DC Just Officially Killed Off One of Batman’s Most Iconic Villains

DC villains, especially those who are enemies of Batman, often tend to come back, due to the vigilante's refusal to take a life. However, one of his most fearsome foes has just met their demise, but not by his hand.

Batman #163, the latest installment of Batman: H2SH, sees the eponymous villain, Hush, assassinated by Talia Al Ghul.

The shocking turn of events occurs during a brawl between The Dark Knight, Red Hood (also known as "Red Hood"), and Hush. The altercation is ultimately concluded by a single bullet fired into the head of the bandaged master criminal by the daughter of Ra's Al Ghul and mother of Bruce Wayne's son (and current Robin), Damian.

However, just before he suffers his fatal gunshot, Hush manages to stab his enemy in the heart. This forces Talia to carry her beloved to the Lazarus Pit, where he can be resurrected, adding to the tally of times Batman has died over the years.

Making things even more surprising — if not confusing, even — is that this chapter marks only the conclusion to the first half of Batman: H2SH, which means that the foe's manipulative plans to take over Gotham City may not even have ceased in the moment of his demise. Then again, the damage that Hush has caused up to this point in the storyline is not the kind that can be repaired in quick succession.

Hush Turned The Bat-Family Against Batman

Batman #163 opens with Bruce Wayne forced to accept that members of his trusted Bat-Family, including Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl, Huntress, and Red Hood, no longer trust him. The catalyst of the schism was Batman's decision to save The Joker's life, allowing Hush the opportunity to manipulate said vigilantes into believing their mentor is corrupted, inciting a shocking hunt.

Coming to our hero's aid, much to his surprise, is the Clown Prince of Crime himself, along with more classic Batman villains, namely Bane, Killer Croc, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, Mr. Freeze, Clayface, and The Penguin. The seductive ecoterrorist, otherwise known as Pamela Isley, explains that each of these notorious foes has a beef with Hush, making them the only ones who are willing to take on the evildoer with him.

Realizing that he can no longer rely on the fellow vigilantes he trained, Batman reluctantly accepts this "all-new, all different Bat-Family" made up of the very people he and his sidekicks have put in Arkham Asylum or Blackgate on more than one occasion. Of course, now that Hush is dead, which is sure to satisfy the other villains that he has betrayed, Gotham City's prime vigilante collective may only be a family of two for now, made up of Bruce Wayne and Talia Al Ghul.

Batman: H2SH is the long-awaited, albeit divisive, direct follow-up to writer Jeph Loeb's acclaimed Batman graphic novel, Batman: Hush, from 2003. The now iconic story sees the Caped Crusader finding himself at odds with his childhood friend, Thomas Elliott, who has remade himself into the eponymous, dangerous adversary and unleashed a war between the vigilante and his worst enemies.

Jim Lee, the current president, publisher, and chief creative officer of DC Comics, served as the original penciler for the arc, along with his longtime collaborator Scott Williams, who provided the inking. Both have returned to join Loeb for Batman: H2SH, the second half of which is imminent, but does not have a confirmed release date at the moment.

Batman #163 is now available to find in comic book stores and on most digital reading platforms.