Gotham – The Alter-Egos Of The Electrocutioner

Audiences watching Gotham‘s eleventh episode, Rogues’ Gallery, will no doubt have been introduced to James Gordon’s latest foe — Jack Gruber, portrayed by Christopher Heyerdahl.  I guarantee that upon hearing his name and knowing that he was the mastermind in the electroshock incidents at Arkham Asylum, viewers scoured the Internet to see if this was another proto-super-villain of Batman’s.  And I bet that most of you were disappointed (or delighted if you’re like me in wanting Gotham to not rely on famous characters) to find nothing on Mr. Gruber.  Although, on a separate note, the more obvious reference was Gruber’s mind-controlled right-hand man Aaron Helzinger, portrayed by Kevin McCormick, who would later become the supervillain Amygdala.

Well, a simple search for “Batman electricity-based villains” would’ve quickly yielded the results of either “Maxie Zeus” or “The Electrocutioner.”  Further research would point to the Electrocutioner as the likely candidate (it would be later proven correct with Gotham‘s promo for What the Little Bird Told Him).  Yeah, that name really needs some help.  It’s a good effort, but it’s just too 1960s-Batman for me.

Anyways, who is this Electrocutioner?  It turns out that he’s not one, but multiple characters who took that moniker throughout the years.  Let’s cover each of them and see which one Gotham‘s Jack Gruber will most likely be.

Comic Book Incarnations

The Electrocutioner first appeared in Batman #331 (January 1981) and was created by Marv Wolfman, Michael Fleisher, and Irv Novick.  The character with an unnamed alter-ego was not a criminal and wanted to dispense justice.  However, he was later killed by the anti-hero the Vigilante (another character with multiple incarnations), the version whose alter-ego was Adrian Chase.

The second incarnation of the Electrocutioner appeared in Detective Comics #626 (February 1991) and was created by Marv Wolfman and Jim Aparo.  This incarnation was also driven to fight crime, but had an extreme form of justice which was disapproved by Batman.  The Electrocutioner seen here wielded a costume that generated lethal electrical shocks.  The true identity of this character was never revealed.

The third incarnation of the Electrocutioner appeared in Detective Comics #644 (May 1992) and was created by Chuck Dixon, Tom Lyle, and Scott Hanna.  This incarnation is revealed to have the alter-ego of Lester Buchinsky and is a brother of the first Electrocutioner.  Like his brother, he wanted to seek justice.  However, he later turned into a supervillain and battled Batman, Robin, and Nightwing.  His usual undoing is his reliance on his ability to generate electricity.

Other Media Incarnations

In animation, a character with the distinct features of the Electrocutioner appeared in Justice League Unlimited in an episode titled The Cat and the Canary.  He was seen fighting Bloodsport in Roulette’s Meta-Brawl, and later seen as part of the Secret Society of Super Villains.  Due to the character not even being explicitly named, we’re also unsure which one of the Electrocutioners he actually is or even inspired from.

In video games, the Electrocutioner was first seen in Batman (1989) for the Nintendo Entertainment System.  Even though the game was a tie-in for the Tim Burton film of the same name that was released in 1989, the characters and plot were dramatically different from the movie.  The in-game story shows this Electrocutioner to be under the employ of the Joker.

The second appearance of the Electrocutioner in video games was in Batman: Arkham Origins (2013).  Voiced by Steven Blum, this version of the character was the Lester Buchinsky version.  He also worked for the Joker, who later kills him by pushing him out a window.  When the game ends, Buchinsky’s corpse can still be seen on the chandelier found in the Royal Hotel’s lobby.

Likely Candidate for Gotham

First off, Gotham‘s Electrocutioner is starting out as a career criminal — a sociopath in fact.  All of the Electrocutioners in the comics had their initial starts as vigilantes seeking justice.  The other obvious fact is that Gotham‘s version doesn’t have the surname of Buchinsky, but that doesn’t mean Jack Gruber didn’t lie about his name.

Therefore, Gotham‘s Gruber is most likely the Electrocutioner who appeared in Detective Comics #626.  It could well be that Gotham will reimagine the history as having the Buchinsky brothers (who are probably the same age as Bruce Wayne or younger), years later, be inspired by Gruber.  In Gotham‘s upcoming twelfth episode airing Monday, January 19, titled What the Little Bird Told Him, Edward Nygma seems to be the one who christens Gruber with the not-so-subtle name.

Fox’s Gotham airs on Mondays at 8:00PM EST.