Hush / Dr. Thomas Elliott
While more recent compared to other villains, Hush became an instant fan favorite with the release of Batman: Hush by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee. Hush was a criminal mastermind that created an elaborate scheme of lies and manipulation against Batman using both his greatest villains and closest allies. All the while, Hush operated from the shadows until he finally revealed himself to Batman at his weakest.
Hush was none other than Thomas Elliot – a former childhood friend of Bruce Wayne (and in his adult life – an expert surgeon) who secretly was a sociopath that harbored an irrational envy and hatred of Bruce. But Wayne had no idea – Elliot was always the childhood friend/rival and chess partner. Elliot was a powerful adversary due to being a master strategist and having the ability to read & anticipate his opponents which was apparent in how he played chess. Elliot excelled at this so much that it inspired Bruce to hone his mental faculties when becoming Batman.
It wasn’t enough for Hush to merely destroy Batman. Hush won’t stop until he usurps the identity and wealth of Bruce Wayne himself. Under Paul Dini, Hush’s modus operandi began to factor more of his expertise as a surgeon. In the comics, as well as the “Identity Thief” side quest in Arkham City, Hush was shown to surgically alter his own face to appear identical as Bruce Wayne after killing and skinning his victims. By the end of the game, the ultimate fate of Hush was unknown as he managed to escape.
What if Hush also wanted to co-opt the Batman persona but twisted it into a cruel parody? What a shock to us fans it would have been to if we were to see Bruce Wayne’s face looking back at us after removing the Arkham Knight mask?
