Leslie Thompkins

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Dr. Leslie Thompkins
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Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Detective Comics #457 (March 1976)
Created by	Dennis O'Neil Dick Giordano
In story information
Full name	Dr. Leslie Thompkins
Team affiliations	Batman Family
Supporting character of	Batman Robin Nightwing Stephanie Brown

Dr. Leslie Thompkins (sometimes spelled Tompkins) is a fictional character from the Batman mythos. Created by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Dick Giordano, she first appeared in Detective Comics #457 (March 1976).

Close friends with his parents, Leslie serves as a godparent, along with Alfred Pennyworth, and close confidante to Bruce Wayne. Currently, in DC continuity, she is in exile for allowing the death of Stephanie Brown AKA Spoiler.

[edit] Fictional character biography

Leslie is portrayed as having been a close friend of Thomas Wayne. She took it upon herself to look after Wayne's son, Bruce, after the boy's parents were killed, often acting with the family butler, Alfred Pennyworth, as a parental figure and guardian, although other sources have her as a woman who comforted Bruce immediately after his parents' deaths.^{[citation needed]} During that time, Leslie was concerned with Bruce's behavior as he grew increasingly antisocial. She was even more perturbed when she discovered that, in his adult years, Bruce spent his nights fighting the criminal elements of Gotham as the Batman.^{[citation needed]}

Leslie disapproves of Bruce's vigilantism, and feels partly responsible for his transformation into Batman, fearing that somehow she failed him as a role model. Bruce has, though, admitted to feeling guilty for being unable to live up to her pacifist example. She also has been linked to Alfred romantically on more than one occasion.

Dr. Thompkins ran a clinic for criminals and drug addicts in Gotham City. While the majority of her patients were repeat offenders, she continued to do her job with great perseverance and determination. During the No Man's Land storyline, she ran the town's only medical clinic, operating under a strict 'No Violence' policy regardless of her patients. Even Killer Croc respected the rule and stayed out, despite his strong desire for revenge against Victor Zsasz.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] War Games and War Crimes

Spoiler suffered serious injuries at the hands of the Black Mask during the War Games crossover, and was taken to Dr. Thompkins' clinic for treatment. Initially thinking Spoiler died of her injuries, Batman later discovered, during the War Crimes storyline, that Leslie deliberately treated her improperly, resulting in her death while hoping that it would teach Batman the lesson that his constant use of children as partners was putting their lives in danger.

After liquidating her assets and giving them to Spoiler's daughter, she fled to Africa. Batman followed her and forced a confession, coldly informing her that he may not stop violence, but he had never thrown another body onto the pile in the hopes of making a statement. He left warning her that she was just another murderer in his database, and if she ever returned to the United States, or even practiced medicine again, he would have her arrested.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Recent events

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Recently, a mysterious familiar figure has been stalking Tim Drake wearing Stephanie's Spoiler costume, which at one point Tim thought he imagined it to be Stephanie herself.^[1] It is later revealed that the stalker is indeed Stephanie, which led into question of whether Dr. Thompkin truly did neglect treatment for her. The details of Stephanie's return reveals on Robin #174,as Dr. Thompkins faked the death of the girl and switching the body with an overdose victim who had a similar body type.

Leslie herself meanwhile has made a recent, and rather unexpected appearance in the miniseries Gotham Underground, having appeared before an injured Nightwing, currently undercover, and offering him aid. It was later revealed that Leslie was a hallucination and it was the Riddler who had saved Nightwing.^[2]

The Robin/Spoiler one-shot special from 2008 showed both Leslie and Stephanie alive and in exile protecting a village somewhere in Africa.

[edit] Other media

Leslie also appears on several episodes of Batman: The Animated Series, where she is voiced by Diana Muldaur. When the series was rebooted as The New Batman Adventures, Leslie is absent except for a cameo appearance in the episode "Chemistry". She is later mentioned in the spinoff film Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, having cared for Tim Drake after he was driven insane by the Joker.

In the short story "Best of All," featured in the anthology "The Further Adventures of the Joker", the Joker reveals to Batman that Leslie is his mother. He also says that she committed him to a mental institution as a child after he murdered his father, who was abusing her.

[edit] Reference