Murmur (DC Comics)

Not to be confused with the Alpha Flight character

Murmur
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	The Flash: Iron Heights #1 (2001)
Created by	Geoff Johns Ethan Van Sciver
In-story information
Full name	Dr. Michael Christian Amar
Team affiliations	The Society The Rogues

Murmur is a supervillain in the DC Comics universe. He is one of the new Rogues to threaten the Flash, first appearing in the prestige format one-shot The Flash: Iron Heights (2001).

Fictional character biography

Dr. Michael Amar, a once respected surgeon, succumbed to madness and started a killing spree to stop the voices inside his head. This spree went through Central and Keystone City and caught the eye of police officers Fred Chyre and Joe Jackam. They later tracked Amar down with the help from Central City forensic scientist, Barry Allen. Part of Amar's psychosis is the inability to stop himself from blurting out his crimes. Because of these outbursts, he is quickly convicted and sentenced to death.

It is soon discovered that Amar's blood is so abnormal that lethal injection can not kill him. While incarcerated in Iron Heights prison, Amar cuts out his own tongue and sews his mouth shut so he will no longer be able to incriminate himself. Wearing a thin mask of his own design, Amar becomes known as Murmur.

While in prison, Murmur creates a virus that kills the guards and prisoners and escapes during the riots it causes. He then joins Blacksmith, who helps him with creating the virus, and her rogues. Afterwards, Murmur strikes out on his own.

Murmur is one of the villains being controlled by the Top during the Rogue War story arc.

Infinite Crisis

In Infinite Crisis #1, Murmur is seen working in Gotham City with the Riddler, the Body Doubles and the Fisherman in a murderous attack on Gotham police officers. He is seen in issue #7 as part one member of the Secret Society of Supervillains, participating in an attack on Metropolis. A superhero army stops the Society. Murmur has also teamed up with another Batman villain - Hush - in the Man-Bat miniseries, which takes place before the Infinite Crisis event.

One Year Later

One year after the events of Infinite Crisis, Murmur has made only one full appearance in the DC Universe. In writer Gail Simone's Secret Six, he is one of the villains sent to retrieve the Get-Out-of-Hell-Free card from the team. The only other mention of the villain post-One Year Later is a framed front page newspaper of the Central City Citizen detailing Murmur's arrest and incarceration by police. It is seen on a wall of the Allen household in The Flash: Rebirth #1.

Powers and abilities

Murmur has no super human powers of a combative nature. All he has is a mutated physiology making him immune to bloodbourne disease or toxins.

Appearances in other media

• Although Murmur has no major parts in any type of media outside of comics, he makes a very brief, nearly impossible to see cameo in the Justice League Unlimited episode "Flash and Substance" as one of the villains in the villain bar. A character closely resembling him can be seen talking to Heat Wave behind far in the background behind Fiddler.
• Murmur appears in Arrow as a leader of a criminal gang and played by Adrian Glynn McMorran. Depicted in season 3, episode "The Offer", Michael Amar is revealed to have been beaten into confessing to a crime he did not commit years prior for which he served in Iron Heights. He then proceeded to have his mouth sewn shut. After his release, he went on to seek revenge against the police by stealing diamonds to make diamond-tipped bullets which could pierce their body armor. His plan is foiled and he is subdued by Team Arrow. Later in season 4, Damien Darhk is seen in jail with Murmur who has built up a gang in prison. Murmur and his gang beat up Darhk who in revenge forces Murmur to murder his gang and work for H.I.V.E by threatening his grandmother. Murmur contributes to the prison break and the Black Canary's resulting death. Murmur is present as an agent of H.I.V.E, going out and leading squads of soldiers in their missions leading up to Darhk's ultimate goal of global nuclear annihilation. He and Danny Brickwell / Brick are sent by Darhk to kill Noah Cuttler because he is the only one able to disable Rubicon and nuclear missiles. When Amar goes to Star City Data Center to kill them, Oliver and John defeat him and is presumably arrested.

Other Murmurs in the DC Universe

An earlier supervillain called Murmur appeared in Peter David's Supergirl series (first appearance in issue 33, 1999). This Murmur is a demon in the service of The Carnivore. He has an angel-like appearance, dark blue skin and golden armor. He rides a golden gryphon and wielded a powerful golden lance.

External links

• Hyperborea article on Murmur
• Crimson Lightning - An online index to the comic book adventures of the Flash.