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. Fashioning himself into the image of the iconic character, The Mad Hatter, Jervis uses his expertise in mind control to place his victims under a hypnotic state to recreate them into the other signature characters from his favorite story. Among these characters, none took Tetch's insanity to such ultimate extremes as did Alice herself.
Looking for young women with blonde hair and blue eyes that matched Alice, Jervis is responsible for the abduction of dozens of young girls, some of them being children, where he would eventually brutally molest and murder them during a schizophrenic episode. Regardless of how many young girls and women he abducts and kills, Jervis is always on the lookout for another potential Alice, to complete his deluded fantasy of living in a storybook. In recent years, Jervis became a pivotal pawn to the mad and power crazed 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.
Not much is known about Jervis Tetch's early life, other than his being a self-claimed inventor, entrepreneur, and part-time haberdasher, and that prior to developing his mind control devices he had been constantly ignored. At some point, he became delusional and believed he was the Mad Hatter from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, and believed Alice to have been kidnapped by "them," thus constantly trying to "find her."
Shortly after putting the Lacey Towers case together, Batman encounters three henchmen in rabbit masks, singing that he is invited to the Mad Hatter's party. After they collapse, Batman receives a message from the Mad Hatter, requesting for Batman to enter a business proposition with him. However, his attempt at recruiting Batman was interrupted by a girl desperately calling for Batman to help her (making clear that Mad Hatter kidnapped her). Mad Hatter then silenced her and told the Caped Crusader that the girl was "Alice" and that she's been through a lot recently and promised to make her "right as rain" soon. Batman heads to his lair in the Bowery.
Tetch, anticipating Batman's arrival, then made final tests on his mind control, and discovered with glee that the devices actually work, not addressing him as "sir" aside. Batman, after taking out the brainwashed crooks, proceeded to confronted Tetch about "Alice's" location with the clear intention of rescuing her from his clutches, but Mad Hatter traps him with his hypnosis by forcing him to look at a clock above them, making him end up in "Wonderland". Batman manages to navigate through "Wonderland" and break free of Tetch's control, only to find him threatening to kill "Alice". Batman throws a Reverse Batarang at him and knocks him out.
Batman then told "Alice" that she was safe now, and she'll be alright as the police were on their way. However, the girl, deeply traumatized by Mad Hatter's actions to her since kidnapping her to the extent of sobbing uncontrollably, told Batman in a fearful tone that it won't be all right for her. If Batman returns to his lair, he will notice Tetch still unconscious, and he will notice the girl crying after what she has gone through.
The Mad Hatter is referenced in Batman: Arkham Asylum, in which his biography can be unlocked by scanning a tea set in the Botanical gardens, which is also the answer to the riddle: "What time is Tea time in Wonderland?" Also, his name appears on the party list held in the possession of Harley Quinn.
Batman: Arkham City
Mad Hatter in his lair
Jervis Tetch appears in Batman: Arkham City as part of an assignment. In this continuity Tetch is a truly deranged figure, responsible for the kidnapping and murder of a number of young women who he saw as incarnations of Alice. He is shown to have a weak perception of reality and denies the murders he committed, using his obsession with mind control and Alice in Wonderland to bury his guilt. It is revealed in the Arkham Stories that the Hatter was stripped of his beloved hats by Quincy Sharp during his time as warden of Arkham, but Professor 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 eventually was asked to use his techniques to manipulate Sharp into finalizing plans for Arkham City. To motivate him further, Strange supplied him with a female assistant with a resemblance to Alice, something Tetch could not resist. Tetch's mind control technology would be utilized by Strange to ensure the loyalty of his TYGER special forces.
The Hatter later appeared at Two-Face's trial against the Joker as a juror, nonsensically claiming that Joker was a fop and, assumingly, voting against him.
Shortly after Batman rescues Vicki Vale from the Joker's snipers after they crashed her helicopter, Batman gets contacted by Alfred telling him that the cure that Lucius Fox had been working on has just been dropped in to Arkham City ready for him to collect. When Batman injects himself he passes out and wakes in Mad Hatter's lair in Park Row, strapped to a chair and surrounded by various inmates wearing rabbit masks and under the Hatter's control, all a part of the Mad Tea Party. The Hatter reveals that what Batman thought was "the cure" was in fact a hypnotic suggestion that he tricked Batman into taking, then attempts to control Batman with a special mask resembling a rabbit version of Batman's cowl the Hatter created for him. Unfortunately for the Hatter, Batman breaks through with sheer will and after a fight with the Hatter's mind controlled gang, he eventually defeats him and flattens his hat.
After waking up from his encounter with Batman he decided to organize a search party for "Alice". To this end he reunited his old "Wonderland Gang" consisting of March Harriet, The Unicorn, The Walrus, Tweedledum, Tweedledee and The Lion and kidnapping Ex-Wonderland Gang member The Carpenter, Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Vicki Vale and hypnotizing them to serve as The Carpenter, Cheshire Cat, Queen of Hearts and Alice respectively.
While investigating a sudden spike in Ivy's plant activities Batman stumbles upon her kidnapping by Hatter and goes to his hideout to investigate. There he easily defeats the re-united Wonderland Gang members. Hatter uses a modified version of Scarecrow's fear toxin to make Batman see the trio of mind controlled super-villainesses as their wonderland counterparts.
Batman is eventually able to defeat the trio and the Hatter who used the gas to appear as the Jabberwock, afterwards he uses a fear toxin antidote to snap out of the hallucination and the REC to fry the mind control technology Hatter had on the trio while Hatter himself escapes into Arkham City now having to struggle for survival. He was later seen participating in the mob attempting to break into the Cathedral to get their hands on Sharp.
It can be assumed that after Arkham City was shut down, Tetch was placed in temporary holding cells while Arkham Island was prepared to be reopened.
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 (by 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
Tape One
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 schitzophrenia. 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!
Batman Arkham City Mad Hatter Interview Tapes
The Mad Hatter interview tapes.
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.
Trivia
The dialogue from Hatter's interview tapes heavily resembles his narration and actions from his chapter in "Joker's Asylum".
The vault drop which prompts this side mission appears after Batman rescues Vicki Vale. If you pay close attention, Hatter can be seen watching from the shadows in the cutscene following the rescue.
Though the Bat-Vault used to transport the cure is a product of Batman's mind, it can be scanned with Detective Mode to reveal a hypodermic syringe within that doesn't resemble the one he uses to inject the "cure". This syringe was likely planted by Hatter and contained either anesthetic or the mind-altering chemicals he had developed.
Batman sits in the same spot Alice does in the original Illustration in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland".
If you visit him as Catwoman, he will inquire if you are Alice. Catwoman says she isn't, and then obviously lies that she will go search for her.
If you go back into his hideout after defeating him, he will be standing on the table, crying and holding his now-destroyed hat.
If you return as Batman and talk to him, a cutscene will enact. Batman will tell Hatter never to try and get in his head again. He will say that he needs Batman to win. Batman merely says "Then you lose", and tells Hatter that he will never be a slave.
If you return as Batman, Mad Hatter will be crying and talking to himself. After you talk with him, he will ask (with his back turned) why Batman did it, and that he "just wanted a friend".
If you go up to the ledge where Mad Hatter makes his first, brief, appearance, (putting on his hat after you have rescued Vicki Vale), there will be one of his teacups left standing on the ledge, but it will be gone after you have defeated him.
If you go back to where Batman took the "cure" after defeating him, it will instead be Mad Hatter's tea set.
If you go to the same area as Catwoman, however, there will be no tea set. This could be a sign that the tea set is just another illusion or a mistake on the part of the developers.
Oddly, you can do the Mad Hatter mission after the main story is beaten. This is odd because the Mad Hatter tricked Batman to fall into his trap by saying 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 this 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, taking control of a maze used to entertain children on the Island. This 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.
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
Batman Arkham City - Game Over Mad Hatter
Mad Hatter's game over screens.
"When you wake up, you'll be mine..."
"You're late, Batman. Late, late, late."
Trivia
If the Mad Hatter is seen with Detective Vision, he has no visible skeleton. This was most likely a development error.
The Mad Hatter appears as a side mission on Gotham's Most Wanted List.
During the Mad Hatter mission, the Mad Hatter made a brief reference to the Hunting of the Snark, another of Lewis Carroll's works, at one point.
Careful examination shows some distinct differences between Tetch's apperances in Origins and City. This version has a much tidier appearance, and has all his hair; the future version has a receeding hairline and a much messier outfit, akin to a homeless person.
