Royal Bureau for Paranormal Research and

Defence

Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement Logistics Division

Dossier #CIV-759606-06197-6

Code Name: The Bat-Man

Real Name: Doctor Victor von Doom, Prince-in-Exile of Latveria

History: Victor von Doom was born on October 31st, 1899, in Haasenstadt, Latveria, to King Werner
von Doom of Latveria (a trained medical doctor) and his wife Cynthia, a Gypsy of the Zarovan
tragos. On New Year's Day, 1900, the Prussians invaded Latveria, but with the aid of the Zarovan
Gypsies and a few loyal nobles, the von Doom family was able to escape to Britain, settling in
London at stately Von Doom Manor in Kensington. As a young child, Victor watched his parents
murdered before his eyes. Werner and Cynthia von Doom were walking home from the theater
one night with their son, when they were held up at gunpoint by a mugger who demanded the
pearl necklace that Cynthia was wearing. When Dr. von Doom refused to surrender it, both he and
Cynthia were shot dead in the streets. The killer was a criminal known as Joe Chill. Fortunately,
physician and social worker Leslie Thompkins was making a house call that night, and arrived to
give loving comfort to the traumatized Victor. He was then raised on the Von Doom Manor estate,
with help from the wise and loyal butler, Alfred Pennyworth. Victor had very few friends during his
childhood, though in his youth, Victor fell in love with a young woman named Valeria Fairchild, but
she resisted his advances.
Victor von Doom swore an oath to rid the city of the evil that had taken his parents' lives.
He sought to increase his knowledge of both science and magic in order to avenge his parents. He
spent his youth traveling the world, training himself to intellectual and physical perfection and
learning a variety of crime-fighting skills, including chemistry, criminology, forensics, martial arts,
gymnastics, disguise, and escape artistry.
At age 14, Victor began his global sojourn, attending courses at Cambridge, the Sorbonne,
and other European universities. However, he never stayed long and would often drop out after
one semester. Beyond academia, von Doom acquired more "practical" skills. While abroad, von
Doom learned 127 major styles of combat, from Aikido to Yaw-Yan. Frenchman Henri Ducard made
him an apprentice in man-hunting. The ninja Kirigi, and other ninja shadow masters, schooled von
Doom in stealth and the ways of the shadow warrior. African Bushmen (the Ghost Tribes of the
Ten-Eyed Brotherhood, among others) taught hunting techniques, while Nepalese monks revealed
healing arts. Eventually he came upon a small Tibetan village of monks who assisted him in
creating a suit of armor. He even learned ventriloquism from practitioners of the art. His
knowledge of so many varied disciplines has made von Doom an unconventional and
unpredictable opponent. When he was 20, he attempted to join Scotland Yard, but he learned it
would be impossible to fight crime and evil within the legal system.
Victor von Doom returned to London after many years of training, with his body and mind
developed to perfection. He had all of the skills and methods to fight crime, but there was still
something missing. Late one night sitting in his manor, he tried to figure out what he could use to
strike terror into the hearts of criminals. At that moment, a giant bat crashes through his window,
and he remembers being scared of them as a child... he determines that he shall become a Bat.
Designing himself a costume based around his armor and equipped with experimental technology,
he sets out to fight against the crime and corruption, making sure there is no hiding place for evil.
Having become an urban legend, he reveals himself at a dinner of the most influential and corrupt
and tells them that their reign is finished. His first ally is assistant district attorney Harvey Dent.
Most of the London Metropolitan Police Service is sent in force to capture him. He gained his most
powerful ally when he met police officer James Gordon, one of the few honest cops on the force.
They developed a working relationship operating outside of the law when they needed to.
The Bat-Man's presence in London generated a new breed of criminals, no longer the
simple thugs and gangsters involved in London Organized Crime, but more dynamic personalities.
The first person inspired by him was the Cat-Woman, a dangerous seductress using his style and
methods towards her own ends. His next challenge was Dr. Hugo Strange, a mad scientist who
had created Monster Men to do his bidding. He met his greatest nemesis when the Joker first
appeared, a brilliant serial killer dressing like a clown and murdering people uncontrollably. He had
been exposed to chemicals in an accident that drove him completely insane, and he swore
revenge on London for creating him. This confrontation led to the creation of the Bat-Signal, a
giant spotlight displayed in the sky whenever there is danger and the Bat-Man is needed. There
would be many more villains starting to appear within this time. The Scarecrow was an outcast
who developed techniques to strike terror into the hearts of his victims for his own pleasure. The
Riddler was another deranged genius who felt a psychological compulsion to demonstrate his
intellectual superiority, and constructed elaborate crimes while delivering clues daring law
enforcement to catch him. Poison Ivy attempted to destroy the city when an advanced connection
to plant-life led her to wage a personal war against humanity. The psychotic Mister Freeze used
dangerous experimental technology to take revenge against society when his wife died. Another
crime boss appeared named the Penguin who acted as an eccentric criminal mastermind without
any crippling mental illness other than a desire to prove himself. Many of these villains were kept
in Colney Hatch Asylum for the criminally insane.
The Bat-Man and his trusted allies James Gordon and Harvey Dent met up on the rooftop of
police headquarters one night, and they swore that they would bring down the organized crime
syndicates led by Carmine "The Roman" Falcone and Sal Maroni that were completely controlling
their town. Although it was necessary to bend the rules in their efforts, they agreed that they
would never break them, and become as bad as the evil they fought against. Meanwhile a serial
killer named Holiday began stalking prominent mafiosos and shooting them dead. There was
suspicion immediately cast on the three men in the triumvirate, and the possibility that it might be
someone trying to remove their competition. London's new breed of criminals was replacing the
traditional gangsters, and the underground was slowly being taken over by costumed freaks with
no respect for the old ways. The Bat-Man's presence is arguably the cause of this. Amongst the
killings, Falcone's son Alberto was murdered. Victor von Doom went on his first date with Selina
Kyle around this time, who flirted with him as the Cat-Woman by night, unaware of his alter-ego. In
his desperation, the Roman changed the game by employing super-villains in his activities.
Falcone and Maroni each believed the other was responsible for Holiday, and their gang wars tore
Gotham apart. Harvey Dent became a leading suspect because of his vindictive attitude towards
criminals. Victor von Doom was also suspected of involvement with the Roman's organization and
arrested. His father, Dr. Werner von Doom, had reluctantly performed emergency surgery on a
young Carmine Falcone for bullet wounds and indebted him... making him indirectly responsible for
the Roman's empire. Victor's trial proved his innocence, thanks to the testimony of Alfred
Pennyworth. Dent later admitted this was a mistake, and Maroni brought himself into custody with
the intention of spilling his secrets before he was killed. At the trial, Maroni smuggled in a bottle of
acid and threw it at Dent's face during the prosecution, leaving him horribly disfigured. This also
drove him insane, and he killed a doctor escaping from the hospital. They arrive at the conclusion
that Harvey Dent was Holiday, and the Bat-Man attempts to find him after he escapes. While
Gordon is transporting the gangster to a different cell, Holiday appears and shoots Sal Maroni in
the head, finally revealing his real identity... Alberto Falcone, having faked his own death. The Bat-
Man is disguised as the guard accompanying them, and he beats Holiday down before taking him
into custody. Harvey Dent reappears, calling himself Two-Face after the nature of his personal
tragedy, taking a team of villains into the Roman's private office. As the two leaders showdown,
the Bat-Man arrives and puts most of the criminals down, but he is unable to stop Two-Face from
shooting Carmine Falcone twice in the head. The three men, the Bat-Man, Gordon and Dent, have
a final meeting on the rooftop of police headquarters. Dent is accused of betraying the things he
believed in, but he insists that his methods were the only ones that actually got rid of the Roman
and he did what he needed to. He's then arrested, and although the Bat-Man and Gordon have
seen one of the best men they knew completely broken, they still maintain that Gotham City can
be saved and ridden of evil. Neither of them is willing to give up.