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Killer Moth is a fictional character in the DC Universe. He first appeared in Batman #63 published in 1951. Killer Moth originally wore a garish costume of purple and green striped fabric, with an orange cape and a moth-like mask.

Killer Moth is not to be confused with another Batman villain, Firefly, who has worn a similar costume.

Fictional character biographies[]

Cameron van Cleer[]

The original Killer Moth was a prisoner identified only by his prison number, 234026. While in prison, he reads a newspaper article about Batman and decides to set himself up as the "anti-Batman", hiring himself out to Gotham City's criminals to help them elude capture by police. Upon his release, he uses the hidden proceeds of his crimes to build a "Mothcave", modeled on the photos of the Batcave in the newspaper article he read.

Killer Moth also establishes a false identity, as millionaire philanthropist Cameron van Cleer. In this guise, he becomes friends with Bruce Wayne. Meanwhile, he promotes himself to Gotham's criminals using his identity as Killer Moth, giving them each an infra-red Moth-signal. In his first job, he rescues some criminals from the police and then uses his Mothmobile to defeat and capture Batman and Robin. The duo escape and lead Killer Moth to a climactic battle on Gotham Bridge, which ends when the villain plunges 1,000 feet into the river and disappears.

In his second appearance (Detective Comics #173 July 1951) Killer Moth kidnaps Bruce Wayne and learns his secret identity. However, he is shot by other criminals and the resultant cranial injury causes amnesia. He remains a persistent enemy appearing through the Silver Age of comics. He is frequently remembered as being the first criminal Batgirl encounters in Detective Comics #359.

Drury Walker[]

Cameron van Cleer[]

Powers and abilities[]

In other media[]

Television[]

  • Killer Moth appears in Batman: the Brave and the Bold.
  • Killer Moth appears in the Teen Titans TV series.

Video games[]

Toys[]

Miscellaneous[]

Parodies/homages[]

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