Alexander James Sartorius, aka Doctor Phosphorus, is a DC villain that can manipulate radiation to burn skin and emit toxic fumes. He has a distinctive look – a visible skeleton surrounded by glowing yellowy skin – and has routinely tangled with Batman on a mission of revenge.

Creators Steve Englehart and Walt Simonson introduced him in Detective Comics #469 (May 1977). At first, things were going well for Dr. Sartorius when he was asked to join the influential Tobacconists’ Club and then invited to become an investor in a new nuclear power plant. What he didn’t know was that the plant was being built cheaply and that they were cutting corners regarding safety protocols. The whole business deal was really a tax evasion scam that City Councilman Rupert Thorne and rival nuclear technician Dr. Church had set up.

Sartorius was at the construction site when the nuclear core became unstable and radiation from the explosion transformed him into a metahuman with transparent burning skin and the power to generate radiation. He was captured and put into a special tank at Cadmus Laboratories where Dr. Church studied him and his new abilities. Church saw nothing but opportunities to make money off of Sartorius’ condition, enraging the traumatized man. Sartorius broke through his restraints, wrecked the facility, and he turned Church to ash.

The act of revenge became fuel for Sartorius, who changed his name to Doctor Phosphorus and decided to kill all the corrupt politicians and crooked investors who backed the power plant. He killed all of them until Dr. Bell and Rupert Thorne were the only ones left, and by this point Commissioner Gordon started investigating the string of murders. Gordon was injured by an ash ball made of phosphorus pentoxide while he was looking for clues, and Thorne put Peter Pauling in charge of Gotham PD. Thorne banned Batman from participating in their investigation, so he continued on his own and he discovered the connection between Phosphorus’ victims and Thorne.

Batman found Dr. Bell at the hospital in time for an attack from Doctor Phosphorus. The Dark Knight dumped a rooftop water tanker on Phosphorus, then he retaliated by throwing Batman off the roof. Unencumbered by the hero, Phosphorus burned Dr. Bell to a charred husk and moved on to his last target, Thorne.

Meanwhile, Thorne had also tangled with Hugo Strange and was driven insane by hallucinations that Dr. Strange created. Paranoia drove him to kill his own underlings – Mayor Hill and Commissioner Pauling – and he was arrested. Doctor Phosphorus broke into the prison to kill Thorne and was confronted by Batman who shot him with baking soda pellets to suppress his abilities. He was then sent to Arkham where he began nursing a new grudge against Batman.