- "So, it turns out... the people that I executed were innocent, which meant that—that I was the guilty one. That—that cabal, they turned me into a murderer, which—they made me punish the innocent."
- —Bertrand Eldon[src]
Bertrand Eldon (died November 2019) was the former executioner at Blackgate Penitentiary, who became a vigilante known as the Executioner, targeting the corrupt superiors who arranged for him to execute innocent inmates for personal gain.
Biography[]
Early life[]
For 20 years, Bertrand worked as the executioner of Blackgate Penitentiary. In 2019, he discovered that all those he executed were actually innocent and set up by a combined cabal of ADA Angus Stanton, Detective Stu Donnelly, and Judge Raymond Calverick.[1]
Rampage as the Executioner and death[]
The Executioner and Batwoman face off.
In 2019, feeling extremely horrible with himself and remorseful for the innocents he murdered, he donned the guise of the "Executioner" and attacked the three corrupt law enforcement officials, aiming to kill them in ways reminiscent of the three methods of capital punishment used in Gotham; the electric chair, firing squad, and gas chamber. He started by electrocuting ADA Stanton.
Later, he set up a trap that resembled a firing squad to kill Stu Donnelly, in which he succeeded but also accidentally shot Sophie Moore in the process. Hunting for resources for the third execution method, he ran into Batwoman while searching for hydrogen cyanide, but his car knocked her out giving him the opportunity to get away with the gas.
A short time later, he tried to kill Judge Calverick in the latter's courtroom, but got interrupted by Batwoman once again. He attacked her but was shot dead by Commander Jacob Kane. His death triggered a dead man switch, filling the room with hydrogen cyanide, which was his plan for Calverick all along. However, Batwoman was able to burn away the gas in the room, saving the commander's life.[1]
Personality[]
Eldon was dedicated to doing his job and protecting the innocent as he enjoyed killing the guilty, until he realized that he was a puppet in racial profiling and ended up killing innocent minorities more than guilty, wealthy individuals.
Upon Eldon discovering that the individuals that he had executed were in fact innocent, he felt guilt, shame and remorse, he also became ruthless to the point that Eldon had lost complete faith in the court system due to the fact that it had been abused and manipulated to turn him into a serial killer and also an unfortunate hitman as a result he began to hunt down Angus Stanton, Stu Donnelly and Raymond Calverick; the criminal cabal who were responsible for the death of these said individuals in order to make up for killing the individuals they manipulated him into killing.
Abilities[]
- "Stay frosty. This guy is methodical, technically proficient, always a few steps ahead."
- —Luke Fox to Batwoman[src]
- Peak of human physical condition: Bertrand was in top physical condition. He was strong enough to cut down an electricity pole with one swing, restrain Batwoman and even throw her through a table, breaking it in half.
- Keen-level intellect: Bertrand was able to deduce the individuals he executed were innocent and find out there was a corrupt group of officials framing them. He was also able to create a dead man switch.
- Expert investigator: Bertrand was not only able to deduce that the individuals he executed were innocent, but they were also framed by Angus Stanton, Stu Donnelly and Raymond Calverick.
- Skilled engineer: Bertrand was able to set up an automatic firing squad trap for Stu Donnelly. Along with being able to set up a dead man's switch to trap both Batwoman and Jacob Kane.
- Expert hand-to-hand combatant: Bertrand was a ferocious hand-to-hand combatant, relying on a straightforward and fierce style combined with raw strength to overwhelm his opponents, he was able to dominate Batwoman and nearly kill her before he got shot by Jacob Kane.
- Expert ax wielder: Using an ax, Bertrand was able to chop down an electric pole with a single swing. He also displayed great dexterity using his ax in combat against the highly agile Batwoman.
Equipment[]
- Executioner suit: Bertrand used a suit to disguise his identity and terrify his victims as the Executioner.[1]
- Medieval battle axe: Bertrand used a medieval-style battle ax as his primary weapon of choice.[1]
Appearances[]
Batwoman[]
Season 1[]
- "I'll Be Judge, I'll Be Jury"
- "Grinning From Ear to Ear" (mentioned)
Behind the scenes[]
- In the DC comics, the Executioner was Willy Hooker, a carnival worker who murdered wanted criminals and claimed the reward. His first appearance in the comics was Detective Comics #191.
- The Arrowverse incarnation of the character is heavily based on Nathaniel Barnes, an alternate version of the Executioner created for the 2014 television series Gotham. Like former GCPD captain Barnes, Bertrand Eldon was a law enforcer turned vigilante and also uses an axe as his weapon of choice. However, Barnes had contacted the Alice Tetch Virus that corrupted his mind and body. James Stoteraux and Chad Fiveash, the writers of "I'll Be Judge, I'll Be Jury", previously worked as co-executive producers on the show Gotham, for which they also wrote several episodes.
- This version of the character also shares similarities with Lock-Up, the former security head of Arkham Asylum fired for use of excessive force, who later became a murderous vigilante to make his own justice.
- Paul Lazenby has been a stunt double for Jim Pirri in the role of Bertrand Eldon.