Arnold Wesker, otherwise known as The Ventriloquist was a villain who appeared in the Batman Arkham game series.
History[]
Batman: Arkham Shadow[]
Arnold Wesker tried and convicted for killing a man by stabbing him 27 times. Wesker insisted that the man "walked into my knife" and when pressed on the fact that the man had 27 stab wounds, Wesker said the man had been "very determined". He was sent to Blackgate Prison on July 6th, sharing a cell with another inmate named Donnegan. Wesker didn't remember where he came from; only recollecting bits and pieces, like "an albatross".
Donnegan had a dummy he had named Woody which captivated Wesker. That night, he asked Donnegan where Woody came from. Donnegan informed him that a tree near Death Row, used for hangings, was struck by lightning and that he had saved some of the wood from the incinerator and had carved Woody from the wood himself. On July 7th, Wesker "borrowed" Woody and took it to group therapy, where Dr. Harleen Quinzel encouraged him to use it to hold a dialogue with himself and his "shadow", a Jungian concept representing the more negative aspects of a patient's psyche. Dr. Jonathan Crane, Quinzel's supervisor, found the exercise ludicrous and removed Wesker from the group session, encouraging him to "volunteer" for Scarecrow's own research study, in which the "shadow" was explored via chemical means.
That night, Donnegan confronted Wesker about taking Woody without asking. Donnegan insisted that Woody belonged to him, but Wesker insisted that Woody spoke to him. Donnegan found the idea absurd, but at that point "Woody" spoke up in agreement with Wesker. Later that night, Donnegan was dead, and Wesker was panicking, saying that it was like before. "Woody" chastised Wesker, demanding that Wesker help him clean up. Days later, the cleanup had apparently worked, as Donnegan's death was being treated like a suicide. Wesker claimed Woody as his own.
During one of Wesker's nighttime sessions for Crane's research study, Batman interrupted while chasing Crane. Wesker insisted that Crane was helping him.
On the night of the Rat Cult's Day of Wrath, the Rats began attacking the guards of the prison. Fires were lit, cells were opened, and "Woody" directed Wesker to pick up a gun on the ground for him. "Woody" then shot a guard, and told Wesker to start looking for a boat so they could escape to Gotham City.
After Arkham Shadow Incident[]
The Ventriloquist and Scarface made their marks in the Gotham underworld through the sale and distribution of a designer drug called Fever. Processed in Tijuana, Mexico, they had the drugs smuggled into Gotham City inside human cadavers. This earned them the attention of Gotham's nocturnal vigilante, the Batman. The Batman raided Rizzo's Funeral Parlor, where the Ventriloquist and Scarface were busy extracting drugs from the remains of a dead gangster. Batman fought through the Ventriloquist's armed men and apprehended the drug lord and his puppet master.
Batman: Arkham Origins[]
After being psychologically evaluated, Arnold Wesker was found to be insane. He was sent to Arkham Asylum along with Scarface.
Batman: Assault on Arkham[]
The Ventriloquist was not present, but Scarface is found in a box in the Arkham Storage Facility.
Batman: Arkham Asylum[]
Although Wesker himself didn't appear, there were references to him. The most obvious was the appearance of Scarface, Wesker's puppet. A Tommy Gun was mounted on a wall, which solved a riddle that was related to the Ventriloquist. Wesker's name also appears on Joker's Party list.
Batman: Arkham City[]
While Wesker didn't appear in that game either, he did appear in the tie-comics. Harley Quinn mentioned him in a digital issue, and he was seen participating in Two-Face's Trial against the Joker as a juror, where he voted guilty due to Joker forcefully taking Scarface from him.
In the game, Wesker was mentioned through Batman's police scanner to be holding a GCPD Officer hostage somewhere in Gotham, which meant that he had either escaped from Arkham City or was released.
Files[]
Psychological Profile (Dr. Young)[]
The Ventriloquist
Real Name: Arnold Wesker
HOW DOES HE MAKE THE BILABIAL SOUNDS? IT’S UNCANNY.
Psychological Profile: Wesker is a very special case; previously he was a classic example of avoidant personality disorder, which intensified into a violent outbreak that led to his incarceration at Blackgate Prison. While there, he graduated into a fully realized delusion that his ventriloquist dummy, "Scarface", is an independent personality exerting control over him. It is possible that Wesker is a legitimate example of multiple personality disorder. To probe this further, I've requested that he no longer be separated from his dummy during the treatment sessions.
Additional Notes:
It can be very difficult to question Wesker due to constant interruptions from "Scarface".
Wesker's delusion has led him to create a complicated backstory for "Scarface", whose personality Wesker seems to have created from poorly written, old-fashioned gangster films.
Trivia[]
- Although Wesker doesn't physically appear, Scarface appears in both games. However, Wesker appeared for the first time in Batman: Arkham Shadow.