An amateur inventor, Bertram Larvan designed a mechanical insect that could help the insect, bird, and animal life that prey on man. Larvan was convinced that this would make him his fortune. Unfortunately, without financial backing, Larvan could not build a working model of his robot insect, and without a working model no one would give him financial backing.

Repeatedly rejected and growing ever more bitter against society as time passed, Bertram Larvan decided to break the vicious cycle by stealing the money he needed for his invention.

Larvan used the robot insect he built with money from his first robbery to steal more money, until he had built himself a veritable army of robot insects, beginning a crime wave which brought him into battle with the Atom.

In his guise as the Bug-Eyed Bandit, Larvan accidentally discovered the Atom's secret identity, and used this information in his repeated attempts to slay the tiny titan. These attempts all failed, and Larvan became a victim of amnesia whilst in prison.

At some point, Bertram Larvan met his demise and has been identified as one of the deceased entombed below the Hall of Justice.

Bertram's son has taken over the role as the new Bug-Eyed Bandit.

Bug Eyed Bandit, The Thinker. The Panther, Ion Mask, and Wizardo the Great have joined together to battle the new Atom, Ryan Choi. It appears Bug Eyed Bandit and Thinker are alive after the multiple Crisis events.

Other Media

On The CW's The Flash, the Bug Eyed Bandit is a woman named Brie Larvan. Her first appearance is in the episode; "All-Star Team-up," in which The Atom and Felicity Smoak visit Central City.