Sheldon Lenox was a famous explorer during Batman's early years. After uncovering the Ruby Idol of Kila, he became involved in a scheme to fence and drive up the price of the idol, which was eventually uncovered by Batman.
History[]
During Batman's first days of operations, Lenox acquired a Ruby Idol he claimed to be a representation of the Hindu god of destruction Kila. Working with fence Sin Fang, he created a scheme to sell it to a buyer and steal it back, making it look like the idol had been stolen by followers of the deity and to drive its price up. Lenox sold the idol to Weldon, then sent a message to him from the "Followers of Kila". He then staged his kidnapping by "Hindus" and car chase with the police, which ended with his apparent death and disposal in the river. In reality, Lenox survived and hid at Sin Fang's Shop for several weeks.
Eventually murdering Sing Fang over a quarrel with money, Lenox disguised himself as Sin Fang to prevent detection, running his business as if he'd never left. After Lenox removed the security measures placed on the idol, he deployed his men to retrieve the artifact. However, they were tailed by Batman, who later confronted "Sin Fang" over his possession of the idol. He attempted to kill the Dark Knight by leading him into a series of traps. However, Batman survived them and eventually confronted Lenox as he removed his disguise. As he attempted to kill Batman, the Dark Knight threw the idol at him, knocking him out a nearby window. Lenox fell to his death in the streets below and his scheme was made public by the city's newspapers.
Appearances[]
- Detective Comics #35: "The Case of the Ruby Idol" (Only appearance; dies)