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Dr. Gaige is a famous oceanographer turned crimelord, who operates secretly as a costumed gangleader at sea and at Gotham City's waterfront. He was an enemy of Batman and first appeared in Detective Comics #147 (May 1949). He was created by Dick Sprang and Bill Finger.

History[]

Golden Age (Earth Two)[]

Origins[]

Tiger Shark2

Dr. Gaige was a famed oceanographer known for his many discoveries in the field. Boredom and greed eventually drove Gaige to crime. Donning a striped orange diving costume, Gaige adopted a secret identity as the Tiger Shark. After recruiting a dockside gang of criminals to do his bidding, Tiger Shark established an undersea headquarters in a sunken ship 200 miles from shore. As a brilliant criminal mastermind, he plotted a series of spectacular crimes at sea and on the waterfront, which he promptly executed, unopposed, with his henchmen.

Battling the Dynamic Duo[]

In May of 1949, Batman and his crime fighting partner Robin took an interest in Tiger Shark's operations and managed to capture the costumed villain. During the hunt for Tiger Shark, Batman and Robin employed an underwater vessel of their own to help apprehend the criminal: The "sub-batmarine", a special bat-submarine, equipped with grappling hooks, periscope, batarang gun, diving gear, and a net for ensnaring other submarines. These devices were utilized to eventually bought about Shark's downfall. Ironically, the "sub-batmarine" Batman and Robin were able to apprehend Tiger Shark with had been designed especially for their use by Dr. Gaige himself, much to the surprise of both parties after Tiger Shark was unmasked.

New Earth[]

Tiger Shark was reimagined as being a modern-day pirate and smuggler who dresses in clothing made from exotic-animals, namely a maltese-tiger coat and a cane made of white-rhinocerous horn. Along with this he also has his tongue augmented to be forked with strange symbols carved into it. Tiger Shark trafficked endangered animals and had an underwater base nearby Gotham City.

In Gotham, he assisted businesswoman Sonia Branch while having her launder money for him at the Gotham Global Modern Bank. Tiger Shark later murdered one of Sonia's friends and left said friend's corpse inside a dead orca that he left in the bank's lobby, presumably for black-mail purposes. Sonia then set Batman (Dick Grayson) on a false-trail to eliminate her other rival, "The Roadrunner" before he followed the trail to Tiger Shark. Batman managed to destroy Tiger Shark's underwater base and free the captured animals, meanwhile Tiger Shark got away.

Prime Earth[]

City of Owls[]

New 52 Tiger Shark was identical to his New Earth reimagining and was shown to be in league with the aristocratic secret-society "The Court of Owls" and to also have been responsible for Talon's attempt on Bruce Wayne's life. Tiger Shark operates on a small modified yacht which he keeps in Gotham's sewer system and on-which he keeps a life man-eating tiger. Batman confronted Tiger Shark on this boat which the pirate maneuvered into Gotham's sewers where he released his tiger on Batman.

This fight was observed by young inventor Harper Row, in the process of upgrading secret Batman's sewer-lines as a thanks for him saving her and her brother from violent homophobes. Using a sewer-valve, Harper lowered the sewer-level and crashed Tiger Shark's yacht, incapacitating him and giving Batman the upper-hand.

Batman Eternal[]

During Owlman and Cluemaster's orchestrated war on Batman and the Bat family's lives, Tiger Shark placed a bounty on fellow super-criminal Killer Croc. Tiger Shark wished to skin Killer Croc so he could harvest his mutated, meta-human skin as an, "Exotic" pelt. Tiger Shark also smuggled a snow leopard cub into Gotham to kill for its skin. Shark shot the cub dead in-front of Catwoman who angrily declared that she'd skin Tiger Shark for a coat the next time that they meet.

Powers and Abilities[]

Tiger Shark was a cunning villain who plotted many of his crimes with tactical precision. He possessed an arsenal of underwater weapons, and almost always carried a handgun for his own defense and shootouts with the police.

In other media[]

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Tiger Shark on Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

  • Tiger Shark makes a cameo appearance in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Legends of the Dark Mite!". He, along with the Joker, Penguin, Riddler, Mad Hatter, Catwoman, Two-Face, Killer Moth, Kite Man, Mr. Freeze, Catman, Tweedledee, Tweedledum and several other villains appear in Bat-Mite's imagination, chasing the imp. Tiger Shark also appeared in the episode "Mayhem of the Music Meister!" as one of the many supervillains caught under the hypnotic spell of the Music Meister, forced to join the musical villain in song. In addition, Tiger Shark has made a brief appearance in "A Bat Divided!" among several third-rate villains at the "8 Bar", a known haunt for second-stringer rogues in Gotham City. Gaige was seen here passing the time playing billiards with Catman, Cluemaster, and The Spinner. When three atomic counterparts of Batman entered the bar and engaged in a brawl with the criminals, Tiger Shark was seized by one of the Batmen and hurled through the air, crashing headfirst into a wall. Protected by his diving helmet, Tiger Shark rose to his feet to reenter the fight, but was knocked down for the final time after another villain was hurled directly into him.

Gaige recently reappeared in the episode "The Criss Cross Conspiracy!" again depicted in a minor role. Shark and his gang were confronted at their hideout by Batman, which resulted in a brawl on a catwalk over a tank of live sharks. He is portrayed as a strong fighter, able to take numerous punches from Batman himself and retaliate. However, the Caped Crusader was easily able to dodge his attacks. Tiger Shark and his gang tried to hurl Batman into the tank of sharks, but the hero was quicker and instead knocked the villain directly into his two henchmen, who fell into the tank. He was finally arrested and imprisoned.

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