No villain is born wicked; everyone has a backstory that explains how they came to be the way they are. Whether they choose to commit a crime or were forced to do so, all villains have their own motives for doing so. Their actions are sometimes legitimate, and we often sympathize with them, yet they are also misinterpreted.
Inque, an anti-hero who utilizes her shapeshifting talents to cause havoc in Gotham City, is one such villain. Inque’s narrative is filled with tragedies, science experiments, and dangerous transformations that allow her bodily fluids to shapeshift according to her wants, as shown in the Batman Beyond series and comics developed by writer Adam Beechen. Let us take a look at Inque’s beginnings and see how a series of events in her past turned her into the deadly mercenary she is today.
Inque Tragic Origin – ‘The story of Inque…. it’s darker than you dreamed!’
Explored in the Batman Beyond Comics, we learn that Inque’s origin story is a lot more tragic than one could ever imagine. In this issue titled “Legends of the Dark Knight: Inque”, Inque is out on a mission to steal a trigger that could act as a remote for any and every weapon ever created. While the army of soldiers tries to capture her, Batman uses his freezing icy batarangs to attack her.
Inque does not get affected by these attacks and injures a soldier before she escapes the place with the trigger. While escaping, she wonders if Inque attacks a guard, and wonders if she tries to share her secrets would anyone be willing to listen. The Batman chases behind while Inque makes a run across the city, coming to a halt soon. It appears that the mutagen is making her weaker, and she settles down, thinking about her past.
She was born in a poor city, and her childhood was severely impacted due to the Civil Wars. Living in refugee camps every day, the young Inque had to battle diseases every day, and trade in the black market for necessities. As time passed, the war worsened and the refugee camps had to be shut down.
As everyone rushed to the boats for evacuation, Inque had to watch her mother die by firing bullets. Even her father was left behind due to a debt to the black market, and the young girl was shipped off by herself to an unknown place where she could only hope for a better life.
With nothing but her dreams to keep her alive, she survived as best as she could on the boat, staying in the shadows and out of sight of trouble. At her first chance, Inque ran away from the boat and found herself on the streets of Gotham when she started to feel sickness creeping in. However, this sickness turned to joy when she discovered she was pregnant and Inque had a new reason to live. She was determined to make a life for herself and her child, and fulfill her dreams, which she now shared with her child.
Looking around for any chance at a living, Inque accepted an offer to participate in an experiment in exchange for food and shelter. The scientists did not mind her pregnancy and even looked forward to seeing the results of such a case, however, after a while they let her go in case of complications. Without a roof over her head, Inque sought asylum at a charity ward where she gave birth to a young girl ‘Deanna’.
Soon after, the experiments on her body finally showed their results and she started to transform into a blob. Not wanting to risk the safety of her daughter, she gave her up for adoption and then tried to get used to her new form. Once she mastered control over her shapeshifting powers, Inque used them to commit crimes for money. She was hired by ‘Derek Powers’ for a high-paying job, and soon became a master at sabotaging and theft.
Convinced that her daughter thinks of her as a monster, Inque used the money from her jobs to provide for her daughter from afar. However, Inque took her chances and introduced herself to Deanna when she was older. Her daughter wanted nothing from her except the money and gifts, so Inque continued to send her everything she needed and kept her distance. away.
Things started worsening for Inque at this point, and her body weakened due to the toxins from the experiments. She needed more mutagen to survive and approached Deanne for assistance. Sadly, Deanne betrayed Inque and called Batman on her. Inque managed to get out of the situation, and now subsequently accepted jobs where she could be paid in mutagen.
One such job was stealing the trigger and as Inque gets back to deliver the trigger, Doctor Thawne refuses to give her the mutagen in return. She threatens to kill him, and Thawne warns her that he might be her only hope at obtaining the mutagen as well as a cure for her condition in the future.
Inque leaves the premises, and we learn that the experiments during the pregnancy passed on her condition to Deanne. Her daughter, though not on the best terms with her mother, still needed her and Inque did her best to provide for her. She visits the hospital and injects some of the mutagens into Deanne’s IV.
As she leaves, Inque asks an unconscious Deanne to think of her not as a criminal or a killer, but as a mother who loves her daughter. Despite having been misunderstood her whole life, Inque still hopes for a day when they can put their differences aside as she continues to take care of her dream and her daughter both.
Inque’s misadventures in the Batman Beyond series
Inque was a recurring villain in the Batman Beyond series, appearing in episodes across all three seasons. Her first clash with Batman was shown in the episode ‘Black Out’, soon after she had begun working for Derek Powers. When Inque is confronted with Batman, her mission to ruin Foxteca fails miserably. The vigilante attempts to subdue Inque but is thwarted repeatedly owing to her shapeshifting abilities. Finally, Derek Powers offers Inque any amount of money in exchange for killing Batman.
Inque devises a plan and causes disruption at Foxteca to lure the Batman, and then tries to steal his Batmobile to locate the Batcave. She almost succeeds, but then Batman catches onto her plan and attacks her. Inque fights back and pours herself down Batman’s neck, attempting to choke him.
She would have succeeded if Bruce hadn’t soaked her in water. Since water causes the liquids in her body to dissolve, it can be seen as a medium to capture her or weaken her movements. Inque tries to recover and rushes back inside Foxteca, hatching a new plan to kill Batman. However, she fails and Batman manages to freeze her using Mr.Freeze’s gun. Inque’s body hardens and breaks into pieces of ice, which are then handed over to the police.
After her previous gig, Inque returned in the episode ‘Disappearing Inque’ and we learn that she is held captive in a block of ice at ‘Gotham Cyrogenics’. Though imprisoned, Inque could still retain her consciousness and was aware of her surroundings, and heard the supervisor, Aaron’s confessions of love to her. He is soon fired, and he sets Inque free out of spite towards the company.
Inque escapes the place, though with a lot of difficulties since the ice had frozen her DNA. She uses Aaron’s help to break into Fulton Labs and steal necessary materials to restore her health, where they encounter Batman. Along with Aaron’s help, Inque manages to subdue Batman and they escape. She gets determined to kill Batman and finds out who aids him. The Batman Beyond series features Terry Wayne, the predecessor of Bruce Wayne, as the Batman with some help from Bruce himself.
Inque discovers the link between the two and then drags Terry into an ancient Gotham cave. She even injects Aaron with some of her liquid treatment, which liquified his body and left him helpless. Bruce comes to Terry’s rescue along with Aaron who seeked his revenge, and they overpower Inque. As the episode comes to an end, Terry’s Batman breaks free from Inque and smashes the cave’s skylight causing raindrops to fall on Inque as her body begins to liquefy and dilute into the sewers.
Inque also reappears in the episode ‘Inqueling’ after recovering from a sabotaging job for her client, Mr. Winchell. However, when she shows up to receive her fee, he shoots her with a destabilizer gun that weakens her greatly. A helpless Inque shows up at Deanne’s door and asks for her help in securing more mutagen. As we have explored in the origins, Deanne plots her own revenge against her mother and dissolves some solvents in her mutagen causing her to weaken furthermore.
Deanne even summons Batman, and Inque is ultimately surrounded with nowhere to flee. Inque becomes outraged and attempts to strike her daughter, questioning how she could betray her mother while being given money her entire life. As the two share a moment, Deanne explains that she received no love or support other than money and that, and she betrayed her.
Inque somehow manages to escape, leaving Deanne terrified for her future in case her mother returns for revenge.
In the future, Inque returns to her sabotaging and stealing gigs, and at some point, she even finds herself face-to-face with both Batman, as well as Superman during one of her robberies. It is known that she further joins hands with other supervillains to form the ‘Iniquity Collective’.
What Makes Inque Different From Other Batman Villains
Inque possesses a very rare ability to shapeshift, making her stand out among the pool of villains. After the experiments, she was considered a polymorph who could change her physical form at will, and her body had a liquidy-smooth texture. Her physical form was greatly mutated, and she transformed into an unrecognizable glob of a black body with an oval white face with no features.
She could use her abilities to liquefy or harden herself, grow tentacles, blend in with puddles or shadows, fit into places, climb walls or rooftops, and even camouflage herself with her surroundings.
Moreover, Inque’s never-give-up attitude and ability to make the best out of the worst situations is quite refreshing to see. All these traits altogether made her one of the very few who could put up a difficult fight for Batman.
Conclusion
Inque not only had immense physical power but was also strong-willed; making her one of the most dangerous Batman Villains. Having been through the worst of tragedies, she is a seasoned mercenary and has an upper hand over even the most powerful criminals in the Gotham crime scene. Though her strength appears to be fading with time, Inque will go to any lengths to get what she wants, and it’s best to keep out of her way!