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Orca (comics)
Encyclopedia
Orca is a fictional
DC Comics
supervillain
, who first appeared in Batman
#579.
and Bio-Medicine and takes a job at the Gotham Aquarium. She is a very charitable person who funds an after-school program involving the ocean for underprivileged youths. She also volunteers at a soup shelter and takes care of many homeless people. Dr. Balin is later involved in an accident that leaves her paralyzed, dependent on a wheelchair for mobility. She continues to work at the Gotham Aquarium until it is supposed to be closed for lack of funding.
Grace experiments with spinal cord tissue regeneration using Orca
spinal cord tissue. The Gene-Therapy studies and human experimentation that she was conducting becomes the cause of her loss of funding. It is implied that Grace used a chemical formula that she derived from an Orca whale in the aquarium on herself and that this is what caused her to transform into Orca. She is able to easily switch between being Orca and her regular appearance as Dr. Balin .
Orca then begins a crime spree in Gotham City
by stealing a valuable diamond called the "Flame of Persia" from rogue millionaire Camille Baden-Smythe. After the theft of the diamond, Batman
became involved, Orca's dedication to what she perceives as justice conflicting with Batman's attempts to see that everyone is entitled to legal protection even if he dislikes them personally. Orca aims to sell the diamond and use the proceeds to help fund several projects for underprivileged people. After her attempt to sell the diamond back to Camille Baden-Smythe failed with the discovery that she had stolen the diamond originally, Orca attempts to kill her. Camille's security force shoots Orca several times, mortally wounding her. She begins changing back into Dr. Balin in an underwater cavern, telling Batman that the only way that she could survive is if he gave her the rest of the chemical formula that turned her into Orca, permanently transforming her into Orca. Although Camille tried to forbid Batman from giving her the formula, arguing that such an action would make Batman responsible for everyone she would subsequently kill, Batman simply stated that they were all responsible for their own actions, and he refused to allow anyone to die. Having ingested the formula, Orca swam away, resolved to continue her current career, before Batman could apprehend her. It is revealed that the jewel was then sold to its original owner and that the money was used to build a new recreation center near the aquarium as well as to "...gentrify a derelict waterfront tenement." Following her first encounter with Batman, Orca is not seen again until she appears as a prisoner in the Slab during the Joker
’s "Last Laugh" riots. She is able to escape during the riots with King Shark
.
gun, although Batman
is convinced Dent is not the killer, and her body has been partially eaten by Killer Croc
. Orca's husband, Terry, was murdered by The Tally Man while he was being questioned about the disappearance of his wife by Private Investigator Jason Bard
. During the investigation it is revealed that Orca was working for The Penguin
along with now deceased super-villains KGBeast
, Magpie
, and The Ventriloquist
. Someone had contracted Orca and other supervillains to turn on The Penguin and rob one of his storage facilities. Harvey Dent catches them and instructs them to stay loyal to Penguin and to get any information they could about him. Harvey Dent is the prime suspect in their murders, but it turns out that they were orchestrated by the Great White Shark, who plans on becoming the number one crime boss in Gotham. He manages to kill two birds with one stone, he weakens the Penguin's forces and manages to turn Harvey Dent back into Two-Face.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
, who first appeared in Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
#579.
Fictional character biography
Grace Balin attends Gotham Gate college and quickly becomes fascinated with the ocean. She receives a Ph. D in Marine BiologyMarine biology
Marine biology is the scientific study of organisms in the ocean or other marine or brackish bodies of water. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies species based on the environment rather...
and Bio-Medicine and takes a job at the Gotham Aquarium. She is a very charitable person who funds an after-school program involving the ocean for underprivileged youths. She also volunteers at a soup shelter and takes care of many homeless people. Dr. Balin is later involved in an accident that leaves her paralyzed, dependent on a wheelchair for mobility. She continues to work at the Gotham Aquarium until it is supposed to be closed for lack of funding.
Grace experiments with spinal cord tissue regeneration using Orca
Orca
The killer whale , commonly referred to as the orca, and less commonly as the blackfish, is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family. Killer whales are found in all oceans, from the frigid Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas...
spinal cord tissue. The Gene-Therapy studies and human experimentation that she was conducting becomes the cause of her loss of funding. It is implied that Grace used a chemical formula that she derived from an Orca whale in the aquarium on herself and that this is what caused her to transform into Orca. She is able to easily switch between being Orca and her regular appearance as Dr. Balin .
Orca then begins a crime spree in Gotham City
Gotham City
Gotham City is a fictional U.S. city appearing in DC Comics, best known as the home of Batman. Batman's place of residence was first identified as Gotham City in Batman #4 . Gotham City is strongly inspired by Trenton, Ontario's history, location, atmosphere, and various architectural styles...
by stealing a valuable diamond called the "Flame of Persia" from rogue millionaire Camille Baden-Smythe. After the theft of the diamond, Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
became involved, Orca's dedication to what she perceives as justice conflicting with Batman's attempts to see that everyone is entitled to legal protection even if he dislikes them personally. Orca aims to sell the diamond and use the proceeds to help fund several projects for underprivileged people. After her attempt to sell the diamond back to Camille Baden-Smythe failed with the discovery that she had stolen the diamond originally, Orca attempts to kill her. Camille's security force shoots Orca several times, mortally wounding her. She begins changing back into Dr. Balin in an underwater cavern, telling Batman that the only way that she could survive is if he gave her the rest of the chemical formula that turned her into Orca, permanently transforming her into Orca. Although Camille tried to forbid Batman from giving her the formula, arguing that such an action would make Batman responsible for everyone she would subsequently kill, Batman simply stated that they were all responsible for their own actions, and he refused to allow anyone to die. Having ingested the formula, Orca swam away, resolved to continue her current career, before Batman could apprehend her. It is revealed that the jewel was then sold to its original owner and that the money was used to build a new recreation center near the aquarium as well as to "...gentrify a derelict waterfront tenement." Following her first encounter with Batman, Orca is not seen again until she appears as a prisoner in the Slab during the Joker
Joker (comics)
The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...
’s "Last Laugh" riots. She is able to escape during the riots with King Shark
King Shark
King Shark is a DC Comics supervillain. The character was introduced in Superboy vol.3, #0 in October 1994.-Origin:Born in Hawaii, Nanaue is a humanoid shark. His father is "The King of all Sharks"—also known as the Shark God...
.
"One Year Later"
Orca is found dead in the sewers under Gotham City. She appears to have been shot in the head by Harvey Dent'sTwo-Face
Two-Face is a fictional comic book supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. and is an enemy of Batman. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #66 , and was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger....
gun, although Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
is convinced Dent is not the killer, and her body has been partially eaten by Killer Croc
Killer Croc
Killer Croc is a comic book supervillain in the DC Universe, an enemy of Batman. Created by writer Gerry Conway and artist Gene Colan, while there was a shadowy cameo in Detective Comics #523 , his actual first appearance is credited to Batman #357 , which is also the first appearance of Jason...
. Orca's husband, Terry, was murdered by The Tally Man while he was being questioned about the disappearance of his wife by Private Investigator Jason Bard
Jason Bard
Jason Bard is a fictional character in the DC Universe. He first appeared in Detective Comics #392, which was published in 1969. He appeared in several back-up stories throughout the 1970s and 1980s in Detective Comics.-Pre-Crisis:...
. During the investigation it is revealed that Orca was working for The Penguin
Penguin (comics)
Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot III is a DC Comics supervillain and one of Batman's oldest, most persistent enemies. The Penguin was introduced by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, making his debut in Detective Comics #58 .The Penguin is a short, rotund man known for his love of birds and his...
along with now deceased super-villains KGBeast
KGBeast
KGBeast is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in DC Comics publications primarily as an opponent of Batman.- Back story :Anatoli Knyazev, code-named "The Beast", and known to the C.I.A. as the "KGBeast" was trained as an assassin by "The Hammer," a top secret cell of the KGB...
, Magpie
Magpie (comics)
Magpie is a fictional super-villainess created by John Byrne, who first appeared in the miniseries, The Man of Steel.She is notable for her outlandish 1980s style including a unique tri-hawk/mullet hairstyle as well as an exotic, red and silver costume consisting of...
, and The Ventriloquist
Ventriloquist (comics)
The Ventriloquist is a fictional character, a supervillain and enemy of Batman in the . The Ventriloquist first appeared in Detective Comics #583 and was created by Alan Grant, John Wagner and Norm Breyfogle...
. Someone had contracted Orca and other supervillains to turn on The Penguin and rob one of his storage facilities. Harvey Dent catches them and instructs them to stay loyal to Penguin and to get any information they could about him. Harvey Dent is the prime suspect in their murders, but it turns out that they were orchestrated by the Great White Shark, who plans on becoming the number one crime boss in Gotham. He manages to kill two birds with one stone, he weakens the Penguin's forces and manages to turn Harvey Dent back into Two-Face.