10 Pathetic Comic Book Villains You Just Feel Sorry For
5. Mad Hatter
When Jervis Tetch was a child, he fell in love with a teenager called Alice Dee. When he realised Dee wasn't interested in him, he assumed it was because he suffered from a type of dwarfism. As a result, Tetch took part in hormonal drug therapy, hoping it would make him taller.
Not only did the therapy fail, Tetch developed side effects including hair loss, schizophrenia, and a hypersensitivity to sound. When he was kept awake one night by the thumping of his rabbit, he killed it, forcing his parents to send him to Arkham.
Locked in isolation for years, Tetch obsessed about having the perfect date with Alice. When he was released, he began kidnapping women and dressing them up as his "Alice". If his Alice doesn't follow his instructions, he'll kill her. Over the years, he has killed hundreds of people, making him one of the most prolific murderers in Gotham.
As inexcusable as the Mad Hatter's actions are, he only became a killer due to a disorder he suffered from birth and a bad reaction to his medication. Sadly, the drug therapy fried his brain beyond repair, meaning he will never be free of his delusions.