Arnold Wesker A meek, quiet man named Arnold Wesker (the first Ventriloquist) plans and executes his crimes through a
dummy named
Scarface, with the dress and persona of a 1920s
gangster (complete with pinstripe suit, cigar, and
Tommy gun). His name comes from the nickname of
Al Capone, after whom Scarface is modeled. Born into a powerful
organized crime family, Wesker develops
dissociative identity disorder after seeing his mother
assassinated by thugs from a rival family. Growing up, his only outlet is
ventriloquism. ''
Showcase '94'' #8-9 establishes an alternate
origin story: after a barroom brawl in which he kills someone during a violent release of his repressed anger, Wesker is sent to
Blackgate Penitentiary. He is introduced to "Woody" — a dummy carved from the remains of the former Blackgate
gallows by his cellmate Donnegan — who convinces him to escape and kill Donnegan in a fight which scars the dummy, thus resulting in the birth of Scarface. Wesker lets the Scarface alter do dirty work, including robbery and murder. He is totally dominated by Scarface, who commands and abuses him. In the 1995
Riddler story
Riddler: The Riddle Factory, it is revealed that a gangster named "Scarface" Scarelli had once been active in
Gotham City, though he had apparently died long before Batman's era. A
supernatural aspect to Scarface was hinted at in Wesker's alternate origin story in ''Showcase '94'' #8-9, when Wesker's cellmate creates the first Scarface dummy from pieces of wood from the remains of Blackgate Prison's gallows.
Batman/Scarface: A Psychodrama (2001) reinforces this and shows the dummy to be indirectly responsible for two accidents while separated from Wesker (with at least one fatality). The dummy also retained his speech impediment while operated by a young boy and seemed to even show awareness of his name during this period. The Ventriloquist is one of many
villains in the Batman's rogues gallery to be confined to
Arkham Asylum when Batman apprehends him. In
Knightfall, Arkham is destroyed by
Bane and the Ventriloquist is among the inmates who escape. Unable to find Scarface, the Ventriloquist briefly uses a sock puppet named Socko in his place. After an ill-fated team-up with
Amygdala, he procures a number of other hand puppets to fill in for Scarface, including one of a police officer which he refers to as Chief O'Hara. Later, when Wesker finds Scarface, Scarface and Socko are set at odds until a standoff occurs and the dummy and the puppet both shoot each other, leaving Wesker unconscious and injured. In
Batman: Cataclysm, Gotham City is devastated by an earthquake. The stress caused by the earthquake apparently triggers the release of another personality within Wesker named of the Quakemaster, who claims to have caused the earthquake himself over a video and threatens to trigger another unless he is paid $100 million.
Robin deduces Quakemaster's identity due to him taking great effort to avoid saying any words containing the letter "B". In
Detective Comics #818, an issue later included in the trade paperback
Batman: Face the Face, Wesker is murdered by an unseen assailant. The dummy Scarface is stepped on and its head crushed. The dying Wesker uses Scarface's hand to leave a clue regarding his murder: a street name. Later in the storyline, it is revealed that
Tally Man, acting as an enforcer for
Great White Shark, was responsible for the murder. During the
Blackest Night crossover, Wesker is reanimated as a
Black Lantern. Wesker was resurrected following The New 52, which rebooted the continuity of the DC universe.
Peyton Riley . A new female Ventriloquist, called "Sugar" by Scarface, debuts in the pages of
Detective Comics. Sugar is a more compatible partner than Wesker, since Scarface no longer substitutes "B" with "G", and she is far more willing to commit violent crime. Riley owns multiple Scarface dummies and often uses them as explosives. In
Detective Comics #843 (April 2008), Scarface kidnaps a rival gangster, Johnny Sabatino, and takes Bruce Wayne hostage. While alone, Sugar breaks away from Scarface and talks to Bruce in what appears to be her real personality. She reveals that she was engaged to Wayne's friend, Matthew Atkins, years prior. Her real name is revealed to be Peyton Riley, and she expresses remorse for her crimes before the Scarface persona reappears and interrupts their conversation. In the following issue, Riley reveals that her father, an
Irish Mafia boss named Sean Riley, forced her to marry Sabatino to form an alliance between Gotham's Irish and
Italian gangs. Riley and Sabatino are taken to see Arnold Wesker, who is impressed by Riley's intelligence and gives Sabatino a second chance, taking 30% of his profits. In
Detective Comics #850 (November 2008), Riley and
Hush bond over their mutual resentment of their families, and vow that they will escape together when Hush comes into his fortune. However, Hush's ailing mother does not approve of their relationship, and when Hush refuses to stop seeing Riley, she writes him out of her will. Riley subsequently runs the departing family lawyer off of the road and kills him while Hush murders his mother. Riley declares that they can finally be free together, only to be abandoned by Hush. When Scarface's hold on the mob begins to crumble, Sabatino decides to cement his own position by wiping out the Rileys. After killing his father-in-law, he shoots Riley in the head. She survives and swears revenge on Sabatino. Riley attempts to throw Sabatino over the side of his yacht, but he begins to strangle her with rope. Scarface quietly says, "Jump, Sugar", and Riley sends them both over the side. Riley has not appeared since then and is presumed to have drowned.
Shauna Belzer A new Ventriloquist debuted in the pages of
Batgirl, part of
The New 52 continuity reboot. Shauna Belzer grew up in the shadow of her twin brother Ferdie, whom their parents treated as a favorite while ignoring her; other children, meanwhile, idolized Ferdie while bullying her. When Shauna learned she possessed
telekinesis, she used her newfound powers to murder one of her tormentors. She would later use these powers to kill Ferdie and make it look like an accident. Shauna becomes a ventriloquist and serial killer, using a dummy named after her brother. Shauna is one of six individuals who are kidnapped by a man identifying himself as the Mockingbird and sealed inside a shipping container underwater. Besides Shauna, the others are
Catman, Big Shot,
Black Alice, Strix, and Porcelain. After escaping, this group becomes known as the new
Secret Six. Mockingbird is revealed to be the
Riddler, who believes that one of the six stole a priceless diamond from him, but he does not know who. The thief is revealed to be Ferdie, whose persona is so separate from Shauna's that she did not even realize that her doll was the thief. In the final issue of
Secret Six, Shauna betrays the team and abandons Ferdie when he insists that they remain loyal to the group. Shauna is incarcerated in Arkham Asylum, where she begins using a sock puppet. ==Powers and abilities==