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docgold13 · 5 months

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Batman: The Animated Series - Paper Cut-Out Portraits and Profiles

Rupert Thorne

A powerful and ruthless crime boss, Rupert Thorne muscled his way into the Gotham City and swiftly took control over a large section of the criminal underworld. Edging out former kingpins, Arnold Stromwell and Salvatore Valestra, Thorne’s enterprises ranged from narcotics to racketeering, money laundering, gambling and weapons smuggling. Although his criminal endeavors were well known to the public, the corruption within Gotham's justice system kept Thorne in his penthouse and the authorities off his back.

District Attorney Harvey Dent was determined to put an end to Thorne’s grip on the city. Dent’s dogged pursuit of Thorne became even more relentless as he was campaigning for reelection as District Attorney. Dent was getting close and Thorne became desperate to put a stop to it.

Thorne attempted to blackmail Dent after his agent had pilfered the medical notes from Dent’s psychiatrist. Dent was contending with rather severe psychological difficulties and Thorne threatened to expose this to the public unless Dent agreed to drop all investigations into his enterprises. Dent refused and a scuffle broke out wherein Dent was caught in an explosion that terribly scared half of his face. All this resulted in the creation of the villainous Two-Face. And Two-Face would prove an even greater threat to Rupert Thorne than Dent had ever been.

A new breed of criminal was encroaching on Thorne’s territory. Villains like Two-Face, The Penguin and The Joker were substantially cutting into his profit margins and The Batman was a near constant threat to his whole organization. Determined to wrestle back control, Thorne hired the mercenary known as Bane to break the Bat and ostensively reseat Thorne atop the criminal empire.

The plot failed, Batman triumphed over Bane and Thorne’s hold on power became even more tenuous. In desperate need of cash, Thorne agreed to pool resources with The Penguin and the mob enforcer Carlton Duquesne in a venture to sell high tech weapons to the war-torn nation of Kasnia.

The operation was taken down by Batman along with the mysterious new heroine, Batwoman. Duquesne was convinced to testify against Thorne and the once untouchable gangster was sentenced to life in prison at Stonegate Penitentiary.

The wonderfully intimidating John Vernon provided the voice for Rupert Thorne, with mobster first appeared in the sixth episode of the first season of Batman: The Animated Series, ‘It’s Never Too Late.’

#batman the animated series #Batman #Rupert Thorne #Two-Face #John Vernon #cut-out #paper art #DC Comics

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comicsiswild · 1 year

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Batman: The Adventures Continue (2020) #1: Season Three

#batman the adventures continue #batman #esther valestra #penguin #oswald cobblepot #black mask #roman sionis #rupert thorne #dc #dc comics

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twistedtummies2 · 3 months

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Year of the Bat - Number 10

Welcome to Year of the Bat! In honor of Kevin Conroy, Arleen Sorkin, and Richard Moll, I’ve been counting down my Top 31 Favorite Episodes of “Batman: The Animated Series” throughout this January. Today, we’ve officially reached the Top 10! TODAY’S EPISODE QUOTE: “Change is everything.” Number 10 is…Two-Face.

How fitting is it we’re covering this villain’s origins on the 22nd? XD Anyway, I had a hard time choosing between this and “Feat of Clay.” Both are actually extremely similar in a lot of ways: both are two-part story arcs, both feature the origins of great villains in Batman’s Rogues Gallery – great villains whose appearances were teased in earlier stories, no less – and both feature great animation and an exceptionally dark, at times almost horror-movie-esque, tone. Not only that, but even the plots of these episodes bear some noticeable similarities! With that said, the animated series definitely provided the best take on Harvey Dent we’ve ever gotten, at least outside of comics themselves. In previous episodes – specifically the series pilot, “On Leather Wings,” and Poison Ivy’s debut, “Pretty Poison” – we’d already met Harvey Dent and gotten to know him a bit. We knew he was Gotham’s rather well-liked district attorney, we knew he and Batman had a sort of rivalry going on, and we also knew that he and Bruce Wayne were best friends. All these facts made the events of this two-parter all the more disturbing, because we had gotten to know Harvey pretty well. In this two-parter, it’s revealed that Harvey secretly suffers from some mental issues, and has a second personality inside him, referred to as “Big Bad Harv.” This second personality is all of Harvey’s repressed anger and bitterness, refined into one diabolical, snarly, cruel beast. When the DA gets too close to the schemes of crime boss Rupert Thorne, Thorne’s minions capture Harvey, and in the chaos that ensues, the DA’s face and body are horrifically disfigured. This causes Harvey to snap and become the supervillain Two-Face: a deranged gangster who vows to get revenge on Thorne, and make Gotham his own stomping ground in the process. Harvey/Two-Face was voiced by the late Richard Moll, who – like many actors in later years – would reprise the role many times in other takes on the character. Like Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy, Moll cemented the character and became the definitive interpretation. He is so wonderful as the vulnerable, tragic Harvey Dent, while his gravelly, gruff, snarly voice for Two-Face has become the gold standard which all other versions (at least in animation) seem to try and live by. Two-Face, himself, has always been one of Batman’s most tragic and personal enemies, and the Animated Series didn’t hold back on that front. Not only do the events of this story scar Harvey for life – both physically and mentally – but they also take a heavy toll on Bruce himself. This two-parter is magnificent not only because of how well it handles a great villain, but because of Batman’s role in the story, as well. In a lot of the villain introductions of the show, Batman is sort of a secondary player, in a way: the focus is either just on him trying to stop the villain in question, or on the villain’s descent into darkness. This episode not only gives us both those elements, but it also gives us great character moments for Batman himself, as he has to struggle with the guilt and sorrow that comes with seeing one of his best friends become one of his most formidable opponents. We got bits and pieces of this kind of thing in other stories, of course, but “Two-Face” – perhaps because it has more time to manage things – really goes all out. This isn’t just a great episode for Two-Face himself, but a great episode for Batman as well. It’s for this reason, I think that I decided to rank this higher than “Feat of Clay.” There’s no doubt in my mind that it belongs in my Top 10.

Tomorrow we move on with Number 9! Hint: “So, it wasn’t all for nothing.”

#list #countdown #best #favorites #new year's special #year of the bat #top 31 btas episodes #btas #batman: the animated series #dcau #dc #batman #animation #tv #number 10 #two-face #harvey dent #rupert thorne

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imjustheretoseetheprivateblogs · 7 months

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Does anyone think that Dr. Madro from Josie and the Pussycats kind of looks like Rupert Thorne from Batman: TAS?

#silliness #Batman TAS #batman the animated series #dcau #josie and the pussycats #hanna barbera #Rupert Thorne #animation

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comparativetarot · 2 years

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The Devil. Art by Alicia Mahaffey, from Batman: The Tarot Collection.

#Alicia Mahaffey #Batman: The Tarot Collection #The Devil #Major Arcana #Tarot #Batman: The Animated Series #Batman #Rupert Thorne

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edgessystem · 2 years

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Batman Chiroptera: practice scene 3

[ID: Batman, wearing mostly just normal dark clothing except for his helmet and cape, crouching on a stone ledge on the outside of a building. He is hiding beside an open window and looking in. There is light coming from the window.]

CW: Drowning

10:58PM, April 20, 'C7

Bruce crouched on an outcropping of stone by an open window three stories up. He tightened his grip on the ledge as the wind threatened to send him tumbling into the water below.

His stomach was doing flips, and his conviction wavered. He knew in his heart that this was something he had to do, but in this moment he wasn't sure if he was capable. Despite how much he'd trained in combat and investigative techniques, he hadn't accounted for scaling buildings and flirting with a gravity-imposed death. It was a dangerous oversight to make.

He wasn't sure if this was worth the risk. But this poker game only happened once every three months, and this was the only vantage point he could find that was both close enough to listen in and hidden enough that the players wouldn't notice him. The mob bosses of Gotham were very careful about potential spies, but even they wouldn't think of one hanging off the stonework. Bruce had to be crazy to try it.

Perhaps he was.

There was a clock tower across the canal from him. It read ten fifty-eight. The game was scheduled to start at eleven. He knew he was only going to get an hour of recording so he wanted to minimize dead air, but if he left it any longer he was sure to miss something.

Bruce reached into his pocket and pulled out a portable cassette recorder, pre-loaded with a blank tape. He pressed record and set the device on the windowsill, just hidden by a thick wine-colored curtain on the other side of the glass.

His timing was nearly perfect, as just thirty seconds later he heard a door open inside.

"Tony, Sal, good to see you," said a voice, smooth and authoritative. "Carmine couldn't make it?"

"Didn't see him," another voice responded, this one lower and more measured. "Did you invite the new face, Thorne?"

"I did," the smooth voice―Thorne―responded, "he sent my invitation back with a broken chip. Disrespectful little shit."

"Peh, figures," came a third, abrasive voice. "I dunno why you keep tryin' ta meet him, Sal. Way I see it he ain't worth the time." That made the low voice Sal, and the third one must be Tony.

"Nobody's seen his face," Sal explained. "I don't like that anybody's got the kind of pull that he does while remaining anonymous."

"He's small potatoes. Probably gonna be dead by the end of the year anyway, and we ain't gonna have to worry about him," Tony said.

"He's been steadily growing in power for the last five years, Tony," Thorne said. "He may be small compared to us right now, but he's got potential."

"Oh stuff it, Rup," Tony hissed. Rup: Rupert Thorne, most likely. He was well known even outside of the criminal world as one of Gotham's most powerful. Everyone knew he was shady, but the police either couldn't make anything stick to him, or they were paid not to. Bruce wasn't sure which was worse.

"Thorne, would you call in your dealer? I'd like to get started," Sal asked.

"Yes, let's," Thorne said, and then Bruce could hear the faintest sound of a bell ringing further in the mansion.

The door opened seconds later and a set of footsteps entered. The dealer wore high heels and walked with a short, light stride. Bruce guessed a woman, no more than five feet two inches in height. She didn't speak.

"Gentlemen, the minimum bet is five hundred dollars," Thorne said as the cards were shuffled.

"Having money troubles, are we?" Sal remarked.

"I set the bet low in case the new face showed up," Thorne countered, but there was an edge to his voice as though that wasn't the whole truth.

"Whatever," Tony scoffed. "Let's just get on with this."

Cards were dealt, and a few rounds were played without further conversation. Just the occasional punctuation of "I'm out" or "I raise."

"Aw come on!" Tony yelled after a while, and there was a loud thunk. "I had that in the bag!"

"And my bag was larger," Thorne said, smugness coating his voice. The extended metaphor was a little strange, Bruce thought.

A chair scraped back. "You're a dirty cheat!" Tony accused. "Your dealer's feeding you all the good cards!"

"You're just a sore loser, Tony," Thorne responded, voice calm but laced with warning. "Sit down or I'll have you removed."

"No, I won't sit down you fat-"

"Zucco," Sal cut in. "Sit down. You have plenty of cash left." Tony Zucco. Bruce had heard the name a few times, but it didn't have nearly the sort of recognition that Thorne's did. He wasn't sure what kind of crime Zucco was in to exactly.

There was a moment of tense silence before Tony Zucco sat down again. He muttered a half-hearted "sorry" as he did.

"Your temper is especially short tonight," Sal observed. "Something wrong?"

"It's that bat creature," Zucco growled. "It's taken out five of my guys. Bad for business."

Bruce couldn't help but smile. Not only because it was clear he was getting under the mob bosses' skin with his night work, but also because they recognized him as a bat. He had been worried that his cape and eared helmet wouldn't read properly, but this was proof that people were talking about him with the terms he wanted them to.

"You don't actually believe in that farce, do you?" Sal asked.

"Ain't no farce," Zucco bit back. "Bat freak's real and it's throttling my business.

"This bat demon is just a story that your people are coming up with to cover for their own incompetence," Sal said dryly.

"No, Sal," Thorne said, "my men have been talking about it too. Jameson fought him off one of my shipments a few nights ago."

Bruce's hand subconsciously went to his ribs. The bruise there from this Jameson's boot still ached. Not his proudest moment. He needed to find someone to spar with with a cape on who wouldn't ask questions about it.

"Hm," Sal hummed. "Any idea what it is or what it wants?"

Zucco huffed. "A pain in my ass."

"Just a sad man playing comic book hero in a bad costume," Thorne spat. "Next time he shows up on my turf we'll be rid of him. My men have orders to shoot to kill."

Bruce sucked in a breath. He was always careful when going out at night, but now he knew just how careful he had to be. He looked down at his clothes. Perhaps Thorne was right. While the cape and helmet were working, the black turtleneck and plain pants were hardly fear-inspiring. Not to mention the complete lack of defensive merit. He would have to fix that.

"Good," Sal said plainly. "Deal the next hand."

A few more hands passed in relative silence before Zucco spoke up again. "I think the new face is muscling in on my ground," he grumbled.

"Now who's worried about him?" Sal asked.

"I'm serious," Zucco protested. "Two of my businesses stopped delivering clean money to me, and the guys I sent to check it out got shot down."

"What makes you think it wasn't one of us?" Thorne asked.

"You guys are too classy for that. It's the kind of disrespectful, underhanded trick only a green little wiener like him would pull," Zucco explained.

Thorne laughed heartily. "Maybe you're just slipping," he suggested.

"I'm not-" suddenly the tape recorder popped, cutting Zucco off. "What was that?"

The room went quiet as the recorder skipped, producing a loud, rhythmic clicking. Chairs pushed back and footsteps approached.

Bruce cursed under his breath, knowing that if he didn't get out of there right then he was dead meat. Frantically, he looked at his options. There was nowhere to hide, and no time to climb away. His only option was to jump.

He looked down and his stomach lurched. Three stories was a long way down. If he missed the water he was dead. The other option was being filled with lead though, so without another moment's hesitation Bruce Jumped.

He raised his hands over his head as he'd seen Olympians do on the television, and did his best to angle himself favorably as he approached the water. The wind whipped past him. The ground hurtled towards him. He squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed his terrified scream.

And then there was cold.

His body instinctively tensed and spasmed. The freezing waters felt as if they were a hundred daggers stabbing into Bruce's skin. His body wanted nothing more than to gasp in shock and then cry out in pain, but Bruce bit down on the urge. He knew that to give in to instinct here was a one-way ticket to drowning.

Instead he forced himself to relax; to go limp. He had enough air in his lungs that he should be buoyant, so he trusted that to bring him to surface. He was too disoriented by the dark, the cold, and the pressure of the water to trust his sense of direction.

It felt like he spent minutes under the water, and panic began to well in Bruce's chest. He should have broken the surface already, but all he felt was the cold, cold water. His fingers froze even as his lungs burned.

Something tightened around his leg and it took every ounce of willpower not to gasp. His eyes flew open to see, but the dark waters offered no information through the blackened lenses of his helmet. He tore the headware off, hoping desperately for any chance of sight, but as the polluted water rushed to meet the upper half of his face he regretted his choice.

His eyes stung now, almost as much as his lungs, but he could see, even if just a little. Wrapped around his leg was a net of some kind. The holes were wide, but the net was too tangled to simply pull his leg out of it.

With a desperate kick, Bruce tried to swim the way he thought was up, hoping the net was unteathered and simply weighing him down, but as the tension increased and pulled him back down he knew he wasn't so lucky. His diaphragm began to spasm as his respiratory system demanded new air.

He curled into a ball and began clawing at the netting, his numb, gloved fingers sliding uselessly across the ropes. Frustrated, he ripped off the gloves too, letting them float away to wherever his helmet ended up.

He attacked the knotted net again, this time gaining some purchase. A new kind of darkness started to crowd into his vision, and he cursed himself for not thinking to carry a knife. He vowed that he would not be caught so ill-prepared again if he survived this.

Shivering hands slowly worked his leg free. By the time the last rope slipped away, a strange warmth began to envelope Bruce―a soft buzz cradling him to sleep.

The allure of it was too much to resist, and Bruce found himself closing his eyes and leaning into the warmth, breathing out a contented sigh...

Then he finally felt his back break the surface of the water. Pulled back to reality, he thrashed upwards and greedily gasped at the air. It tasted of garbage and oil and survival.

A clarity returned to his senses seconds later. His entire body was wracked with cold, every part of him shivering, every nerve ending screaming in pain.

Upstream he could hear the muffled yells of three angry mob bosses who had no doubt found his recorder. It seemed minor in comparison to almost drowning, but Bruce found himself fixating on it.

'Tonight was a total failure,' he thought as he swam to shore. 'I need to do better.'

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master list | scene 2 | scene 4

#batman #batman au #batman chiroptera #batman (character)#tony zucco #rupert thorne #sal maroni #batman pov

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random-movie-ideas · 7 months

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Batman Villain Movie Ideas, Part XXI: Carmine Falcone

Strictly speaking, this post is for all of the general mob boss/crime lord types floating around the Batman-verse, such as Sal Maroni, Roland Daggett, Rupert Thorne, all those guys. Carmine seems to be generally the most popular, so we'll focus on him. Like Bruno Mannheim and Intergang, these characters primarily exist to be the "standard criminals" for Batman to fight when he's not fighting one of the more colorful rogues. Carmine, specifically, is known for being the head of the Falcone family, and loosely based on Don Vito Corleone. He also might be the illegitimate father of Catwoman both in the comics and, at least, The Batman's continuity. Sal Maroni is also generally known for being the guy who made Harvey Dent Two-Face.

Origin Movie: In theory, that's basically what Batman Begins did, at least for the first half of the movie or so, until he was upstaged by Scarecrow and Ra's al-Ghul. And yeah, if you want a more grounded take on Batman without all the colorful characters, Falcone or Thorne or whoever would probably be the best pick for that. (Also in that theoretical horror movie from the perspective of the bad guys, I'd assume that the main protagonists would be one of these guys and their men).

Sequel Movie: I don't know why you'd start out on one of the more colorful villains and then downgrade to one of these. Seems a little unbalanced. Unless it's just a reversal of what we laid out with Victor Zsasz last time, with the serial killer up front and then the mob boss after. One thought though, is maybe a trilogy building up to Two-Face as the finale villain, then I suppose Sal Maroni could work as the villain here.

Finale Movie: I suppose with him being the big bad mob boss, it's not unreasonable for him to be built towards at the end of a series, something like all the other villains prior working under his gang or something. More or less what Black Mask would do.

Supporting Villain: This is the best place for these characters, I think. Mooks and thugs that Batman would spend his time taking down as the more colorful villains rise to prominence as a third party creating complications.

Overall, here are my rankings of them:

Supporting Villain: It's what these characters are designed for.

Origin Movie: I so want to see that horror film.

Finale Movie: The big bad boss angle has possibilities, but there are better characters for it.

Sequel Movie: It just wouldn't work.

What do you think? Who should I cover next?

#carmine falcone #sal maroni #roland daggett #rupert thorne #batman #batman movie #bruce wayne #One aspect yet to be covered of Falcone is his children #It would be interesting to see a movie that incorporated Alberto and Sofia somehow

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awesomecoyote337 · 1 year

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Case File 8 - By Hook or By Crook

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46947499/chapters/118264165

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h50europe · 5 months

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LONDON, ENGLAND: Bradley James & Rupert Young attend the "David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived" UK Premiere at 8 Northumberland Avenue on November 16, 2023 in London, England. (Footage by Mark Case/Getty Images)

#merlin #missing merlin #king arthur #arthur pendragon #once and future king #bradley james #rupert young #sir leon #david holmes #daniel radcliffe #felix sparks #the liberator #damien thorn #damien #giuliano de medici #medici

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cassandraclare · 1 year

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Q&A Chain of Thorns — continues!

starlightblackstairs asked: I was wondering; why did no one ever free rupert if they knew ....

of him being trapped at chiswick? 🥹 it seemed like jesse knew that tatiana trapped his father there during that whole showdown scene but no one ever went back to help free rupert until julian and emma centuries later.

Because none of them did know he was trapped at Chiswick. Reread the scene — Chiswick is never mentioned.

What Lucie learned when she summoned Rupert was that he was not in the ordinary place ghosts go—

…she was all that was holding Rupert Blackthorn here on this earth. She could feel the starry void trying to pull him back, trying to fling him out of this world and into the other. It was taking every bit of her will to hang on… What had happened to Rupert? What binding was there on him, that was not present with other ghosts? Was it that binding that now tried to pull him away from the courtyard?

And this was confirmed by Tatiana herself— “You have been bound, bound for so long, bound in the shadows where even the other dead cannot see you. Belial promised that as long as he kept you there, he could bring you back.”

Rupert was also aware that he was in an unusual situation, we see this in his conversation with Jesse—

“If you’re a spirit—how was I a ghost for so many years and I never saw you?”

Rupert raised a hand as if he could touch his son’s face. “Your mother made sure of that,” he said. “But Jesse—we have little time.” He was right, Lucie knew. He was slipping away from her, already growing more indistinct around the edges. His fingers were turning pale, translucent, the edges like smoke. “I was asleep,” Rupert said, “and have been awakened, but only for this moment. I died before you were ever born, my child. Yet after death, I have seen you.”

“My mother said—you were bound in the shadows—” Jesse said haltingly.

“I could not return as a ghost on this earth,” said Rupert gently.

He was fading faster now. Lucie could see entirely through him, see the stones of the Institute, see Jesse’s stricken face. “Yet I dreamed of you, even in my endless sleep…”

Rupert knew he had a resting place of sorts (he says to Tatiana— “I was drawn from my resting place by the cry of a Shadowhunter in battle. One who needed my help.”) But Rupert did not understand—or was unable to express—that he was specifically bound to Chiswick House. In fact, he says he is not a ghost on this earth at all.

Lucie and Jesse’s understanding was that Tatiana—with Belial—had done something strange to keep Rupert from fully passing over into death. In the Shadowhunter world, typically the death of a magic user would cause all their charms and spells to unravel as a natural process. (We saw this happen when Malcolm was killed in TDA, and Johnny Rook, too.) If it had been just Tatiana binding Rupert, they might have thought that would have happened, but Belial was named, too. However, once both Belial and Tatiana had been killed, there was no reason for Lucie or Jesse to think that any spell would remain to bind Rupert. They would assume that Rupert was freed by the destruction of those who had bound him. They certainly didn’t know that his binding was woven in with Benedict’s complicated and equally unique house-protection spell—that was a special case, and highly unusual—so unusual that it evaded detection for decades even when the house was searched multiple times.

Sadly, once Lucie lost her special ability to command ghosts, they lost the one remaining avenue they would have had to reach Rupert, who could not appear as a ghost voluntarily until many years later, when the binding spell was beginning to deteriorate. And remember, Lucie, Jesse and James can all see ghosts, they've all been to Chiswick, and they've never seen Rupert. They've no reason to believe that even if he was a ghost, he'd be there.

It is indeed tragic that they were not able to help Rupert sooner. They just didn’t have all the information they would have needed to make that happen.

#rupert blackthorn #chain of thorns #the last hours

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rhiannons-bird · 1 year

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I made some ChoT memes

#there’s people who do this better than me but I ran out of content to consume so I had to create my own #chain of thorns #chot #chain of thorns spoilers #chot spoilers #the last hours #meme #james herondale #jesse blackthorn #rupert blackthorn #christopher lightwood #Thomastair #cordelia carstairs #matthew fairchild #alastair carstairs #thomas lightwood #tsc memes

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belle-keys · 1 year

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Shadowhunter Families: The Blackthorns

“And if my heart was a canvas, every square inch of it would be painted over with you.”

- Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

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layla-carstairs · 1 year

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actually since making that Jessamine & Kit parallel post it got me wondering.... where was Jessamine during COT?? like she has a couple conversations with Lucie but other than that she doesn't do anything?? isn't it her job to protect the Institute & those who reside it 😭 like where was she when Tatiana broke in & stole a child or when Tatiana came to the Institute and killed Kit. where was she cc I want to know.

especially since in COHF there's a whole, semi-major plot point where she saves & protects the entirety of the London Institute from Sebastian. that was a big deal where's that energy now? Jessamine would have an absolute field day with the fact Tatiana's walking around in a 25 year old dress stained in her husband's blood too 💀

#I think Jessamine and Rupert shouldve teamed up. could you imagine they would be so funny lmao #also it would be nice to see Jessamine actually do her thing because we don't see that in COHF (as far as I remember lol)#jessamine lovelace #lucie herondale #christopher lightwood #the infernal devices #the last hours #chain of thorns #chain of thorns spoilers #cot spoilers #chot spoilers #tsc #the shadowhunter chronicles #bella talks

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twistedtummies2 · 3 months

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Year of the Bat - Number 13

Welcome to Year of the Bat! In honor of Kevin Conroy, Arleen Sorkin, and Richard Moll, I’m counting down my Top 31 Favorite Episodes of “Batman: The Animated Series” throughout this January. TODAY’S EPISODE QUOTE: “Without Batman, crime has no punchline.” Number 13 is…The Man Who Killed Batman.

In contrast to our previous pick, “Appointment in Crime Alley,” this is one of the most comedic and quirky episodes of the entire series. It almost feels like a dark comedy you’d see in the 80s, more than anything else, and that’s part of what makes it so great! The plot revolves around a wannabe gangster called “Sid the Squid,” voiced by the marvelous Matt Frewer, of all people. The story begins with Sid going to his employer, crime boss Rupert Thorne, seeking help. When Thorne asks to know what’s going on, Sid begins to elaborate on his story, and most of the remaining episode plays out in flashback.

It's revealed that Sid was suckered into helping some of Thorne’s thugs with a scheme, the idea being the shrimpy little buffoon would distract Batman while the other goons got away. However, this plan works too well, and Batman is seemingly accidentally killed while trying to capture Sid. The runt of the underworld suddenly becomes hailed as a king of crime, but he soon finds his new reputation is more of a curse than a blessing. Things escalate to the point where the Joker himself seeks Sid out, hoping to find out if it’s true that the little weasel has destroyed the Dark Knight. This is where things get interesting, and it’s why the episode is so greatly remembered: when the Joker finds out Batman might be dead, he first tries to prove that he isn’t by staging a robbery…and when he starts to realize Batman may truly be gone…he’s DEPRESSED. The Joker becomes crestfallen, unable to finish the job, genuinely saddened and hurt by the realization that not only has his nemesis apparently kicked the bucket, but that he wasn’t the one who did it! He throws a mock funeral for the Caped Crusader – accompanied by probably the greatest eulogy in fiction, and Harley Quinn playing “Amazing Grace” on a kazoo…no comment – and then tries to kill Sid by dropping him in a coffin into a vat of acidic chemicals, which may or may not be the same ones that turned the Clown Prince into what he is today. (That part is ambiguous.) All this stuff with the Joker is classic, and everyone talks about it; it’s equal parts dark, funny, and surprisingly sorrowful, making for one of the Harlequin of Hate’s greatest scenes in the entire franchise. Indeed, Mark Hamill – the voice of the Joker – has gone on record more than once saying this was one of his favorite episodes, and that Joker’s most famous quote from the story (our episode quote of the day) has always been his favorite line.

As great as the stuff with the Joker is, it’s far from all that makes this episode good! I won’t go into detail on how Sid escapes the Joker, and how the story ends, but suffice it to say, obviously, Batman isn’t ACTUALLY dead. In fact, he reveals he’s been trailing Sid basically all this time, hoping and waiting for the opportune moment to strike at Thorne in the process. (Which honestly makes the stuff with the Joker even funnier, when you realize Bruce was literally trolling the Ace of Knaves behind the scenes. Glorious.) Sid, himself, is actually a big part of what makes the story so much fun: he reminds me a lot of characters like Smee from “Peter Pan” or Kronk from “The Emperor’s New Groove.” In terms of comics, he also reminds me a lot of my preferred versions of Killer Moth: Sid is basically a fanboy of criminals, who wants the prestige and power famous crooks get. However, he’s way too dumb, way too clumsy, and way too softhearted to be any real threat or make a name for himself. This makes the way things end ironic and surprisingly heartwarming, and it keeps him from being an unlikeable or annoying character, because we realize he’s in WAY over his head, and it only gets worse and worse as the story goes on. We don’t exactly want Sid to win, but we don’t want him to suffer, either. He’s another case of an unusual protagonist, and one of the best examples the show ever gave us. Whether you love the story for him, the Joker, or even other reasons, there’s plenty that makes this episode a true classic.

Tomorrow we move on to Number 12! Hint: “Life used to be so placid! Won’t you PLEASE put down that acid?! And Say That We’re Sweethearts Again!”

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