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[[folder:Cain]]
!David Cain/Orphan I
One of the greatest assassins on the planet, Cain helped to train Bruce Wayne in the years before he became Batman. In addition, it is later revealed that in his youth Cain was a high-ranking member of the League of Assassins. It was during this time that he developed theories on the possibility of raising a child to become the ultimate fighter, the One Who Is All. After his first few attempts failed, he approached Sandra Woosan, the woman who would become Lady Shiva, and convinced her to carry his child. The resulting child, [[ComicBook/Batgirl Cassandra Cain]], was raised by Cain and the League to become the perfect killing machine. Despite his physical abuse towards his daughter, Cain did seem to love her deeply.
In the New 52, David, now known as the Orphan, is a significantly different character. An agent of the human trafficker known as Mother, he objected to her use of drugs and modification to train her ChildSoldiers, as opposed to the "old ways". Cassandra was his attempt to show her the potential of a more "traditionally trained" killer. This version of Cain has much less affection for his daughter.
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* AbusiveParents: Just how abusive depends on the writer, but even at his tamest his treatment of Cassandra easily crosses the MoralEventHorizon.
* TheAlcoholic: When he doesn't have a gun in his hand, bottle of whiskey usually takes its place.
* ColdSniper
* DeadpanSnarker
* DependingOnTheArtist: Is his natural hair color sliver, brown, or black? It all depends on the issue. ComicBook/BatmanAndRobinEternal seems to have settled on black.
* TheDragon: To Mother, as Orphan.
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Not exactly, since he wanted Cassandra to be his personal killing machine, but he does seem a bit proud of her regardless.
* InTheHood: As Orphan.
* {{Jerkass}}
* MightAsWellNotBeInPrisonAtAll: Waltzes out of prison to deliver his daughter a birthday gift, and then back in at around the same time as his escape is discovered.
* ProfessionalKiller
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: Pre-Flashpoint, he has silver hair, and he is even shown as having it in his youth DependingOnTheArtist.
[[/folder]]
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* BaldOfEvil or BlondGuysAreEvil: See DependingOnTheArtist
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I hadn't known there was more than one Ventriloquist. I'm hiding that trope on 2 and 3's entries for now.
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* EvilPuppeteer: He always carries with him a murderous dummy named Scarface. Part of the fear factor in the Ventriloquist's character is that nobody knows for sure who's really controlling who - some speculate that the Ventriloquist's meek behavior is just a facade for his bloodlust, while some think that Scarface is actually alive, and forcing the Ventriloquist to commit crimes.
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%%* EvilPuppeteer
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%%* EvilPuppeteer
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** And on some occasions its implied to be neither and Wesker is just a ManipulativeBastard who wants everyone to ''think'' he's crazy or that the doll is possessed, and thus akin to some versions of SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker. Given that this would mean he is willing to machine gun his own hands as part of his "act", this would probably make him even crazier.
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** And on some occasions its implied to be neither and Wesker is just a ManipulativeBastard who wants everyone to ''think'' he's crazy or that the doll is possessed, and thus akin to some versions of SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker.ComicBook/TheJoker. Given that this would mean he is willing to machine gun his own hands as part of his "act", this would probably make him even crazier.
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* CriminalDoppelganger: In ''War Crimes'', following his takeover of the Gotham City underworld, he attempts to get rid of Batman by disguising himself as the Caped Crusader and going out killing people in order to frame him for murder. It's foiled by SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker, who is annoyed that Sionis ([[NotQuiteDead seemingly]]) killed Stephanie Brown, because she used to be a Robin and Joker thought that meant ''[[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou he]]'' should have been the one to kill her.
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* CriminalDoppelganger: In ''War Crimes'', following his takeover of the Gotham City underworld, he attempts to get rid of Batman by disguising himself as the Caped Crusader and going out killing people in order to frame him for murder. It's foiled by SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker, ComicBook/TheJoker, who is annoyed that Sionis ([[NotQuiteDead seemingly]]) killed Stephanie Brown, because she used to be a Robin and Joker thought that meant ''[[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou he]]'' should have been the one to kill her.
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* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: He allowed himself to be incarcerated in Blackgate Prison for the rest of his life in order to escape SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker's wrath, since he was angry at Maxie for selling modified Joker Venom as a drug.
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* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: He allowed himself to be incarcerated in Blackgate Prison for the rest of his life in order to escape SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker's ComicBook/TheJoker's wrath, since he was angry at Maxie for selling modified Joker Venom as a drug.
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** In ''Cacophony'', he gains sanity after taking medication, but when SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker kills his nephew, Aesop, he is shocked back into insanity.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: His nephew Aesop, whose death by SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker shocks him back into insanity.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: His nephew Aesop, whose death by SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker shocks him back into insanity.
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** In ''Cacophony'', he gains sanity after taking medication, but when SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker ComicBook/TheJoker kills his nephew, Aesop, he is shocked back into insanity.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: His nephew Aesop, whose death bySelfDemonstrating/TheJoker ComicBook/TheJoker shocks him back into insanity.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: His nephew Aesop, whose death by
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* SmugSnake: Fully believed the law could never stop him due to [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney all the Black Glove's money]]. [[spoiler: He didn't count on SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker [[BuriedAlive putting a stop to him]].]]
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* SmugSnake: Fully believed the law could never stop him due to [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney all the Black Glove's money]]. [[spoiler: He didn't count on SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker ComicBook/TheJoker [[BuriedAlive putting a stop to him]].]]
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* Body Motifs: Very. Creepy. Red. Eyes. Brother Eye is shaped like an eye, and all the O.M.A.C.s have an eye symbol somewhere in their bodies.
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* Body Motifs: BodyMotifs: Very. Creepy. Red. Eyes. Brother Eye is shaped like an eye, and all the O.M.A.C.s have an eye symbol somewhere in their bodies.
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* Nanotechnology: Why he is so dangerous.
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* Nanotechnology: NanoTechnology: Why he is so dangerous.
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* Teleporters and Transporters: Brother Eye can do this with O.M.A.C.s, transporting them to places (and sometimes - time) of Eye's choosing.
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* Teleporters and Transporters: TeleportersAndTransporters: Brother Eye can do this with O.M.A.C.s, transporting them to places (and sometimes - time) of Eye's choosing.
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[[ComicBook/{{OMAC}} Brother]] [[InvincibleVillain freakin']] [[KillSat Eye]], Bruce Wayne's and Mister Terrific/Michael Holt's robotic creation/program to act as metahuman database and deterrent. Has [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters gone full]] [[AIIsACrapshoot SkyNet/Ultron]] not long after achieving sentience. Proved to be quite a HeroKiller and a very big problem for Batman personally.
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[[ComicBook/{{OMAC}} Brother]] [[InvincibleVillain freakin']] [[KillSat Eye]], EYE]], Bruce Wayne's and Mister Terrific/Michael Holt's robotic creation/program to act as metahuman database and deterrent. Has [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters gone full]] [[AIIsACrapshoot SkyNet/Ultron]] not long after achieving sentience. Proved to be quite a HeroKiller and a very big problem for Batman personally.personally.
The EYE took over the O.M.A.C. Project and began to transform ordinary people (and, later, metahumans) with nanotech. Most famously, Kevin Kho, whom the EYE repeatedly transformed into a hulking monster to serve as its agent on Earth. But, Kev was lucky, later versions were not able to turn back to humans. Oh, and most importantly, the EYE tried to take over the world. [[ComicBook/{{TheNew52FuturesEnd}} Once]] he even succeeded.
The EYE took over the O.M.A.C. Project and began to transform ordinary people (and, later, metahumans) with nanotech. Most famously, Kevin Kho, whom the EYE repeatedly transformed into a hulking monster to serve as its agent on Earth. But, Kev was lucky, later versions were not able to turn back to humans. Oh, and most importantly, the EYE tried to take over the world. [[ComicBook/{{TheNew52FuturesEnd}} Once]] he even succeeded.
* AffablyEvil: Has this kind of personality.
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* AlternateCompanyEquivalent: to Marvel's Ultron, the Terminator's SkyNet and, in less but noticeable way, the Matrix.
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* AlternateCompanyEquivalent: to Marvel's Ultron, Ultron and the Sentinels, the Terminator's SkyNet and, in less but noticeable way, the Matrix.
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** Corrupted civilians and heroes remind of Marvel's Prime Sentinels; both are human beings involuntarily transformed into CapeBusters through nanotechnology.
* BadFuture: Brings it.
* Body Motifs: Very. Creepy. Red. Eyes. Brother Eye is shaped like an eye, and all the O.M.A.C.s have an eye symbol somewhere in their bodies.
* BrainsAndBrawn: Brother Eye and O.M.A.C.s.
* FunWithAcronyms: O.M.A.C.: One-Man Army Corps, Observational Metahuman Activity Construct, Omni-Mind And Community and so on.
* BadFuture: Brings it.
* Body Motifs: Very. Creepy. Red. Eyes. Brother Eye is shaped like an eye, and all the O.M.A.C.s have an eye symbol somewhere in their bodies.
* BrainsAndBrawn: Brother Eye and O.M.A.C.s.
* FunWithAcronyms: O.M.A.C.: One-Man Army Corps, Observational Metahuman Activity Construct, Omni-Mind And Community and so on.
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* InvoluntaryShapeshifting: hen people become O.M.A.C.s, with Brother Eye controlling the transformations.
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* Nanotechnology: Why he is so dangerous.
* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: Brother Eye could boost O.M.A.C.'s abilities whenever needed.
* OneManArmy: Every single O.M.A.C.
* SuperSoldier / SuperpoweredAlterEgo: O.M.A.C.s.
* Teleporters and Transporters: Brother Eye can do this with O.M.A.C.s, transporting them to places (and sometimes - time) of Eye's choosing.
* TimeTravel: Central elements of a quite few series.
* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: Brother Eye could boost O.M.A.C.'s abilities whenever needed.
* OneManArmy: Every single O.M.A.C.
* SuperSoldier / SuperpoweredAlterEgo: O.M.A.C.s.
* Teleporters and Transporters: Brother Eye can do this with O.M.A.C.s, transporting them to places (and sometimes - time) of Eye's choosing.
* TimeTravel: Central elements of a quite few series.
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* TheVirus: Modern O.M.A.C.s are unsuspecting humans infected with nanites.
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[[quoteright:272:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eyeamfuture.png]]
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[[ComicBook/{{OMAC}} Brother]] [[InvincibleVillain freakin']] [[KillSat Eye]], Bruce Wayne's and Mister Terrific/Michael Holt's robotic creation/program to act as metahuman database and deterrent. Has gone full [[AIIsACrapshoot SkyNet/Ultron]] not long after achieving sentience. Proved to be quite a HeroKiller and a very big problem for Batman personally.
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''"EYE AM YOUR FUTURE!"''
[[ComicBook/{{OMAC}} Brother]] [[InvincibleVillain freakin']] [[KillSat Eye]], Bruce Wayne's and Mister Terrific/Michael Holt's robotic creation/program to act as metahuman database and deterrent. Has [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters gonefull full]] [[AIIsACrapshoot SkyNet/Ultron]] not long after achieving sentience. Proved to be quite a HeroKiller and a very big problem for Batman personally.
[[ComicBook/{{OMAC}} Brother]] [[InvincibleVillain freakin']] [[KillSat Eye]], Bruce Wayne's and Mister Terrific/Michael Holt's robotic creation/program to act as metahuman database and deterrent. Has [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters gone
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** Bruce Wayne and Michael Holt in relation to Brother EYE is something akin to Tony Stark and Hank Pym relation to Ultron.
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** Bruce Wayne and Michael Holt in relation to Brother EYE is something akin to Tony Stark and Hank Pym in relation to Ultron.
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* KillSat: his default form.
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* KillSat: his His default form.
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* ControlFreak: Both versions.
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* TheDragon/TheStarscream: "Lincoln March".
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* TheDragon/TheStarscream: TheDragon / TheStarscream: "Lincoln March".
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Brother freakin' Eye, Bruce Wayne's and Mister Terrific/Michael Holt's robotic creation/program to act as metahuman database and deterrent. Has gone full SkyNet/Ultron not long after achieving sentience. Proved to be quite a Hero Killer and a very big problem for Batman personally.
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* AIIsACrapshoot: Very much this, brings one of the most disgusting machine apocalypses ever.
* AlternateCompanyEquivalent: to Marvel's Ultron, the Terminator's SkyNet and, in less but noticeable way, the Matrix.
** Bruce Wayne and Michael Holt in relation to Brother EYE is something akin to Tony Stark and Hank Pym relation to Ultron.
* HeroKiller: Yup.
* InvincibleVillain: Almost. It took years and multiple failed attempts to take him down.
* KillSat: his default form.
* TurnedAgainstTheirMasters: Against Bruce Wayne and Michael Holt.
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[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/owlman_new_52_6.jpg]]
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Batman's evil AntiVillain counterpart.
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Batman's evil counterpart, the AntiVillain
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* AntiVillain: Both Thomas Wayne Jr. and "Lincoln March". The latter in the odd let-Gotham-burn way.
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* CompositeCharacter: "Lincoln March" iteration, see the Court of Owls above.
* {{Determinator}}: Both Thomas Wayne Jr. and "Lincoln March", oh-so-much.
* TheDragon/TheStarscream: "Lincoln March".
* {{Determinator}}: Both Thomas Wayne Jr. and "Lincoln March", oh-so-much.
* TheDragon/TheStarscream: "Lincoln March".
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* HealingFactor: "March" sports this.
* ImplacableMan: "March".
* OminousOwl: The motif.
* ImplacableMan: "March".
* OminousOwl: The motif.
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* {{Tykebomb}}: "March" was trained by the Court of Owls since early childhood.
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* WhiteMaskOfDoom: "March sports one".
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[[folder:Brother EYE]]
!Brother EYE
Brother freakin' Eye, Bruce Wayne's and Mister Terrific/Michael Holt's robotic creation/program to act as metahuman database and deterrent. Has gone full SkyNet/Ultron not long after achieving sentience. Proved to be quite a Hero Killer and a very big problem for Batman personally.
[[/folder]]
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[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/owlman_new_52_6.jpg]]
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Batman's evil counterpart from another universe. There have been two main versions.
Pre-Crisis Owlman hailed from the partially reversed world of Earth-3. Born with low-level superintelligence, he experimented with his brain to increase these powers, eventually developing the power to control the minds of others. He was a founding member of the Crime Syndicate of America, and served as their idea man and evil genius. He eventually died alongside his teammates, trying to protect their world from the Antimonitor.
Post-Crisis Owlman is the Thomas Wayne Jr. of the Antimatter Universe. Driven mad by the deaths of his mother and father, and his brother Bruce, he decided to conquer the Gotham underworld as the villainous Owlman, alongside Boss Jim Gordan. He later joined the Crime Syndicate of Amerika and maintains a longstanding affair with teammate Superwoman, much to the disgust of her husband, Ultraman.
Pre-Crisis Owlman hailed from the partially reversed world of Earth-3. Born with low-level superintelligence, he experimented with his brain to increase these powers, eventually developing the power to control the minds of others. He was a founding member of the Crime Syndicate of America, and served as their idea man and evil genius. He eventually died alongside his teammates, trying to protect their world from the Antimonitor.
Post-Crisis Owlman is the Thomas Wayne Jr. of the Antimatter Universe. Driven mad by the deaths of his mother and father, and his brother Bruce, he decided to conquer the Gotham underworld as the villainous Owlman, alongside Boss Jim Gordan. He later joined the Crime Syndicate of Amerika and maintains a longstanding affair with teammate Superwoman, much to the disgust of her husband, Ultraman.
to:
Batman's evil counterpart from another universe. AntiVillain counterpart.
Originally, There have been two mainversions.
versions. Pre-Crisis Owlman hailed from the partially reversed world of Earth-3. Born with low-level superintelligence, he experimented with his brain to increase these powers, eventually developing the power to control the minds of others. He was a founding member of the Crime Syndicate of America, and served as their idea man and evil genius. He eventually died alongside his teammates, trying to protect their world from the Antimonitor.
Antimonitor. Post-Crisis Owlman is the Thomas Wayne Jr. of the Antimatter Universe. Driven mad by the deaths of his mother and father, and his brother Bruce, he decided to conquer the Gotham underworld as the villainous Owlman, alongside Boss Jim Gordan. He later joined the Crime Syndicate of Amerika and maintains a longstanding affair with teammate Superwoman, much to the disgust of her husband, Ultraman.Ultraman.
After the New 52 and into DC Rebirth, there are also two main versions of the character.
1. "Lincoln March", on-again off-again leader of the Court of Owls and one of Batman's most dangerous enemies. His enchanted biology and powered armor gives him an advantage every time he gets into a fight with Batman. Knows Bats' secret identity and believes himself to be his younger brother, Thomas Wayne, Jr. To date, this is not confirmed, nor denied. Has a crazy fixation on Bruce, wants to be the one to take Batman down and just might be a great deal of trouble for Bruce, the Bat Family and Gotham City. Period. If not for the Joker, Bane and Brother Eye, Owlman could be considered Batman's current ArchEnemy. Unlike previous version he is native to main universe (Prime Earth) as well as Batman.
2. Thomas Wayne Jr., leader of Crime Syndicate, hails from the Earth 3. A ControlFreak who sees compassion, love and sacrifice as a weakness and an embarrassment, although experiences such things himself. Had his Earth's version Alfred kill his parents and himself killed his younger brother Bruce for being "weak". Almost succeeded taking his Gotham under complete control, using such methods as branding criminal and taking over their operations. His Earth's Joker was his main problem, by destroying his work, poisoning Alfred and killing Dick Grayson. In return Owlman disposed of him. The threat of Anti-Monitor and, maybe, Darkseid as well resulted in the destruction of Earth 3 and Crime Syndicate escape to Prime Earth to have a chance to fight back. After a loss to the Injustice League, Owlman allied himself with Lex Luthor and, later, the Justice League to have a chance to defeat Anti-Monitor once and for all.
Originally, There have been two main
After the New 52 and into DC Rebirth, there are also two main versions of the character.
1. "Lincoln March", on-again off-again leader of the Court of Owls and one of Batman's most dangerous enemies. His enchanted biology and powered armor gives him an advantage every time he gets into a fight with Batman. Knows Bats' secret identity and believes himself to be his younger brother, Thomas Wayne, Jr. To date, this is not confirmed, nor denied. Has a crazy fixation on Bruce, wants to be the one to take Batman down and just might be a great deal of trouble for Bruce, the Bat Family and Gotham City. Period. If not for the Joker, Bane and Brother Eye, Owlman could be considered Batman's current ArchEnemy. Unlike previous version he is native to main universe (Prime Earth) as well as Batman.
2. Thomas Wayne Jr., leader of Crime Syndicate, hails from the Earth 3. A ControlFreak who sees compassion, love and sacrifice as a weakness and an embarrassment, although experiences such things himself. Had his Earth's version Alfred kill his parents and himself killed his younger brother Bruce for being "weak". Almost succeeded taking his Gotham under complete control, using such methods as branding criminal and taking over their operations. His Earth's Joker was his main problem, by destroying his work, poisoning Alfred and killing Dick Grayson. In return Owlman disposed of him. The threat of Anti-Monitor and, maybe, Darkseid as well resulted in the destruction of Earth 3 and Crime Syndicate escape to Prime Earth to have a chance to fight back. After a loss to the Injustice League, Owlman allied himself with Lex Luthor and, later, the Justice League to have a chance to defeat Anti-Monitor once and for all.
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* AntagonisticOffspring: Post-Crisis Owlman to his father, Thomas Wayne Senior, who turns up alive and hoping to put his villainous son behind bars--or under the ground--for good.
* AxCrazy: Post-Crisis Owlman is a raving lunatic.
* BadassNormal: Physically speaking, anyway.
* CainAndAbel: With the Matter Universe in an odd way Post-Crisis.
* AxCrazy: Post-Crisis Owlman is a raving lunatic.
* BadassNormal: Physically speaking, anyway.
* CainAndAbel: With the Matter Universe in an odd way Post-Crisis.
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* AntagonisticOffspring: Post-Crisis pre-New Owlman to his father, Thomas Wayne Senior, who turns up alive and hoping to put his villainous son behind bars--or under the ground--for good.
** Since the New 52, both existing versions does count.
* AxCrazy: Post-Crisis Owlman is a ravinglunatic.
lunatic. As well as "Lincoln March" iteration.
* BadassNormal: Physically speaking,anyway.
anyway. True with Tomas Wayne, Jr. BadassAbnormal with "Lincoln March".
* CainAndAbel: With the Matter Universe in an odd wayPost-Crisis.Post-Crisis (both existing versions).
** Since the New 52, both existing versions does count.
* AxCrazy: Post-Crisis Owlman is a raving
* BadassNormal: Physically speaking,
* CainAndAbel: With the Matter Universe in an odd way
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* FreudianExcuse: Post-Crisis
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* FreudianExcuse: Post-CrisisPost-Crisis. "Lincoln March", oh-so-much.
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* SuperIntelligence: Both versions of Owlman have increased their intelligence to superhuman levels.
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* SuperIntelligence: Both previous versions of Owlman have increased their intelligence to superhuman levels.
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* VillainousFriendship: Pre-Crisis, when he and the rest of the Syndicate were portrayed as a close-knit group of criminal friends. Owlman in particular seems horrified when his teammate Johnny Quick perishes against the Antimonitor.
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* VillainousFriendship: Pre-Crisis, when he and the rest of the Syndicate were portrayed as a close-knit group of criminal friends. Owlman in particular seems horrified when his teammate Johnny Quick perishes against the Antimonitor. On Earth-3, Owlman had this with Alfred Pennyworth and Dick Grayson.
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* HypnoTrinket
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* HypnoTrinketHypnoTrinket: All manner of devices really, though the most common would be some form of hat.
* TheLeader: Occasionally leads a group called the Wonderland Gang, featuring members like the Tweetles or the Carpenter.
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* MadScientist
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* MadScientistMadScientist: He personally invented all of his mind control technology.
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* MadArtist: Sometimes Zsasz poses his victim's bodies into "life-like" stills. A group of guards are posed as if playing poker, or one victim is propped against a payphone to make a call, some such examples.
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* AscendedExtra: He was active since the 1980's, but though always a competent and dangerous threat Black Mask remained a fairly obscure villain until he was re-imagined as an AxCrazy duded with a SkullForAHead who succesfully and violently took over the Gotham criminal underworld and generally TookALevelInBadass (this also coincided with his becoming Catwoman's ArchEnemy in her solo title). Since then he was appeared in several adaptations and has had a major impact on Gotham in general and the Bat-family in particular.
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* AscendedExtra: He was active since the 1980's, but though always a competent and dangerous threat Black Mask remained a fairly obscure villain until he was re-imagined as an AxCrazy duded dude with a SkullForAHead who succesfully and violently took over the Gotham criminal underworld and generally TookALevelInBadass (this also coincided with his becoming Catwoman's ArchEnemy in her solo title). Since then he was appeared in several adaptations and has had a major impact on Gotham in general and the Bat-family in particular.
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* ScrewtheRulesIHaveMoney: Part of the reason none of his crimes have been reported is because he has the mayor and several other officials in his back pocket.
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* ScrewtheRulesIHaveMoney: ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Part of the reason none of his crimes have been reported is because he has the mayor and several other officials in his back pocket.
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* YouHaveNoChancetoSurvive: Gets proven wrong repeatedly, but never gives up.
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* YouHaveNoChancetoSurvive: YouHaveNoChanceToSurvive: Gets proven wrong repeatedly, but never gives up.
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* BetterTheDevilYouKnow: When Hurt is taken out of the picture, a global conspiracy known as Leviathan tales over, upping the ante.
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* BetterTheDevilYouKnow: When Hurt is taken out of the picture, a global conspiracy known as Leviathan tales takes over, upping the ante.
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* LouisCypher: Some characters (including the Joker) think he's this, and even Batman himself wonders by the end. As far as Morrison is concerned, [[spoiler: sure, the mundane explanation is that he's a 17th Century Wayne, but why should the mundane explanation be the ''only'' true one?]]
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[[folder:The Carpenter]]
!!The Carpenter/Jenna Duffy
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jenna_duffy.jpg
A small time thief and con artist, Duffy originally hales from Keystone before moving to Gotham on the run from the cops. In Gotham she becomes a member of the Wonderland Gang. While not much of a criminal she has made a name for herself as a renovator for the hideouts of Gotham's extensive criminal element.
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* BigBadWannaBe: She wants to be seen as a legitimate criminal, but outside of the Wonderland Gang most just see her as the repair man when their hideouts get wrecked.
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Funnily enough she is actually annoyed when people take her title literally, that said she is indeed a rather skilled carpenter.
[[/folder]]
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* MadDoctor: A skilled Surgeon Hush commonly uses his surgical skills for nefarious purposes from using it for torture, to making himself look like other people. He also commonly uses medical scalpels as weapons.
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* MadDoctor: A skilled Surgeon surgeon, Hush commonly uses his surgical skills for nefarious purposes from purposes, whether torturing others or using it for torture, surgery to making himself look like impersonate other people. He also commonly uses medical scalpels as weapons.
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* NouveauRiche: A very, very dark version -- Marla was so desperate to have wealth and prestige that she married Roger Elliot, a drunken, abusive OldMoney idiot, and tried to retain that prestige by befriending the Waynes, despite secretly hating them. She also foisted her relentless social climbing and scheming on young Thomas, who instinctively kept the desire to "restore" the Elliot family's name, even as he resented her for doing so.
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* DeadPersonImpersonation: Not dead so much as [[ComicBookLimbo missing]], but his redheaded SilverAge counterpart apparently [[CostumeCopycat stole his identity and M.O. for a time]]. The real Tetch later turns up alive; [[KilledOffForReal the latter does not]].
to:
* DeadPersonImpersonation: Not dead so much as [[ComicBookLimbo missing]], but his redheaded SilverAge [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] counterpart apparently [[CostumeCopycat stole his identity and M.O. for a time]]. The real Tetch later turns up alive; [[KilledOffForReal the latter does not]].
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* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Gives one to [[spoiler: his accountant vengeful spirit]], saying that what happens was because the person was weak and could not support the pressure [[spoiler: so he killed himself]] then Warren strangles him saying that's how he destroys someone's life.
Deleted line(s) 441 (click to see context) :
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Gives one to [[spoiler: his accountant vengeful spirit]], saying that what happens was because the person was weak and could not support the pressure [[spoiler: so he killed himself]] then Warren strangles him saying that's how he destroys someone's life.
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* BadassDecay: Goes from executing plans that took years to put together to eventually just hiring a gang of mooks to do his dirty work.
** Hurt briefly appears in the Convergence series, [[spoiler: but is just one of many random Batman villains who gets blown up by the Joker.]]
* BetterTheDevilYouKnow: When Hurt is taken out of the picture, a global conspiracy known as Leviathan tales over, upping the ante.
** Hurt briefly appears in the Convergence series, [[spoiler: but is just one of many random Batman villains who gets blown up by the Joker.]]
* BetterTheDevilYouKnow: When Hurt is taken out of the picture, a global conspiracy known as Leviathan tales over, upping the ante.
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* BloodbathVillainOrigin: His Batman-impersonators were subjected to this.
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* EvilOnlyHastoWinOnce: Averted. Hurt has had plenty of successes in his lifetime, but he has to keep on scheming to stay on top.
* EvilPowerVacuum: Puts his plan in motion after Batman manages to finally lock up all of Gotham's criminals.
* EvilWearsBlack: Noticeable compared to Batman's other enemies.
* EvilPowerVacuum: Puts his plan in motion after Batman manages to finally lock up all of Gotham's criminals.
* EvilWearsBlack: Noticeable compared to Batman's other enemies.
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* HumanSacrifice: Tries to make Batman this on numerous occasions.
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* KneelBeforeZod: Either tempts or coerces his foes into coming to his side. In an alternate future, Damian and the POTUS both take him up on it.
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* {{Blackmail}}: Threatens to sully the entire Wayne Family's reputation if Batman does not join him.
* ScrewtheRulesIHaveMoney: Part of the reason none of his crimes have been reported is because he has the mayor and several other officials in his back pocket.
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* YouHaveNoChancetoSurvive: Gets proven wrong repeatedly, but never gives up.
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* EvilCounterpart: To Barbara. Both are the children of Commissioner Gordon, except while Barbara became Batgirl and later Oracle, James Jr. became a monster. Barbara was able to overcome something as harsh as [[ComicBook/TheKillingJoke getting shot, humiliated and paralysed]], James became unhinged despite having a fairly stable upbringing.
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* {{Foil}}: To the Joker. While the Joker is flamboyant in [[LargeHam personality]], [[FashionVictimVillain appearance]], and execution, James is completely mundane, being stoic, looking unremarkable and committing his acts of villainy in secret.
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* LackOfEmpathy: When asked why he thinks he is at Arkham he says that it's because he was negligent while doing his fraud (that is considered the bigggest in the history of the DC U.S.A and later tell his cellmate it's not his fault no one read the fine prints.
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* TooDumbToLive: Really, when you plead insanity in [[CrapsackWorld Gotham City]], you gotta be.
to:
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Gives one to [[spoiler: his accountant vengeful spirit]], saying that what happens was because the person was weak and could not support the pressure [[spoiler: so he killed himself]] then Warren strangles him saying that's how he destroys someone's life.
* TooDumbToLive: Really, when you plead insanity in [[CrapsackWorld Gotham City]], you gotta be. He only held his trial there because he knew people would be enough dumb or corrupt to believe his plead, he was so out of the loop that he mocked Riddler for being a guy in spandex.
* TooDumbToLive: Really, when you plead insanity in [[CrapsackWorld Gotham City]], you gotta be. He only held his trial there because he knew people would be enough dumb or corrupt to believe his plead, he was so out of the loop that he mocked Riddler for being a guy in spandex.
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-> ''"[[AncientConspiracy The Court of Owls watches,]]\\
[[BigBrotherIsWatching watches all the time.]]\\
[[BigBrotherIsWatching watches all the time.]]\\
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-> ''"[[AncientConspiracy The Beware the Court of Owls watches,]]\\
Owls,]]\\
[[BigBrotherIsWatching that watches all the time.]]\\
[[BigBrotherIsWatching that watches all the time.]]\\
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Dewick for cut.
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* AscendedExtra: He was active since the 1980's, but though always a competent and dangerous threat Black Mask remained a fairly obscure villain until he was re-imagined as an AxCrazy ObnoxiousSnarker with a SkullForAHead who succesfully and violently took over the Gotham criminal underworld and generally TookALevelInBadass (this also coincided with his becoming Catwoman's ArchEnemy in her solo title). Since then he was appeared in several adaptations and has had a major impact on Gotham in general and the Bat-family in particular.
to:
* AscendedExtra: He was active since the 1980's, but though always a competent and dangerous threat Black Mask remained a fairly obscure villain until he was re-imagined as an AxCrazy ObnoxiousSnarker duded with a SkullForAHead who succesfully and violently took over the Gotham criminal underworld and generally TookALevelInBadass (this also coincided with his becoming Catwoman's ArchEnemy in her solo title). Since then he was appeared in several adaptations and has had a major impact on Gotham in general and the Bat-family in particular.
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** ObnoxiousSnarker: Most of his snarking appears to be shouted.
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[[Characters/{{Batman}} Back to the main character page]]
----
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Hush]]
!Hush/Thomas Elliot
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hush_6307.jpg
Thomas Elliot was born into a highly respected family in Gotham City, and as a child was a great friend of a young Bruce Wayne. Unfortunately, Tommy's dad was an abusive alcoholic and his mother a controlling RichBitch who made him study philosophy and strategems to help him dodge his father's abuse and succeed in life. Eventually his father's abuse got so bad that he decided to apply his studies to improve his own life, by cutting the brakes on his parents car before they had a drive, intending to inherit their money and live by his own way. Unfortunately, thanks to Bruce's father, Dr. Thomas Wayne, Tommy's now crippled and needy mother survived, which was the worst thing that could happen to him. Bruce and Tommy remained best friends, however, and Tommy nearly confessed his murders to Bruce while the two [[OldFashionedRowboatDate kayaked around]] at summer camp, only to be interrupted by the [[MyBelovedSmother surprise arrival of his mother]]. Tommy's resulting outburst of anger led him to being committed to Arkham for the rest of the summer, where, with the help of Dr. Crane, he was consumed by the paranoid belief that Bruce had somehow conspired with Mrs. Elliot to ruin his fun. By the end of the summer, [[DeathByOriginStory Mr. and Mrs. Wayne had died]] and Tommy and Bruce drifted apart for good.
As Tommy grew older, Mrs. Elliot then manipulated her son into staying with her so he could take care of her. [[spoiler:Eventually Tommy had enough and suffocated her]]. After his mother's death, Tommy left Gotham, entered medical school and became one of the country's best surgeons. However, when when Eddie Nygma AKA The Riddler offered him a way of curing his mother's cancer, Tommy learnt that his former friend Bruce was the Batman (Riddler having figured out his identity in a moment of Lazarus Pit-induced insanity). Tommy decided that enough was enough and that Bruce had to be cut down to size and pay for "his crimes against me". Creating the identity of Hush, Elliot became arguably the most prominent Bat-Villain created in the 2000s.
In an effort to further bedevil Batman, Hush has recently altered his face to become a perfect duplicate of Bruce Wayne.
!!Examples
* AndYourLittleDogToo: Hush goes after those close to Batman (which makes Bruce realize that for a self-described loner, he sure has A LOT of friends) including, of all people, ''Superman''. Hush thinks big. He also kills [[spoiler: Harold, who was a severely injured cripple who used helped in the Batcave]]. [[spoiler:He]] was a CListFodder who had barely appeared in any comic since the 1980s, but it was still sad.
** He [[spoiler: cut out Catwoman's heart, because she still had feelings for Bruce (and vice-versa). Don't worry, it's only a OnlyAFleshWound via AppliedPhlebotinum and she gets better.]]
* AscendedMeme: Hush was never a serial killer in the regular comics, but Wikipedia had been calling him one for unknown reasons. Then they actually made his LegacyCharacter one in ''ComicBook/BatmanBeyond''.
* BadassLongcoat
* BandagedFace: Covers his face in bandages
* BatmanGambit: His mantra is "think like your opponent", which is this.
* BigBad or BigBadWannabe: Usually has one of these roles in his stories; Which one, depends on interpretation. Notice how he often has [[AntagonistTitle his name in the story's title.]]
* BigBadFriend
* TheChessmaster: Hush likes his convoluted plans.
* ComplexityAddiction: Sometimes his plans just seem needlessly convoluted. Many times simpler solutions would have sufficed.
* CostumeCopycat: In his debut arc, there were two people who used his costume beside him, the first was [[spoiler:Clayface/"Jason Todd"]] which he had planned, the second was [[spoiler:Two-Face]], [[ThePlan who may]], or [[SpannerInTheWorks may not]] have been intended to do so.
* CriminalDoppelganger: Got facial reconstruction surgery to more easily get away with impersonating Bruce Wayne.
* DeadlyDoctor
* DeadpanSnarker
* TheDreaded: Even Batman himself is afraid of Hush.
* EnfantTerrible: His parents would surely wish they hadn't abused him.
* EvilAllAlong
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: He doesn't understand why some might prefer having living parents to having lots of money, and he thinks Bruce is Batman for the fun of it.
** The usual reason for his failures is not to count on Batman getting help from friends. Friendship is a concept he just doesn't get. His past relationship with Bruce was an act and though he talks about friendship a lot, it has a mocking tone to it.
* EvilFormerFriend
* {{Expy}}: Hush's features and modus operandi are similar to Sam Raimi's {{Film/Darkman}}, ComicBook/UnknownSoldier and a number other [[BandagedFace bandage faced]] [[ConspicuousTrenchcoat trenchcoat wearing]] characters. The key difference being that Hush is evil.
** Like Bane is inspired by Doc Savage, Hush is pretty similar to another pulp character, Radio/TheShadow, only evil, though WordOfGod doesn't confirm this.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He might tell a victim he likes him or her, then stab them. And he keeps calling Bruce a friend even when he's explaining his latest method of making his life a hell.
* GambitRoulette: Possibly the whole of ''Batman: Hush'', but there is no indication that the events needed to happen exactly as they did.
** ''ComicBook/BatmanEternal'' also seems to be this way.
* GenreBlindness: When he tries to steal Bruce Wayne's identity, doesn't he think that the superhero community might find it a bit suspicious if Batman suddenly retired from crime fighting for no reason? Also in the same story, trusting that brainwashed civilians can kill Batman, was probably a bad idea.
** Messing with The Joker resulted in a pacemaker being installed in him by the clown, severely weakening him.
* GreenEyedMonster: His dominant personality trait.
* GunsAkimbo
* IJustWantToBeYou: Pre-52 version of Hush wanted to be Bruce Wayne because Tommy's mother never liked him as much as she liked Bruce.
** The New 52 version takes this UpToEleven: Tommy is now pathologically obsessed with becoming Bruce. This also changes the reason he killed his parents: he wanted to be an orphan just to be similar to Bruce.
* InformedAbility: MasterOfDisguise. There was that one case of SurgicalImpersonation, but let's just say he has been a victim of disguise users more than using them himself.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Why does he hate Bruce Wayne? Bruce's parents were killed when he was young while Elliot had to do the deed himself. And when he did so, he loathed Thomas Wayne for actually performing surgery that saved his mother's life. That's about as irrationally selfish as you can get.
-->'''The Riddler:''' ''(On Elliot's super-villain name)'' Scarecrow started singing that song... ''"Hush'' Little Baby." It's about a child who can never be satisfied.
* ItsPersonal: Batman and Hush are this to one another.
* KickTheDog: [[spoiler: Using Jason Todd in an attempt to mess with Bruce's mind, shooting Harold,]] cutting out Catwoman's heart, lying to Killer Croc about having a cure for his condition and then accelerating it instead, injecting a neurotic child with [[PsychoSerum venom]], killing [[CListFodder a minor villain]] just to [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou have Batman for himself]]... yeah, this is kind of his specialty.
* MadDoctor: A skilled Surgeon Hush commonly uses his surgical skills for nefarious purposes from using it for torture, to making himself look like other people. He also commonly uses medical scalpels as weapons.
* ManipulativeBastard: Already as a kid. After he has a violent outburst on a summer camp, he coincidentally has Jonathan Crane as his therapist. Tommy admits he is guilty of [[SelfMadeOrphan much more]] than a mere attack, but gets Crane to declare him mentally stable with just a few words:
-->Maybe I'll do it again.
* MisplacedRetribution: Thomas Wayne saved Elliot's mother, denying him the family fortune and lengthening the psychological abuse he had to endure. Meanwhile, Bruce lost his parents, which Elliot thought was undeserved. Therefore Bruce has to suffer. That is his (possibly psychotic) motivation.
* MotiveRant: He has one right after he [[spoiler:kills Harold]].
* MyBelovedSmother: Tommy's mom was like this even before the accident. Afterwards, she became so controlling she kept her son at home for nearly twenty years, using the family fortune as leverage. [[spoiler:When Tommy says he has enough, she tries to cut him out of her will and he smothers her with a pillow out of anger.]]
* NeverMyFault: When he attacks another kid on summer camp for calling him names, he believes that his mother and Bruce had deliberately manipulated him to lose his temper. This only gets worse when he's an adult.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Racist, misogynist and especially classist. Also apparently hates "freaks", as in costumed heroes and villains.
* RememberTheNewGuy: He was apparently a childhood friend of Bruce's, and Bruce holds him in incredibly high regard, and it's heavily implied that Thomas partly inspired Bruce's methods as Batman... Which is why we never heard of him before the story arc.
* TheResenter: He is frustrated that Bruce got everything he had ever wanted, but chooses to "squander" it in his crusade.
* RevengeBeforeReason: He threw away a successful career as a world class surgeon just to get even. It later cost him his fortune and [[spoiler:his facial skin, after he foolishly tried to manipulate an identity stealing serial killer Jane Doe as a part of his scheme.]]
* SelfMadeOrphan: He tried to kill his parents at a young age in order to inherit their riches and because his father was an abusive monster and his mother a simpering money hungry lunatic. He only succeeded in killing his father, and, to avoid suspicion, didn't try again, only truly being orphaned when he smothered his raving senile mother in a fit of anger. This left him with a bitter hatred of Bruce, who tragically lost his parents soon after Tommy tried to kill his. Later on in his life, [[spoiler:he joins the Riddler (who discovered that Bruce was Batman]] on a vendetta against him, feeling that, not only did Bruce get the riches Tommy wanted, but that he was wasting those riches as well. Predictably, his vendetta eventually causes him to lose everything and become the full time SuperVillain Hush.
** In the New 52, he succeeds in his first attempt, killing both his parents; he did it because he was obsessed with Bruce Wayne in the first place, and wanted to relate to him (Bruce's parents died first in this continuity).
* ShadowArchetype: Another one of Batman; Hush being what would happen if Thomas and Martha Wayne's parenting of Bruce went horribly wrong and Batman became a villain.
* SmugSnake: One that is less of an arrogant InsufferableGenius and more of a [[KickTheDog dog kicking]] jerk.
* SoftSpokenSadist: Has a tendency to... well, gently tell his victims to [[MeaningfulName "hush"]]. Especially in ''ComicBook/BatmanEternal''.
* TheSociopath: Definitely [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative]], [[NeverMyFault incapable of admitting his own mistakes and flaws, always blaming others]], [[ItsAllAboutMe extremely narcissistic, entitled and arrogant]] and [[EvilCannotComprehendGood lacks empathy on a fundamental level]].
* SpeaksInShoutOuts: To {{Creator/Aristotle}}. Not all the time, but certainly often enough that he's well known for it. More frequently in his early appearances.
** Considering it was his mother that forced him to read the philosopher and [[{{Hypocrite}} that his lifestyle doesn't exactly adhere to Aristotle's teachings]], one gets the impression that he finds the quotations by googling "Aristotle [insert barely situation relevant word here]".
* StalkerWithoutACrush: In many appearances he tends to be watching Batman from the shadows. He intends to make his life miserable.
* TheStarscream: He's often a second in command who ends up betraying his boss.
* StealthExpert: Has been able to sneak up on both Batman and Catwoman on separate occasions, and they're supposed to be masters of this.
* StealthHiBye: See above.
* SurgicalImpersonation: His main gimmick: Hush uses surgery to look like other people when committing his crimes. He doesn't get surgery done, he ''performs it himself''.
* VillainProtagonist: When written by Creator/PaulDini.
* VillainTeamUp: Hush likes recruiting other villains in his plans. ''Batman: Hush'' has most of Batman's rogue's gallery involved in his GambitRoulette, In ''Hush Returns'' he recruits Prometheus.
** In fact, he did this years before becoming Hush; as a young man, his girlfriend was Peyton Reilly, the second Ventriloquist (see below), and she helped him [[spoiler:in the murder of his mother for her money.]]
* WeUsedToBeFriends
* {{Yandere}}: The New 52 version. In his new origin story he kills his parents, then gives Bruce [[NoSenseOFPersonalSpace a creepy hug]], saying "We're the same now" while having a somewhat [[{{Creator/Laina}} "overly attached girlfriend"]] like facial expression. In high school, he imitates Bruce, wearing the same clothes, flirting with the same girls, and claims to be Bruce, while looking and acting like Creator/JimCarrey's character in ''Film/TheCableGuy''.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Mad Hatter]]
!The Mad Hatter/Jervis Tetch
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Mad_hatter_4996.jpg
Jervis Tetch, a man of short stature and large head, went through his life friendless, becoming a scientist and experimenting with technology, specifically that of mind control. His psychosis is a mix of paranoid schizophrenia and manic depression, all of this centering on his fascination with both hats and ''Alice in Wonderland''. Using his technology, Tetch turned to a life of crime as the Mad Hatter, inserting his devices into headgear in order to turn unwitting victims into his slaves. His technology has advanced to a point that where not only can he put his mind-control devices into almost anything (free meal tickets, Walkmans, etc.), but he is now able to miniaturize his technology to a point of simulating telepathic hypnosis/mind control.
The Mad Hatter is possibly one of the strangest Bat-Rogues ever (which is saying something). Throughout his tenure, Tetch has been subject to several redesigns in both appearance and personality; he has gone from average height to quite short to an actual dwarf and has been a goofy thief, a scheming mastermind and a creepy pedophile-esque kidnapper. He's gotten a lot more serious in the comics and has proven to be a formidable and unpredictable opponent.
This character was indeed used in the [[Series/{{Batman}} sixties show]], but the version was based on an imposter who posed as Tetch during a period in the comics. He appeared in only four episodes, all of them making use of his hypnotic machinery and showcasing his desire to add Batman's cowl to his collection of hats. The [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries animated series]] turned Tetch into a criminal through his obsession for a co-worker (ironically named Alice), swearing vengeance on Batman when he foiled his plans to be with her (read as "hypnotize her boyfriend and stalk her"). [[MotiveDecay This motivation went away though]] as the Hatter soon became another common thief. Still, he had a good run and several good episodes.
Incidentally, few people remember that his debut comic, ''Batman'' #49, also featured the debut of Vicki Vale.
!!Examples
* Literature/AliceInWonderland: Tetch quotes this constantly, with Jeph Loeb's incarnation speaking in nothing ''but'' quotes from the book.
* BerserkButton: Do ''not'' touch his hat.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: He singlehandidly crushed Doom Patrol in ''Secret Six'' stories.
* DeadPersonImpersonation: Not dead so much as [[ComicBookLimbo missing]], but his redheaded SilverAge counterpart apparently [[CostumeCopycat stole his identity and M.O. for a time]]. The real Tetch later turns up alive; [[KilledOffForReal the latter does not]].
* DepravedDwarf, although this [[DependingOnTheArtist varies.]]
* EvilBrit
* GadgeteerGenius
* {{Gonk}}: Most current artists depict him as, like the Tenniel illustrations, having [[BritishTeeth a very large and crooked overbite]], with [[CleopatraNose a nose to match]].
* HypnoTrinket
* LetsGetDangerous: You'd think that he's completely ineffective in combat. Hoo boy, would you be wrong.
* TheMadHatter: Oddly enough, ''{{subverted|Trope}}''. He's often depicted as [[IJustWantToBeNormal struggling with his mental illness]], and dislikes having it mentioned.
* MasterOfIllusion
* MadScientist
* ManChild
* MeaningfulName: "Tetch" is a variation of "touch", as in "touched in the head".
* MoreThanMindControl: Some of Tetch's schemes have become very elaborate through this trope.
* NiceHat: The Hatter ''lives'' by this trope.
* OddFriendship: DependingOnTheWriter he has this type of relationship with The Penguin. More frequently, with The Scarecrow.
* OffWithHisHead: He actually utters this line in his very first appearance, appropriately holding an axe twice as tall as he is.
* ReluctantPsycho: As mentioned above, he doesn't enjoy his insanity, he suffers through every second of it.
* RhymesOnADime: In ''ComicBook/GothamCentral'', he uses this [[MadnessMantra as a coping mechanism]] when he feels threatened.
* SpeaksInShoutOuts: Creator/LewisCarroll quotations, when written by Jeph Loeb.
* SpotOfTea: Expect the Hatter's tea to always be laced with something.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Killer Moth]]
!Killer Moth/Drury Walker/"Cameron Van Cleer"
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/killermoth_9080.jpg
When sophisticated and urbane playboy Cameron van Cleer introduced himself to the elite of Gotham's social scene, nobody realized he was secretly a former prison inmate using his stolen earnings to finance a career as "Killer Moth", a Batman-like costumed figure who aided criminals instead of the police. For a price, would-be ne'er-do-wells could hire Cleer's services, and he in turn would help them evade capture and cover their tracks. After several encounters with Batman, the Dark Knight managed to permanently dismantle Moth's organization, and his secret identity and fortune were lost forever.
Killer Moth (now revealed to be small-time criminal Drury Walker) continued to endure, however, committing smaller-scale robberies and picking up jobs as hired muscle. Sick of being perceived as a joke by his fellow rogues, he made a deal with Neron for greater power and became a towering moth/human hybrid. The deal has since been [[RetCon written out of history]], though, and Walker has reverted to his previous form.
!!Examples
* AnimalMotifs: A decidely less sinister take on the MacabreMothMotif; in most appearances, he just wears a moth-like outifit and employs an adhesive "cocoon gun" during heists.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He was working with [[PyroManiac Firefly]] for a short while as a mercenary duo before realizing just how dangerously unstable his partner actually was (he believed that he could see visions in the flames, for starters), causing him to cut things off ASAP because he genuinely feared for his life.
* IWasBeatenByAGirl: Trounced by Batgirl on her first night of duty, before she even received any combat training.
* JokeCharacter: His currently-held status in TheModernAgeofComicBooks.
** ButtMonkey
* OneWingedAngel: After making a DealWithTheDevil Neron, he was transformed into a half-human half moth monstrosity. However it fell victim to a RetCon and he fell back to a nobody.
* ShadowArchetype: The first Batman villain [[InvokedTrope explicitly designed as such]], to the point of working out of a "Moth-Cave" and selling criminals infrared "Moth-Signal" beacons in his first appearance.
* VillainDecay: You'd never believe it now, but this guy used to actually be a credible threat.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Firefly]]
!Firefly/Garfield Lynns
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/batmanfirefly_2547.jpg
Garfield Lynns was originally a Hollywood pyrotechnician, a job he took because of his pyromania. However, he became a victim of Gotham City's severe poverty and turned to crime. He took up arson as a hobby, but it soon turned to an obsession, going so far that he even believes to see vision in the flames. Inspired by actual fireflies, he built a suit and became a professional arsonist.
!!Examples
* AxCrazy: Enough so to scare away Killer Moth, who was genuinely terrified of him.
* CoolHelmet
* GadgeteerGenius: Made his suit and his whole equipment by himself.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: Has burn scars over approximately 90% of his body.
* FireBreathingWeapon: Firefly's WeaponOfChoice is a flamethrower.
* ForTheEvulz
* {{Jetpack}}
* KillItWithFire: His modus operandi.
* MadBomber: Also packs explosives for good measure.
* PsychoForHire: He takes some arson jobs to finance his devices and weaponry, but he would gladly burn things for free if he could afford to.
* PoweredArmor
* {{Pyromaniac}}: UpToEleven.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lady Shiva]]
!Lady Shiva/Sandra Wu-San/Sandra Woosan
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/107749-92855-lady-shiva_super_9079.jpg
One of the premier martial artists in the DCU, Shiva is a mercenary with her own sense of honor and duty, but who really lives for the thrill of life and death combat. She has trained Batman as well as several of his allies, but that doesn't stop her from fighting them if she feels the urge to. She sometimes acts in a quasi-heroic capacity, occasionally working with the Birds of Prey, but it's a nervous time for those allies.
She has her own page, [[ComicBook/LadyShiva here]].
!!Examples
* ActionMom
* [[ArrogantKungFuGuy Arrogant Kung-Fu Girl]]: She's constantly training and retraining herself to eternally improve her martial arts abilities. She also challenges any combatants whom she deems worthy, testing herself against them, testing them against her, and learning from them/removing them as threats for the future. The later part usually doesn't occur right away.
* AsianBabyMama: To David Cain. She rather hates him for it.
* BadassNormal: No powers but a better fighter than even Batman.
* BloodKnight
* CharlesAtlasSuperpower
* DarkActionGirl
* DeathSeeker: Implied in ''Comicbook/BirdsOfPrey''.
* DragonLady
* DeliverUsFromEvil: Type 2. In ''Comicbook/{{Batgirl|2000}}'', its shown to be her StartOfDarkness.
* TheDreaded: Just mentioning that she's in town is usually enough to scare the shit out of any skilled martial artist.
* DuelToTheDeath: She LOVES these, but that doesn't stop her from being forced into an InvoluntaryBattleToTheDeath every now and then. Usually, people use her to get others into them. She'd rather choose her own targets.
* ForbiddenTechnique: The Leopard Blow.
* FinishingMove: The Leopard Blow. What it is varies from time to time, but one of the most gruesome versions involves ramming two fingers into a weapon point in the forehead, killing the target in one hit. Another version is smashing the nose and forcing the small bones of the nose into the brain. When later writers realized that was a physical impossibility, it was changed to the former version.
* HonorAmongThieves: She rarely tolerates anyone breaking it.
* ItsPersonal: Do not harm her sensei or her students. The latter is her job.
* LadyOfWar
* LightningBruiser
* MoralityPet: ComicBook/BlackCanary [[InvokedTrope deliberately tries]] to be one for her in ''Comicbook/BirdsOfPrey''. Shiva allows it [[InvertedTrope because she wants to break Dinah of that habit.]]
* MuggingTheMonster: Done to her by Bikers. Ended about as well as one could expect.
* MyKungFuIsStrongerThanYours: It's so good, other characters go to her to enact this trope.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: In-universe, no less.
* NobleDemon: Many times she shares foes with the heroes of any story she appears in. Why? Because she'd probably kill the hero too quickly in a straight contest.
* OddFriendship: Black Canary and Lady Shiva. "Friends" may be pushing it a little far, but they are amicable acquaintances with a shared history and civil interactions. They have, on occasion, gone for drinks together, trained together and worked together. However, they also remain potentially mortal enemies from diametrically opposite sides of the good/evil divide.
* [[OneManArmy One Woman Army]]: To the point where people started [[CargoCult worshiping her as an avatar of Shiva]] the destroyer. She couldn't care less.
* PregnantBadass: Pregnancy barely slowed her down, beating up another world class assassin, David Cain. Ironically, it was his kid she was pregnant with. Probably what helped make her daughter so badass.
* ProfessionalKiller
* ReligiousAndMythologicalThemeNaming
* {{Retcon}}: During the ''Comicbook/ADeathInTheFamily'' saga, Shiva, while shot up with truth serum, declared that she never bore any children. Years later, she is revealed to be the mother of Cassandra Cain.
* RoguesGalleryTransplant: She started as an enemy/ally of Richard Dragon, before moving to the Question, Batman and eventually her own daughter, Cassandra Cain. As one of the DCU's best martial artists, she often appears in other titles in a similar capacity.
* TheObiWan: To Bruce during his recovery in ''ComicBook/{{Knightfall}}''.
* ThouShaltNotKill: When working with heroes, they insist she not kill anyone. This often annoys her, but she complies.
* TrainingFromHell: She puts herself through this and others come to her to get it. Its implied that the name Lady Shiva is a title and that others are going through the same training to become the next one.
** Playing into the more positive aspects of her name, Shiva has also trained an awful lot of heroes, including Tim Drake and Bruce Wayne, and her code of honor has led her to even spare them if she feels they can be a better fight later. She even resuscitated Cass Cain after beating her to death in order to gain a proper rematch!
* TheWorfEffect: it does happen on occasion, but she often regains herself shortly afterwards. The only person who she did not overcome in the end so far was Prometheus.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Tweedledum & Tweedledee]]
!Tweedledum & Tweedledee (Deever, Dumfree and Dumson Tweed)]]
[[quoteright:150:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/37413-tweedledee_150_159.jpg]]
Despite being cousins, Deever and Dumfree were so alike in both appearance and mannerisms that they could easily be mistaken for identical twins. Drawing inspiration from their shared love of ''Literature/AliceInWonderland'', the duo went on to commit multiple crimes in Gotham, dressed as the similarly-named twin brothers from ''Through The Looking Glass''. After the apparent death of Dumfree, his twin brother Dumson has since stepped in to take his place. Although they run their own separate criminal organization, they can often be seen in the employ of the Mad Hatter (see above).
!!Examples
* {{Acrofatic}}: Depicted in the GoldenAge as capable of [[HyperDestructiveBouncingBall rolling and bouncing at high speeds]].
* CreepyTwins: [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]]. They actually aren't, but they enjoy giving this impression, and Dumfree and Dumson certainly qualify.
* ObfuscatingStupidity / BewareTheSillyOnes: Occasionally shown to be using this.
* SquishyWizard: Despite [[StoutStrength their impressive size and strength]], they're [[UnskilledButStrong not very adept at actual combat]], so they tend to take [[HitAndRunTactics a more hands-off approach]] to their robberies.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute
* WickedCultured: Despite their unorthodox demeanor, they're seen in one issue [[SmokyGentlemensClub drinking wine and smoking cigars in plush armchairs]]. Wearing [[AwesomeAnachronisticApparel smoking jackets]] and ''[[NiceHat fezzes]]'', no less.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Ventriloquist I]]
!The Ventriloquist I (Arnold Wesker)
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/250px-338704-148690-scarface_9331.jpg]]
Arnold was born into a powerful mafia family. However, as a kid, he witnessed his mother killed by the hands of an assassin sent by a rival gang. This sparked a Dissonant Personality Disorder within his mind. The only outlet he found to vent this trauma was through ventriloquism. Eventually, he turned to a life of crime, following in his family footsteps. Or rather his cohort did and he pulled the strings.
Scarface is his main venting outlet for his disorder, a wooden puppet named and slightly modeled after Al Capone. He communicates his plans through this puppet, and even uses it during his various heists to the point of obsession.
!!Examples
* BewareTheSillyOnes
* CigarChomper: Scarface
* DamnItFeelsGoodToBeAGangster
* DemonicDummy
* DiabolicalMastermind: Due to his obvious physical limitations (and his rather eccentric nature), Scarface tends to prefer operating in the shadows.
* ExtremeDoormat: Wesker to Scarface.
* GollumMadeMeDoIt: Some interpretations of him portray him as a perfectly innocent man being bossed around by a loud mouthed blockhead.
* GoodScarsEvilScars
* HairTriggerTemper: Scarface.
* LaughablyEvil
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: DependingOnTheWriter, Scarface is either simply a symptom of Wesker's disorder, or something more sinister and potentially supernatural.
** And on some occasions its implied to be neither and Wesker is just a ManipulativeBastard who wants everyone to ''think'' he's crazy or that the doll is possessed, and thus akin to some versions of SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker. Given that this would mean he is willing to machine gun his own hands as part of his "act", this would probably make him even crazier.
* MisterBig
* MultipleChoicePast: Some stories use the mafia family origin above; other stories have Wesker losing control of his anger in a bar and being sent to Blackgate prison, where he acquires the "Scarface" dummy after it had been carved from a piece of gallows wood by his cell-mate.
* NameFaceName: Scarface
* OpaqueLenses
* [[spoiler: RealAfterAll: After Arnold's death, the dummy moves by itself for a few panels before burning up.]]
* ThoseTwoBadGuys: Wesker and Scarface are almost always accompanied by the same two thugs, Rhino and Mugsy.
* TookALevelInBadass: In the New 52, Arnold never died and becomes [[spoiler: a mutated monster who shoves his hands into his victim's backs and makes them "talk" like a doll]]. That said, [[ContinuityDrift other writers have disregarded his return in favor of Shauna Belzer]].
* VerbalTic: Due to Wesker being unable to pronounce the letter "b" when doing his ventriloquist act, words with "b's" in them always come out with a "g" sound when Scarface says them; for instance, "Gatman" instead of "Batman."
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Ventriloquist II]]
!The Ventriloquist II (Peyton Riley)
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/250px-Ventriloquist_II_1_473.jpg]]
After [[spoiler: Wesker's death at the hands of Tally Man]], Scarface is taken up by Peyton Riley, the daughter of an Irish gangster, who had worked with Scarface before and grown to like both him and Wesker. Like Wesker, she believes Scarface to be talking to her, although unlike Wesker, she acknowledges this could be a hallucination. She also isn't as meek as Wesker; she has plans of her own, and is working "with" Scarface, rather than for him.
!!Examples
* ArrangedMarriage: Her father married her to an Italian gangster in order to unite the two families. This didn't work out.
* DemonicDummy: But not so much GollumMadeMeDoIt.
* WomanScorned: Her driving force is to get revenge on her ex-husband, who wiped out the Riley family.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Ventriloquist III]]
!The Ventriloquist III (Shauna Belzer)
-->'''First Appearance: [[ComicBook/{{Batgirl 2011}} Batgirl]] #20'''
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_shaunabelzer_965.jpg]]
A new ventriloquist who is seemingly able to control her dummy, Ferdie, without being in physical contact with him. She is introduced auditioning in a talent show, but was harshly rejected and responded violently. After her first defeat by Batgirl, she (or rather Ferdie) became obsessed with her.
!!Examples
* AxCrazy
* BerserkButton: A judge commented that he could see her lips moving during her act. Her reaction was to crack a huge SlasherSmile and attempt to [[EyeScream drill the judge's eyes out]].
* CainAndAbel: As a child, she was jealous that she was always in her twin brother's shadow. When her telekinesis manifested, she mentally [[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident pushed him on a swing until he flung off and died by falling on his neck]].
* CasanovaWannabe: Ferdie hits on Batgirl during their fight and makes a move toward a female hostage. While they're obviously not interested in him, Shauna gets annoyed that he thinks they're more attractive than her.
* DeadGuyJunior: Her puppet is named after her late brother, Ferdie.
* DemonicDummy: Shauna's wooden puppet, Ferdie. It was "[[YouKillItYouBoughtIt given]]" to her by a performer named Rainbow Rodney when she [[EnfantTerrible was a child]]. He seems to move on his own and has a very one-sided crush on Batgirl. Don't tell Shauna that.
* DoesNotLikeShoes
* EnfantTerrible: Shauna was picked on as child and once her telekinesis manifested, she started to get payback. Violently.
** CreepyChild: She was very calm when she killed. Not so much now.
* FreudianExcuse: From the day she was born, she was overshadowed by her twin brother. Living in his shadow and constant ridicule from her classmates made her snap.
* IronicNurseryRhyme: After she killed her brother, she sang:
--> Blue, green, red, Ferdie's dead. White, pink, brown, he's rotting in the ground.
* LeanAndMean: She's absolutely anorexic and insane.
* GlassCannon: Despite her bizarrely strong puppet and telekinesis, Shauna goes down with a swift punch to the face when Batgirl finally gets the chance.
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: While she explicitly has telekinesis, it's ambiguous as to whether Ferdie has a mind of his own or is just Shauna acting. The fact that she seems able to control actual corpses, however, indicates that it's not just acting.
* MindOverMatter: The Ventiloquist can seemingly control objects with her mind; such as her puppet or a batarang. Her powers manifested as a child.
* MonsterFangirl: Not to any particular person, but to the general idea of murder.
* PeoplePuppets: She can use anything like a puppet, regardless of whether it is an actual puppet, a corpse, or a living person. That, plus her [[StringyHairedGhostGirl look]] paints her as an {{expy}} of [[Film/DeadSilence Mary Shaw]].
* StringyHairedGhostGirl: She has the look down certainly. [[WordOfGod Her creator]], Creator/GailSimone, states she wasn't even aware of the similarities between Shauna and JuOn.
* StrongerThanTheyLook: While fighting Ferdie, Batgirl comments how strong he is, despite being a small, wooden puppet. She struggles to keep him from drilling out her eyes.
* ThisIsADrill: Ferdie has pair of drills hidden in his hands. His favorite attack is to go for the eyes.
* VillainousCrush: Ferdie has a crush on Batgirl and has written letters for her. While he sweet talks Shauna, he really isn't attracted to her. In his own words, "Once you go Bat, you know where it's at".
* VoiceChangeling: She can mimic anyone's voice.
* VulgarHumor: Shauna (or maybe Ferdie himself) really likes making crass jokes when performing.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Black Mask I]]
!Black Mask I (Roman Sionis)
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Black_Mask_0003_1813.jpg
Roman Sionis was about the same age as Bruce Wayne, and likewise had wealthy parents. However, Roman's parents were extremely neglectful and uncaring towards their son; he grew to resent them and the "Masks" they wore (of good, friendly people), when in private they were miserable. Sionis eventually killed his parents, but ran their business into the ground; at which point it was bought out by Bruce Wayne. Sionis snapped, breaking into his parents' crypt and carving a mask out of his mother's coffin. An attempt to get revenge on Wayne by lashing out at his employees failed due to the intervention of Batman, and ended up causing Sionis's Black Mask to be burned onto his face, making it unremovable.
Sionis was a capable gangster (often leading a mask-themed gang called the False-Facers), managing to regain his hold over organized crime after long stays in jail. Sionis grew even more insane and obsessed with torture as time went on. In a notable ''Catwoman'' arc, Sionis discovered Selina Kyle's secret identity, and in vengeance for Catwoman attacking his drug rings, tortured Kyle's brother-in-law to death, and forced her sister to [[ToServeMan eat pieces of his corpse]], driving her insane. Sionis was thought dead when after an extended fight, he fell out of his penthouse.
Later, in the ''War Games'' story arc, Black Mask managed to successfully play the opposing forces of a Gotham Gang war against each other. He managed to kill Orpheus, one of Batman's inside men, and assume his identity, and tortured Stephanie Brown, alias the Spoiler, leading to her apparent demise. Sionis became the de facto leader of all of Gotham's organized crime following this. He was later killed when he once again sought to ruin Catwoman's life mistakenly believing she would abide by the No-Kill rule, she responded by [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim shooting him]]. After Batman's "[[NotQuiteDead death]]", a new Black Mask has surfaced, who turns out to be [[spoiler: an AxCrazy Dr. Jeremiah Arkham]], but he was revealed to be [[spoiler: BrainwashedAndCrazy]] after his defeat, and following the reboot is probably no longer in action (especially considering that the reboot also [[RetCon retconned]] Sionis' death and he has recently reclaimed his old identity).
!!Examples
* ArchEnemy: In some extent for Catwoman prior to the Comicbook/{{New 52}}.
* AscendedExtra: He was active since the 1980's, but though always a competent and dangerous threat Black Mask remained a fairly obscure villain until he was re-imagined as an AxCrazy ObnoxiousSnarker with a SkullForAHead who succesfully and violently took over the Gotham criminal underworld and generally TookALevelInBadass (this also coincided with his becoming Catwoman's ArchEnemy in her solo title). Since then he was appeared in several adaptations and has had a major impact on Gotham in general and the Bat-family in particular.
* AxCrazy
* BackFromTheDead: Sionis, by way of a Black Lantern ring in the ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'' crossover, and by way of a RetCon in the [=DCnU=].
* BadBoss: Watching him in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanUnderTheRedHood'', ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'', or ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'' where he regularly beats or kills his own henchmen for little to no reason, can make one wonder who would still want to work for him.
** In ''Arkham Origins'' [[spoiler: this is eventually subverted, as it turns out that the Joker (possibly the epitome of this trope) was impersonating Black Mask since before the game's story began, and Sionis apparently treated his henchmen well enough that many of them ended up being killed when they refused to follow Joker.]]
* BigBad: For the last Catwoman series.
* CardCarryingVillain
* TheChessmaster: In ''War Games'', especially.
* ChildhoodBrainDamage: Dropped on his head while ''being delivered'', no less.
* ColdBloodedTorture: In one arc he cut up a woman's fiance and ''fed'' bits of him to her. It was given all the weight it deserved.
* ColorCharacter
* CombatSadomasochist
* CriminalDoppelganger: In ''War Crimes'', following his takeover of the Gotham City underworld, he attempts to get rid of Batman by disguising himself as the Caped Crusader and going out killing people in order to frame him for murder. It's foiled by SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker, who is annoyed that Sionis ([[NotQuiteDead seemingly]]) killed Stephanie Brown, because she used to be a Robin and Joker thought that meant ''[[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou he]]'' should have been the one to kill her.
* {{Cult}}: The "True-Facers" in ''ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand'', of which he was the leader, was this.
* CutLexLuthorACheck: With his incredible skills at planning and organization, he probably could have been a great businessman, right? Wrong. As it turns out, Black Mask subverted this trope when he started out as a legitimate businessman, failed spectacularly, and turned to crime instead. He showed considerably more ''elan'' as a crime lord than he ever did as a business executive.
* DeadpanSnarker: Especially during his tenure as crime lord after ''War Games'', where most of his commentary [[CrossesTheLineTwice crossed the line twice]]. And were ''hilarious''.
-->'''Mask''': I'm not pleased, you know. Not pleased at all. And despite appearances, this isn't a damned smile on my face.
** ObnoxiousSnarker: Most of his snarking appears to be shouted.
* DeadPersonImpersonation: Uses the identity of Orpheus, an ally of Batman, during ''War Games''.
* DependingOnTheWriter: Just how crazy he really is. Some storylines have him as a gibbering lunatic, others as just an eccentric (and particularly sadistic) mastermind. The latter is much more common, though.
* DiabolicalMastermind: One of the few crime lords who nearly dominated the Gotham underworld, at least for a brief time. So successful was he that he became a LegacyCharacter when a new Black Mask used his reputation to nearly do the same.
* DisproportionateRetribution: The stuff he did to Catwoman's sister just to get to Catwoman doesn't bare repeating.
* DoesNotLikeWomen: He's noticeably and considerably nastier to his female victims than his male ones, not that he treats them particularly well. It might not be that he ''dislikes'' women ''per say'', just he enjoys hurting female victims more.
* EvilFormerFriend: Like Hush, he was a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne.
* ExpressiveMask: Some artists seem to forget that Black Mask is, in fact, wearing a black mask.
* FreudianExcuse: Three of them: he was dropped on his head by the doctor seconds after being born (which may or may not have caused brain damage that permanently altered his personality), and was later bitten by a rabid raccoon. To top it off, he had extremely neglectful parents, who pretended to be happy to the outside world but were actually privately unloving and miserable.
* GeniusBruiser: He's a giant of a man who is both smart enough to near-completely dominate Gotham's underworld and a skilled enough combatant to fight Batman and Catwoman evenly.
* GunsAkimbo: Dual handguns are a trademark of his.
* HeManWomanHater: Really, really loves torturing women. That's not to say that he doesn't also do it to men (because he does), but when he does it to women, he does it with a special zeal and plenty of comments evocative of this sentiment.
* ItsPersonal: Going after Catwoman's sister was not his smartest move, though by this point ItsPersonal for the two of them.
* KnightOfCerebus: When he's not being LaughablyEvil, he's among the darkest of Batman's foes.
* LargeAndInCharge: At 6'0, he's not the largest of Batman's foes, but he's still a big man with a fairly bulky build.
* LargeHam: Sometimes, like in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanUnderTheRedHood''.
* LaughablyEvil: During his reign as Kingpin of Gotham, Mask got some great lines.
--> '''Black Mask''': Li, will you please shut the hell up!? I swear to ''God'' it's like running a criminal organization with my mother.
* LegacyCharacter: A new Black Mask has been introduced, although since the recent ContinuityReboot, Sionis has reclaimed the title.
* LetsGetDangerous: He's most well known for being a master manipulator, but he was a skilled enough combatant to hold his own against an enraged Catwoman, which is no mean feat.
* MadeOfIron: Part of what makes him an effective hand-to-hand combatant. He's definitely not as skilled as Batman or Catwoman, but he's a big man who can hit hard and take a ''lot'' of punishment.
* ManipulativeBastard: In ''War Games'' especially, wen- posing as Orpheus-, he was supposed to give a speech to the assembled gangs of Gotham calling for restraint to avert a gang war; instead, he gave one that ''started'' the war, and a riot to boot.
* MaskPower: Sionis believed in this, even if it didn't help him.
-->'''Black Mask:''' Knows that the mask destroy one identity while creating another. Know that the mask recreates its wearer. Know that through the sublimation of personality, inhibitions die and the nature of the wearer is altered -- so that deeper drives and more primitive instincts rise to the surface.
* MultilayerFacade: During ''War Games'', he assumed Orpheus's identity by applying make up over his own black mask. On top of that, he also had to wear Orpheus's helmet. [[spoiler:He did the same thing while impersonating Batman in ''War Crimes'']].
* MutilationInterrogation
* NoIndoorVoice: Sionis often throws [[MotiveRant unnecessary tantrums]] with [[RantInducingSlight little provocation]], particularly when written by Creator/JuddWinick.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: A horrific sadist and brutal misogynist. But ''damn'' if he isn't funny.
* ReligionOfEvil: In ''No Man's Land'', he turned the False Facers into a {{cult}} where everybody (himself included) horribly scarred their faces and shaved their heads so that they all looked alike, and turned them loose to go on a murderous rampage throughout the already devasted city. The second Black Mask referred to his organization as a "Ministry of Science", combining this with his MadScientist routine.
* RevengeByProxy
* SelfMadeOrphan: He killed his parents in a fire to inherit their business and fortune. Unfortunately, he was a lousy businessman and when he tried to burn down the factory to cover his tracks, he wound up with the facial injury that gave him his villain name. He was a lot better at being AxCrazy than a businessman anyways.
* ShadowArchetype: Similar to Hush (and preceding him), Black Mask is a Bruce Wayne who suffered from poor parenting and ran his own company into the ground. He's a millionaire who became an extremely violent masked crime lord rather than a moderately violent masked vigilante, and he relies more on his natural hidden talents as a criminal than on years of hard work and study.
* SkullForAHead: Since he TookALevelInBadass, his mask has become skull-like, whereas before it looked slightly more human if all-black.
* TheSociopath
* StrawNihilist: His ramblings in ''ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand'' had some shades of this.
* TookALevelInBadass: Mask has been around since the 80's, but it's only been in the aftermath of his recent appearances, where he's become a psycho to rival the Joker, that he's been elevated to a top-tier Bat villain, shown up in the cartoons, and is a fan favorite to appear in movie adaptations.
* TortureTechnician
-->'''Mask''': Before we begin, I'd like to address the topic of screaming...by saying this: go right ahead.
* WouldHurtAChild: Thinks nothing of sadistically torturing a teenage girl.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:"Maxie" Zeus]]
!Maximilian "Maxie" Zeus
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maxiezeus_7585.JPG
This deranged gang leader of Greek ancestry, believes himself to be the incarnation of the [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek god]] Zeus. He used to be a mild-mannered history teacher, but lost his wife and his sanity in an undisclosed incident. Amidst all the chaos caused by the other insane Bat-villains, he rose to power as one of Gotham's most colorful and cunning gang leaders. He was not only a foe of Batman alone, but also a prominent enemy of Batman's SuperTeam [[Comicbook/BatmanAndTheOutsiders The Outsiders]].
!!Examples
* AGodAmI: In this case, he believes himself to be a specific god, the Greek god Zeus. In ''Comicbook/ArkhamAsylumASeriousHouseOnSeriousEarth'', he also develops messianic delusions.
* BeardOfEvil
* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: He allowed himself to be incarcerated in Blackgate Prison for the rest of his life in order to escape SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker's wrath, since he was angry at Maxie for selling modified Joker Venom as a drug.
* BigBad: Was one for Comicbook/BatmanAndTheOutsiders.
* BoringButPractical: In one story, Maxie Zeus hires construction workers to build a copy of Ancient Rome. When one of the workers suggests building traps for the lion pit or using a lion that turns into a velociraptor to make things more interesting, Zeus refuses because he doesn't want his Ancient Rome to have anything the original one didn't. The worker comments that just a normal pit with a lion isn't scary and Zeus reacts by throwing the worker at the pit and daring him not to feel scared once the lion arrives.
* TheChessmaster: With his intelligence, he was able to build his gang among the chaos caused by Gotham's supervillains.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: He started to become forgotten by DC's writers after ''Comicbook/InfiniteCrisis'' and ''One Year Later'', only coming back in Creator/KevinSmith's ''Cacophony'', where he got PutOnABus at the end of that story.
* DrivenToMadness: He lost his sanity in an [[NoodleIncident undisclosed incident]] where his wife died.
** In ''Cacophony'', he gains sanity after taking medication, but when SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker kills his nephew, Aesop, he is shocked back into insanity.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: His nephew Aesop, whose death by SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker shocks him back into insanity.
* GollumMadeMeDoIt: In the ''Cacophony'' storyline, where he has taken meds for his insanity, he refers to "Maxie" as his deranged, insane self and "Maximilian" as his saner self.
* NapoleonDelusion
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Arkham Asylum's guards initially didn't put him in the maximum-security wing where the other Bat-rogues are because they didn't think he was as dangerous, despite Batman repeatedly telling them to do so. They were proven wrong when his team of metahumans called the "New Olympians" easily broke him out.
* PsychoElectro: In ''Comicbook/ArkhamAsylumASeriousHouseOnSeriousEarth'', he becomes addicted to the asylum's electroshock treatment, which makes him even more insane.
* ThePsychoRangers: He "New Olympians" team was one for ComicBook/BatmanAndTheOutsiders.
* TookALevelInBadass: His sole appearance in The Batman has him at the commands of a giant flying ship, the New Olympus, which he uses to take over Gotham. And almost an entire army obeying him.
* UnexplainedRecovery: He was thought to be dead after he got involved in [[Franchise/WonderWoman Ares]]' plot to turn Gotham into his capital over the world, but was eventually revealed to be alive and well for no revealed reason.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: For almost all of one storyline, where he tried to pass himself off as a legitimate shipping magnate after gaining sanity from medications. It didn't last because it was revealed to the public that he was selling a diluted version of Joker Venom as a party drug.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Great White Shark]]
!The Great White Shark (Warren White)
[[quoteright:237:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/batrogues_great_white_shark_4733.jpg]]
Sentenced to prison for [[StealingFromTheTill creative accounting practices]], financier Warren White tried to slip through the cracks by [[InsanityDefense pleading insanity]], in the hopes of being committed to [[HospitalParadiso a modern psychiatric care facility]]. Instead, he wound up in [[BedlamHouse Arkham Asylum]], where the inmates [[ColdBloodedTorture ritually tortured and abused him]] [[InitiationCeremony for being the "new fish"]]; Killer Croc went so far as to carve gills in the sides of his neck.
After being locked in a freezer for several hours during a riot, Warren emerged [[RedRightHand a changed man]]: [[BodyHorror his hair had fallen out, his lips and nose had shrivelled away in the cold, and his skin was now chalky white]]. [[SanitySlippage His mind now decidedly twisted]], White has since traded off his appearance and business acumen to become one of the premier mob bosses in Gotham City.
!!Examples
* AssholeVictim: Don't think [[MorallyBankruptBanker he didn't work hard]] to [[BreakTheHaughty earn]] that HumiliationConga.
* AstonishinglyAppropriateAppearance: Ironic that a man with the nick name "Shark" would end up resembling one after an unrelated accident. That only applies to his lack of nose and ears, he filed his teeth down himself.
* BaldOfEvil
* TheChessmaster: After Black Mask's death, he briefly managed to [[VillainExitStageLeft oust the Penguin from Gotham]] and control the city's rackets from [[MightAsWellNotBeInPrisonAtAll inside his cell at Arkham]].
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Gained his nickname for his ruthless and cold-blooded business practices.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: Went from TheChewToy for all the other Arkham inmates to one of the most influent mob bosses in Gotham City after his transformation.
* [[HawaiianShirtedTourist Hawaiian Shirted]] {{Jerkass}}: In ''Streets of Gotham''.
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: He's worked out a [[DealWithTheDevil deal with the Torture Lords of Hell]] that will enable him to escape any punishment for his life's misdeeds.]] Comicbook/{{Etrigan}} is actually impressed.
* LoanShark: [[StealthPun Quite.]]
* PhraseCatcher: Warren White is [[RunningGag the worst person you have ever met]].
* ProfessionalButtKisser: Warren [[PersonalMook gets a job flipping Two-Face's coin]] when Two-Face injures his hands and can't do it himself, for no other reason than that he's desperate to be under ''anybody's'' protection at first.
* SharkMan: Not actually a [[FishPeople Fish Person]], but close enough.
* TooDumbToLive: Really, when you plead insanity in [[CrapsackWorld Gotham City]], you gotta be.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Victor Zsasz]]
!Victor Zsasz
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zsasz_491.jpg
An oft-seen but relatively minor bat-villain, Zsasz was once a wealthy businessman who lost fortune and family alike. The loss of his business was too much for him, and he was attempting suicide when a homeless man tried to assault him with a knife. At that point, he embraced a [[StrawNihilist profoundly nihilistic]] worldview: all of life is meaningless, and the greatest gift he can offer is to "liberate" them - by slaying them and leaving them in lifelike poses. He celebrates his killings by self-scarification, cutting a tally into his flesh for every life he takes.
Has no relation to [[Comicbook/TheQuestion Charles Victor "Vic Sage" Szasz]]
!!Examples
* AscendedExtra: Despite being a lesser-used villain overall, he was used in a substantial way in two [[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum Arkham]] [[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity games]], which has raised mainstream awareness of the character substantially.
* AxCrazy: Or rather, knife crazy.
* BaldOfEvil or BlondGuysAreEvil: See DependingOnTheArtist
* BerserkButton: He made a tally mark for Batman, only to learn that the Dark Knight wasn't dead; this caused him to wig out for a while.
* DependingOnTheArtist: Sometimes he's lean and muscular and has a buzz cut hair style, and other times he's scrawny and looks like a balding, emaciated, meth addict. Artist Cliff Chiang also gives him a standard skinhead appearance for some reason, with a white tank top, suspenders, Doc Martens boots and a shaved head (though the latter is hardly unusual for Zsasz).
* DependingOnTheWriter: Zsasz is variably depicted as either [[BossInMookClothing a truly dangerous]] [[GeniusBruiser and cunning foe]], or [[MauveShirt just one step up]] from [[FacelessGoons your average rank-and-file goon]]. It's also [[MotiveDecay sometimes unclear]] as to whether he is a true [[StrawNihilist Nietzsche Wannabe]], or if he simply kills ForTheEvulz.
* DespairEventHorizon: He was DrivenToSuicide only to be interrupted by a man trying to mug him for the money he squandered.
* ExoticEyeDesigns: In his first appearance, Zsasz's eyes were often kept in shadow. They later ran with this, giving his odd, black eyes that point out with little white dots for pupils, [[http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111108192259/batman/images/4/4c/83298-61545-mr-zsasz.jpg like so]]. These aren't acknowledged in stories, so it seems to just be a stylistic choice. Whether his eyes look like this depends on the artist, and many just draw him with normal eyes.
* FeelNoPain: Zsasz has cut himself so many times that his pain reactions are in fact dulled.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: Soooooo many evil scars - one for every victim.
* KnifeNut: His signature weapon is a carving knife.
* SerialKiller: One of the premier non-powered examples in Gotham.
* StrawNihilist: His whole raison d'etre for his murderous rampage? He believes that, by killing people, he is liberating them from the worthlessness of life.
** ''Streets of Gotham'' implied that he sees everyone around him as already dead and he's just "freeing them" from that state. When Damian starts fighting on Zsasz's level, suddenly Zsasz doesn't see his opponent as just a corpse any more and ''freaks out'' because he hallucinates seeing his own dead body reflected in Damian's eyes.
* WouldHurtAChild: Not only has he killed numerous children, he even [[GladiatorGames constructed an arena for the purposes of doing so]] when [[NightmareFetishist told to "fulfill his dreams"]], and [[BloodSport invited crime bosses to bet on the outcome]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Clayface I]]
!Clayface I (Basil Karlo)
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Clayface_img_7209.jpg
Basil Karlo was an actor who, when he heard his classic horror film "The Terror" was being remade, went mad. He donned the mask of the film's villain, "Clayface," and went on a killing spree, murdering the members of the cast and crew. However, he was stopped by Batman, reappearing a few times before remaining unused. However, during his absence, several other criminals with the name Clayface appeared. They were all made of clay, [[VoluntaryShapeShifting could change shape]], and one even had a poisonous touch.
One of these new Clayfaces visited Karlo in prison out of curiosity, and they formed a plan where all living Clayfaces would team up against Batman. The group, called "The Mud Pack," was beaten, but Karlo obtained the powers of all the other Clayfaces, becoming a much bigger threat.
!!Examples
* ElementalShapeshifter: Clayface is a walking mountain of mud, and can use his powers for shapeshifting or brute strength.
* DisproportionateRetribution: He decides to murder people because they're remaking his film without him in the starring role, even though he was brought on as a consultant.
* {{Flanderization}}: Karlo was previously characterized as an ego-maniacal actor, but then writers and artists began depicting him more like the Clayface from the animated series, who was more-or-less an amalgamation of the first four Clayfaces, but more predominately Matt Hagen, the second. The difficulty in this is that, the comic version of Hagen died during ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'', and has remained dead. Unless it's outright stated in the story featuring him, readers have a hard time telling if Clayface is Karlo or Hagen.
* LargeHam: Comes with the acting background. After receiving the abilities of Preston Payne and Shondra Fuller, Karlo regarded himself as "THE ULTIMATE CLAYFACE!"
* LegacyCharacter: There have so far been eight Clayfaces.
* MakeThemRot[=/=]TouchOfDeath[=/=]PoisonousOrganism: Gained this ability from Preston Payne.
* NameFaceName: Perhaps the only thing that is consistent with all versions.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Obvious stand-in for Boris Karloff.
* PoisonousPerson: Inherits this power from Preston Payne, a poisonous touch that would melt people's skin.
* ShapeshifterWeapon: Can morph his hands into maces, hammers, or other weapons.
* TechnicallyNakedShapeshifter: Can form clothing out of his own substance after gaining the powers of the other Clayfacen.
* TragicVillain: Some adaptations and the other versions of Clayface are shown to be this.
* UnholyMatrimony: With Poison Ivy, recently.
* VoluntaryShapeShifting: After becoming a true Clayface.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Clayface II]]
!Clayface II (Matt Hagen)
Matt Hagen found a submarine mist that could turn him into a mud-like man who could change shape. He decided to use this power to steal works of art and got in conflict with Batman. Hagen eventually died during ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths.
!!Examples
* ElementalShapeshifter: Clayface is a walking mountain of mud, and can use his powers for shapeshifting or brute strength.
* KilledOffForReal: Killed by shadow demons alongside Ten-Eyed Man.
** TheEndOrIsIt: A Secret Files issue teased his possible survival, but subverted it for laughs.
* LegacyCharacter: The second of eight Clayfaces.
* NameFaceName: Just like his predecessor and successors.
* ShapeshifterWeapon: Can morph his hands into maces, hammers, or other weapons.
* TechnicallyNakedShapeshifter: Can form clothing out of his own substance as part of his disguises.
* VoluntaryShapeShifting: The first Clayface to have this power.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Clayface III]]
!Clayface III (Preston Payne)
Suffering from hyperpituitarism, Preston Payne sought to cure his condition. Creating an enzyme made from the DNA of the then-living Matt Hagen, Payne hoped to cure his condition. Instead, he gained the power to melt the people he touches.
* LegacyCharacter: The third Clayface.
* MonsterSobStory: He was trying to rid himself of his hyperpituitarism, he failed and accidently killed his girlfriend.
* MakeThemRot[=/=]TouchOfDeath[=/=]PoisonousOrganism: His chief power is that he can melt people into.
* PoweredArmor: He wears an exoskeleton suit to keep himself from touching people, though he can takes off his glvoes so he can. It gives him superhuman strength.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Killer Croc]]
!Killer Croc/Waylon Jones
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/WaylonJones_3281.jpg
Born with a rare skin disease that left him with scaly, crocodile-like skin, Waylon Jones was unaccepted by the outside world. His parents couldn't stand him, and they abandoned him in the wilderness, forcing him to become a career criminal to survive. At one point, he used his razor sharp teeth to become a cannibal and eat people. He has clashed with Batman several times over the years, each time becoming more bestial and reptilian due to a mutation of his already strange disease. He possesses superhuman strength and is much larger than the average man.
!!Examples
* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: Often finds himself in one of these.
* AbusiveParents: Abusive aunt anyways.
* AntiVillain: Had shades of this in old contiunity, fully embraced in the New 52, where he gets a large amount of MoralityPets and PetTheDog moments.
* AxCrazy
* BeastMan: Effectively.
* TheBerserker: His fighting style more or less revolves around completely overwhelming the opponent with his sheer speed, strength, and resistance to harm.
* BizarreHumanBiology
* TheBrute: In most appearances following the story in which he was introduced. In his first appearance, though, Croc was actually a GeniusBruiser who manipulated Batman's entire RoguesGallery--sort of Bane 0.5.
* DependingOnTheArtist: Nobody can decide whether Killer Croc is a big strong guy with a skin condition or a crocodile man anymore. It's 50/50 that he'll be depicted either way.
* DependingOnTheWriter: On top of the above, he seems to be one of those villains writers can never really pin down. It's hard to believe that he was an accomplished marksman and the precursor of ''Bane''.
* DrivenByEnvy: Of the normal people.
* DumbMuscle: After {{Flanderization}} set in. {{Justified|Trope}} in that his condition is fully atavistic - everything, including his mind, just keeps regressing further and further as time goes on, which explains how he went from a GeniusBruiser who was Bane-lite to a feral, animalistic savage.
* FangsAreEvil
* {{Flanderization}}: He was originally a somewhat intelligent gangster with a medical condition (a ''very severe'' medical condition), whose misanthropy was the result of being tormented by everyone (family included) for his freakish appearance. This was eventually downplayed, with Croc becoming more bestial and less intelligent as time went on (this was typically explained that his condition was worsening, further separating him from humanity). By the time of ''Hush'', Croc could probably pass for a bulkier AlternateCompanyEquivalent of [[Characters/SpiderManRoguesGallery the Lizard]] (explained away by Hush infecting him with a virus that further increased his mutation).
* FreakOut: In Batman #471 he supposedly died when the sewer he was in flooded and collapsed. In #489 it was revealed that he was nearly drowned, was forced to live on rats, constantly suffered from fevers and was haunted by nightmares. He emerged from the sewers after six months with a radically different personality, diminished mental capacity and permanent hallucinations.
* FreudianExcuse: Between abusive classmates and his godawful aunt, his stint in reform school, and his treatment in the freakshow he was part of, Croc's got a lot of reasons to hate the world.
* HandWave: Originally he was a man with a very, ''very'' bad skin condition. His appearance has gotten more monstrous over time, which has been explained as his condition worsening.
* HandwrapsOfAwesome: He sometimes wears these (e.g., in ''Batman Hush'' and the concept art for ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum'').
* HealingFactor: Can restore missing teeth and limbs.
* HeelFaceTurn: In ''[[{{Elseworld}} The Batman of Arkham]]'', owing to psychiatrist Bruce Wayne's gentle treatment and care. (With a dose of EpiphanyTherapy and SingleIssuePsychology.)
* ImAHumanitarian
* ImmuneToBullets: Croc's skin is thick enough to ward off even high calibre bullets.
* ImplacableMan: It's not that he can't be stopped, just that it's extremely difficult to do so.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: Croc's search for a cure has been a fairly consistent part of his characterisation.
* LightningBruiser: Superhumanly fast to the point of surprising Batman more than once.
* LizardFolk
* TheMentallyIll: Croc is atavistic, and when intelligent, has the mindset one would expect of an alligator or similar reptile. As a result his moral agency is seriously questionable, and he's one of the few Batman rogues who legitimately belongs in Arkham.
* MoralityPet: In a rather bizarre decision made regarding the post-Flashpoint Croc, he's revealed to be Roy Harper's sponsor in ''Comicbook/RedHoodAndTheOutlaws''.
** In the New 52, teenager Olive Silverlock, a student at Gotham Academy, is this to him. He's kind and friendly to her (and it extends to her friends) and is also very protective towards her. Her mother Sybil seemed to be this to him too, as he appreciated her not treating him like a monster and he in turn promised her he'd keep an eye on and care for Olive.
* {{Mutant}}: Possesses an atavistic mindset, coupled with a skin condition not unlike epidermolytic hyperkeratosis, and a metagene. The end result is the crocodillian monster we all know and love.
* OmnicidalManiac
* ParentalAbandonment: Mom and dad left him with an alcoholic aunt, who could not have cared less about him.
* RedRightHand: Croc's bestial outer appearance is indicative of his animalistic inner nature.
* TheResenter: Resents and hates "normal people" and lashes out at them constantly.
* ScaryBlackMan: Is technically black, and yeah, he's not someone you want to run into. Ever.
* SelfMadeOrphan: Killed his abusive aunt.
* SuperSenses: Possesses a highly advanced sense of smell.
* SuperStrength: His strength crosses the line into superhuman, making him very difficult to stop.
* TookALevelInBadass: In the Comicbook/{{New 52}} he's the only member of Batwoman's rogues to not be an original, and magic is used to upgrade him into a more ferocious and powerful multi-eyed form. Later, he's upgraded into a massive multi-headed hydra and rampages through Gotham.
* TragicVillain: He does seem to want to be normal very, very badly. Well, DependingOnTheWriter, but this is a pretty frequently recurring quirk of his.
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Solomon Grundy]]
!Solomon Grundy/Cyrus Gold
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sgrndy_cv1_4854.jpg
Solomon Grundy is a zombie who was once a businessman, Cyrus Gold, who was murdered in Slaughter Swamp, a swamp just outside Gotham City. Supernatural forces then gathered into his dead body, causing him to resurrect as a zombie one Monday. He took the name Solomon Grundy when he heard people reciting the nursery rhyme "Solomon Grundy".
One thing unique about Grundy is that his appearance and personality constantly change. This is because whenever Grundy is killed, his body resurrects in Slaughter Swamp the next Monday. Each time he resurrects, he becomes almost a different character entirely. He has been the range of a stereotypical {{Hulk Speak}}ing zombie, an animalistic berserker, and even an intelligent MagnificentBastard. On at least [[ComicBook/{{Starman}} one occasion]], he has even resurrected as a good guy. Suffice to say, it is tough to stop him without killing him, so he gets killed rather frequently.
He debuted as a prominent recurring enemy of the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] Franchise/GreenLantern, Alan Scott, who also operated in Gotham. Grundy would go on to tangle with countless heroes of Franchise/TheDCU, but, due to Slaughter Swamp's proximity to Gotham, eventually settled on becoming a part of Batman's RoguesGallery, even becoming a boss in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity''.
For more information, see [[Characters/Earth2GreenLantern this page.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Doctor Simon Hurt]]
!Doctor Simon Hurt/[[spoiler:Thomas Wayne Jr.]]
[[quoteright:244:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Doctor_Hurt_62.png]]
->"'''Batman's''' a hardy specimen, with an above-average mind[=--=]but even a '''Batman''' can succumb to stress and shock!"
-->-- ''Batman'' #156, 1963
A psychiatrist that observed Batman during an isolation experiment, Simon Hurt is the leader of a mysterious organization called The Black Glove. He wants to completely and utterly break Batman, physically and mentally.
!!Examples
* AdaptationDistillation: [[spoiler: His backstory had him being found by Thomas and Martha Wayne and then taken to a mental hospital to get help. In a Pre-Crisis story, Bruce discovered he had a younger brother, Thomas Jr., who suffered head injuries and was sent to live in Willowood Asylum. Thomas Jr. escaped at some point and became an assassin named the Boomerang Killer who fought Batman and Deadman together before pulling an impulsive HeroicSacrifice to save Bruce.]]
* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler:Last seen being BuriedAlive by the Joker somewhere on the grounds of Wayne Manor, because [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou there's only one person]] who the Joker wants messing with Batman's head.]]
* AscendedExtra: Creator/GrantMorrison ascended him out of an unnamed psychiatrist in UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|OfComicBooks}} story "Robin Dies at Dawn"
* [[spoiler:AssholeVictim: It's incredibly hard not to fist pump as the Joker buries him.]]
* BigBad: Of The Black Glove StoryArc in [[Comicbook/GrantMorrisonsBatman Grant Morrison's Batman run]].
* CardCarryingVillain: He speaks very proudly about how he wants to break the hero that is Batman.
* CrazyPrepared: He planted the trigger Zurr-En-Arrh in order to MindRape Batman.
* DontYouDarePityMe: Part of his grand revenge scheme against not only Batman but Thomas and Martha Wayne is because [[spoiler: they actually tried to help him by bringing him to the Willowood mental hospital under the guise of their other son.]]
* EccentricMillionaire: Evil version.
* ForTheEvulz: Loves to make people's lives (And Batman's life, in particular) miserable and broken and hosts it as a gambling game just because he can.
* AGlassOfChianti
* IdenticalGrandson: [[spoiler:Bears a notable resemblance to Bruce Wayne's father Dr. Thomas Wayne. See below for why.]]
* LukeIAmYourFather: At one point attempted to convince Bruce that he was actually his father Dr. Thomas Wayne, who had faked his own death and murdered his wife. [[spoiler:He's actually a distant paternal ancestor of Bruce, also named Thomas Wayne, corrupted and turned immortal by Comicbook/{{Darkseid}}'s Hyper Adapter.]]
* AManOfWealthAndTaste
* MindRape: What he does to the replacement Batmen and Bruce himself.
* ProfessionalGambler: His organization, Black Glove, has a gambling theme.
* PsychoPsychologist
* ThePsychoRangers: While Batman has the Club of Heroes, consisting of vigilantes from various countries, Hurt has the Club of Villains, consisting of their respective arch enemies.
* RichBitch: Male version.
* SmugSnake: Fully believed the law could never stop him due to [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney all the Black Glove's money]]. [[spoiler: He didn't count on SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker [[BuriedAlive putting a stop to him]].]]
* TallDarkAndSnarky: Tries to be this at first, but gradually loses his dignity, becoming more and more of a FauxAffablyEvil SmugSnake.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:James Gordon, Jr.]]
!James Gordon, Jr.
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/250px-James_Gordon_Jr_1423.jpg]]
The long absent son of Commissioner James Gordon and his first wife, Barbara Gordon, James, Jr. finally made a reappearance in the 2011 arc, "Skeleton Cases". Having shown symptoms of psychopathy in his youth, James seemed to be ready to be a functioning member of society. However, it was instead revealed that he was a serial killer, having murdered several people who bullied him in his youth, and viewed empathy as a weakness. His brutality and sadism are only matched by his cunning, and proves himself to be a dangerous foe to the reluctant new Batman, Dick Grayson.
!!Examples
* AntagonisticOffspring: To his father, [[CommissionerGordon James Gordon Sr.]].
* ArchEnemy: To Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon. He couldn't care less about Bruce Wayne.
* AxCrazy
* BigBad: For some of Batgirl's solo adventures and Dick Grayson's time as Batman.
* CainAndAbel: The Cain to his sister, Barbara's, Abel.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Back and forth, and then explained, James first appeared in ''ComicBook/BatmanYearOne'' but was not mentioned for many years after that comic, both in and out of universe. The story arc ''Skeleton Cases'' gives very good reasons as to why he was not talked about in-universe. The Gordon family and others try not to talk about James due to his sociopathic behavior being both disturbing and hurtful as well as being a shame on the Gordons.
* CreepySouvenir: He had a large collection of house keys. Each one was taken off of a victim during his years as a serial killer.
* EnfantTerrible: Showed signs of psychopathy at a young age and managed to deeply unnerve a serial child murderer to the point where he scared him away.
* EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor:
-->'''James, Jr.:''' (''Indicating a stain on his shirt.'') This? It's blood, dad. I killed a waitress while you were talking to Barbara. Her head is stuffed in the toilet of the men's room. (''Pause.'') It's just ketchup, see? I'm sorry
* EvilIsPetty: He in fact looks to be picked on so that he can satiate and justify his bloodlust.
* EvilRedhead: As a member of the Gordon family.
* EyeScream: He had a knife shoved into the outer edge his eye one time, though it seemed to have missed the eyeball and go into the socket, or he just didn't care.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He can put up a pretty good front. Sadly, that's all it is.
* FourEyesZeroSoul: So much, it hurts.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: He ''tries'' to rationalize his acts as this, but in reality, everything that was done to him was a petty slight AT BEST and his acts of vengeance are so grossly disproportionate that words cannot even sum up how far overboard he went. He knows this, too; when Barbara tells him that he was just looking for ways to justify committing acts of extreme cruelty, he doesn't even deny it or attempt to argue with her about it.
* LackOfEmpathy: States that he views empathy as a weakness.
* PsychoticSmirk: His default expression.
* SerialKiller: During his many years away from Gotham, he seems to have taken up this as a hobby.
* SoftspokenSadist: Unlike many other of the batman villains, he never hams it up. He always speaks in an even tone.
* TheSociopath: Averted, if only because he's a full blown psychopath.
* TheStoic: Combined with PsychoticSmirk, this is how he usually acts.
** NotSoStoic: Despite hating emotions and empathy, he has his few moments of them.
* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: When you think about how many other Batman villains have either disfigurements, eye-catching costumes, or some manner of ObviouslyEvil design, Junior looking like a regular person is pretty startlingly creepy all on its own.
* WorthyOpponent: Views his sister as this because she's the only person who has managed to dissect his motives and rationale and understand who he truly is.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Dealer]]
!The Dealer/Etienne Guiborg
An elderly man who runs an underground auction house called Mirror House which sells off many items, gadgets and whatnot obtained from Gotham's worst criminals. By himself, he isn't much of a threat given his age, but he is a rather sinister dealer.
!!Examples
* AuctionOfEvil: Mirror House.
* EvilFeelsGood: He strongly believes that humanity shines best when it's full of evil and doesn't mind telling it as it is.
* EvilOldFolks: One of the most recent (and oldest) entries to Batman's rouges gallery.
* LargeHam: He knows how to put on quite a show in his auctions.
* [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname Only Known By His Alias]]: Etienne Guiborg isn't his real name.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Professor Pyg]]
!Professor Pyg/Lazlo Valentin
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_1012023-pyg_12_4080.jpg]]
A psychotic surgeon/artist who dresses in a pig mask, a former low-level crime boss driven completely insane by overuse of hard narcotics. In pursuit of "art", he physically and mentally mutilates victims with power tools and chemicals to create zombie-slaves he calls his "Dollotrons".
!!Examples
* EarlyBirdCameo: His first appearance in Batman #666 was in Damian's future as the new Batman. Pyg had already been killed when he first appeared, and his first appearance was without the surgical outfit or pig mask, but in a checkered suit like a college professor.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: He was originally a low level crime boss before he got into hard narcotics and went nuts.
* LargeHam
* MadDoctor: He is an accomplished scientist and chemist who uses his skills to disfigure his victims. He also has the habit of using power tools to aid in his ghastly surgeries.
** MadArtist: What he also views himself as.
* MalevolentMaskedMan: He wears a horrifying pig mask.
* MindRape: His specialty.
* MommyIssues: If his drug-based rants are anything to go by.
* NightmareFace: In ''Damian: Son of Batman'', Pyg's face has been surgically altered to actually look like a pig's complete with BlackEyesOfEvil. He actually looked like that way back in Batman #666, but it wasn't as frightening or apparent as in the aforementioned miniseries, which is set in the years leading to up to the BadFuture shown in #666.
* NumberOfTheBeast: The issue wherein he first appeared was Batman #666.
* OurZombiesAreDifferent: The Dollotrons, Professor Pyg's mutilated victims, are zombie-like mind-controlled creatures that are obedient to the Professor. They wear doll-like dresses and have doll-like masks that cannot be removed surgically. Their creation is implied to involve brain surgery, genital mutilation, and mind-altering drugs.
* PigMan: It's just a mask, but he fits the bill. Although in ''Damian: Son of Batman'' he looks like a pig without the mask.
* Theater/{{Pygmalion}}: The basis of Professor Pyg's crimes and theme is based on a perversion of the Pygmalion play. He mutilates his victims both physically and mentally into Dollotrons based on his warped sense of belief of what a perfect human being should look like.
* WordSaladHorror: Most of his dialog is utter nonsense.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: The Court of Owls]]
!The Court of Owls
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_courtofowls_1549.png]]
-> ''"[[AncientConspiracy The Court of Owls watches,]]\\
[[BigBrotherIsWatching watches all the time.]]\\
[[TheManBehindTheMan Ruling Gotham from shadowed perch,]]\\
behind granite and lime.\\
\\
They watch you at your hearth.\\
they watch you in your bed,\\
speak not a whispered word of them,\\
or they'll send [[ImplacableMan The Talon]] for your head."''
The Court of Owls is secret organization centuries old with immense power and influence embedded into the very architecture and history of Gotham City. When Batman, and subsequently Bruce Wayne, began to make an impression on the city (through crime fighting and Bruces many charitable foundations/renovation of the Narrows), they felt threatened and declared war on Batman and his allies.
----
* AncientConspiracy: Dating back to Pre-Revolution America.
* CompositeCharacter: [[spoiler:Lincoln March/Thomas Wayne, Jr. combines both the Owlman (owl motif, evil mirror of Bruce) and Boomerang Killer (brain-damaged younger Wayne brother) versions of Thomas Jr.]].
* TheDragon: [[spoiler: Lincoln March a.k.a. Thomas Wayne Jr.]] in their organization. [[spoiler: He's also TheStarscream, as he kills off most of the Court's top members to take advantage of the organization.]]
* {{Determinator}}: Every. Single. Talon.
** ImplacableMan
* TheDreaded
* EliteMooks: Their assassins, the Talons.
* HealingFactor: The Talons all sport this, although they can be killed. [[spoiler: Temporarily.]]
* TheIlluminati
* KidsAreCruel: Batman is beaten within inches of his life at the behest of a child Court member.
* LightningBruiser: The Talons.
* TheManBehindTheMan
* MythologyGag: Their role as owls that antagonize bats with agents known as Talons, [[spoiler:Thomas Wayne, Jr.]] in particular, are references to Owlman and Talon, the evil MirrorUniverse counterparts to Batman and Robin pre-ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}}.
* OminousOwl: Their whole motif. The fact that owls are the natural predators of bats lends itself quite well to the imagery.
* TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness
* {{Tykebomb}}: Members are indoctrinated from very young ages.
* WhiteMaskOfDoom: Members of the Court wear creepy barn owl masks.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Owlman I & II]]
!Owlman
Batman's evil counterpart from another universe. There have been two main versions.
Pre-Crisis Owlman hailed from the partially reversed world of Earth-3. Born with low-level superintelligence, he experimented with his brain to increase these powers, eventually developing the power to control the minds of others. He was a founding member of the Crime Syndicate of America, and served as their idea man and evil genius. He eventually died alongside his teammates, trying to protect their world from the Antimonitor.
Post-Crisis Owlman is the Thomas Wayne Jr. of the Antimatter Universe. Driven mad by the deaths of his mother and father, and his brother Bruce, he decided to conquer the Gotham underworld as the villainous Owlman, alongside Boss Jim Gordan. He later joined the Crime Syndicate of Amerika and maintains a longstanding affair with teammate Superwoman, much to the disgust of her husband, Ultraman.
----
* AntagonisticOffspring: Post-Crisis Owlman to his father, Thomas Wayne Senior, who turns up alive and hoping to put his villainous son behind bars--or under the ground--for good.
* AxCrazy: Post-Crisis Owlman is a raving lunatic.
* BadassNormal: Physically speaking, anyway.
* CainAndAbel: With the Matter Universe in an odd way Post-Crisis.
* EvilCounterpart: To Batman.
* EvilGenius: To the Crime Syndicate as a whole. This was particularly noticeable Pre-Crisis, when their every major plan was his.
* EvilerThanThou: Pre-Crisis with the Antimonitor, and Post-Crisis with the Antimatter Universe Brainiac.
* FreudianExcuse: Post-Crisis
* PsychicPowers: Pre-Crisis Owlman could use his superbrain to mind control others.
* TheResenter: Towards his father, Post-Crisis. Thomas Jr. blames Thomas Sr. for the deaths of his brother and mother.
* SmugSnake: Not nearly as smart as he thinks he is.
* SuperIntelligence: Both versions of Owlman have increased their intelligence to superhuman levels.
* VigilanteMan: Post-Crisis, when he sought to control crime.
* VillainousFriendship: Pre-Crisis, when he and the rest of the Syndicate were portrayed as a close-knit group of criminal friends. Owlman in particular seems horrified when his teammate Johnny Quick perishes against the Antimonitor.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Cluemaster]]
!!The Cluemaster/Arthur Brown
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/89f4b00732e6de78f9d5a95a91fb0248.jpg]]
A failed game show host who turned to a life a crime, leaving behind clues to his activities to demonstrate his superiority to the police, who were stumped trying to figure them out. Batman had no such difficulty and would regularly stop and imprison The Cluemaster, aided by Arthur's daughter Stephanie, who became the Spoiler to stop his criminal activities. He would later join the Suicide Squad to atone for his crimes and was briefly thought dead before reemerging once more as a criminal.
Post-Flashpoint, the Cluemaster's origin remains much the same, although he avoided going to prison by convincing Batman that he would give up crime for the sake of his family. This was a lie, and during the events of ''ComicBook/BatmanEternal'' he plots with several other villains to contribute to the chaos of Gotham City while attempting to hunt down and kill his daughter Stephanie after she discovered him meeting with several of his criminal associates.
----
* AdaptationalBadass: Zigzagged Post-Flashpoint; while he was caught and outsmarted by his daughter multiple times, [[spoiler:he managed to mastermind the entire plan simply by removing Jim Gordon from his position, and having the rest of Batman's top villains go wild on the city by sending them invitations to do so. He even managed to "follow the clues" to discover the Court of Owls, something which Batman had failed to do before]].
* AbusiveParents: His introduction Post-Flashpoint is attempting to kill Stephanie after she walked in on him meeting with several of his supervillain friends and commenting that he would have to do better with his next child.
* BeneathSuspicion: Batman and Vicki Vale both dismiss him as a "second rate Riddler knock-off". [[spoiler:In fact, he counted on this for his plan in ''Batman Eternal'', taking in other C-list villains such as Lock-Up, Ratcatcher, Prankster, and Signalman to cause the most chaos, with nobody, not even Batman, believing he could possibly be the mastermind or the main problem]].
* BigBad: Of [[spoiler:''Batman Eternal'', although he ends up being HijackedByGanon by Lincoln March at the end]].
* BondVillainStupidity: He has a few chances to kill Stephanie but keeps screwing it up by monologuing or going about it in a complicated manner. [[spoiler:Shows up again when he could have just shot and killed Batman while he was chained to the Bat-signal, but he again monologues before he tries to shoot him, giving Batman a chance to break free. After they fight, Cluemaster pulls his gun and prepares to finish the job, but Lincoln March steps in and slashes his throat. Though to be fair, [[WorfHadTheFlu Bruce hadn't gotten any sleep for more than a day and had been running himself ragged for even longer]], had gotten his chest cut open, and was barely capable of standing]].
* DeathBySecretIdentity: [[spoiler:Gets his throat slit by Lincoln March minutes after learning Bruce's identity as Batman.]]
* TheDogWasTheMastermind: He [[ExploitedTrope exploits]] this trope in [[spoiler:''Batman Eternal'', bringing in bigger and bigger villains by setting events in motion then simply inviting them so that Batman would reach higher for villains to be in charge of the without thinking down to the [[NotSoHarmlessVillain C and D listers]] who are the ''real'' masterminds]].
* FashionVictimVillain: InUniverse. His choice of colors for his outfit are given an annoyed LampshadeHanging by his daughter Stephanie, who notes that no one takes her warnings about him seriously partly because of how bad his outfit is. [[spoiler:With his reveal as the BigBad, one wonders if this was intentional to make people underestimate him.]]
-->'''Stephanie:''' (about bloggers commenting on her information regarding Cluemaster) ...making fun of his costume... I mean, orange and blue, dad? ''Really?''
* HandCannon: Wields a large revolver Post-Flashpoint.
* HesBack: Makes his return Post-Flashpoint in ''Batman Eternal'' as the villain for his daughter Stephanie's plotline, [[spoiler:as well as the main villain of the storyline]].
* InsistentTerminology: He keeps trying to say that he is ''not'' to be called Arthur, but rather ''Cluemaster''. [[RunningGag Nobody listens]], including his fellow C-list villain friends. [[spoiler:This is probably the point, as seeing him as a joke was likely agreed upon between the villains to keep up the plot.]]
* LetterBomb: During his hunt for Stephanie in ''Batman Eternal'', Cluemaster delivered one to Stephanie's friend's home which killed her, and likely everyone else there, in an attempt to draw his daughter out.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: While he and his friends Signal Man, Ratcatcher, Prankster, and Lock-Up might not be regarded as the best villains, when they start working together in ''Batman Eternal'' they're screwing up everything from the water systems to the traffic lights, as they are under orders to make things more unstable and people more and more angry. [[spoiler:Then it is revealed that he is the BigBad who started all the chaos in Gotham with a couple of mind control pills a few invitations]].
* OffingTheOffspring: Tries to repeatedly kill Stephanie throughout ''Batman Eternal'', but she keeps spoiling his attempts.
* SlashedThroat: [[spoiler:Lincoln March does this to Cluemaster in the penultimate issue of ''Batman Eternal'', noting that Cluemaster was getting ready to screw up his own plan by taking credit for killing Batman and causing all the chaos in Gotham, since that would take away the C-List status that had allowed him to do so.]]
* VillainousFriendship: He is friends with fellow C-List villains like Lock-Up, Ratcatcher, Prankster, and Signalman. They routinely get together to play cards and bemoan their low status on the supervillain totem pole.
* WeCanRuleTogether: He tries this when he attempts to get Stephanie to stand down after being impressed by some of her actions as Spoiler, saying they could have been "Cluemaster and The Pointer". Steph's response? To groan and point out that a Pointer is a dog.
[[/folder]]
----
----
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Hush]]
!Hush/Thomas Elliot
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hush_6307.jpg
Thomas Elliot was born into a highly respected family in Gotham City, and as a child was a great friend of a young Bruce Wayne. Unfortunately, Tommy's dad was an abusive alcoholic and his mother a controlling RichBitch who made him study philosophy and strategems to help him dodge his father's abuse and succeed in life. Eventually his father's abuse got so bad that he decided to apply his studies to improve his own life, by cutting the brakes on his parents car before they had a drive, intending to inherit their money and live by his own way. Unfortunately, thanks to Bruce's father, Dr. Thomas Wayne, Tommy's now crippled and needy mother survived, which was the worst thing that could happen to him. Bruce and Tommy remained best friends, however, and Tommy nearly confessed his murders to Bruce while the two [[OldFashionedRowboatDate kayaked around]] at summer camp, only to be interrupted by the [[MyBelovedSmother surprise arrival of his mother]]. Tommy's resulting outburst of anger led him to being committed to Arkham for the rest of the summer, where, with the help of Dr. Crane, he was consumed by the paranoid belief that Bruce had somehow conspired with Mrs. Elliot to ruin his fun. By the end of the summer, [[DeathByOriginStory Mr. and Mrs. Wayne had died]] and Tommy and Bruce drifted apart for good.
As Tommy grew older, Mrs. Elliot then manipulated her son into staying with her so he could take care of her. [[spoiler:Eventually Tommy had enough and suffocated her]]. After his mother's death, Tommy left Gotham, entered medical school and became one of the country's best surgeons. However, when when Eddie Nygma AKA The Riddler offered him a way of curing his mother's cancer, Tommy learnt that his former friend Bruce was the Batman (Riddler having figured out his identity in a moment of Lazarus Pit-induced insanity). Tommy decided that enough was enough and that Bruce had to be cut down to size and pay for "his crimes against me". Creating the identity of Hush, Elliot became arguably the most prominent Bat-Villain created in the 2000s.
In an effort to further bedevil Batman, Hush has recently altered his face to become a perfect duplicate of Bruce Wayne.
!!Examples
* AndYourLittleDogToo: Hush goes after those close to Batman (which makes Bruce realize that for a self-described loner, he sure has A LOT of friends) including, of all people, ''Superman''. Hush thinks big. He also kills [[spoiler: Harold, who was a severely injured cripple who used helped in the Batcave]]. [[spoiler:He]] was a CListFodder who had barely appeared in any comic since the 1980s, but it was still sad.
** He [[spoiler: cut out Catwoman's heart, because she still had feelings for Bruce (and vice-versa). Don't worry, it's only a OnlyAFleshWound via AppliedPhlebotinum and she gets better.]]
* AscendedMeme: Hush was never a serial killer in the regular comics, but Wikipedia had been calling him one for unknown reasons. Then they actually made his LegacyCharacter one in ''ComicBook/BatmanBeyond''.
* BadassLongcoat
* BandagedFace: Covers his face in bandages
* BatmanGambit: His mantra is "think like your opponent", which is this.
* BigBad or BigBadWannabe: Usually has one of these roles in his stories; Which one, depends on interpretation. Notice how he often has [[AntagonistTitle his name in the story's title.]]
* BigBadFriend
* TheChessmaster: Hush likes his convoluted plans.
* ComplexityAddiction: Sometimes his plans just seem needlessly convoluted. Many times simpler solutions would have sufficed.
* CostumeCopycat: In his debut arc, there were two people who used his costume beside him, the first was [[spoiler:Clayface/"Jason Todd"]] which he had planned, the second was [[spoiler:Two-Face]], [[ThePlan who may]], or [[SpannerInTheWorks may not]] have been intended to do so.
* CriminalDoppelganger: Got facial reconstruction surgery to more easily get away with impersonating Bruce Wayne.
* DeadlyDoctor
* DeadpanSnarker
* TheDreaded: Even Batman himself is afraid of Hush.
* EnfantTerrible: His parents would surely wish they hadn't abused him.
* EvilAllAlong
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: He doesn't understand why some might prefer having living parents to having lots of money, and he thinks Bruce is Batman for the fun of it.
** The usual reason for his failures is not to count on Batman getting help from friends. Friendship is a concept he just doesn't get. His past relationship with Bruce was an act and though he talks about friendship a lot, it has a mocking tone to it.
* EvilFormerFriend
* {{Expy}}: Hush's features and modus operandi are similar to Sam Raimi's {{Film/Darkman}}, ComicBook/UnknownSoldier and a number other [[BandagedFace bandage faced]] [[ConspicuousTrenchcoat trenchcoat wearing]] characters. The key difference being that Hush is evil.
** Like Bane is inspired by Doc Savage, Hush is pretty similar to another pulp character, Radio/TheShadow, only evil, though WordOfGod doesn't confirm this.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He might tell a victim he likes him or her, then stab them. And he keeps calling Bruce a friend even when he's explaining his latest method of making his life a hell.
* GambitRoulette: Possibly the whole of ''Batman: Hush'', but there is no indication that the events needed to happen exactly as they did.
** ''ComicBook/BatmanEternal'' also seems to be this way.
* GenreBlindness: When he tries to steal Bruce Wayne's identity, doesn't he think that the superhero community might find it a bit suspicious if Batman suddenly retired from crime fighting for no reason? Also in the same story, trusting that brainwashed civilians can kill Batman, was probably a bad idea.
** Messing with The Joker resulted in a pacemaker being installed in him by the clown, severely weakening him.
* GreenEyedMonster: His dominant personality trait.
* GunsAkimbo
* IJustWantToBeYou: Pre-52 version of Hush wanted to be Bruce Wayne because Tommy's mother never liked him as much as she liked Bruce.
** The New 52 version takes this UpToEleven: Tommy is now pathologically obsessed with becoming Bruce. This also changes the reason he killed his parents: he wanted to be an orphan just to be similar to Bruce.
* InformedAbility: MasterOfDisguise. There was that one case of SurgicalImpersonation, but let's just say he has been a victim of disguise users more than using them himself.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Why does he hate Bruce Wayne? Bruce's parents were killed when he was young while Elliot had to do the deed himself. And when he did so, he loathed Thomas Wayne for actually performing surgery that saved his mother's life. That's about as irrationally selfish as you can get.
-->'''The Riddler:''' ''(On Elliot's super-villain name)'' Scarecrow started singing that song... ''"Hush'' Little Baby." It's about a child who can never be satisfied.
* ItsPersonal: Batman and Hush are this to one another.
* KickTheDog: [[spoiler: Using Jason Todd in an attempt to mess with Bruce's mind, shooting Harold,]] cutting out Catwoman's heart, lying to Killer Croc about having a cure for his condition and then accelerating it instead, injecting a neurotic child with [[PsychoSerum venom]], killing [[CListFodder a minor villain]] just to [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou have Batman for himself]]... yeah, this is kind of his specialty.
* MadDoctor: A skilled Surgeon Hush commonly uses his surgical skills for nefarious purposes from using it for torture, to making himself look like other people. He also commonly uses medical scalpels as weapons.
* ManipulativeBastard: Already as a kid. After he has a violent outburst on a summer camp, he coincidentally has Jonathan Crane as his therapist. Tommy admits he is guilty of [[SelfMadeOrphan much more]] than a mere attack, but gets Crane to declare him mentally stable with just a few words:
-->Maybe I'll do it again.
* MisplacedRetribution: Thomas Wayne saved Elliot's mother, denying him the family fortune and lengthening the psychological abuse he had to endure. Meanwhile, Bruce lost his parents, which Elliot thought was undeserved. Therefore Bruce has to suffer. That is his (possibly psychotic) motivation.
* MotiveRant: He has one right after he [[spoiler:kills Harold]].
* MyBelovedSmother: Tommy's mom was like this even before the accident. Afterwards, she became so controlling she kept her son at home for nearly twenty years, using the family fortune as leverage. [[spoiler:When Tommy says he has enough, she tries to cut him out of her will and he smothers her with a pillow out of anger.]]
* NeverMyFault: When he attacks another kid on summer camp for calling him names, he believes that his mother and Bruce had deliberately manipulated him to lose his temper. This only gets worse when he's an adult.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Racist, misogynist and especially classist. Also apparently hates "freaks", as in costumed heroes and villains.
* RememberTheNewGuy: He was apparently a childhood friend of Bruce's, and Bruce holds him in incredibly high regard, and it's heavily implied that Thomas partly inspired Bruce's methods as Batman... Which is why we never heard of him before the story arc.
* TheResenter: He is frustrated that Bruce got everything he had ever wanted, but chooses to "squander" it in his crusade.
* RevengeBeforeReason: He threw away a successful career as a world class surgeon just to get even. It later cost him his fortune and [[spoiler:his facial skin, after he foolishly tried to manipulate an identity stealing serial killer Jane Doe as a part of his scheme.]]
* SelfMadeOrphan: He tried to kill his parents at a young age in order to inherit their riches and because his father was an abusive monster and his mother a simpering money hungry lunatic. He only succeeded in killing his father, and, to avoid suspicion, didn't try again, only truly being orphaned when he smothered his raving senile mother in a fit of anger. This left him with a bitter hatred of Bruce, who tragically lost his parents soon after Tommy tried to kill his. Later on in his life, [[spoiler:he joins the Riddler (who discovered that Bruce was Batman]] on a vendetta against him, feeling that, not only did Bruce get the riches Tommy wanted, but that he was wasting those riches as well. Predictably, his vendetta eventually causes him to lose everything and become the full time SuperVillain Hush.
** In the New 52, he succeeds in his first attempt, killing both his parents; he did it because he was obsessed with Bruce Wayne in the first place, and wanted to relate to him (Bruce's parents died first in this continuity).
* ShadowArchetype: Another one of Batman; Hush being what would happen if Thomas and Martha Wayne's parenting of Bruce went horribly wrong and Batman became a villain.
* SmugSnake: One that is less of an arrogant InsufferableGenius and more of a [[KickTheDog dog kicking]] jerk.
* SoftSpokenSadist: Has a tendency to... well, gently tell his victims to [[MeaningfulName "hush"]]. Especially in ''ComicBook/BatmanEternal''.
* TheSociopath: Definitely [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative]], [[NeverMyFault incapable of admitting his own mistakes and flaws, always blaming others]], [[ItsAllAboutMe extremely narcissistic, entitled and arrogant]] and [[EvilCannotComprehendGood lacks empathy on a fundamental level]].
* SpeaksInShoutOuts: To {{Creator/Aristotle}}. Not all the time, but certainly often enough that he's well known for it. More frequently in his early appearances.
** Considering it was his mother that forced him to read the philosopher and [[{{Hypocrite}} that his lifestyle doesn't exactly adhere to Aristotle's teachings]], one gets the impression that he finds the quotations by googling "Aristotle [insert barely situation relevant word here]".
* StalkerWithoutACrush: In many appearances he tends to be watching Batman from the shadows. He intends to make his life miserable.
* TheStarscream: He's often a second in command who ends up betraying his boss.
* StealthExpert: Has been able to sneak up on both Batman and Catwoman on separate occasions, and they're supposed to be masters of this.
* StealthHiBye: See above.
* SurgicalImpersonation: His main gimmick: Hush uses surgery to look like other people when committing his crimes. He doesn't get surgery done, he ''performs it himself''.
* VillainProtagonist: When written by Creator/PaulDini.
* VillainTeamUp: Hush likes recruiting other villains in his plans. ''Batman: Hush'' has most of Batman's rogue's gallery involved in his GambitRoulette, In ''Hush Returns'' he recruits Prometheus.
** In fact, he did this years before becoming Hush; as a young man, his girlfriend was Peyton Reilly, the second Ventriloquist (see below), and she helped him [[spoiler:in the murder of his mother for her money.]]
* WeUsedToBeFriends
* {{Yandere}}: The New 52 version. In his new origin story he kills his parents, then gives Bruce [[NoSenseOFPersonalSpace a creepy hug]], saying "We're the same now" while having a somewhat [[{{Creator/Laina}} "overly attached girlfriend"]] like facial expression. In high school, he imitates Bruce, wearing the same clothes, flirting with the same girls, and claims to be Bruce, while looking and acting like Creator/JimCarrey's character in ''Film/TheCableGuy''.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Mad Hatter]]
!The Mad Hatter/Jervis Tetch
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Mad_hatter_4996.jpg
Jervis Tetch, a man of short stature and large head, went through his life friendless, becoming a scientist and experimenting with technology, specifically that of mind control. His psychosis is a mix of paranoid schizophrenia and manic depression, all of this centering on his fascination with both hats and ''Alice in Wonderland''. Using his technology, Tetch turned to a life of crime as the Mad Hatter, inserting his devices into headgear in order to turn unwitting victims into his slaves. His technology has advanced to a point that where not only can he put his mind-control devices into almost anything (free meal tickets, Walkmans, etc.), but he is now able to miniaturize his technology to a point of simulating telepathic hypnosis/mind control.
The Mad Hatter is possibly one of the strangest Bat-Rogues ever (which is saying something). Throughout his tenure, Tetch has been subject to several redesigns in both appearance and personality; he has gone from average height to quite short to an actual dwarf and has been a goofy thief, a scheming mastermind and a creepy pedophile-esque kidnapper. He's gotten a lot more serious in the comics and has proven to be a formidable and unpredictable opponent.
This character was indeed used in the [[Series/{{Batman}} sixties show]], but the version was based on an imposter who posed as Tetch during a period in the comics. He appeared in only four episodes, all of them making use of his hypnotic machinery and showcasing his desire to add Batman's cowl to his collection of hats. The [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries animated series]] turned Tetch into a criminal through his obsession for a co-worker (ironically named Alice), swearing vengeance on Batman when he foiled his plans to be with her (read as "hypnotize her boyfriend and stalk her"). [[MotiveDecay This motivation went away though]] as the Hatter soon became another common thief. Still, he had a good run and several good episodes.
Incidentally, few people remember that his debut comic, ''Batman'' #49, also featured the debut of Vicki Vale.
!!Examples
* Literature/AliceInWonderland: Tetch quotes this constantly, with Jeph Loeb's incarnation speaking in nothing ''but'' quotes from the book.
* BerserkButton: Do ''not'' touch his hat.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: He singlehandidly crushed Doom Patrol in ''Secret Six'' stories.
* DeadPersonImpersonation: Not dead so much as [[ComicBookLimbo missing]], but his redheaded SilverAge counterpart apparently [[CostumeCopycat stole his identity and M.O. for a time]]. The real Tetch later turns up alive; [[KilledOffForReal the latter does not]].
* DepravedDwarf, although this [[DependingOnTheArtist varies.]]
* EvilBrit
* GadgeteerGenius
* {{Gonk}}: Most current artists depict him as, like the Tenniel illustrations, having [[BritishTeeth a very large and crooked overbite]], with [[CleopatraNose a nose to match]].
* HypnoTrinket
* LetsGetDangerous: You'd think that he's completely ineffective in combat. Hoo boy, would you be wrong.
* TheMadHatter: Oddly enough, ''{{subverted|Trope}}''. He's often depicted as [[IJustWantToBeNormal struggling with his mental illness]], and dislikes having it mentioned.
* MasterOfIllusion
* MadScientist
* ManChild
* MeaningfulName: "Tetch" is a variation of "touch", as in "touched in the head".
* MoreThanMindControl: Some of Tetch's schemes have become very elaborate through this trope.
* NiceHat: The Hatter ''lives'' by this trope.
* OddFriendship: DependingOnTheWriter he has this type of relationship with The Penguin. More frequently, with The Scarecrow.
* OffWithHisHead: He actually utters this line in his very first appearance, appropriately holding an axe twice as tall as he is.
* ReluctantPsycho: As mentioned above, he doesn't enjoy his insanity, he suffers through every second of it.
* RhymesOnADime: In ''ComicBook/GothamCentral'', he uses this [[MadnessMantra as a coping mechanism]] when he feels threatened.
* SpeaksInShoutOuts: Creator/LewisCarroll quotations, when written by Jeph Loeb.
* SpotOfTea: Expect the Hatter's tea to always be laced with something.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Killer Moth]]
!Killer Moth/Drury Walker/"Cameron Van Cleer"
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/killermoth_9080.jpg
When sophisticated and urbane playboy Cameron van Cleer introduced himself to the elite of Gotham's social scene, nobody realized he was secretly a former prison inmate using his stolen earnings to finance a career as "Killer Moth", a Batman-like costumed figure who aided criminals instead of the police. For a price, would-be ne'er-do-wells could hire Cleer's services, and he in turn would help them evade capture and cover their tracks. After several encounters with Batman, the Dark Knight managed to permanently dismantle Moth's organization, and his secret identity and fortune were lost forever.
Killer Moth (now revealed to be small-time criminal Drury Walker) continued to endure, however, committing smaller-scale robberies and picking up jobs as hired muscle. Sick of being perceived as a joke by his fellow rogues, he made a deal with Neron for greater power and became a towering moth/human hybrid. The deal has since been [[RetCon written out of history]], though, and Walker has reverted to his previous form.
!!Examples
* AnimalMotifs: A decidely less sinister take on the MacabreMothMotif; in most appearances, he just wears a moth-like outifit and employs an adhesive "cocoon gun" during heists.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He was working with [[PyroManiac Firefly]] for a short while as a mercenary duo before realizing just how dangerously unstable his partner actually was (he believed that he could see visions in the flames, for starters), causing him to cut things off ASAP because he genuinely feared for his life.
* IWasBeatenByAGirl: Trounced by Batgirl on her first night of duty, before she even received any combat training.
* JokeCharacter: His currently-held status in TheModernAgeofComicBooks.
** ButtMonkey
* OneWingedAngel: After making a DealWithTheDevil Neron, he was transformed into a half-human half moth monstrosity. However it fell victim to a RetCon and he fell back to a nobody.
* ShadowArchetype: The first Batman villain [[InvokedTrope explicitly designed as such]], to the point of working out of a "Moth-Cave" and selling criminals infrared "Moth-Signal" beacons in his first appearance.
* VillainDecay: You'd never believe it now, but this guy used to actually be a credible threat.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Firefly]]
!Firefly/Garfield Lynns
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/batmanfirefly_2547.jpg
Garfield Lynns was originally a Hollywood pyrotechnician, a job he took because of his pyromania. However, he became a victim of Gotham City's severe poverty and turned to crime. He took up arson as a hobby, but it soon turned to an obsession, going so far that he even believes to see vision in the flames. Inspired by actual fireflies, he built a suit and became a professional arsonist.
!!Examples
* AxCrazy: Enough so to scare away Killer Moth, who was genuinely terrified of him.
* CoolHelmet
* GadgeteerGenius: Made his suit and his whole equipment by himself.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: Has burn scars over approximately 90% of his body.
* FireBreathingWeapon: Firefly's WeaponOfChoice is a flamethrower.
* ForTheEvulz
* {{Jetpack}}
* KillItWithFire: His modus operandi.
* MadBomber: Also packs explosives for good measure.
* PsychoForHire: He takes some arson jobs to finance his devices and weaponry, but he would gladly burn things for free if he could afford to.
* PoweredArmor
* {{Pyromaniac}}: UpToEleven.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lady Shiva]]
!Lady Shiva/Sandra Wu-San/Sandra Woosan
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/107749-92855-lady-shiva_super_9079.jpg
One of the premier martial artists in the DCU, Shiva is a mercenary with her own sense of honor and duty, but who really lives for the thrill of life and death combat. She has trained Batman as well as several of his allies, but that doesn't stop her from fighting them if she feels the urge to. She sometimes acts in a quasi-heroic capacity, occasionally working with the Birds of Prey, but it's a nervous time for those allies.
She has her own page, [[ComicBook/LadyShiva here]].
!!Examples
* ActionMom
* [[ArrogantKungFuGuy Arrogant Kung-Fu Girl]]: She's constantly training and retraining herself to eternally improve her martial arts abilities. She also challenges any combatants whom she deems worthy, testing herself against them, testing them against her, and learning from them/removing them as threats for the future. The later part usually doesn't occur right away.
* AsianBabyMama: To David Cain. She rather hates him for it.
* BadassNormal: No powers but a better fighter than even Batman.
* BloodKnight
* CharlesAtlasSuperpower
* DarkActionGirl
* DeathSeeker: Implied in ''Comicbook/BirdsOfPrey''.
* DragonLady
* DeliverUsFromEvil: Type 2. In ''Comicbook/{{Batgirl|2000}}'', its shown to be her StartOfDarkness.
* TheDreaded: Just mentioning that she's in town is usually enough to scare the shit out of any skilled martial artist.
* DuelToTheDeath: She LOVES these, but that doesn't stop her from being forced into an InvoluntaryBattleToTheDeath every now and then. Usually, people use her to get others into them. She'd rather choose her own targets.
* ForbiddenTechnique: The Leopard Blow.
* FinishingMove: The Leopard Blow. What it is varies from time to time, but one of the most gruesome versions involves ramming two fingers into a weapon point in the forehead, killing the target in one hit. Another version is smashing the nose and forcing the small bones of the nose into the brain. When later writers realized that was a physical impossibility, it was changed to the former version.
* HonorAmongThieves: She rarely tolerates anyone breaking it.
* ItsPersonal: Do not harm her sensei or her students. The latter is her job.
* LadyOfWar
* LightningBruiser
* MoralityPet: ComicBook/BlackCanary [[InvokedTrope deliberately tries]] to be one for her in ''Comicbook/BirdsOfPrey''. Shiva allows it [[InvertedTrope because she wants to break Dinah of that habit.]]
* MuggingTheMonster: Done to her by Bikers. Ended about as well as one could expect.
* MyKungFuIsStrongerThanYours: It's so good, other characters go to her to enact this trope.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: In-universe, no less.
* NobleDemon: Many times she shares foes with the heroes of any story she appears in. Why? Because she'd probably kill the hero too quickly in a straight contest.
* OddFriendship: Black Canary and Lady Shiva. "Friends" may be pushing it a little far, but they are amicable acquaintances with a shared history and civil interactions. They have, on occasion, gone for drinks together, trained together and worked together. However, they also remain potentially mortal enemies from diametrically opposite sides of the good/evil divide.
* [[OneManArmy One Woman Army]]: To the point where people started [[CargoCult worshiping her as an avatar of Shiva]] the destroyer. She couldn't care less.
* PregnantBadass: Pregnancy barely slowed her down, beating up another world class assassin, David Cain. Ironically, it was his kid she was pregnant with. Probably what helped make her daughter so badass.
* ProfessionalKiller
* ReligiousAndMythologicalThemeNaming
* {{Retcon}}: During the ''Comicbook/ADeathInTheFamily'' saga, Shiva, while shot up with truth serum, declared that she never bore any children. Years later, she is revealed to be the mother of Cassandra Cain.
* RoguesGalleryTransplant: She started as an enemy/ally of Richard Dragon, before moving to the Question, Batman and eventually her own daughter, Cassandra Cain. As one of the DCU's best martial artists, she often appears in other titles in a similar capacity.
* TheObiWan: To Bruce during his recovery in ''ComicBook/{{Knightfall}}''.
* ThouShaltNotKill: When working with heroes, they insist she not kill anyone. This often annoys her, but she complies.
* TrainingFromHell: She puts herself through this and others come to her to get it. Its implied that the name Lady Shiva is a title and that others are going through the same training to become the next one.
** Playing into the more positive aspects of her name, Shiva has also trained an awful lot of heroes, including Tim Drake and Bruce Wayne, and her code of honor has led her to even spare them if she feels they can be a better fight later. She even resuscitated Cass Cain after beating her to death in order to gain a proper rematch!
* TheWorfEffect: it does happen on occasion, but she often regains herself shortly afterwards. The only person who she did not overcome in the end so far was Prometheus.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Tweedledum & Tweedledee]]
!Tweedledum & Tweedledee (Deever, Dumfree and Dumson Tweed)]]
[[quoteright:150:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/37413-tweedledee_150_159.jpg]]
Despite being cousins, Deever and Dumfree were so alike in both appearance and mannerisms that they could easily be mistaken for identical twins. Drawing inspiration from their shared love of ''Literature/AliceInWonderland'', the duo went on to commit multiple crimes in Gotham, dressed as the similarly-named twin brothers from ''Through The Looking Glass''. After the apparent death of Dumfree, his twin brother Dumson has since stepped in to take his place. Although they run their own separate criminal organization, they can often be seen in the employ of the Mad Hatter (see above).
!!Examples
* {{Acrofatic}}: Depicted in the GoldenAge as capable of [[HyperDestructiveBouncingBall rolling and bouncing at high speeds]].
* CreepyTwins: [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]]. They actually aren't, but they enjoy giving this impression, and Dumfree and Dumson certainly qualify.
* ObfuscatingStupidity / BewareTheSillyOnes: Occasionally shown to be using this.
* SquishyWizard: Despite [[StoutStrength their impressive size and strength]], they're [[UnskilledButStrong not very adept at actual combat]], so they tend to take [[HitAndRunTactics a more hands-off approach]] to their robberies.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute
* WickedCultured: Despite their unorthodox demeanor, they're seen in one issue [[SmokyGentlemensClub drinking wine and smoking cigars in plush armchairs]]. Wearing [[AwesomeAnachronisticApparel smoking jackets]] and ''[[NiceHat fezzes]]'', no less.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Ventriloquist I]]
!The Ventriloquist I (Arnold Wesker)
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/250px-338704-148690-scarface_9331.jpg]]
Arnold was born into a powerful mafia family. However, as a kid, he witnessed his mother killed by the hands of an assassin sent by a rival gang. This sparked a Dissonant Personality Disorder within his mind. The only outlet he found to vent this trauma was through ventriloquism. Eventually, he turned to a life of crime, following in his family footsteps. Or rather his cohort did and he pulled the strings.
Scarface is his main venting outlet for his disorder, a wooden puppet named and slightly modeled after Al Capone. He communicates his plans through this puppet, and even uses it during his various heists to the point of obsession.
!!Examples
* BewareTheSillyOnes
* CigarChomper: Scarface
* DamnItFeelsGoodToBeAGangster
* DemonicDummy
* DiabolicalMastermind: Due to his obvious physical limitations (and his rather eccentric nature), Scarface tends to prefer operating in the shadows.
* ExtremeDoormat: Wesker to Scarface.
* GollumMadeMeDoIt: Some interpretations of him portray him as a perfectly innocent man being bossed around by a loud mouthed blockhead.
* GoodScarsEvilScars
* HairTriggerTemper: Scarface.
* LaughablyEvil
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: DependingOnTheWriter, Scarface is either simply a symptom of Wesker's disorder, or something more sinister and potentially supernatural.
** And on some occasions its implied to be neither and Wesker is just a ManipulativeBastard who wants everyone to ''think'' he's crazy or that the doll is possessed, and thus akin to some versions of SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker. Given that this would mean he is willing to machine gun his own hands as part of his "act", this would probably make him even crazier.
* MisterBig
* MultipleChoicePast: Some stories use the mafia family origin above; other stories have Wesker losing control of his anger in a bar and being sent to Blackgate prison, where he acquires the "Scarface" dummy after it had been carved from a piece of gallows wood by his cell-mate.
* NameFaceName: Scarface
* OpaqueLenses
* [[spoiler: RealAfterAll: After Arnold's death, the dummy moves by itself for a few panels before burning up.]]
* ThoseTwoBadGuys: Wesker and Scarface are almost always accompanied by the same two thugs, Rhino and Mugsy.
* TookALevelInBadass: In the New 52, Arnold never died and becomes [[spoiler: a mutated monster who shoves his hands into his victim's backs and makes them "talk" like a doll]]. That said, [[ContinuityDrift other writers have disregarded his return in favor of Shauna Belzer]].
* VerbalTic: Due to Wesker being unable to pronounce the letter "b" when doing his ventriloquist act, words with "b's" in them always come out with a "g" sound when Scarface says them; for instance, "Gatman" instead of "Batman."
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Ventriloquist II]]
!The Ventriloquist II (Peyton Riley)
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/250px-Ventriloquist_II_1_473.jpg]]
After [[spoiler: Wesker's death at the hands of Tally Man]], Scarface is taken up by Peyton Riley, the daughter of an Irish gangster, who had worked with Scarface before and grown to like both him and Wesker. Like Wesker, she believes Scarface to be talking to her, although unlike Wesker, she acknowledges this could be a hallucination. She also isn't as meek as Wesker; she has plans of her own, and is working "with" Scarface, rather than for him.
!!Examples
* ArrangedMarriage: Her father married her to an Italian gangster in order to unite the two families. This didn't work out.
* DemonicDummy: But not so much GollumMadeMeDoIt.
* WomanScorned: Her driving force is to get revenge on her ex-husband, who wiped out the Riley family.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Ventriloquist III]]
!The Ventriloquist III (Shauna Belzer)
-->'''First Appearance: [[ComicBook/{{Batgirl 2011}} Batgirl]] #20'''
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_shaunabelzer_965.jpg]]
A new ventriloquist who is seemingly able to control her dummy, Ferdie, without being in physical contact with him. She is introduced auditioning in a talent show, but was harshly rejected and responded violently. After her first defeat by Batgirl, she (or rather Ferdie) became obsessed with her.
!!Examples
* AxCrazy
* BerserkButton: A judge commented that he could see her lips moving during her act. Her reaction was to crack a huge SlasherSmile and attempt to [[EyeScream drill the judge's eyes out]].
* CainAndAbel: As a child, she was jealous that she was always in her twin brother's shadow. When her telekinesis manifested, she mentally [[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident pushed him on a swing until he flung off and died by falling on his neck]].
* CasanovaWannabe: Ferdie hits on Batgirl during their fight and makes a move toward a female hostage. While they're obviously not interested in him, Shauna gets annoyed that he thinks they're more attractive than her.
* DeadGuyJunior: Her puppet is named after her late brother, Ferdie.
* DemonicDummy: Shauna's wooden puppet, Ferdie. It was "[[YouKillItYouBoughtIt given]]" to her by a performer named Rainbow Rodney when she [[EnfantTerrible was a child]]. He seems to move on his own and has a very one-sided crush on Batgirl. Don't tell Shauna that.
* DoesNotLikeShoes
* EnfantTerrible: Shauna was picked on as child and once her telekinesis manifested, she started to get payback. Violently.
** CreepyChild: She was very calm when she killed. Not so much now.
* FreudianExcuse: From the day she was born, she was overshadowed by her twin brother. Living in his shadow and constant ridicule from her classmates made her snap.
* IronicNurseryRhyme: After she killed her brother, she sang:
--> Blue, green, red, Ferdie's dead. White, pink, brown, he's rotting in the ground.
* LeanAndMean: She's absolutely anorexic and insane.
* GlassCannon: Despite her bizarrely strong puppet and telekinesis, Shauna goes down with a swift punch to the face when Batgirl finally gets the chance.
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: While she explicitly has telekinesis, it's ambiguous as to whether Ferdie has a mind of his own or is just Shauna acting. The fact that she seems able to control actual corpses, however, indicates that it's not just acting.
* MindOverMatter: The Ventiloquist can seemingly control objects with her mind; such as her puppet or a batarang. Her powers manifested as a child.
* MonsterFangirl: Not to any particular person, but to the general idea of murder.
* PeoplePuppets: She can use anything like a puppet, regardless of whether it is an actual puppet, a corpse, or a living person. That, plus her [[StringyHairedGhostGirl look]] paints her as an {{expy}} of [[Film/DeadSilence Mary Shaw]].
* StringyHairedGhostGirl: She has the look down certainly. [[WordOfGod Her creator]], Creator/GailSimone, states she wasn't even aware of the similarities between Shauna and JuOn.
* StrongerThanTheyLook: While fighting Ferdie, Batgirl comments how strong he is, despite being a small, wooden puppet. She struggles to keep him from drilling out her eyes.
* ThisIsADrill: Ferdie has pair of drills hidden in his hands. His favorite attack is to go for the eyes.
* VillainousCrush: Ferdie has a crush on Batgirl and has written letters for her. While he sweet talks Shauna, he really isn't attracted to her. In his own words, "Once you go Bat, you know where it's at".
* VoiceChangeling: She can mimic anyone's voice.
* VulgarHumor: Shauna (or maybe Ferdie himself) really likes making crass jokes when performing.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Black Mask I]]
!Black Mask I (Roman Sionis)
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Black_Mask_0003_1813.jpg
Roman Sionis was about the same age as Bruce Wayne, and likewise had wealthy parents. However, Roman's parents were extremely neglectful and uncaring towards their son; he grew to resent them and the "Masks" they wore (of good, friendly people), when in private they were miserable. Sionis eventually killed his parents, but ran their business into the ground; at which point it was bought out by Bruce Wayne. Sionis snapped, breaking into his parents' crypt and carving a mask out of his mother's coffin. An attempt to get revenge on Wayne by lashing out at his employees failed due to the intervention of Batman, and ended up causing Sionis's Black Mask to be burned onto his face, making it unremovable.
Sionis was a capable gangster (often leading a mask-themed gang called the False-Facers), managing to regain his hold over organized crime after long stays in jail. Sionis grew even more insane and obsessed with torture as time went on. In a notable ''Catwoman'' arc, Sionis discovered Selina Kyle's secret identity, and in vengeance for Catwoman attacking his drug rings, tortured Kyle's brother-in-law to death, and forced her sister to [[ToServeMan eat pieces of his corpse]], driving her insane. Sionis was thought dead when after an extended fight, he fell out of his penthouse.
Later, in the ''War Games'' story arc, Black Mask managed to successfully play the opposing forces of a Gotham Gang war against each other. He managed to kill Orpheus, one of Batman's inside men, and assume his identity, and tortured Stephanie Brown, alias the Spoiler, leading to her apparent demise. Sionis became the de facto leader of all of Gotham's organized crime following this. He was later killed when he once again sought to ruin Catwoman's life mistakenly believing she would abide by the No-Kill rule, she responded by [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim shooting him]]. After Batman's "[[NotQuiteDead death]]", a new Black Mask has surfaced, who turns out to be [[spoiler: an AxCrazy Dr. Jeremiah Arkham]], but he was revealed to be [[spoiler: BrainwashedAndCrazy]] after his defeat, and following the reboot is probably no longer in action (especially considering that the reboot also [[RetCon retconned]] Sionis' death and he has recently reclaimed his old identity).
!!Examples
* ArchEnemy: In some extent for Catwoman prior to the Comicbook/{{New 52}}.
* AscendedExtra: He was active since the 1980's, but though always a competent and dangerous threat Black Mask remained a fairly obscure villain until he was re-imagined as an AxCrazy ObnoxiousSnarker with a SkullForAHead who succesfully and violently took over the Gotham criminal underworld and generally TookALevelInBadass (this also coincided with his becoming Catwoman's ArchEnemy in her solo title). Since then he was appeared in several adaptations and has had a major impact on Gotham in general and the Bat-family in particular.
* AxCrazy
* BackFromTheDead: Sionis, by way of a Black Lantern ring in the ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'' crossover, and by way of a RetCon in the [=DCnU=].
* BadBoss: Watching him in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanUnderTheRedHood'', ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'', or ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'' where he regularly beats or kills his own henchmen for little to no reason, can make one wonder who would still want to work for him.
** In ''Arkham Origins'' [[spoiler: this is eventually subverted, as it turns out that the Joker (possibly the epitome of this trope) was impersonating Black Mask since before the game's story began, and Sionis apparently treated his henchmen well enough that many of them ended up being killed when they refused to follow Joker.]]
* BigBad: For the last Catwoman series.
* CardCarryingVillain
* TheChessmaster: In ''War Games'', especially.
* ChildhoodBrainDamage: Dropped on his head while ''being delivered'', no less.
* ColdBloodedTorture: In one arc he cut up a woman's fiance and ''fed'' bits of him to her. It was given all the weight it deserved.
* ColorCharacter
* CombatSadomasochist
* CriminalDoppelganger: In ''War Crimes'', following his takeover of the Gotham City underworld, he attempts to get rid of Batman by disguising himself as the Caped Crusader and going out killing people in order to frame him for murder. It's foiled by SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker, who is annoyed that Sionis ([[NotQuiteDead seemingly]]) killed Stephanie Brown, because she used to be a Robin and Joker thought that meant ''[[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou he]]'' should have been the one to kill her.
* {{Cult}}: The "True-Facers" in ''ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand'', of which he was the leader, was this.
* CutLexLuthorACheck: With his incredible skills at planning and organization, he probably could have been a great businessman, right? Wrong. As it turns out, Black Mask subverted this trope when he started out as a legitimate businessman, failed spectacularly, and turned to crime instead. He showed considerably more ''elan'' as a crime lord than he ever did as a business executive.
* DeadpanSnarker: Especially during his tenure as crime lord after ''War Games'', where most of his commentary [[CrossesTheLineTwice crossed the line twice]]. And were ''hilarious''.
-->'''Mask''': I'm not pleased, you know. Not pleased at all. And despite appearances, this isn't a damned smile on my face.
** ObnoxiousSnarker: Most of his snarking appears to be shouted.
* DeadPersonImpersonation: Uses the identity of Orpheus, an ally of Batman, during ''War Games''.
* DependingOnTheWriter: Just how crazy he really is. Some storylines have him as a gibbering lunatic, others as just an eccentric (and particularly sadistic) mastermind. The latter is much more common, though.
* DiabolicalMastermind: One of the few crime lords who nearly dominated the Gotham underworld, at least for a brief time. So successful was he that he became a LegacyCharacter when a new Black Mask used his reputation to nearly do the same.
* DisproportionateRetribution: The stuff he did to Catwoman's sister just to get to Catwoman doesn't bare repeating.
* DoesNotLikeWomen: He's noticeably and considerably nastier to his female victims than his male ones, not that he treats them particularly well. It might not be that he ''dislikes'' women ''per say'', just he enjoys hurting female victims more.
* EvilFormerFriend: Like Hush, he was a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne.
* ExpressiveMask: Some artists seem to forget that Black Mask is, in fact, wearing a black mask.
* FreudianExcuse: Three of them: he was dropped on his head by the doctor seconds after being born (which may or may not have caused brain damage that permanently altered his personality), and was later bitten by a rabid raccoon. To top it off, he had extremely neglectful parents, who pretended to be happy to the outside world but were actually privately unloving and miserable.
* GeniusBruiser: He's a giant of a man who is both smart enough to near-completely dominate Gotham's underworld and a skilled enough combatant to fight Batman and Catwoman evenly.
* GunsAkimbo: Dual handguns are a trademark of his.
* HeManWomanHater: Really, really loves torturing women. That's not to say that he doesn't also do it to men (because he does), but when he does it to women, he does it with a special zeal and plenty of comments evocative of this sentiment.
* ItsPersonal: Going after Catwoman's sister was not his smartest move, though by this point ItsPersonal for the two of them.
* KnightOfCerebus: When he's not being LaughablyEvil, he's among the darkest of Batman's foes.
* LargeAndInCharge: At 6'0, he's not the largest of Batman's foes, but he's still a big man with a fairly bulky build.
* LargeHam: Sometimes, like in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanUnderTheRedHood''.
* LaughablyEvil: During his reign as Kingpin of Gotham, Mask got some great lines.
--> '''Black Mask''': Li, will you please shut the hell up!? I swear to ''God'' it's like running a criminal organization with my mother.
* LegacyCharacter: A new Black Mask has been introduced, although since the recent ContinuityReboot, Sionis has reclaimed the title.
* LetsGetDangerous: He's most well known for being a master manipulator, but he was a skilled enough combatant to hold his own against an enraged Catwoman, which is no mean feat.
* MadeOfIron: Part of what makes him an effective hand-to-hand combatant. He's definitely not as skilled as Batman or Catwoman, but he's a big man who can hit hard and take a ''lot'' of punishment.
* ManipulativeBastard: In ''War Games'' especially, wen- posing as Orpheus-, he was supposed to give a speech to the assembled gangs of Gotham calling for restraint to avert a gang war; instead, he gave one that ''started'' the war, and a riot to boot.
* MaskPower: Sionis believed in this, even if it didn't help him.
-->'''Black Mask:''' Knows that the mask destroy one identity while creating another. Know that the mask recreates its wearer. Know that through the sublimation of personality, inhibitions die and the nature of the wearer is altered -- so that deeper drives and more primitive instincts rise to the surface.
* MultilayerFacade: During ''War Games'', he assumed Orpheus's identity by applying make up over his own black mask. On top of that, he also had to wear Orpheus's helmet. [[spoiler:He did the same thing while impersonating Batman in ''War Crimes'']].
* MutilationInterrogation
* NoIndoorVoice: Sionis often throws [[MotiveRant unnecessary tantrums]] with [[RantInducingSlight little provocation]], particularly when written by Creator/JuddWinick.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: A horrific sadist and brutal misogynist. But ''damn'' if he isn't funny.
* ReligionOfEvil: In ''No Man's Land'', he turned the False Facers into a {{cult}} where everybody (himself included) horribly scarred their faces and shaved their heads so that they all looked alike, and turned them loose to go on a murderous rampage throughout the already devasted city. The second Black Mask referred to his organization as a "Ministry of Science", combining this with his MadScientist routine.
* RevengeByProxy
* SelfMadeOrphan: He killed his parents in a fire to inherit their business and fortune. Unfortunately, he was a lousy businessman and when he tried to burn down the factory to cover his tracks, he wound up with the facial injury that gave him his villain name. He was a lot better at being AxCrazy than a businessman anyways.
* ShadowArchetype: Similar to Hush (and preceding him), Black Mask is a Bruce Wayne who suffered from poor parenting and ran his own company into the ground. He's a millionaire who became an extremely violent masked crime lord rather than a moderately violent masked vigilante, and he relies more on his natural hidden talents as a criminal than on years of hard work and study.
* SkullForAHead: Since he TookALevelInBadass, his mask has become skull-like, whereas before it looked slightly more human if all-black.
* TheSociopath
* StrawNihilist: His ramblings in ''ComicBook/BatmanNoMansLand'' had some shades of this.
* TookALevelInBadass: Mask has been around since the 80's, but it's only been in the aftermath of his recent appearances, where he's become a psycho to rival the Joker, that he's been elevated to a top-tier Bat villain, shown up in the cartoons, and is a fan favorite to appear in movie adaptations.
* TortureTechnician
-->'''Mask''': Before we begin, I'd like to address the topic of screaming...by saying this: go right ahead.
* WouldHurtAChild: Thinks nothing of sadistically torturing a teenage girl.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:"Maxie" Zeus]]
!Maximilian "Maxie" Zeus
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maxiezeus_7585.JPG
This deranged gang leader of Greek ancestry, believes himself to be the incarnation of the [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek god]] Zeus. He used to be a mild-mannered history teacher, but lost his wife and his sanity in an undisclosed incident. Amidst all the chaos caused by the other insane Bat-villains, he rose to power as one of Gotham's most colorful and cunning gang leaders. He was not only a foe of Batman alone, but also a prominent enemy of Batman's SuperTeam [[Comicbook/BatmanAndTheOutsiders The Outsiders]].
!!Examples
* AGodAmI: In this case, he believes himself to be a specific god, the Greek god Zeus. In ''Comicbook/ArkhamAsylumASeriousHouseOnSeriousEarth'', he also develops messianic delusions.
* BeardOfEvil
* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: He allowed himself to be incarcerated in Blackgate Prison for the rest of his life in order to escape SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker's wrath, since he was angry at Maxie for selling modified Joker Venom as a drug.
* BigBad: Was one for Comicbook/BatmanAndTheOutsiders.
* BoringButPractical: In one story, Maxie Zeus hires construction workers to build a copy of Ancient Rome. When one of the workers suggests building traps for the lion pit or using a lion that turns into a velociraptor to make things more interesting, Zeus refuses because he doesn't want his Ancient Rome to have anything the original one didn't. The worker comments that just a normal pit with a lion isn't scary and Zeus reacts by throwing the worker at the pit and daring him not to feel scared once the lion arrives.
* TheChessmaster: With his intelligence, he was able to build his gang among the chaos caused by Gotham's supervillains.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: He started to become forgotten by DC's writers after ''Comicbook/InfiniteCrisis'' and ''One Year Later'', only coming back in Creator/KevinSmith's ''Cacophony'', where he got PutOnABus at the end of that story.
* DrivenToMadness: He lost his sanity in an [[NoodleIncident undisclosed incident]] where his wife died.
** In ''Cacophony'', he gains sanity after taking medication, but when SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker kills his nephew, Aesop, he is shocked back into insanity.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: His nephew Aesop, whose death by SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker shocks him back into insanity.
* GollumMadeMeDoIt: In the ''Cacophony'' storyline, where he has taken meds for his insanity, he refers to "Maxie" as his deranged, insane self and "Maximilian" as his saner self.
* NapoleonDelusion
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Arkham Asylum's guards initially didn't put him in the maximum-security wing where the other Bat-rogues are because they didn't think he was as dangerous, despite Batman repeatedly telling them to do so. They were proven wrong when his team of metahumans called the "New Olympians" easily broke him out.
* PsychoElectro: In ''Comicbook/ArkhamAsylumASeriousHouseOnSeriousEarth'', he becomes addicted to the asylum's electroshock treatment, which makes him even more insane.
* ThePsychoRangers: He "New Olympians" team was one for ComicBook/BatmanAndTheOutsiders.
* TookALevelInBadass: His sole appearance in The Batman has him at the commands of a giant flying ship, the New Olympus, which he uses to take over Gotham. And almost an entire army obeying him.
* UnexplainedRecovery: He was thought to be dead after he got involved in [[Franchise/WonderWoman Ares]]' plot to turn Gotham into his capital over the world, but was eventually revealed to be alive and well for no revealed reason.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: For almost all of one storyline, where he tried to pass himself off as a legitimate shipping magnate after gaining sanity from medications. It didn't last because it was revealed to the public that he was selling a diluted version of Joker Venom as a party drug.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Great White Shark]]
!The Great White Shark (Warren White)
[[quoteright:237:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/batrogues_great_white_shark_4733.jpg]]
Sentenced to prison for [[StealingFromTheTill creative accounting practices]], financier Warren White tried to slip through the cracks by [[InsanityDefense pleading insanity]], in the hopes of being committed to [[HospitalParadiso a modern psychiatric care facility]]. Instead, he wound up in [[BedlamHouse Arkham Asylum]], where the inmates [[ColdBloodedTorture ritually tortured and abused him]] [[InitiationCeremony for being the "new fish"]]; Killer Croc went so far as to carve gills in the sides of his neck.
After being locked in a freezer for several hours during a riot, Warren emerged [[RedRightHand a changed man]]: [[BodyHorror his hair had fallen out, his lips and nose had shrivelled away in the cold, and his skin was now chalky white]]. [[SanitySlippage His mind now decidedly twisted]], White has since traded off his appearance and business acumen to become one of the premier mob bosses in Gotham City.
!!Examples
* AssholeVictim: Don't think [[MorallyBankruptBanker he didn't work hard]] to [[BreakTheHaughty earn]] that HumiliationConga.
* AstonishinglyAppropriateAppearance: Ironic that a man with the nick name "Shark" would end up resembling one after an unrelated accident. That only applies to his lack of nose and ears, he filed his teeth down himself.
* BaldOfEvil
* TheChessmaster: After Black Mask's death, he briefly managed to [[VillainExitStageLeft oust the Penguin from Gotham]] and control the city's rackets from [[MightAsWellNotBeInPrisonAtAll inside his cell at Arkham]].
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Gained his nickname for his ruthless and cold-blooded business practices.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: Went from TheChewToy for all the other Arkham inmates to one of the most influent mob bosses in Gotham City after his transformation.
* [[HawaiianShirtedTourist Hawaiian Shirted]] {{Jerkass}}: In ''Streets of Gotham''.
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: He's worked out a [[DealWithTheDevil deal with the Torture Lords of Hell]] that will enable him to escape any punishment for his life's misdeeds.]] Comicbook/{{Etrigan}} is actually impressed.
* LoanShark: [[StealthPun Quite.]]
* PhraseCatcher: Warren White is [[RunningGag the worst person you have ever met]].
* ProfessionalButtKisser: Warren [[PersonalMook gets a job flipping Two-Face's coin]] when Two-Face injures his hands and can't do it himself, for no other reason than that he's desperate to be under ''anybody's'' protection at first.
* SharkMan: Not actually a [[FishPeople Fish Person]], but close enough.
* TooDumbToLive: Really, when you plead insanity in [[CrapsackWorld Gotham City]], you gotta be.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Victor Zsasz]]
!Victor Zsasz
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zsasz_491.jpg
An oft-seen but relatively minor bat-villain, Zsasz was once a wealthy businessman who lost fortune and family alike. The loss of his business was too much for him, and he was attempting suicide when a homeless man tried to assault him with a knife. At that point, he embraced a [[StrawNihilist profoundly nihilistic]] worldview: all of life is meaningless, and the greatest gift he can offer is to "liberate" them - by slaying them and leaving them in lifelike poses. He celebrates his killings by self-scarification, cutting a tally into his flesh for every life he takes.
Has no relation to [[Comicbook/TheQuestion Charles Victor "Vic Sage" Szasz]]
!!Examples
* AscendedExtra: Despite being a lesser-used villain overall, he was used in a substantial way in two [[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum Arkham]] [[VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity games]], which has raised mainstream awareness of the character substantially.
* AxCrazy: Or rather, knife crazy.
* BaldOfEvil or BlondGuysAreEvil: See DependingOnTheArtist
* BerserkButton: He made a tally mark for Batman, only to learn that the Dark Knight wasn't dead; this caused him to wig out for a while.
* DependingOnTheArtist: Sometimes he's lean and muscular and has a buzz cut hair style, and other times he's scrawny and looks like a balding, emaciated, meth addict. Artist Cliff Chiang also gives him a standard skinhead appearance for some reason, with a white tank top, suspenders, Doc Martens boots and a shaved head (though the latter is hardly unusual for Zsasz).
* DependingOnTheWriter: Zsasz is variably depicted as either [[BossInMookClothing a truly dangerous]] [[GeniusBruiser and cunning foe]], or [[MauveShirt just one step up]] from [[FacelessGoons your average rank-and-file goon]]. It's also [[MotiveDecay sometimes unclear]] as to whether he is a true [[StrawNihilist Nietzsche Wannabe]], or if he simply kills ForTheEvulz.
* DespairEventHorizon: He was DrivenToSuicide only to be interrupted by a man trying to mug him for the money he squandered.
* ExoticEyeDesigns: In his first appearance, Zsasz's eyes were often kept in shadow. They later ran with this, giving his odd, black eyes that point out with little white dots for pupils, [[http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111108192259/batman/images/4/4c/83298-61545-mr-zsasz.jpg like so]]. These aren't acknowledged in stories, so it seems to just be a stylistic choice. Whether his eyes look like this depends on the artist, and many just draw him with normal eyes.
* FeelNoPain: Zsasz has cut himself so many times that his pain reactions are in fact dulled.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: Soooooo many evil scars - one for every victim.
* KnifeNut: His signature weapon is a carving knife.
* SerialKiller: One of the premier non-powered examples in Gotham.
* StrawNihilist: His whole raison d'etre for his murderous rampage? He believes that, by killing people, he is liberating them from the worthlessness of life.
** ''Streets of Gotham'' implied that he sees everyone around him as already dead and he's just "freeing them" from that state. When Damian starts fighting on Zsasz's level, suddenly Zsasz doesn't see his opponent as just a corpse any more and ''freaks out'' because he hallucinates seeing his own dead body reflected in Damian's eyes.
* WouldHurtAChild: Not only has he killed numerous children, he even [[GladiatorGames constructed an arena for the purposes of doing so]] when [[NightmareFetishist told to "fulfill his dreams"]], and [[BloodSport invited crime bosses to bet on the outcome]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Clayface I]]
!Clayface I (Basil Karlo)
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Clayface_img_7209.jpg
Basil Karlo was an actor who, when he heard his classic horror film "The Terror" was being remade, went mad. He donned the mask of the film's villain, "Clayface," and went on a killing spree, murdering the members of the cast and crew. However, he was stopped by Batman, reappearing a few times before remaining unused. However, during his absence, several other criminals with the name Clayface appeared. They were all made of clay, [[VoluntaryShapeShifting could change shape]], and one even had a poisonous touch.
One of these new Clayfaces visited Karlo in prison out of curiosity, and they formed a plan where all living Clayfaces would team up against Batman. The group, called "The Mud Pack," was beaten, but Karlo obtained the powers of all the other Clayfaces, becoming a much bigger threat.
!!Examples
* ElementalShapeshifter: Clayface is a walking mountain of mud, and can use his powers for shapeshifting or brute strength.
* DisproportionateRetribution: He decides to murder people because they're remaking his film without him in the starring role, even though he was brought on as a consultant.
* {{Flanderization}}: Karlo was previously characterized as an ego-maniacal actor, but then writers and artists began depicting him more like the Clayface from the animated series, who was more-or-less an amalgamation of the first four Clayfaces, but more predominately Matt Hagen, the second. The difficulty in this is that, the comic version of Hagen died during ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'', and has remained dead. Unless it's outright stated in the story featuring him, readers have a hard time telling if Clayface is Karlo or Hagen.
* LargeHam: Comes with the acting background. After receiving the abilities of Preston Payne and Shondra Fuller, Karlo regarded himself as "THE ULTIMATE CLAYFACE!"
* LegacyCharacter: There have so far been eight Clayfaces.
* MakeThemRot[=/=]TouchOfDeath[=/=]PoisonousOrganism: Gained this ability from Preston Payne.
* NameFaceName: Perhaps the only thing that is consistent with all versions.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Obvious stand-in for Boris Karloff.
* PoisonousPerson: Inherits this power from Preston Payne, a poisonous touch that would melt people's skin.
* ShapeshifterWeapon: Can morph his hands into maces, hammers, or other weapons.
* TechnicallyNakedShapeshifter: Can form clothing out of his own substance after gaining the powers of the other Clayfacen.
* TragicVillain: Some adaptations and the other versions of Clayface are shown to be this.
* UnholyMatrimony: With Poison Ivy, recently.
* VoluntaryShapeShifting: After becoming a true Clayface.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Clayface II]]
!Clayface II (Matt Hagen)
Matt Hagen found a submarine mist that could turn him into a mud-like man who could change shape. He decided to use this power to steal works of art and got in conflict with Batman. Hagen eventually died during ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths.
!!Examples
* ElementalShapeshifter: Clayface is a walking mountain of mud, and can use his powers for shapeshifting or brute strength.
* KilledOffForReal: Killed by shadow demons alongside Ten-Eyed Man.
** TheEndOrIsIt: A Secret Files issue teased his possible survival, but subverted it for laughs.
* LegacyCharacter: The second of eight Clayfaces.
* NameFaceName: Just like his predecessor and successors.
* ShapeshifterWeapon: Can morph his hands into maces, hammers, or other weapons.
* TechnicallyNakedShapeshifter: Can form clothing out of his own substance as part of his disguises.
* VoluntaryShapeShifting: The first Clayface to have this power.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Clayface III]]
!Clayface III (Preston Payne)
Suffering from hyperpituitarism, Preston Payne sought to cure his condition. Creating an enzyme made from the DNA of the then-living Matt Hagen, Payne hoped to cure his condition. Instead, he gained the power to melt the people he touches.
* LegacyCharacter: The third Clayface.
* MonsterSobStory: He was trying to rid himself of his hyperpituitarism, he failed and accidently killed his girlfriend.
* MakeThemRot[=/=]TouchOfDeath[=/=]PoisonousOrganism: His chief power is that he can melt people into.
* PoweredArmor: He wears an exoskeleton suit to keep himself from touching people, though he can takes off his glvoes so he can. It gives him superhuman strength.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Killer Croc]]
!Killer Croc/Waylon Jones
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/WaylonJones_3281.jpg
Born with a rare skin disease that left him with scaly, crocodile-like skin, Waylon Jones was unaccepted by the outside world. His parents couldn't stand him, and they abandoned him in the wilderness, forcing him to become a career criminal to survive. At one point, he used his razor sharp teeth to become a cannibal and eat people. He has clashed with Batman several times over the years, each time becoming more bestial and reptilian due to a mutation of his already strange disease. He possesses superhuman strength and is much larger than the average man.
!!Examples
* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: Often finds himself in one of these.
* AbusiveParents: Abusive aunt anyways.
* AntiVillain: Had shades of this in old contiunity, fully embraced in the New 52, where he gets a large amount of MoralityPets and PetTheDog moments.
* AxCrazy
* BeastMan: Effectively.
* TheBerserker: His fighting style more or less revolves around completely overwhelming the opponent with his sheer speed, strength, and resistance to harm.
* BizarreHumanBiology
* TheBrute: In most appearances following the story in which he was introduced. In his first appearance, though, Croc was actually a GeniusBruiser who manipulated Batman's entire RoguesGallery--sort of Bane 0.5.
* DependingOnTheArtist: Nobody can decide whether Killer Croc is a big strong guy with a skin condition or a crocodile man anymore. It's 50/50 that he'll be depicted either way.
* DependingOnTheWriter: On top of the above, he seems to be one of those villains writers can never really pin down. It's hard to believe that he was an accomplished marksman and the precursor of ''Bane''.
* DrivenByEnvy: Of the normal people.
* DumbMuscle: After {{Flanderization}} set in. {{Justified|Trope}} in that his condition is fully atavistic - everything, including his mind, just keeps regressing further and further as time goes on, which explains how he went from a GeniusBruiser who was Bane-lite to a feral, animalistic savage.
* FangsAreEvil
* {{Flanderization}}: He was originally a somewhat intelligent gangster with a medical condition (a ''very severe'' medical condition), whose misanthropy was the result of being tormented by everyone (family included) for his freakish appearance. This was eventually downplayed, with Croc becoming more bestial and less intelligent as time went on (this was typically explained that his condition was worsening, further separating him from humanity). By the time of ''Hush'', Croc could probably pass for a bulkier AlternateCompanyEquivalent of [[Characters/SpiderManRoguesGallery the Lizard]] (explained away by Hush infecting him with a virus that further increased his mutation).
* FreakOut: In Batman #471 he supposedly died when the sewer he was in flooded and collapsed. In #489 it was revealed that he was nearly drowned, was forced to live on rats, constantly suffered from fevers and was haunted by nightmares. He emerged from the sewers after six months with a radically different personality, diminished mental capacity and permanent hallucinations.
* FreudianExcuse: Between abusive classmates and his godawful aunt, his stint in reform school, and his treatment in the freakshow he was part of, Croc's got a lot of reasons to hate the world.
* HandWave: Originally he was a man with a very, ''very'' bad skin condition. His appearance has gotten more monstrous over time, which has been explained as his condition worsening.
* HandwrapsOfAwesome: He sometimes wears these (e.g., in ''Batman Hush'' and the concept art for ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum'').
* HealingFactor: Can restore missing teeth and limbs.
* HeelFaceTurn: In ''[[{{Elseworld}} The Batman of Arkham]]'', owing to psychiatrist Bruce Wayne's gentle treatment and care. (With a dose of EpiphanyTherapy and SingleIssuePsychology.)
* ImAHumanitarian
* ImmuneToBullets: Croc's skin is thick enough to ward off even high calibre bullets.
* ImplacableMan: It's not that he can't be stopped, just that it's extremely difficult to do so.
* IJustWantToBeNormal: Croc's search for a cure has been a fairly consistent part of his characterisation.
* LightningBruiser: Superhumanly fast to the point of surprising Batman more than once.
* LizardFolk
* TheMentallyIll: Croc is atavistic, and when intelligent, has the mindset one would expect of an alligator or similar reptile. As a result his moral agency is seriously questionable, and he's one of the few Batman rogues who legitimately belongs in Arkham.
* MoralityPet: In a rather bizarre decision made regarding the post-Flashpoint Croc, he's revealed to be Roy Harper's sponsor in ''Comicbook/RedHoodAndTheOutlaws''.
** In the New 52, teenager Olive Silverlock, a student at Gotham Academy, is this to him. He's kind and friendly to her (and it extends to her friends) and is also very protective towards her. Her mother Sybil seemed to be this to him too, as he appreciated her not treating him like a monster and he in turn promised her he'd keep an eye on and care for Olive.
* {{Mutant}}: Possesses an atavistic mindset, coupled with a skin condition not unlike epidermolytic hyperkeratosis, and a metagene. The end result is the crocodillian monster we all know and love.
* OmnicidalManiac
* ParentalAbandonment: Mom and dad left him with an alcoholic aunt, who could not have cared less about him.
* RedRightHand: Croc's bestial outer appearance is indicative of his animalistic inner nature.
* TheResenter: Resents and hates "normal people" and lashes out at them constantly.
* ScaryBlackMan: Is technically black, and yeah, he's not someone you want to run into. Ever.
* SelfMadeOrphan: Killed his abusive aunt.
* SuperSenses: Possesses a highly advanced sense of smell.
* SuperStrength: His strength crosses the line into superhuman, making him very difficult to stop.
* TookALevelInBadass: In the Comicbook/{{New 52}} he's the only member of Batwoman's rogues to not be an original, and magic is used to upgrade him into a more ferocious and powerful multi-eyed form. Later, he's upgraded into a massive multi-headed hydra and rampages through Gotham.
* TragicVillain: He does seem to want to be normal very, very badly. Well, DependingOnTheWriter, but this is a pretty frequently recurring quirk of his.
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Solomon Grundy]]
!Solomon Grundy/Cyrus Gold
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sgrndy_cv1_4854.jpg
Solomon Grundy is a zombie who was once a businessman, Cyrus Gold, who was murdered in Slaughter Swamp, a swamp just outside Gotham City. Supernatural forces then gathered into his dead body, causing him to resurrect as a zombie one Monday. He took the name Solomon Grundy when he heard people reciting the nursery rhyme "Solomon Grundy".
One thing unique about Grundy is that his appearance and personality constantly change. This is because whenever Grundy is killed, his body resurrects in Slaughter Swamp the next Monday. Each time he resurrects, he becomes almost a different character entirely. He has been the range of a stereotypical {{Hulk Speak}}ing zombie, an animalistic berserker, and even an intelligent MagnificentBastard. On at least [[ComicBook/{{Starman}} one occasion]], he has even resurrected as a good guy. Suffice to say, it is tough to stop him without killing him, so he gets killed rather frequently.
He debuted as a prominent recurring enemy of the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] Franchise/GreenLantern, Alan Scott, who also operated in Gotham. Grundy would go on to tangle with countless heroes of Franchise/TheDCU, but, due to Slaughter Swamp's proximity to Gotham, eventually settled on becoming a part of Batman's RoguesGallery, even becoming a boss in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity''.
For more information, see [[Characters/Earth2GreenLantern this page.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Doctor Simon Hurt]]
!Doctor Simon Hurt/[[spoiler:Thomas Wayne Jr.]]
[[quoteright:244:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Doctor_Hurt_62.png]]
->"'''Batman's''' a hardy specimen, with an above-average mind[=--=]but even a '''Batman''' can succumb to stress and shock!"
-->-- ''Batman'' #156, 1963
A psychiatrist that observed Batman during an isolation experiment, Simon Hurt is the leader of a mysterious organization called The Black Glove. He wants to completely and utterly break Batman, physically and mentally.
!!Examples
* AdaptationDistillation: [[spoiler: His backstory had him being found by Thomas and Martha Wayne and then taken to a mental hospital to get help. In a Pre-Crisis story, Bruce discovered he had a younger brother, Thomas Jr., who suffered head injuries and was sent to live in Willowood Asylum. Thomas Jr. escaped at some point and became an assassin named the Boomerang Killer who fought Batman and Deadman together before pulling an impulsive HeroicSacrifice to save Bruce.]]
* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler:Last seen being BuriedAlive by the Joker somewhere on the grounds of Wayne Manor, because [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou there's only one person]] who the Joker wants messing with Batman's head.]]
* AscendedExtra: Creator/GrantMorrison ascended him out of an unnamed psychiatrist in UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|OfComicBooks}} story "Robin Dies at Dawn"
* [[spoiler:AssholeVictim: It's incredibly hard not to fist pump as the Joker buries him.]]
* BigBad: Of The Black Glove StoryArc in [[Comicbook/GrantMorrisonsBatman Grant Morrison's Batman run]].
* CardCarryingVillain: He speaks very proudly about how he wants to break the hero that is Batman.
* CrazyPrepared: He planted the trigger Zurr-En-Arrh in order to MindRape Batman.
* DontYouDarePityMe: Part of his grand revenge scheme against not only Batman but Thomas and Martha Wayne is because [[spoiler: they actually tried to help him by bringing him to the Willowood mental hospital under the guise of their other son.]]
* EccentricMillionaire: Evil version.
* ForTheEvulz: Loves to make people's lives (And Batman's life, in particular) miserable and broken and hosts it as a gambling game just because he can.
* AGlassOfChianti
* IdenticalGrandson: [[spoiler:Bears a notable resemblance to Bruce Wayne's father Dr. Thomas Wayne. See below for why.]]
* LukeIAmYourFather: At one point attempted to convince Bruce that he was actually his father Dr. Thomas Wayne, who had faked his own death and murdered his wife. [[spoiler:He's actually a distant paternal ancestor of Bruce, also named Thomas Wayne, corrupted and turned immortal by Comicbook/{{Darkseid}}'s Hyper Adapter.]]
* AManOfWealthAndTaste
* MindRape: What he does to the replacement Batmen and Bruce himself.
* ProfessionalGambler: His organization, Black Glove, has a gambling theme.
* PsychoPsychologist
* ThePsychoRangers: While Batman has the Club of Heroes, consisting of vigilantes from various countries, Hurt has the Club of Villains, consisting of their respective arch enemies.
* RichBitch: Male version.
* SmugSnake: Fully believed the law could never stop him due to [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney all the Black Glove's money]]. [[spoiler: He didn't count on SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker [[BuriedAlive putting a stop to him]].]]
* TallDarkAndSnarky: Tries to be this at first, but gradually loses his dignity, becoming more and more of a FauxAffablyEvil SmugSnake.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:James Gordon, Jr.]]
!James Gordon, Jr.
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/250px-James_Gordon_Jr_1423.jpg]]
The long absent son of Commissioner James Gordon and his first wife, Barbara Gordon, James, Jr. finally made a reappearance in the 2011 arc, "Skeleton Cases". Having shown symptoms of psychopathy in his youth, James seemed to be ready to be a functioning member of society. However, it was instead revealed that he was a serial killer, having murdered several people who bullied him in his youth, and viewed empathy as a weakness. His brutality and sadism are only matched by his cunning, and proves himself to be a dangerous foe to the reluctant new Batman, Dick Grayson.
!!Examples
* AntagonisticOffspring: To his father, [[CommissionerGordon James Gordon Sr.]].
* ArchEnemy: To Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon. He couldn't care less about Bruce Wayne.
* AxCrazy
* BigBad: For some of Batgirl's solo adventures and Dick Grayson's time as Batman.
* CainAndAbel: The Cain to his sister, Barbara's, Abel.
* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Back and forth, and then explained, James first appeared in ''ComicBook/BatmanYearOne'' but was not mentioned for many years after that comic, both in and out of universe. The story arc ''Skeleton Cases'' gives very good reasons as to why he was not talked about in-universe. The Gordon family and others try not to talk about James due to his sociopathic behavior being both disturbing and hurtful as well as being a shame on the Gordons.
* CreepySouvenir: He had a large collection of house keys. Each one was taken off of a victim during his years as a serial killer.
* EnfantTerrible: Showed signs of psychopathy at a young age and managed to deeply unnerve a serial child murderer to the point where he scared him away.
* EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor:
-->'''James, Jr.:''' (''Indicating a stain on his shirt.'') This? It's blood, dad. I killed a waitress while you were talking to Barbara. Her head is stuffed in the toilet of the men's room. (''Pause.'') It's just ketchup, see? I'm sorry
* EvilIsPetty: He in fact looks to be picked on so that he can satiate and justify his bloodlust.
* EvilRedhead: As a member of the Gordon family.
* EyeScream: He had a knife shoved into the outer edge his eye one time, though it seemed to have missed the eyeball and go into the socket, or he just didn't care.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He can put up a pretty good front. Sadly, that's all it is.
* FourEyesZeroSoul: So much, it hurts.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: He ''tries'' to rationalize his acts as this, but in reality, everything that was done to him was a petty slight AT BEST and his acts of vengeance are so grossly disproportionate that words cannot even sum up how far overboard he went. He knows this, too; when Barbara tells him that he was just looking for ways to justify committing acts of extreme cruelty, he doesn't even deny it or attempt to argue with her about it.
* LackOfEmpathy: States that he views empathy as a weakness.
* PsychoticSmirk: His default expression.
* SerialKiller: During his many years away from Gotham, he seems to have taken up this as a hobby.
* SoftspokenSadist: Unlike many other of the batman villains, he never hams it up. He always speaks in an even tone.
* TheSociopath: Averted, if only because he's a full blown psychopath.
* TheStoic: Combined with PsychoticSmirk, this is how he usually acts.
** NotSoStoic: Despite hating emotions and empathy, he has his few moments of them.
* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: When you think about how many other Batman villains have either disfigurements, eye-catching costumes, or some manner of ObviouslyEvil design, Junior looking like a regular person is pretty startlingly creepy all on its own.
* WorthyOpponent: Views his sister as this because she's the only person who has managed to dissect his motives and rationale and understand who he truly is.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Dealer]]
!The Dealer/Etienne Guiborg
An elderly man who runs an underground auction house called Mirror House which sells off many items, gadgets and whatnot obtained from Gotham's worst criminals. By himself, he isn't much of a threat given his age, but he is a rather sinister dealer.
!!Examples
* AuctionOfEvil: Mirror House.
* EvilFeelsGood: He strongly believes that humanity shines best when it's full of evil and doesn't mind telling it as it is.
* EvilOldFolks: One of the most recent (and oldest) entries to Batman's rouges gallery.
* LargeHam: He knows how to put on quite a show in his auctions.
* [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname Only Known By His Alias]]: Etienne Guiborg isn't his real name.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Professor Pyg]]
!Professor Pyg/Lazlo Valentin
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_1012023-pyg_12_4080.jpg]]
A psychotic surgeon/artist who dresses in a pig mask, a former low-level crime boss driven completely insane by overuse of hard narcotics. In pursuit of "art", he physically and mentally mutilates victims with power tools and chemicals to create zombie-slaves he calls his "Dollotrons".
!!Examples
* EarlyBirdCameo: His first appearance in Batman #666 was in Damian's future as the new Batman. Pyg had already been killed when he first appeared, and his first appearance was without the surgical outfit or pig mask, but in a checkered suit like a college professor.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: He was originally a low level crime boss before he got into hard narcotics and went nuts.
* LargeHam
* MadDoctor: He is an accomplished scientist and chemist who uses his skills to disfigure his victims. He also has the habit of using power tools to aid in his ghastly surgeries.
** MadArtist: What he also views himself as.
* MalevolentMaskedMan: He wears a horrifying pig mask.
* MindRape: His specialty.
* MommyIssues: If his drug-based rants are anything to go by.
* NightmareFace: In ''Damian: Son of Batman'', Pyg's face has been surgically altered to actually look like a pig's complete with BlackEyesOfEvil. He actually looked like that way back in Batman #666, but it wasn't as frightening or apparent as in the aforementioned miniseries, which is set in the years leading to up to the BadFuture shown in #666.
* NumberOfTheBeast: The issue wherein he first appeared was Batman #666.
* OurZombiesAreDifferent: The Dollotrons, Professor Pyg's mutilated victims, are zombie-like mind-controlled creatures that are obedient to the Professor. They wear doll-like dresses and have doll-like masks that cannot be removed surgically. Their creation is implied to involve brain surgery, genital mutilation, and mind-altering drugs.
* PigMan: It's just a mask, but he fits the bill. Although in ''Damian: Son of Batman'' he looks like a pig without the mask.
* Theater/{{Pygmalion}}: The basis of Professor Pyg's crimes and theme is based on a perversion of the Pygmalion play. He mutilates his victims both physically and mentally into Dollotrons based on his warped sense of belief of what a perfect human being should look like.
* WordSaladHorror: Most of his dialog is utter nonsense.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: The Court of Owls]]
!The Court of Owls
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_courtofowls_1549.png]]
-> ''"[[AncientConspiracy The Court of Owls watches,]]\\
[[BigBrotherIsWatching watches all the time.]]\\
[[TheManBehindTheMan Ruling Gotham from shadowed perch,]]\\
behind granite and lime.\\
\\
They watch you at your hearth.\\
they watch you in your bed,\\
speak not a whispered word of them,\\
or they'll send [[ImplacableMan The Talon]] for your head."''
The Court of Owls is secret organization centuries old with immense power and influence embedded into the very architecture and history of Gotham City. When Batman, and subsequently Bruce Wayne, began to make an impression on the city (through crime fighting and Bruces many charitable foundations/renovation of the Narrows), they felt threatened and declared war on Batman and his allies.
----
* AncientConspiracy: Dating back to Pre-Revolution America.
* CompositeCharacter: [[spoiler:Lincoln March/Thomas Wayne, Jr. combines both the Owlman (owl motif, evil mirror of Bruce) and Boomerang Killer (brain-damaged younger Wayne brother) versions of Thomas Jr.]].
* TheDragon: [[spoiler: Lincoln March a.k.a. Thomas Wayne Jr.]] in their organization. [[spoiler: He's also TheStarscream, as he kills off most of the Court's top members to take advantage of the organization.]]
* {{Determinator}}: Every. Single. Talon.
** ImplacableMan
* TheDreaded
* EliteMooks: Their assassins, the Talons.
* HealingFactor: The Talons all sport this, although they can be killed. [[spoiler: Temporarily.]]
* TheIlluminati
* KidsAreCruel: Batman is beaten within inches of his life at the behest of a child Court member.
* LightningBruiser: The Talons.
* TheManBehindTheMan
* MythologyGag: Their role as owls that antagonize bats with agents known as Talons, [[spoiler:Thomas Wayne, Jr.]] in particular, are references to Owlman and Talon, the evil MirrorUniverse counterparts to Batman and Robin pre-ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}}.
* OminousOwl: Their whole motif. The fact that owls are the natural predators of bats lends itself quite well to the imagery.
* TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness
* {{Tykebomb}}: Members are indoctrinated from very young ages.
* WhiteMaskOfDoom: Members of the Court wear creepy barn owl masks.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Owlman I & II]]
!Owlman
Batman's evil counterpart from another universe. There have been two main versions.
Pre-Crisis Owlman hailed from the partially reversed world of Earth-3. Born with low-level superintelligence, he experimented with his brain to increase these powers, eventually developing the power to control the minds of others. He was a founding member of the Crime Syndicate of America, and served as their idea man and evil genius. He eventually died alongside his teammates, trying to protect their world from the Antimonitor.
Post-Crisis Owlman is the Thomas Wayne Jr. of the Antimatter Universe. Driven mad by the deaths of his mother and father, and his brother Bruce, he decided to conquer the Gotham underworld as the villainous Owlman, alongside Boss Jim Gordan. He later joined the Crime Syndicate of Amerika and maintains a longstanding affair with teammate Superwoman, much to the disgust of her husband, Ultraman.
----
* AntagonisticOffspring: Post-Crisis Owlman to his father, Thomas Wayne Senior, who turns up alive and hoping to put his villainous son behind bars--or under the ground--for good.
* AxCrazy: Post-Crisis Owlman is a raving lunatic.
* BadassNormal: Physically speaking, anyway.
* CainAndAbel: With the Matter Universe in an odd way Post-Crisis.
* EvilCounterpart: To Batman.
* EvilGenius: To the Crime Syndicate as a whole. This was particularly noticeable Pre-Crisis, when their every major plan was his.
* EvilerThanThou: Pre-Crisis with the Antimonitor, and Post-Crisis with the Antimatter Universe Brainiac.
* FreudianExcuse: Post-Crisis
* PsychicPowers: Pre-Crisis Owlman could use his superbrain to mind control others.
* TheResenter: Towards his father, Post-Crisis. Thomas Jr. blames Thomas Sr. for the deaths of his brother and mother.
* SmugSnake: Not nearly as smart as he thinks he is.
* SuperIntelligence: Both versions of Owlman have increased their intelligence to superhuman levels.
* VigilanteMan: Post-Crisis, when he sought to control crime.
* VillainousFriendship: Pre-Crisis, when he and the rest of the Syndicate were portrayed as a close-knit group of criminal friends. Owlman in particular seems horrified when his teammate Johnny Quick perishes against the Antimonitor.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Cluemaster]]
!!The Cluemaster/Arthur Brown
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/89f4b00732e6de78f9d5a95a91fb0248.jpg]]
A failed game show host who turned to a life a crime, leaving behind clues to his activities to demonstrate his superiority to the police, who were stumped trying to figure them out. Batman had no such difficulty and would regularly stop and imprison The Cluemaster, aided by Arthur's daughter Stephanie, who became the Spoiler to stop his criminal activities. He would later join the Suicide Squad to atone for his crimes and was briefly thought dead before reemerging once more as a criminal.
Post-Flashpoint, the Cluemaster's origin remains much the same, although he avoided going to prison by convincing Batman that he would give up crime for the sake of his family. This was a lie, and during the events of ''ComicBook/BatmanEternal'' he plots with several other villains to contribute to the chaos of Gotham City while attempting to hunt down and kill his daughter Stephanie after she discovered him meeting with several of his criminal associates.
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* AdaptationalBadass: Zigzagged Post-Flashpoint; while he was caught and outsmarted by his daughter multiple times, [[spoiler:he managed to mastermind the entire plan simply by removing Jim Gordon from his position, and having the rest of Batman's top villains go wild on the city by sending them invitations to do so. He even managed to "follow the clues" to discover the Court of Owls, something which Batman had failed to do before]].
* AbusiveParents: His introduction Post-Flashpoint is attempting to kill Stephanie after she walked in on him meeting with several of his supervillain friends and commenting that he would have to do better with his next child.
* BeneathSuspicion: Batman and Vicki Vale both dismiss him as a "second rate Riddler knock-off". [[spoiler:In fact, he counted on this for his plan in ''Batman Eternal'', taking in other C-list villains such as Lock-Up, Ratcatcher, Prankster, and Signalman to cause the most chaos, with nobody, not even Batman, believing he could possibly be the mastermind or the main problem]].
* BigBad: Of [[spoiler:''Batman Eternal'', although he ends up being HijackedByGanon by Lincoln March at the end]].
* BondVillainStupidity: He has a few chances to kill Stephanie but keeps screwing it up by monologuing or going about it in a complicated manner. [[spoiler:Shows up again when he could have just shot and killed Batman while he was chained to the Bat-signal, but he again monologues before he tries to shoot him, giving Batman a chance to break free. After they fight, Cluemaster pulls his gun and prepares to finish the job, but Lincoln March steps in and slashes his throat. Though to be fair, [[WorfHadTheFlu Bruce hadn't gotten any sleep for more than a day and had been running himself ragged for even longer]], had gotten his chest cut open, and was barely capable of standing]].
* DeathBySecretIdentity: [[spoiler:Gets his throat slit by Lincoln March minutes after learning Bruce's identity as Batman.]]
* TheDogWasTheMastermind: He [[ExploitedTrope exploits]] this trope in [[spoiler:''Batman Eternal'', bringing in bigger and bigger villains by setting events in motion then simply inviting them so that Batman would reach higher for villains to be in charge of the without thinking down to the [[NotSoHarmlessVillain C and D listers]] who are the ''real'' masterminds]].
* FashionVictimVillain: InUniverse. His choice of colors for his outfit are given an annoyed LampshadeHanging by his daughter Stephanie, who notes that no one takes her warnings about him seriously partly because of how bad his outfit is. [[spoiler:With his reveal as the BigBad, one wonders if this was intentional to make people underestimate him.]]
-->'''Stephanie:''' (about bloggers commenting on her information regarding Cluemaster) ...making fun of his costume... I mean, orange and blue, dad? ''Really?''
* HandCannon: Wields a large revolver Post-Flashpoint.
* HesBack: Makes his return Post-Flashpoint in ''Batman Eternal'' as the villain for his daughter Stephanie's plotline, [[spoiler:as well as the main villain of the storyline]].
* InsistentTerminology: He keeps trying to say that he is ''not'' to be called Arthur, but rather ''Cluemaster''. [[RunningGag Nobody listens]], including his fellow C-list villain friends. [[spoiler:This is probably the point, as seeing him as a joke was likely agreed upon between the villains to keep up the plot.]]
* LetterBomb: During his hunt for Stephanie in ''Batman Eternal'', Cluemaster delivered one to Stephanie's friend's home which killed her, and likely everyone else there, in an attempt to draw his daughter out.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: While he and his friends Signal Man, Ratcatcher, Prankster, and Lock-Up might not be regarded as the best villains, when they start working together in ''Batman Eternal'' they're screwing up everything from the water systems to the traffic lights, as they are under orders to make things more unstable and people more and more angry. [[spoiler:Then it is revealed that he is the BigBad who started all the chaos in Gotham with a couple of mind control pills a few invitations]].
* OffingTheOffspring: Tries to repeatedly kill Stephanie throughout ''Batman Eternal'', but she keeps spoiling his attempts.
* SlashedThroat: [[spoiler:Lincoln March does this to Cluemaster in the penultimate issue of ''Batman Eternal'', noting that Cluemaster was getting ready to screw up his own plan by taking credit for killing Batman and causing all the chaos in Gotham, since that would take away the C-List status that had allowed him to do so.]]
* VillainousFriendship: He is friends with fellow C-List villains like Lock-Up, Ratcatcher, Prankster, and Signalman. They routinely get together to play cards and bemoan their low status on the supervillain totem pole.
* WeCanRuleTogether: He tries this when he attempts to get Stephanie to stand down after being impressed by some of her actions as Spoiler, saying they could have been "Cluemaster and The Pointer". Steph's response? To groan and point out that a Pointer is a dog.
[[/folder]]
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