Arkham Asylum Guard: "Batman & Robin"

BATMAN MONTH: JULY 2012

BATMAN BEARD COUNT: 24

 
Actor:           Jesse Ventura
Year:            1997
Beard Type:  Guard Beard

The last time we mentioned Arnold Schwarzenegger here at MovieBeards.com, he had been framed for murder and thrown in jail in The Running Man. Schwarzenegger, of course, used this time to grow the Prisoner Beard, which stands to this day as the most popular beard on this site. 

What does this have to do with Batman, you ask? Why am I mentioning this, you ask? Chill out. Shut up for a second. I'm getting there.

The Running Man had an array of colorful and idiotic "stalkers" who acted as American Gladiators of sorts to track down the "runners" and kill them on live television. Ben Richards (Schwarzenegger) got to one-liner his way through the likes of Dynamo, Fireball, Buzzsaw, and of course Jesse Ventura himself, Captain Freedom:





Captain Freedom was a retired ten-time champion stalker who was called out of doing workout commercials to come back and put an end to Schwarzenegger's rampage. Captain Freedom didn't have a beard, so guess how that worked out for him? This was a reunion of sorts for Schwarzenegger and Ventura, who both starred in Predator a couple of years prior. And of course, this wouldn't be the last time we would see them on screen together again, because in Batman & Robin, Schwarzenegger is locked up in an Arkham Asylum cell, and his guard is none other than Jesse Ventura.

Here you go, America: the future Governor of Minnesota vs. the future Governor of California. Ventura's screen time is limited, but he is at least present long enough to allow Mr. Freeze to break the ice and introduce himself as the chilling sound of their doom. Unfortunately, Ventura got Poison Ivy's Jolly Rancher Kiss of Death treatment, much like our bearded buddy Dr. Woodrue. Sometimes, the power of the beard cannot overpower stupid shit like that. 

Ventura learned his lesson and grew this in 2004:

( Jim McNight/AP file / June 18, 2004 )