Notable aliases Croc, King Croc Fictional universe DC Universe | Alter ego Waylon Jones | |
Created by Gerry ConwayGene Colan Team affiliations Secret Society of Super VillainsSuicide Squad Abilities Superhuman strength, durability, and sensesExperienced alligator wrestlerReptilian teeth, claws, and scale-like skinRegenerative healing factor Similar Deadshot, Enchantress, Katana, El Diablo, Rick Flag |
Killer Croc is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman. Killer Croc belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up Batman's rogues gallery.
Contents
- Killer croc origins
- Publication history
- Fictional character biography
- Post Crisis
- The New 52
- DC Rebirth
- Powers and abilities
- Character redesign
- Joker graphic novel
- Batman Beyond
- BatmanAliens
- Batman Crimson Mist
- Flashpoint
- Batman Earth One
- Injustice Gods Among Us
- Batman 66
- Tiny Titans
- DC Bombshells
- BatmanTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- Television
- Film
- Lego Batman
- Batman Arkham
- Other games
- Books
- References

Depicted as having a rare genetic condition that gives him a crocodilian appearance, sideshow wrestler Waylon Jones develops into a dangerous and animalistic criminal. The extent of his resemblance to a crocodile varies between merely a large man with hardened skin, and essentially an anthropomorphic crocodile. The character is often portrayed as having cannibalistic tendencies.
The character has been adapted into various other media featuring Batman, including animated TV series and film, video games and novels. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje portrayed Killer Croc in the 2016 live-action feature film Suicide Squad.
Killer croc origins
Publication history
Killer Croc was created by writer Gerry Conway and by artist Gene Colan where his first appearance was a shadowy cameo in Detective Comics #523 (February 1983) and Batman #357 (March 1983) then his full appearance in Batman #358 (April 1983).
Fictional character biography
His real name is Waylon Jones, born with a form of atavism that imparted him with reptilian traits. His alcoholic aunt grew to hate her nephew's hideous appearance and brutal behavior. While still an adolescent, his aunt abused him and bullied him by calling him names like "lizardboy" and "a reptilian freak". Croc killed his aunt and became a criminal. After countless killings he faced off against Batman and the new Robin, who defeated him.
In these original, pre-crisis appearances, Killer Croc resembled a powerfully built man covered entirely in green scales, but was still basically human in his facial proportions and build. He was also originally depicted as killing Jason Todd's parents (this was later retconned to make Two-Face their murderer). His appearance and personality have become increasingly bestial, explained in the comics that his disease has slowly robbed him of all identifiable human traits. In his most recent appearances, he has an elongated snout and tail.
Post-Crisis
Killer Croc escaped custody and began living with a group of homeless people and caused thefts to support his new family. Batman tracked him down and Croc went into a homicidal rage. When new water tunnels, which would flood Killer Croc's new home, were opened Croc seemingly sacrificed himself to hold the water back.
In reality, Croc was buried under rubble and was freed from his prison by storm drains. Killer Croc survived on rats and was isolated for months, driving him further into madness. Croc went on a rampage after a confrontation with a vagrant and Croc wound up in a shopping mall. After delivering several blows to Croc, Batman is distracted by a glimpse of Bane. Croc then grabs Batman and tries to break his back. He fails, and Bane pits himself against Croc, breaking his arms. He is then put back into Arkham Asylum.
When Bane breaks the inmates out of Arkham Asylum in the Knightfall saga, Croc attempts to get revenge on Bane. While in the sewers, he smells Bane and goes after him and the two fight each other atop a ledge. Bane casually breaks one of Croc's arms again, but Croc keeps fighting him through it until the ledge they are standing on breaks and the two fall into the sewers. The fight ends up as a draw. Croc later returns, attacking the docks to try and lure Robin out, but is defeated by Dick Grayson (now acting as Batman after Bruce defeated Valley before taking time off for self-analysis) without realizing that he is facing a new Batman. Killer Croc is left for the police in a fishing net.
In a storyline that ran in Batman #521 and #522, Croc is summoned by a paranormal force to break out of Arkham and make his way to the Louisiana swamps. Batman follows him there, only to find that the mysterious force is actually Swamp Thing, who offers Croc a place in the swampland where he can finally give in to his animal side and live free from human persecution.
Killer Croc has appeared in both the Hush storyline and its chronological follow up, Broken City. In the former, he is infected with a virus that greatly increases the rate of his devolution, 'overseeing' a kidnapping for Hush before Batman defeats him; this provides Batman's first clue that someone else is orchestrating events, as he knows that Croc is too stupid to attempt a complex scheme like a kidnapping. Though Killer Croc was briefly restored to his original form The Mad Hatter, under Black Mask's orders, implanted Killer Croc with a device that made him loyal to Black Mask and caused the virus to return. Batman freed Croc from Black Mask's control. Croc attempted to take revenge on the Mad Hatter but was stopped by Batman but Croc escaped.
In 2005's Detective Comics #810, Killer Croc attempts to cure his condition. When the doctor fails, Croc devours her and retreats to the sewers, vowing vengeance on Batman and Black Mask.
In Infinite Crisis, Croc becomes a member of Alexander Luthor, Jr.'s Secret Society of Super Villains.
One Year Later during the Face the Face storyline, Killer Croc is shown to have been feeding on the dead body of Orca. He next shows up in Countdown where he breaks free from his shackles in Arkham Asylum and attempts to kill Jimmy Olsen, who uses elastic powers to escape. Killer Croc is then subdued.
He is later seen among the exiled supervillains in Salvation Run. After the Martian Manhunter is defeated and imprisoned in a fiery cage, Croc suggests that he eats him. Lex Luthor forbids it however.
During the Final Crisis storyline, Killer Croc can be seen as the member of Libra's Secret Society of Super Villains. Killer Croc is later turned into a Justifier.
In the Battle for the Cowl storyline, Killer Croc is recruited by a new Black Mask to be a part of a group of villains aiming to take over Gotham.
During the events of Brightest Day, Killer Croc is accidentally released from his cell by a guard whom Osiris kills when Deathstroke and his band of Titans infiltrate Arkham. While attempting to flee from the facility, he is attacked by Osiris who mistakes Killer Croc for his old enemy Sobek.
The New 52
In the continuity of DC's 2011 reboot The New 52, Killer Croc is established to have fought Roy Harper in Hell's Kitchen in a flashback seen in Red Hood and the Outlaws. He is then passingly referenced by Roy as he is Roy's current sponsor for his alcoholism at the time when Roy was in a bar with Jason Todd. Roy is only drinking water, but knows Waylon would disapprove.
During the 2013–2014 "Forever Evil" storyline Croc began ruling over Gotham's lower class. He murders a corrupt S.W.A.T. team that murdered one of the few people who were nice to him. When the Crime Syndicated invades Earth, Croc takes over Wayne Tower. He is confronted by the villain Bane, who injects Croc with Venom, turning Croc into a hulking giant, whom Bane then defeats.
While institutionalized in Arkham, Killer Croc meets Sybil Silverlock, a woman with dual-personality disorder. He bonds with her softer personality, and she shows him a picture of her daughter, Olive. Sybil has him promise to look after Olive if he ever gets out. After the destruction of Arkham Asylum, Killer Croc escapes and travels to Gotham Academy, where he watches over Olive, and tells her about her moth, who was rendered comatose by the Asylum's destruction. Batman confronts them, Olive and Killer Croc escape to a swamp. Before parting, he tells her that if she is like her mother, to come and find him one day.
DC Rebirth
In DC's 2016 relaunch of its books, DC Rebirth, Killer Croc appears as one of the many villains attempting to kill Batman to stop Two-Face from leaking secret information. He attacks Batman on a train alongside Amygdala and King Shark.
Powers and abilities
Killer Croc's backstory explains that he was born with a condition resembling epidermolytic hyperkeratosis, a disfiguring skin disorder. However, it is actually a form of regressive atavism, meaning that he has inherited traits of ancestral species of the human race such as reptiles. This condition has been augmented by the presence of a metagene. Consequently, he has several extraordinary physical abilities relating to his endurance, speed, and strength, making him able to lift up to two tons.
His skin is hardened to the degree that it is nearly impenetrable to ordinary forms of abrasion including high caliber weapons fired from a distance. He possesses a degree of super strength; for example, he was able to tear a bank vault door off of its hinges with minimal effort. He has demonstrated regenerative powers allowing him to heal and restore lost limbs and teeth. He possesses superhuman reflexes and speed, especially while he is moving underwater. Killer Croc also has an enhanced sense of smell. Once he has become familiar with a person's scent he can track them from miles away. As his appearance and personality has grown more and more bestial, his misanthropy has increased dramatically. He is jealous and hateful of "normal" people and often lashes out violently without provocation. As a result of these feelings of jealousy, Croc will often entertain himself by grabbing hold of small, pointy objects as a source of comfort.
Croc's main weakness is consistently portrayed in most adaptations, aside from The Batman series, as being his low intellect. He typically resorts to brute force to solve most problems, allowing Batman to outmaneuver him in combat by thinking his way through the problems he faces in defeating the powerful Croc. Batman regularly describes his foe as an animal rather than a man. He acts almost solely on instinct and hardly ever takes the time to plan or rationalize his actions.
Character redesign
In recent years, Killer Croc has been portrayed as being much more reptilian than in past incarnations. An action figure made by Kenner in 1998 featured a tail and dinosaur-like feet. When Mattel got the license to make DC products in the early 2000s, they released their own version of Killer Croc, sculpted by Four Horsemen Studios. This version also featured a tail and dinosaur feet. In late 2005, a re-release of this figure was modified so that the tail, along with his shirt, was removed. This version also sports a more "human" head.
The 2002-2003 Batman storyline Hush featured a more bestial Croc who had been mutated against his will to appear more reptilian. This version of the character was drawn by artist Jim Lee.
In The New 52, he is shown to have a crocodile-like head, though how this came to be has not yet been revealed. Such a design had previously appeared in Red Hood and the Outlaws drawn by Kenneth Rocafort.
Joker graphic novel
In the non-canon graphic novel, Joker, written by Brian Azzarello and artist Lee Bermejo, Croc is portrayed as a large, muscular black man with a scaly skin condition. Of all his previous designs, this is the most human, without a snout, tail, or claws. The book hints that Croc enjoys feeding on human flesh, with the story's narrator remarking that Croc "has a certain... eccentric way with evidence". Croc is shown leading a gang of thugs, and later becomes a high-level member of Joker's newly formed gang. This vision of the character is not unlike the one from Azzarello's previous work on Batman, Broken City.
Batman Beyond
In the Batman Beyond comic, Killer Croc is mentioned as being a prisoner in a Cadmus Labs facility; his cell is briefly attacked by the new Hush, a clone of Dick Grayson, when Hush escapes the facility before he decides to simply leave. Another Cadmus official later contemplates releasing Croc to lure Hush out, but Amanda Waller dismisses the idea due to the potential for collateral damage.
Batman/Aliens
In the crossover Batman/Aliens 2, Killer Croc is part of an experiment by the twisted black ops officer Doctor Fortune to create hybrid soldiers using DNA from the aliens and the DNA of some of Batman's villains, hoping to harness the villains' genetic traits for survival without their psychological trauma. However, her use of Croc proves to be her undoing as Batman notes that Croc turned to villainy because he was naturally ruthless rather than being subject to any sort of trauma, resulting in the Croc/Alien hybrid tearing Fortune's head off before Batman manages to drown it after destroying her offshore base.
Batman: Crimson Mist
In Batman: Crimson Mist, Killer Croc begins as a rumoured serial killer stalking Gotham's sewers, later joining Two-Face's gang as the muscle. Faced with the threat of the vampire Batman stalking and killing his opponents, Killer Croc and Two-Face form an alliance with Commissioner Gordon and Alfred Pennyworth to trap Batman in the Batcave and expose him to the sunlight (although Croc briefly contemplated just physically tearing Batman apart himself before the others pointed out that he was too fast for Croc, the vampire Batman proving more than a match for him physically when they did engage in close-quarter combat despite his withered physical condition). Although Croc and Two-Face attempt to kill Gordon and Alfred when Batman is believed dead, Alfred is able to help his old master recover by sacrificing his life and blood to give Batman the strength to stop Gotham's last criminals. With Alfred's sacrifice, Batman impales Croc with a stalactite, commenting that Croc can keep his cold blood thanks to Alfred's sacrifice having sated his appetite for the moment.
Flashpoint
In the alternate timeline of the 2011 "Flashpoint" storyline, Killer Croc kidnapped the people of Gotham and imprisoned them in the sewer. Batman then arrived and attacked Killer Croc. Killer Croc was about to strike back at Batman, but Batman stabbed him in the head with his own machete. Batman rescued the people that Killer Croc had imprisoned.
Batman: Earth One
In the second volume of Batman: Earth One series, in contrast with the mainstream continuity's version, Waylon Jones appears benign and is not a cannibal, and is dubbed “Killer Croc” by the media due to his ichthyosis condition. His mother sold him to the Haly's Circus when he was a child, and forced to perform there until he escapes. Jones hides in Gotham’s sewer system out of fear of the society’s discriminations over his genetic disorder. He helps Batman locate the Riddler’s underground hideout, and later aids his fight against the villain. Batman offers Jones a place in Wayne Manor in addition to help him find a cure for his condition, and asking his help in finding a location to establish his own hideout after his experience at the Riddler’s.
Injustice: Gods Among Us
Killer Croc appears in the Injustice: Gods Among Us prequel comic, he observes the argument between the heroes in silence until Cyborg angrily attacks Batman after discovering the virus he had uploaded into him during their first meeting, with Croc commenting that as "pretty evil". When Harley Quinn releases all the inmates to attack the heroes, Croc goes straight for Batman, preventing the Dark Knight from coming to his son Robin's aid as he's dragged underground by Solomon Grundy. Croc is next seen holding Batman down while the Riddler prepares to crush his skull with a large rock. Riddler is knocked out by Green Arrow and Croc is dispatched with a headbutt from Batman.
Batman '66
Batman '66 features a version of Killer Croc in the reality of the 1966 television series. This version of Waylon Jones was a henchman of King Tut and drank an elixir that transformed him into the reptilian monster Killer Croc. He uses his newfound strength to commit various crimes in Gotham. Batman and Robin interrogate his girlfriend Eva and find out she's in on his plan to become Gotham's biggest crime lord. They chase him down into the sewer where they defeat Croc and hand him over to the police.
Tiny Titans
Killer Croc was a recurring character in the children's series Tiny Titans renamed "Kroc." He was often depicted causing trouble showing up, and his rude and messy actions were often compared to the cleanliness and tidiness of Alfred.
DC Bombshells
In the DC Bombshells continuity, Killer Croc resides in the Belle Reeve Manor House in the bayous of Louisiana with the Coven (Batgirl, Enchantress, and Ravager), all of which he used to date at one point. The four occasionally helps others in nearby towns using potions and poisons for those who have been harmed by men. When Francine Charles comes with an offer from Amanda Waller, he agrees to help her convince the Coven to take Waller up on her offer. The four and Francine eventually form Waller's Suicide Squad. This version was formerly a handsome young man who was transformed into a crocodile monster from the Enchantress' magic.
Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Killer Croc appears trying to steal the Batmobile to make a profit, but goes through the sewers where the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles attack and defeat him after he unknowingly invades their lair.
Television
Film
Lego Batman
Batman Arkham
Killer Croc appears in the Batman: Arkham series where he has been voiced by Steven Blum in Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, and Arkham Knight, and by Khary Payton in Arkham Origins.
Other games
Books
In the novel Batman: Knightfall and Beyond, based largely on the comics storyline, Killer Croc is said to have suffered from "a raging skin cancer" that turned the outer layers of his flesh into a hardened covering when he was younger. He escapes from Arkham Asylum when Bane and his men destroy it, freeing most of Batman's major foes in the process as part of a plan by Bane to wear him down before Bane himself "breaks" him. Batman later defeats Croc in a one-on-one fight in the sewers, crushing a cylinder of knock-out gas against the underside of his nose to disable him. Croc is then arrested and held in Blackgate Prison with the other Arkham escapees until the asylum can be rebuilt.