WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for "Do Not Resuscitate" the latest episode of Batwoman, which aired Sunday on The CW.
Welcome to the Arrowverse, Amygdala. "Do Not Resuscitate," the latest episode of Batwoman, introduced Batman: Shadow of the Bat character Aaron Helzinger when mysterious Hamilton Dynamics scientist Dr. Rodgers charged him with kidnapping Mary Hamilton and her father Jacob Kane.
In the episode's opening salvo, Dr. Rodgers watched a terrible experiment unfold as one of his underlings administered a new drug based on the Coryana desert rose. Instead of curing the man, however, it caused his health to rapidly deteriorate and he soon died. With this latest failure, he realized he needed to go back to the source of the original cure: Mary.
As such, Dr. Rodgers went to Helzinger's room and tasked him with terrorizing Mary into revealing where he could get more of this drug, promising to administer it to him and "fix" the cancer in his brain. So, after ramming into their car with a truck, Helzinger kidnapped Mary and Jacob and brought them back to Mary's secret clinic. He tied them both to chair and interrogated them, until Mary asked him a personal question.
Asked about his craniotomy scar, Helzinger laid out his long, sordid history. "Shrinks called me Amygdala and said that I had my circuits mixed up, that I react wrong to things," he recalled, his voice cracking with emotion. "Saw a puppy, I got pissed off. Saw a kid crying, and it cracked me up. Then, five years ago, the doctors decided I would be the perfect lab rat for this secret experimental treatment, so they fried the bad parts of my brain with UV light."
"Some two dozen treatments later, I go to a movie," he continued. "And I'm sitting there. At one point, I start laughing, and then I hear everybody else around me and they were laughing too. That had never happened before. For the first time in my life, I felt normal."
When Mary expressed surprise that the UV exposure worked, he added, "It did. For a week. Then cancer bloomed in my brain like a cherry blossom. Sometimes, a tumor rubs up against my Amygdala and --" Without warning, he stabbed Jacob with a knife, eliciting a scream from Mary. "--I have an unfortunate moment!" he howled.
Mary begged him to stop, but Helzinger was unrelenting. "Don't you get it? My amygdala is infested with cancer," he spat. "His pain doesn't compute with me. I don't feel anything but angry."
Soon, Helzinger also revealed his ties to Hamilton Dynamics. Even as he explained that Hamilton had conducted secret human experiments, Mary couldn't quite believe it. "My mom was CEO then. She never would have signed off on secret human testing!" she insisted.
"Why do you think they call it secret, genius?" Helzinger shot back. "The new doctors, they promised to fix me!"
Ultimately, Helzinger's mission was as much a success as a failure. He managed to get Mary to reveal Coryana was the source of the cure by threatening Jacob's life. However, he soon found himself fending off an attack by both Sophie and Batwoman. They, in turn, were overpowered by Dr. Rodgers and his henchmen, who spirited Helzinger away. By holding a gun to Sophie's head, Rodgers also forced Ryan to hand over the map to Coryana in exchange for her life. Although Helzinger didn't bring the mission home, he certainly paved the way for Rodgers to get what he wanted.
Originally, Helzinger debuted in 1992's Batman: Shadow of the Bat #3 by Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle. He appeared as a giant, hulking man who was sent to Arkham Asylum due to his tendency for violence. In the comics, however, the doctors at Arkham simply removed his amygdala, which made him even angrier and more violent. Later on, he was rehabilitated and became a good friend to Dick Grayson, Batman's first Robin.
Although Helzinger's future on Batwoman is unclear, Rodgers' drive to recreate the Coryana desert rose cure could hurt more than help the patient. After all, the comic book version of the character has enhanced strength and durability, which he did not exhibit in "Do Not Resuscitate." Another failed attempt at a cure could lead to these abilities, more violent episodes and perhaps even a changed physique.
While Mary and Jacob survived their encounter with Helzinger, their relationship may never be the same. By bringing them to Mary's clinic, Helzinger inadvertently revealed her secret life to her father. He immediately moved to shut her clinic down and, in the process, compared her work to Hamilton Dynamics' secret experiments. In response, she told him her mother had been proud of her and that she liked it better when he pretended she didn't exist. As such, it may take a lot more effort on Jacob's part to get back in her good graces and repair the damage he caused through lack of support.
Batwoman stars Javicia Leslie as Ryan Wilder, Rachel Skarsten as Alice, Meagan Tandy as Sophie Moore, Camrus Johnson as Luke Fox, Dougray Scott as Jacob Kane and Nicole Kang as Mary Hamilton-Kane. New episodes air Sundays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.