DC Officially Kills Off An Iconic Batman Villain

In the middle of Batman‘s most chaotic battle so far, the Dark Knight’s main antagonist dies a brutal and abrupt death. Most of Gotham’s deadliest criminals are irredeemable, driven by deep-seated fixations that make reintegration impossible. Batman’s no-kill philosophy also creates an endless cycle that ensures most of his antagonists eventually return. Sending all of Batman’s rogues to the same place, usually Arkham or Blackgate, only reinforces their tendency to come back with a vengeance, often teaming up to cause more damage together.

However, many of Batman’s greatest adversaries have been eliminated at least once. The Joker has died multiple times, most notoriously at the climax of the Injustice timeline when a grieving Superman punches a fist directly through his chest, or during Endgame, where the Joker and Batman bleed out together in a collapsing underground cavern. Other Gotham villains have faced equally grim fates. Bane meets a grotesque end during the A-Day catastrophe at Arkham Asylum when he’s executed via a lethal dose of weaponized gas, and the immortal eco-terrorist Ra’s al Ghul is assassinated by a sniper bullet during Shadow War.

Some villain deaths are shocking not because of their graphic nature or their thematic weight, but due to their unexpected timing.

Talia Al Ghul Kills Hush With A Single Bullet To The Head

Batman #163; Written By Jeph Loeb; Art By Jim Lee, Scott Williams, And Alex Sinclair

Batman’s decision to spare the Joker’s life has unleashed chaos in Gotham, and Thomas Elliott takes advantage of this to play a twisted game of chess with all heroes and villains in the city. The Bat-Family turns on Batman, while the Dark Knight’s rogues gallery becomes the All-New All-Different Bat-Family and helps him fight Hush. This only seems to be the beginning of Hush’s takeover, and yet, during a skirmish between Batman, Hush, and Jason Todd, Talia Al Ghul assassinates Hush with a headshot.

One day, Batman engages his no-kill rule with the Joker. Fast-forward to Batman #163, and the Joker leads a new version of the Bat-Family, all Robins, Batgirl, and Huntress are teaming up against their mentor, and the apparent main antagonist of the conflict is shot dead halfway through the story. To top it off, Hush manages to pierce Batman’s heart before his own demise, forcing Talia to rush Bruce Wayne to the Lazarus Pit and adding a new official entry to Batman’s personal death count in DC Comics lore.

Hush Proves Brains Beat Brawn In Gotham City

Hugh Becomes The Joker’s Spiritual Successor Before His Death

The exact machinations behind Thomas Elliott’s master plan are yet to be revealed, but Hush’s city-wide chess match has left nearly all of Gotham’s heroes and villains completely vulnerable to each other. The extent of Hush’s strategy is on the level of the Joker’s traditional displays of chaotic power, and his manipulation of vigilantes and criminals alike is something only an evil mastermind like the Joker could execute so well. In fact, the Joker has never achieved the impressive feat of turning the entire Bat-Family on Batman at once.

Unfortunately for Hush, he isn’t blessed by the supernatural protection that keeps the Joker alive through the unlikeliest of his plans. By regular standards, the Joker should have met the same fate as Hush a long time ago, yet the Clown Prince of Crime continuously makes it out alive against all odds. The Joker’s metaphysical near-immortality also applies to Batman’s decision to spare him. Although Batman‘s no-kill rule is sacred to the Dark Knight, if Hush had been in the Joker’s place, Thomas Elliot would have been more likely to bite the dust before he could submerge Gotham into chaos.

What do you think Hush’s plans are?

Batman #163 is now available from DC Comics.

Created By

Bob Kane, Bill Finger

FIRST APP

Detective Comics #27 (1939)

Alias

Bruce Wayne

Alliance

Justice League, Outsiders, Batman Family

Race

Human

Franchise

D.C.