The Comic Book Games You Forgot Featured Gilbert Gottfried

Gilbert Gottfried was an American comedian, actor, and voice actor who's devastating death left many fans shocked. He was well known for his unique voice, recognizable by listeners even if they had never seen his face. Gottfried was perhaps most identified with his role as the wise cracking parrot Iago in Disney's "Aladdin," but played a variety of parts such as the antagonistic Mr. Peabody in "Problem Child," the corrupt businessman Sidney Bernstein in "Beverly Hills Cop 2," and a recurring stint as storm chaser Ron McDonald in the "Sharknado" series. He also made several guest appearances in various TV shows.

Gottfried portrayed a magical imp from the Fifth Dimension by the name of Mr. Mxyzptlk in "Superman: The Animated Series." This legacy DC character was originally created for "Superman #30" back in 1944 during the Golden Age of comics and has been heckling the Man of Steel ever since. As an extradimensional being, Mr. Mxyzptlk has several abilities that appear magical. He can manipulate reality and isn't bound by the Third Dimension's physical laws. While fans might not think of Mr. Mxyzptlk as one of Gottfried's best roles, his performance as the tiny magical man delighted viewers. Many may not remember, however, that he actually reprised the role twice in the "Lego" video game franchise.

While Mr. Mxyzptlk is traditionally a "Superman" villain, he does make a few crossover appearances. The first time Gottfried brought the role to gamers was in "Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham." In this 2014 entry, Brainiac attempts to shrink the Earth to add it to his collection of miniaturized worlds. This prompts the Justice League and the Legion of Doom to team up in order to fend off the extraterrestrial android and save the world. The title allows players to unlock over 150 playable heroes and villains to combat this evil machine's machinations. One of those characters is Mxyzptlk.

Players can find the trickster just outside the Hall of Doom/Hall of Justice. A scene ensues centered on fighting hordes of very aggressive Lego penguins while Mxyzptlk shrieks about how disgusting they are in the background. At one point he shouts "leave me alone ya beaky bozos!" at the birds which is honestly the most Gottfried line imaginable. Once the character token is unlocked, he shoots beams of magical energy and can fly.

Gottfried returned to the character for the last time in "Lego DC Super-Villains" back in 2018. This is a spin-off of the "Lego Batman" series that ditched the heroes and focused entirely on the antagonists of the DC universe -– only they aren't entirely villainous this time around. In the installment, the Justice League has disappeared, forcing the Earth's foes to band together to protect the world from a collection of rival villains disguised as good guys from a different universe.

"Lego DC Super-Villains" is another game that allows players to unlock multiple playable characters. To get Mr. Mxyzptlk, you must go to the diner where you may have previously found Doctor Fate and then fly up to a vent on the second floor. Passing through the vent transports the character to a disco where you find NPCs dancing under rainbow lights and a case containing Mr. Mxyzptlk's character token. Summoning him prompts him to declare that his appearance "better not be a trick to get me to say my name backwards" — a reference to the fact that saying his own name in reverse banishes him back to the Fifth Dimension.

Mr. Mxyzptlk doesn't have as much of a speaking role as he did in "Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham," but there's no denying that voice could only belong to Gilbert Gottfried.