- "It's so much bigger than you could ever imagine. It's the whole system!"
- ―Gil Colson to Batman.[src]
Gilbert "Gil" Colson was a corrupt district attorney of Gotham City who was part of a conspiracy to put Salvatore Maroni in jail and Carmine Falcone in power in order to receive kickbacks from the Gotham Renewal Corporation. He was later targeted and killed by the Riddler.[1]
History[]
Early Life[]
Bribed by Carmine Falcone[]
Gil Colson was the District Attorney of Gotham City. During his tenure as D.A. he oversaw corruption, with Colson being paid a total of $10,000 every month to avoid prosecuting certain cases.
Riddler Investigation[]
Kidnapped by the Riddler[]
One night after a party at 44 Below, Colson entered his car, and was knocked unconscious and abducted by the Riddler, who taped his mouth with gaffer tape, strapped a time bomb to his neck, and ordered him to crash into the funeral of Don Mitchell Jr. in his car.
Riddles for his Life[]
- "How much?"
"Nothing!"
"HOW MUCH!?"
"Ten grand. Ten G's a month. I get a monthly payment just not to prosecute certain cases." - ―Batman and Gil Colson.[src]
The event quickly turned into a hostage situation, which reached it's peak at the arrival of Batman, whom Riddler had left a letter asking for him to come.[1] When Batman arrived, the Riddler called him via Colson's cell phone. After berating Colson for his corruption when the latter's panicking interrupted his speech, Riddler challenged Colson to answer three riddles, promising to give him the code to defuse the time bomb if he answered all three. Riddler then started the two minute countdown on Colson's time bomb and gave him the first riddle: "It can be cruel, poetic, or blind, but when it's denied, it's violence you may find". Scared and confused, Colson was unable to answer, but the calmer Batman realized the answer was "Justice" and informed Colson.
Colson gives Riddler this answer, which was indeed correct, and Riddler gave the second riddle: "If you are justice, please do not lie. What is the price for your blind eye?". Batman realized that Riddler was asking Colson how much it cost for him to turn his back. Though reluctant to answer, Colson informed Riddler of his $10,000 monthly payments when 58 seconds remained on his time bomb. Riddler then gave Colson the final riddle: "Since your justice is so select, please tell us which vermin you're paid to protect". Colson was horrified to learn from Batman that this riddle's answer was the name of the informant who has been protected from prosecution for their aid in the Salvatore Maroni case.
As the timer reached 20 seconds, Colson knew the informant was Carmine Falcone, but refused to publicly reveal the name. Batman pointed out Riddler was going to kill Colson if he didn't answer, but Colson was content to die to avoid possible retaliation on his family by Falcone's hands. Colson defended his decision and asserted to Batman that the informant was "the whole system", before the timer expired and the bomb detonated, killing him and knocking Batman unconscious.
Legacy[]
After his death, Colson's role as being in Falcone's pocket would be exposed to the public. He would later be replaced by a new ambitious district attorney whom sought to improve the city's legal system.
Personality[]
Gil Colson comes off as cowardly, meek, and pitiful to others.[2] However, despite being a corrupt official, he had some decency and also opted to have himself be killed by the Riddler rather than reveal Carmine Falcone as a police informant to save his family from being harmed. He was also genuinely polite to Selina Kyle and the staff working at Iceberg Lounge.
Abilities[]
- Expert Lawyer: To Be Added
Relationships[]
Family[]
Allies[]
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Enemies[]
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Appearances[]
| Appearances for Gil Colson |
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| In chronological order: |
Trivia[]
- Gil Colson's name could possibly be a nod to the corrupt officer Gil Mason in Batman: The Animated Series.
- He also shares a name with President Richard Nixon’s advisor and hatchet man, Chuck Colson. Colson was the first member of Nixon's administration to be imprisoned for his political dirty work.[3]
- Gil Colson's death is very similar to the death of Rachel Dawes from The Dark Knight. Maggie Gyllenhaal, who portrayed Rachel Dawes in the movie, is the real life spouse of Peter Sarsgaard.[4]
References[]
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- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Reeves, Matt & Craig, Peter (writers); Reeves, Matt & Clark, Dylan (producers); & Reeves, Matt (director) (March 4, 2022). The Batman.
- ↑ THE BATMAN Star Peter Sarsgaard Reveals Some New Details About His Character Gil Colson
- ↑ "A Detective Story: To Understand Matt Reeves and The Batman, Look to the 1970s" - MovieMaker
- ↑ The Dark Knight