History
During the Joker's takeover of Arkham, Zsasz was loosed from his cell in the Intensive Treatment Center. Running free, he encountered two Arkham security guards in the Patient Pacification Chamber. After killing one guard who tried to stop him, he took hold of another guard named Mike, and strapped him to an electric chair. A third guard, Zach Franklin, came across Zsasz, and sounded the alarm, requesting backup on the radio. At least three more guards responded to the alarm and arrived with Dr. Gretchen Westler, Zsasz's personal therapist. He warned that he would kill Mike if he saw "anything that looked even a little bit like a bat" getting too close whilst the guards attempted to talk him down. Zach Franklin and another guard stood barred at the entryway to the Pacification area, but were able to see Zsasz pacing behind his hostage in the electroshock chair. Franklin tried to call for more backup in the Processing Corridor in dealing with the hostage situation, but found no answer on the radio, as most of the other guards in the vicinity had been murdered by the Joker after his escape through the area. A surviving guard, Eddie Burlow, picked up the call near the door to the Decontamination Chamber but was unable to respond. He directed Batman to the Patient Pacification Chamber. Batman arrived on the scene and met Zach Franklin, who informed him of the situation. Batman used the chamber balcony and grappled behind Zsasz on the gargoyles that lined the top of the room. He snuck up on Zsasz, taking him out and leaving him back in the care of Dr. Westler and the Arkham staff. He warned a doctor that it would take much time before Zsasz could be cured, if he could be cured at all. Soon after, Harley Quinn trapped the Arkham staff in the Pacification Chamber. One of the security personnel covered Zsasz with his shotgun to prevent any escape.
But yet Mr. Zsasz somehow escaped once again, killing three security guards above the Penitentiary in Arkham West. He then proceeded to prop them up like rag dolls around a table as if they were enjoying a game of cards. After the Joker's men had taken control of the Penitentiary, Zsasz proceeded to the heavily-guarded Arkham East. While the Joker's men wrestled the area from the guards, Zsasz invaded the Botanical Gardens. He entered the Botanical Glasshouse Entrance, where he encountered three more members of security at the doorway to the Botanical Glasshouse. Zsasz murdered two of them, arranging the dead guards in a lifelike pose around a park bench. After killing several more Arkham staff, Zsasz scratched out the tallies of his kills onto the bench. Shortly after, The Joker came across Zsasz in the Glasshouse Entrance with his latest victims. ("No doubt acting out some twisted fantasy", according to Joker) The Clown Prince of Crime took Zsasz to the Arkham Mansion after his men had captured Dr. Penelope Young in the Library, planning to torture the formula for her secret Titan drug out of her. Mr. Zsasz asked to be left alone with Young and successfully forced the secret out of her. Batman searched the mansion until he came across Zsasz, who was holding Dr. Young hostage with a knife to the throat. The Joker, contacting Zsasz via a monitor, tried to convince Zsasz to hurry up and kill her. Zsasz began to panic as he knew Batman would take him down if he did just that but he was also torn by his desire to kill her, slowly savoring her fright and saying that she was "just begging to be slaughtered". Before he could make a decision, Batman knocked him out with a Batarang to the head.
Dr. Young was driven to so many tears while Zsasz held her hostage and nearly killed her. She beat his unconscious body angrily, yelling at him "You monster! You evil, evil, evil monster!", while still crying. After Young was killed by an explosive set by Joker and Harley Quinn set her goons on Batman, Zsasz disappeared, suggesting that he escaped during the chaos, as no guards had arrived to detain him.
His final appearance was in Batman's hallucination of a replay of the game's opening sequence caused by Scarecrow's Fear Toxin. Batman was placed in the captured position, with Joker capturing him, and Zsasz among the Arkham inmates escorting Batman in the patient handcart. After this, Zsasz had no further appearance in the game and his status remained unknown.
Notes
- This version of the character is native to the Batman: Arkham Asylum videogame.
- Victor Zsasz has been confirmed for the sequel and will have his own side quest for Batman to solve.
Related
- 14 Appearances of Victor Zsasz (Arkhamverse)
- 3 Images featuring Victor Zsasz (Arkhamverse)
- Quotations by or about Victor Zsasz (Arkhamverse)
- Character Gallery: Victor Zsasz (Arkhamverse)
Footnotes