Killer Moth
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Killer Moth is a character in the DC Comics universe|universe. He first appeared in Batman #63 published in 1951. Killer Moth originally wore a garish costume with striped purple and green spandex, orange cape and a moth-like mask.
Killer Moth is not to be confused with the similar Batman villain Firefly.
Contents |
History
Cameron van Cleer
The original Killer Moth is a prisoner identified only by his prison number, 234026. While in prison, he reads a newspaper article about Batman and decides to set himself up as the "anti-Batman," hiring himself out to Gotham City's criminals to help them elude capture by police. Upon his release, he uses the hidden proceeds of his crimes to build a "Mothcave", modeled on the photos of the Batcave in the newspaper article he read.
Killer Moth also establishes a false identity, as millionaire philanthropist Cameron van Cleer. In this guise, he becomes friends with Bruce Wayne. Meanwhile, he promotes himself to Gotham's criminals using his identity as Killer Moth, giving them each an infra-red Moth-signal. In his first job, he rescues some criminals from the police and then uses his Mothmobile to defeat and capture Batman and Robin. The duo escape and lead Killer Moth to a climactic battle on Gotham Bridge, which ends when the villain plunges 1,000 feet into the river and disappears.
In his second appearance (Batman #64 March 1951) Killer Moth kidnaps Bruce Wayne and learns his secret identity. However, he is shot by other criminals and the resultant cranial injury caused amnesia. He remains a persistent enemy appearing through the Silver Age of comics. He is frequently remembered as being the first criminal Batgirl encounters in Detective Comics #359.
Drury Walker
In the 1990s, in the Post-Crisis continuity, Killer Moth's real identity is revealed as Drury Walker, an unsuccessful criminal who no one takes seriously. He again adopts the false identity of Cameron van Cleer and the persona of Killer Moth to fight Batman. This version first appears in Batman: Shadow of the Bat #7 (December 1992), with a more detailed origin appearing in Batgirl: Year One.
In Shadow of the Bat, Killer Moth sets up a team called "the Misfits", comprising second-string Batman villains such as Catman and Calendar Man, to make another kidnap attempt on Bruce Wayne, as well as other prominent citizens. This team proves unsuccessful, turning against Moth when they realize he plans to kill the hostages.
He is one of the villains who sells their souls to the demon Neron in Underworld Unleashed, where he asks to become feared. He is metamorphed into a moth-like like monster called Charaxes. As Charaxes, Walker resembles a vaguely humanoid, giant brown moth. He consumes humans and spins cocoons to keep his prey in.
In a later story, Charaxes begins laying hundreds of eggs, all of which hatch into duplicates of Drury Walker. Charaxes despises his progeny, but is unable to destroy them. Following his capture, these duplicates are taken into government custody. During an argument between various bodies as to what should be done with them, they attack a scientist, and are killed. Robin #s 107-110, Dec 2002-March 2003
At around the same time, Oracle is confronted by a criminal named Danko Twag who claims to be the real Killer Moth (the one she had defeated), and that Drury Walker had been an imposter. During a rant in which he claims they are going to be a team, she captures him in an energy cell and he seemingly disintegrates himself. Birds of Prey #s 50-52 Feb-Apr 2003 .
In Infinite Crisis, Charaxes is ripped in half by Superboy-Prime during the Battle of Metropolis, and presumed deceased.
Unknown
A new Killer Moth appears in Batman #652, during the Face the Face storyline wherein he displays competence in hand-to-hand combat and the ability of flight when facing Robin. He later appears working alongside fellow Gotham criminals Firefly and Lock-Up in the Gotham Underground limited series. The identity and origins of this new Killer Moth remain unrevealed.
Powers and abilities
Orginaly Killer Moth has no superhuman abilities; he relies on the vast array of equipment he has developed. Killer Moth’s range of gimmicks includes a moth mobile, a moth signal, and a steel-line, which allows him to swing through the skies. He carries a cocoon gun that fires a stream of sticky threads that can totally envelope a victim. The gun can also fire a grenade.
As Charaxes, he has superhuman strength, agility and endurance, an exoskeleton that gives him some protection from physical and energy attacks, a set of wings that allows him to fly and sharp claws. Charaxes secretes a sticky acidic substance that can trap the strongest of men and dissolve their bodies.
Appearances in other media
Batman (TV series)
A short episode of the 1960s live-action Batman television series that premiered Batgirl featured Killer Moth as the villain, but it was never aired. It has been circulated through bootlegs on the internet or at conventions. However, in the character's simultaneous comic book introduction (Detective Comics #359, January 1967), "The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl", Killer Moth is Batgirl's first and main adversary after he leads her to believe that he killed Bruce Wayne. Batgirl later learns that Wayne has not died, after confronting Batman and Robin.
Video games
Killer Moth appears at the end of the first stage of the Nintendo Entertainment System|NES's Batman computer and video games#Batman - The Movie (1989)|Batman loosely movie-based Batman game, in a suit of flying insect-like armor.
Killer Moth also appears as a Boss (video game)|boss character in the Nintendo video game Batman: Revenge of the Joker. Killer Moth will appear in Lego Batman: The Video Game as a boss and a playable character.
Teen Titans
In the Teen Titans animated series episode "Date with Destiny," Killer Moth (voiced by Thomas Haden Church and later by Marc Worden) is introduced as a criminal who has bio-engineering mutant moth creatures with the intention of using them to take over the city. At the prodding of his spoiled daughter Kitten (whose boyfriend Fang recently broke up with her), Killer Moth uses the creatures to blackmail Robin into taking Kitten to her junior prom. His plan is foiled when Robin breaks the device which controls his moths, and Killer Moth and Kitten are taken to jail. In one scene, he sends his moths to destroy a bridge, which might be a reference to Mothman.
Killer Moth returns in the episode "Can I Keep Him?," where he turns Starfire's pet larva named Silkie into a giant moth to attack the Titans. He is eventually taken down by his own creation when Silkie decides that he prefers Starfire over Killer Moth.
Killer Moth and Kitten later become members of the Brotherhood of Evil. The two join in the final battle against the Titans in "Calling All Titans" where Kitten fights with a laser-whip, while Killer Moth attacks Starfire with a large swarm of moths. Since the battle ends off-screen in "Titans Together," and since Starfire later reappears inside the Brain's base to rescue Beast Boy's group along with Bumblebee and Red Star, it is assumed that either Starfire won the fight off-screen or at least was able to escape capture. Killer Moth is turned to ice when Más y Menos sends him through Professor Chang's flash-freezing machine.
As Killer Moth never takes off his costume, it is undetermined if he is wearing a costume at all. His animated incarnation is much more dangerous than his comic appearance; he is a twisted genius with enhanced strength, speed, and agility. Although not shown in his first episode, he can also fly. His only real limitation is the spoiled demands of his daughter, which rather undermines his otherwise menacing presence.
In the Teen Titans Go! comic based around the Teen Titans show (not to be confused with the original Teen Titans comic series), Kitten disguises herself as numerous female/daughter duplicates of the Titans' nemeses, such as "Mad Maud" as a duplicate of Mad Mod and "Pink X" as a duplicate of Red X. This revealed to be part of a plot to make her father pay attention to her.
The Batman
Killer Moth appears in the series The Batman voiced by Jeff Bennett. The character is a physically weak coffee boy for The Penguin's gang in the episode "Team Penguin". He is transformed into a massive, powerful version of Charaxes after being exposed to chemical fumes during a robbery with Penguin. Moth still maintains his milquetoast personality and poor combat abilities despite his size and strength. He is mentioned by Batman, but not seen, in the episode "Rumors".
