Inque
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Inque (pronounced "ink") is a fictional character from the DCAU series Batman Beyond. She is a shapeshifting femme fatale with an aversion to water. Inque can turn into a dark liquid and slide through the smallest cracks, or apply herself to the surface of an object in order to avoid detection. She was voiced by actress Shannon Kenny.
As with many of the Batman Beyond villains, she seems to be inspired by an original Batman villain; in this case, Clayface. Inque can also be compared to Spider-Man's enemy The Sandman due to similar powers and recuperation, or possibly Venom for the dark, tendril-based powers she sports.
In every one of Inque's five appearances, she proved to be one of Batman's most powerful adversaries, as Batman was not able to defeat her alone, requiring assistance from Bruce Wayne (twice), Deanna Clay, Superman, and several members of the Justice League. Out of Terry's entire rogues gallery, Inque has come the closest to killing him on several occasions, a feat not even Blight has accomplished.
Inque would later join the Iniquity Collective in their fight against the Justice League Unlimited.
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[edit] Appearances in Batman Beyond
[edit] Black Out
Inque first appears as an industrial saboteur hired by Derek Powers, the owner of Wayne-Powers. Batman encounters her several times, and she eventually attaches herself to the outside of the Batmobile as it returns to the Batcave.
When she is discovered after Bruce Wayne notices that the Batmobile is carrying extra weight, Inque attempts to escape the Batcave, and in doing so, learns its location. Though she very nearly kills Terry, she is defeated when Terry uses Mr. Freeze's freeze gun to immobilize her in a block of ice, preventing her from shapeshifting any longer. The block of ice containing Inque is then delivered to Police Commissioner Barbara Gordon.
[edit] Disappearing Inque
Some time after her last battle with Batman, Inque is released by Aaron Herbst, a man infatuated with her (and is ultimately betrayed by her). However, she is no longer able to change back into her human form, so she desperately seeks a cure for her condition, as well as vengeance against Batman and Bruce Wayne.
Inque manages to capture Batman, and by using his communicator, she sends a message to Bruce, calling him out. Despite having a heart problem, Bruce dons a powerful exo suit and comes to Terry's rescue. Inque is defeated when rain falls on her unconscious body and washes her into the sewers.
[edit] Inqueling
In this third season episode, Inque returns, fully recovered. However, she finds little opportunity to renew her mercenary ways because, after sabotaging a satellite launch, she is betrayed by her new client and left falling apart at the molecular level. Wounded and in need of more mutagen to heal herself, Inque turns to the one person she thinks she can trust: a money-hungry teenage girl named Deanna Clay, who turns out to be her daughter.
Inque explains that she has been channeling money into her daughter's bank accounts since she abandoned her as a child, and convinces Deanna to steal more mutagen for her. Deanna returns with the mutagen, and Inque uses it for one last battle with Batman. Though she was winning the battle, prior to the finishing blow, she begins to dissolve again, and realizes that the mutagen had been tampered with; Deanna had betrayed her and added a solvent to the mutagen that was causing Inque's dissolution.
With Inque dead, Deanna gains full access to her mother's immense bank accounts, and is last seen living the high life in her own mansion. However, Batman arrives to warn her that Inque's "been dead before", leaving Deanna to twitch nervously over the shadows in her courtyard.
[edit] The Call, Part 1
Inque's death is proven wrong once again, as she appears in the first half of a two-part Batman Beyond /Justice League Unlimited crossover, where she clashes with Superman but is defeated by him.
[edit] Other appearances
Inque also appeared in the Batman Beyond comic book, this time acting as Batman's ally against a cyborg scientist who had enslaved Inque using bio-implants. Though she seemingly sacrificed herself to save Batman's life, somehow she once again managed to survive.
In the Justice League Unlimited episode "Epilogue", Inque appears, alive and well 15 years after the conclusion of Batman Beyond. She battles the JLU as a member of the Iniquity Collective, and was seemingly apprehended by Green Lantern Kai-ro, although this incident was just Batman's own imagination during his soul searching quest with Amanda Waller after he discovered not only he and his brother Matt are sons of Warren and Mary McGinnis, but also the genetic offsprings of Bruce Wayne.
