University of Panels

8: Hush (Dr. Thomas Elliot) & Doctor Hurt (Simmon Hurt; Thomas Wayne)

 

We have a genuine tie here as I could not decide which of these villains was better. Both are lesser known members of Batman's rogues gallery that I feel are deserving of more attention than they have recieved.

 

First up is Hush (aka, Dr. Thomas Elliot)! Thomas, or "Tommy" Elliot was once a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne who also came from a wealthy family. The two would spend most of their time playing strategy based games, where Elliot taught Bruce to think like his enemy and always be six-steps ahead of them as well. Their friendship was not to last however, as unlike Bruce, Elliot grew up with an abusive and alcoholic father, and a mother who neglected to protect her child. Desperate for independence, Elliot severed the brake-lines of his parents limosuine, hopping that the crash would kill them on that rainy night. With the interference of Bruce's father Dr. Thomas Wayne however, Elliot's mother survived the crash, causing Tommy to hold a deep grudge against the Wayne family. Years later when his mother refused to have Thomas Elliot be in her will to inherit the family fortune, Elliot murdered his mother in cold-blood, finally gaining the wealth and independence he so desired. However, he would never be truly satisfied until he had his revenge on the Wayne family, whose only surviving member was his former childhood friend, Bruce Wayne. Discovering that Wayne was actually Batman, Elliot took on the identity of Hush, wrapping his face in surgical bandages, and formed an alliance with the Riddler to use the dark knight's enemies and allies like chessboard pieces against Batman. His plan failed, but he later resurfaced and attempted to strike at the dark knight psychologically by literally removing Catwoman's heart with his advanced skills as a suregon, knowing that Batman had formed a deep love for the tenacious cat burglar. 

 

Hush was an intriguing villain to me as he was able to manipulate all of Batman's allies and enemies from behind the scenes like pieces on a chessboard. This gave off a paticular air of menace, as the fear was in what the dark knight (as well as the reader), did not know about him, but knew that he was a threat not to be taken lightly (plus I'm a sucker for chessboard symbolism despite it being overused)! I also loved how he had a connection to Bruce Wayne's childhood, as it not only made his vendetta against Batman more believable and personal, but it also allowed us to witness what Bruce's life was like before the night his parents were murdered. The final aspect I loved about Hush's character was how he was immediately given memorable trademarks as a villain through his quoting of the famous Greek philosopher, Aristotle. A good villain always needs a trait that the reader will remember them by, and the use of quoting Aristotle was definetly a memorable one to me!

 

The next lesser known Bat-Villain is the enigma who made his pressence known in Grant Morrison's run on Batman. Them man known to most as Doctor Hurt. Like Cassandra Nova from NEW X-MEN, Doctor Hurt is another antagonist who follows the Morrison Formula by having his true identity being a complete mystery until the final battle, but being built up as a legitimate threat at the same time. In the controversial storyline BATMAN R.I.P. (which I actually rather liked and feel doesn't deserve the hate it gets) Doctor Hurt is unveiled as the leader of a criminal organization known only as the Black Glove, an elite group of the wealthiest and most corrupt men in the world. This international cabel gathers once a year to gamble on games of life and death, games that promise the corruption of a noble person, and an answer to the question of which is stronger, good or evil? They have now set their sights on Batman, who has been aware that the Black Glove is after him, and that Doctor Hurt is somehow connected to them. Hurt reveals himself to the dark knight by striking him down with a hypnotic attack. Years earlier, Hurt had posed as a military scientist, and had Batman trapped in an isolation chamber for 10 days to simulate the effects of space travel. While Batman's identity was supposed to be kept confidential, Doctor Hurt used the intel he gained to formulate a complete understanding of the dark knight's mind, and could use hypnosis to shut-off Bruce's need to be Batman whenever he could. Batman however, had prepared for a psychic attack, and created an alternate personality to take over known as the Batman of Zur-En-Arh (effectively meaning "Zorro in Arkham"). The crazed Batman then battled against Hurt and the Black Glove, who had the Joker as their pawn, resulting in a helicopter crash which supposedly both Batman and the Doctor were caught in. Believing Batman to be dead, Dick Grayson took on the mantel of his former mentor, and eventually faced off-against Hurt, who had survived the crash and returned to attempt to take over Gotham a second time. Batman had also returned however, and was prepared to put an end to the reign of Doctor Hurt and the Black Glove once and for all.

 

Like Cassandra Nova, I enjoyed Doctor Hurt for how intimidating he was, as well as the build up and mystery surrounding his true identity. When we first meet the Doctor, the reader is led to believe that he was a military scientist that had stolen confidential information on Batman's psychology, and had formed the criminal Black Glove organization. Later, Hurt attempts to misdirect both Batman and the reader by claiming to actually be his father, Doctor Thomas Wayne, who was actually an abusive alcoholic that paid to have both Bruce and his mother killed by Joe Chill, and faked his own death.  Batman believes Hurt's claims to simply be lies to assassinate the Wayne's names, and is determined to not only prove his parent's innocence, but also Hurt's true identity. Doctor Hurt is eventually revealed to actually be Thomas Wayne, but not the Thomas Wayne that we know. Rather than being Bruce's father, he is an immortal ancestor of his who has lived since the 1700's. He had led a cult to summon the bat-god Barbatos, and drank from it's blood in order to prolong his life. He then formed the Black Glove to seek out a lost treasure box of Barbatos, which promised true immortality. Unknown to Hurt however, Barbatos was actually a myth accidently created by Batman from his travels through time after FINAL CRISIS, and the creature he had summoned was actually the Hyper-Adapter sent by Darkseid to monitor Batman's journey, causing Darkseid to be reincarnated into the Doctor.

 

With Hush's personal connections to Bruce Wayne's childhood and his memorable trademarks, as well as Doctor Hurt's intimidating nature and the build-up around his identity, both of these Batman villains have truly earned their spots as worthy foes of the dark knight in my eyes!