Publisher DC Comics Team affiliations Ogre and the Ape Abilities Super-strength Creators Kelley Jones, Doug Moench | Alter ego Michael Adams Notable aliases Ogre of Wrath Supporting character of Batman | |
Created by Doug Moench
Kelley Jones First appearance Batman #535, (October 1996) Similar Batman, Barbara Kean‑Gordon, Salvatore "The Boss" Maroni, Leslie Thompkins, Fish Mooney | ||
Ogre is a fictional supervillain that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The Ogre is primarily an enemy of Batman.
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Publication history
The Ogre debuted in Batman #535, published in October 1996.
While that is their only appearance in the mainstream DC Universe continuity, a version of the Ogre later appeared in a story arc in the non-canon series Batman Confidential.
Fictional character biography
The Ogre was once Michael Adams, a homeless man who volunteered for a scientific experiment, dubbed "Project Mirakle", in return for money. Five doctors, led by endocrinologist Dr. Winston Belmont, performed cruel experiments upon Adams' body and mind in order to turn him into a devolved "missing link", with the ultimate goal of enhancing man's evolutionary process. The doctors used Adams and an ape as guinea pigs, dramatically increasing Adams' strength and the ape's intelligence. Adams was the 23rd subject the doctors experimented upon - the other 22 died during testing. Adams escaped with his ape "brother", and vowed revenge.
With his "brother" in tow, Ogre systematically tracks down and murders the doctors, with the ape injecting them with sedatives so they wouldn't feel the torture they inflicted upon him. With help from Oracle, Batman finds Ogre before he can kill his final intended victim, Dr. Gould. When Gould shoots and kills the ape, Ogre flies into a rage and tries to kill him without using the sedative, intent on Gould suffering even more than he had. When Batman assures Ogre that Gould will be prosecuted for what he has done, Ogre relents and spares Gould's life. He then disappears.
Batman Confidential
In the Batman Confidential universe, the Ogre character is re-imagined as O.G.R.E., a mechanical armour and disaster-rescue system developed by Waynetech. During Bruce Wayne's second year as Batman, the O.G.R.E. system goes haywire and rampages through Gotham City. The O.G.R.E system attacks Lex Luthor, but Wayne saves him. It is eventually revealed that the pilot of the machine is dead and his mind is lost in the machinery. After defeating O.G.R.E., Batman vows to restore the pilot back to life if possible.
In other media
The Ogre character appears in the Fox Network live-action series Gotham, portrayed by Milo Ventimiglia. This version is a handsome and seductive serial killer named Jason Lennon (born Jason Skolimski), who underwent cosmetic surgery to repair a facial disfigurement after murdering his father's employer, a wealthy heiress, in a fit of rage. Lennon lures women and subjects them to so-called "tests" as he searches for the perfect mate, and kills them when they fail to meet his impossible standards. No one in the Gotham City Police Department dares to go after him because he kills the loved ones of any officer who tries. Detectives James Gordon and Harvey Bullock try to arrest him after he threatens Gordon's girlfriend, Leslie Thompkins. He then kidnaps Gordon's ex-fiancée Barbara Kean, having initially intended to kill her. Upon learning that she and Gordon ended their relationship, however, Lennon spares her life, considering her a kindred spirit. He drugs and terrorizes her before taking her to her parents' house. By the time Gordon discovers their location, he finds Barbara's parents dead and Lennon holding Barbara at knifepoint. In the ensuing struggle, Gordon shoots Lennon in the head, killing him and ending his reign of terror for good. It would be revealed in the season finale, however, that Barbara, not Lennon, murdered her parents.