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"Do you recall when I first came to this fair city, Jim? A bawling mess, wanting nothing more than to address the safety of my dear sister Alice? [...] But you kept me from saving her, you gave me no choice! So no more choices for you either...no more saving..."
—Jervis Tetch[src]


Jervis Tetch is a criminal known to manipulate (hypnotize) the mind through his words. Due to his sister Alice having poison in her blood, Tetch decided to hand her over to Hugo Strange. Realizing it was a mistake he started his desperate search for her. After the Arkham Breakout, Tetch arrived in Gotham as a hypnotist in search for Alice until he eventually looked to the bounty hunter, Jim Gordon, to find her. This led to Alice's eventual death, which he blamed Jim for. Tetch is eventually caught by Nathaniel Barnes and is sent to Arkham Asylum. Tetch later formed a villainous alliance with fellow inmates Jerome Valeska and Jonathan Crane, and they managed to succeed in order to help carry out a plan Jerome had in store and began to wreak havoc on Gotham. During the No Man's Land event, Tetch began working for Jerome's equally twisted brother Jeremiah Valeska and helped him in his scheme to recreate the Wayne murder. As part of this alliance, Tetch also assisted Ecco in producing dangerous toxin at Ace Chemicals.

Biography[]

Early life[]

According to Tetch, he and his sister Alice lost their parents when young and he became her guardian. It is heavily implied that he was mentally abusive and sexually abusive as James Gordon refers to it later, saying Alice killed herself to avoid his touch. Eventually, he decided that her "gift", which was her poisoned blood, was too much. He soon had her committed by Hugo Strange and wasn't allowed to see her after that. He tried calling the police, but they were useless. He returned to the city after learning of the breakout of 'monsters' from the Indian Hill, and believed Alice was probably among them.[1]

Search for Alice[]

Barbara and Tabitha watch Jervis

Tetch's show is observed by Barbara Kean and Tabitha Galavan.

Upon arriving in Gotham, Tetch was employed by Barbara Kean at her nightclub The Sirens to put on a show, in which he used his specialties in hypnosis. During a particular show, he makes a group of people make animal noises, until he reverts the hypnosis. Tetch picks a volunteer whose wife has a very expensive necklace on. Tetch puts the man under hypnosis using his eyes and the ticking of his pocket watch, and makes him feel weightless. He then gets him to stand on the back of the chair and, much to the astonishment of the crowd, the man does not fall. He gets the man down from the chair, but before reverting the hypnosis he whispers a command in his ear.

After his show, he speaks with Barbara and co-owner Tabitha Galavan. Barbara asks whether or not he can use his hypnosis to make people do anything, but Tetch admits he can only make people do what they secretly want. When Tabitha asks if he is just in Gotham and has a place to stay, but Tetch, looking at the doctor who is still under the hypnosis, says something always comes up. Later that night Tetch rings the doctor and using trigger words, gets him to unlock the front door and let him in. When the doctor's wife searches for him, Tetch appears in the darkened corridor and taunts her to run. She does so, but is knocked down by her husband and killed. Tetch orders the doctor to bury her in the garden and then kill himself. As the hypnotized doctor does so, Tetch relaxes on the couch.

The next day, Tetch calls round to the apartment of bounty hunter Jim Gordon and hires him to find Alice, and gives his story on her disappearance. As the Gotham City Police Department pays $5000 for bounties of Indian Hill escapees, Tetch doubles this and pays Gordon in advance for the work. Tetch hands Gordon a photo of Alice, as well as his business card and leaves Gordon to do his job.

The next evening, Tetch performs another show at The Sirens, this time putting Barbara under hypnosis due to her being impressed with the previous performance. He tells Barbara to look into his eyes, and then commands her to sleep. He then states that once she wakes up she will be madly in love with him. Upon waking her up, she agrees that she is in love with him and then goes to kiss him but Tetch rejects her saying he has another, much to the amusement of the crowd, and Barbara's psychotic side erupts. Angry, Barbara holds a glass to Tetch's throat, but he snaps her out of the hypnosis. Tabitha intervenes and admits Barbara doesn't take well to rejection, much to his amusement.

After this show, Gordon meets Tetch at the bar. Gordon has crossed paths with Alice, but has discovered that she doesn't want her brother to find her and that she has committed two fires to stop anyone else from being contaminated with her blood. Gordon threatens Tetch that he will take him to the GCPD unless he admits to what is going on. Tetch lures Gordon to the roof of the club, before hypnotizing him. He orders Gordon to remove his gun and put it on the ground, which he complies. Reading Gordon and coming to the conclusion of his past tragedies, Tetch puts thoughts into Gordon's mind about how life isn't worth living, before getting him to stand on the edge of the building. Tetch tells Gordon that once he counts down from ten, he will jump off the roof and all the pain will be over. But upon getting halfway there, Alice, armed with a gun, intervenes. Tetch stops and is delighted to see her, but she tells him to stop coming after her. Tetch tells Alice that she must want him due to coming straight to him. As he approaches, she shoots him, with the loud sound waking Jim from his trance. She unloads the gun twice, but misses and Tetch manages to flee the scene.[1]

Tetch enlists The Terrible Tweeds to help him break Alice out of police custody. During the raid on the Gotham City Police Department where two of the unnamed Tweeds are killed and one is subdued, Jervis manages to get Gordon into a suicidal trance as he, Deever Tweed, and Dumfree Tweed get away with Alice. Nathaniel Barnes had to knock out Gordon. At the abandoned amusement park, Tetch has Alice dressed as the titular character as he starts harvesting her blood. After the detained Tweed tells him about his location, Harvey Bullock brings Gordon to the abandoned amusement park. While Bullock ends up in a gunfight with the Tweeds, Jervis uses a pendulum to get Gordon into a trance. Upon fighting the trance, Gordon shoots the pendulum. During the struggle, Alice accidentally falls off the balcony and onto a pike. Tetch is devastated about what happened and escapes with Deever and Dumfree, blaming Alice's death on Gordon.[2]

Tormenting James Gordon[]

With an unnamed woman as his captive, Tetch started talking about Alice's death. Upon slitting the woman's throat, Jervis uses her blood to write Jim Gordon's name on a piece of paper as he begins to plan his revenge.[3]

Posing as a chauffeur, Jervis abducts a recently-married couple named Dave and Amy Walters where he takes them to his first plan for revenge on James Gordon instead of their reception. He then sends his hypnotized minion White Rabbit to deliver a message to Gordon and follows him to a location. Calling up Gordon, Jervis taunts him while planning to make him be what he is by making him choose to either save a hypnotized Dave and Amy Walters from falling off the overpass or prevent a hypnotized boy Shane from being hit by a truck, saying that he cannot say both in time. Gordon chooses to save Shane, causing Dave and Amy to fall to their death. Tetch states that Gordon pushed them off. He then says to Gordon to meet with him at 87 Fulton Street, Apartment 4C. If any police show up, more people will die. Upon arrival at the location, Gordon is called up by Tetch who tells him to look through the telescope where he sees Tetch calling from across the street. Gordon starts annoying Jervis by hanging up, and reminding him that Alice hated him. Jervis then has Gordon take a look where he sees Deever and Dumfree Tweed abducting Valerie Vale. Gordon then runs to the street as Jervis and the Tweeds drive off. Trying to contact Leslie Thompkins, Jervis answers her phone and reveals that he has captured her too. Jervis tells him to meet with him at Gotham Water and Power. As Gordon arrives, Jervis speaks through the television and states that he has a beloved paediatrician and Channel 5's favorite anchor hooked up to electrical device that will shock them. He tells him that he must shoot either one or else they will be shocked. As Harvey Bullock, Nathaniel Barnes and the police arrive and attempt to find the power source to cut it off, Jervis activates the controls that shock the two men. Before deactivating the TV monitors, Jervis tells Gordon to "ask an old friend how to get to the end." After asking the White Rabbit how to get to the end, Gordon follows the written information to Leslie Thompkins' apartment and drags Mario Calvi with him. Jervis comes in on Leslie and Valerie as they try to escape and he tells them that they are needed in the dining room for the guest of honor. Gordon arrives at Leslie's apartment and enters the dining room where Jervis states that he is just in time for their "tea party." As Gordon places his gun on the platter and has a seat at the table, Jervis does a toast to good health as Gordon drinks his tea. As Jervis talks about his story about the events that led up to this "tea party," Mario goes into the basement to get a gun. Gordon is given the option to have Leslie Thompkins or Valerie Vale killed with one of them having "Gordon's heart." Mario arrives and holds Jervis at gunpoint. Jervis revealed that he had switched the magazine that had the gun in it with an empty one. As Mario is taken to be locked up in the bathroom, Gordon starts taunting Jervis about how Alice hated him for what he did to her and was happy that she was away from Jervis. Enraged, Jervis points his gun at Gordon's head, but he eventually relents. Jervis tries to get Gordon to choose once more, giving him the choice of who to kill at the count of three. Gordon quotes "Kill Lee" and Jervis instead shoots Valerie in the abdomen, believing she is the one that Gordon loves more, before he and the Tweeds escape the scene, enabling Leslie to call an ambulance.[4]

Jervis Tetch later visits an herbalist, who gives him an accelerator made from the Red Queen plant for a virus which is said to put someone in the "loony bin". When the herbalist asks what he is planning, Jervis exposes the herbalist to the Red Queen as part of his plan to plunge Gotham City into insanity. After paying a morgue worker named Craig Sullivan to give him his key and call in sick, Jervis and the Tweeds later infiltrate the morgue where Alice's body is, where he steals the body to warm up to use her blood. At his lair, Jervis proceeds to harvest Alice's blood and combines it with the Red Queen plant in order to further his plans. Jervis later infiltrates the hospital where he lures James Gordon into a trap by exposing him to the mixture so that he won't stop him from dismantling Gotham City. Later that night, Jervis infiltrates the Gotham City Founders' Dinner held by Mayor Oswald Cobblepot where he hypnotizes the waitstaff and places drops of Alice's blood in the drinks of Mayor Cobblepot, the archbishop, the controller, and the other attendees of the Founders' Dinner. When it comes to the dinner, Jervis crashes the dinner where he confronts the Heads of Gotham stating that Heads Will Roll. He then has the Heads of Gotham drink the wine or else. Before they can drink, Jervis is tackled by Nathaniel Barnes who starts to experience the side effects of his prior exposure to Alice's blood. Jervis notices this and is pleased to discover that Nathaniel has Alice in him. Nathaniel punches him and tells him to shut up. When Gordon later visits Nathaniel, he is told that Jervis and the Tweeds have been remanded to Arkham Asylum.[5]

Sent to Arkham[]

Jervis is later visited at Arkham Asylum by Nathaniel Barnes to get some information on how to beat the virus in Alice's blood. Jervis tells Nathaniel that he'll tell him everything he knows about the virus if Nathaniel tells him what part of himself the virus has affected. Nathaniel responds by saying that the virus has heightened his rage at criminals. Jervis states that the only cure is to "give in and let my dear sister win". Then he states that anyone affected by the virus will hear the voices. Barnes leaves stating that he'll make it right.[6]

Gordon later visits Arkham Asylum to get the information of the other blood-infected victim. Jervis states that Nathaniel Barnes is next door to him repeatedly shouting "guilty". Gordon outsmarts Jervis by asking his questions in rhyme, and then figures out that it's Mario Calvi who is infected.[7]

From the window of his cell, Jervis watches as the Court of Owls obtains Nathaniel Barnes from Arkham Asylum.[8]

He then gets a visit from Lee. As she walks in, he hints that he wants to "unlock" her, or in other words infect her. Lee then tells Jervis that she never blamed him for what happened to Mario, but blamed Jim. Lee soon asks the big question of why he infected Mario. Jervis then states that he knew she loved Jim, and her love for him doomed Mario. Still not understanding, Jervis elaborates that infecting Mario made her blame Jim, which in turn made her love for him hate. She starts to grab her things to go, but Jervis brings up who is to blame. She then concludes she was the one to blame. When Lee readily admits it Jervis insists "That's funny".[9]

During Jervis' transfer to another jail site, his cell is hijacked by Tabitha and Butch Gilzean and he is then held hostage. He isn't held for very long, as Ed Nygma makes a deal with Jim to trade Jervis for Oswald. The swap goes awry when Barbara shows up enraged. Jervis, Jim, and Harvey flee the scene and hide in a garage. Jervis eggs on Jim to give into the virus. Clearly enjoying seeing Jim struggling, he reminds Jim if he kills him, there will be no possible way of an antidote. Jim then realizes that he doesn't need Jervis, only his blood. He stabs him in the neck and drains a large amount of blood from him and leaves him in the warehouse with only duct tape on his wounds.

Jervis is then hospitalized for his injuries. He is stitched up and sent back to Arkham.[10]

Alliance with Valeska and Crane[]

"Boys, boys, let's, um, not squabble too early in our partnership. There will be plenty of time to stab each other in the backs later. But for now, stick to Jerome's plan, and everyone will get what they want."
—Jervis Tetch to Jerome Valeska and Jonathan Crane[src]

Recently Jervis' power has improved leading him to be able to hypnotize people with just the sound of his voice. After brainwashing one of the guards into killing another guard in headphones and then having her take her own life, Tetch forms an alliance with fellow prisoners Jerome Valeska and Jonathan Crane, and the three of them calculate a plan to break out of the asylum, which they manage to succeed in doing and release over 50 inmates in the process. Whilst Jervis keeps the police distracted, Jonathan is able to travel undetected whilst he gathers what he needs for his fear toxin. Jervis hijacks a radio station and hypnotizes its listeners to stand on the roof and jump at midnight. After Gordon gets to the location, he manages to subdue Jervis by shooting him in the hand and then tells the hypnotized listeners to save each other.

Whilst Mad Hatter distracted the police, Jerome tracked down his uncle Zachary Trumble for information. Crane gathered the materials to brew his fear toxin and created a new Scarecrow costume. Jerome also gets a new suit while Jonathan takes a coat and a top hat for Mad Hatter. After Tetch's arrest, the GCPD places a mask on him that prevents him from talking and hypnotizing anyone else. Scarecrow and Jerome then attack the prison transport van carrying Tetch, spraying the driver with fear toxin. Jerome and Jonathan then open the doors, with Valeska asking Jervis how he likes the new threads, whereon Hatter begins to nod strongly. While Scarecrow shows Jervis a new coat and top hat he got for him, Valeska says "Oh, speechless, I know" before removing the mask that covers Mad Hatter's mouth.

Crane then begins unlocking the handcuffs whilst saying "You look a fright, Mr. Tetch", whereon Jervis responds, "Somewhat lame, my dear Mr. Crane. But I do confess pure joy in besting Jimmy boy with our ploy". As Tetch begins to laugh, Jerome tells him that he did a great job keeping Gordon occupied. Valeska then says "But, no time to palaver, gentlemen. We have fish to fry. And by fish, I mean faces, or feet. Ah, something fun to fry". While Jervis takes a look at his new top hat and puts it on, Jerome jumps out of the van and says "buckle up" before closing the doors in front of Crane and Tetch. Valeska then bounces around the transporter, yelling "All aboard!" whilst knocking on the van. Jerome then takes the drivers seat and says "Oh, I'm coming.", before he begins to laugh madly, whereon the stolen prison van vanishes into the night.[11]

Finding Jeremiah[]

"Must go! Must go! They're after me and the Scarecrow!"
—Tetch, yelling a warning to Jerome

Tetch then travels to St. Ignatius to hypnotize the headmaster into giving him information on Jerome's brother, and after retrieving the information, forces him to blow himself up should anyone come asking the same questions, by utilising a ticking watch planted on the man in order to keep him hypnotized.

Jerome's plan was to find his brother Jeremiah Valeska and get revenge on him. After Jerome and Firefly raid Wayne Enterprises for information, Valeska gets knocked out and captured by Jeremiah's proxy Ecco. Mad Hatter and Scarecrow follow Ecco as she transports Jerome to the maze bunker. When Jonathan and Tetch track down the lair in the Gotham Woods, Hatter manages to hypnotize Ecco. She then allows the two villains to enter Jeremiah's maze and reveals the path through to Jeremiah's hiding place. While Scarecrow frees Jerome from the prison cell, Ecco and Mad Hatter proceed to approach Jeremiah's office room, not unnoticed by all the video cameras installed at the maze bunker. Mad Hatter then orders the hypnotized Ecco to find Jeremiah and take him to Jerome, whilst fighting everyone who stands in her way. She then carries out his orders, but comes across Bullock and Gordon, who manage to defeat her, with Jeremiah running away and attempting to escape on his own. When Jeremiah reaches the end of the maze, he suddenly hears Jerome's voice saying "Hello, brother". Jeremiah turns around in fear to escape in the other direction, but is met by Mad Hatter and Scarecrow standing in front of him. He turns around once more to see Jerome holding him at gunpoint.

Gloating, Jerome says "So, how ya been? Oh, you look great! To think I used to be the handsome one, right?". Jeremiah asks him how he found his way through the maze. Jerome responds "Oh, bro, we might not look the same anymore, but we still think the same." and then pokes his brother in the forehead and adds "Plus, you used to draw those stupid things all the time as a kid. I paid attention". Jerome then commands "Hat Head" to take Crane and find "Jimbo and his bearded sidekick" in order to kill them. Scarecrow and Jervis eventually run into Gordon and Bullock, who were searching for Jeremiah. Jervis attempts to hypnotize them, and tells them to listen to what he has to say, but Bullock drowns him out and loudly yells "Oh, hell no! You are not hypnotizing me again!", before shouting and running after the two villains, causing them to flee. Jim ironically notes "That's one way to do it." before he follows them. Bullock chases Crane and Tetch through the maze, shooting at them several times during the process.

Jonathan and Jervis eventually make it back to the exit and find themselves in the same place where Jerome was still talking to his brother. While he and Crane run past the Valeska brothers, Hatter yells "Must go! Must go! They're after me and the Scarecrow". Jerome states "These guys just don't give up, huh?" while Jonathan and Tetch make it to the exit and leave Jeremiah's maze. When Jerome hears Bullock yelling, he immediately holds Jeremiah in a headlock and points his gun at him. When Jerome threatens "Get any closer and I splatter him. I splatter bro-ski.", Gordon peeks around the corner and says "No, you won't. If you wanted him dead, you would have killed him already". Jerome then laughs for a short moment before noting "He's right. I'll see you soon". Jerome then pushes his scared brother to the side and starts shooting at the two GCPD officers in a comedic way. He then runs out of the maze bunker, laughing maniacally in the process. Bullock and Gordon follow him outside but all three of the villains had already escaped into the dark Gotham Woods.[12]

The Laughing Gas[]

"Madman? I prefer visionary."
—Tetch defends Jerome when the mayor insults him

Later, Tetch brings a man to be used as the test subject for a new toxin Crane created for Jerome's plans. Tetch watches in amazement as the new toxin causes the man to laugh himself to death, with Jerome laughing hysterically at the fact that the formula works, stating that they were going to need a lot more this toxin to turn the city into a madhouse. They later capture the most important people in the city, and load them into a police van. The mayor attempts to work out a deal with Tetch, offering him a pardon, to which Tetch refuses and replies that he believes in Jerome's plan.

Jerome has Mr. Freeze and Scarecrow raid a chemical lab at Wayne Industries to make and obtain more laughing venom. Crane, along with some of Jerome's followers, then meet with Mad Hatter and Penguin. They all travel to an airship hangar where Jerome wants them to steal a blimp in order to disperse the laughing gas on the attendees of the music festival that Jerome and Firefly were holding hostage in Gotham. Two blimp pilots notice the unwelcome guests, with one asking them what they are doing in this restricted area. Crane responds that their cargo is too precious to waste while Penguin takes a look at the giant airship. Scarecrow says "Let me give you something I like to keep up my sleeves for times just like these" before using his fear gas dispenser to spray a brown acid into the other pilot's face, causing him to scream in pain and collapse onto the floor to his colleague's horror. Tetch then asks the remaining pilot if he can steer this contraption alone. When he agrees, Mad Hatter orders him to look into his eyes as he brings out his ticking pocket watch. Jervis smiles as the man's face becomes expressionless, knowing that he is fully hypnotized. Scarecrow then tells the Penguin that the concert in the Square was all to draw the biggest crowds, so they can drop the laughing gas on the people. Oswald then tries to put a stop to Jerome's plan by telling Hatter and Crane that this is madness. Scarecrow says that he thought Cobblepot would appreciate the beauty of it all, but that Jerome was right, revealing that Valeska anticipated Oswald's betrayal and knew that he knew Penguin would go to Jim Gordon. Mad Hatter then looks at Penguin in disgust. While Cobblepot is still horrified by this revelation, Jonathan proceeds to command a thug called Judas to knock out Oswald. Hatter then orders another follower to tie him up and put him on the blimp, since Jerome wants him to have a bird's-eye view. This is the last time that Tetch is seen until the No Man's Land event.[13]

No Man's Land[]

Jervis Tetch remained in Gotham during the events of No Man’s Land. He is recruited by Jeremiah Valeska to hypnotize two people into getting plastic surgery to resemble Thomas and Martha Wayne. He also hypnotizes Alfred Pennyworth after Jeremiah captures him.[14]

No Man's Land: Day 157[]

Jervis Tetch stands on a walkway, watching over numerous hypnotized Ace Chemicals workers chanting incomprehensibly as Jim and Lee arrive at the plant, with Lee noticing the hypnotized workers. Jervis then mocks them by referring to Lee as the woman Jim told him to kill, before ordering the hypnotized workers to attack them. Jim fights them off, but Ecco ambushes them and proceeds to knock them out. Jim and Lee wake up to find themselves tied up, with Jervis and Ecco standing in front of them. Jervis asks Ecco if he should hypnotize them into slitting each other’s throats, with Ecco replying that they better check with the boss. As Ecco contacts Jeremiah, Jim tries to mock Jervis by calling him Jeremiah’s errand boy. Jervis replies saying that he is doing this only for his amusement. Lee further mocks Jervis by calling him second rate, prompting an annoyed Jervis to tell her to shut up. Ecco then whispers something in Jervis’ ear, which delights him. He then tells Lee that she was a Doctor and then Queen of the Narrows, and wonders if she wished to be someone else. He then pulls out his pocket watch, and lunges towards them as the watch begins to tick. He hypnotizes both of them into obeying his orders, adding that they would both wake up when Martha Wayne's pearl necklace hits the ground (as a result of being shot by Jeremiah).[14]

Personality[]

"I'm not a monster! But if you want to see one, just wait until my brother comes for me. You don't know what he's capable of."
Alice Tetch to Harvey Bullock[src]

Jervis Tetch is shown to be psychopathic, unhinged, and quite sadistic. Prior to Alice's death, he appeared to keep his true personality hidden behind a soft spoken and well-mannered demeanor. Following Alice's death, Jervis began to show clear signs of mental instability when he led a crusade against Gotham City and was willing to endanger the lives of innocent people due to the pain of Alice's death, making clear that her being alive was the only thing that keeping him somewhat in check with reality. In the time span following Alice's demise, Tetch continued committing criminal acts and hypnotizing anybody that he wished. His mindset grew worse, to the point that he took pleasure in causing death and destruction, even to the point of viewing Jerome Valeska as a visionary for wanting to send Gotham into madness, and joined in on Jeremiah's schemes purely for "fun".

Tetch seemed to have trouble coping with loss, attempting to temporarily replace Alice with another unfortunate young woman, but subsequently murdering her when coming to the realization she wasn't his sister.

Another unsettling attribute of Tetch's personality was his clear incestuous feelings for Alice. At some point prior to her incarceration at Indian Hill, he had attempted to put unsettling thoughts into her head, which, in her words, were not thoughts that a brother should have for his sister, clearly confirming that he had some sort of sexual feelings for her. He was also possessive of Alice, and after briefly holding her against her will, had plans to keep her in his possession for an indefinite period of time. It is unknown if Tetch was aware of his wrongdoings.

Physical appearance[]

Jervis Tetch Ace Chemicals (2)

Tetch's new getup following the cataclysm.

Tetch is thin with long curled brown hair, and a beard. Whilst his outfits change in appearance throughout his time in Gotham, they are normally the same style: which includes a suit, long coat and a top hat. When arriving in Gotham and performing his hypnotic acts, he wore a black suit and black hat, with a bow tie.

Whilst locked up in Arkham Asylum, he crafted a makeshift top hat out of newspaper to replace his confiscated one.

After escaping Arkham Asylum, he upgraded his outfit to a lighter-colored coat but kept a similar top hat. Following the No Man's Land event, his clothing was far more colorful: which involved a patterned waistcoat under his black jacket and a red bow tie. New accessories that he added to his outfit included a photo of his late sister Alice in his top hat, and also carried around a teacup holster on his waist. At this point, Tetch was now clean-shaven.

Powers and Abilities[]

Powers[]

"In a hypnotic state, unburdened by doubt and fear, we can accomplish the impossible."
—Jervis Tetch[src]


  • Hypnotism: Jervis's main attribute is his sheer mastery over mesmerism and hypnotism. He is capable of using his hypnotic abilities on individuals without any difficulty and by using a pocket watch. His power of hypnotism has recently improved to the point where he can get others to do whatever he wants them to do simply by having them hear his voice.
"Regardless, if you'll do the courtesy of listening to me, I think you'll find I can be quite persuasive."
—Jervis Tetch to The Terrible Tweeds[src]


  • Brainwashing: By using his hypnotic power of suggestion and a ticking pocket watch, Jervis can tap into a person's darkest side so as to implant a hidden impulse in them. He implanted a suicidal impulse in Jim Gordon's mind by tapping into his emotional pain over losing Lee Thompkins.
"He preys on fear, anger, regret. And if he gets in your mind... you're doomed."
Alice Tetch to Lee Thompkins[src]


  • Mind control: Jervis can also implant mind control impulses on people.

Abilities[]

  • Keen intellect/Expert Tactician: Jervis is a highly trained tactician, having created an elaborate revenge plan on Gordon while at the same time, managed to avoid being caught by Gordon and the GCPD. To get his sister back while she was at the GCPD, he had the Terrible Tweeds attack the officers as a diversion to abduct her. He was also smart enough to notice that Barnes was infected with his sister's virus during his arrest.
  • Skilled marksman: Jervis is capable in the use of firearms.

Weaknesses[]

  • Noise-cancelling items: So long as someone is wearing something over their ears, such as headphones with music being played through them, Jervis cannot control them using his voice.
  • Mouth cover: Jervis cannot use his hypnotic voice on anyone if something is placed over his mouth.
  • Insane Individuals: It is shown Jervis cannot hypnotize those who are unhinged, as Jerome Valeska was shown to be immune to his hypnotism.

Equipment[]

  • Pocket Watch- Jervis uses the ticking of a pocket watch to assist in his hypnotism.
  • Tetch speaks almost always in rhyme. This shows his mind further deteriorated following Alice's death.
  • Jervis is one of the few main antagonists of Season 3. He acts as the main antagonist in the first part of the Mad City arc (before Jerome took over the role in the second part). He later returns as a supporting antagonist in the Heroes Rise arc. In brief, Jervis is responsible for the overall events of the season, especially those connected to the Tetch Virus, with the virus and its effects influencing and/or exploiting many other villains in the third season (with the exception of only Jerome) for him to use as his tools. Because of this, Jervis is considered to be the central antagonist of the whole of the third season. In the final third of Season 4, he acts as the secondary antagonist and as the second-in-command of the Legion of Horribles led by Jerome Valeska.
  • Tetch's final appearance shows him clean-shaven, making him appear younger than previously.
  • Like Crane, who uses his pillowcase as a Scarecrow mask, Tetch wears a top hat made of newspaper.
  • In DC Comics, Jervis Tetch, also known as the Mad Hatter, is a member of Batman's rogues gallery who uses mind-control technology and has an obsession with Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, believing himself to being the real life reincarnation of the character Mad Hatter. He was created by Lew Sayre Schwartz and Bill Finger and first appeared in Batman #49 (1948).
  • Mad Hatter's arrival in Gotham was originally foreshadowed during the season 2 episode "Wrath of the Villains: Azrael" when Hugo Strange talked about implanting personas into his resurrected subjects at Indian Hill, before then reading from Alice in Wonderland. Regardless though, Tetch has neither been created or experimented on at the facility, although his sister Alice was.
  • This is the second live-action adaptation of the supervillain Mad Hatter, with the first one being in the 1960s Adam West television show Batman, in which he was played by David Wayne. However technically Benedict Samuel is playing a character based off the "real" Mad Hatter (with the obsession for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland), as it was decided that the Mad Hatter David Wayne was based upon would turn out to be an imposter Jervis Tetch/Mad Hatter, with a different MO to the now "true" version of the character.
  • Whilst not referred to by his comic book alter-ego "The Mad Hatter" within the actual show, he is listed by his alias in cast lists for plot synopsis'.[15]
  • He is one of the few rare supervillains (along with Jeremiah Valeska) not to go by his comic book alter-ego, though his name was hinted at in the season 4 episode "A Dark Knight: That's Entertainment", being referred to as "Hatter" by Oswald Cobblepot.
  • Jervis Tetch's pupils disappear when he hypnotises others using his eyes, making his irises completely black.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Cannon, Danny (writer) & Bailey, Rob (director) (October 3, 2016). "Mad City: Look Into My Eyes". Gotham. Season 3. Episode 3. FOX.
  2. Hull, Robert (writer) & Egilsson, Eagle (director) (October 10, 2016). "Mad City: New Day Rising". Gotham. Season 3. Episode 4. FOX.
  3. Thé, Denise (writer) & Scott, T.J. (director) (October 17, 2016). "Mad City: Anything for You". Gotham. Season 3. Episode 5. FOX.
  4. Lilien, Steven & Wynbrandt, Bryan (writers) & Hope, Nathan (director) (October 24, 2016). "Mad City: Follow the White Rabbit". Gotham. Season 3. Episode 6. FOX.
  5. Brown-Mostyn, Megan (writer) & White, Scott (director) (October 31, 2016). "Mad City: Red Queen". Gotham. Season 3. Episode 7. FOX.
  6. Chun, Tze (writer) & Bailey, Rob (director) (November 7, 2016). "Mad City: Blood Rush". Gotham. Season 3. Episode 8. FOX.
  7. Stephens, John (writer) & Cannon, Danny (director) (November 28, 2016). "Mad City: Beware the Green-Eyed Monster". Gotham. Season 3. Episode 11. FOX.
  8. Chun, Tze (writer) & Tonderai, Mark (director) (May 15, 2017) "Heroes Rise: Light The Wick". Gotham. Season 3. Episode 18. FOX.
  9. Woodruff, Ken (writer) & Behring, John (director) (May, 22, 2017) "Heroes Rise: All Will Be Judged" Gotham. Season 3. Episode 19. FOX.
  10. Hull, Robert (writer) & Bailey, Rob (director) (June 5, 2017) "Heroes Rise: Heavydirtysoul" Gotham. Season 3. Episode 22. FOX.
  11. Huston, Charlie (writer) & McKenzie, Ben (director) (March 29, 2018) "A Dark Knight: One of My Three Soups". Gotham. Season 4. Episode 16.
  12. Lilien, Steven & Wynbrandt, Bryan (writer) & Vrvilo, Maja (director) (April 5, 2018) "A Dark Knight: Mandatory Brunch Meeting" Gotham. Season 4. Episode 17.
  13. Cannon, Danny (writer) & Copus, Nick (director) (April 12, 2018) "A Dark Knight: That's Entertainment" Gotham. Season 4. Episode 18.
  14. 14.0 14.1 Chun, Tze (writer) & Stephens, John (director) (Febuary 21, 2019) "Legend of the Dark Knight: Ace Chemicals" Gotham. Season 5. Episode 7.
  15. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings/20160914fox01/
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