Mad Hatter (Arkhamverse)

Mad Hatter
General Information
Real name:	Jervis Tetch
First Appearance:	Batman: Arkham City (Batman #49)
Created by:	Bill Finger Bob Kane
Affiliations:	Hugo Strange Wonderland Gang
Abilities:	Genius intellect Neuroscientist Electrical engineering
Portrayed by:	Peter MacNicol

"Are you not going to drink your tea? It's my special tea. My special tea. My specialty."

―Mad Hatter to Batman

A true product of insanity and schizophrenia, Jervis Tetch became obsessed with the story, "Alice in Wonderland" and the incredible ability of controlling a person's mind through hypnosis techniques. After he fashioned himself into the image of the iconic character, the Mad Hatter, Tetch used his expertise in mind control and placed his victims under a hypnotic state in order to recreate them into the other signature characters from his favorite story. Among those characters, none took Tetch's insanity to such ultimate extremes as Alice herself.

Looking for young women with blonde hair and blue eyes that matched Alice, Jervis was responsible for the abduction of dozens of young girls, some of whom were children, where he eventually brutally molested and murdered them during a schizophrenic episode. Regardless of how many young girls and women that he abducted and killed, Jervis was always on the lookout for another potential Alice to complete his deluded fantasy of living in a storybook.

Years later, Jervis became a pivotal pawn to the mad and power crazed Professor Hugo Strange, who exploited Jervis's amazing mind control experiments to set the stage for Quincy Sharp's descent into insanity as another unwitting pawn in Arkham City's construction. Jervis hoped to use his own discoveries in those mind control experiments to finally find his Alice and entrap Batman within a perpetual state of hypnotic control and serve as the ultimate form of protection for Alice and his gang.

Biography

Batman: Arkham Origins

Not much was known about Jervis Tetch's early life, other than him being a self-claimed inventor, entrepreneur, and part-time haberdasher, and that prior to developing his mind control devices, was constantly ignored. At some point, Tetch became delusional and believed that he was The Mad Hatter from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, believed Alice to have been kidnapped by "them," and constantly tried to "find her."

Shortly after he put the Lacey Towers murder case together, Batman encountered three henchmen in rabbit masks who sung that he was invited to The Mad Hatter's Party. After they collapsed, Batman received a message from the Mad Hatter, which requested him to enter a business proposition with him. However, his attempt at recruiting Batman was interrupted by a girl, who desperately called for Batman to help her (which made it clear that Mad Hatter had kidnapped her). Mad Hatter then silenced her and told Batman that the girl was "Alice", that she had been through a lot, and promised to make her "right as rain" soon. Batman then headed to Mad Hatter's Lair in the Bowery.

Tetch, who anticipated Batman's arrival, then made final tests on his mind control, and discovered with glee that the devices actually worked, but his henchmen did not address him as "sir" aside. Batman, after he took out the brainwashed henchmen, confronted Tetch about "Alice's" location with the clear intention of rescuing her from his clutches, but Tetch trapped him with his hypnosis by forcing him to look at a clock above them, which made him end up in "Wonderland". Batman managed to navigate through "Wonderland", broke free of Tetch's control, and found him threatening to kill "Alice" with a Knife. Batman then threw a Reverse Batarang at Tetch and then knocked him out.

Batman then told "Alice" that she was safe, and that she'd be alright as the GCPD were on their way. However, the girl, who was deeply traumatized by Tetch's actions to her since he kidnapped her to the extent of sobbing uncontrollably, told Batman in a fearful tone that it wouldn't be all right for her. If Batman returned to Tetch's Lair, he noticed that Tetch was still unconscious, and also noticed that the girl still cried after what she went through.

Batman: Arkham Asylum

The Mad Hatter's Tea Set in Arkham Asylum.

The Mad Hatter was referenced in Batman: Arkham Asylum, in which his biography was unlocked by scanning a tea set at the Botanical Gardens, which was also the answer to the riddle: "What time is Tea time in Wonderland?" Also, his name appeared on the Party list that was in the possession of Harley Quinn.

Batman: Arkham City

The Mad Hatter in Arkham City.

Tetch appeared in Batman: Arkham City as part of an assignment. In that continuity, Tetch was a truly deranged figure, who was responsible for the kidnapping and murder of a number of young women whom he saw as incarnations of Alice. He was shown to have a weak perception of reality, denied the murders that he had committed, and used his obsession with mind control and Alice in Wonderland to bury his guilt. It was revealed in the Arkham City Stories that Tetch was stripped of his beloved hats by Quincy Sharp during his time as Warden of Arkham Asylum, but Hugo Strange visited the Hatter, gave back his hats, and convinced him to continue his research into mind controlling drugs. Tetch exceeded Strange´s expectations and was eventually asked to use his techniques to manipulate Sharp into finalizing plans for Arkham City. To motivate Tetch further, Strange supplied him with a female assistant with a resemblance to Alice, something that Tetch could not resist. Tetch's mind control technology was utilized by Strange to ensure the loyalty of the TYGER Guards.

Mad Hatter later appeared at Two-Face's Trial against the Joker as a juror, who nonsensically claimed that Joker was a fop and supposedly, voted against him.

Shortly after Batman rescued Vicki Vale from the Joker's Snipers after Joker shot down her helicopter, Batman was contacted by Alfred, who told him that the cure that Lucius had been working on was just dropped into Arkham City and was ready for him to collect. When Batman injected himself, he passed out and woke up in the Mad Hatter's Lair in Park Row, strapped to a chair and surrounded by various inmates who wore rabbit masks and were also under the Hatter's control, all a part of The Mad Tea Party. The Hatter revealed that what Batman thought was "the cure" was in fact a hypnotic suggestion that he tricked Batman into taking, then attempted to control Batman with a special mask that resembled a rabbit version of Batman's Cowl that the Hatter had created just for him. Unfortunately for the Hatter, Batman broke through with sheer will, and, after a fight with the Hatter's mind controlled henchmen, eventually defeated him and flattened his hat.

After he woke up from his encounter with Batman, Tetch decided to organize a search party for "Alice". To that end, he reunited his old "Wonderland Gang" which consisted of March Harriet, The Unicorn, The Walrus, Tweedledum, Tweedledee, and The Lion, kidnapped Ex-Wonderland Gang member The Carpenter, Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Vicki Vale and hypnotized them to serve as The Carpenter, The Cheshire Cat, The Queen of Hearts and Alice, respectively.

While he investigated a sudden spike in Ivy's plant activities, Batman stumbled upon her kidnapping by the Hatter and went to his hideout to investigate. There, he easily defeated the re-united Wonderland Gang members. The Hatter used a modified version of Scarecrow's Fear Toxin to make Batman see the trio of mind controlled super-villainesses as their Wonderland counterparts.

Batman was eventually able to defeat the trio, and the Hatter used the Fear Gas to appear as the Jabberwock. Afterwards, Batman used a Fear Toxin antidote to snap out of the hallucination and the Remote Electric Charge and fried the mind control technology that the Hatter had on the trio while the Hatter himself escaped into Arkham City and struggled for survival. He was later seen participating in the mob who attempted to break into the Gotham Cathedral in order to get their hands on Sharp.

It could be assumed that after Arkham City was shut down, Tetch was placed in a temporary holding cell while Blackgate Prison was in the process of reopening.

After Arkham City

Due to the illegal nature of Arkham City and Strange's true status and plans that came to light, Tetch was released under the pretense that he did not return to crime. Due to his insane nature, Tetch found himself incapable of resuming his sick inclinations to find 'Alice' and recreate his favorite story. His mind was even more diluted since Arkham City's shutdown and the Hatter went as far as targeted men, abducted them, and dressed them in attire, which included dresses and wigs, in order to resemble Alice.

Batman: Arkham Knight

The Mad Hatter resurfaced within the criminal underworld around the same time that Scarecrow and the Arkham Knight launched their plans to invade Gotham City. After he took advantage of the chaos that distracted the GCPD and Batman, Tetch abducted Officer Katz and Officer McQueen and put them into transient states by sabotaging their police sirens to recite hypnotic sound rhythms, in order to employ mind games against Batman to serve as revenge for spoiling his plans within Arkham City nine months prior and turn him into his new 'Alice'. In order to ensure that he got an audience with Batman and ensure his involvement, the Hatter walked into the GCPD Lockup, got himself deliberately arrested under suspicious circumstances in order to draw Batman out, eventually met with Batman in the Maximum Security West Wing Interrogation Room, and was nearly threatened with death.

Tetch informed Batman that there were three hostages who were held at separate locations throughout the city and gave him dubious clues for each hostage. At each location, Batman discovered a police vehicle with sirens that blared in a peculiar fashion, and the hostage locked within the trunk, alongside explosives. While Batman was able to dismantle the bombs and rescued the first two hostages, the third vehicle only contained a book, which mockingly detailed Batman within Wonderland. After he contacted Aaron Cash, it was revealed to Batman that the third hostage had arrived at the GCPD Lockup and that only his vehicle was stolen.

After he returned back to the GCPD Lockup and the Interrogation Room, Batman demanded that Tech reveal what his true plans were and where the real hostage was. Tetch told Batman to simply open the book and turn the page in order to find the answers to all his questions. Upon doing so however, Batman fell into a deep hypnotic trance, imbued within his consciousness by the odd sound rhythms of the police sirens. Within that hypnotic state, Batman imagined himself fighting in the pop-up pages of the book, all of which were based off the worst nights of his life within Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, and Halloween.

After he fought past scores of Arkham Asylum Inmates, TYGER Guards, the Arkham Knight's Militia, and henchmen, all who were derived from his memories, Batman was nearly forced to take the life of Officer Hutch, who was also under the hypnotic state and was the third hostage that Tetch had previously referred to. However, Batman was able to keep his resolve intact, broke free of Tetch's control, rescued Officer Hutch from the trance, and finally cornered the Hatter. After Tetch expressed shock and disbelief that he still could not control Batman, Batman forcibly locked the Hatter up within a cell, as Tetch wept uncontrollably and longed for Alice, which served as the final showdown and meeting between Batman and the Mad Hatter. Batman later attempted to inquire about how Tetch had managed to sabotage the police sirens, but Tetch compared his actions to a magician, and refused to answer.

Presumably after the Knightfall Protocol, Tetch was tried and convicted on three counts of kidnapping and attempted second degree murder.

Personality

Jervis Tetch, the Mad Hatter, was delusional. Since his mental breakdown, he became completely wrapped around his schizophrenic confusions and displayed a very unstable, and borderline personality which was prone to violence, mood swings, over-active emotional reactions, and breakdowns. The Hatter displayed a completely typical trait of a low grip on reality, which was commonly related to people with insanity to the point where he that believed fictional characters were alive and genuinely believed that he was the incarnation of the Alice in Wonderland Character, The Mad Hatter. Tetch carried himself as very weak, absent-minded, and frail, but was more dangerous than expected.

The Hatter had difficulty reserving himself in speech or combat, despite being a scientist. Beforehand, Tetch had an almost childlike personality with little forethought, common sense, nor was he a physical threat and was usually overpowered. Tetch's lack of mental resolve resulted in poor sentence structures which were prone to becoming nonsensical gibbering and he tended to speak in rhymes or sing-song verses and tones in between dialogues, which was a trait that only worsened to where every sentence that he spoke was a rhyme during Scarecrow's occupation. However, the Hatter was smart enough to constantly manufacture his mind control serum, manipulated people under its effect, and hypnotized Batman, the World's Greatest Detective, three times.

Jervis Tetch was an unstable individual, his grips on reality were muddled to say the least to the point where he thought fictional characters were alive. He was ambitious as a scientist, his main thesis in the field of his work was that free will was an illusion and a man's beliefs and loyalties could easily be changed with chemicals and successfully created a mind control serum. Tetch would later use his serum for villainous purposes after his schizophrenic breakdown by forcing people info his servitude. He saw people as puppets and cares very much for manners and excellent behavior, especially at tea parties. He is not incapable of making mistakes, for example he became frustrated when one of his men repeated everything he said while trying to make him refer to the Hatter as "sir" and does not factor in that willpower can break a person out of an hypnotic state, the prime example being Batman.

Although he was a scientist beforehand, Tetch has an extremely muddled mind. He is easily confused, almost childlike and has been manipulated with ease in the past. Because of his fragile mental state people are quick to take advantage of him. For example Hugo Strange blackmails him into creating his mind control formula with his stolen hats and dominates him through bribery by feeding his allusions of Alice throughout their therapy sessions. However Tetch was capable of some resistance and was prepared to no longer help Strange but quickly gave in when he saw "Alice".

Despite his schizophrenic delusions, Tetch is at least smart enough to constantly produce his mind control serum and has been able to hypnotize Batman twice, once in Arkham City and even came close to having the Dark Knight break his no-killing rule under heavy toxins. However he has little forethought and is not a physical threat so he's normally overpowered.

Also despite his psychopathic nature, Tetch is capable of expressing emotions which differs him from the rest of Batman's Rogue's Gallery is that he feels regret for his action. When confronted by Strange over Stephanie Williams, an "Alice" that he killed he is unable to recognize her but as Strange insists he is reduced to tears and overcame with genuine sorrow, implying he was not in control of his actions when he had murdered her and hypnotized himself into forgetting. He also began sobbing uncontrollably when Batman crushed his hat, weeping to him "I only wanted a friend."

Tetch's delusions only worsened as his hunt for Alice continued. He even began abducting males and cross-dressing them in Alice's clothes. Arkham Knight also implied that Tetch’s delusions became so intense with the fantasy of Wonderland that he became less attached to reality, such as sexuality and gender. His attitude with Batman shows that he cannot tell the difference between a man or a woman, constantly referring to him as “Alice” and even asking for him to snuggle with Tetch in his cell, implying that he sexually abused the Alice’s he abducted though both could be a result of his hallucinations. Tetch’s confusion with reality to fiction is shown by how he believes any blonde-haired woman is inherently Alice and the names of the cops he abducted related to the characters in “Alice in Wonderland” he believed they were (for example Katz as the Cheshire Cat; McQueen as the Red Queen and Hutch as the White Rabbit).

Tetch also had a tendency to speak in rhymes or in a sing-song voice. In Arkham Knight this only worsened to the point where every sentence he spoke was a rhyme, probably because of how his Alice in Wonderland obsession only intensified or it was a way for him to irritate his captors at the GCPD.

Attributes

• Master of hypnotism and mind control
• Obsessed with hats, especially one-of-a-kind items
• Delusional schizophrenic with a fixation on Alice in Wonderland

Psychological Profile (Dr. Young)

Mad Hatter's photo

The Mad Hatter

Real Name: Jervis Tetch

DOSAGE SHOULD BE HEAVILY INCREASED.

Psychological Profile: Tetch is a classic delusional who also displays an obsessive ideation based on hats. He believes that he is the true-life incarnation of the Mad Hatter from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Tetch's skills as a hypnotist and his frankly inexplicable talent for inventions involving mind control make him at times a dangerous patient to treat, or they would for a less stable and insightful doctor than myself.

Additional Notes:

Tetch is completely unmanageable when forced to bare his head, so the regulation of Arkham patient uniform rules have been relaxed in this area to facilitate his treatment.

Patient Interviews

Arkham City

Tape One

Batman Arkham City Mad Hatter Interview Tapes

The Mad Hatter interview tapes.

• Strange: Patient interview one. Subject's name, Jervis Tetch A.K.A. The Mad Hatter. Brought to Arkham Asylum by Batman six months ago. Patient exhibits signs of obsessive compulsion and paranoid schizophrenia. Sit down Mr. Tetch.
• Hatter: No time to sit. I need Alice. Where is my Alice?
• Strange: Please.
• Hatter: No time to sit, no time to chat. I'm searching for Alice and I've lost my hat.
• Strange: Guard. Restrain Mr. Tetch.
• Hatter: (struggling) Get off me! I'm late. I'm running out of time, Alice. Where are you?
• Strange: Alice isn't here yet. Just relax, Jervis. She will be here soon.
• Hatter: But-(starts gibbering)
• Strange: (over Hatter's gibbering) I promise. Now. Would you like some tea?

Tape Two

• Hatter: Is Alice here yet?
• Strange: No, I'm afraid not. Let us talk while we wait. You and I have much in common, Jervis.
• Hatter: Really? Do you know Alice too?
• Strange: Unfortunately not. You and I share an interest in the mind, do we not? I studied your papers, Jervis. You were quite brilliant. Truly, an extraordinary mind.
• Hatter: Oh, it doesn't matter. It's all just chemicals, and synapses and rabbits and (voice breaks) oh, where is Alice?
• Strange: You need to focus. Think about your work for a minute. You theorized that there is no such thing as free will. That you can change a man's allegiances, his motives, emotions, all what we believe makes a man, with chemicals.Your formula was really quite brilliant. That's why I used it.
• Hatter: (stammers) How did you get it? Did Alice give it to you? Wicked girl! Nasty little thing! Is she here yet?
• Strange: Soon, Jervis. Soon.

Tape Three

• Hatter: Where is she? Oh, you told me that Alice would be here.
• Strange: She is, Jervis. She's right here.
• Hatter: Alice? (sings) Alice come out. Don't pout. Don't make me shout. Alice come out. Where are you?
• Strange: (takes out photos) Take a look at the pictures, Jervis.
• Hatter: (stammers) Who are these people?
• Strange: Look again.
• Hatter: I don't know who they are! Oh, please, is Alice here or not?
• Strange: Look at the first picture. Look at the dress she's wearing. Look at the hair. It's Alice isn't it?
• Hatter: No, no, no, it can't be Alice. Alice has nice yellow hair and...(starts crying) and isn't covered in blood.
• Strange: I think you know exactly who this is, Mr. Tetch. I think you remember the night you lured Stephanie Williams back to your research lab. How you offered her tea. What happened to her then?
• Hatter: No, no. No!
• Strange: (over Hatter's babbling) You killed her, didn't you? She was the first. It's okay, Jervis. It's alright to remember. How many Alices were there?
• Hatter: (crying) I can't remember.

Tape Four

• Hatter: Alice isn't coming, is she?
• Strange: That all depends on how you cooperate. I have a little...side project that I am working on. I could use your help.
• Hatter: My help? I can't help; I'll be late!
• Strange: Stay focused, Jervis. This facility is old, tired. Full of ghosts.
• Hatter: (afraid) Ghosts?
• Strange: A figure of speech. Do not worry. Arkham Asylum will not exist forever. It's techniques are old, its mission outdated. I intend to create a new Arkham, an Arkham that will rise phoenix-like from the ashes of this one.
• Hatter: Is there a fire? We should get out of here!
• Strange: I have arranged for some documents to be left in your cell. They outline a technique I propose to control the mind of, shall we just say, weaker souls.
• Hatter: I cannot do it without rabbits. I need rabbits for my research. And tea. And-
• Strange: And Alice. I know. I have arranged for a number of test subjects to be at your disposal. They have been here at Arkham for so many years that no one will miss them. Shall we meet again next week? Oh, and I've taken the liberty of having your hats returned. I assume that will provide all the encouragement you require.

Tape Five

• Strange: Well done, well done. I must say, you have outperformed even my wildest expectations.
• Hatter: Yes. Did you see the people at my tea party? They all behaved themselves.
• Strange: Yes they did, Jervis. I am very pleased. I have one request to make of you. You must keep it a secret. Can you keep a secret, Jervis?
• Hatter: With enough hats, I can stop people from remembering secrets. Does that count?
• Strange: It will have to. I need you to pay a visit to Warden Sharp. He needs to come around to my way of thinking.
• Hatter: (gasps, excited) To join our tea party?
• Strange: Exactly.
• Hatter: (angry) I don't want to.
• Strange: Of course you do. How else would you get to play with Alice?
• Hatter: Wh-wh-what?
• Strange: I have a new assistant for you, Jervis. I had her brought in specially. Look at her. She's just through there.
• Hatter: (excited) It's Alice. She's here! (guards take "Alice" away) No, no, what are you doing? I need to see her!
• Strange: And you can, as soon as you do what I asked.
• Hatter: Can I keep her?
• Strange: Of course. She'll be all yours. She's Alice.

Arkham Knight

• Aaron Cash: Tea parties over, start talking!
• Hatter: As you can see, I'm balking. Give me Batman or the Hatter's walking.
• Aaron Cash: Yeah, we'll see about that. Batman might not see you soon.
• Hatter: Then you'll have three dead cops by the time I'm through.
• Aaron Cash: Cops? Where?
• Hatter: Oh, officer, you mistake me for a snitch.
• Aaron Cash: Tell me you son of a bitch!
• Hatter: Ha!Ha!Ha! That certainly scratched my itch.

Game Over Lines

Batman: Arkham Origins

Batman Arkham Origins - Game Over Mad Hatter-0

Game Over Screens

Batman:

• "Oh dear, oh dear. What have I done? Oh, that's right. I killed the Batman!"
• "O Frabjous Day! Callooh! Callay!"

Deathstroke:

• "Oh, lovely! Mister Deathstroke! Would you like some tea? Alice?"
• "Alice? Alice? You're not Alice!"

Batman: Arkham City

• "You're late, Batman. Late, late, late."

Batman Arkham City - Game Over Mad Hatter

Mad Hatter's game over screens.

• "When you wake up, you'll be mine..."

Batman: Arkham Knight:

• Oh, Alice, dear. You cannot perish. There's so much more for us to cherish!
• You're dead? Oh, no! This will not do! I had such Frabjous plans for you!
• (Officer Hatch: Batman, why?) Ha! Ha! Ha! Well, you found him! Ha! Ha! Victim three! You're homicidal, just like me! Look back at this and you will find how madness lurks in every mind!

Gallery

Batman: Arkham Origins

Batman: Arkham City

Mad Hatter Character Trophy Arkham City.

Trivia

• The dialogue from the Mad Hatter's Interview Tapes heavily resembled his narration and actions from his chapter in "Joker's Asylum".
• The vault drop which prompted that side mission appeared after Batman rescued Vicki. If you paid close attention, the Hatter could be seen watching from the shadows in the cutscene that followed the rescue.
• Though the Bat Pod was used to transport the cure was a product of Batman's mind, it could be scanned with Detective Mode to reveal a hypodermic syringe within that didn't resemble the one that he used to inject the "cure". That syringe was likely planted by the Hatter and contained either anesthetic or the mind-altering chemicals that he had developed.
• Batman sat in the same spot that Alice did in the original Illustration in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland".
• If you visited the Hatter as Catwoman, he inquired if you were Alice. Catwoman then said that she wasn't and then obviously lied that she would go search for her.
• If Batman went back into Tetch's hideout after he defeated him, Tetch stood on his table, cried, and held his destroyed hat.
• If you returned as Batman and talked to him, a cutscene enacted: Batman told the Hatter to never to try and get in his head again. The Hatter said that he needed Batman to win. Batman merely said: "Then you lose", and told the Hatter that he would never be his slave.
• If you returned as Batman, the Mad Hatter cried and talked to himself. After you talked with him, he asked (with his back turned,) why Batman did it, and that he "just wanted a friend".
• If you went up to the ledge where the Mad Hatter made his first, brief, appearance, (he put on his hat after you rescued Vicki), there was one of his teacups that was left standing on the ledge, but it was gone after you defeated him.
• If you went back to where Batman took the "cure" after he defeated the Hatter, it was the Hatter's Tea Set instead.
  • If you went to the same area as Catwoman, however, there was no tea set. That could be a sign that the tea set was just another illusion or was a mistake on the part of the developers.
• Oddly, you could do the Mad Hatter Side Mission after the main story was beaten. That was odd because the Mad Hatter tricked Batman to fall into his trap by saying that he had a cure. But by the end of the game, Batman was already cured and took the antidote anyway. It's possible that Batman was suspicious that Alfred would send a cure to him when Alfred knew perfectly well he was already cured. Though as Gotham City was still filled with infected people, that would likely explain Batman's determination to continue with the side mission anyway.
• The Mad Hatter was originally going to appear in Batman: Arkham Asylum and took control of a maze that was used to entertain children on Arkham Island. That was cut from the game as Paul Dini, the writer of the first two Arkham games, could not find a place for such a scenario to fit into the context of the story.

• If the Hatter was seen with Detective Vision, Tetch had no visible skeleton. That was most likely a development error.
• The Mad Hatter appeared as a Side Mission inn Gotham's Most Wanted.
• During the Mad Hatter Side Mission, the Hatter made a brief reference to the Hunting of the Snark, another of Lewis Carroll's works, at one point.
• Careful examination showed some distinct differences between Tetch's appearances in Origins and City. That version had a much tidier appearance, and had all his hair; the future version had a receding hairline and a much messier outfit, that was akin to a homeless person.

See Also

• Mad Hatter