Magpie

Origin

Pye worked as a museum curator at the Gotham City Museum of Antiquities until her obsessive need to possess all of the priceless artifacts made her mind snap and she became her childhood nickname, Magpie, in truth. She made deadly versions of the things she stole, taking the originals for herself, and replacing them with the copies.

Creation

Magpie first appeared in Man of Steel #3, which was written by John Byrne

Evolution

Post-Crisis

Magpie encountered both Superman and Batman in her first outing and their first team up post Crisis on Infinite Earths. Magpie would later be apprehended and sent to Arkham Asylum where she would team-up with Poison Ivy, who was her cellmate, to escape the facility. She was later killed by Tally Man along with other members of Penguin’s gang, by order of the Great White Shark.

New 52

Magpie is a Batman and Spectre villain, locked in Arkham Asylum. During the events of Batman Eternal, she is controlled by Blackfire and member of the cult.

Rebirth

Magpie appears in Batman and Catwoman’s long fight with villains on rooftops and fought Batgirl in her quest for justice.

Major Story Arcs

The Man of Steel

For more information see: One Night In Gotham City

Magpie has been stealing shiny objects and replacing them with deadly items all over Gotham. She stole the gems from Henry Jarrall’s Jewelry Store and replaced them with exploding balls, she stole the diamond from Chancellor’s Diamond Exchange and replaced it with a device that sprayed toxic gas, and several other deadly crimes like these. Then her hire goon Bull Carter gets caught by Batman and she kills him for failing her. This causes Superman, who is in Gotham to track her down and with the help of Batman, they storm her hideout. Magpie gets away but Batman is able to track her to the museum, where the heroes trap her and are able to take her to prison

Powers and Abilities

Magpie has no super powers, though she has the skill to create deadly booby-trapped copies of the pieces she steals.

Equipment and Weapons

Her museum replicas have a variety of booby-traps: explosives, airborne poisons, etc. She also uses handguns.

Other Media

Film

Supeman/Batman: Public Enemies

In the animated direct-to-video movie Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009), Magpie is mentioned by Superman to Batman, but she doesn’t appear in the movie.

Lego Batman Movie

Magpie appears in the movie, with no speaking lines, as one of the Batman villains.

TV

Beware The Batman

Magpie appears in the 2013 CG animated show Beware the Batman, voiced by Grey Delisle. Her design for the show was based on popular singer Lady Gaga. Margaret Sorrow, a kleptomaniac thief, volunteered for psychiatric procedures at Blackgate Penitentiary to reform and reduce her sentence. The procedure worked, but repressed her criminal urges to the point where they re-appeared as a split personality, Magpie, while as Cassie, a new identity, she was a meek, shy secretary. In addition, she lost the ability to feel pain and gained the ability to grow long claws as nails. As Magpie, she began to steal “shiny” objects as well as went on a quest to regain her old memories, as well getting her revenge on the head psychiatrists of the procedure. She was stopped by Batman, when she declared that Cassie was “gone”, and only Magpie remained.