As Batman scrambles to stay one step of the Jokers and their sinister master plan, one classic Batman villain makes their glancing DC Rebirth debut.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Batman: Three Jokers #2, by Geoff Johns, Jason Fabok, Brad Anderson and Rob Leigh, on sale now.
Three Jokers has provided a deep dive into the entire history of the Batman mythos, including his longstanding feud against the Clown Prince of Crime. From bringing back the Joker’s original sidekick to nods to the supervillain’s previous plots, the miniseries has unearthed some of the most forgotten elements for the Dark Knight.
And in Batman: Three Jokers #2, a longtime villain who played a particularly prominent role in Batman: The Animated Series and the DC Animated Universe makes their official DC Rebirth era debut: Rupert Thorne.
Created by Steve Englehart and Walter Simonson in 1977’s Detective Comics #469, Thorne was a corrupt Gotham City politician who was blackmailed by Doctor Phosphorous to turn the city against Batman, continuing this campaign against the Caped Crusader even after Phosphorous was defeated as added political leverage. After gaining Batman’s secret identity, Rupert had attempted to expose him only to be driven mad by Hugo Strange before being imprisoned in Blackgate. Thorne would resurface over 20 years, with his history apparently intact after Crisis on Infinite Earths, still imprisoned in Blackgate with Phosphorous still holding a grudge and plotting to murder Thorne for his betrayal.
Thorne would go on to play an even bigger role in the DCAU, appearing prominently in the earlier seasons of Batman: The Animated Series. Introduced as the most powerful mob boss in Gotham, Thorne would play an indirect role in causing Harvey Dent to transform into the villainous Two-Face. Continually frustrated by Batman thwarting his criminal enterprise, Thorne hired the DCAU incarnation of Bane to arrive in Gotham and break Batman. The DCAU Thorne would ultimately be exposed and convicted after his role in creating one of the Batwomen was revealed, resulting in his imprisonment. Thorne would play a smaller role in the 2004 animated series The Batman as the last of the traditional mobsters active in Gotham at the dawn of the city’s supervillains.