The Wrath is the name of two fictional supervillains published by DC Comics. The original Wrath debuted in Batman Special #1 (1984), and was created by Mike W. Barr and Michael Golden, who served as a criminal foil personality to the superhero Batman, after the creation of Killer Moth (in 1951) and prior to the creations of the villains Prometheus (in 1998) and Hush (in 2003), all serving the same purpose. The second Wrath debuted in Batman Confidential #13 (March 2008), and was created by Tony Bedard and Rags Morales.

Publication history

Wrath's debut story was titled "The Player on the Other Side", published in Batman Special #1 (1984). The title was based on the essay "A Liberal Education and Where to Find It" by Thomas Henry Huxley (although mistakenly attributed to Aldous Huxley by Bruce Wayne). It is also a reference to the Ellery Queen novel of the same name, as the story's author, Mike W. Barr, is a renowned Queen enthusiast. A Post-Infinite Crisis legacy version of the Wrath debuted in the pages of Batman Confidential #13 in a story arc written by Tony Bedard, with Elliott Caldwell, the 'student' of the original Wrath, taking on his mentor's mantle.

Fictional character biography

The original Wrath

The first Wrath is the son of burglars who Jim Gordon killed on the same day as Batman's parents, leading him to dedicate himself to revenge against the law. Wrath attacks Alfred Pennyworth and kidnaps Leslie Thompkins before being killed in battle with Batman.

Elliot Caldwell

Elliot Caldwell is an orphan who Wrath trained to be his successor, serving a role akin to Robin. He battles Batman before being defeated and sent to Blackgate Penitentiary.

The New 52

The New 52 introduces a new incarnation of Wrath who merges elements of the previous two Wraths, having the origin of the first and the name of the second. This version is the CEO of Caldwell Tech and a sociopathic killer who is served by Scorn soldiers. Batman defeats Wrath and has him imprisoned in Blackgate Penitentiary, where he allies with Emperor Blackgate.

In other media