Don Mitchell Jr. was the mayor of Gotham City during Batman's first years of operations. One of the many officials in the pocket of Carmine Falcone, he was one of the conspirators in the Maroni Drug bust, the results of which helped his campaign. During his campaign against Bella Reál, Michell was the first victim of the Riddler.
Biography[]
Mitchell's career prior his mayoral election is unknown, though he was under the payroll of mobster Carmine Falcone before he was elected. Alongside Police Commissioner Pete Savage and DA Gil Colson, he was involved in the conspiracy to arrest Salvatore Maroni. From information of his drops operation provided by Falcone, they spearheaded a drug bust that imprisoned the mobster. His involvement in the operation helped Michell's popularity and win him the role as Gotham's mayor. He was among those also supporting the Gotham Renewal Program, allowing Falcone to discretely bribe him and other Gotham officials.
Mitchell outside the Iceberg Lounge
Michell was also a regular patron of the Iceberg Lounge and the secret 44 Below. Despite having a wife and son, he began seeing one of the clubs' waitresses Annika Kosolov, taking her as his mistress. Photos taken by the Riddler indicate he abused her. Mitchell taken her passport to prevent her from leaving Gotham, apparently at Falcone's request. Despite this, he also shared information about Falcone's conspiracy with Annika, something Falcone also was aware of.
During the runup to Halloween, Mitchell began fighting for a fourth term against Bella Reál. Though Mitchell's campaign focused on keeping the systems in place, his competitor sought to rebuild the city and tackle issues he'd apparently neglected. In a final debate, Mitchell attempted to debate against Reál on their policies. The polls from the event suggested that he had lost popularity due to the event.
The Batman[]
Murder[]
On the Halloween Night, Mitchell returned to his home shortly before his family went out Trick or Treating. After playing with his son, he saw his family out before heading to the top floor lounge. Mitchell then watched a repeat of his recent debate with Reál, during which he received a call from one of his associates. As he asked frantically about their fallback plans to ensure he won the election, Mitchell gradually became aware that he had lost the election.
Mitchell's mutilated body left by Riddler
Shortly after finishing the call, Mitchell was attacked by the Riddler, who'd managed to enter the room and watch him undetected. After being knocked to the floor, he had his thumb severed and was bludgeoned to death with a carpet tucker. Following his death, Riddler taped over Mitchell's face with duck tape and left his body in a chair, vandalizing the room. He also kept Mitchell's thumb, using it to biometrically unlock a thumb drive containing evidence of his corruption.
Post-Mortem[]
Mitchell's body was later discovered by his son, leading the Gotham City Police to be called to the scene. Due to a message left for Batman, the vigilante was called to investigate. Mitchell's history was later exposed to Gotham by Riddler, damaging his reputation. Despite it, both supporters and critics attended his funeral, though this was disrupted by another attack organized by Riddler. Mitchell's murder was also the first of Riddler's attacks on Gotham City, culminating with the flooding of Gotham City and a failed assassination attempt on Reál.
Appearances[]
Notes[]
- Mitchell shares his surname with John N. Mitchell, one of the politicians involved in the Watergate scandal. This is also shared with Gil Colson, who shares his name with another person involved: Chuck Colson.
- Mitchell is the first Mayor of Gotham City to be depicted as corrupt in the theatrical Batman film franchise.