- "I was a Rat in this life. Maybe I'll be something different in the next."
- —Shrike, before setting himself on fire[src]
Having endured Gotham's meanest streets, Boone Carver accrued an extensive rap sheet by the age of eighteen. Shuttled between juvie and foster homes, Boone cultivated a deep-seated resentment towards authority while occasionally demonstrating compassion for others trapped in the system. He emerged from a short stint at Blackgate Prison as the assassin "Shrike," wholly devoted to the Rat King.
Incident Reports[]
Prior to Arkham Origins Incident[]
Boone Carver was a troubled youth who resided at several of the Youth Crisis Centers run by Dr. Leslie Thompkins, until they were all shut down due to budgetary constraints. He was sent to Blackgate Prison for unknown reasons and paroled in June of Batman's third year in Gotham. He moved into the Beacon Hotel with another former resident of the Youth Crisis Centers, Dick Grayson, who was like a little brother to him since before Blackgate and who looked up to Shrike as a big brother. At this point Blackgate had radicalized him; he had accrued an extensive rap sheet by age 18. As a result of having been shuttled between juvenile hall and foster homes, Carver had cultivated a deep-seated hatred towards authority, though he demonstrated compassion towards others trapped in the system. After a short stint in Blackgate, he joined The Rats and gained the street name "Shrike", rising to be one of the Rat King's top lieutenants and assassins. Dr. Thompkins sent him a letter reaching out, but was ignored.
Arkham Shadow Incident[]
During the riots held on the night of Independence Day, Shrike attempted to shoot GCPD's interim commissioner James Gordon at the Pigsty from the roof of the nearby Beacon Hotel. Gordon survived thanks to his bullet-proof vest, and Batman gave chase.
Batman pursued Shrike to the Solomon Wayne Courthouse, where Shrike and his Rats had taken Dr. Thompkins and Harvey Dent prisoner. Shrike doused Dent in gasoline and took him to the balcony in front of the courthouse, where the GCPD and media watched helplessly as he prepared to set Dent on fire, declaring that it would be the flashpoint for their revolution. Batman snuck up on him from behind and saved Dent, and proceeded to interrogate Shrike. Shrike affirmed that he would not talk, and demanded to be sent to Blackgate for "salvation". When Batman refused, Shrike demanded that Batman kill him. When Batman refused again, Shrike set himself on fire and threw himself off the balcony.
In the aftermath, the GCPD and media were unsure of whether Batman had murdered Shrike or not.
Shrike later appeared in a hallucination experienced by Batman after the latter was exposed to Dr. Jonathan Crane's Project Umbra gas. In the vision, Shrike is killed and eaten by the Shadow Batman.
Equipment[]
- Sniper Rifle
Quotes[]
Game Over Lines[]
- "People like you have looked down on me all my life. Who’s looking down now, Bat?"
- "Take one last look at your hero, Dent. This is what happens when you stand against the Rat King."
Personality[]
Shrike was desperate and nihilistic, believing himself to have nothing to live for. He had a nervous habit of burning paper with a butane lighter. He also had a deep-seated hatred of authority, a result of his experience in juvenile halls and foster homes.
However, Shrike was also known to express compassion to others who he felt were abandoned by Gotham. Notably, Dick Grayson looked up to him as an older brother. Shrike inspired loyalty among the other Rats.
His last words imply that he believed in the concept of reincarnation.
Distinguishing features[]
Shrike had several straight line scars across his face:
- One across his mouth and chin
- One across his chin
- One above his left eye
He also had several tattoos:
- "RAT" (with a tail emerging from the letter T) on his left collarbone
- "1999" and a skull on his right bicep
- A sword on his left bicep
Trivia[]
- The Boone incarnation of Shrike was an enemy of Dick Grayson in the comics. Ironically, in this continuity, Shrike was Grayson's close friend and mentor before being killed.