Mirror Man (character)

Last updated

Mirror Man is the name of three different characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics.

Contents

Fictional character biography

Floyd Ventris

Mirror Man
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
First appearance Detective Comics #213 (November 1954)
Created by Bill Finger (writer)
Sheldon Moldoff (artist)
In-story information
Alter egoFloyd Ventrix
Species Human
AbilitiesGenius-level intellect

Floyd Ventris is a criminal who was detained at Gotham State Penitentiary. Using broken mirror shards, he distracts the guards long enough to escape from prison. Inspired by the mirrors, he becomes Mirror Man. [1] Upon creating a machine that would enable him to see through objects, Mirror Man began targeting Batman so that he can find out his secret identity. He was able to see under Batman's cowl and discover his identity of Bruce Wayne. [2] Batman writes a letter to the Gotham Gazette about the times they thought he was falsely exposed as Bruce Wayne. This causes Mirror Man to try to get a similar image of Batman which fails as Mirror Man is defeated. When Mirror Man is incarcerated at Gotham State Penitentiary, Batman revealed that he used a special cowl made of mirrors which was the reason why Mirror Man failed to get another image of Batman's identity. [3] [4]

Mirror Man later escapes from prison and begins another plan to expose Bruce Wayne as the true identity of Batman. [5] Bruce Wayne outwits Mirror Man's thugs at the Gotham Museum which is witnessed by Vicki Vale. Despite Batwoman's efforts to stop them, Mirror Man and his thugs escape. By Mirror Man's next attack, Vicki Vale hires an actor to pose as Bruce Wayne in order to keep Batman's identity a secret even though she was unaware that Bruce had asked Alfred Pennyworth to impersonate Batman. When one of Mirror Man's thugs finds out about Vicki's hoax, Mirror Man and his thugs are defeated by Batman and taken to GCPD Headquarters. Wayne appears at the police department causing Mirror Man's theory to be dropped. [6]

Following the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" storyline, Mirror Man is among the villains that were sprung from Gotham State Penitentiary by Ra's al Ghul. However, Ventris was one of the freed villains who chose not to take part in the mass attack on Batman staged by Ra's and instead went into hiding, and has not been seen since. [7]

His criminal mantra was --"Mirror,Mirror, on the wall....who is the smartest crook of all?"

Mirror Man II

In the three-part miniseries Arkham Reborn, a different Mirror Man appeared. This person has an obsession with mirrors and has also used the alias of "Narcissus". Nothing else was known about him other than the fact that he was first seen walking out of a forest in Haiti, the intelligible words that he spoke were repeated by him like an echo, and he had a human appearance. [8] Mirror Man is one of the Arkham Asylum inmates alongside No-Face and the Hamburger Lady that are labeled as Jeremiah Arkham's "special subjects" that nobody knows about. [9]

Mirror Man III

The third Mirror Man appears during the "Gotham Underground" storyline. He is an unnamed African-American man who is a part of the New Rogues which were assembled by the Penguin. As this group is modeled after the Rogues, Mirror Man is modeled after the Mirror Master. [10]

During the Final Crisis storyline, Mirror Man and the New Rogues are enlisted by Libra to get the Rogues back into the Secret Society of Super Villains. He fought the Mirror Master, who was able to use his mirrors to blind Mirror Man and then strangle him with one of the Trickster's springs. [11]

Powers and abilities

The Floyd Ventris version of Mirror Man has genius-level intellect and uses devices that are themed with mirrors.

The New Rogues version of Mirror Man uses Mirror Master's special mirrors in battle.

In other media

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arkham Asylum</span> Fictional psychiatric hospital in DC Comics

The Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane, commonly referred to as Arkham Asylum, is a fictional psychiatric hospital/prison, named after the city of Arkham which appeared first in the stories of H. P. Lovecraft, and later appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in stories featuring the superhero Batman. It first appeared in Batman #258, written by Dennis O'Neil with art by Irv Novick. The asylum serves as a (forensic) psychiatric hospital for the Gotham City area, housing patients who are criminally insane, as well as select prisoners with unusual medical requirements that are beyond a conventional prison's ability to accommodate. Its high-profile patients are often members of Batman's rogues gallery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scarecrow (DC Comics)</span> Fictional supervillain in the DC Universe

The Scarecrow is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, the character first appeared in World's Finest Comics #3. He has become one of the most enduring enemies of the superhero Batman and belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up his rogues gallery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two-Face</span> Comic book supervillain

Two-Face is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman. The character was created by Bob Kane and first appeared in Detective Comics #66. As one of Batman's most enduring enemies, Two-Face belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up Batman's rogues gallery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Gordon (character)</span> Fictional character in the DC Universe

James W. "Jim" Gordon is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, most commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane as an ally of Batman, the character debuted in the first panel of Detective Comics #27, Batman's first appearance, making him the first Batman supporting character ever to be introduced, eventually succeeding him as Batman from 2015 to 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bane (DC Comics)</span> Comics character

Bane is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Chuck Dixon and artist Graham Nolan, he made his debut in Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1. Bane is usually depicted as a dangerous adversary of the superhero Batman, and belongs to the collective of enemies that make up Batman's rogues gallery. Possessing a mix of brute strength and exceptional intelligence, Bane is often credited as the only villain to have "broken the bat", defeating him both physically and mentally. Bane went on to kill Alfred Pennyworth in 2019 during the City of Bane storyline. He is the son of another Batman enemy, King Snake and has a clone/daughter named Vengeance, introduced in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Man-Bat</span> DC Comics character

Man-Bat is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Introduced in Detective Comics #400 as an enemy of the superhero Batman, the character belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up his rogues gallery. Originally portrayed as a supervillain, later incarnations show the Man-Bat as a sympathetic villain or antihero.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugo Strange</span> Fictional comic book supervillain

Hugo Strange is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman. The character is one of Batman's first recurring villains, and was also one of the first to discover his secret identity. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #36.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killer Croc</span> DC Comics character

Killer Croc is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Gerry Conway, Don Newton and Gene Colan, the character was introduced in Batman #357. He has become one of the most enduring enemies of the superhero Batman and belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up his rogues gallery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azrael (DC Comics)</span> Fictional superhero

Azrael is an alias used by multiple fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original version, Jean-Paul Valley, was created by Denny O'Neil, Joe Quesada, and Peter Milligan, and debuted in Batman: Sword of Azrael #1. The second character to assume the alias was Michael Washington Lane, in Azrael: Death's Dark Knight #1. Both iterations are Christian vigilantes and assassins created by the Order of St. Dumas and/or its derivatives, secretive religious organizations seeking to restore justice to Gotham City through religious extremism. They are typically portrayed as antiheroes and reluctant allies of the superhero Batman and the Batman Family, battling forms of manipulations employed by their respective orders, violent tendencies shaped by tragedies in their life, and proving themselves trusted allies to Batman.

Victoria Vale is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, the character debuted in Batman #49. Vicki Vale is a journalist, usually based in Gotham City, who has worked for a number of publications across various iterations of the character and the surrounding DC universe. She is frequently depicted as a romantic interest of Bruce Wayne, the alter-ego of Batman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ventriloquist (character)</span> Comics character

The Ventriloquist is the name of multiple supervillains appearing in American comic books and other media published by DC Comics. All of the Ventriloquist's versions are enemies of Batman, belonging to the collective of adversaries that make up Batman's rogues gallery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Mask (character)</span> Comic book supervillain

Black Mask is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Doug Moench and Tom Mandrake, the character debuted in Batman #386. He is commonly depicted as a brutal and ruthless crime lord in Gotham City who has a fixation with masks and derives sadistic pleasure from the act of torture. Black Mask is one of the most enduring enemies of the superhero Batman and belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up his rogues gallery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Firefly (DC Comics)</span> Supervillain created by DC Comics

Firefly is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by France Herron and Dick Sprang, he made his debut in Detective Comics #184. Initially portrayed as a criminal who utilized lighting effects to commit robberies, Firefly was later reimagined as a sociopathic pyromaniac with an obsessive compulsion to start fires following Crisis on Infinite Earths' reboot of the DC Universe in the 1980s. This darker depiction of the character has since endured as one of the superhero Batman's most recurring enemies and belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up his central rogues gallery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hush (character)</span> DC Comics character

Hush is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee, the character first appeared in Batman #609 in January 2003 as part of the twelve-issue storyline Batman: Hush. Hush serves as a criminal foil to the superhero Batman and belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up his rogues gallery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calendar Man</span> Comic book character

Calendar Man is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, as an enemy of the superhero Batman, belonging to the collective of adversaries that make up Batman's rogues gallery. Calendar Man is known for committing crimes that correspond with holidays and significant dates. He often wears costumes to correlate with the date of the designated crime. His name, in itself, is a joke, referencing both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. In his debut, the character was presented as a joke villain, but in later years, writers developed Calendar Man as a dark, disturbed criminal who toys with Batman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Hood</span> Various DC Comics characters, first 1951

The Red Hood is an alias used by multiple characters appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The identity was first used in the 1951 story line "The Man Behind the Red Hood!", which provides the earliest origin story for the Joker. The storyline depicts an unnamed criminal wearing a red dome-shaped hood who, after a chance encounter with Batman, is disfigured by chemicals and becomes insane, giving birth to his future Joker persona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Freeze</span> Fictional character throughout the DC Universe

Mr. Freeze is the name of two supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.

<i>Gotham Underground</i>

Gotham Underground is a nine-issue limited series from DC Comics, written by Frank Tieri, with art by Jim Califiore.

<i>Batman and Robin</i> (comic book) American comic book ongoing series

Batman and Robin is an American comic book ongoing series, created by Grant Morrison and featuring Batman and Robin. The debut of the series followed the events of "Batman R.I.P.", Final Crisis, and "Battle for the Cowl" in which the original Batman, Bruce Wayne, apparently died at the hands of DC Comics villain Darkseid and features the winner of the "Battle for the Cowl" as the new Batman. The conclusion of Battle for the Cowl shows Dick Grayson ascending to the role of Batman, while Damian Wayne becomes the new Robin.

References

  1. ↑ Fleisher, Michael L. (1976). The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes, Volume 1: Batman. Macmillan Publishing Co. pp. 276–277. ISBN   0-02-538700-6 . Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  2. ↑ Greenberger, Robert (2008). The Essential Batman Encyclopedia. Del Rey. pp. 258–259. ISBN   9780345501066.
  3. ↑ Detective Comics #213. DC Comics.
  4. ↑ Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Supervillains. New York: Facts on File. p. 221. ISBN   0-8160-1356-X.
  5. ↑ Wells, John (2015). American Comic Book Chronicles: 1960-64. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 123. ISBN   978-1605490458.
  6. ↑ Batman #157. DC Comics.
  7. ↑ Batman #400. DC Comics.
  8. ↑ Battle for the Cowl: Arkham Asylum #1. DC Comics.
  9. ↑ Arkham Reborn #1-3. DC Comics.
  10. ↑ Gotham Underground #3. DC Comics.
  11. ↑ Final Crisis: Rogues' Revenge #2. DC Comics.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.