You're gliding over the neon-soaked filth of the Bowery, listening to the police scanners crackle with reports of a "suspicious individual," and then you see it. A dead body. It’s slumped in an alley, face wrapped in bloody bandages, looking like a discarded science experiment. This isn't just another random casualty of Hugo Strange’s Protocol 10. This is the start of the Batman Arkham City identity theft side mission, arguably the most unsettling piece of storytelling Rocksteady ever shoved into a sandbox game.
Most players stumble onto this by accident. You’re busy chasing Joker or trying to figure out why Penguin is hoarding museum artifacts, and suddenly you're playing detective in a crime scene that feels way too personal. It’s called "Identity Thief," and if you aren't paying attention to the forensic trails, it’s incredibly easy to miss the narrative breadcrumbs that lead to one of Batman's most twisted rivals.
Honestly, the first time I played this, I thought it was just world-building fluff. I was wrong.
Where to Find the Bodies (Without Spanning the Whole Map)
The quest doesn't just hand you a map marker. That’s not how Batman works. You have to find the first victim to trigger the sequence. This poor soul is located in an industrial area in the Park Row district. Look for an alleyway south of the Church. When you activate Detective Mode, you’ll see the "Identity Thief" tag.
Scan the body. Listen to the evidence. Batman notes that the victim’s face has been surgically removed with "surgical precision." Gross.
- Victim One: Park Row. Look for a small nook near the courthouse area.
- Victim Two: This one is in the Amusement Mile, tucked away near the casino. You won't find this one until you've progressed a bit further into the main story, specifically after you leave the Museum.
- Victim Three: Over by the restricted area near the Ace Chemicals building.
The game forces a waiting period between these discoveries. You can't just speed-run the corpses. You have to leave the area, engage in some "standard" vigilantism, and wait for Oracle or the GCPD scanners to mention another "bandage-faced" victim. It’s a slow burn. It’s meant to make you feel like the killer is working while you're distracted by the bigger threats.
Connecting the Dots to Thomas Elliot
The Batman Arkham City identity theft case isn't about a random thug. As you scan the third victim, you find a bleach trail. This leads you to a small, nondescript apartment. Inside, the vibe shifts from "action game" to "psychological horror." There’s a tape recorder. Play it.
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The voice you hear belongs to Dr. Thomas Elliot, also known as Hush.
For the uninitiated, Tommy Elliot was Bruce Wayne’s childhood best friend. They were like brothers, except Tommy was a sociopath who tried to kill his own parents to inherit their fortune. He hates Bruce because Thomas Wayne—Bruce’s father—actually saved Tommy’s mother’s life, "ruining" Tommy's plan. Talk about a grudge.
In the context of the Arkhamverse, Elliot has spent months "harvesting" skin from inmates who share physical characteristics with Bruce Wayne. He isn't just stealing an identity; he’s literally crafting a mask of Bruce’s face. When you finally confront him in that apartment, the reveal is jarring. He peels back the bandages to show a face that is identical to Bruce Wayne’s.
It’s a chilling moment because it highlights Batman’s one true weakness: his public persona. If someone looks like Bruce Wayne and acts like Bruce Wayne, they can destroy the Wayne legacy faster than a wrecking ball.
Why This Mission Still Bothers People
The mechanics are simple—follow the trail, scan the evidence, watch the cutscene—but the implications are massive. Most side missions in Arkham City end with a boss fight. You punch Bane into a vat, you outsmart the Riddler, you beat Zsasz at his own game.
But with the Batman Arkham City identity theft mission? You don't get the satisfying "K.O."
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Hush walks away.
He locks Batman behind a security gate, brags about his handiwork, and simply exits the building. Batman is left standing there, watching his own face walk out the door. It was a bold move by Rocksteady. They were playing the long game, setting up the events for Arkham Knight years in advance. In 2011, players were furious. We wanted to tackle him right then and there. But looking back, that lack of closure is exactly what makes the mission stick in your brain.
It reminds you that even the World’s Greatest Detective can’t save everyone, and sometimes, he can’t even catch the guy wearing his own face.
Technical Glitches and How to Avoid Them
If you’re replaying this on the Return to Arkham collection or the PC version, there are a couple of annoying bugs that can stall your progress. Sometimes the third body just... doesn't show up.
If you find yourself stuck, check your story progress. The game "gates" these victims. You usually can't finish the Identity Thief questline until after you’ve dealt with the Joker/Vickers incident at the church late in the game. Also, try entering and exiting a building like the Museum or the Steel Mill to force the game world to "reset" its NPC spawns. It usually fixes the trigger.
Another tip: don't confuse the "Identity Thief" bodies with the "Deadshot" victims. Deadshot’s targets have bullet holes. Hush’s victims have missing faces. It sounds simple, but in the dark, rainy chaos of Arkham City, things get blurry.
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The Narrative Legacy of the Identity Thief
When we talk about the Batman Arkham City identity theft plotline, we have to talk about the writing. Paul Dini, the legendary writer behind Batman: The Animated Series, worked on this game. You can feel his touch in the way the mystery unfolds. It’s gothic, it’s personal, and it treats the villains as actual characters rather than just health bars for Batman to deplete.
Hush represents a dark mirror to Bruce. While Bruce used his parents' death to become a symbol of hope (mostly), Tommy tried to cause his parents' death for greed. They are two sides of the same aristocratic coin. By the time you reach the end of the mission, the game isn't asking you to use your gadgets; it’s asking you to witness the horror of what Bruce’s life could have been if he lacked a moral compass.
Quick Summary of Objectives:
- Investigate the First Body: Located in Park Row. Scan the area for DNA and chemical traces.
- Wait for the Second Notification: Usually pops up after completing a major story beat involving Mr. Freeze or Penguin. Head to the Amusement Mile.
- Track the Third Victim: Located near the industrial zone/Ace Chemicals. This will trigger the final forensic trail.
- Follow the Bleach Trail: Use Detective Mode to follow the blue-tinted footprints and spills.
- Enter the Hideout: This is located near the courthouse. You’ll need to bypass a simple security hack.
- The Confrontation: Watch the cutscene, listen to the dialogue, and prepare for a narrative-heavy ending rather than a fight.
Final Practical Steps for Completionists
If you are aiming for that 100% completion mark or the "Perfect Knight - Day 2" achievement, the Batman Arkham City identity theft mission is non-negotiable.
- Check your map periodically. While the bodies don't have markers, the general areas will occasionally pulse with a "New Intel" notification.
- Listen to the Political Prisoners. Sometimes their ambient dialogue actually gives you hints about "the man with the bandages" being seen in certain sectors.
- Save the final encounter for the end. It feels much more impactful to deal with Hush once the immediate threat of Protocol 10 is handled, though you can technically finish it earlier.
Once you’ve finished the apartment encounter, you've officially closed the book on this mystery within Arkham City. You won't see the resolution until you play Arkham Knight, where the "Friend in Need" side mission brings this entire arc to a close. For now, take the experience for what it is: a masterclass in atmospheric storytelling that proves Batman's greatest threats aren't always the ones throwing the loudest punches.
Ensure you have scanned every piece of evidence in the apartment before leaving. There are several environmental details—like the medical supplies and the recordings—that flesh out the "how" of Hush's surgery. It doesn't change the outcome, but for a true fan of the lore, it's the most rewarding part of the investigation.
Go back to the streets. Gotham isn't going to save itself, and there are still plenty of Riddler trophies mocking you from the rooftops.