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| Wrath | |
 Cover to Batman Special #1. Art by Michael Golden. |
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| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | (Wrath) Batman Special #1 (1984) (Elliot Caldwell) Batman Confidential #13 (March 2008) |
| Created by | (Wrath) Mike W. Barr (writer) Michael Golden (artist) (Elliot Caldwell) Tony Bedard (writer) Rags Morales (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | (Wrath ) Unknown (Elliot Caldwell) Elliot Caldwell |
The Wrath is the name of two fictional comic book supervillains published by DC Comics. The original Wrath debuted in Batman Special #1 (1984), and was created by Mike W. Barr and Michael Golden. The second Wrath debuted in Batman Confidential #13 (March 2008), and was created by Tony Bedard and Rags Morales.
Contents |
Publication history
The Wrath's debut story was titled "The Player on the Other Side", published in Batman Special #1 (1984). The title was based on an essay by Aldous Huxley; but it is also a reference to the Ellery Queen novel of the same name, as the story's author, Mike W. Barr is a renowned Queen enthusiast.
A Post Infinite Crisis legacy version of The Wrath debuted in the paged of Batman Confidential #13 in a story arc written by Tony Bedard taking the mantle as the Wrath.
Fictional character biography
Wrath
The first Wrath was a member of Batman's rogues gallery, where he served as a sort of anti-Batman. The Wrath's appearance and motivation are reminiscent of Batman's, but with notable differences. The Wrath (like Batman) is distinguished by perfectionism and obsession in what he does. His costume is also very similar to Batman's (though colored in crimson and purple with a W-insignia on the chest and cowl).
The Wrath's parents were a couple of burglars, similar to Joe Chill. They were shot by a young policeman who mistook them for committing a robbery (in actuality, they were crawling out of a window to "skip out" on paying their rent). Due to this, the Wrath dedicated his life to a campaign of revenge against law and law-enforcers. As he had grown up, the burglars' son became a professional assassin. For years, he traveled the world to work as a gun for hire.
When the Wrath finally returns to Gotham City, he comes to kill the man who had shot his parents. The Wrath's target turns out to be James Gordon, commissioner of the Gotham City Police and an ally of Batman. Thus, a clash with Batman becomes inevitable. In the course of their impersonal battle of wits, the Wrath learns of Batman's secret identity as Bruce Wayne and proceeds to attack several of his friends; Alfred Pennyworth is hospitalized, and Leslie Thompkins is taken hostage by the Wrath.
In the end, the Wrath dies during his showdown with Batman, having fallen from the roof of a building in Park Row. This happened after he was caught in a fire set earlier by the Wrath himself.
Elliot Caldwell
The Wrath "reappears" in 2008s Batman Confidential. This version retcons his first appearance to a time when a 13-year-old Dick Grayson, who had only recently become Robin, was on an "Educational Holiday" (the original story was published the same year that Grayson became Nightwing) and gives Wrath an all-purple costume. This Wrath, which Batman is convinced is a copycat from his first appearance, begins murdering police officers visiting Gotham for a convention and breaks in to Grayle Hudson's apartment.1 After a fight with Batman, during which he confirms he's not the original Wrath, he tells the Dark Knight to investigate Commissioner Gordon's actions on June 26 twenty five years ago—the same night Bruce Wayne's parents died.2 Gordon's reports for that night have been wiped clean, but Wrath informs Batman that on that night Gordon killed the original Wrath's parents, his father a police officer, while they were robbing a stereo warehouse with him as a lookout. In order to cover up the criminal activity of the officer Gordon was shipped to Chicago and the orphaned boy was sent to an orphanage never to be adopted. Growing to hate cops he became a hitman in hopes of "avenging his parents again and again". In his work he studied Batman, thinking they were kindred spirits, and began training his own "Robin", which went on to become the new Wrath.3 His real name was revealed to be Elliot Caldwell, an orphaned son who the Wrath trained to be his answer to Batman's Robin. Elliot was one of five orphans who the original Wrath kidnapped and trained, but Elliot was the only one who survived the training. He was stopped by Batman and Nightwing, whose team work and care for each other had broken down Caldwell, who never had the same relationship with his master, and was sent to Blackgate Penitentiary.
Other media
Television
The Batman
The Wrath made his first appearance outside of comics in season five of The Batman voiced by Christopher Gorham. He also has a Robin-like partner named Scorn (voiced by Daryl Sabara). In the series, they are given identities of Will Mallory and Andy Mallory, respectively.4 William and Andrew Mallory are children of jewel thieves. It's implied that their parents made themselves wealthy this way. However, they are eventually caught and convicted the same night when Bruce Wayne's parents were shot. At the time, both Mallory brothers were still only young children. Andy barely remembers them, due to him being no older than a toddler. It is this event that motivates them to become the Wrath and Scorn. Their activities consist of aiding Batman villains Joker, Penguin, Killer Croc, and the Ventriloquist & Scarface. At the same time, they also fought Batman (as well as Robin) directly. When out of costume, the Mallory brothers pretend to be friends of Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson (Andy and Dick, however, do little to hide their disdain for each other). Ultimately, it is this "friendship" that leads Bruce and Will to realize each other is Batman and Wrath. Although the costumed brothers are eventually captured, they plan to reveal the Dynamaic Duo's secret identities. Bruce is willing to accept that outcome, but the Joker is not. Having grown tired of Wrath and Scorn's interference, Joker decides to silence them by posing as a policeman when they plea to him to get them out. Thus, he gases them with Joker venom. The Joker implies that this will "break [their] minds," and it clearly prevents them from speaking. However, it's unclear whether the effects can be reversed.
This version of Wrath wears a crimson and gold colored outfit instead of the original, crimson and purple outfit, or the Caldwell all-purple outfit. This coloring makes him resemble Catman, another Batman doppelganger and foe. Scorn wears a black and white costume with a pointed "S" on the chest.
References
- ^ Tony Bedard (w), Rags Morales (p), Mark Farmer (i). "Wrath Child Part I" Batman Confidential vol. 1, #13 (March 2008). DC Comics.
- ^ Tony Bedard (w), Rags Morales (p), Mark Farmer (i). "Wrath Child Part II" Batman Confidential vol. 1, #14 (April 2008). DC Comics.
- ^ # ^ Tony Bedard (w), Rags Morales (p), Mark Farmer (i). "Wrath Child Part II" Batman Confidential vol. 1, #15 (May 2008) DC Comics[3]
- ^ The World's Finest
External links
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Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 5 October 2008, at 19:10.
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