Hush (comics)

Superherobox|


caption=Art from "Batman" #619 (September 2003).
Pencils by Jim Lee.
comic_color=background:#8080ff
character_name=Hush
real_name=Thomas "Tommy" Elliot
publisher=DC Comics
debut=As Tommy:
"Batman" #609 (November 2002)
As Hush:
"Batman" #619 (September 2003)
creators=Jeph Loeb
Jim Lee
alliance_color=background:#c0c0ff
alliances=
aliases=
powers=No superpowers;
Master surgeon,
Martial arts,
Hand-to-hand combat training,
Expert marksman.|

Hush is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics and appearing as an enemy of Batman. Created by writer Jeph Loeb and artist Jim Lee, the character first appears in "Batman" #609 (November 2002). Following his 12-issue debut arc ('), Hush resurfaced in '.

Character history

Origin

Dr. Thomas Elliot is a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne, and was also born into a wealthy family. Unlike Wayne, however, Elliot hated his parents. Driven by his desire for independence and wealth, he cut the brakes on his parents' car, causing a crash that killed his father. His mother 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 psych ward. He irrationally blamed Bruce and Martha Wayne for his outburst, but he was soon released by an intern named Jonathan Crane. While at first young Tommy relished the irony that Bruce had lost his parents, as time passed, spent tending to his mother and hearing about Bruce Wayne living a life of (apparent) leisure and travel, just the situation Elliot had hoped to create for himself, his anger grew. Shortly before Bruce returned to Gotham to take Batman's mantle, Elliot befriended, over the common ground of their unwillingly sheltered lives, Peyton Riley, the second Ventriloquist, a relationship his mother never approved, foreshadowing her future transformation in a villain. Elliot's mother later succumbed to cancer, leaving him with the family fortune. Although he went on to Harvard and became a successful surgeon, Elliot continued to hold an irrational grudge towards his childhood friend.

At some point in his career, Elliot becomes the doctor of Edward Nigma (also known as the Riddler). Nigma, diagnosed with terminal cancer, eventually hijacks one of Ra's al Ghul's Lazarus pits to regain his health. During this mystical treatment, which renders the participant temporarily insane, the highly intelligent Nigma experiences an unexpected epiphany, realizing that Bruce Wayne is Batman. After discovering that they had a common hatred for Wayne, Elliot and the Riddler decide to pool resources to bring him down. To this end, Elliot creates for himself the persona of "Hush" (The name is said to have been coined by the Scarecrow, referencing the lullaby "Hush little baby").Citation | last = Wallace | first = Dan | author-link = | contribution = Batman | editor-last = Dougall | editor-first = Alastair | title = The DC Comics Encyclopedia | pages = 40-44 | publisher = Dorling Kindersley | place = London | year = 2008 | ISBN = 0-7566-4119-5]

"Hush Begins"

In their attempt to destroy Batman, Hush and the Riddler convince and manipulate several other villains to help. These include the Joker, Harley Quinn, Two-Face, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, Killer Croc and Clayface. Jason Todd (the second Robin), presumed dead at the time, also takes part in the scheme in a limited capacity. Part of this includes fooling Bruce that Tommy is the latest victim of the Joker. This brings Batman to the brink of murdering the Joker; he is only stopped when former GCPD commissioner Jim Gordon talks him down.

With these villains as their pawns, Hush and the Riddler set up an elaborate plot against Batman, allowing him to realize that he is being toyed with and ultimately making him believe Jason Todd has returned from the grave to destroy him ("Batman" #617/18).

Around this time, Hush cures the disfigured Harold Allnut, a longtime Batman associate. In return, Harold 'bugs' the Batcave with several devices that alter Batman's mind. Hush then kills Harold in front of Batman.

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

Although Batman is sure that Hush indeed is Thomas Elliot, he is not able to unmask him.

"Hush Returns"

When Hush resurfaces, he does so with a vengeance. Still out to destroy Batman and determined not to let the rest of the villains get in his way, Hush quickly carves out a niche for himself, beating his former accomplice, the Riddler, within an inch of his life and even driving the Joker out of town. Hush also ends up killing Poison Ivy in a fruitless attempt to recruit her.

Following a short-lived alliance with JLA nemesis Prometheus, Hush then begins to torment Bruce Wayne with the aid of an all-new Clayface. Exploiting the latter's shape-shifting abilities, Hush is briefly able to shed doubt on his true identity and has Wayne's butler Alfred Pennyworth framed for murder. His name has since been cleared, albeit through trickery.

Payback

The Joker eventually returns to Gotham City with an army of trained pigeons and retaliated (in "" #73-74). He captures Hush and keeps him sedated for three weeks, during which time he implants a pacemaker into his body, effectively gaining control of his heart. At the Joker's mercy and unable to remove the device himself, Hush turns to the one man he feels he could trust (or rather, predict): Bruce Wayne.

Wayne consents to help Hush on the condition that he allow himself to be treated in and confined to Arkham Asylum. Hush agrees, and then immediately escapes after being told that the surgery had been a success. He is intercepted by Batman before he can confront the Joker, and the two men debate the merits of a code against killing such vile criminals. Hush demands that Batman allow him to do what he would not, and finish off the Joker once and for all. Batman seems to agree and begins to leave, but then reveals that he had tricked Hush - the pacemaker is still in his body, and he had been allowed to escape the asylum. At that moment the Joker arrives, and Hush begs Batman not to leave him.

The issue (and the "Batman: Gotham Knights" series) ends unresolved. Hush returns in the later "Man-Bat" miniseries, and Hush is later shown remembering how painful was removing the pacemaker alone, and how the time spent between "Gotham Knights" and "Heart of Hush" was almost totally spent recovering from the damage suffered, confirming that Batman did desert Hush at the conclusion of Payback.

Heart of Hush

Hush returns in "Detective Comics" #846-#850, in the story "The Heart of Hush", which ties together with "Batman R.I.P.". In this arc, Hush is portrayed in a slightly different thematic fashion than in his prior appearances. Beyond being merely a manipulative sociopath, his past as a surgeon is made into a major aspect of his modus operandi. In the first issue Hush makes it known he will not let anyone else kill Batman, as he sees that as his right. In the second part it is shown that Hush has teamed up with the Scarecrow, who is revealed to have had contact with Elliot as a child. Hush is shown performing routine plastic surgery on his own face, whos nature and extent, revealed only some issues later, is granting him the same appearance of his nemesis, Bruce Wayne [Detective Comics #849]

In issue #848 he ambushes and subdues Catwoman after she scratches off a portion of his facial bandages, recoiling in horror at what she sees. He then cuts out her heart, putting her on life support and delivering her to Gotham General Hospital. Hush comments to himself in that same issue that it was Batman's desertion of him during the pacemaker storyline that inspired this current plan.

While Selina is left in Doctor Mid-Nite's hand, Batman collects every information he can about Hush from Arkham inmates, and is able to deduct the secret location of his base. Hush however ambushes him, by showing the room containing the machines needed to keep Selina's heart alive and pumping, and flooding it with paralysis-inducing gas. He then confesses to Bruce Wayne his plan: using his newfound resemblance to Bruce, he will kill and disfigure him to steal his identity, then he would retire with the Wayne's riches.

The story is ongoing, and Catwoman's ultimate fate is yet to be determined (but her appearance in Final Crisis, storywise set after this storyline, suggest she recovered).

Powers and abilities

Thomas "Hush" Elliot has no superpowers on his own. However, mirroring in a twisted way the life of Bruce Wayne, he has spent a vast portion of his life, honing his skills enough to be a match for the Dark Knight. Formerly known, before his staged death during his first appearance, as one of the finest surgeon of his times, Thomas Elliot has an incredible intellect and is also a master planner, with tactical skills equal, if not exceeding those possessed by the Caped Crusader. Indeed, Hush's greatest skill is his ability to think like his opponents and use their motivations against them.

Hush is an expert marksman, able to shoot two batarangs out of the air and set off C4 using twin .45 caliber pistols, his weapons of choice (His skill has been compared to that of Deadshot). While not possessing the kind of 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, and knock out Catwoman, albeit in a moment of distraction.

Hush is a brilliant surgeon and has been able to perform breakthrough medical operations, thought impossible by many, like granting Harold Allnut a fully functional body, removing his hunchback and giving him the ability to speak, repairing Harvey Dent's face (with only a small scar to show for it), and tearing out Selina Kyle's heart without any other lasting damage.

Hush is also able to perform plastic surgery on himself, no matter how painful it may be, using minimal anesthetic and sheer force of will. He's implied to have removed the pacemaker installed on his own heart by himself, and routinely performs surgeries on his own face, with the aid of a simple mirror.

Appearances in other media

Television

The Batman

Hush was going to be originally 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. However, the project was later scrapped by DC and WB. There is some sketch art of Hush in "Legions of Gotham". [ [http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/news.php?action=fullnews&id=25 The World's Finest ] ]

Hush was also going to be introduced in the episode "Rumors", written by Joseph Kuhr. However, DC didn't like the idea, and the villain Rumor was created in his place. [ [http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0703/01/index.htm Comics Continuum by Rob Allstetter ] ]

Video games

DC Universe Online

Hush appears on the recent trailer for Sony's "DC Universe Online". [ [http://pc.ign.com/dor/objects/754948/dc-comics-mmo/videos/DCUO_trailer_071408.html IGN ] ]

LEGO Batman

Hush is a playable character that can be unlocked in "" after rescuing all the civilian hostages throughout the game. [http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/908/908918p1.html]

References