Season 2 Episode 20: Revenge of Hush
My name is Bruce Wayne. When I was 8 years old, my parents were killed by evil. And so I made a promise to fight that evil. I traveled the world for 18 years, and returned to Gotham City to protect it. Now I have new allies, helping me in my crusade, but I also have new enemies. New threats have arrived in my city, and I must stop them. I am vengeance. I am the night. I am the Batman.
Previously on the Batman...
Riddler is in Arkham
Riddler has Hugo Strange as a doctor
Selina has left Gotham to help Holly find her pas
Tommy has gone missing
Gordon had an affair with Sarah Essen
Hush has blackmailed Gordon into going after Batman or else he'll tell his wife about the affair
Bruce walks into the Batcave and over to the Batcomputer. He starts typing before turning to Lucius who's working on parts for the Batmobile.
"We have to be more careful, and keep the plans hidden when we rebuild the Batboat and Batwing." Bruce states.
"I'll get to work on those next. I'm nearly done with the Batmobile." Lucius replies.
"Actually, before you start work on those, could you help me get a more armored version of the Batsuit?"
"Sure thing, Mr. Wayne. I'll make something you're sure to like."
"Thank you, Lucius."
Lucius is not only an ally, but he's a good friend. He helped my father out with Wayne Enterprises. I knew him since I was a kid, and when I knew I needed help with making gadgets for the crusade, he was the first person who came to mind. The Batman wouldn't exist without him.
Bruce continues typing. Meanwhile, in Arkham, Edward Nygma is escorted through the halls and into the psychologist's office to talk with Dr. Strange. Arkham Dr. Strange. Riddler is strapped to the couch as Hugo starts the conversation with him.
"Good evening, Mr. Nygma." Hugo starts.
"Good evening, Strange. Let's make this quick, I don't want to be here." Edward states.
"I will try. But you need to answer some questions for me, first."
"Yawn. I'm the one who ASKS the questions, Strange."
"Not anymore."
"How is me answering a few questions going to help you understand me? I won't help."
"How do you know it won't?"
"Because in Arkham Asylum is nearly two centuries old, and in the entire history of Arkham, not one patient has been cured. What makes you think I'll just happen to be the first?"
"How do you know that?"
"I know everything, Strange. Just like I know how you tortured Two-Face."
"What?!"
"Took away his coin, made him lose it even more."
"How do you know about that?"
"Or how you secretly had Nora transferred here, and how she's under your care. But you use it to see how Freeze will react."
"That's preposterous!"
"Is it, Strange? And the best part is, I know why you did it. Yes...I know you better than you'll know me. Maybe I should take your job."
Edward laughs as Hugo scowls.
The Batman
On the other side of the world, inside a run down apartment, someone is packing a suitcase on their bed. This person is Holly Robinson. The front door behind her opens and in steps Selina.
"What are you packing for?" Selina asks.
"Well, we found out where I come from. Now we can go home. Right?" Holly answers.
"Holly, I think we might be staying here for a while."
"Why?"
"It's just...Gotham's not a good place for us right now."
"Does this have something to do with Batman?"
"That doesn't really matter."
"So what are we going to do now if we're not coming back?"
"...I don't know. We'll figure something out. Trust me."
Selina and Holly hug. Meanwhile, in Gotham, Gordon sits at his kitchen table with the photo of him and Sarah in front of him. He hears the front door open and he takes the photo and hides it in his pocket. Barbara Gordon, his wife, walks in and sits inside the living room.
"Hey, Jim." She greets.
Gordon puts his head in his hands and sighs. Barbara turns to Gordon.
"Hey Jim? Is everything okay?" She asks.
Gordon turns to her.
"Barbara...we have to talk."
I've spent hours trying to hack into every security camera in the city. I can use facial recognition to find Tommy. But it's been tough.
"Bruce?"
Bruce turns and sees Barbara in her Batgirl suit.
"Barbara..." Bruce says.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, I need help with some facial recognition of Tommy Elliot."
"I can help with that."
Barbara walks over to the Batcomputer and starts typing.
I was hesitant to welcome Barbara into my mission, but she insisted. Her finding out about the secret was a total accident, but I'm glad happened. She's helped me with many things. She's a good fighter, incredibly smart...
The facial recognition software starts searching the city, but comes up empty handed.
"What? They found nothing." Barbara states.
"Try the mask instead of his face." Bruce suggests.
"I did. He's nowhere to be found."
"Maybe he's somewhere without cameras."
"Or maybe he's not in Gotham City."
Barbara looks at Bruce.
...and a great detective. Good to have on the team.
Meanwhile, a figure walks down an alley and out onto a street. The figure is Hush. He looks up at an apartment. He remembers years ago, after his parents had died, to get his mind away from the tragedy, he went to camp that summer with Bruce. They were canoeing out in the lake, talking. He was just glad to get away from his Mother.
"Bruce, what do you want most in life?" Tommy asked.
"...peace. To be happy." Bruce replied.
"Yeah, I guess I want that too. Everyone wants that really. But how do you plan on getting it?"
"Justice. What about you?"
"Freedom."
"What does that mean?"
"Hey Bruce...did you ever have a secret that you wanted to get out, but would get in trouble if you ever told anyone?"
"Um...I guess..."
They heard their counselor yell at them from the shore.
"Wayne! Elliot! Get back to shore, now!" He yelled.
They rowed back and saw Tommy's Mother walking over to them with her cane.
"Oh no..." Tommy whispered.
"Tommy! Oh God, how could I let Martha talk me into letting you go? What if you got sick, or food poisoning, or some kind of snake bit you? I won't let her talk me into anything else. We're leaving." She said.
"But Mom, I'm fine. I will be fine, seriously. You can let me stay." Tommy pleaded.
"No, we're heading back right now."
"But Bruce will be here. Right, Bruce?"
Tommy's Mother turned to him.
"Bruce?" She asked.
Bruce stayed silent and backed up from them. In reality, the car crash had deformed his Mother. Bruce was secretly scared of her, after all he was barely 8. But that's not what Tommy thought. Tommy thought he was a traitor. A kid leaned over to Bruce and whispered to him.
"You hang out with that loser?"
Tommy heard it and grew angry. He grabbed the oar from the canoe and swung it across the boy's face.
"SHUT UP!" Tommy yelled.
He hit him in the face with the oar two more times when a counselor ran up and pulled him away from the boy.
"Tommy, stop!" Bruce yelled.
Tommy was taken out of camp and given mental treatment for his anger issues. After he got out of the facility at the end of the Summer, his Mother picked him up in his limo. The limo drove back to his Mansion. In the backseat, his Mother turned to him.
"Tommy, I have some bad news. While you were in there, Thomas and Martha Wayne were shot and killed by a mugger. He's going to be absent for the first few days of school." She explained.
Tommy looked out the window.
"Oh..."
Holly sits on the edge of the bed, leaning her head on Selina's shoulder.
"Thank you, Selina. For everything." Holly says.
They hear a knock on the door.
"I'll get it." Selina says and stands up.
She opens the door and sees Hush standing there.
"Who the hell are you?" Selina asks.
Hush kicks her back into the apartment and pulls out a pistol. She stands up and throws a kick. Hush dodges before grabbing her by the ankle and tripping her.
"Holly, get down!" She yells.
Hush points and fires his pistol, hitting Holly in the head.
"NOO!" Selina growls.
Hush puts back his pistol. Selina kicks him and gets up. She backs up as Hush walks towards her. She tries to throw a couple punches but misses when Hush grabs her wrist and throws her to the ground, before grabbing her throat.
"Get off me!" Selina yells.
Hush pulls out a knife.
"Oh God! Why are you doing this?" Selina asks.
"I just need the only thing that can stop the Batman: Leverage." Hush states, and digs the knife into Selina's chest.
Gordon walks out of his apartment building and sees his wife, Barbara, standing on the street with a packed bag.
"Barbara?" Gordon asks.
"I'm sorry, Gordon. I can't...I can't live here anymore. I-I'm sorry." She states.
She calls a cab and steps inside.
"Barbara?!"
The cab drives off. She leaves Gordon standing on the street. Bruce dresses up in a business suit for Wayne Enterprises. Barbara walks up to him.
"What do you make of the facial recognition search results?" She asks.
"...maybe he's actually dead. Maybe we're searching for a ghost." Bruce states.
"Maybe it's time to move on?"
"That's what I'm thinking. ... I've got to get to Wayne Enterprises."
Bruce walks down the stairs and to the front door. He opens it and sees Tommy standing on the other side.
"Hey."
Bruce grabs him and pulls him inside Wayne Manor. He headbutts him and pushes him back. He throws a punch but Tommy ducks. Bruce keeps throwing punches and kicks but Tommy dodges all of them. Tommy blocks a punch before throwing one of his own and hitting Bruce in the face. Bruce grabs Tommy and throws him against the wall. He throws a punch but misses. Tommy grabs Bruce's head and smashes it into the wall. Bruce punches Tommy. He swings his arm but Tommy ducks and trips Bruce to the ground. Bruce tries to grab him but Tommy grabs his wrist and places his hand on that shoulder, pinning him to the ground.
"I'm only here to talk, Bruce." Tommy states.
"What do you want from me? Why are you doing this? WHAT'S, THE POINT, OF THIS?!" Bruce yells.
"You must surrender to me. I told you that I wanted to see you die in a cell, and so I will. You will come to Elliot Manor, and surrender. There, I will take you to my own cell, where you will rot and die." Tommy explains.
Alfred runs out and watches them from the top of the stairs.
"My God...Tommy..." Alfred whispers.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!" Bruce spits.
"I hate you. I hate everything about your family. I hate the Wayne name. Because I hate what your Father did to me." Tommy explains.
"My Father did nothing, Tommy!"
"You know how many times I had to listen to my Mother prattle on and on about how great Wayne was, and how great you were, and how I should be more like you, and how you Father was a great man?! Years, Bruce, YEARS!"
"So this entire plan, was based on jealousy?! You wanted your Mother's attention?!"
"No, I wanted my Mother dead."
"What are you talking about?"
"My parents weren't good to me, Bruce. They were terrible. And so I wanted them both dead. And I nearly succeeded. You didn't actually believe my Mother tripped and crushed her windpipe on the bedside table, did you?"
"You killed her?"
"Yes, and I killed my Father too."
"Tommy, the car crashed."
"Because I cut the brake line. It was supposed to kill both of them, then I could own the fortune and be free, but your Father saved her. And I spent way too many years trapped under her authority. I was this close to freedom, and your family brought me back. I can't get revenge on your father, but I can get revenge on you."
"You're a monster, Tommy. And I will stop you."
"No, you won't. You're too predictable. And I'm able to beat you. I don't need to know how to fight, I just need to know how to dodge. Your moves are too predictable, Bruce. Everything you do is too predictable. And I will predict everything you do. And that's how I'm going to win."
"I will never surrender. Never."
"It will take you about 24 hours to realize that there is no way out of this situation except to surrender, and then you will."
"What situation?"
"I know you better than you know yourself. And I know you still care."
"What?"
Tommy lets Bruce go and stands up.
"When your parents were killed, my Mother told me about it after I got out of mental health. I acted sad, like I cared. Secretly, I thought for the first and last time in my life, that the world was just." Tommy says.
Bruce stares at him.
"You should be getting a call from Dr Thompkins, very, very soon. Then you'll understand. I'll see you at the hospital." Tommy says and walks out the door.
Bruce takes a step out of Wayne Manor to go after him, before getting a call from Leslie Thompkins. He stops and answers it.
"Bruce, you need to get down to Gotham General. Now. Something's wrong with Selina Kyle." She states.
Bruce stares at Tommy, who's now off his property and walking into the mass crowds of Gotham. Tommy remembers being at some kind of charity ball in town. It was another chance to meet with Bruce. He was still angry, but was also genuinely curious to see how his old friend was doing. He pretended to be nice and talk with him about pointless things. Bruce says that he was leaving the country in a few days to go off somewhere. Tommy's Mother rolled over in her wheelchair.
"Oh, Bruce. Look at you. You're so handsome, and you've grown into such a great and respectable man. Unlike Tommy here. He's been stuck here with his old Ma. Tommy, be a dear and get your Mother a glass of wine." She demanded.
"Yes, Mother."
Tommy walked over to a table and grabbed a glass.
"I know the look in your eyes."
Tommy turned and saw someone. A woman.
"I see the same eyes whenever I look in the mirror every morning." She said.
"What look?" Tommy asked.
"A look from someone who wishes to be free." She answered.
"I heard you could learn a lot about someone from their eyes." Tommy said.
"It's her. Isn't it?"
"Yeah. Acting like Bruce Wayne was the son she never had."
"I can relate. With people like that, you'll never be free unless you set yourself free."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"...it looks like your Mom's looking for you. Talk to me after the party. I'll be here."
"Sure. My name's Tommy."
"Mine's Peyton."
"Good talk."
Tommy walked over back to his Mother.
Batman drives his Batmobile down the street, towards Gotham General.
Thomas Elliot was one of my closest friends, and I felt happy having him back in my life. Now I'm starting to question if he returned to my life on purpose. He cut the Batrope after all, and he just so happened to be in Gotham at the same time. Ever since we were kids, he told me he just wanted to be free. Free from his parent's bonds. He was angry at them, and was unable to let out his anger and let it build up for years and years.
Batman stops at Gotham General and steps out. He walks inside and through the halls as doctors and surgeons stop and look at him.
After all of that buildup, he needs to get that anger out somehow. And since my Father is dead, I'm the only one his sick mind can blame. But he's dragging my allies into this. He said he knows me better than I know myself. And that may be true. Because he knew that I would surrender to this. This is the final step of his plan.
Batman meets Leslie Thompkins at the end of the hall.
"She's in here." She states.
She opens a door to a dark room and Batman steps in. He sees a bed with someone asleep atop it.
Selina...
Batman stands over Selina's sleeping body.
Her heart...
Batman looks down at her.
He took her heart...
Selina is lying on the bed, with tubes connecting into a hole on her chest, and life support machines surrounding her. She's barely alive.
The Batman
Next Time on the Batman: Prisoner of Hush (2x21)
Selina's heart is missing. Taken by Hush. And only he knows where it is. If Batman wants Selina to survive, he has to surrender. Refusing this, Batman goes on a rampage across Gotham City, trying to find out where he kept her heart. With time running out for Selina, Batman has to make a decision.
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