The Joker saw the Russian conjoined twins performing in a circus and decided he wanted them to work for him. He sent Harley Quinn to offer the Circus owner money for them but he refused, not wanting to lose his headlining act. He vanished for a while after this, turning up weeks later with a permanent smile cut onto his face. While watching Batman fight the twins, Joker got the idea to separate the two, and hired Dr. Thomas Elliot to perform the surgery. Mr. Hammer was then chosen to be Joker's "right-hand man", and left Sickle at the doorstep of the Iceberg Lounge for the Penguin. They eventually got into an argument and literally separated, with Hammer remaining with the Joker and Sickle joining Joker's rival, Oswald Cobblepot, aka the Penguin, although they eventually settled their differences and rejoined. Nightwing, while Batman was in Arkham City and holding down the fort of Wayne Manor, investigated the Abramovici Twins alongside Oracle after Batman retold his first encounter with Hammer at the Steel Mill, and learned of their separation and their joining the respective groups.Abramovici twins art