Batman: Who Is Hush? DC Comics’ Thomas Elliot, Explained

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In 2003, writer Jeph Loeb and artist Jim Lee launched a 12-part story in the mainline Batman series titled Hush. The story followed a master plan to destroy Batman, orchestrated by The Riddler and a brand-new villain whose identity was revealed to be Bruce Wayne’s childhood friend, Dr. Thomas Elliot, operating under the alias Hush.

Since his debut, Hush has appeared in several video games, television shows, and other media adaptations. The storyline was even turned into an animated feature, though the conclusion heavily altered the original story, omitting Thomas Elliot as the titular character. At San Diego Comic-Con in 2024, a sequel event, Hush 2, was announced. With the sequel on the horizon, it’s the perfect time to uncover the secret origins of Dr. Thomas Elliot, the man behind Hush.

Who Is DC Comics’ Hush?

Thomas Elliot Is a Dark Mirror of What Bruce Wayne’s Life Could Have Been

Thomas Elliot was born around the same time as Bruce Wayne and also came from a wealthy family. The two were close friends during childhood, but their home lives were vastly different. Thomas endured an abusive father and a mother who tolerated poor treatment to maintain their family’s lifestyle. Despite his parents’ flaws, they ensured Thomas had access to the best education. From a young age, Thomas was driven by a desire to escape his situation, and to do that, he needed his parents’ fortune.

Thomas orchestrated a plan to cut the brake line on his parents’ car, hoping their deaths in a crash would free him from their control. The plan was only partially successful. While his father died in the accident, but his mother survived, thanks to the skill of Dr. Thomas Wayne. This intervention sparked a deep resentment in Thomas that lasted well into adulthood. His hatred for Bruce also grew after the Waynes were killed, as Bruce inherited his parents’ fortune and became independent, something Thomas had fought so hard to achieve.

Thomas later cared for his mother but resented her as well. After she disapproved of his romantic relationship and disowned him, he took matters into his own hands. Thomas killed his mother while his partner murdered their lawyer and destroyed her will, ensuring her death appeared accidental. Now free and in possession of a massive fortune, Thomas traveled the world, becoming a master surgeon while continuing to harbor his deep hatred for Bruce Wayne.

How Thomas Elliot, AKA Hush, Put His Plan Into Motion

Hush’s Plan Involved The Riddler, Clayface, and Other Batman Villains

At some unknown point, The Riddler was diagnosed with terminal cancer. In his desperation to cure himself, he commandeered one of Ra’s al Ghul’s Lazarus Pits. While the pit successfully healed him, it also caused temporary insanity, a common side effect of its use. During this bout of madness, The Riddler had a revelation: the true identity of Batman. Later, when Riddler attempted to sell this information to Thomas Elliot for a massive sum of money, Thomas offered to pay him to kill Bruce Wayne. Realizing their shared hatred for Bruce, the two devised an elaborate plan to destroy their mutual enemy.

Their plan was long and intricate and involved the manipulation of several of Batman’s rogues, as well as Huntress, Catwoman, and even Superman. Before Jason Todd’s return in print, the plan also included Jason’s involvement, with Clayface posing as Jason in a graveyard to heighten Batman’s guilt over losing his former partner. Jason’s knowledge of how Batman operates gave the conspirators an edge in their scheme.

The plan culminated in a climactic one-on-one fight between Thomas and Bruce on a bridge in Gotham City. Just as it seemed Thomas had the upper hand, Commissioner Gordon intervened. During the final confrontation, a reformed Harvey Dent arrived and shot Hush in the shoulder, sending him over the edge of the bridge and into the river. This would not be the end of Hush, and he would soon return in the Heart of Hush storyline.

What Happened to Thomas Elliot?

Thomas Elliot Has Been a Part of Many Batman Stories Since Hush

During Heart of Hush, Thomas Elliot returns to Gotham after hearing of The Black Glove’s plans, aiming to take out Batman before the shadowy organization could. To get The Dark Knight’s attention, Thomas kidnaps Selina Kyle and removes her heart, forcing Batman to fight him so that he can get back the heart and save her life. During this confrontation, Thomas reveals that he has had surgery to look like Bruce Wayne. After Hush is attacked by Batman’s allies, he tries to escape on the Whirly-Bat but crashes and seemingly vanishes.

In the aftermath, it’s revealed that Selina Kyle drained Thomas’ bank accounts, leaving him penniless. A distraught Thomas jumps off a bridge, and the fishermen who rescue him mistake him for Bruce Wayne due to his surgeries. Elliot decides to take advantage of this and tries to pose as Bruce Wayne to recover his fortune. Eventually, however, he arouses suspicion and is caught by Catwoman, who captures him and locks him in Wayne Tower.

When Batman is believed to be dead after the events of Final Crisis, the Bat-Family enlists Elliot to pose as Bruce Wayne so that the public won’t realize he’s missing. Hush tries to take advantage of this new position, but he has limited success, although he attracts the attention of a woman obsessed with Wayne. She cut off Thomas’ new face in the hopes of becoming Bruce Wayne herself, but this plan was ultimately foiled when Batman returned. Hush was sent to Arkham Asylum, but was later freed.

“}]] Batman’s Hush, aka Thomas Elliot, was once a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne.  Read More