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Dr. Chase Meridian was a psychologist who moved to Gotham City as a consultant to the police. Chase eventually became romantically involved with Bruce Wayne/Batman.
Biography[]
Two-Face hostage situation[]
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Chase meeting Batman for the first time outside the Second Bank of Gotham.
Chase was a psychologist who worked with the GCPD. Chase was at the Second Bank of Gotham and worked with Commissioner Gordon, who tried to apprehend Two-Face, who was robbing the bank. After he killed several bank guards, Two-Face took one hostage. Batman arrived and Chase was immediately impressed by him; it was clear that she was attracted to him. It was revealed that Chase was a specialist in multiple personality disorders, which was why she was there. Batman informed Chase that he had read her work, which led him to believe that she was naïve, but also insightful. She was flattered to hear that he read her work and flirted with him, while she also showed him that she was on par with his level of intellect. After Batman rescued the captive security guard and returned the vault to its original position, Chase was disappointed to find that he didn't return with it.
Turning on the Batsignal[]
Chase obtained a key to the roof of police headquarters and went to the Batsignal in a short black dress, and skimpy coat. In an attempt to seduce Batman, she turned the signal on and waited for him to appear. When he arrived on the rooftop she emerged, came out of the shadows to greet him, with a sultry strut. Chase covered her motive by telling him that she had spotted Two-Face's Achilles heel - his coin, which Batman had already known about. Chase made it known that she was attracted to Batman, but he was cross about the false alarm and told her that the Batsignal was in case of emergencies, and not a beeper. She flirted with him again, and stated how she was always attracted to the wrong sort of man. She was very persistent, claimed that Batman had liked strong women, (implying she had did her homework on Catwoman), and took her skimpy coat off for him to see her shoulders and cleavage. The revealing dress worked on Batman, and the two got very close and nearly kissed when Gordon arrived, asked what was happening, and Batman claimed it was a false alarm and then fled down into the Batmobile, with Chase left to cover herself up from Gordon to take notice what was really happening.
Bruce pursues Chase[]
Chase speaks with Bruce.
In the following days Bruce Wayne promptly scheduled an appointment with Dr. Meridian. When Bruce arrived at her work office Chase was practicing kickboxing, Bruce jumped to the conclusion that she was under attack, when he heard the sounds from behind the front door. Wayne charged through the doorway, splintering it to pieces. But then he realized that she was actually striking a punching bag. After that awkward introduction, Dr. Meridian noted that she preferred healthy expressions of violence as opposed to breaking and entering. Bruce claimed he went there to show Chase the riddles, that were left by an anonymous sender, wondering if she could psycho-analyze them and the type of person that would send them. Chase told Bruce that the sender was obsessed with him and that he may continue to be obsessed until that which he was obsessed with was dead (she even suggested that the sender might attempt to kill him himself in order to end his obsession). In her apartment, there were a lot of psychological items such as an ink blot which the patient has to say what they see (Bruce saw a bat), and a doll which was meant to keep bad dreams away. Bruce then reveal his true intention, and invited her to the Gotham Charity Circus, an invite that she accepted.
Gotham Charity Circus[]
The couple sat in the crowd and enjoyed the circus. Bruce invited her to go rock climbing with him. Although tempted, as she herself had a love for climbing, Chase declined, and stated that she had met someone (Batman). Two-Face then disrupted the circus, and announced that he would blow it up if Batman didn't reveal himself. Bruce tried to tell Two-Face, but his voice was drowned out by the screaming crowd, so he left to take out some of Two-Face's Thugs. Chase remained in the crowd and watched the commotion as Two-Face killed three of the four Flying Graysons, an action which shocked the audience.
Bruce returned to Chase's apartment, where she gave him the doll which dispelled bad dreams. Bruce revealed to Chase that he was having sketchy visions about his parents' deaths. She told him that what he was experiencing were repressed memories. The kettle boiled, and Chase left the room. While Chase was gone, Bruce discovered a folder that was full of articles about Batman and commented to her when she returned that this seemed to go way beyond taking work home. Chase admitted that she found Batman fascinating - clinically. She questioned why a man would do that, and theorized that he was cursed to pay some great penance, as if he had committed a crime for which he must endure a "life of nightly torture". Bruce suggested that her interest went beyond professional, and she asked if he was jealous. The pair got intimate and shared their first kiss when his butler, Alfred, contacted Bruce to inform him that Dick Grayson had stolen the Batmobile, and Bruce had to leave again.
NygmaTech party[]
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Chase with Bruce at the NygmaTech Box Performance.
A day or so passed and Bruce took Chase to Edward Nygma's gala unveiling of his new and improved "The Box". Edward was taken with Chase's beauty, stated "and a grand pursuit you must be" after he heard her name, and then kissed her hand. Nygma revealed his new invention and everyone, including Chase, was impressed except for Bruce, who Nygma deemed was too timid to try it out. To make Bruce jealous, Edward danced with Chase and watched as Bruce took the bait and entered the Box. Two-Face gatecrashed the unveiling and Chase was left to observe the commotion until one of Two-Face's Thugs grabbed her by the throat. Batman rescued her, they shared their first kiss, and she told him to meet her at her place at midnight, implying she wants to sleep with him. He met her there. Chase was nude and was wrapped only in a bed-sheet and kissed him before she stopped in disbelief - she told him that she had fantasized about him so much, but now that she had him, she wished that he was someone else. Batman walked away, secretly grinned to himself, and knew that she meant himself as Bruce.
The Riddler's Prisoner[]
Chase tied up with shackles after being caught and imprisoned on Claw Island.
On Halloween Night, Chase arrived at Wayne Manor to spend time with Bruce. She revealed to Bruce that she had always been attracted to the wrong sort of man, but since she had met him, she had changed. Chase then accidentally knocked over a vase that contained two roses to the floor that triggered a repressed memory for Bruce. He told her about his memory, and about how he fell into the cave that later became the Batcave, and encountered a bat that changed his life forever. Bruce was about to reveal his secret when he and Chase kissed, and Chase realized that Batman and Bruce Wayne were one and the same. The Riddler and Two-Face infiltrated Wayne Manor and Two-Face's Thugs chased Bruce and Chase. Two-Face shot at Bruce, but it grazed him in the head and knocked him out rather than killed him. Two-Face was about to kill Bruce, but Riddler stopped him, and left a riddle behind instead. Two-Face's Thugs grabbed Chase and the Riddler and Two-Face took her captive. While she was taken by Two-Face's Thugs she screamed toward Bruce who now fell unconscious, but it was useless. Chase was taken away by Two-Face's Thugs with Riddler and Two-Face gleefully following behind. At the Riddler's lair Claw Island, he had Chase tied with shackles on a sofa. She tried so hard to untied the chain that tied her around, however it failed. The Riddler later came and approached her, Chase said Batman would come for her, but the villain slyly told her that it was his plan all along to use her as bait to lure Batman to him.
Chase, being imprisoned in a glass tube along with Robin.
Batman and Robin traveled to Claw Island to rescue Chase when Robin was captured by Two-Face. Batman infiltrated the main control room where Riddler revealed Chase and Robin, who were bound and gagged with duct tape, and were suspended in the air in glass tubes above a pit of water and metal spikes. Riddler told Batman he only had time to save one of them. But Batman distracted the Riddler and destroyed his mind control device, which warped and damaged Riddler's mind in the process. Before he collapsed, Riddler pressed a button which dropped Chase and Robin to what should have been their watery graves, but Batman saved them both by using his bat grapples, then defeated Two-Face as well. Riddler was taken to Arkham Asylum and was declared insane.
Visiting Nygma in Arkham[]
Dr. Burton called Chase and asked her to come to Arkham where Nygma claimed that he knew who Batman really was. When asked who Riddler told her that he was Batman. Outside Arkham, Chase met with Bruce and told him that his secret was safe. He gave her dream doll back and they kissed. She then got in the car with Alfred as Batman and Robin went out and patrolled Gotham. Bruce and Chase would later break up, as Bruce is later seen in a relationship with socialite Julie Madison.
Quotes[]
- "A girl can't live by psychosis alone."
- ―Chase Meridian[src]
- "What is it about the wrong kind of man? In grade school it was guys with earrings. College, motorcycles, leather jackets and now... black rubber."
- ―Chase Meridian[src]
Personality[]
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According to Bruce Wayne; Chase is intelligent, insightful and wise, yet naive.
Due to being a doctor; particularly a psychiatrist; Chase is a kind, caring, compassionate, empathetic and sympathetic individual.
Abilities[]
- Skilled Hand-To-Hand Combatant: Chase is a skilled hand-to-hand combatant her combat style is comprised of boxing. She was able to best two of Two-Face's thugs relatively easily alongside Bruce Wayne, but after Bruce was completely knocked out cold Chase was quickly overpowered by the rest of Two-Face's thugs resulting in her being captured proving that she is still not as skilled as other seasoned combatants such as Bruce, Barbara Wilson and Dick Grayson respectively.
Behind the scenes[]
Kidman photographed by Herb Ritts
Chase Meridian was created specifically for the film by screenwriters Janet and Lee Batchler. It was thought that would be more interesting to have Bruce Wayne date a psychoanalyst rather than plucking a typical socialite love interest from the comics. Akiva Goldsman attempted to make the character sexier in subsequent drafts.
Casting controversy[]
Joel Schumacher originally cast Rene Russo as Dr. Meridian, while Michael Keaton was still negotiating with WB studio heads Terry Semel and Bob Daly. When Keaton was eventually replaced by Val Kilmer, the filmmakers decided Russo was "too old" for Kilmer and replaced her with Nicole Kidman. The morality of this decision has come into question in the modern social climate.
Deleted scene[]
In the scene where Chase Meridian was tied up with chain on the couch originally included a longer ending. In the deleted scene after the Riddler told her it was his idea to use her as bait to lure Batman to him, the Riddler injects her with a green sleeping agent and caused her to fell asleep and said "Nap Time Gorgeous." That scene was later included in both the comic book adaptation by Dennis O'Neil and the novelization by Peter David. Therefore the Riddler and the thugs can easily place her in the small glass tube with the trap door.
Trivia[]
- Chase's name was a triple pun. Not only did she chase after Batman, but, as a psychologist, was involved in chasing the meridian--in other words, chasing after the halfway point in human beings, one that is neither too high or too low (i.e. bringing balance to human lives). She also chased after the halfway point between Bruce Wayne and Batman, and tried to reconcile her love for both sides of the same man.
- Meridian is the only non-superhero/super villain to get her own dedicated character poster in the entire film series. Although vocally critical of the film, Bruce Timm kept a small Meridian character poster near his desk during this era.
- In 2013, DC let Marc Guggenheim bring a version of the character into mainstream continuity with the Herded Limits storyline in Legends of the Dark Knight.
- In Chase's initial appearance, the comics' Meridian was designed as a dark-skinned redhead to avoid paying Nicole Kidman for likeness royalties. However, she was later redesigned to resemble the film's version during the Fear State event.