| “ | Are we mad? I'm afraid so. | „ |
| ~ Jonathan Cartwright |
Jonathan Cartwright, also known as Mouse, is the secondary antagonist of Season 1 of Batwoman.
He was a criminal who was severely disfigured on the left side of his face after unknown means, presumably from an accident involving fire, but possesses the innate ability to impersonate anyone by mimicking their voice and using skin grafts-made masks. After suffering years of abuse from his father, August Cartwright, he became a close friend/brother-figure of Beth Kane and acted as her second-in-command of the Wonderland Gang following Chuck Dodgson's arrest.
He was portrayed by Sam Littlefield, who also portrayed Roderick Gless in Criminal Minds.
Biography[]
Johnathan Cartwright grew up in isolation due to his disfigurement. He lived alone with his father, August Cartwright, until they saved Beth Kane. Johnathan’s father held Beth against her will and during that time, Johnathan befriended her, but refuses to free her because of his desire for friendship. At some point, he was sent to Arkham Asylum and Beth became the criminal Alice. Johnathan (going only by Mouse) escapes Arkham and rejoined Alice as they hid out in an abandoned apartment.
Alice and Mouse conspired to steal a weapon from the company ran by Alice‘s stepmother, but mistrust formed between the two of them when Mouse found out Alice had been hiding that her sister Kate Kane is Batwoman. Mouse raged at Alice for deception and affection for Kate, causing him to use the acquired weapon to kill their hostage.
Alice later talked with Mouse and said she wanted both Kate and Mouse to be with her. Mouse said he doesn’t like to share, and Alice told Mouse that they would be sharing Kate, assuring Mouse they would kill Kate if she didn’t join them. However, when August died, Mouse wanted to leave Gotham with Alice to put their lives behind them, and in turn Alice, refusing to give up her grudge and anger toward her family, poisoned Mouse so "he wouldn't leave her." He then died in her arms and his body was kept by Alice, until she used it to infect bats with poison.
Trivia[]
- Jonathan Cartwright is a gender-bent male version of the character and is a reference to Jane Cartwright, also known as Jane Doe.
- Johnny stealing the faces of others and using them as masks to hide his disfigured face makes him similar to Leatherface, a fictional serial killer from Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
- He is somewhat similar to Johnathan Crane/Scarecrow from Gotham. Along with sharing the same first name, both of them are raised by their insane fathers and end up following in their evil footsteps.
- In the episode "Off With Her Head", it is revealed that the Arrowverse's Johnathan Crane is a former colleague of the late Dr. August Cartwright.
- Growing up in isolation, Johnny had a twisted view on friendship, as when Beth was held captive by his father, Johnathan mimicked Beth's voice to her father to avoid suspicion and wouldn't help her escape because "he wanted her to be his friend," despite the mental toll it had on her and that her distressed family was desperately looking for her.
- This selfishness also led to a sort of possessive behavior toward Alice, like when he found out Alice know Kate was Batwoman and was protecting her, he felt betrayed saying that Kate gave up on her and he was the only who "defended" Beth. This could be due to a presumable fear of abandonment and losing his friend, the only person in his life who showed him kindness and acceptance for who he is.
- This co-dependency of his also led to his downfall, as he was willing to give up everything, including his own happiness, peace, and a chance at healing his mental health for Alice, and forcing her to choose between him and Kate ultimately made Alice decide to kill him.
- Interestingly a therapy treatment technique they used included getting rid of whatever ties them to their trauma, and since Alice killed John because she didn't want him to leave her, it's also possible that killing him also release a bit of anchored trauma for her, as he is also partly responsible for Beth becoming Alice.
