Origin
Waylon Jones was born with a condition that gave him a thick scaly hide and razor-sharp claws and teeth. As a child, he was relentlessly bullied because of his monstrous appearance. When he was only eight years old, he snapped and almost killed one of his schoolyard tormentors. For that little incident, he spent the next eight years of his life in reform school. He didn’t like it much. Over this time his contempt for humanity grew; and so did his body, mutating to grotesque proportions and becoming increasingly reptilian in appearance. The now sociopathic Waylon Jones celebrated his eighteenth birthday by becoming a cold-blooded murderer.
He served twenty years for that crime and emerged from jail to join a traveling carnival. He quickly became the main attraction as the alligator-wrestler “Killer Croc”. It is worth nothing that it was here that Croc first found a home and developed a niche for his heretofore ghastly appearance. The circus and its inhabitants became Waylon’s family and had the circus been able to maintain financially afloat who knows if Waylon would then have turned to organized crime after all.
In time, Waylon would turn away from petty crime – and Croc’s ambitions and travels led him to Gotham, where he began to forge a criminal empire to make a new home. Though rising to prominence by the elimination of other mob members was accomplished quickly – his complete dominion over Gotham was foiled by its native guardian. His attempts to “set up shop” were repeatedly thwarted by Batman but Waylon’s ability to adapt have allowed him to carry on for many years.
New 52 Origin
Much like his Pre-Flashpoint incarnation Waylon Jones was born with a rare condition that gave him scaly skin. He scrubbed daily to try and get the scales off to try and be normal. But he decided to give up because of the pain it gave him when he descaled himself. He grew up to become the Killer Croc and worked for the Gotham Circus. He was paid to wrestle crocodiles, but he’s boss kept most of the money. Furious by his boss’s foolish choice, Killer Croc bit his arm off.
After being apprehended by the GCPD he listen to two police officers joke about him. Saying he should stop while he’s ahead and to get henchmen. Killer Croc took this to heart. He stopped being the muscle headed brute and become more of a thinker. He gathered henchmen who are really just homeless people that worship Croc for taking them in.
Killer Croc now rules all of the sewers in Gotham with his own personal army.
Creation
Killer Croc was created back in 1983 by artist Gene Colan and writer Gerry Conway.
Character Evolution
Modern Age: New Earth
While Croc’s physical size and power increased, his intellectual abilities diminished. This left him a virtual slave to primal desires and homicidal psychosis. He took refuge in Gotham’s sewers. In Knightfall, Killer Croc attacked a shopping mall where Batman and Robin arrived later. After delivering several blows to Croc, Batman was distracted by a glimpse of Bane; Croc then grabbed Batman and tried to break his back. He failed, and Bane pitted himself against Croc, breaking his arms. He was then put back into Arkham Asylum. Shortly after this era, a mysterious force beckons Croc to the Louisiana Swamplands. When he arrives there, it is revealed to be Swamp Thing, offering Croc a place among the bestial crocodiles in the swamps.
Post-Flashpoint: Earth-0
In Post-Flashpoint, Killer Croc makes an appearance in the flash back in Roy Harper‘s memories, having the head of a crocodile. He is seen fighting Roy in Hell’s Kitchen but quickly notices Roy isn’t fighting back. He figures out that Roy’s trying to have him commit assisted suicide, and comforts the ex-sidekick knowing Oliver Queen screwed him over publicly by taking his shares of Ollie’s Company and tells him that this is not the way to go out. Roy says he was not that bad of a guy before blacking out, but Killer Croc reminds him next time he will not be so nice. He is then passingly referenced by Roy, as he is Roy’s current sponsor for his alcoholism, as Roy is in a bar with Jason Todd; Roy is only drinking water, but knows Waylon would disapprove.
Major Story Arcs
Modern Age: New Earth
Batman vs. Wildcat
Ted Grant meets with a local snitch named Flea Fitzgerald because he has heard about an underground fight club called the “The Secret Ring” in Gotham and a Wildcat wannabe was reported dead nearby. On the other side of Gotham, Bruce is made aware of this fight club thanks to his golfing rival Devlin. Devlin is a spectator of the sport and has often recorded the fights through a special satellite downlink.
As Batman, Bruce visits Gordon at the precinct to find out what the police is aware of. Gordon escorts Batman to the precinct’s morgue where they have kept the supposed Wildcat’s corpse for the last 24 hours. The body was found near a harbor in the Tri-Corner Yards with bite marks similar to that of Killer Croc’s. Gordon identifies the victim as Hector Ramierez, a high school graduate who joined the Navy and became a heavyweight boxer. Ramierez used Pugilism during his boxing matches which is a fighting style that Wildcat favors. Ramierez must have been a student of Ted’s and adopted his mentor’s mantle to keep the memory of Wildcat alive.
Bruce figures the only way to get in to the Secret Ring is to pose as Matches Malone. As Malone, Bruce pays Penguin a visit and inquires about the fight club but their conversation is interrupted by Wildcat. It turns out Flea has gone missing and Wildcat demands to where he is. Penguin agrees to assist Wildcat in order to prevent him from inflicting any more damage to the Iceberg Lounge.
Meanwhile, Ernie Chubb, the operator of the Secret Ring, organizes his next fight. In the second bout, KGBeast is scheduled to fight a Venom addict named Willis Danko. Ernie Chubb has been working with Lock-Up in order to detain all the heavy hitters for his fight club. Chubb gained Lock-Up’s obedience by promising Bolton that he would fulfill his need to exact justice on the scum of Gotham by putting them through these death matches in the “Secret Ring”. Chubb also guaranteed that he would share the revenues of the fights with Bolton in order to fund his latest incarceration venture. Lock-Up has designed a new prison within the bowels of Gotham which he has dubbed the Sewer of Life.
Chubb on other hand, wants to settle his own personal blood lust. Chubb was once a prized heavyweight boxer but his violent tendencies caused the deaths of numerous fighters. The promoters at first, warned Chubb to restrain his anger but when he refused to let up, they had him dismissed from the sport permanently. Chubb felt that the promoters and fighters were simply envious of his talents because their human frailty and lack of stamina was no match for Chubb’s superior abilities, education and raw power. Chubb believes that the sport of boxing is his birthright and he intends to take it back with the “Secret Ring”.
Wildcat catches up with Flea and decides to interrogate him at the Tri-Corner Landfill. Wildcat straps Flea to front of a motorcycle with his face facing the handle bars as well as Wildcat. After the grueling torture of heat and friction from the motorcycle, Flea finally divulges the actual location of the Secret Ring. The Secret Ring is located in the canal zone nearby the Union Railyard.
Hush
It is during the Hush story line that Killer Croc takes on his more bestial appearance, rather than just a scaly human. this is from a mutagenic virus he is infected with by Thomas Elliot. Batman runs afoul of the mutating Croc when he kidnaps a young boy for money. Catwoman steals the ransom money, and Batman promptly chases after her. Batman wishes to help Croc revert to his more human appearance, he does so temporarily but later reverts back to his reptilian look. Since the upheavals of the Gotham gang wars, Croc found himself under the complete control of Black Mask. Black Mask had the Mad Hatter insert a mind-controlling micro-chip into Croc’s skull. While working on a bank robbery for Black Mask, Croc’s constant head scratching dislodged the chip. Croc realized what had been done to him and vowed revenge on Black Mask.
Tic, toc, feed the Croc!
Inside Arkham Asylum, Croc has earned the enmity of guard Aaron Cash. Croc once ate Cash’s right hand. The enmity runs so deep, Cash had an alligator hide wallet made from a hunk of Croc’s hide. The two characters reference Peter Pan. Croc yelled “tic, toc, feed the Croc!” when he ate Cash’s hand, and Cash had his hand replaced with a hook. Killer Croc joined Alexander Luthor’s Secret Society of Super Villains. He participated in the Arkham prison break, but was recaptured. Killer Croc was one of the villains sent to planet Salvation. He later returned to Earth. During Final Crisis he was turned into a Justifier. Regardless of his grudge against Black Mask, Killer Croc is one of the villains forced into his gang in during the Battle for the Cowl. He flees to the swamps to get the explosive device Black Mask planted out of his body. The Outsiders are sent to capture him. Meanwhile Killer Croc has been chewing off his own limbs in the hope to remove the device. (His reptilian metabolism means that they will regrow). After a battle with the Creeper and several Black Lanterns, Killer Croc is captured and the explosive chip is removed.
Batman: Dark Knight
After hearing of Dawn Golden‘s disappearance, Batman heads toward the alley where Dawn was reported to have disappeared from. Batman notices a large figure emerge from the shadows of the alley. The figure was shrouded in a trench coat and Batman shadows the figure’s movements. Batman soon realizes that it is Killer Croc but he also notices that Croc’s physique has changed since their last encounter in the Weir Chambers underneath Gotham. Batman figures that Croc has been injecting Venom, Bane’s designer steroid, into his body. This would imply that Batman has already defeated Bane but now Bane or someone else, has become a drug peddler that deals Venom to potential buyers like Croc. Bruce remembers that Scarecrow had experimented on Croc at Arkham Asylum and had forced him to ingest his fear toxin. Croc became Scarecrow’s reluctant servant and was forced to kidnap public servants as well as clergymen from crime infested areas of Gotham because Scarecrow didn’t want these people to save the citizens of Gotham that suffered from desperation which was brought on after Ra’s al Ghul’s attack on Gotham. Batman stopped Croc by having him ingest an incendiary device which caused Croc to runaway from the fight. Now, Croc is much bigger than before but Batman still swoops down and hits him with everything he’s got. Croc is eventually knocked down to his feet when Batman ties a cord around Croc’s foot and then Batman slams a marquee on Croc’s head which knocks him out momentarily.
When Croc regains consciousness, Batman starts his interrogation. Croc refuses to give up anything until Batman threatens him that he will inject a detox serum into Croc’s body which will painfully immunize his body from the effects of Venom. Croc gives in and tells Batman to look up Lars Beck because he was responsible for Dawn’s disappearance. After getting the information, Batman forces the serum down Croc’s throat and calls in Gordon for a pickup. Gotham PD prepare Croc for his transfer back to the new Arkham Asylum in the Narrows while Commissioner Gordon informs Batman that Lars Beck, was fished out of Gotham River this morning. Whoever Croc was working for (Penguin), made sure that Croc disposed of Beck after his usefulness ran out in order to avoid any implications to Dawn’s kidnapping. Later on, Bruce overhears a news report which states that Killer Croc has escaped police custody. Killer Croc makes his way to Penguin’s second base of operations, the Boom Room. When Batman finds out that Penguin had a hand in Dawn’s kidnapping, he defeats Penguin’s goons and goes after Penguin who ran out of the Boom Room. Batman catches up with Penguin in an alley nearby the Boom Room.
As Batman interrogates Penguin, Killer Croc appears out of nowhere and attacks Batman. Killer Croc grabs Batman and smashes him into a wall thus knocking him out. Later on, Batman awakens tied up to a support beam in a vacant room with a TV in front of him and bombs strapped to him. As Batman tries to escape, he is slapped in the face by Killer Croc and the TV automatically turns on. The television displays a sick-bed where Penguin taunts Batman with the unsettling fact that Dawn Golden may not have much time since the heat in her room will begin to pick up. It looks like Dawn Golden’s “goose is cooked.” Penguin explains that Dawn Golden made fun of Oswald’s demeanor which is not the wisest thing to do.
Before the television turns off, Penguin tells Batman that he has 8 seconds before the room explodes. Killer Croc can’t believe Penguin would have the guts to betray him so he makes a hasty exit while Batman breaks free of his bonds. Batman manages to get out of the room before it explodes and looks for Dawn because he could recognize from the television that the room Dawn was in was somewhere inside the building. Batman discovers her in the basement where he frees her and makes his way back to the streets.
Black Mirror
Shortly after Bruce Wayne appointed Dick Grayson to be the Batman of Gotham City, a string of mysterious crimes occur with a series of weapons and abilities that are utilized by Batman’s rogue gallery. First, Edward Lamont IV, a young rich boy who was kidnapped by Killer Croc ingests the same serum that enhanced Killer Croc’s advanced skin condition. Edward mutated himself so he could get revenge on those who bully him. It seems Edward’s uncle is a dirty cop and he was the one who gave his nephew the Croc serum. Batman (Dick Grayson) subdues Edward after he devoured his tormenters. Gordon and Dick use the laboratory at Wayne Enterprises to remove the serum from the Edward’s body.
Afterwards, Dick went to Edward’s house in Palisades to talk to his mother. By this time, the dirty cop is already aware of Edward’s apprehension so he takes the initiative by wiping out all loose ends. He places a Mad Hatter microchip on his sister and tells her to kill her butler and then murder the Batman when he arrives. The uncle then situates himself outside of the house to make sure everything goes according to plan. Batman arrives and finds the butler bleeding on the tile floor.
The butler proclaims Edward’s innocence but before he could tell Batman about who gave Edward the Croc serum, Edward’s mother comes out from the shadows and shoots the butler with a shotgun. The mother runs out of shells for the shotgun and the uncle realizes that his plan is going awry. The uncle then tells his sister to run upstairs and jump out of the nearest window. Unfortunately, Batman is unable to save the woman but he does manage to pick up the Mad Hatter device from off the floor then he notices a police car speeding away from the house. Dick memorizes the number on the police car and tells Gordon to be ready at the precinct when the uncle returns.
Gordon arrests the uncle and brings Batman to the interrogation room. It turns out the uncle is the officer who is in charge of the evidence locker at Gordon’s precinct and he has been selling various items from Batman’s rogues to someone named the Dealer. Dick and Gordon leave the room to compare notes while the uncle waits to be processed. Unfortunately, someone placed airborne spores in the ventilation system that leads to the interrogation room. When Gordon and Dick return to the room, they find the uncle covered in vines with plants growing out of his body.
New 52
Batwoman
Maro offers Killer Croc more power and instructs him to feed on mutant animals, consuming them entirely as he prepares a ritual under Gotham’s nuclear power plant. He gives him virgin’s blood to drink and then tells him that his ancestors were shapeshifters, Sobek, Tatsu, and other iconic figures. Maro tells of crocodiles mutated in the sewers that gain a taste of human flesh and he uses the beliefs of everybody present to turn Waylon into a massive monster. He works for Medusa, becoming one of their soldiers to battle both DEO and Batwoman. When Medusa finally comes to Gotham, she changes Croc even further, turning him into the Hydra.
A Court of Owls
For more information see : A Court of Owls
While Batman investigates Dan Matthews, a guard at Arkham Asylum who maybe on the take, Dan in a desperate attempt to get away, opens several of the inmates cells. Croc is one of those inmates seen attacking the Batman before the Joker appears to come to Batman’s aide and the pair work together to beat back the group of rampaging inmates.
Gotham City Monsters
After being released from the Suicide Squad having worked off all his prison sentence, Croc returned to Gotham. He got a room at Tusk’s hostel for monsters looking for second chances, but his job interviews were not going the way he wanted what with being a felon. And a giant crocodile man. Tusk was the only person who believed in him, so when Tusk was killed in a mass sacrifice to bring back Melmoth, Croc joined up with Frankenstein’s band of monsters to stop him from destroying the multiverse. After they succeeded, Croc finally found his second chance taking over for Tusk at the hostel giving other wayward monsters a second chance at a normal life.
Powers And Abilities
Mutation
Waylon Jones was born with a rare skin condition similar to epidermolytic hyperkeratosis, granting him his scaly, reptilian appearance. As well as this, he also has super strength in that he can rip bank vault doors straight off the wall, near super speed and agility like that of an animal, and given to him by a highly animalistic disease. Killer Croc also maintains a powerful healing factor, he has healed broken limbs and spinal injures from Bane. He also possesses razor sharp claws and teeth. Croc is also is an expert swimmer, his reptilian genes giving more underwater aptitude. As his mutation has progressed, Jones has grown even further to resemble an actual reptile. Jones is also a experienced alligator wrestler and street fighter.
Other Versions
Catwoman: Guardian of Gotham
In Catwoman: Guardian of Gotham, Killer Croc appeared for a brief moment. He put up quite a fight against Catwoman, only to have Batman toss a batarang into his back killing him instantly.
Earth-43
In the Red Rain universe, Earth-43, Killer Croc worked with Two-Face to take down vampire Batman. However, Killer Croc is killed later on.
Joker
In the out-of-continuity graphic novel “Joker“, Killer Croc appears as a large black man. The Joker consults him as a body disposal expert- it is hinted Croc eats the corpses. He is also a gang leader in this world, and is also a high ranking member of the Joker’s gang.
Batman Beyond
In the future, the Cadmus Labs located in Gotham has a specimen dubbed Killer Croc that the future Hush (Dick Grayson clone) tired to kill but met with no success. It has yet to be concluded if this is actually Waylon Jones or an entirely new Killer Croc but Amanda Waller has verified that this specimen is as dangerous as his namesake and must not be allowed to escape.
Flashpoint
Killer Croc appears in Batman: Knight of Vengeance in the Flashpoint universe feasting upon homeless people in the sewers of Gotham. Batman, in this universe a more violent Thomas Wayne, investigates. Croc gets the drop on him in the sewers and is about to drown him when Batman stabs him in the eye with his finger. He then takes Croc’s machete and splits his head open.
Other Media
Film
Animated
Batman: Gotham Knight
Killer Croc appears as one of the villains in Batman: Gotham Knight in the segment In Darkness Dwells. In this version, Waylon Jones is a cannibalistic serial killer. The urban legend in the segment goes that he was an infant born with a disfiguring skin disorder, and that his mother abandoned him in the sewers of Gotham. As an adult, he files his front teeth into points to compliment the reptilian appearance of his skin and becomes a circus performer. Later, Jones – now called Killer Croc – goes on a killing spree that eventually lands him in Arkham Asylum. There, his homicidal impulses intensify during treatment by Dr Jonathan Crane a.k.a. The Scarecrow, who infects him with his fear toxin. Croc escapes from Arkham and flees to the sewers along with Crane and a handful of escaped Arkham inmates. Batman comes to investigate the kidnapping of a cardinal, when Croc attacks him, biting him and infecting him with the fear toxin that is coursing through Croc’s own body. After a lengthy battle, Batman fends off Croc by shoving a smoke bomb into his mouth. This version of Croc is noticeably less intelligent than other animated versions, as he never speaks and seems to just follow Scarecrow’s orders.
Son of Batman
Killer Croc appears in Son of Batman, voiced by Fred Tatasciore. In the film, he undergoes a monstrous transformation after ingesting a special mutagen from Kirk Langstrom, granting him extra muscle mass and a reptilian tail. He is captured by Talia al Ghul and has the mutagen extracted from his blood, nearly killing him. Batman agrees to help him after he names Langstrom as the mutagen’s creator, but not before Batman rips off his damaged tail to make him talk.
Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts
Killer Croc appears in Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts, voiced by John DiMaggio.
Live-Action
Suicide Squad
Killer Croc appears as one of the main characters in Suicide Squad, portrayed by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje. In the film, he is one of the criminals recruited by Amanda Waller in exchange for a reduced prison sentence.
DCAU
Killer Croc appears in every Batman cartoon made after his creation in the comics.
Batman: The Animated Series
In Batman: The Animated Series, Croc was once a pro-wrestler after his sideshow days before turning to crime. His reptilian appearance was less extreme. In this cartoon, Croc is legally sane, and is sent to Blackgate instead of Arkham. He is voiced by Aron Kincaid.
Batman: New Adventures
In the Batman: New Adventures, he was redesigned with green skin. He teams up with Baby Doll to kill Batman. This time he is voiced by Brooks Gardner. Baby Doll saw a kindred spirit in Croc and tried to help him. They plan and execute a series of successful crimes. Baby Doll falls in love with him, until she overhears Croc bragging about manipulating her. Enraged, she betrays him to Batman, in the ensuing fight, he is defeated after being drenched in boiling water. Croc later appears as a victim of Two-Face‘s vigilante persona: The Judge. Brooks Gardner provided his voice.
Batman Beyond
In Batman Beyond a robot takes Killer Croc’s form.
The Batman
Croc as he appears in The Batman, he was voiced by Ron Perlman. This version of Croc has a Cajun accent. His origin is mostly unknown, one of henchmen says that Croc may be a project of the government gone wrong, a product of Voodoo magic or even a circus freak. This version is much more reptilian, having a tail. Croc is much stronger and faster than in previous versions, he is also much smarter and can stay underwater for extended periods of time.
He is first seen completing a series of successful robberies. He attempts to flood Gotham City only to be stopped by Batman, who knocks him out after depriving him of his oxygen supply. Croc makes his second appearance as a member of Team Penguin, together with Penguin, Ragdoll, Killer Moth and Firefly. He attempts to leave the team together with his teammates until Penguin threatens them using a mutated Killer Moth. His last appearance in the show is as a prisoner of another Gotham vigilante: Rumor.
Batman: The Brave and The Bold
Killer Croc appears in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode “Night of the Batmen”, where he works with Bane, Solomon Grundy, and Blockbuster. They are all apprehended by Captain Marvel. He was voiced by Stephen Root.
Beware the Batman
Killer Croc appears in Beware the Batman, voiced by Wade Williams. In “Animal”, he is Blackgate Penitentiary’s kingpin, and when he hears that the Key is inside with important information, he arranges a riot to capture him. Croc also has his men kidnap Batman to force him to fight in an area against Matatoa, then Croc himself. When Croc is about to kill Batman, the latter snaps and brutally beats him near death. When the SCU breaks up the riot, Croc escapes to the sewers in the confusion. In “Choices”, Killer Croc sets a trap for Batman and Katana in the Gotham subway. They are rescued by the combined efforts of Alfred Pennyworth and Oracle, with Batman eventually taking down Killer Croc.
Video Games
Lego Batman
A Humanoid Killer Croc appears in Lego Batman. He works for the Penguin alongside Bane, Catwoman, and Man-Bat. Killer Croc is a boss, and a playable character. His powers are Super Strength, and he is immune to acid, also Killer Croc has a watercraft that is immune to acid (Only other person with this kind of watercraft is Mister Freeze, who drives a iceberg) This can be used to beat certain levels and access certain areas.
Batman: Arkham Asylum
In Batman: Arkham Asylum, Croc appears. Heavily drugged, he swims around in the caverns beneath Arkham Asylum. When Batman goes to the tunnels to retrieve spores, Croc attacks him, but Batman is able to continuously subdue him by striking his shock collar with a batarang. Batman is forced to sneak around on floating wood, lest he draw the Croc’s attention. When Croc gives chase, Batman is able to blow up part of the cave’s floor, sending him crashing into the ocean. Later he returns when Scarecrow threatens to release his fear gas into the Gotham’s water supply and attacks him before he can do it, dragging him into the water when Batman hits his shock collar again to save Scarecrow from being eaten. In one possible ending, Croc appears to grab a large crate of Titan, a derivative of Venom.
Batman: Arkham City
Killer Croc makes a cameo in Batman: Arkham City inside in the sewers near Wonder City. There is a switch behind a gate that can be hit with a remote control batarang. If the switch is hit, Killer Croc will smash through the wall behind it. This triggers exclusive dialogue between the two and he lets Batman leave, confident he will die soon anyhow.
Batman: Arkham Origins
Killer Croc appears in Arkham Origins as one of the eight assassins sent by Black Mask to kill Batman. He is shown to be almost a bodyguard to Black Mask, following him around. When Batman is chasing Black Mask, Killer Croc stays behind to fight Batman. The two of them fight and Batman wins, pinning him near the edge of the building. Batman interrogates him and Croc tells him about Black Mask. Later in the game, Killer Croc makes a small appearance as a prisoner in Blackgate prison. Unlike the other two Arkham games, Croc is more human-like, probably due to the fact he is not done mutating.
Batman: Arkham Knight
Killer Croc makes an appearance in a fantasy sequence cut scene near the end of the game when Batman’s collective rogues have Joker captured and are discussing what to do with him.
Batman: Arkham Knight: Season of Infamy
In DLC extra missions, Batman faces off against Killer Croc when the dirigible prison, Iron Heights, crashes into Gotham Bay. Batman and Nightwing go to investigate and find Croc torturing the warden, guards, and scientists who had been torturing the prisoners.
DC Universe Online
If you are a villain and Joker is your mentor you team up with him a few times, but mainly to defeat Bane.
Merchandise
- Killer Croc was featured in the toy line for Batman: The Animated Series.
- A Killer Croc figure was released for the DC Universe line.
- DC Direct released a figure of Killer Croc from the Arkham series of video games.
- Many statues of the characters have been released.