| Polka-Dot Man | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Detective Comics #300 (February 1962) |
| Created by | Bill Finger Sheldon Moldoff |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Abner Krill |
| Species | Metahuman |
| Team affiliations | Suicide Squad |
| Notable aliases | Mister Polka-Dot |
| Abilities | Can turn the polka-dots covering his costume into a variety of devices |
ThePolka-Dot Man (Abner Krill) is asupervillain appearing in comic books published byDC Comics. He is primarily a minor enemy ofBatman, and belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up hisrogues gallery.
The character made his live-action debut in theDC Extended Universe filmThe Suicide Squad (2021), portrayed byDavid Dastmalchian.
The Polka-Dot Man first appeared inDetective Comics #300 (February 1962).[1]
Shortly afterBatman began appearing inGotham City, his growing renown inspired an entire generation ofcostumed rogues who committed largely harmless crimes to attract his attention in the hopes of matching wits with the legendary vigilante. Among these was a local crook named Abner Krill,[2] who decided, for reasons unknown, to launch a crime wave based on spots and dots in Gotham City, where he inevitably came into conflict with Batman andRobin. AsMister Polka-Dot, he wore a costume covered in multipurpose spots. He succeeded in capturing Robin, but Batman defeated him.[3]
Years later, Krill (now calling himself the Polka-Dot Man) was driven to crime once more when he found himself unemployed, penniless, and desperate to pay his bills. No longer able to afford his original electronically gimmicked costume, he instead resorted to using a baseball bat in a poorly thought-out robbery attempt, which resulted in him assaultingGotham City Police Department officer Foley. He was then beaten badly by DetectiveHarvey Bullock, who was sick of costumed villains in the city. The assault put the Polka-Dot Man in traction and he filed a brutality suit against the police department, which resulted in Bullock being forced to see a psychiatrist.[4]
Following his recovery, Krill became a committed alcoholic who spent more time drinking himself into a stupor inMy Alibi, a bar known for underworld regulars who vouched for each other's whereabouts when they were off committing crimes, than troubling Batman.[5] The fact that Robin had tracked him down with a leopard became something of arunning joke among other villains.[6] AsNightwing, Dick Grayson encountered the Polka-Dot Man a second time when he trashed My Alibi. Nightwing pitched Krill through a window display and into the street, where he was picked up by the police.[7]
InFinal Crisis, Polka-Dot Man joins a group of villains working forGeneral Immortus before being killed in battle.[8][9] He is eventually resurrected followingThe New 52 andDC Rebirth relaunches.[10]
After his resurrection he seemed to slightly improve his reputation among fellow villains as he was invited to both the villain of the year awards[11] andMaxie Zeus's wedding cruise[12]
He was arrested again at some point after and is shown in a new outfit on a screen of formerSuicide Squad members currently imprisoned in Belle Reve.[13]
When he created his costume, Abner Krill possessed advanced technology in the form of the costume's polka dots, which were controlled through the costume's belt (although in some versions of his character the dots are on his skin as a result of a medical experiment, as opposed to being attached to his costume). When attached to his costume, they were inert, but once removed, they would enlarge in size and become various different devices which could aid in his crime sprees, most notably a flying saucer which he used as a getaway vehicle.[3]
Gimmicked dots used by the Polka-Dot Man included:
Polka-Dot Man makes minor non-speaking appearances inBatman: The Brave and the Bold.
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