The Ventriloquist & Scarface

The Ventriloquist (Arnold Wesker) is a fictional character, a supervillain and enemy of Batman in the . The Ventriloquist first appeared in Detective Comics #583 (February 1988) and was created by Alan Grant, John Wagner and Norm Breyfogle. In Detective Comics #827 (March 2007), a new Ventriloquist, Peyton Riley, was introduced by Paul Dini and Don Kramer.

A meek, quiet man, Arnold Wesker (the first Ventriloquist) plans and executes his crimes through a dummy named Scarface, with the dress and persona of a 1920s gangster, complete with pinstripe suit, cigar, and Tommy gun. His name comes from the nickname of Al Capone, after whom Scarface is modeled.

Born into a powerful Mafia Family, Wesker developed Dissociative Identity Disorder (formerly referred to as Multiple Personality Disorder) after seeing his mother murder by an assassin from a rival Family. Growing up, his only outlet was ventriloquism.

The issues Showcase '94 #8-9 establish an alternate origin story: After a barroom brawl in which he kills someone during a violent release of his repressed anger, Wesker is sent to Blackgate Penitentiary. He is introduced to "Woody" - a dummy carved from the former gallows by cellmate Donnegan - who convinces him to escape and kill Donnegan in a fight which scars the dummy, thus resulting in the birth of Scarface.