Quincy Sharp

For three years prior to Batman: Arkham Asylum, Quincy Sharp was the warden of Arkham Asylum before he was elected as the Mayor of Gotham City. Sharp dedicated his life to "curing" Gotham, and was rather dismissive of Batman and the criminal underworld. However, he was also corrupt, as Sharp was cursed with a split personality that divided his mind between himself and a killer.

Biography
Quincy Sharp came from a wealthy family with a long and proud military history. An only child and the last of the Sharp dynasty, Quincy himself failed the military academy and his application into the military was denied as well.

With that career closed to him, Sharp then went into the only other job option available for a member of the wealthy Sharp family: city politics. Eventually, Sharp became the Warden of Arkham Asylum with a shot as the Gotham City mayoral candidate one day.

Before Arkham Origins Incident
Sharp had presumably already been established in Gotham's politics for some time, although the exact position he held was not stated.

Arkham Origins Incident
Sharp was approached by a woman named Shiva. She explained that she represented a powerful man who could help him become Mayor of Gotham City. All that Sharp had to do was open an asylum for the criminally insane called Arkham. At that time, Quincy was a just a political activist with a lust for power. He promptly agreed and started campaigning for the asylum immediately.

Sharp was interviewed by Jack Ryder after the events which happened that night. Sharp blamed Blackgate Prison for everything, and claimed that the mentally ill inmates should be taken somewhere else to be treated for their illnesses. He then vowed to re-open Arkham Asylum to its old state, in order to help those who had mental illnesses.

Cold, Cold Heart Incident
Sharp was mentioned at the end of Cold, Cold Heart, where he spoke on the recent attack by Mr. Freeze, and how criminals like him should belong in Arkham Asylum, and used the publicity to step up his campaign.

Between Arkham Origins and Arkham Asylum Incident
Somewhere between Arkham Origins and Arkham Asylum, Sharp re-opened Arkham Asylum to its old state and hired new doctors and security staff (among them were: Penelope Young, Aaron Cash, Sarah Cassidy, Hugo Strange, Tom Elliot, William North and Eddie Burlow), before he admitted new patients: Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, Joker, Harley Quinn, Two-Face, Firefly, Killer Croc, Mad Hatter, Calendar Man, Black Mask, Penguin, Clayface, Zsasz, Mr. Freeze and Riddler, to be treated for their "illnesses".

Road to Arkham Incident
Several years later, after he apprehended the Joker, Batman called Warden Sharp to tell him that he would arrive in fifteen minutes. Warden Sharp notified the Arkham security staff of his frustration of the Joker's previous escape and would not tolerate any more incompetence among the guards, and stated that: "We straighten out Arkham today, we straighten out Gotham City tomorrow." One of the Asylum's guards noted that it sounded as if Sharp was getting ready to run for political office.

Unbeknownst to his security guards and doctors, Sharp was as mentally ill as the inmates that he had been put in charge of. Previously diagnosed as a schizophrenic (a condition that went untreated due to Sharp hiding it in shame), on taking over the administration of Arkham Asylum, Sharp became obsessed with the hidden writings of Amadeus Arkham.

As he read more of these memoirs, Sharp became convinced that the ghost of Amadeus was talking to him and drove him to secretly stalk and kill his patients. Dr. Hugo Strange was also secretly drugging the Warden's tea with the Mad Hatter's mind control serum, which turned Sharp into Strange's puppet, and aggravated his condition.

Arkham Asylum Incident
Warden Sharp and his security personnel greeted Batman with his arrival at Arkham. A team of heavily-armored, helmeted, asylum guards wasted no time in strapping Joker to a handcart and prepared to wheel him to his cell. Sharp vocalized his disgust for the Joker and instructed his staff to take him down to the intensive care unit, and double-check that security was tightened. Sharp told William North, an Arkham security officer in charge of guarding the Intensive Treatment Lobby, that another Joker crime spree would cause him to lose support for his mayoral campaign.

North assured Sharp that every guard was on duty and present at Arkham. Sharp obviously had his doubts, however, as he eyed North seriously, and flatly told him: "I hope it's enough, Officer North, for your sake." Sharp stayed with North and another guard in the upper level of the Lobby as Joker was being taken through. He tried to assure Batman that Joker would change, and said: "Don't worry, Batman. The next time you see this reprobate, he'll be a changed man. I've got Dr. Young working on a cure as we speak." Sharp wasted no time in reporting to the Secure Transfer Unit upon hearing of the Joker's escape from custody. After the takeover of the Intensive Treatment Center by the Joker, Harley Quinn took Sharp hostage, and contacted Batman via several monitors in the Patient Pacification Chamber to show the trussed-up Warden.

Shortly after, the Joker's men invaded the heavily-guarded Arkham East, killed the security guards on duty, and secured the Arkham Mansion and the Botanical Gardens. They came across guards Aaron Cash and Zach Franklin escorting Dr. Penelope Young to her office. Upon overpowering the two guards after Young's escape, the clowns contacted Harley Quinn about coming to the mansion grounds to torture Dr. Young's whereabouts out of Cash and Franklin. Batman rescued the two guards, although not before Harley Quinn had started for the mansion, with a captive Sharp in tow. Harley made her way through Arkham East to the Arkham Mansion with Warden Sharp where they came across Batman, stunned on the floor after a large explosion in Sharp's Office that was triggered by Dr. Young's attempt to retrieve his security codes. Harley removed the duct tape over Sharp's mouth before she smashed him over the head with his own cane. Harley took Sharp to the Penitentiary where she forced him to read a variety of ridiculous and outrageous statements over Arkham's intercom system, and stuck him with an electrified stun baton as he refused: ("All Arkham guards must now immediately unload their weapons. I recommend...unloading them into your head!").

Batman followed them by tracking Sharp's DNA to the Security Control Room. Sharp watched in horror as a security monitor showed Harley Quinn free Poison Ivy, and the Joker setting loose all the more high risk Arkham mental patients all over the island. Batman freed the Warden, and received part of Arkham's security clearance codes, which allowed him to bypass previously inaccessible areas. Batman told the Warden to stay put while he went after Harley, and the Warden locked the door behind him.

Sharp eventually used a rusty nail and his own blood to write his last chronicle, addressed directly to Batman himself. Then he escaped the Penitentiary and vanished into the chaos. Unknown to Sharp, Clayface watched him leave in idle curiosity.

Upon deducing the identity of the so-called Spirit of Amadeus Arkham, and reading the message left in the Security Control Room at the Penitentiary, Batman returned to the Arkham Mansion and discovered a secret chamber within Sharp's Office. On the far left wall inside was a detailed blueprint of Gotham City where Sharp had issued a proposal to the city official to buy up a large portion of Gotham's slums and wall them off with reinforced barriers, and create Arkham City, the new prison for both the Blackgate prisoners and Arkham patients alike.

Between Arkham Asylum and Arkham City Incident
After the riots, Sharp resurfaced and took full credit for stopping the Joker and his plans to destroy Gotham. Seen as a hero, Sharp was able to use the fame to easily win his election for Mayor.

Now in complete power and control, one of Sharp's first courses of action was to implement the Arkham City plan that he had formulated, and placed the relatively unknown psychiatrist, Hugo Strange in charge. Unlike Blackgate and Arkham Asylum, Arkham City was an anarchic prison where the inmates were not kept in cells and were given free reign, the only rule being that escape attempts would not be tolerated. The penalty for breaking this rule was death, a punishment that Sharp entrusted with TYGER, an organization of mercenaries he had hired to patrol the borders, to carry out.

While this seemed to be Sharp's way of keeping the inmates where they belonged, Sharp's murderous tendencies may have hinted at a much more insidious motive. Knowing that putting every criminal and super-villain in one place would lead to war and rivalry among them, Sharp may have been using Arkham City to incite a war among the criminals in order to have them wipe each other out.

Arkham City Incident
By that point, the combination of schizophrenia and Strange's mind warping serums had taken their toll. Sharp's delicate psyche had become so sensitive, that he had to be instructed by Strange to do even the most basic tasks like 'go to bed' or 'hang up the phone', and to do his job, and he needed constant morale boosting speeches.

At some point, Sharp also broke the mental hold, and tried to trace the source of Strange's funding. However, he was caught rummaging through the files. Realizing that his puppet was no longer useful and could not be trusted any more, Strange had the Mayor kidnapped and thrown into his own prison city. Loudspeakers blaring, Strange told the prisoners to welcome their newest inmate.

Batman hurried to the entrance of Arkham City, where a welcoming committee of five of Two-Face's Henchmen were beating Sharp to a pulp. After saving Sharp, however, Batman was shown to be no less ruthless, hung him off the ledge of a building, and demanded to know who funded Arkham City. Sharp explained that he had been manipulated by Strange since his time at Arkham Asylum. Strange told Sharp that he had powerful friends who would provide funds for Sharp's campaign to become Mayor, the only condition was that he set up the Arkham City facility, and put Strange in charge. Sharp revealed that wiping out Gotham's criminal element: "Was to be [his] legacy." Batman said that all the destruction and death was his fault, and left Sharp on the rooftop to enjoy his 'legacy.'

Sharp remained there, and nursed his injuries until he was forced to flee during Protocol Ten. Surviving the bombardment, Sharp eventually made his way to the Church Medical Center, where Vicki Vale and the medical team that were saved from the Riddler were holed up. Vicki attempted to interview the broken Sharp, who looked tired and just pleaded with her to leave him alone. However, Sharp did acknowledge his role in the whole mess and apologized for bringing the wrath of the inmates down on everyone.

After Arkham City Incident
After the events of Arkham City, Sharp was discharged. After his trial, Vicki Vale confronted Sharp with the knowledge that he had been providing weapons to the gangs of Arkham City, which he tried to deny until she showed him the requisition form with his signature on it. Realizing that his life and reputation were both destroyed beyond repair, Sharp apparently hung himself from his cell's light fixture with his bed sheets, an act brought about by a mentally suggested implant of the late Hugo Strange, his legacy being one of a weak and pathetic man who allowed himself to be used in a conspiracy to murder thousands, simply to satisfy his lust for power.

Arkham Knight Incident
During Scarecrow's attack, Sharp's old campaign poster was seen on Miagani Island as a riddle. The riddle revealed that, while in prison, Sharp suffered from hallucinations of his "master" Hugo Strange which encouraged him to commit suicide.

Personality
Sharp was pompous, supercilious and ignorant but more dangerous than he let on. He hated not only Batman, but every patient of Arkham Asylum as well, specifically super-criminals such as the Joker or Poison Ivy, referring to them in diabolical terms. He seemed to care very little for the safety of the inmates though it's unknown if he was aware of Penelope Young's methods of manufacturing Titan by experimenting on Bane, but he nonetheless supported her fully. This occurred again when he willfully turned a blind eye to Hugo Strange's immoral experiments with the Arkham Lunatics out of fear from his powerful friends and promise to make him mayor. Sharp, while dedicated to cleaning the streets of Gotham City appears to be focused on rehabilitating Joker solely to upholster his mayoral campaign and political image than for the actual good of Gotham. Sharp could easily turn cowardly and wasn't very intelligent, which led to him being manipulated by Shiva and Strange. Despite these traits he does care about the doctors of Arkham, attempting to save Stephen Kellerman when he was kidnapped by Ivy. His arrogance led him to hate the nickname the inmates of Arkham had given him, "Sharpie". Like when he complains about the Joker calling him by that ridiculous moniker, telling him to just call him by his title and last name.

However, behind his pretentious facade Sharp was actually very dangerous. Although never officially diagnosed, he showed features of multiple personality disorder and schizophrenia. Ever since becoming the warden of Arkham he was obsessed over its founder Amadeus Arkham and as he uncovered and learnt more of Amadeus became convinced he was possessed by his spirit. As his alter-ego the Spirit of Arkham, Sharp's hatred for criminals became more intense and he would turn rather cruel and sadistic such as putting patients through electroshock therapy even if they were not in need of it and using his authority to murder patients without it appearing as a crime. However, Sharp was also careless enough to attack inmates such as Killer Croc and Joker head-on, almost costing him his life. The references of Biblical verses in his logs imply he had faith in God and believed himself to be the one to cleanse Gotham City as if it was God's command. Because of this he may have felt remorse for some of his crimes as he might not have been in control then and remained unsure as to how just his cause was altogether which he confessed to a preacher. After being caught attempting to murder Joker, Sharp admits to his crimes by hiding his logs throughout Arkham and hoping whoever found them deduced his identity and would continue his work to save Gotham.

Interestingly, Sharp's views appeared to change as time went on like most characters in the series. At first he was more positive and initially saw some criminals as worth saving. However, he later appeared to have been embittered and his hopes at the city's rehabilitation soured, losing all compassion for Gotham's villains and becoming little more than a cynical pessimist who only found joy in abusing his power, which was perhaps Sharp carrying on Amadeus's lifelong hatred towards the criminal element that took his family and ruined his life. This was likely due to years of constant escapes and horrific tragedies on the asylum grounds which destroyed his reputation and chances of becoming mayor as well as other negative feelings only further exacerbated by Strange's mind control.

Batman's Database Profile
Sharp

Dr. Penelope Young
Psychological Profile: During my tenure here at Arkham, I often find myself wondering if it is just the patients who need help. What is it about this place that brings out the worst in people? Warden Sharp clearly overcompensates for a variety of insecurities, and is an excellent practitioner of avoidance and denial. He actually believes it is he who has made a difference here, and not the doctors. The man is quite clearly a fool and for the sake of the asylum, I hope his mayoral campaign goes well.

Additional Notes Sometimes I feel his full attention is not on the job at Arkham. I imagine this is due to his mayoral campaign, but the problem may run deeper.

His constant interference and snooping into my work has been both annoying and patronizing.

Dr. Hugo Strange
Former Arkham Asylum warden Quincy Sharp is now Mayor of Gotham City. Sharp won the election with a promise to radically reduce crime. After taking office, he enacted the controversial project to wall off the Gotham slums, creating Arkham City.

Attributes

 * Intense dedication to "cleaning up" Arkham.
 * Pompous and old-fashioned in demeanor, with a focus on his own political aspirations.
 * Contempt for Arkham inmates and disinterest in the specifics of their treatment masks a cowardly nature.

Arkham Origins

 * "Listen, I'm not sure who you are, or what you want, but I don't appreciate you meddling in my business." (Shiva)
 * "What makes him to sure he can do it?" (Shiva)
 * "Strings. I knew it. (Shiva)
 * "So what did you say this facility was called?" (Shiva)
 * "No. It's not an interesting point. It's just plain wrong. They're both wrong. This isn't about the police or the Bat Man."
 * "It isn't about the state of nation somehow churning out a dangerous new batch of the criminally-deranged."
 * "It's about the failing of one single institution. An institution which-in my view-represents the biggest threat to Gotham and its citizens. A time bomb just waiting to go off."
 * "If tonight's events have taught us anything, it's that Blackgate is not the place to be housing our city's most dangerous offenders."
 * "Not one-but two prison breaks in the same night! All of tonight's tragedies would have been avoided if Gotham had a proper treatment facility for its top echelon offenders."
 * "A place with impenetrable security-where the most dangerous could be isolated, rehabilitated and treated for their illness. A place like Arkham Asylum."
 * "And after what happened tonight, I promise the good people of Gotham that I will work tirelessly-I will lobby the city council-go to the governor if I have to-do everything in my power to get Arkham Asylum reopened. So we can all sleep a little easier."

Arkham Asylum

 * "That's WARDEN Sharp to you." (Joker)
 * "Boles." (Frank Boles)
 * "Get that filthy degenerate out of here." (Joker)
 * "I want him securely locked away this time. Another escape and I will lose support for my mayoral campaign." (Joker)
 * "I hope it's enough, Officer North. For your sake. Joker is our most challenging patient. Curing him will cement my reputation. Inform Dr. Young that her patient is here."
 * "Thank you, Batman. Recapturing Joker will improve my...OUR reputations."
 * "Don't worry, Batman. When you see this reprobate again, he'll be a changed man. I've got Dr. Young working on a cure as we speak."
 * "Somebody help me!"
 * "Let me go, you crazy bitch." (Harley Quinn)
 * "As of 10 minutes ago, I have made it illegal to walk on the floor in any part of the asylum. Anyone caught doing so will be... Oh, this is stupid... Anyone caught doing will have their legs removed and perform magic tricks for Emperor Joker. There, I did it, I..."
 * "This is the Warden... I'm doing what you want!" (Harley Quinn)
 * "This is the Warden. All access to the mainland is... denied!"
 * "This is the Warden. Will all remaining staff please surrender to Joker."
 * "This is the Warden. It is vital that everyone unload their sidearms immediately. I recommend unloading them into... I can't read this. Unloading them into your head."
 * "Help!"
 * "I'm up here!" 
 * "Help me!" 
 * "Please, someone help!"
 * "What are you waiting for? Cut me free!" (Batman)
 * "Cut me free!" (Batman)
 * "He's taken control of the security overrides. I have the sequence generator, but without the terminal in my office, it's useless." (To Batman about Joker)
 * "What? Oh... yes, of course." (Gives Batman the sequencer)
 * "It's useless. Half the code won't get you anywhere. We're trapped in here." (Batman)
 * "Good idea. Can't have someone of my stature falling back into their hands, now can we?"

Arkham City

 * "You can't do this to me! I'm the Mayor, for God's sake!" (Two-Face's Henchmen)
 * "Stay away from me, you animals!" (Two-Face's Henchmen)
 * "I'm not supposed to be here!" (Two-Face's Henchmen)
 * "Please... I shouldn't be here!" (Two-Face's Henchmen)
 * "Please... Leave me alone!" (Two-Face's Henchmen)
 * "None of this would have happened if it wasn't for you." (Batman)
 * "I don't need your help, Batman." 
 * "This is all your fault." (Batman)
 * "No! Please. No." (Batman)
 * "I'll tell you everything. Strange came to me back at the asylum. He told me he had friends; powerful friends. The sort of people who could make things happen. All I had to do was turn a blind eye to his experiments, and work on my campaign. He said his friends would ensure that I won." (Batman)
 * "No!" (Batman)
 * "I have no idea. I never met them. They funded everything. Money was no problem. All I had to do was to setup Arkham City and put Strange in charge; it made sense. The scum of Gotham needed to be punished. It would be my legacy." (Batman)
 * "Strange made me do it. I wanted to stop, but his drugs made me so confused." (Batman)
 * "Strange is a madman. You need to stop him." (Batman)
 * "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." (Batman)
 * "Miss Vale I really don't have anything to say." (Vicki Vale)
 * "It wasn't my fault." (Vicki Vale)
 * "I have no comment. Now please, leave me alone." (Vicki Vale)
 * "Please, just leave me alone." (Batman)
 * "I told you everything." (Batman)

Trivia

 * Quincy Sharp was the first original character who was created for the Arkham Series by Rocksteady.
 * Players of Batman: Arkham Asylum could discover a secret room in the Warden's Office, with an approved plan designed by Sharp himself to "clean up" Gotham City. This was located on the bare wall on the first left once Batman entered the office, where he used all of his Explosive Gel on the middle of the center wall. This location was not seen on any map or by using Detective Mode. It was here that Sharp stored his most important documents, safely hidden away during the Joker's takeover of Arkham. His personal computer and numerous filing cabinets were stored here. It was possible that Sharp had escaped with his most important files, as they appeared ransacked and drawers were left hanging open when the room was discovered. How he was able to get in and out of this room was never revealed. This room was also referenced in the Arkham City Story: "Catwoman & Two-Face".
 * Sharp's security card (as seen on Harley Quinn in Arkham Asylum) spelled his name "Quincey".
 * The password to Sharp's ArkhamCare file was "Amadeus"; with his login being "qsharp187".
 * If you revisit where you left the Warden and used Detective Mode, he appeared to be writing something, but then sat back down underneath the security desk.
 * It was unknown why Riddler chose him when he looked through Dr. Young's files.
 * It was worthy to note that Sharp was the only side character that had appeared, by either physically appearing, or just in dialogue, in all of the Arkham games so far.
 * Various fans believed Sharp to be the Arkham Knight because he was a new character to the Batman-verse just like the Arkham Knight, and Quincy had motives for wanting to destroy Batman: meddling in his affairs, and exposing his and Strange's schemes. However, Batman saved him in Arkham City from Two-Face's henchmen and Sharp was believed to be arrested after the closure of Arkham City, so he was likely still in prison and could not be the Arkham Knight. Also, his physique did not match that of the Arkham Knight, and the fact that Arkham Knight had enough knowledge of military affairs to command a private army and organize the ground troops also ruled Sharp out as he had flunked military school and was barred from serving in the military in his backstory. Sharp was featured in a Gotham City Story in Arkham Knight which was revealed after scanning in a poster of his mayoral campaign for one of Riddler's riddles. The story revealed that Sharp had committed suicide in prison by hanging, an act committed due to him having a insanity-driven vision of Hugo Strange suggest that he do so, thus not only explaining his absence in Arkham Knight, but also ruling him out as a candidate for the Arkham Knight's real identity.
 * Precisely why Sharp was never arrested immediately after the events of Arkham Asylum was unknown. Although it would make sense for Joker and Harley Quinn not to reveal his insanity as it fitted into their plans, Batman would have revealed the information to the GCPD or the public on the spot given that Sharp had become a criminal of the very brand that he hated. It was very likely that Sharp and Strange had thrown anyone aware of his instability into Arkham City first so they could not reveal Sharp's madness. The majority of the inmates in Arkham City were very well aware of Sharp's madness and several of their statements indicated that they were more than willing to kill Sharp if they saw him. This was ultimately what happened when several inmates tried to kill him for his attempted murders on them. Sharp was very likely in jail, although it was unknown if he was imprisoned in Arkham, as he predicted, or if he was in some other jail.
 * Both Sharp and Amadeus Arkham shared the same voice actor, Tom Kane. This is could have been a subtle hint for the current identity of the Spirit of Arkham later on in the journal entries.
 * It is interesting that even though he sought to purge criminals from Gotham, he was working with Ra's al Ghul, one of the most destructive forces to ever hit the city.
 * Sharp would later make an appearance in the DC Comics original podcast Batman Unburied.