Victor Zsasz

Victor Zsasz is an antagonist in Batman: Shadow War and ''Batman: Red War. ''He is a serial killer who carved a mark into his own body for each of his own murdered victims and saved a special spot for Batman.

Early Life
Victor Zsasz was born to a wealthy and successful family, but eventually lost his parents in a boating accident and inherited millions of dollars and their international company, but missed them very dearly. To copy with his misery, he turned to gambling, losing his wealth in competitions around the world. He gradually squandered his entire fortune, ultimately betting everything he owned against the Penguin in the Iceburg Lounge. Somehow, Zsasz did very well against him however the Penguin cheated and his flush beat Zsasz's four of a kind. Zsasz lost all of his money and was thrown out of the Iceburg Lounge.

After that, he wandered the streets crying and eventually, he made his way to the Sprang Bridge, where he prepared to jump off and commit suicide. As Zsasz contemplated suicide, a homeless man threatened him with a knife and Zsasz became infuriated, took the knife, and held it at the man's throat. Something overcame Zsasz and he killed the man by slitting his throat, to which Zsasz felt pure euphoria afterwards. Suddenly, without thinking, he carved a mark into his own arm. That caused Zsasz to become a murderer, who believed he did others a favor by liberating them from the mundane lives that they had lived.

Killing Spree
Victor Zsasz continued his killing spree throughout Gotham, primarily young women but has no qualms of killing anyone, slicing his victims' throats and leaving their bodies in lifelike poses and the police investigated Zsasz's murders. Batman eventually began investigating Zsasz's murders during the beginning of his vigilante career. Two notable victims of Zsasz were a young artist, whom he forced to draw the most depraved images of chaos and murders imaginable, before he stabbed him four times in the back and left him to die, and a GCPD officer, whom he strung up and slashed his throat.

One of Zsasz's murdered victims was encountered by crime lord the Penguin, who unintentionally left his fingerprints at the scene but bribed the cops into not pursuing it. However, Batman hunted down and interrogated the Penguin who gave Batman information which aided in his investigation. Batman managed to uncover the identity of the serial killer as Zsasz and Zsasz led Batman to a payphone where he called the Dark Knight, with Zsasz warning Batman not to come after him as he is holding two women hostage and threatens to kill them if Batman shows up. Batman though traces the call and discovers Zsasz's hideout, finding a cage with two young women entrapped and he frees them, though the women are visibly afraid of the vigilante. Zsasz announces his presence to Batman and holds a third woman hostage, threatening to slice her throat if he approaches him further. Batman tries to reason with Zsasz, though Zsasz demands he shut up and reveals the tally marks on his body of his victims to Batman, recounting some of the murders he's committed. Batman uses a remote-controlled Batarang which hits Zsasz's hand, slicing through it and disarming him of his knife, as well as allowing the hostage to break free from the killer. As it leaves a cut on Zsasz's hand, Zsasz becomes psychotic and tries to kill the women due to him viewing the cut as a tally mark before he has killed someone, meaning it is a meaningless tally mark to him. Batman throws another Batarang at his head, knocking the serial killer out. Batman has Gordon called, leading the police to find the hostages and Zsasz trapped in the cage he left them in, then the psychotic killer is sent to Arkham Asylum.

Personality
Victor Zsasz was a masochistic, sociopathic, sadistic, remorseless, murderous, psychopathic and was completely capable and willing to murder and mutilate innocent people. He believed that every man, woman and child were all standing on the "brink of oblivion" and by ridding them of life, he was helping them. Zsasz was a compulsive killer, thinking that he had to kill rathan than choosing to.

Zsasz's opinions of humanity and life in general became extremely bleak, a case of nihilism and misanthropy were pulled into question. He had nothing more than disdain and hatred towards humanity, Zsasz actually believed that he was helping people that he killed by liberating them of life which he viewed as a disease. Zsasz's obsession with collecting as many tally marks as possible led him to no longer view his victims as people: referring to them as "zombies" and "piggies". His tendency to pose his victims in lifelike stances was a further testament to how, even in death, Zsasz believed them to be the same. Zsasz did not only take intense joy in marking his skin, but was intensely proud of it.

Abilities

 * Gifted Intelligence: Despite his insanity, Victor Zsasz was intelligent and could plan his criminal activities and murders. He was also an efficient serial killer, capable of throwing the police off track and manipulating as well as being an expert escape artist.
 * Advanced Combatant: Victor Zsasz was a competent unarmed fighter and proficient with knife combat as well as using his surprising agility to his advantage when fighting.
 * Expert Businessman: Before his insanity, Victor Zsasz knew how business worked.

Equipment

 * Knife: Victor Zsasz's main weapon is his knives, which he proficiently uses in combat and to kill his victims. He prefers them over guns and uses them to make the tally marks on his body.

Quotes

 * "Of course I mean my...tally marks. And I have a special place for yours. Do you want to see where?"
 * "Everything is meaningless. All that does matter is the mark."
 * "You can't deny me the mark! It's all I have left!"
 * "The zombie's mine to liberate. I have righteous work to do."
 * "I see anything that looks even a little bit like a bat and this man dies. Do you hear me?!"
 * "How many times do you need to be told? Keep away or this little piggie dies!"
 * "Come closer and I'll paint the walls crimson with her blood!"
 * "Stay where you are, Batman. Listen to me carefully."
 * "Stay back, Batman! I mean it!"
 * "But if I kill her, the Bat will get me!"
 * "I know you're still out there! Won't be long until you hear her final song!"
 * "I can see the veins in her neck throbbing. I can smell her sweat and tears as they run over her flesh!"
 * "I...I need to make the kill, I can't wait."
 * "She's just begging to be slaughtered."
 * "In the flesh. I'm so happy you remembered me. I'll never forget you. I've got a special game planned, Batman. A game just for you. Ring, ring."
 * "Now, hang up that phone and start running. Ring, ring, ring, ring."
 * "Your life is over. Accept it and prepare yourselves to sink into the oblivion of nothing."
 * "It is you who doesn't understand. The beauty of death, the quiet voyage into the unknown, the escape from the misery of the ordinary. But you will."
 * "Of course you do. But think it through. We both punish the guilty, you on some revenge-driven crusade and me on a sacred mission from a higher power."
 * "You and I aren't so different, Batman."
 * "Stop being so impatient. I'll have you too, eventually. I recall telling you that I have a special place reserved for mark. A very special place."
 * "You...I will gut you like a fish."
 * "Soon, I will carve your life on my arm."
 * "Oh, this is a glorious day for you to die on."
 * "My body is a temple dedicated to your memory."
 * "Your entire lives have been accelerating to this point."
 * "You are probably praying I will end your lives quickly. I won't."
 * "This is all too much fun isn't it, piggies? I'm enjoying myself so much I nearly forgot to give Batman another call."
 * "Don't worry. He'll fail. Maybe this time, maybe the next."
 * "This game isn't over."
 * "Maybe he doesn't believe I'm gonna kill you all?"
 * "This is not over. It cannot be over. My blade will bathe in the crimson rivers of blood that will pour from the holes I cut into your body. You cannot deny me the mark. I need to make the mark. It's all I have left."
 * "You're going to be mine. When you at least expect it I will be there, cutting the flesh from your body, watching as your life slips away."
 * "I saved a special place for you, Batman. A place to symbolize your death. Do you want to see?"
 * "This won't end here. I will get out of here and continue my work."
 * "I'm going to take my time, Batman. After all, you took yours."
 * "You took too long, Batman."
 * "You missed my call."