- "Under my administration, the Gotham PD has dealt major blows to organized crime and drug trafficking. The Salvatore Maroni case was the biggest drug bust in city history."
- ―Don Mitchell, Jr. on Batman[src]
Donald "Don" Mitchell, Jr. was a corrupt mayor of Gotham City who was part of a conspiracy to arrest mob boss Salvatore Maroni and put Carmine Falcone in power in order to secure his mayoral position and subsequently receive kickbacks from the Gotham Renewal Corporation. He was later targeted and killed by the Riddler for his coruption.
Biography[]
Becoming the Mayor of Gotham[]
In the early 2000's, Don Mitchell, Jr. became a wealthy politician in Gotham City.
After the death of Thomas Wayne, Mitchell and other corrupt politicians all took over the renewal fund and began using it to launder money and make bribes. During this time, he came under the payroll of mafia don Carmine Falcone, effectively becoming his puppet.
In 2006, Mitchell was elected Mayor of Gotham, and he would go on to serve four terms in office. He became known for his "tough war" on the drug trade that plagued the city, with a primary target of his being the Maroni Crime Family, Falcone's rivals.
Maroni Sting Operation[]
Later that year, Mitchell, along with D.A. Gil Colson, and the GCPD, set up a sting operation to arrest mob boss Salvatore Maroni and other members of his family for their Drops business. The operation was orchestrated by Falcone, who ratted out on Maroni in order to solidify his power in the underworld. Mitchell's sting operation was successful, and Maroni and many of his people were arrested. The event was reported in the Gotham Gazette and Mitchell later received credit.[2]
Murdered by Riddler[]
16 years later, when he was preparing for his next election, Don Mitchell, Jr. was killed in his home by the Riddler with his hands and feet bagged and his face duct taped with words written "No More Lies". A funeral was set up for him three days later, and Police Commissioner Pete Savage swore to bring Riddler to justice.[1]
Legacy[]
A day after Mitchell's death, his friend Pete Savage was also murdered at the hands of the Riddler, who continued his serial killing rampage and eventually killed D.A. Gil Colson and Carmine Falcone. His secret relationship with Annika Kosolov was also revealed after his death, when Batman and James Gordon found out about their connection and accidentally leaked secret images of them to all news outlets in Gotham, forever tarnishing his legacy.
Personality[]
Don Mitchell, Jr. is initially considered by people as a rightful and transparent man taking very seriously to take down the drug trafficking and a family man who dearly loves his wife and his son. However, he actually has a darker side of himself that hides from everyone, usually spending most of his nights out having also a mistress who he abused frequently. Additionally, he was corrupt as he worked with Carmine Falcone to receive kickbacks.
Abilities[]
- "Unbelievable breaking news this hour, everyone. Again, four-term incumbent Gotham Mayor Don Mitchell, Jr. was found murdered last night inside his home in the exclusive Crest Hill district."
- ―Newscaster[src]
- Gifted Intelligence: Mitchell served four terms as the mayor of Gotham City.
Equipment[]
Vehicles[]
- "Damn. Yeah, he's got a car. Guess it's good to be the mayor. Where to even start?"
- ―Jim Gordon to the Batman[src]
- 2018 Aston Martin DB11 Volante: Among Mitchell's collection of cars was an Aston DB11.[3] The Riddler popped the tires with the shears he used to cut off Mitchell's thumb and attached it to a portable drive kept in the car.
Relationships[]
Family[]Allies[]
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Enemies[]
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Appearances[]
| Appearances for Don Mitchell, Jr. |
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In chronological order:
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Trivia[]
- According to the Gotham Gazette, Don Mitchell, Jr. was the mayor of Gotham City for four terms.
- He stated in an interview that he does not approve of vigilantism, including the Batman.[4]
- He is described by Gordon as a 'family values' politician.
- According to The Batman: The Official Script Book, Mitchell was in his late fifties before he was killed.
Behind the Scenes[]
- He seems to share a name with President Richard Nixon’s campaign manager, John N. Mitchell. Mitchell was a proponent of “law and order” and was sentenced to prison for multiple Watergate-related crimes.[5]
- Mitchell's role as a political associate of Falcone is loosely inspired by Whitey Bulger's younger brother and former Massachusetts State Senator, William "Billy" Bulger. Like Mitchell in the film, Billy Bulger had served as a member in the Massachusetts State Senate for the First Suffolk District from 1971 to 1996 in which he became President of the Senate in 1978. After retiring from the Senate in 1996, Bulger was appointed to the role as President of the University of Massachusetts. In 2002, Bulger had testified before a congressional hearing regarding Whitey's corrupted business relationship with the FBI, invoking his fifth amendment right before testifying again in 2003 after being offered immunity from prosecution. His refusal to cooperate with the federal authorities to help locate and arrest Whitey had prompted Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney to demand Billy Bulger to resign from his position as President of the University of Massachusetts. On the 1st September 2003, Billy Bulger had official resigned as President of the University of Massachusetts.
- Mitchell's friendship with Police Commissioner Pete Savage in the film is inspired by Billy Bulger's friendship with FBI agent John Connolly that had dated back to both Bulger and Connolly's childhood in the late 1940s and early 1950s. It was at this point that Connolly was first introduced to Whitey Bulger.
References[]
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- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Reeves, Matt & Craig, Peter (writers); Reeves, Matt & Clark, Dylan (producers); & Reeves, Matt (director) (March 4, 2022). The Batman.
- ↑ Gotham Gazette
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Batman: The Official Script Book
- ↑ "The Batman - Game" - YouTube
- ↑ "A Detective Story: To Understand Matt Reeves and The Batman, Look to the 1970s" - MovieMaker