Shauna Belzer

Shauna Belzer, the terrifying second villain to carry the Ventriloquist mantle in DC Comics, made her chilling debut in Batgirl #20 (2013), immediately establishing herself as one of the most unsettling antagonists in Barbara Gordon's rogues gallery. Unlike her predecessor Arnold Wesker, Shauna wields genuine supernatural power — her telekinetic abilities allow her to animate objects and puppets without ever touching them, making her far more dangerous than a simple stage performer gone wrong. Her origin touches on divine or eternal forces, lending an otherworldly menace to a character who already unnerves on a purely psychological level.

Shauna's most iconic partnership is with her beloved dummy Ferdie, a grotesque companion she treats with the obsessive devotion of a twisted surrogate relationship. Her telekinesis means Ferdie moves, gestures, and even appears to speak entirely through her psychic will, blurring the line between performance and genuine horror. This dynamic gave writer Gail Simone a unique canvas to explore themes of loneliness, obsession, and the darkness that festers in isolation, all wrapped in a villain who feels genuinely new rather than a retread of classic Batman mythology.

Beyond her solo appearances as a Batgirl nemesis, Shauna's connections to Arkham Asylum and the Secret Six place her within the wider DC universe, giving collectors reason to track her across multiple titles. Her adaptive nature as a character — fitting equally well in street-level Gotham stories and larger ensemble books — speaks to her versatility and long-term publishing potential. Key story arcs to seek out include her early confrontations with Barbara Gordon in the New 52 Batgirl run, where Simone used Shauna to deliver some of the run's most genuinely frightening moments.

For collectors, Batgirl #20 is the key book — a first appearance that arrived during a critically beloved creative run and introduced a villain with immediate staying power. First print copies of that issue remain a smart pick-up, and her subsequent appearances throughout the New 52 and Rebirth eras reward completionists. As DC continues to mine its deep villain roster for animated projects and streaming adaptations, a character as visually distinctive and conceptually rich as the Ventriloquist has strong potential to break into mainstream awareness and drive back-issue demand.