Crime Doctor (comics)

Crime Doctor
The Crime Doctor as depicted on the cover of Detective Comics #77 (July 1943). Art by Bob Kane.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceThorne:
Detective Comics #77
(July 1943)
Balcescu:
Manhunter (vol. 3) #32 (September 2008)
Created byThorne:
Bill Finger (writer)
Bob Kane (artist)
Balcescu:
Marc Andreyko (writer)
Michael Gaydos (artist)
In-story information
Alter egoMatthew Thorne
Anica Balcescu
SpeciesHuman
Place of originEarth
Team affiliationsSecret Society of Super Villains
Notable aliasesBradford Thorne
AbilitiesSkilled surgeon
Expert torturer
Use of injector gun and scalpel

The Crime Doctor is the name of two fictional supervillains that appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The Crime Doctor is an underworld medical expert who caters exclusively to criminals, originally an enemy of Batman.[1]

Publication history

The first Crime Doctor first appeared in Detective Comics #77 (July 1943), and was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane.[2]

Fictional character biography

Matthew Thorne

The Crime Doctor is surgeon Matthew Thorne, a renowned doctor. In post-Crisis continuity, he is the brother of Rupert Thorne.[3][4][5]

Initially, he took his career as a doctor seriously and would not commit crimes that conflicted with his Hippocratic Oath. In later appearances however, he seemed to abandon this principle.

The Crime Doctor appears in Villains United, where he tortures the Secret Six for the identity of Mockingbird. After escaping, Catman knocks him out with a metal tray.[6]

In Birds of Prey, the Crime Doctor attempts to leave the Secret Society of Super Villains. In response, the Society sends Prometheus to torture his daughter. After a battle, the Birds of Prey subdue Prometheus while the Crime Doctor kills himself.[7]

Anica Balcescu

Following Matthew Thorne's death, a new Crime Doctor, Anica Balcescu, is introduced. She is a Romanian widow and a survivor of Nicolae Ceaușescu's regime who later joins the Secret Society.[8]

Powers and abilities

The original Crime Doctor had no superhuman abilities, but was a skilled physician and expert torturer. He sometimes wielded an injector gun or scalpel.

In other media

  • The Matthew Thorne incarnation of the Crime Doctor appears in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Paging the Crime Doctor", voiced by Joseph Campanella.[9] This version previously attended medical school with Thomas Wayne and Leslie Thompkins, but lost his medical license after failing to file a report about his brother Rupert Thorne's gunshot wound. Subsequently, he worked under Rupert as the Crime Doctor in hopes of regaining his license. Matthew later assists Batman in defeating Rupert before turning himself in to the police.
  • Matthew Thorne appears in the Batman: Caped Crusader episode "The Killer Inside Me", voiced by Josh Keaton.[9]

References

  1. ^ Mitchell, Kurt; Thomas, Roy (2019). American Comic Book Chronicles: 1940-1944. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 180. ISBN 978-1605490892.
  2. ^ Greenberger, Robert (2008). The Essential Batman Encyclopedia. Del Rey. pp. 99–101. ISBN 9780345501066.
  3. ^ Fleisher, Michael L. (1976). The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes, Volume 1: Batman. Macmillan Publishing Co. pp. 353–355. ISBN 0-02-538700-6. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  4. ^ Batman #18 (September 1943)
  5. ^ Detective Comics #494 - 495 (September - October 1980)
  6. ^ Villains United #3 (September 2005)
  7. ^ Birds of Prey #92 - 95 (May–August 2006)
  8. ^ Manhunter (vol. 3) #32 (September 2008)
  9. ^ a b "Matthew Thorne Voices (Batman)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved August 4, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.