Cornelius Stirk is a fictional character appearing in the

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

. He is a cannibalistic

supervillain A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...

with the ability to cause fear or hallucinations through

telepathy Telepathy () is the purported vicarious transmission of information from one person's mind to another's without using any known human sensory channels or physical interaction. The term was first coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Frederic ...

and appears as a recurring adversary of

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

Publication history

He first appeared in ''

Detective Comics ''Detective Comics'' (later retitled as ''Batman Detective Comics'') is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is ...

'' #592 (November 1988) and was created by Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle.

Fictional character biography

Stirk is a

serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...

who, like fellow Batman villain Scarecrow, uses fear to get to his victims. Stirk can make other people see him as someone else, allowing him to get close to his victims. He operates under the delusion that he requires the nutrients from people's hearts to stay alive. In his first appearance, Stirk is released from

Arkham Asylum Arkham Asylum () is a fictional psychiatric hospital appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in stories featuring Batman. It first appeared in ''Batman'' #258 (October 1974), written by Dennis O'Neil with art by Irv N ...

, having been imprisoned since he was 16. After his release, Stirk stops taking his medication and becomes a serial killer. In '' Batman: Knightfall'', Stirk works with the Joker in an attempt to kidnap Commissioner Jim Gordon. However, Stirk tries to kill Gordon rather than kidnap him, during which Gordon hallucinates him as Batman. In the ''Madmen Across the Water'' storyline, Stirk is imprisoned in

Blackgate Penitentiary This page lists the locations in the DC Universe, the shared universe setting of DC Comics. Sites Arrowcave The Arrowcave is the former base of operations of the Green Arrow and Speedy. Avernus Cemetery Avernus Cemetery is a hidden burial gro ...

after Arkham is destroyed. Stirk makes minor appearances in '' Batman: No Man's Land'' and '' Batman: The Widening Gyre''.

Powers and abilities

Cornelius Stirk can generate a hypnotic aura which allows him to take on any face he chooses, generally a face that people will trust.

In other media

* Cornelius Stirk appears in the '' Gotham'' episode "Wrath of the Villains: A Legion of Horribles", portrayed by Kameron Omidian. * Cornelius Stirk appears in '' Batman Unburied'', voiced by

Sam Witwer Samuel Weiler Witwer IV (born October 20, 1977) is an American actor and voice actor. He is known for his roles as Crashdown in ''Battlestar Galactica'', Davis Bloome in ''Smallville'', Aidan Waite in '' Being Human'', Mr. Hyde in ''Once Upon ...

. This version is a former

diener A diener is a morgue worker responsible for handling, moving, and cleaning the corpse. In the UK, the equivalent job title is "mortuary assistant", whilst the preparation, evisceration and reconstruction of the deceased is performed by an ana ...

who becomes the serial killer Harvester.

References

External links

Cornelius Stirk
at the Unofficial Guide to the DC Universe {{DEFAULTSORT:Stirk, Cornelius Characters created by Alan Grant (writer) Characters created by Norm Breyfogle Comics characters introduced in 1988 DC Comics metahumans DC Comics supervillains DC Comics male supervillains DC Comics psychics DC Comics telepaths Fictional cannibals Fictional serial killers