Killer Moth is a
supervillain appearing in
American comic books published by
DC Comics, usually as an adversary and
foil of
Batman and
Batgirl. Killer Moth first appeared in
Batman #63 (February 1951) and was created by
Bill Finger,
Dick Sprang, and
Lew Sayre Schwartz. In his original incarnation, Killer Moth has no superhuman abilities, but relies on the vast array of equipment he had developed, including a Mothmobile, zipline cables, a cocoon gun, and an air pistol.
Pre-Crisis Killer Moth The original Killer Moth was a prisoner identified only by his prison number, 234026. While in prison, he reads a newspaper article about
Batman and decides to set himself up as the "anti-Batman", hiring himself out to
Gotham City's criminals to help them elude capture by police. Upon his release, he uses the hidden proceeds of his crimes to build a "Mothcave", modeled on the
Batcave. Killer Moth also establishes a false identity as millionaire philanthropist
Cameron van Cleer, during which he befriends Bruce Wayne. Meanwhile, he promotes himself to Gotham's criminals using his identity as Killer Moth, giving them each an infrared Moth-Signal. In his first job, he rescues some criminals from the police and then uses his Mothmobile to defeat and capture Batman and
Robin. The duo escape and lead Killer Moth to a climactic battle on Gotham Bridge, in which he is defeated. In
Detective Comics #173 (July 1951), Killer Moth kidnaps Bruce Wayne and learns his secret identity. However, he was shot by other criminals and sustains head trauma. He remains a persistent enemy of Batman throughout the
Silver Age of Comic Books.
Drury Walker In the 1990s, in the post-
Crisis continuity, Killer Moth's real identity is revealed as
Drury Walker, an unsuccessful criminal whom no one takes seriously. He again adopts the false identity of Cameron van Cleer and the persona of Killer Moth to fight Batman. This version first appears in
Batman: Shadow of the Bat #7-9 (December 1992-February 1993), with a more detailed origin story appearing in
Batgirl: Year One #1-9 (February–October 2003). In
Batman: Shadow of the Bat #7-9, Killer Moth sets up a team called "the Misfits", comprising Batman villains such as the
Catman and the
Calendar Man, to make another kidnapping attempt on Bruce Wayne, as well as other prominent citizens. This team proves unsuccessful, turning against Killer Moth when they realize he plans to kill the hostages. In
Underworld Unleashed, Killer Moth sells his soul to
Neron, seeking to gain power and be feared. Neron achieves this by transforming Killer Moth into a monstrous moth-like form dubbed Charaxes. During the "
Infinite Crisis" storyline, Charaxes appears as a member of
Alexander Luthor Jr.'s
Secret Society of Super Villains. He is later killed by
Superboy-Prime during the Battle of Metropolis. In 2011,
The New 52 rebooted the DC universe. A more serious, less garish Drury Walker/Killer Moth appears as an enemy of
Green Arrow. This version, preferring the title "Moth", utilizes a gas mask and a compression gun which he calls a "Stinger". Moth later appeared as a member of
Richard Dragon's
Longbow Hunters. He first appeared in the "
Zero Year" story arc in which he was defeated by both Batman and Green Arrow, teaming up for the first time.
Third Killer Moth A new Killer Moth appears in
Batman #652, during the
Face the Face storyline wherein he displays competence in hand-to-hand combat and the ability of flight when facing Robin. He later appears working alongside fellow Gotham criminals the
Firefly and
Lock-Up in the
Gotham Underground miniseries. The identity and origins of this new Killer Moth remain unrevealed. Several villains clad in Killer Moth costumes appear in
Secret Six (vol. 3) #7. At least one of them is killed by
Deadshot. Killer Moth recently appeared in the first issue of the miniseries
Justice League: Cry for Justice. He was hired by
Prometheus to kidnap and torture Mike Dante, ex-assistant to Atom ally Professor Hyatt. The two current holders of the Atom identity,
Ray Palmer and
Ryan Choi, tracked Killer Moth and his goons down to a hideout in
Albuquerque,
New Mexico and defeated them all. Ray Palmer tortures Killer Moth by entering his head via his nose, forcing him to surrender.
Killer Moth in other media Television • Killer Moth appears in
Teen Titans, voiced initially by
Thomas Haden Church and later by
Marc Worden. This version is a
lepidopterist, member of the
Brotherhood of Evil, and father of a spoiled daughter named Kitten. • Killer Moth, based on the Drury Walker incarnation, appears in
The Batman, voiced by
Jeff Bennett. • Killer Moth appears in
Bat-Fam, voiced by
Diedrich Bader. This version is an ex-villain.
Film • Killer Moth appears in
Batman: Bad Blood, voiced by
Jason Spisak. • Killer Moth appears in
Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold. • The Drury Walker incarnation of Killer Moth appears as a playable character and boss in
Lego Batman: The Video Game, with vocal effects provided by
Steve Blum. • Killer Moth appears as a boss and playable character in
Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, voiced by
Joseph Balderrama. • Killer Moth appears as a playable character in
Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, voiced by
Christopher Corey Smith.
Miscellaneous • Killer Moth appears in
DC Super Hero Girls (2015), voiced by
Phil LaMarr. • Killer Moth appears as part of
Lego's
LEGO Batman Series 2
minifigure collection. • Killer Moth appears in the novel
Batman: Revolution. ==Thaddeus Killgrave==