Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee are reuniting for “Hush 2”, a sequel to their Batman classic “Hush“. The original was basically a Batman’s greatest hits album, built around the mystery of who the mysterious Hush was. Back then, it wasn’t exactly difficult to figure out who Hush was, because there was new character introduced in the story — Tommy Elliot, a man who Bruce had grown up with in the days before the death of parents. So, while the story tried to sell the fact that anyone could have been Hush, there was basically only one person it could actually be. However, it was buoyed by Jim Lee just completely destroying it on art, so fans didn’t really mind that the central mystery of the book was so easy to figure out.
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“Hush 2” had a teaser released in November, showing off a new costume, his trademark Aristotle quoting, and the seeds of a new plan. The original “Hush” came out over twenty years ago, and newer readers might not get why Hush is such a big deal, since he really hasn’t been around in a very long time. With “Hush 2” about to release, this primer will tell you everything you need to know about Thomas Elliot and his time as Hush.
Hush Quickly Became One of Batman’s Most Popular Villains Before a Precipitous Fall
The Waynes and the Elliots were two of Gotham’s wealthiest families and both families had a son. The Waynes had young Bruce and the Elliots had Thomas. Bruce and Thomas quickly became best friends, going to camp together, and basically being inseparable. However, the Elliot family wasn’t anything like the loving Waynes. Roger Elliot was an abusive alcoholic and his wife Marla came from a poor background, so she took the abuse, and stayed with Roger. Thomas wasn’t spared his father’s terrible attentions, and grew to hate his parents. Marla forced her son to memorize Aristotle and war philosophy, all so he could learn to deal with Roger’s abuse and fight back. He spent as much time as possible with the, to his mind, idyllic Wayne family. Thomas decided to try and kill his parents, cutting their brake lines, and the two were raced to Sacred Heart hospital, where Thomas Wayne worked. Dr. Wayne was able to save Marla but not Roger, something that rankled young Thomas to no end.
After the accident, at camp, Thomas almost told Bruce about what happened with his parents, but stopped himself. Marla came to the camp to get him and everyone but Bruce called him a “mama’s boy”, causing Thomas to lash out violently. Thomas was put into a clinic for the rest of the summer, where he would meet Dr. Jonathan Crane, the future Scarecrow. Crane recognized the boy’s sociopathic tendencies, and would later mentor Thomas as Hush. Thomas became increasingly paranoid while at the clinic, believing that Bruce had somehow conspired with his mother to ruin his summer, and began to hate Bruce and the Waynes with a hatred that he usually reserved for his family. However, after the summer ended, the Waynes had their fateful night in Crime Alley. Bruce became sad and withdrawn, and Thomas was filled with jealousy for his friend, wishing that his parents were as dead as the Waynes. Thomas stayed under his mother’s thumb because she dangled the promise of paying for medical school. Bruce left Gotham, leaving Thomas behind with his controlling mother, who was suffering from cancer.
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Thomas hated his life but eventually met a girl named Peyton, who was a mobster’s daughter. Marla hated Peyton, and eventually wrote Thomas out of the will. However, Peyton was there, so she murdered the lawyer and changed the will back to normal. This was all unbeknownst to Thomas, but he made his own move, smothering his mother with a pillow. The two eventually found out what the other had done, and came up with a story, but their relationship wasn’t to last. Thomas left and began traveling the world, eventually becoming one of the top neurosurgeons in the world. Thomas was the Riddler’s doctor when the villain was diagnosed with brain cancer, but Riddler went to the Lazarus Pits to cure it. Riddler returned and tried to sell Thomas info about the pits, but instead Thomas asked Riddler for help in a revenge scheme against Bruce. Riddler agreed, and revealed something else — that the madness of the Pit gave him clarity and he had figured out that Bruce was Batman. Elliot and Riddler began making their plans and thus Hush was born.
Elliot returned to Gotham and targeted Batman, shooting one of his ropes so Batman fell and broke his skull. Elliot was the surgeon on hand, and saved his friend. Elliot would also fix Harvey Dent’s face, leading to the Two-Face identity to submerge. Hush enlisted multiple villains to fight Batman, but Dent was able to help the Dark Knight defeat the villain. Hush would return several times in the coming years, enlisting the Justice League villain Prometheus — or rather another version of Prometheus who had found the original’s armor but was nowhere near as dangerous — but was constantly beaten by Batman. Eventually Hush just sort of faded away.
Thomas Elliot as Hush Is One of Batman’s Most Clever Villains
Batman has many dangerous villains, but Thomas Elliot quickly became one of the deadliest. While Thomas hated his mother, her forcing him to study war and philosophy gave him the kind of leg-up that he needed to fight Batman, becoming something of a twisted version of the Dark Knight. Hush is known for making grandiose plans, and Batman has only been able to survive by the skin of his teeth.
So far, no one knows what Hush’s new plans are going to be, although the teaser gave readers something of a clue, with Robin and the Joker seeming to be people who he’s concentrating on. “Hush 2” has everyone excited, and Loeb and Lee have their work cut out for them. After their landmark story, other creators fumbled Hush, which is why he’s never reached the level of the Joker or Riddler, where he belongs. Thomas Elliot is a cunning monster, forged by a life of hardships and hatred into Hush.
Batman #158 is part one of “Hush 2” and it’s on sale March 27, 2025.
