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Dr. Simon Ecks discovers that human auras could be enhanced to function outside of the body. When Ecks creates an energy-duplicate of himself, the introverted scientist's unstable mind becomes dominated by the doppelganger, Double X. He is a supervillain who has fought the Batman and Robin several times in Gotham City.

History[]

New Earth[]

Doctor Double X is really Simon Ecks, a scientist with an energy duplicate. The energy duplicate is Double X, while Ecks himself is referred to as Dr. X. Ecks had developed a means by which to create an energy twin that could commit criminal acts independent of its host form. To distinguish between the two, "Doctor X" wore a costume with a single X emblem upon his chest, while "Doctor Double X" (appropriately enough) wore a costume with two letters stitched upon his chest. In his first appearances, Dr. X is an actually a decent person, while Double X is the evil, repressed side of his personality given shape and form. Dr. X is dominated by Double X, and forced to commit crimes, which X has no recall of afterwards. He turns resentful when he is captured by Batman and Robin for a crime he has no knowledge of. He returns, in, Jan 1963, and this time Dr. X has been driven to become an evil mastermind like his energy twin. Dr. X was able to distract Batman and Robin by making them believe that they only faced one opponent, when in fact, they were facing two. Batman invents his own energy duplicate, Double Batman, to defeat Dr. Double X. Thus, the Dynamic Duo were able to capture Doctor X and send him to prison, but he was freed soon after by Doctor Double X. Free from prison, Doctor Double X attempted to bait Batman into a trap, but Batman was ready for him. Deciding to give the Doctor a taste of his own medicine, Batman allowed a Batman robot to take his place as Double X's victim. While the Doctor believed that he had captured Batman, the real Batman emerged and turned the tables on him. Doctor Double X was apprehended and taken to the Happydale Sanitarium. During this time, Simon Ecks lost his memory of his scientific and criminal career.

Years later, Ecks regained his memory and developed another duplicator device that enabled him to escape from the Sanitarium. He matched wits once again with Batman, although this time, Batman was able to defeat him by building his own machine that generated an energy duplicate of himself.

Doctor Double X was not seen again for many years. When he emerged a third time, he was defeated by the combined efforts of Batman and Superman.

The villain fought the Batman several more times, only to be recaptured and sent to Arkham Asylum time and again. Appearances after this are sparse, until he is persuaded by a Professor Andrea Wye to switch foes with the Rainbow Raider, in an ill-fated attempt to defeat the second Flash, Barry Allen. This ends in defeat also.

Double X was eventually freed, along with dozens of inmates, from Arkham Asylum by Ra's al Ghul in Batman #400. Ra's provided the villains with replicas of their original costumes and weaponry, but when the Joker announced Ra's wanted to meet the villains and tell them his plans, many of the criminals left, having plans of their own. As Clayface, Calendar Man, and Captain Stingaree led the string of villains now leaving, Doctor Double X made up his mind as well. Flying away into the night, he called to the Riddler below, "Count Me out, too!"

Prime Earth[]

In this continuity, Dr. Simon Ecks was reimagined as a psychiatrist who worked for Arkham Asylum. When the ghost of Deacon Blackfire was summoned within the asylum as part of Cluemaster and Owlman's master plan to defeat Batman, the undead Blackfire's powers latched onto Ecks and allowed him to make an energy duplicate of himself. The asylum was later destroyed and drove Ecks to becoming a super-criminal with his newfound powers. During Bane's takeover of Gotham City, both of Simon Ecks's bodies were shot dead in the streets by Amygdala and Solomon Grundy as part of a coo against Bane orchestrated by Two-Face.

Powers and Abilities[]

Doctor Double X's energy-duplicate shares the consciousness of Simon Ecks, but can also act alone. Double X has electrical powers, and can 'fly' and turn intangible. The duplicate's powers of flight, energy blasts, and strength have at times required Batman to seek help in defeating the villain. Double X requires regular infusions of electrical energy to sustain itself or it will lie dormant in Ecks's body.

In Other Media[]

  • Doctor Double X appears in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "A Bat Divided!", voiced by Ron Perlman. Doctor Double X tries to create a radioactive meltdown to increase his powers, but unknowingly creates Firestorm after he combines Ronnie Raymond and Jason Rusch. Unknown to everyone else, even him, he also split Batman into three parts. Doctor Double X later kidnaps Firestorm to absorb his radioactive energy, but the three Batmen rescue Firestorm and battle and defeat Double X.
  • Doctor Simon Ecks appears as an antagonist in the series Young Justice where he is played by Troy Baker. Here he is a surgeon and member of the Bedlam Syndicate which traffics meta-humans where he falsifies records of meta human patient deaths in-order to sell his meta human patients to the Syndicate. When he tested an illegally acquired meta-gene on himself he gained his powers of duplication.

Gallery[]

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