Thomas Armbruster

Biography
Thomas Armbruster first appeared in Rocksteady Game's Batman: Arkham Asylum in August 2009. He is a young security guard at Arkham Asylum, one of the many present during the Joker's takeover of the asylum. He is identified as a trainee by a special ID badge on his uniform which confirms him as a new Arkham employee, hired as part of the administrator Quincy Sharp's plan to improve asylum security and expand security personnel forces.

Batman: Arkham Asylum
Thomas Armbruster was one of the many security guards present at Arkham Asylum, when the Joker was recaptured by Batman. He was posted at the Intensive Treatment Center to help guard the Joker during his transferral. As soon as the Joker arrived in the company of Batman, a security team led by decorated senior officer Frank Boles strapped the Joker into a handcart and wheeled him into the Intensive Treatment Lobby. Because Joker's last escape had ended in such a disaster with three guards dead, the army of armed and armored guards were doubled in the facility. On the night of the Joker's return to Arkham, William North, a high-ranking member of security, called every security employee to duty, with every available man posted in Intensive Treatment to prevent escape, including Thomas Armbruster. Knowing that curing the Joker would cement his reputation and win him support for his mayoral campaign, Warden Sharp wished that psychiatric treatment of the villain immediately begin as soon as possible. As such, he told Officer North to contact Dr. Penelope Young, the Joker's assigned doctor and head of research at Arkham Asylum, and inform her that her patient had been returned to custody. Upon hearing this, Dr. Young hurried to the Intensive Treatment Lobby, accompanied by Thomas Armbruster and a second, identified, guard. The three arrived in the lobby while the Joker was being screened in the weapons scanner by Aaron Cash. While waiting for the scan to be completed, Armbruster and his colleague passed the time by making friendly conversation with Dr. Young. After the scan on Joker had been completed, Frank Boles and Batman escorted the villain out of the weapons scanner tunnel and into the hallway leading to the Cell Block Transfer Corridor. Aaron Cash leveled his gun at the villain and warned that all guards were to have weapons trained on the Clown Prince of Crime at all times, and were not to let him out of their sight.

Despite the warning, Thomas Armbruster continued conversing freely with Dr. Penelope Young in the Intensive Treatment Lobby with his other colleague. He had his back to the weapons scanner tunnel as Batman and the Joker's security team escorted Joker out of the tunnel and towards the Cell Block Transfer Corridor. Watching as his colleague suddenly raised his rifle at something behind him and noticing Dr. Young's suddenly-pale expression, Armbruster whirled around suddenly, finding the Joker and his security team just behind him. Immediately he aimed his own gun at the Joker's head as Dr. Young backed away, telling the doctor, "Keep behind me." He continued to keep his assault rifle aimed in the villain's general direction as he entered the Cell Block Corridor. When the doors had closed safely behind Joker and his guards, Armbruster lowered his weapon, telling Young, "Okay, he's clear," with some relief in his voice. The Joker left, telling the doctor "Pencil me in for tomorrow at four. We've got a lot of catching up to do." The sinister tone of his last phrase caused Dr. Young to blanche and cower behind her clipboard, even though Thomas Armbruster was shielding her from any possible harm with his own person. Dr. Young stood glancing after the Joker for some time, deep in thought. She then realized that Armbruster and the other guard were looking at her, awaiting their orders. As Armbruster turned to face her completely, she told him, "Take me back to my office. The warden wants Joker cured."

After escorting Dr. Young out of the Intensive Treatment Center, across Arkham North, and to her office in the old Arkham Mansion on the eastern side of the island, Armbruster left her working and returned to Arkham East. Once there, he was prevented from going back to the Intensive Treatment Center, as by this point the Joker had made his escape and started a riot. Killing his guard and a doctor as they tried to bring him back to his cell, the Joker released all the Blackgate convicts in the Holding Cells, who had been temporarily transferred from Blackgate Penitentiary, which had recently been destroyed in a mysterious fire. After turning loose all the prisoners in the Intensive Treatment Facility, the area became under code red lockdown. The staff were massacred and the security guards overpowered at the cost of only three prisoners. The Joker took control of the guard radios, sending a fake order to Louie Green and all available members of security to report to Arkham East. Having received the same radio call and unable to return to Intensive Treatment, Thomas Armbruster took up post in the Botanical Gardens. Along with two other security guards, he was dispatched to the Flooded Corridor, which was separated into two sides by a pool of water.

With an army of Arkham guards in the Arkham East courtyard and in and around the mansion, the Botanical Gardens became gripped by a false sense of security. Most staff members believed that the Botanical Gardens would be the last place the Joker and his men would be interested in. However, the Joker had singled out Dr. Penelope Young as a target because she held the formula for Titan, a strengthened mixture of Venom that turned men into monstrous beasts. The Joker hoped to use this formula to create his own Titan-powered army to rule Arkham and use the Titan waste to poison the Gotham River, causing chaos due to the toxins and the fumes which would affect Gotham City. When Dr. Young went to the Medical Facility in Arkham West, the Joker overran the area with his liberated henchmen. Led by the Joker's own henchgirl, Harley Quinn, they succeeded in taking the Medical Facility by storm and kidnapping Dr. Young, but were quickly defeated by Batman. Upon retaking the Medical Facility, Batman allowed Dr. Young to go back to her office in the Arkham Mansion with Aaron Cash to retrieve her Titan formula notes. Undeterred, the Joker loosed his hordes of freed convicts on Arkham East, where they met nominal resistance by the team of guards posted there. Arkham security personnel had trained in riot tactics, but they claimed that the Blackgate prisoners were "like animals". Through sheer numbers and the element of surprise, the Joker's thugs overran the 'impregnable' Arkham East, taking the Arkham Mansion. Several thugs also penetrated into the Botanical Gardens, led by Victor Zsasz, but the Joker was not yet interested in the seemingly useless recreational area. A total of only eleven guards, including Thomas Armbruster, were posted within the gardens, all at key points. Eventually, the Joker found out about a Titan production lab installed by Dr. Young in the Botanical Gardens' Aviary, manned by two orderlies, Luke Curtis and Robert Stirling.

Thus, the Joker invaded the Botanical Gardens with his men. Victor Zsasz had already disposed of the three guards around the entrance, and the Botanical Glasshouse fell within minutes. But when the Joker and three of his henchmen invaded the Flooded Corridor, the guards fought back aggressively. Thomas Armbruster and two other guards opened fire on the Joker and the other inmates, forcing them to seek cover. A brutal gunfight followed, and over 45 shots were fired during the battle. Eventually, all three of the Joker's men were shot dead, but the villain managed to cross the Flooded Corridor and defeat Armbruster's colleagues.

He captured Armbruster alive, and left several sets of toy chattering teeth around the corpses of the other guards as his trademark. Armbruster, however, he caught and held in a loose strangle-hold, awaiting the chance to use him as a hostage. Meanwhile, after defeating Harley Quinn in the Penitentiary, Batman used a DNA scanner to trace Harley's handprints to find out where she had been on Arkham Island. He tracked her DNA trail through the overrun Arkham East and into the Botanical Gardens, where he arrived at the Flooded Corridor. Upon entering, he could see the dead bodies of convicts and guards alike strewn around both sides of the area and a number of spent cartridges, as well as bullet holes in the walls which signified a clash had taken place. The Joker was standing on the other side, his back to the Dark Knight. Knowing that there was little chance of sneaking up on the villain across the water which separated both sides of the Flooded Corridor, he warned the villain, "You need to stop this now. Before it goes too far!" Turning to face Batman, the Joker revealed he had one arm around Thomas Armbruster's neck and another pinning the guard's left arm behind his back. He asked, "'Stop?' but everyone's dying to see what I do next!" Gesturing at Armbruster while the helpless guard looked around in wide-eyed terror, Batman demanded in a desperate tone, "Let him go, now!" To Armbruster's surprise, the Joker responded, "Really? Okay, if you say so, Bats." The Joker then revealed the true meaning of his statement. He kicked a generator box used to power the lighting into the Flooded Corridor's pool of water. The water became instantly electrified. Seeing his actions, Thomas Armbruster begged Batman, "Help me! Please!" Then, before Batman's horrified eyes, the Joker took Armbruster to the edge of the electrified water and threw him in, where he sizzled. The water instantly electrocuted Armbruster, killing him. Glancing at Batman, the Joker let out an innocent 'Whoopsie' while Batman shouted, "No!!"

Then, walking over to the doorway leading to the Flooded Corridor's junction at the Elizabeth Arkham Garden and the Aviary, the Joker pressed a detonator button in his hand, blowing up the doorway and sealing it with debris. He then taunted Batman: "Really got to speed things up, Bats. At this rate you'll never catch me. Ha Ha Ha Ha!"

In order to deactivate the electrified water so as not to suffer Thomas Armbruster's fate, Batman was forced to shut down the electricity to the Flooded Corridor by going to the Glasshouse Generator Room. However, the Joker had already dispatched an army of his men to seize it and deny Batman entry. The Dark Knight fought his way past the henchmen and managed to cross the Flooded Corridor safely, continuing his pursuit of the Joker.

Notes/Trivia

 * Thomas Armbruster is one of the only two guard characters identified by full name to die in Batman: Arkham Asylum, the only other being Frank Boles.
 * Armbruster is never actually credited by name in the game, given only the generic title of 'Masked Guard'. However, upon closer inspection by an observant player, the ID tag worn by the guard can be viewed on close-up, reading, "ARMBRUSTER, THOMAS. TRAINEE #2607".
 * Thomas Armbruster is the only generic 'Masked Guard' to be identified by full name.
 * At times, the player may notice a unique inconsistency with the position of the deceased Thomas Armbruster. When the Joker hurls him into the electrified water, he lands face-down. However, sometimes when the player returns through the area later, the body is stretched out face-up.
 * It is possible for Thomas Armbruster to never be seen killed by players in Batman: Arkham Asylum. If the electrified water is deactivated first before the player goes to the Flooded Corridor, Armbruster is absent and his death never occurs in the game. Instead of a cutscene showing the death of Armbruster, another cutscene will play showing the Joker laughing and then detonating the Flooded Corridor doorway without killing anyone.
 * Thomas Armbruster is the only security guard that can be glimpsed in Batman: Arkham Asylum as wearing his ID tag in an obvious manner.
 * Despite what one may think, Thomas Armbruster was one of the earliest characters designed for Batman: Arkham Asylum. One of the first development photos of the video game before the riot armour was introduced for the guard characters, shows Armbruster, who can be seen in the background of the early introduction, standing where Dr. Young is absent from this early version of the game. In this development screenshot, Armbruster does not carry a gun and stands with his hands at his sides. He dresses in a grey uniform and a black tie, similar to the costumes worn by senior officers Aaron Cash and Louie Green.