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Ventriloquist (character)

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Ventriloquist
The Arnold Wesker incarnation of the Ventriloquist as depicted in Who's Who in the DC Universe #8 (April 1991).
Art by Norm Breyfogle.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceWesker:
Detective Comics #583 (February 1988)
Riley:
Detective Comics #827 (March 2007)
Belzer:
Batgirl #20 (July 2013)
Created byWesker:
John Wagner (writer)
Alan Grant (writer)
Norm Breyfogle (artist)
Riley:
Paul Dini (writer)
Don Kramer (artist)
Belzer:
Gail Simone (writer)
Fernando Pasarin (artist)
In-story information
Alter egoArnold Wesker
Peyton Riley
Shauna Belzer
SpeciesHuman
Team affiliationsWesker:
Secret Society of Super Villains
Black Lantern Corps
Justice League of Arkham
Abilities
  • Criminal mastermind
  • Skilled marksman

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.

The character has been featured in various media adaptations, such as feature films, television series and video games. Andrew Sellon portrays a new version of the character in the television series Gotham. In the fifth season, he finds the dummy Scarface and becomes the Ventriloquist.

Publication history

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There are currently three incarnations of the Ventriloquist: the first and original incarnation, Arnold Wesker, first appeared in Detective Comics #583 (February 1988) and was created by John Wagner, Alan Grant, and Norm Breyfogle;[1] the second Ventriloquist, Peyton Riley, was introduced in Detective Comics #827 (March 2007) by Paul Dini and Don Kramer;[2] in September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity and, in this new timeline, the third and final incarnation of the character was introduced, Shauna Belzer, first appearing in Batgirl #20 (July 2013), as created by Gail Simone and Fernando Pasarin.[3]

Fictional character biography

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Arnold Wesker

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A meek, quiet man named Arnold Wesker (the first Ventriloquist) plans and executes his crimes through a dummy named Scarface, with the dress and persona of a 1920s gangster (complete with pinstripe suit, cigar, and Tommy gun). His name comes from the nickname of Al Capone, after whom Scarface is modeled.[4] Born into a powerful organized crime family, Wesker develops dissociative identity disorder after seeing his mother assassinated by thugs from a rival family. Growing up, his only outlet is ventriloquism.

Showcase '94 #8-9 establishes an alternate origin story: after a barroom brawl in which he kills someone during a violent release of his repressed anger, Wesker is sent to Blackgate Penitentiary. He is introduced to "Woody" — a dummy carved from the remains of the former Blackgate gallows by his cellmate Donnegan — who convinces him to escape and kill Donnegan in a fight which scars the dummy, thus resulting in the birth of Scarface. Wesker lets the Scarface alter do dirty work, including robbery and murder. He is totally dominated by Scarface, who commands and abuses him.

In the 1995 Riddler story Riddler: The Riddle Factory, it is revealed that a gangster named "Scarface" Scarelli had once been active in Gotham City, though he had apparently died long before Batman's era. A supernatural aspect to Scarface was hinted at in Wesker's alternate origin story in Showcase '94 #8-9, when Wesker's cellmate creates the first Scarface dummy from pieces of wood from the remains of Blackgate Prison's gallows. Batman/Scarface: A Psychodrama (2001) reinforces this and shows the dummy to be indirectly responsible for two accidents while separated from Wesker (with at least one fatality). The dummy also retained his speech impediment while operated by a young boy and seemed to even show awareness of his name during this period.

The Ventriloquist is one of many villains in the Batman's rogues gallery to be confined to Arkham Asylum when Batman apprehends him. In Knightfall, Arkham is destroyed by Bane and the Ventriloquist is among the inmates who escape.[5] Unable to find Scarface, the Ventriloquist briefly uses a sock puppet named Socko in his place. After an ill-fated team-up with Amygdala,[6] he procures a number of other hand puppets to fill in for Scarface, including one of a police officer which he refers to as Chief O'Hara. Later, when Wesker finds Scarface, Scarface and Socko are set at odds until a standoff occurs and the dummy and the puppet both shoot each other, leaving Wesker unconscious and injured.[7]

In Batman: Cataclysm, Gotham City is devastated by an earthquake. The stress caused by the earthquake apparently triggers the release of another personality within Wesker named of the Quakemaster, who claims to have caused the earthquake himself over a video and threatens to trigger another unless he is paid $100 million. Robin deduces Quakemaster's identity due to him taking great effort to avoid saying any words containing the letter "B".[8]

The death of the first Ventriloquist (Arnold Wesker), art by Don Kramer

In Detective Comics #818, Tally Man kills Arnold Wesker and destroys Scarface.[9] Wesker is temporarily resurrected as a Black Lantern in Blackest Night and permanently resurrected in The New 52 continuity reboot.[10][11]

Peyton Riley

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The second Ventriloquist (Peyton Riley). Interior art of Detective Comics #827 (March 2007), art by Don Kramer.

A new female Ventriloquist, called "Sugar" by Scarface, debuts in the pages of Detective Comics.[2] Sugar is a more compatible partner than Wesker, since Scarface no longer substitutes "B" with "G", and she is far more willing to commit violent crime. Riley owns multiple Scarface dummies and often uses them as explosives.

In Detective Comics #843 (April 2008), Scarface kidnaps a rival gangster, Johnny Sabatino, and takes Bruce Wayne hostage. While alone, Sugar breaks away from Scarface and talks to Bruce in what appears to be her real personality. She reveals that she was engaged to Wayne's friend, Matthew Atkins, years prior. Her real name is revealed to be Peyton Riley, and she expresses remorse for her crimes before the Scarface persona reappears and interrupts their conversation.[12] In the following issue, Riley reveals that her father, an Irish Mafia boss named Sean Riley, forced her to marry Sabatino to form an alliance between Gotham's Irish and Italian gangs. Riley and Sabatino are taken to see Arnold Wesker, who is impressed by Riley's intelligence and gives Sabatino a second chance, taking 30% of his profits.[13]

In Detective Comics #850 (November 2008), Riley and Hush bond over their mutual resentment of their families, and vow that they will escape together when Hush comes into his fortune. However, Hush's ailing mother does not approve of their relationship, and when Hush refuses to stop seeing Riley, she writes him out of her will. Riley subsequently runs the departing family lawyer off of the road and kills him while Hush murders his mother. Riley declares that they can finally be free together, only to be abandoned by Hush.[14]

When Scarface's hold on the mob begins to crumble, Sabatino decides to cement his own position by wiping out the Rileys. After killing his father-in-law, he shoots Riley in the head. She survives and swears revenge on Sabatino. Riley attempts to throw Sabatino over the side of his yacht, but he begins to strangle her with rope. Scarface quietly says, "Jump, Sugar", and Riley sends them both over the side. Riley has not appeared since then and is presumed to have drowned.[15]

Shauna Belzer

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A new Ventriloquist debuted in the pages of Batgirl, part of The New 52 continuity reboot. Shauna Belzer grew up in the shadow of her twin brother Ferdie, whom their parents treated as a favorite while ignoring her; other children, meanwhile, idolized Ferdie while bullying her. When Shauna learned she possessed telekinesis, she used her newfound powers to murder one of her tormentors. She would later use these powers to kill Ferdie and make it look like an accident. Afterwards, Shauna becomes a ventriloquist and serial killer, using a dummy named after her brother.[3]

Shauna is one of six individuals who are kidnapped by a man identifying himself as the Mockingbird and sealed inside a shipping container underwater. Besides Shauna, the others are Catman, Big Shot, Black Alice, Strix, and Porcelain. After escaping, this group becomes known as the new Secret Six.[16] Mockingbird is revealed to be the Riddler, who believes that one of the six stole a priceless diamond from him, but he does not know who. The thief is revealed to be Ferdie, whose persona is so separate from Shauna's that she did not even realize that her doll was the thief. In the final issue of Secret Six, Shauna betrays the team and abandons Ferdie when he insists that they remain loyal to the group. Shauna is incarcerated in Arkham Asylum, where she is now using a sock puppet as her new doll.[volume & issue needed]

Powers and abilities

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The first Ventriloquist has no superhuman powers, but possesses some basic hand-to-hand combat skills. He is a skilled ventriloquist and his Scarface persona is a skilled criminal strategist. However, he is unable to pronounce any word with a letter "B" in it accurately without moving his lips, giving Scarface a speech impediment in which he says every "B" in a word as a "G". Wesker usually carries a handgun of some kind, while Scarface carries a trademark Tommy gun. However, Wesker tends to show that he and Scarface hold two different personalities and he and Scarface can sometimes argue amongst each other, which tends to work as an advantage to Batman on several occasions.[citation needed]

The second Ventriloquist is much more skilled in ventriloquism than her predecessor and is capable of pronouncing all speech patterns with more proficiency when in her Scarface persona. Unlike the first one, the second Ventriloquist's personality does not contradict Scarface's and is much more willing to commit cruel acts, especially since she believes that she and the dummy are in a romantic relationship. Coming from an elite mob family, she is also a brilliant criminal mastermind.[citation needed]

Other versions

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In other media

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Television

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Ventriloquist and Scarface as depicted in The Batman.
  • The Arnold Wesker incarnation of the Ventriloquist and Scarface appear in The Batman, both voiced by Dan Castellaneta.[22] This version of Wesker is a ventriloquist who snapped after being booed off stage one night and turned to crime, with his first successful caper being the robbery of every person who had booed him.
  • An original incarnation of the Ventriloquist appears in Gotham, portrayed by real-life ventriloquist Andrew Sellon. This version is Arthur Penn, Oswald Cobblepot's mild-mannered accountant and a criminal associate of mob boss Carmine Falcone and his daughter Sofia. Introduced in the fourth season, Penn works for Cobblepot until the fifth season episode "Penguin, Our Hero", in which the former is seemingly shot and killed by a street gang called the Street Demonz. In the episode "Nothing's Shocking" however, he wakes up in the GCPD morgue, treats his own injuries, and makes his way to an abandoned magic shop, where he finds an unsold ventriloquist dummy called Scarface. This triggers the creation of a split personality named after the dummy. Together, Penn and Scarface approach and threaten to kill Cobblepot so the latter can become Gotham City's dominant mob boss, but Cobblepot "kills" Scarface while his friend Edward Nygma kills Penn, arguing that he can no longer be trusted. Originally, Penn's role as the Ventriloquist was going to be cut from the fifth season due to it being shortened to 10 episodes. However, Fox extended the season to 12 episodes, allowing the creative team to continue with their original plan.[23]
  • The Arnold Wesker incarnation of the Ventriloquist and Scarface make cameo appearances in Titans, portrayed by an uncredited stunt double.[24]

DC Animated Universe

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The Ventriloquist and Scarface as they appear in Batman: The Animated Series.

The Arnold Wesker incarnation of the Ventriloquist and Scarface appear in media set in the DC Animated Universe (DCAU), both voiced by George Dzundza.[22] The series' version of the former is a master ventriloquist who can pronounce every sound perfectly as Scarface, a decision series co-creator Bruce Timm fought for even though DC Comics wanted to maintain Scarface's speech impediment.[25] Their henchmen, Rhino (voiced by Earl Boen) and Mugsy (voiced by Joe Piscopo in Batman: The Animated Series and Townsend Coleman in The New Batman Adventures) also appear throughout the franchise.

  • The Ventriloquist and Scarface first appear in Batman: The Animated Series. In the DVD commentary for their introductory episode "Read My Lips", Timm stated that the Fox Kids censors allowed the recurring destruction of Scarface because he was not a "living" character, allowing the production staff to vent their darker impulses by doing so in increasingly gruesome ways.
  • The Ventriloquist and Scarface appear in The New Batman Adventures episode "Double Talk". By this time, the former has reformed and been employed at Wayne Enterprises. However, Rhino and Mugsy attempt to force him into relapsing with help from a criminal with dwarfism posing as an independently-animated Scarface before Batman stops them.
  • Alternate universe variants of the Ventriloquist and Scarface make a cameo appearance in the Justice League episode "A Better World" as one of several supervillains that Superman of the Justice Lords lobotomized to ensure peace.

Film

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Video games

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Miscellaneous

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  • The Arnold Wesker incarnation of the Ventriloquist and Scarface make a minor appearance in Batman: Arkham Unhinged.[29]
  • The Arnold Wesker incarnation of the Ventriloquist and Socko appear in the Harley Quinn and The Joker: Sound Mind Spotify podcast, both voiced by Andre Royo.[30]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 319. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
  2. ^ a b Detective Comics #827 (March 2007)
  3. ^ a b Batgirl (vol. 4) #20 (July 2013)
  4. ^ Greenberger, Robert (2008). The Essential Batman Encyclopedia. Del Rey. pp. 322–323. ISBN 9780345501066.
  5. ^ Booker, M. Keith, ed. (2014). Comics Through Time: A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas. ABC-CLIO. p. 909. ISBN 9780313397516.
  6. ^ Detective Comics #659 (May 1993)
  7. ^ Detective Comics #664 (July 1993)
  8. ^ Robin (vol. 2) #53 (May 1998)
  9. ^ Detective Comics #818-819 (June–July 2006)
  10. ^ Blackest Night: Batman #1 (October 2009)
  11. ^ Batman (vol. 2) #1 (November 2011)
  12. ^ Detective Comics #843 (April 2008)
  13. ^ Detective Comics #844 (May 2008)
  14. ^ Detective Comics #850 (November 2008)
  15. ^ Zatanna (vol. 2) #8 (February 2011)
  16. ^ Secret Six (vol. 4) #1 (December 2014)
  17. ^ Superman/Batman #61 (August 2009)
  18. ^ Batman (vol. 3) #84 (February 2020)
  19. ^ Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #6 (July 2016)
  20. ^ The Batman Who Laughs #1 (January 2018)
  21. ^ Batman: White Knight #2 (January 2018)
  22. ^ a b c d e f "Ventriloquist and Scarface Voices (Batman)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved February 5, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  23. ^ Venable, Nick (February 19, 2019). "Gotham Is Bringing A Dead Character Back As A Surprising Batman Villain". Cinema Blend. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  24. ^ Schmidt, JK (December 18, 2018). "'Titans' Season Finale Reveals First Look at Batman Villains Ventriloquist and Scarface". Comic Book. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  25. ^ "Read My Lips" commentary
  26. ^ "The LEGO Batman Movie Set/CMF Rumors & Discussion". March 24, 2016.
  27. ^ Eisen, Andrew (October 2, 2013). "DC Characters and Objects - Scribblenauts Unmasked Guide". IGN. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  28. ^ Michael, Jon; Veness, John (November 2, 2018). "Characters - LEGO DC Super-Villains Guide". IGN.
  29. ^ Batman: Arkham Unhinged #29-31
  30. ^ Luken, Jackson (January 31, 2023). "Harley Quinn and The Joker: Sound Mind review". Batman News. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
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