Inque

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caption=Inque in semi-human form
comic_color=
character_name=Inque
real_name=Inque Clay
publisher=DC Comics
debut="Batman Beyond", "Black Out" (ep. 1.03) (aired January 31, 1999)
creators=
alliance_color=
alliances=Iniquity Collective
aliases=
powers=Shapeshifting, Liquification, strength|

Inque (pronounced "ink") is a fictional character from the DCAU series "Batman Beyond". She is a shapeshifting femme fatale with an aversion to water and electricity. Inque can turn into a dark liquid and slide through the smallest cracks, or apply herself to the surface of an object in order to avoid detection. She was voiced by actress Shannon Kenny.

As with many of the "Batman Beyond" villains, she seems to be inspired in part by an original Batman villain; in this case, Clayface or Plasmus, though for her appearance in her less human-looking form the inspiriation seems to have been Bic Man, the pen-holding mascot of Société Bic. Inque can also be compared to Spider-Man's enemy The Sandman due to similar powers and recuperation, and also to the enemies Venom and Carnage due to similarities in appearace (the black oily substance being very similar to the alien symbiotes that made up Venom and Carnage). Also, much like Clayface or Sandman, Inque has a physical aversion to water and other solvents, which dilutes her liquidized form, and can be stopped (for an indeterminate amount of time) by freezing her, though doing so will eventually damage her remaining human DNA and prevent her from returning to a human guise (much like the T-1000 from ).

In every one of Inque's five appearances, she proved to be one of Batman's most powerful adversaries, as Batman was not able to defeat her alone, requiring assistance from Bruce Wayne (twice), Superman, the Justice League, and even Inque's own daughter, Deanna. Out of Terry's entire rogues gallery, Inque has come the closest to killing him on several occasions, a feat not even Blight has accomplished.

Inque would later join the Iniquity Collective in their fight against the Justice League Unlimited.

Appearances in "Batman Beyond"

Black Out

Inque first appears as an industrial saboteur hired by Derek Powers, the CEO of Wayne-Powers. Batman encounters her several times, and she eventually attaches herself to the outside of the Batmobile as it returns to the Batcave.

When she is discovered after Bruce Wayne notices that the Batmobile is carrying extra weight, Inque attempts to escape the Batcave (however, she does not know exactly where it's located due to several factors). Though she very nearly kills Terry, she is defeated when Terry uses Mr. Freeze's freeze gun to immobilize her in a block of ice, preventing her from shapeshifting any longer. The block of ice containing Inque is then delivered to Police Commissioner Barbara Gordon.

Disappearing Inque

Some time after her last battle with Batman, Inque is released by Aaron Herbst, a man infatuated with her (but ultimately betrayed by her). However, she is no longer able to change back into her human form, so she desperately seeks a cure for her condition, as well as vengeance against Batman and Bruce Wayne.

Inque manages to capture Batman, and by using his communicator, she sends a message to Bruce, calling him out. Despite having a heart problem, Bruce dons a powerful exo suit and comes to Terry's rescue. Inque is defeated when Terry smashes a skylight and rain falls on her, washing her into the sewers.

Inqueling

In this third season episode, Inque returns, fully recovered. However, she finds little opportunity to renew her mercenary ways because, after sabotaging a satellite launch, she is betrayed by her new client and left falling apart at the molecular level. Wounded and in need of more mutagen to heal herself, Inque turns to the one person she thinks she can trust: a money-hungry teenage girl named Deanna Clay, who turns out to be her daughter.

Inque explains that she has been channeling money into her daughter's bank accounts since she abandoned her as a child, and convinces Deanna to steal more mutagen for her. Deanna returns with the mutagen, and Inque uses it for one last battle with Batman. Though she was winning the battle, prior to the finishing blow, she begins to dissolve again, and realizes that the mutagen had been tampered with; Deanna had betrayed her and added a solvent to the mutagen that was causing Inque's dissolution.

With Inque dead, Deanna gains full access to her mother's immense bank accounts, and is last seen living the high life in her own mansion. However, Batman arrives to warn her that Inque's "been dead before", leaving Deanna to twitch nervously over the shadows in her courtyard.

The Call, Part 1

Inque's death is proven wrong once again, as she appears at the beginning of "The Call, Part 1". While running from Batman, she attempts to capture a bystander, only to discover that he is Superman. He defeats her easily.

Justice League Unlimited:

Inque makes a final appearance, along with several other of Batman's villains, during the season two finale of Justice League Unlimited. The episode re-visited the Batman Beyond time line. During the episode, Inque battled the futuristic Justice League. Capturing her was Kai-ro the future Green Lantern, who encased Inque in a green cage. Inque easily escaped, but the Green Lantern captured her once again, this time in a glass bottle. (According to episode writer Dwayne McDuffie, however, this was a dream sequence, though it is reasonable to infer that she is still alive and active.) This episode concluded the Batman Beyond series, and with it Inque's story as well.

Other appearances

Inque also appeared in the "Batman Beyond" comic book, this time acting as Batman's ally against a cyborg scientist who had enslaved Inque using bio-implants. Though she seemingly sacrificed herself to save Batman's life, somehow she once again managed to survive.

References

External links

*dcauw|Inque