Jerome Otis was the owner of Royal Autobody in Gotham City's Burnside neighborhood. A well known figure in the neighborhood, he helped Harvey Dent arrange support for his crusade against Batman.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
The mechanic and owner of the Royal Autobody, Jerome Otis had connections to various sectors in the neighborhood. He also looked after the area's children, serving as a father figure for some. Among these were future District Attorney Harvey Dent, who spent his childhood at the shop. Otis would often flip a coin with Dent to ensure he'd end up a "big man" rather than a bum. Unknown to the boy, he used a double-headed coin in the toss. It is unclear when Harvey learnt the truth, though Otis had given him the coin as a present.
By the time of Batman's operations, Otis still worked at the Royal Autobody and was a prominent member of the Burnside Council. He also employed Drake Winston as a mechanic, allowing him to live in the offices above the repair shop floor.
Batman '89[]
Helping Dent[]
On the day after the Halloween Riots, Otis took time away from the shop to coach basketball for the children. During it, Harvey Dent visited to get "routine maintenance for his car". During their discussion, Otis confronted Dent on him moving away from Burnside to fall in with Gotham's elite and revealed he know the DA had not come to check his car. When Harvey asked for his help, Otis agreed to help him get Burnside Council to back his campaign against Batman and Commissioner Gordon. He also agreed to repair Dent's car to cover his visits.
On the day after a confrontation between Batman and the National Guard, Otis watched the demonstrations through Burnside protesting their actions and casualties from the fight. During it, he and Drake talked about his setup of a network program for car components. As he prepared to close up the store, Dent arrived to talk with Drake. During it, Otis informed him that the Burnside Council had arrived and took part in the meeting.
Fire at the Royal Autobody[]
The following day, Otis allowed the Autobody shop to be the venue of another meeting between the council, Dent and Bruce Wayne. Before the meeting, Drake had told him he'd be "taking a nap" in his room. He expressed approval over the millionaire's offers to financially support the further educations of borough's children.
Shortly after their meeting with Wayne and Dent, vigilantes inspired by Batman broke into the Royal Autobody and set light to the building. Believing Drake to be inside, Jerome tried to reenter the burning shop to rescue him but was held back by other residents. When Dent arrived to investigate, he relayed Drake's excuse to Harvey. When Dent went inside in an attempt to rescue the youth, Otis helped hold Dent's fiancé Barbara Gordon back to stop her from going after him. Otis remained outside during the rest of the incident, showing horror when he saw Dent's disfigurement from his attempted rescue of Drake. He also remained behind to give a statement to police who responded on the scene.
After the fire, Jerome allowed Drake to sleep in one of their surviving vans, despite offers from community members to give him shelter. The following morning, he visited with Culp to offer donated clothing and items. Otis also commented on how the press were focusing on Wayne and how Drake was ignored by the. He also repeated the offer to to give him shelter, though the youth refused and revealed the gang who'd attacked the Royal Autobody were after him.