- "Who wants to shake hands with a skeleton?"
- ―Alex Sartorius to Rupert Thorne[src]
The Massacre of Rupert Thorne's Gang was a revenge campaign orchestrated by Alex Sartorius to avenge the death of his family, massacring Rupert Thorne along with his family and gang members.
Background[]
Parvin Sartorius and her son are murdered by Rupert Thorne and his gang
- "It's the age-old story of the nuclear scientist who goes crazy, murders his family and then commits suicide by atomizing himself with nuclear energy."
- ―Rupert Thorne[src]
Seeking to conduct a nuclear fusion experiment to cure cancer, scientist Alex Sartorius sought resources to fund his experiment, leading him to make a deal with gangster Rupert Thorne, agreeing to provide him with results about the experiments for the country of Bialya in exchange for his money. With his wife, Parvin, terrified by Thorne's business dealings, Sartorius set out to protect his family and delivered false results to Thorne, however, his attempts failed when Bialya scientists discovered the truth, causing Thorne and his gang to murder Parvin and her son in revenge against Sartorius, who broke down in tears for his family's death.
Alex Sartorius transforms into a metahuman
Sartorius was kidnapped by Thorne and his gang, who took him to Sartorius Labs, where Thorne reprimanded Sartorius for betraying their deal after Bialya's scientists discovered his deception. When the henchmen discovered the true results, Sartorius attempted to defend his actions, but Thorne continued to taunt him and ordered him to be placed in a nuclear chamber to be killed, causing a massive explosion before fleeing the lab. However, Sartorius managed to survive, transformed into a skeletal metahuman with radioactive powers, and with his newfound power, he set out to exact revenge on Thorne.[1]
Massacre[]
Alex Sartorius about to murder Rupert Thorne
- "Industrialist and reputed crime figure, Rupert Thorne, was found dead today along with his wife and two children."
- ―Reporter[src]
Traveling through the streets of Gotham City, Alex Sartorius made his way to Rupert Thorne's mansion, where he demanded to see the gangster to the security guard, who questioned whether he had an appointment. However, he simply incinerated his face and walked through the gates to enter the mansion, watching Thorne having dinner with his wife and children. As Thorne continued to play, Sartorius entered the kitchen, interrupting the family dinner, sadistically questioning whether they would shake his hand before incinerating Thorne to death and then murdering his wife and children, the news of which was reported by the city, in retaliation for his murdered family.
Alex Sartorius murders the last henchman
Continuing his revenge, Sartorius pursued the members of Thorne's gang, finding one of them in his apartment, managing to tie him to a chair with an apple in his mouth. Using gasoline, Sartorius incinerated the criminal alive, who began to scream in pain, while Sartorius laughed at him. At a supermarket, a henchman was buying cereal before being surprised by Sartorius, who grabbed him by the neck and incinerated him. Upon finding the last henchman, Sartorius grabbed him by his ankles and ignoring his pleas, the henchman's ankles were incinerated, causing the henchman to fall to the ground, with Sartorius completing his revenge.[1]
Aftermath[]
Doctor Phosphorus reclaims Rupert Thorne's empire
- "From this moment forward, everything that was Rupert Thorne's now is mine. His money, his territory, his drug business, everything. Got it?"
- ―Doctor Phosphorus[src]
Due to the position of power that Rupert Thorne left behind after being murdered by him, Alex Sartorius joined the rest of Gotham City's gangsters to reclaim everything belonging to Thorne's criminal empire. Frightened by the metahuman's power, the gangsters agreed to his request, granting him leadership of the empire. Sartorius began a criminal career and founded his own gang to terrorize the city, taking the codename "Doctor Phosphorus."[1]