Ecco was the name assumed by the assistant and later henchwoman of Jeremiah Valeska. Initially helping him in business, she helped him commit crimes after his descent into insanity. Ecco helped Jeremiah in his plans to burn down Gotham city and rebuild it in his image, even during the No Man's Land situation. After ten years of working for him, Ecco was killed by Jeremiah after sustaining a fatal injury from Barbara Kean.
Biography[]
After Jeremiah's transformation into a criminal and terrorist, Ecco continues acting as his right-hand woman and begins donning a jester costume, earning her the nickname "Mummer". She traps Jim Gordon inside the bunker with the bombs and later kills two guards for Jeremiah at Wayne Enterprises and the two of them use their keycards to break inside. After Gotham becomes No Man's Land, Ecco continues to work as Jeremiah's accomplice and henchwoman, breaking into GCPD and vandalizing their map with Jeremiah's symbol. In addition, she helps Jeremiah to establish the Church of Jeremiah Valeska as a way to gain followers.
10 years later, Ecco poses as a nurse at Arkham Asylum. When Gordon is onto Jeremiah orchestrating the frame-up of Harvey Bullock, Ecco kills the two inmates bothering Jeremiah and tells him that the jig is up. Both of them head to the Sirens where they ambush Barbara Kean. Ecco is stabbed by Barbara and is critically injured. Jeremiah sadly muses on how Ecco is no longer his Ecco, and there’ll be no one like her. Ecco smiles at this sentiment, before Jeremiah shoots and kills her, simply stating, “there’ll be plenty more fish in the sea.” Ecco is a precursor to and is inspired by Harley Quinn.
Appearances[]
Season 4[]
- "A Dark Knight: Mandatory Brunch Meeting"
- "A Dark Knight: That Old Corpse"
Season 5[]
- "Legend of the Dark Knight: Year Zero"
- "Legend of the Dark Knight: Penguin, Our Hero"
- "Legend of the Dark Knight: Ruin"
- "Legend of the Dark Knight: Pena Dura"
- "Legend of the Dark Knight: Ace Chemicals"
- "Legend of the Dark Knight: The Beginning..."
Behind the Scenes[]
Ecco partially shares her name with the villain Echo, the partner in crime of Query and a henchwoman for the Riddler. The name has also been shared with various characters in DC Comics, including a Russian assassin that appeared during the No Man's Land event and a daydreamed daughter of Batman who appeared in Detective Comics #1000.
Ecco was specifically created to serve as the Gotham version of Harley Quinn. The two, aside from physical traits, share a number of similarities, including their devotion to their bosses (Jeremiah and the Joker) and usage of terms like "Puddin'". There were also plans for Quinn to appear in the show's third season, though these were abandoned. Prior to her conception, Bruno Heller intended for Barbara Kean to become the show's version of Quinn, though these plans were also abandoned. Ecco also shares a number of similarities with Alicia Hunt from the 1989 Batman film, another love interest to "Jack Napier" prior to his transformation into the Joker. The two characters also wore a mask while they worked for him and were killed after he lost interest in them, though this was simply implied for Hunt and explicit for Ecco.
Francesca Root-Dodson auditioned for the role with a Russian accent, expecting it to be a one-episode guest appearance. Ecco was only intended to appear in the episode "A Dark Knight: Mandatory Brunch Meeting", though it was quickly decided to bring her back in future stories as the show's predecessor to Harley Quinn. Root-Dodson was also brought on for readings of "A Dark Knight: Penguin Our Hero" to ensure she was right for the role. To prepare for the role, she watched various clips of Harley Quinn, including Margot Robbie's portrayal of the character in Suicide Squad and her appearances in Batman: The Animated Series.
When filming wrapped up, Root-Dodson was also allowed to keep Ecco's costume from "A Dark Knight: Mandatory Brunch Meeting" when filming wrapped up.