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Baffler

Baffler

A low level villain of high muscle mass and poor education, the Baffler is on a fruitless quest to be known and respected. He leaves childish clues to his crimes in an attempt to be like his former employer, Cluemaster.

Name:
Baffler
Publisher:
Real name:
Titus Samuel Czonka
Aliases:
  • Czonk
  • The Headbanger
  • The Baffler
  • Titus Czonka
  • Master of Mysteries
  • Titus Samuel Czonka
Birth date:
None
Gender:
Male
Powers:
  • Invulnerability
  • Stamina
  • Super Strength
  • Unarmed Combat
  • Weapon Master
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Origin

Titus Czonka was a jackhammer operator before he turned to crime. He grew sick of the average Joe lifestyle, and wanted to be known and remembered as a super villain. However, Czonka was not very bright, was not even slightly "evil" at heart, and failed at most independent attempts to do... well, just about anything. Nevertheless, he began a life of villainy.

Major Story Arcs

Czonka was naturally attracted to the more criminally minded Cluemaster, who he attempted to escape from Blackgate with on multiple occasions. The two often teamed up, both as a duo and as part of a team of c-list villains like the Electrocutioner. In one such team up, after Cluemaster had been cured of his compulsion to leave clues (similar to the style of the Riddler), Czonka took that as an opening to create an actual villain persona: "The Baffler."

Though Cluemaster discouraged the idea (and forced onto him the persona of "Headbanger" instead), Czonka began leaving behind cruddy pictures as clues to what they were planning... which in turn lead to their plan being thwarted by Robin and Spoiler.

Czonka escaped police custody and went on a solo adventure, re-adopting the Baffler persona. He decided that he needed to take down a real hero to gain respect, and so he targeted Cluemaster's daughter Spoiler. He sent badly written messages to Spoiler, who actually fell for his trap because she failed to take them seriously (she thought a child made them). In a stroke of pure luck, Baffler also captured Robin, who was out looking for Spoiler. But... as Baffler had both heroes tied up in an abandoned building, he went on an obligatory villainous monologue, during which he hit his head on several pipes and was rendered unconscious. As the building was scheduled for demolition, Robin and Spoiler had to free themselves and rescue Baffler from the building as it fell down around them. he briefly considered being a vigilante after that, but the notion didn't last.

Baffler escaped prison during the Gotham Earthquake, but was taken down by Huntress and later incarcerated up in the No Man's Land Blackgate by LockUp, where he stayed until Nightwing broke in and rescued him and all the other prisoners inside.

Powers & Abilities

While he doesn't seem to technically have any powers, Baffler is incredibly strong, and decent with most guns and machines. This however is offset by his incredible stupidity and roller coaster self-esteem.

Issues

January 1949

November 1993

December 1993

February 1994

March 1994

April 1994

February 1995

January 1997

July 1997

August 1997

December 1998

June 1999

July 2020

Volumes

1937

1993

1997

1998

2020

Friends

Enemies