Killer Croc

KILLER CROC

Real Name: Waylon Jones

Class: Human mutant

Occupation: Supervillain

Group Affiliation: formerly The Society

Known Relatives: unnamed aunt, unnamed parents

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Gotham City, formerly Tampa, Florida

First Appearance: Batman I #357 (March, 1983)

Powers: Killer Croc had a reptilian visage, and possessed superhuman strength and durability, as well as regenerative abilities. As his mutations increased his physical power his intellect became more bestial.

History: (Joker's Asylum II: Killer Croc #1 (fb, BTS)) - Waylon Jones was a mutant born with scaly skin and a reptilian appearance. His mother died in childbirth, and after his father rejected him he was raised by his aunt. Growing up an outcast he took the name Killer Croc, and turned to crime.

(Swamp Thing II #66) - Killer Croc set off an incendiary device in midtown Gotham, killing 30, and Batman responded. After a hard-fought battle Batman brought Croc to Arkham, throwing him through the office window of Dr. R. Huntoon. Croc revived and made another go at the Caped Crusader, threatening to eat him, but Batman responded with a nerve gas spray that left Croc crippled.

(Demon III #11) - Killer Croc argued with his doctors, saying there was no reason for him to be strapped into a wheelchair, and complaining that he didn't belong in Arkham Asylum because he wasn't crazy, he just couldn't control his anger. Klarion, the Witch Boy, wanted revenge on Etrigan and began assembling a gang to confront the demon. He broke into Arkham to fin Etrigan's old foe Tenzin Wyatt, waking him from his catatonic state by producing an illusory version of Etrigan. Wyatt responded, using his mystic powers to create a rage tulpa. The tulpa crashed through a wall chasing the illusion, and engaged in a brawl with Killer Croc, allowing Klarion time to put Wyatt in a wheelchair and wheel him out of the asylum.

(Hitman #3) - The demon Mawzir put a million dollar contract on Joker to lure the Hitman to Arkham Asylum. Hitman evaded the GCPD and Batman to make it to joker’s cell and shot him between the eyes, but “Joker” revealed himself as Mawzir in disguise. He masters the demonic Arkannone wanted hitman as one of their servants, but Hitman refused and shot Mawzir in the face. Mawzir and Hitman battled throughout the asylum, crashing through Killer croc’s cell, and interrupting his enjoyment of an episode of Seinfeld. Batman joined the fight and Croc grabbed him, demanding to know what was going on. Batman took a piece of concrete from Croc’s shattered cell and brained him with it.

(Spectre IV #11) - Arkham; Croc dreamed of crocodiles while one of Spectre's (Hal Jordan) aspects struggled to find a way to redeem his soul.

(Arkham Asylum: Living Hell #4 (fb)) - Killer Croc escaped his cell, and bit off the hand of guard Aaron Cash before being restrained.

(Arkham Asylum: Living Hell #1, 4) - Crooked businessman Walter "Great White Shark" played the system, and was found not guilty by reason of insanity after a trial for defrauding people out of their life's savings. Shark found that he was a little fish in Arkham, and the inmates delighted in tormenting him. Croc slashed his face, saying he could use a set of gills. Jane Doe, in the identity of Arkham guard Wrigley, helped free her fellow inmates. Killer Croc confronted Aaron Cash, who was still terrified of him, and told him he was going to finish eating him. Jeremiah Arkham put down Croc with a tranquilizer gun.

(Arkham Asylum: Living Hell #6) - Doodlebug unleashed the Skarva, demons trapped under Arkham, and built a flame pit to open a gate to Hell. Aaron Cash tried to fight the Skarva, who turned Killer Croc and other inmates into monstrous versions of themselves to fight him. Cash finally got over his fear of Croc, ripping off a chunk of his body with his prosthetic hand, and later making it into a wallet. The demons returned to hell with the help of Demon Etrigan and Great White, and Croc and the others were restored to normal.

(Batman: Gotham Knights #3) - Croc fought Batman atop a convenience store. When Batman heard gunshots within the store he quickly dispatched Croc so that he could attend to the shooting victim inside.

(Batman: Gotham Knights #5) - The Key locked every door in Arkham, including those in the kitchen, and the inmates were in danger of starving. Killer Croc and the Ventriloquist managed to find a few scraps of food that lasted them until Batman defeated the Key.

(JLA #63) - When Wonder Woman s lasso, the embodiment of truth, broke because she doubted it, the truth became subjective, altering the world. Croc was arrested after a brutal cannibal murder, but when he denied his obvious guilt the judge took him at his word and released him.

(Formerly Known as the Justice League #4) - Nevada; Croc went to Roulette's House to attend one of her gladiatorial contests. He was among the crowd of villains that watched members of the Super Buddies forced to fight each other.

(Firestorm II #21) - The Society orchestrated a countrywide prison breakout of metahumans. Man-Bat, Hush and Killer Croc rampaged through Gotham

(52 / WWIII Part Two: The Valiant #1) - <Week 50, Day 4> Croc tried to eat a young woman, but was defeated by Harvey Dent, whom Batman had left in charge of Gotham in his absence.

(Faces of Evil: Solomon Grundy #1) - The newly resurrected Solomon Grundy sought refuge in the Gotham sewers, but Killer Croc reminded him that the sewers were his turf. They battled and Grundy broke Croc's jaw.

(Joker's Asylum II: Killer Croc #1) - Killer Croc brooded in his Arkham cell while his new psychologist Dr. Cross tried to converse with him. Cross had noticed the regression of his human characteristics, and asked him about his childhood. Cross suggested that he had never properly grieved for his mother, who died during childbirth, and this enraged Croc to the point where he ripped his own hands off to escape his manacles. Croc ripped the doctor to shreds, broke out of Arkham, and fled into the sewers, but the loss of blood from his wrist stumps caused him to pass out. Criminal Edgar Mason found him and brought him home, promising that if they worked together they could be big shots in the underworld. Edgar's wife Juliette tended to Croc for two weeks while he regrew his hands. With Crocs help murdering his rivals Edgar became crimelord of the Little Orphan Alley families. Edgar had a suspicion that Juliette was cheating on him, so he reassigned Croc from being his muscle to babysitting his wife. Juliette convinced him that Edgar was using both of them, and he allowed her to leave Edgar's house unsupervised. Edgar learned where her lover lived, and sent Croc to kill him, but once Croc got there he had a change of heart and turned around. Juliette had her lover hit her, and played on the connection she had with Croc to convince him that Edgar was responsible and that he was planning on killing them both now that he had no more need of them. Croc killed Edgar for her, but she betrayed him and had her lover shoot him in the stomach. She wanted her lover to be Orphan Alley's new crimelord, and wanted Edgar and Croc gone. Croc recovered and beheaded her lover. Juliette pleaded with him to let her live, telling him he wasn't the monster people made him out to be, but her plea fell on deaf ears, and he murdered her. Batman arrived at the scene of the crime, and Croc asked to be taken back to Arkham, stating that the people outside the asylum were monsters, not him. Joker welcomed Croc back at Arkham, and having heard what happened to him, he recounted the traumatic events in exquisite detail. He told Croc to learn to laugh at himself.

(Titans II #28-30) - Deathstroke s Titans came to Arkham to liberate inmate Allegra Garcia on behalf of a client, and bribed a guard for the run of the asylum. After they double-crossed him he flipped a switch that released all the inmates. Croc and his fellow inmates were looking forward to freedom, and attacked the Titans, not wanting them to stand in their way. Croc attacked Titan Osiris, who went into a rage because of Croc's physical resemblance to Sobek, who'd once killed him. Osiris battered him, and soon realized he was a much bigger monster than Croc, who only wanted to be left alone. Batman responded to the breakout, and saved Croc from Osiris.

Comments: Created by Gerry Conway & Gene Colon.

Killer Croc received a profile in Batman Villains Secret Files and Origins 2005, Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #5 and Who s Who in the DC Universe #7.

Croc had cameos in Batman: Mitefall and Catwoman II #50, 60.

There were pin-ups of Croc in Batman: No-Man s Land Gallery #1 and Legends of the DC Universe 3-D Gallery #1.