Rupert Thorne
Real Name: Rupert Thorne
Nicknames: No known nicknames
Former Aliases: No known former aliases
Other Current Aliases: Boss Thorne
Status
Occupation: Crime-lord; former city councilman
Legal Status: Rupert Thorne is a citizen of the United States with a criminal record.
Identity: Public
Marital Status: Single
Group Affiliation: No known group affiliation
Base of Operations: Tobbaconists Club, Gotham City
Origin
Origin of character unknown.
Place of Birth: Place of birth unknown (presumably Gotham City)
Known Relatives: No known relatives
First Appearance: Detective Comics #469
History
History of character unknown.
Characteristics
Height: Height unknown
Weight: Weight unknown
Eyes: Eye colour unknown
Hair: White
Unusual Features: No unusual features
Powers
Known Powers: No known powers.
Known Abilities: Rupert Thorne is an expert manipulator, who has used his influence and connections to shape Gotham City's political climate. He is also proficient in the arena of criminal organization and networking.
Strength Level: Rupert Thorne possesses the strength level of a man his age, size and weight who engages in minimal regular exercise.
Miscellaneous
Equipment: No known equipment.
Transportation: No known transportation.
Weapons: No known weapons.
Notes
- The character of Rupert Thorne was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Walt Simonson.
- Rupert Thorne serves as an analog to underworld figures such as Bruno Manheim in Metropolis.
Animated
In Batman: The Animated Series, Rupert Thorne (voiced by John Vernon) appears at several points throughout the series to virtually control Gotham City's criminal underworld. Thorne made his first appearance in the episode "Two-Face", in which he was indirectly responsible for district attorney Harvey Dent's transformation into the arch-criminal Two-Face. Thorne blackmailed Dent with his psychological records, threatening to tell the press that the young DA suffered from multiple personality disorder unless he stopped prosecuting his henchmen. Enraged, Dent "switched" into his alternate, violent personality and chased Thorne into a nearby chemical processing plant, where an explosion permanently disfigured half of Dent's face and left his evil personality in control. In this story, Thorne replaces "Boss" Moroni as the mechanism for Dent's disfigurement and transformation into a criminal.
Thorne was also notable in the series for introducing Bane into Batman's life in an episode by hiring him to assassinate the Dark Knight. Unbeknownst to Thorne, however, his moll, Candice, was conspiring with Bane to kill him as well as Batman so they could both run the city. After Batman (just barely) defeated Bane by severing the tubing that pumped the "Venom" steroids into his body, he sent the hired killer to Thorne, trussed-up and noticeably shrunken, complete with an audio recording of his treasonous conversations with Candice. It is implied, though never shown or stated, that Thorne killed Candice for her disloyalty (Thorne is shown to be livid at her betrayal, and one as deadly as Thorne would certainly not allow a traitor to live). She is never shown again in the series.
In Batman: The Animated Series, Rupert's brother is named Matthew and it is implied that he lost his license when he failed to file a police report on a gunshot wound he treated, probaby working for Rupert. While reluctantly performing medicine on gangsters without a license as "The Crime Doctor," he surgically removes a beneign tumor from Rupert's heart on the promise that his brother would use his connections to reinstate Matthew's medical license.
Outside of the traditional "Rogues Gallery" villains, Thorne was the main antagonist in the series. In the animated series, he bears a striking resemblance to comedian Jonathan Winters.
Rupert Thorne also appears in the video game The Adventures of Batman & Robin for the Sega CD, in which Clayface takes on Thorne's shape while the real Thorne is on vacation, using Rupert Thorne's money to hire other supervillains in a plot to kill Batman. In the scenes where Clayface took on Thorne's form, John Vernon reprises his role.
When Batman: The Animated Series was revamped as The New Batman Adventures, Rupert Thorne was strangely absent from the new show. This led some to believe that Thorne had been put behind bars for good, but he later reappears in the direct-to-video animated movie, Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman, in which he works with The Penguin and Carlton Duquesne in an arms deal.
Thorne also exists in The Batman as his criminal empire falls apart in the beginning minutes of the first episode before supervillains like the Joker appear in Gotham. However, he also makes a cameo in A Matter of Family. Thorne plays a larger role in The Batman Strikes!, a comic based in the continuity of the show. He is played by Victor Brandt.
As well, in the original script titled "The Batman" by Tom Mankiewicz, Rupert Thorne was the man who hired Joe Chill to kill Thomas Wayne, since he was running for mayor at the time.
Trivia
- Rupert Thorne enjoys smoking cigars.
Recommended Readings
- Batman #339-356
- Detective Comics #469-476, 507, 825
Related Articles
See Also
- Character Gallery: Rupert Thorne (New Earth)
- Appearances of Rupert Thorne (New Earth)
External Links
- The Strange Saga of Rupert Thorne
- Rupert Thorne biography page at the Unofficial Guide to the DC Universe
- Rupert Thorne chronology index