Hush (character)

Hush (Dr. Thomas Elliot) is a fictional supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman. Hush first appeared in Batman #609 (January 2003) as part of the 12-issue storyline Batman: Hush.[2] He was created by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee. A former friend of Batman, the character serves as a criminal foil personality to him.

For any other use, see Hush (disambiguation).
Hush
Hush in Batman #619 (September 2003);
Pencils by Jim Lee
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceAs Tommy:
Batman #609 (January 2003)
As Hush:
Batman #619 (September 2003)
Created byJeph Loeb (writer)
Jim Lee (artist)
Scott Williams (artist)
In-story information
Alter egoDr. Thomas "Tommy" Elliot
Notable aliasesBruce Wayne, "The Identity Thief"[1]
Abilities
  • Genius-level intellect
  • Skilled surgeon
  • Master of disguise (via plastic surgery)
  • Mastery of all aspects of the medical sciences
  • Brilliant strategist, tactician, manipulator and deceiver
  • Peak physical conditioning
  • Skilled hand-to-hand combatant and marksman

The character has been portrayed in live-action as a kid by Cole Vallis and Gordon Winarick in Gotham, and by Gabriel Mann in the television series Batwoman which marks the first live-action appearance of the Hush persona. Warren Christie portrays the character disguised as Bruce Wayne.

Publication history

Hush resurfaced in Batman: Gotham Knights, and later in Detective Comics and Batman: Streets of Gotham. He was also the architect behind several of the events of Batman Eternal.

Fictional character biography

Origin

Thomas "Tommy" Elliot was a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne, and was also born into a wealthy family.[3] The two boys often played a Stratego-esque minifigure game together, and Tommy taught Bruce to think like his opponents and to use their abilities against them in order to win, which proved useful years later when he became Batman. Thus, as a child, Tommy exhibits a genius level intellect due to his capability to think and plan strategically. Tommy despised both his abusive father and his frail, submissive mother, who came from poverty and willingly endured every abuse dealt to her and her son to keep her lavish lifestyle. For all their failings, however, Tommy's parents made sure he was well-educated, in particular teaching him about the philosophy of Aristotle, which he often quotes.

Driven by his desire for independence and wealth, Tommy severed the brake line of his parents' car, causing a crash that killed his father and injured his mother; his mother, however, was saved in an emergency operation by Dr. Thomas Wayne, which enraged young Elliot. While at a summer camp with Bruce, Tommy attacked a boy and ended up in a psychiatric ward; he blamed Bruce and his mother for his outburst. He is released by an intern named Jonathan Crane, who becomes the villain Scarecrow.

During the next few years, Tommy tended to his mother. When Bruce's parents were murdered, Tommy resented him for inheriting the Wayne family fortune, just as he had hoped to do with his parents' money. Shortly before Bruce returned to Gotham City, Tommy befriended a young woman named Peyton Riley (who would later become the second Ventriloquist) – a relationship of which his mother never approved. When Tommy's mother recovered from cancer, she disowned him, subsequently cutting him off from the Elliot family fortune in retaliation for his continuing relationship with Peyton. As a result, Tommy murdered her by smothering her with a pillow, while Peyton killed their lawyer and destroyed Mrs. Elliot's new will. As far as the rest of the world was concerned, his mother had died of a household accident.

Finally the sole recipient of his family's fortune, Tommy abandoned Peyton and began traveling the world, as Bruce had. Although he went on to Harvard University and became a successful surgeon, Tommy continued to harbor an irrational grudge towards his childhood friend.

At some point in his career, Edward Nygma, also known as the Riddler, was diagnosed with terminal cancer and eventually hijacked one of Ra's al Ghul's Lazarus Pits to regain his health. During this mystical treatment, which renders the participant temporarily insane, the Riddler experienced an unexpected epiphany: he realized that Bruce Wayne was Batman. Soon afterwards, the Riddler attempted to sell Tommy the secrets of his newfound revelation in exchange for a large cash sum. Tommy, by this time having discovered Nygma's criminal background, instead offered to pay him to kill Bruce. Realizing that they shared a common hatred for Wayne, Tommy and the Riddler decided to pool resources to bring him down.

To this end, Elliot created for himself the persona of "Hush". Riddler said that the name started out as a joking reference to the need to keep Tommy's identity secret, but became a more permanent alias when Scarecrow started to sing the lullaby "Hush, Little Baby".[4]

Hush character arc

In their attempt to destroy Batman, Hush and the Riddler manipulated several other villains into unwillingly helping them. These included the Joker, Harley Quinn, Two-Face, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, Killer Croc and Clayface. They even manipulated some of Batman's closest allies (Superman, Huntress, and Catwoman) against the Dark Knight, utilizing such methods as Poison Ivy using her pheromones to control the Man of Steel and Catwoman and Hush's seemingly benevolent funding of Huntress's vigilante activities. Part of their plot included fooling Bruce into believing the Joker had murdered Tommy; Clayface shapeshifted into Tommy's corpse in order to create this illusion.

Cover to Batman: Hush Vol. 2 (December 2003). Pencils by Jim Lee.

With these villains as their pawns, Hush and the Riddler set up an elaborate plot against Batman. Jason Todd, who was believed to be dead for years, entered the pact with the villains and gave them insights on how Batman thought. Using the shapeshifting abilities of Clayface, they created a decoy of the former Robin; Hush collaborated with Riddler, Todd, and Clayface to use the Dark Knight's guilt over his ward's apparent death against him at Todd's gravesite.[5][6][7]

Around this time, Hush cured the disfigured Harold Allnut, a longtime associate of Batman. In return, Harold 'bugged' the Batcave with several devices that altered Batman's mind, but nevertheless remained loyal to the Caped Crusader; he was certain that Batman would triumph over whatever followed. Hush then killed Harold in front of Batman, and immediately engaged the Dark Knight in battle. Batman was at first disoriented by Hush's quoting of Aristotle, prompting him to briefly wonder if Hush is Maxie Zeus. He noticed that Hush used Deadshot's two-gun fighting style, and theorized that he was either the assassin himself or one of his protégés.

When Tommy finally revealed himself to a worn-out Batman, the Dark Knight was saved only by the intervention of Harvey Dent, whose Two-Face persona had been unwittingly wiped out by Tommy when he repaired Dent's disfigured face. Once again on the side of the law, Dent shot Hush twice, throwing him off a bridge.

Although Batman was sure that Hush was his childhood friend Thomas Elliot, he was not able to unmask him.[8]

Hush Returns

Still out to destroy Batman and determined not to let the rest of the villains get in his way, Hush quickly carved out a niche for himself, beating his former accomplice the Riddler to within an inch of his life. Hush even drives the Joker out of the city, thus proving to the Clown Prince that Hush can be a threat to him. He also temporarily killed Poison Ivy during a failed attempt to recruit her.

Hush Returns. Cover to Batman: Gotham Knights #60 (December 2004). Pencils by Jae Lee.

Following a short-lived alliance with JLA nemesis Prometheus, Hush began to torment Bruce Wayne with help from Clayface. Exploiting the latter's shapeshifting abilities, Hush was briefly able to shed doubt on his true identity and had Alfred Pennyworth framed for murder, using samples taken from the new Clayface to infect Alfred with a virus that would allow Elliot to control him. Hush also attempted to analyse samples taken from Clayface with the goal of duplicating Clayface's shape-shifting abilities for himself without the usual side-effects such as loss of a default human form, eventually attempting to perfect this analysis by releasing Cassius Payne from prison, reasoning that samples from Cassius would be more useful as he is the only 'pure' Clayface... the only one who was never human in the first place. After Clayface realised that he was being manipulated, he provided Batman with a sample of himself to find a cure for Alfred's condition despite knowing that this would not leave Batman with time to cure him, and also ensured that Alfred's name would be cleared by ensuring that his final appearance after death would be a form whose fingerprints so closely resembled Alfred's that the detectives would assume that they had made a mistake (The aforementioned events occur in issue #50–55 and #61–72).

Payback

The Joker eventually returned to Gotham City with an army of trained pigeons and retaliated (in Batman: Gotham Knights #73–74). He captured Hush and kept him sedated for three weeks, during which time he implanted a pacemaker into his body, effectively gaining control of his heart. At the Joker's mercy and unable to remove the device himself, Hush turned to the one man he felt he could trust (or rather, predict): Bruce Wayne.

Bruce consented to help Hush on the condition that he allow himself to be treated in, and confined to, Arkham Asylum. Hush agreed, and then immediately escaped after being told that the surgery had been a success. He was intercepted by Batman before he could confront the Joker and demanded that Batman allow him to kill the Joker. Batman seemed to agree and began to leave, but then revealed that he had tricked Hush – the pacemaker was still in his body, and he had been allowed to escape from Arkham. At that moment, the Joker arrived, and Hush begged Batman not to leave him.

The issue (and the Batman: Gotham Knights series) ended unresolved. Hush returned in the later Man-Bat miniseries,[9] and is later shown remembering how painful it was to remove the pacemaker alone, and how the time between Gotham Knights and Heart of Hush was mostly spent recovering from the damage suffered, confirming that Batman did desert Hush at the conclusion of "Payback".

"Heart of Hush"
Main article: Heart of Hush

Hush returned in Detective Comics #846-#850, in the story "Heart of Hush", which tied together with "Batman R.I.P.". In this arc, set a few nights before the events depicted in "R.I.P.", Hush was portrayed in a slightly different thematic fashion than in his prior appearances. His past as a surgeon was made into a major aspect of his modus operandi. In the first issue, Hush revealed that his return was hastened when he began to hear whispers of the Black Glove's upcoming attack on Batman. Believing that it was his right and his right alone to kill Batman, Hush sought to beat the Black Glove to the punch. In the second part, Hush teamed up with the Scarecrow. He performed routine plastic surgery on his own face, only later revealing the result was nigh identical to Bruce Wayne.[10]

Hush then ambushed and subdued Catwoman after she scratched off a portion of his facial bandages, recoiling in horror at what she saw. He then cut out her heart, putting her on life support supplied by Mr. Freeze, and delivered her to Gotham General Hospital. To himself, Hush thought about how he had begun formulating his plan after Batman had abandoned him.

While Catwoman was left in Doctor Mid-Nite's care, Batman squeezed the location of Hush's headquarters from Scarecrow. Hush ambushed Batman by showing him the room containing Catwoman's heart, alive and pumping, at which time he pumped Batman with a paralyzing gas. He then confessed to Batman his plan: using his newfound resemblance to Bruce, he would kill and disfigure him to steal his identity, eliminating those who knew him best and would regularly interact with Bruce, and then he would retire with the Wayne fortune, reasoning that the other heroes would accept that Batman had earned the right to end his career.

However, Batman was able to stave off the effects of the paralysis gas, recover Catwoman's heart, and warn Alfred of Hush's deception. Although Alfred disarmed Elliot, Hush managed to get into the Batcave where he nearly killed Batman, but Alfred's continuing interference and the arrival of Nightwing and Robin turned the tide. Hush retreated on the Whirly-Bat (a one-man helicopter), but his bandages became tangled in the rotor and it exploded.

Batman, Nightwing, and Robin could find no trace of Hush, save some bloody bandages, and concluded that he was dead. Catwoman, not taking chances and seeking some form of closure for her predicament and current condition (Doctor Mid-Nite made it clear that it was unlikely that she would ever regain her physical prowess), had Oracle, Holly Robinson, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn and Slam Bradley track down Hush's secret bank accounts and stashes of cash and cut them off. Hush, wounded but alive, limped off to plot his next move.

Later, posing as Bruce Wayne, Hush traveled to Australia and Vietnam looting the cash accounts of Wayne Enterprises' subsidiaries. He was captured by Catwoman, who knew perfectly well he was not the real Bruce Wayne. She brought him to Nightwing and Robin, who kept him contained in a secret safe house. Hush, still wearing Bruce's appearance, decided to fake his surrender, waiting for the right moment to escape.

Batman reborn

In Streets of Gotham, Batman's biological son Damian Wayne visited Hush in his cell as the new Robin, and they played chess. When Damian left to deal with a new crisis, Hush surmised that Firefly was behind the attack. He noted how Gotham City had fallen apart in Batman's absence, and pondered how to use the current situation to his advantage.[11] Hush faked experiencing spontaneous combustion, and when Alfred arrived at his cell to assist, Hush overpowered him and escaped. He then re-emerged as Bruce Wayne, claiming that he would donate a billion dollars a month to Gotham City until the financial crisis was over. Dick and Damian, along with the Outsiders and assorted other superheroes, explained to Hush that they would always watch and control him- with the other heroes acting as a 'board of directors' intended to 'supervise' his financial dealings- and that someone will always be ready to take him down if he steps out of line. With no other option available to him, Hush reluctantly agreed to play Dick Grayson's puppet, posing as Bruce Wayne, and thus keeping the public from realizing that Bruce was dead.[12] Though this ruined his original plan to sap the Wayne fortune, Hush did not allow it to halt his scheming altogether. Hush had appeared, notably as a member of the Gotham Shield Committee, around Gotham quite frequently, often attempting to make connections. When Ra's al Ghul arrived in Gotham, promising to ruin the Wayne family in retaliation against Red Robin, he immediately sought out Hush.[13] Faced with the prospect of Hush using Ra's al Ghul's support to turn on the Bat-family again, Tim Drake activated a contingency plan set in place by Wayne himself to transfer controlling interest in Wayne Enterprises to Drake "if something should happen". This left Hush with no official standing in the company.[14]

"House of Hush"

Hush reappeared in Streets of Gotham for the story arc "House of Hush" beginning in #14.[15] He attempted to push the boundaries of his new role as Bruce Wayne, such as recommending that convicted criminals be allowed back on the streets. However, this plan backfired when the criminal Jane Doe—a woman who lost her face in an accident and had resorted to cutting off the faces of others—became obsessed with 'Bruce Wayne' after he had her released. She infiltrated his life by taking the face of his new assistant, and subsequently cut off Elliot's new face with the intention of becoming Bruce Wayne herself. Batman caught her and Hush, and they were both sent to Arkham.

During the events of Batman: Gates of Gotham, Hush was freed from Arkham by a new villain named the Architect. As this happened, Red Robin, Nightwing, and Blackbat realized that the Elliot family was connected to a series of bombings that destroyed three historical Gotham bridges. Nightwing found Hush, who had been betrayed by the Architect and strapped to a bomb, but was forced to sacrifice Wayne Tower to save his life.[16]

The New 52: "Batman Eternal"

In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, Hush first appears in issue twenty-one of Batman Eternal as the apparent mastermind behind Commissioner Gordon's downfall and Carmine Falcone's return. After injecting Alfred with fear toxin, Hush was seen communicating with Jason Bard about taking control of Gotham.[17]

In issue twenty-six, a slightly revised origin for Hush was revealed; he was still Tommy Elliott, a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne, but in this version, his parricide is explicitly described as a way for him to get closer to Bruce (who had started distancing himself from Tommy after the death of his own parents) rather than as a way for him to receive his inheritance.[18]

Hush turned public opinion against Wayne Enterprises by blowing up one of Batman's hidden weapon caches (known to be connected to Wayne Enterprises after the events of Batman Incorporated) below Gotham, killing an unknown number of civilians, policemen and military personnel. He was able to enter the cache with DNA taken from Alfred Pennyworth.[19]

After having blown up another weapon cache and having been shot through the shoulder with a grappling hook by Julia Pennyworth, Hush gave up his location to Batman to face him in a final showdown. They met and fought in a weapon cache below the Martha Wayne Foundation hospital, which Hush had rigged to explode as a backup plan. Batman defeated Hush, but was then informed that the government had seized control of Wayne Enterprises and its holdings due to its involvement in the catastrophic explosions around Gotham. Hush then taunted Batman, stating, "Maybe you're right Bruce, maybe I'm not you. But right now, who would want to be?"[20]

Hush was then kept as prisoner in the Batcave, but broke out with the help of the then unknown mastermind behind the current threat. Hush proceeded to sabotage the equipment of several members of the Batman Family via the Batcomputer as they fought various villains, including crashing the Batwing with Batman still in it. He was then returned to captivity after having been ambushed by Alfred Pennyworth, Alfred harshly informing Hush that he was hardly going to be locked up in his own home.[21]

DC Rebirth

After DC Comics' new line-wide relaunch Rebirth, Hush first appeared in a single-panel cameo in issue 19 of Batman (vol. 3), wherein he is an inmate at Arkham Asylum and beaten up by Bane.[22]

Then, in the one-shot Batman: Prelude To The Wedding: Nightwing vs. Hush #1, Hush is "tipped off" to Batman's upcoming wedding by the Joker. Hush attempts to attack Batman's bachelor party, causing a disaster to distract Superman and then attacking Batman and Nightwing. In the course of the confrontation, Hush's attack disrupts a dimensional gate Superman had provided that was intended to take Batman to a peaceful pocket universe, resulting in Hush and Nightwing being trapped in an in-between place for individuals who have lost all sense of individual identity. As Hush's rants affirm his inability to forge a life for himself outside of an obsession with Bruce Wayne, he reveals that he has given himself plastic surgery to look like Dick Grayson to try and recapture his old friendship with Bruce. Nightwing, despite feeling some sympathy for Hush, nevertheless leaves him behind in the pocket dimension while he escapes back home.[23]

However, in Batman #70, Hush is apparently back in Arkham Asylum as he is one of several villains Batman beats up during his escape after having been captured and subjected to mental torture by Scarecrow, The Flashpoint Batman and Bane.[24] Later, Hush is shown to be a member of Bane's police force after he had taken control over the institutions of Gotham. Hush duels with Batman, but loses.[25] He was likely kept obedient through hypnosis by the Psycho Pirate.[26]

Characterization

Personality

Being a victim of abuse and a neglectful, submissive mother rendered Thomas Elliot sociopathic. Before even his teenage years, he was already operating on a high level of sociopathy, going so far as severing the brake line of his parents' car to gain independence from them and inherit the Elliot family fortune. When Bruce Wayne's parents died and he inherited the Wayne family fortune, as well as independence, from them - the very two things Tommy sought to gain from his parents' death - Tommy developed an irrational hatred for his childhood friend, spawned from the fact Bruce's father Thomas Wayne was the one who operated on and saved his mother, foiling the young Elliot's plan of parricide, and that via the death of his parents', Bruce had gained everything he wanted. This deep-rooted hatred would then carry on into Tommy's adulthood, resulting in him adopting his Hush persona. Elliot also seems to be obsessed with mystery and subterfuge, preferring to operate from the shadows and having cast doubts over his own identity and motivations several times.

Skills and abilities

Thomas "Tommy" Elliot has spent most of his life honing his skills enough to be a match for the Dark Knight. One of the finest surgeons in Gotham City, Thomas Elliot has an incredible, genius-level intellect and is also a master planner, with tactical skills rivaling those of the Caped Crusader. Hush's greatest asset is his talent for thinking like his opponents and for using their abilities against them. Ironically, Bruce Wayne learned his strategic skills from Elliot in childhood before their respective parents' deaths.

Hush is an expert marksman, able to shoot two batarangs out of the air and set off C4 explosive using twin M1911 .45 caliber pistols, his weapons of choice. While not possessing the kind of martial arts training that Bruce Wayne acquired, Hush has proven his ability to fight hand-to-hand; he shows expertise and competence, being able to fight almost on par with Batman.

He has performed breakthrough medical operations, such as removing Harold Allnut's hunchback and giving him the ability to speak, repairing Harvey Dent's face, inventing a virus which accelerates Killer Croc's devolution, and tearing out Catwoman's heart without doing any lasting damage.

Hush is also able to perform plastic surgery on himself, using minimal anesthetic and sheer force of will. He's implied to have removed the pacemaker installed on his own heart by himself, and has shown the ability to grant himself the appearance of someone else, such as Bruce Wayne, using only a long series of planned surgeries on his own face, with the aid of a simple mirror.

Thomas Elliot previously had access to the vast resources of his family fortune, putting him on par with Bruce Wayne in wealth, and so he is able to fund his more expensive plans. He is also able to buy the cooperation of the main villains in Gotham, like Mr. Freeze. However, since the "Heart of Hush" storyline, Catwoman has tapped his resources, reducing him to poverty. He then put in motion a plan to use his newfound resemblance to Bruce Wayne to leech off the Wayne fortune, cutting off the Batman Family from it as well. This plan was thwarted when he underestimated his foes, finding himself merely a puppet of the Batman Family and their allies as he serves to create the impression that Bruce Wayne is still alive.

Other versions

Batman Beyond

The 2010 Batman Beyond miniseries revealed that Bruce Wayne's last fight with Hush occurred on a rainy night and consisted primarily of a rooftop chase. As a last-minute means of escape, Elliot dove into an open window, only to be shot by the homeowner who mistook him for an invader. With Batman severely injured and not on good terms with the police, he left Hush's body without examining it himself. Bruce seemed initially satisfied with the official police identification of the body as Elliot's. However, he later admits suspecting that Hush's skill for strategy and plastic surgery could have fabricated the entire scenario.

Some time after the events of Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, Terry McGinnis discovers the former Signalman murdered in a manner reminiscent of Two-Face's M.O. He subsequently tracks the murderer to a hospital where an aged Jervis Tetch is being held and finds a bandaged man standing over a badly injured nurse. The man flees as Terry rushes over to the nurse, who says the man uttered a single word, "Hush".[27]

Returning to the cave, Terry learns what happened in Bruce's last fight with Hush. Terry soon discovers that the reformed villain, Armory, has been killed with sharpened umbrellas (the Penguin's weapon of choice). Attempting to stay ahead of their foe, Terry and Bruce search out the Calendar Man (Julian Gregory Day). Upon confronting Day, Terry is suddenly ambushed by Hush, who broke in beforehand.[28]

During Terry's fight with the new Hush, it is revealed that this Hush is not only capable of matching the current Batman in a fight, but is also aware of Bruce Wayne's identity as Batman. He regards Terry as an impostor with no understanding of what it means to be Batman. He also regards his murders of Batman's rogues gallery as orphaning Batman all over again by killing his enemies as the only loving family he has had.

Hush escapes by throwing the Calendar Man out the window with a bomb attached to Day's chest. Terry chooses to try and save Day, but fails. Confirming that Tim Drake was under constant physical and psychological observation since his time as the Joker, Terry eliminates Drake as a suspect and proceeds to confront Dick Grayson.

Meanwhile, Hush is revealed to have hired the new Catwoman to plant a tracking device on Batman, before proceeding to strangle her as part of his vendetta. A brief scene with Amanda Waller and a woman identified as Doctor Reid suggests a connection between Project Cadmus and Hush. However, Waller insists that they keep their knowledge of this Hush quiet.[29]

Using the new Bat-Wraith (a robot designed to replace Terry as Batman), Bruce intervenes in Hush's attempt to kill Catwoman. Hush demonstrates a knowledge of Bruce's old methods—including his equipment trials with Alfred and his habit of making the logo on his chest heavily armoured—and manages to shut down the robot. Hush then proceeds to attempt to hack the Bat-Wraith, which forces Bruce to use the self-destruct.

Terry subsequently attempts to trap Hush by posing as current Bat-foe Mad Stan, only to be defeated and exposed by Hush's use of Shriek's technology. Hush unmasks himself, appearing to be a bitter and enraged Dick Grayson.[30] He spares Bruce and Terry so that they can witness him in action saving Gotham. Bruce then directs the new Catwoman on how to treat Terry's injuries.

The new Hush is subsequently revealed as a clone of Grayson. Waller, determined to provide the world with a Batman, cloned Grayson based on DNA and memory readings taken after Grayson's last fight as Nightwing. Waller believed that Grayson was more stable than Bruce and would therefore be easier to control. Doctor Reid also reveals herself to be the granddaughter of the original Hush (Nora Elliot before her marriage), seeking to atone for her grandfather's sins.[31]

Hush sends a transmission to the Batcave, revealing that he has taken control of the Bat-Wraiths. He threatens to destroy Gotham in order to save it by setting off bombs along a fault line and triggering a new earthquake. The wounded Terry is aided by Dick Grayson despite Bruce and Terry's concerns about his old injuries. They are joined by Catwoman who is seeking revenge for Hush's attack on her.

The three track down Hush, but are unable to convince him that he is merely a clone. The group is only able to defeat him when Bruce temporarily overrides Hush's control of the Bat-Wraiths. Hush is then accidentally impaled and killed on a Bat-Wraith when Terry throws him off of the real Grayson, the clone being impaled by a Bat-Wraith coming out of a pit that it had previously fallen into before both fall back into the pit. Terry grimly notes that the lack of a body means they can only think the clone is dead rather than being sure of it. Waller later had Reid taking the blames for Hush's actions in order to continue her work.[32]

Absolute Power

In an alternate timeline where Batman saved his parents while travelling back in time, Bruce Wayne and Tommy Elliott were still friends as adults.[33]

Flashpoint

In the alternate timeline of the Flashpoint event, Hush is subsequently killed by Batman.[34]

Batman: Arkham Knight

Hush appears in Batman: Arkham Knight comic. As it turns out, Hush's new face was part of a plan that had taken the Arkham Knight years to put into action. Thinking that he was truly Bruce Wayne, Ratcatcher tried to kill him but was disappointed when Hush's bandages came off and his scars were revealed. Two Gotham cops tried to help Hush also believing that he was Wayne, but were overwhelmed by Ratcatcher's rats. Arkham Knight, who'd been following Hush, saved him from Ratcatcher and both of them escaped before Batman showed up.

In a safehouse, Hush was patched up and given a sample of Clayface mud that would heal his surgery scars on the proviso that he would not reveal his new face again until the plan was ready.

In other media

Animation
  • Hush was originally going to be featured in a planned DTV set on the animated series The Batman, along with that universe's versions of Riddler, Catwoman, Joker, Clayface, Mr. Freeze and Penguin. The project was later scrapped by DC and The WB. There is some sketch art of Hush in Legions of Gotham.[35] Hush was also going to be introduced in the episode "Rumors", written by Joseph Kuhr. DC did not like the idea, and the villain Rumor (voiced by Ron Perlman) was created in his place.[36]

Live-action
  • Tommy Elliot makes his live-action debut in the television series Gotham, portrayed by Cole Vallis in season 1 and by Gordon Winarick in season 4.[37][38] He is a student at Bruce Wayne's school Anders Preparatory Academy. Tommy Elliot first appears in the episode "The Mask", where he makes fun of Bruce's recently deceased mother and then beats Bruce up. With Alfred Pennyworth's encouragement after training him how to fight, Bruce later shows up at Tommy's door and beats him to a pulp with his father's old watch. Alfred ends Bruce's attack and advises Tommy not to talk about anything negative about Bruce's parents next time he sees him. Bruce and Alfred then leave Tommy's residence. In the episode "A Day in the Narrows", Tommy no longer causes problems for Bruce and has repented for what he did to him claiming that he acted like a jerk the last time they interacted. Bruce joins Tommy, Grace Blomdhal, Brant Jones and Emma Hsueh for a night on the town, where Bruce buys a nightclub and gets Tommy, Grace and Emma, but not Grant, into the club. In the episode "Let Them Eat Pie", after Bruce cuts his camping trip with Alfred short, he invites Tommy and some friends for a party at Wayne Manor, until Alfred shows up and ends the party. Tommy tries to defend Bruce, but Bruce breaks it up and tells him and his friends to wait for him outside.
  • Hush appears in Batwoman portrayed by Gabriel Mann as Tommy Elliot/Hush and by Warren Christie when posing as Bruce Wayne.[39][40] Tommy debuts in episode "Down Down Down", his childhood friendship with Bruce Wayne is intact here, but Tommy is depicted as a real estate mogul with a grudge against Wayne Enterprises. He leaves Kate an invitation to a gala celebrating the purchase of a building overlooking Wayne Tower. This gala is attended by Jacob Kane and his family. When Kate figures out that Tommy stole a rail gun from a Wayne Enterprise facility, he states to Kate that he figured out Batman's identity thanks to someone who 'riddled' him the identity. He tampers with the elevators that Kate's family, Sophie Moore, Tyler and some waiting staff members are on in order to draw out Batman, where he drops the elevator containing the waiting staff as a warning. After redesigning her bat-suit, Batwoman confronts Tommy and fights him while saving the elevators from being dropped. Before Tommy can take advantage of Batwoman's occupied state, he is knocked out by Alice. When Tommy is arrested and states that they can't keep him in jail, Kate states that he is en route to Arkham Asylum where he can't buy his way out of. In the episode "A Narrow Escape," Tommy crashes Dr. M. Butler's therapy session with Alice, Mouse, and some other patients as he rants about having taught Bruce Wayne all he knows; where he also insults a patient who thinks she's a cat and another, Magpie, a myna instead. In the hall, Alice provokes Tommy to stab her (to acquire a shank) causing him to be placed in solitary confinement. It was discovered by Batwoman and Luke Fox that Crows operative Miguel Robles was contracted/paid by Tommy to steal Lucius Fox's journal which led to Lucius' accidental killing and Reggie Harris' being framed for murder. In the episode "If You Believe in Me, I'll Believe in You," Alice and Mouse, now under the disguise of Arkham Dr. Butler, visit Tommy to inform him that the Crows will be coming to see if he is worthy of a trial. They cut a deal with him to obtain Lucius Fox's journals back from the hands of Tommy's money launderer Johnny Sabatino, revealing they're able to disguise Tommy with the face of anyone he desires. Alice and Mouse facilitate his escape by switching disguises/faces with an unnamed inmate to pose as Tommy who's supposedly hanged himself. When Sabatino refuses to release the journal, Alice has Magpie released to steal it from him. By the end of the first season, Alice works on a new face for Hush that resembles the face of Bruce Wayne. In the second season premiere, Tommy manages to infiltrate the Batcave and take the kryptonite that it had been determined could penetrate the Batsuit, but Luke Fox and Julia Pennyworth swiftly see through the deception and his attempt to shoot the new Batwoman only has a minimal effect on the suit. He subsequently takes such a beating from Batwoman that it dislodges his false face and he is sent to Arkham Asylum.

Film
  • Hush appears in Batman Unlimited: Mechs vs. Mutants, voiced by Dave B. Mitchell. He appears as an inmate at Arkham Asylum who claims he does not belong there and needs to be released to an uncaring Penguin, who just walks by him.
  • According to some concept art, Hush was originally planned to be featured in The Lego Batman Movie.[41]
  • Hush features as the main antagonist in the 2019 animated film Batman: Hush, voiced by Geoffrey Arend.[42] In the film, Hush is revealed to be Riddler after using the Lazarus Pit to revitalize himself after brain cancer. As a side effect, he finds he knows the answer to Batman's identity: Bruce Wayne. As Hush, he targets Batman's close friends and loved ones by sending multiple villains after them. By the end of the film, the side effects of the Pit begin to wear off allowing Batman to taunt and defeat him. Riddler is then killed by Catwoman.
    • Tommy Elliot (voiced by Maury Sterling) is also featured in the film as Bruce's oldest friend and the operator of Riddler's brain tumor. Similar to the comic story, Elliot was seen shot outside the opera with the Joker holding a gun, but instead is killed by Hush. His body was later seen in the climax where Batman mourns him while saving Catwoman from Hush.
  • The "Hush" persona appears in one of the alternate storylines of the interactive film Batman: Death in the Family with Jason Todd (voiced by Vincent Martella) taking the identity, if the viewer chooses to have Robin cheating death.

Lego Batman
Main article: Lego Batman
  • Hush is a playable character in Lego Batman: The Videogame. He can be unlocked after rescuing all the civilian hostages throughout the game.[43] He uses two handguns as weapons, and can build objects and shoot faster than other characters. When left idle, he raises his hand to his mouth and makes a "hush" expression. He is also unlockable through the "Villain Hunt" minigame in the Nintendo DS version.
  • Hush appears in Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, voiced by Nolan North. He appears as a boss fight and an unlockable playable character.
  • Nolan North reprises his role as Hush in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham.[44]

Batman: Arkham
Main article: Batman: Arkham
  • Hush appears in the Batman: Arkham City[45] side mission "Identity Theft", voiced by Kevin Conroy. Initially part of an independent medical team working inside Arkham City to service the prisoners, he was implicated in the theft of aid supplies. Prior to being confronted, Elliot reportedly removed his face. Over the course of the game's storyline, Hush resurfaces as a serial killer who dissects his victims' faces before brutally murdering them – earning the moniker 'Identity Thief' from the Gotham press. Although these actions were written off by Arkham City's private security force as the product of gang disputes, Batman proves more diligent in his investigation – allowing players to track his quarry to a crude surgery theatre. It is revealed that Hush is now mimicking Bruce Wayne down to the smallest detail, having used Arkham City inmates as "donors" for his facial reconstruction. Elliott, apparently ignorant to Wayne's double identity, remains at large, warning that he will continue seeking revenge on his childhood acquaintance.
  • Kevin Conroy reprises his role as Hush in Batman: Arkham Knight, where he is the focus of the Most Wanted side mission "Friend in Need". Although he is not seen in costume, he appears disguised as Bruce Wayne. During the midst of Scarecrow's takeover of Gotham City, Hush impersonates Bruce Wayne (following the events of Batman: Arkham City where his face was grafted to look identical to Wayne) and enters Wayne Tower. He captures Lucius Fox to bypass the retina scan to steal his former friend's fortune. When confronted by Batman, the Dark Knight reveals his identity of Bruce Wayne to Hush. When Hush turns his gun on Batman during the confusion, the Caped Crusader disarms him and Lucius Fox slams a glass jar onto his face, before Batman knocks him out. As Batman cannot take Hush to the Gotham City Police Department, he tells Lucius Fox to lock him up in Wayne Tower's vault. Batman then contacts Alfred stating that Hush has been detained and will be brought to trial once Scarecrow's takeover is thwarted.

Other video games

See also

References
  1. Batman: Arkham City
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  35. "LegionsOfGotham.org – EXCLUSIVE: Scrapped The Batman v Hush DTV". Legions of Gotham. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
  36. "Comics Continuum by Rob Allstetter". Comics Continuum. 2007-03-01. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
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  38. "(GTH-407) "A Dark Knight: A Day in the Narrows"". The Futon Critic. October 11, 2017.
  39. Mike Sorrentino. "Batwoman will have Hush origin, Burt Ward cameo revealed at Comic-Con panel". CNET. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
  40. Matt Webb Mitovich. "Batwoman Baddies First Looks: Revenge Fave Gabriel Mann Is Hush, Rachel Matthews Cast as Magpie". TVLine. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
  41. "The LEGO Batman Movie Set/CMF Rumors & Discussion". Eurobricks Forums.
  42. https://www.dccomics.com/blog/2018/07/20/batman-hush-is-getting-an-animated-movie
  43. Ahearn, Nate (2008-09-09). "LEGO Batman Updated Impressions – Xbox 360 Preview at IGN". IGN. Xbox 360. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
  44. "#Batman beware. Play as Hush when you pre-order LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham!". Twitter. GameStop.
  45. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2011-10-14.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  46. "Scribblenauts Presents: The Top 13 DC Comics Characters You Don't Know, But Should". DC. 2013-09-19. Retrieved 2019-09-08.
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