The Swagman is a

supervillain A supervillain or supercriminal is a variant of the villainous stock character that is commonly found in American comic books, usually possessing superhuman abilities. A supervillain is the antithesis of a superhero. Supervillains are oft ...

in comic books published by DC Comics. He is primarily an enemy of

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

and the Dark Ranger.''Batman'' #681

Publication history

Fictional character biography

Swagman began his career as a criminal in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, often coming into the conflict with the Dark Ranger. Sometime before the ''

Batman R.I.P. Batman R.I.P. is an American comic book story arc published in ''Batman'' #676–681 by DC Comics. Written by Grant Morrison, penciled by Tony Daniel, and with covers by Alex Ross, the story pits the superhero Batman against the Black Glove organ ...

'' storyline, Swagman was recruited by the Black Glove and became a member of the Club of Villains, under the leadership of Doctor Simon Hurt. During the storyline, Swagman took part in Doctor Hurt's plan to drive Batman over the edge of his sanity. As part of the elaborate scheme, Doctor Hurt, who is well aware that Batman is Bruce Wayne, sends a wealthy criminal named Jezebel Jet to pose as a love interest for Bruce Wayne to weaken his mental state. The plan ultimately works and the Black Glove discovers the location of the Batcave. The Batcave is compromised by members of the Club of Villains and Bruce Wayne has a mental breakdown, but Wayne was not unprepared. Bruce Wayne had created a back-up personality which he buried in the back of his mind just in case a situation like this ever occurred. His back-up personality kicks in and Bruce Wayne becomes the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh. Unaware that Batman is no longer incapacitated, the Club of Villains begin targeting the other members of the

Batman Family A collective of fictional characters appear in American comic books published by DC Comics featuring the superhero Batman as the main protagonist. Since Batman's introduction in 1939, the character has accumulated a number of recognizable suppo ...

. Swagman is tasked with taking down

Robin Robin may refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including: **European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'') **Bush-robin **Forest rob ...

but is unable to do so. The Batman of Zur-En-Arrh and members of the Batman Family and the Club of Heroes track down the Club of Villains to their base. After a drawn out conflict, the Club of Villains are defeated and Batman returns to his former personality. During the conflict, Swagman is rendered unconscious by the Dark Ranger.

Powers and abilities

Taking inspiration from famed Australian

bushranger Bushrangers were originally escaped convicts in the early years of the British settlement of Australia who used the bush as a refuge to hide from the authorities. By the 1820s, the term had evolved to refer to those who took up "robbery under ...

Ned Kelly, Swagman protects himself by wearing heavy amounts of crude body armor and carrying various weaponry, such as grenade launchers and swords.

In other media

Swagman makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' episode "The Knights of Tomorrow!".

References

External links