meet Commissioner Gordon at Venerable Ireland Yard. They meet Superintendent Watson, who recounts to them every theft that has happened.
Lord Ffogg with his special pipe.
After going through many links to do with the fog, Batman decides to go to Ffogg Place, under the pretenses that he is there to compare Ffogg's aftergrass with that of Wayne Manor because aftergrass is a form of lawn sometimes called fog, and could be their first clue. Watson calls Lady Peasoup straight away and she advises Lady Prudence and the other girls to prepare for the arrival of the Caped Crusaders. Lord Ffogg tells his sister that if Batman makes the wrong move, he'll be six feet under it and starts to plan a nasty surprise for the heroes. The Dynamic Duo and Barbara Gordon arrive at Ffogg Place with Superintendent Watson, who introduces them to Lord Ffogg and Lady Peasoup. Peasoup then introduces Lady Prudence and her four students: Duchess Sheila, Kit, Daisy, and Rosalind.
Ffogg sends them on a tour, where Prudence shows Robin around while Peasoup deals with Batman and Watson. Barbara asks to be withdrawn from the tour and asks to make a phone call. Lord Ffogg has his butler Basil bug the phone but Barbara installs an anti-ease drop device so that no one can hear the conversation, contacting Alfred Pennyworth to drop off her Batgirl costume for her near Ffogg Place.
Meanwhile, Lady Prudence is giving Robin a tour and reveals that the finishing school is a really a school for criminals, but she makes him promise not to tell Batman or she will surely be in trouble with her father. Lady Peasoup also shows Batman and Watson Lord Ffogg's African Death Bees, which can kill with a single, lethal, sting. The two return to the manor and find Barbara gone, Lady Peasoup explains that she has left, to be picked up by a friend. She would phone her father to explain what has happened. She goes on to say that Barbara may be joining their school soon.
While Barbara is in a deserted highway outside Ffogg Place changing into her Batgirl disguise, Batman, Robin and Watson leave and the Caped Crusaders head for the British Batcave, only to find the road blocked off with Lord Ffogg's hired thugs, disguised as common bandits. The Dynamic Duo begin to fight the criminals and Batgirl arrives to help. While they are brawling it out with Ffogg's thugs, Basil plants a fog bomb in the Batmobile.
Back at Ffogg Place, Lady Peasoup tells Lord Ffogg that she asked Barbara Gordon to join the school to find out how Batman is handling the case, and use her as their hostage against her father. As Batman and Robin reach their Londinium Batcave, the butler's bomb explodes and the duo start choking.
The two heroes survive thanks to their Bat-Fire Extinguisher and return to Venerable Ireland Yard to tell Watson and Gordon that they suspect that Lord Ffogg is behind all the robberies. Watson refuses to believe that such a seemingly respectable citizen could be behind such dastardly crimes. Meanwhile, Barbara Gordon appears with a parcel given to her by Watson's personal assistant that starts giving off a thick fog and explodes, to reveal three silver bells. Batman, Robin, and Commissioner Gordon conclude this to be a clue after they find out that there is a pub in the area called "The Three Bells". Batman and Robin immediately investigate the shady tavern for any sign of criminal activity.
At Ffogg Place, Lord Ffogg and Lady Peasoup plan to set a trap for the Dynamic Duo at "The Three Bells" to rid themselves of the heroes once and for all. At the same time, Barbara Gordon arrives and sees that the supposedly crippled Lord Ffogg isn't sitting down or wearing his cast. Ffogg tells her that Lady Prudence will show her around, but refuses to let her leave.
At the Londinium Docks, Batman and Robin locate the "Three Bells" bar and a ship delivering goods from Barnaby Street at the Londinium Fashion Frigate. Because Robin is too young to enter the pub, Batman goes in, leaving Robin to look after the ship. Inside the pub, Lord Ffogg and his men are there drinking and laughing merrily. Batman observes that "His Lordship" seems to have recovered quite quickly from his gout, only to be attacked by Ffogg's thugs. Batman soon becomes overpowered, as many of the customers in the tavern joined the wild barroom battle, turning the tide against the Caped Avenger. Outside the bar, when Robin sees Lady Peasoup and her students approaching quickly, he cuts through the rope holding the merchant ship on the dock and it floats away.
Enraged, Lady Peasoup and her girls attack Robin, who refuses to fight back because he feels he cannot strike females. The women overwhelm Robin through sheer numbers and have him taken prisoner. Barbara Gordon, meanwhile, deduces what Lord Ffogg is up to and decides to explore the Cricket Pavilion, where Ffogg may be storing his loot. On her arrival as Batgirl, she finds the hidden loot, but is gassed by Lady Prudence, inflicting temporary paralysis. Back at the "Three Bells" bar, a captive Batman is tied up and after telling him his plan, Lord Ffogg erases Batman's recent memories with one of his devices. Ffogg then leaves the hero in a catatonic state to make his escape. The Caped Crusader leaves the pub, suffering from amnesia. Alfred Pennyworth discovers him and returns him to the Londinium Batcave, restoring Batman's memory with the Recollection-cycle Bat-Restorer.
At the Cricket Pavilion, Lady Peasoup, her niece, and the students of their criminal school are holding Robin and Batgirl prisoner. Her Ladyship tells them to take them to the dungeon underneath their loot gallery and contacts Lord Ffogg of their prisoners. Lord Ffogg reports that they are rid of Batman, but he has an even nastier plan for Robin. Ffogg takes him to the winch room at Tower Bridge and ties him to the winch that operates the bridge. But Batman locates Robin, and uses the Anti-mechanical Batray in the glove compartment of the Batmobile to stop the winch's progress.
Lord Ffogg and his gang notice that the bridge has stopped and go back to the winch room. Batman is already there. He unties Robin and they defeat Ffogg's men. The crafty criminal, however, lights his pipe, releasing his mysterious fog and makes his escape. The Dynamic Duo make their way out of the winch room and decide to rescue Batgirl from the dungeon underneath the Cricket Pavilion Loot Gallery. Down in the dungeon, Lord Ffogg and Lady Peasoup reveal to Batgirl who is chained up that they plan to steal the Crown Jewels before leaving her to be gassed to death.
Robin arrives at Ffogg Place, but is spotted by Basil the butler, who contacts his Lordship who sends Lady Prudence to set a trap for the Boy Wonder. On the lawn, Robin trips over a trip wire that opens the hive of Lord Ffogg's venomous African Death Bees. The disturbed bees then attack Robin, and one lands on his hand. Batman and Alfred Pennyworth then arrive at Ffogg Place in a taxi, the Caped Crusader tells Alfred to go back to town, and notify Ireland Yard of his whereabouts. He then makes his way over the gate and into Ffogg Place.
Savoring in Robin's desperate predicament, Lady Prudence explains to Robin that sometimes the African Death bees will stay on their victims while others may sting them and cause instant death. Back in the dungeon, Lord Ffogg and Lady Peasoup return to find that the gas released to kill Batgirl haven't worked and go and find some more. This gives Batman time to break into the dungeon, but before he can save Batgirl, Ffogg pushes him down the steps, and throws down more poison gas bombs to kill both heroes.
Batman, however, saves them by using Anti-Lethal-Fog Batspray and releases Batgirl from her chains while Lord Ffogg escaped and locks the dungeon door behind him. Robin is left for dead in the girl's schoolrooms but survives, thanks to an antidote pill to the African Death Bee's poison. The Boy Wonder then hurries outside of Ffogg place, where Alfred awaits. Alfred had overheard his Lordship and her Ladyship saying that they will now carry out their plan to steal the crown jewels.
Back in the dungeon, finding the only door barred, Batman uses an old Indian rope trick under a ventilation duct to allow himself and Batgirl to escape through the shaft. Robin, meanwhile, sees Lord Ffogg and the others leaving for the Londinium Tower, finds Batman and Batgirl, and reveals Lord Ffogg and Lady Peasoup's plan to them.
Lord Ffogg, Lady Peasoup, his daughter and their students arrive and attempt to steal the jewels, but the Caped Crusaders are there, disguised as guards. Terrified, Ffogg calls in his henchmen and he, her Ladyship, Prudence and the others try to escape but are trapped by Batgirl. After a fierce sword and axe battle, the henchmen are defeated. His Lordship tries to use his fog again to escape but Batman uses his Pipe Of Fog Batreverser to stop him.
Thus, Lord Ffogg is finally arrested by Venerable Ireland Yard and taken into custody.
Weapons and Equipment
Lord Ffogg used a very large amount of devices to help in his schemes or destroy the Terrific Trio:
- Pipe Of Fog - Lord Ffogg's most cherised possession and commonly used item. When smoked, it releases a huge amount of fog into the area. Ffogg uses it to cover his escape after a robbery.
- Foot Cast - Ffogg wore this hinged device to fool people that he had gout. However, he easily took it off when no one was looking.
- Recollection Center Reverser - Erases the victim's memory completely.
- Delayed-Action Knock-Off Fog Capsule - One was hidden in the Batmobile in an effort to get rid of Batman and Robin. A dangerous device that can give off lethal fog gas when detonated.
- Paralyzing Gas - A green substance that knocks out it's victim. The secret Cricket Pavilion at Ffogg Place, where all the stolen loot is kept, has a gauge which releases this gas to take care of unwanted visitors.
- African Death Bee - A deadly insect that kills its victim within seconds of being stung. Lord Ffogg keeps a hive of them on his lawn, with a tripwire that will release them to swarm any intruders.
- Fog Pellets - Exploding pellets, which exude a fog when they explode that is deadly to inhale.
Family and Known Associates
Lord Ffogg had his family and many associates to help in his crimes:
- Lady Penelope Peasoup (portrayed by Glynis Johns) - Lord Ffogg's sister and partner in his crimes. She is mainly in charge of the girl criminals at Ffogg Place.
- Lady Prudence Ffogg (portrayed by Lyn Peters) - Lord Ffogg's daughter and Lady Peasoup's niece. She was the head girl of his Lordship and Ladyship's girl criminals gang at Ffogg Place, helping with the finishing school. She was not entirely loyal to her father, and tried to play all sides against each other when Batman and Robin came to investigate, so that she could be her new Ladyship of Ffogg Place. She had a fondness for Robin.
- Basil (portrayed by Monte Landis) - Lord Ffogg's surly butler and one of his henchman.
- Digby (portrayed by Larry Anthony) - Lord Ffogg's chauffeur and second henchman.
- Scudder (portrayed by Harvey Jason) - Lord Ffogg's footman and third henchman.
- Duchess Sheila, Kit, Daisy, Rosamond (portrayed by Nannette Turner, Lynley Johnson, Aleta Rotell, and Stacy Gregg) - Four girls who attended Ffogg's finishing school and boarded at Ffogg Place. They were working toward getting their MS, Mistress of Shoplifting. They went 'ape' over Robin when they met him.
- Fat Hood and Tall Hood - Part of Lord Marmadukes notorious 'gang'
Appearances
Season 3
- 105. The Londinium Larcenies
106. The Foggiest Notion
107. The Bloody Tower