Ellen Yin

*Riddle for you: who's next?*
―Yin battling the Riddlemen[src]
**Ellen Yin** is one of the deuteragonists for *The Batman* and a GCPD detective for Gotham City Police Department. Initially working with Ethan Bennett to capture the Batman, she eventually allied with the Dark Knight after Bennett's transformation into Clayface. Yin was created specifically for *The Batman*, though it has been speculated that she was an adaptation of Ellen Yindel.

## Ellen Yin

### Aliases

Detective Ellen YinQueen of Spades (by Joker)

### Affiliation

Ethan BennettAngel Rojas
Batman
James GordonBane
Joker
Riddler
Penguin

## Appearances

### Portrayed by

Ming-Na Wen (English)Yuko Kato (Japanese)
Olga Velasco (Spanish)
Barbara Beretta (French)

### Final appearance

*Night and the City* (full final appearance)*Artifacts* (chronological final appearance)

## Physical Appearance

Ellen Yin is a young Asian-American woman with brown eyes and long dark hair. She most commonly has her hair in a high-set ponytail. However, she has been known to let her hair down. She most commonly wears a red jacket with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, long loose-fitting grey pants, and black shoes. Underneath her jacket, she wears a black short-sleeved t-shirt with a gun holster strapped over her shoulders.

In the episode *Traction* Yin is temporarily hospitalized by Bane and is seen wearing a hospital robe, with several bandages on her face.

In the episode *Topsy Turvy* Yin is sealed in a playing card by the Joker. The card design has a purple royal robe with two white hands, each holding scepters and one of them is upside down. The card also features a crown above Yin's head, which conceals her ponytail and the bottom half of the card has a face of a woman with long dark hair. The Joker calls Yin "Queen of Spades".

In the episode *Riddled* Yin briefly wears a bomb suit as she tries to disarm a bomb set by the Riddler.

In the episode *Fire & Ice* she is seen wearing a red sleeveless dress to the police charity ball. She is also seen wearing a black winter fur coat, with a red turtle-neck sweater earlier in the episode. In the episode *Strange Minds* Yin is forced to wear a red and purple jester costume after being kidnapped by the Joker.

In the second issue of *The Batman Strikes!* titled *City of Bats*.Kirk Langstrom's Man-Bat formula is used on Yin,turning her into a gigantic bat.

Yin in a hospital robe.Yin trapped in a giant card.Yin wearing a bomb disposal suit.Yin's casual off-duty appearance.Yin wearing a winter coat.Yin in a red dress.Yin in a jester costume.Yin as a bat.
### Comic

Yin's appearance in *The Batman Strikes!* comics is largely the same as in the show. In Issue #7 "Icestorm" she wears a version of her red jacket with fur lined cuffs. In Issue #12 "Break in at Gotham Central" Yin wears a red Chinese style dress and glasses to go undercover at an underground auction. In Issue #47 ":20 minutes" Yin wears tactical gear and a helmet with her name printed on the front.

## Personality

Yin is often calm and collected. She is a very hard working person who will always do what is necessary to complete the task at hand. She was very dedicated to bring foes she had no chance in winning against such as Batman and Bane. She also remains collected even in danger,such as when Joker ambushed her or when Catwoman teamed up with Batman.

## History

### Early Career in Gotham

Ellen Yin is a police detective with the Gotham City Police Department, formerly head of her department in Metropolis PD. She transferred to Gotham PD looking for a challenge (it is implied that she left Metropolis due to Superman's presence there). Yin is a career cop at the top of her game, simple and by the book. She is as physically adept as any male cop she knows, and has proven to be skilled in hand to hand combat. She was initially assigned as a partner to Detective Ethan Bennett.

Yin quickly grows fond of her partner after being tasked with unmasking the Batman. Having shown to be an effective detective, she gains the approval of Chief Angel Rojas. She had a difficult relationship with the Batman initially, and not warming to his alter ego Bruce Wayne so easily either. Ellen doesn't have it out personally for The Batman. As a vigilante, he's breaking the law, and as Bruce Wayne she only sees a spoiled billionaire playboy, despising his seemingly silver-spoon arrogance. She also thinks Catwoman is similar to Batman due to the fact that both wear costumes. She tried to take down villains such as Joker, Penguin,Bane and Mr. Freeze, but Batman always beat her to the punch.

When her partner and friend Ethan Bennett is transformed into Clayface, due to Joker's putty, Yin loses one of her best friends in the city. She is able to talk him out of killing Batman, but he slips away, leaving Yin with the choice to unmask an unconsious Batman or not. In the end she decides against it, realising the need for the Batman in Gotham. Before she and Batman parted ways after fighting Clayface, Batman handed her a Batwave commlink, telling her to call him whenever she needed. Keeping the commlink, Yin later calls Batman her new "partner" during a coffee shop meeting with Ethan's best friend, Bruce Wayne.

### Partnership with the Batman

Yin soon decides to test her new partnership with Batman, asking for his help in *The Cat, the Bat and the Very Ugly* as she investigates Catwoman and her mysterious new partner in crime. When Yin discovers that the mysterious partner is none other than the Batman himself, she questions her trust in the caped crusader. She decides to trust him though, after he and Catwoman stop one of Penguin's schemes to hold all of Gotham at ransom.

Her first true mission with Batman as partners came in *Riddled* when the Riddler planted bombs around Gotham, threatening to detonate them if Yin didn't play his "game". The two worked together to solve the riddles, with Batman communicating secretly with Yin through the Batwave. They are both eventually captured by the Riddler, upon discovering his true plans. Yin and Batman were able to break free and foil the Riddler's plan. Riddler later attempts to reveal Yin's partnership with the Batman to Chief Rojas, but Rojas ignores him, calling him a lunatic.

In the episode *Fire & Ice*, Ellen attends a charity party hosted by Bruce Wayne. She tells Wayne that she knows his secret, and he initially thinks that she knows he's Batman. However, the "secret" is that Yin realizes that Bruce's "spoiled, arrogant playboy" persona is only a facade.

When her former friend turned villain, Ethan Bennett resurfaced as Clayface, he is apprehended by Batman and receives therapy at Arkham Asylum. He is later cleared for release after he was deemed safe to return to society, as long as he didn't use his abilities. Yin is relieved to have her friend back, but Bennett is still angry at the Joker and seeks revenge. Yin, along with Batman attempt to reason with him, but he loses control, deciding that it was easier to be Clayface than Ethan Bennett. In the end Yin is the one to take him down with an ice pellet given to her by Batman, immobilizing him. Later Yin sadly says 'we've really lost him this time'.

Yin and Batman grow closer as partners, with each mission together. Yin starts to trust Batman more than her police colleagues,as she saved Batman from capture by her newly assigned partner Detective Cash Tankenson in *JTV*. Yin was unwilling to accept Tankenson's brash behavior, but when he is targeted by the Joker, she fears that she will lose another partner to the Joker's madness, and orders Tankenson to stay away from him. Her new partner refuses to listen however, and becomes Joker's prisoner. Yin eventually saves him with help from Batman. Tankenson later thinks about transferring to a desk job, leaving Yin once again with Batman as her sole partner.

However, their partnership did not go unnoticed by the villains of Gotham, drawing unwanted attention to Yin. In *Strange Minds* in order to get his revenge on both Yin and the Batman, the Joker ambushed Yin in her apartment and knocked her out with a spray. He then kidnapped her and held her hostage at a secret location with bombs rigged to blow after eight hours. Batman attempted to save Yin by entering the Joker's mind to find out her whereabouts. Batman is able to save Yin just in time, after tricking the Joker into revealing where he'd trapped her.

Yin worked alongside Batman until *Night and the City*, where her Batwave was destroyed by Rojas, and her badge confiscated. Yin and Batman were then briefly on the run from the GCPD, as well as the Joker, Riddler and Penguin. Her badge was later returned by commissioner James Gordon at the end of the episode, and she was reinstated.

### Possible Future

Years into the future, Yin was mentioned by Oracle to have been promoted to police commissioner. She still maintained a working relationship with Batman and his allies.

## Powers and Abilities

* **Above average physical strength:** Yin is as physically fit as most cops in her field, in some cases even fitter. She has shown herself to be an adept swimmer. She is able to chase down and overpower criminals with relative ease.
* **Skilled** **in Hand-to-hand combat:** Detective Yin has shown off her skills as a crime fighter when taking down Riddler's goons.
* **Skilled Detective:** Yin has shown that her detective skills are almost as good as Batman's, able to logically follow clues which lead her to solving crimes both alongside Batman and by herself.

## Relationships

### Allies

#### Angel Rojas

Rojas has always viewed Yin as one of his best cops. Yin would follow his orders to the letter,especially when it was about bringing in the Batman. All of this changed,however,when Yin formed a secret alliance with the Bat. Unbeknownst to Rojas,Batman was Yin's new partner. After discovering their partnership,Rojas swiped her badge,broke her Batwave communicator,and arrested her. After she and Batman ran from the cops and stopped Penguin,Riddler,and Joker,James Gordon released her,gave her back her badge,and called her a hero,much to Rojas' annoyance.

#### Ethan Bennett

Ethan was assigned as Yin's partner to help bring down the Batman. She quickly grew fond of him,and the two would work together on various cases. This all changed when Joker turned Ethan into Clayface. After Yin found out about Ethan's alter ego,she shed a tear and remorsefully headed to stop him. She convinced him to spare Batman's life. Before fleeing he asked her what has become of them,dropped tears,then left. The next morning outside a cafe,Ethan was silently greeting Yin and Bruce before vanishing. Later on,Ethan was deemed innocent and was released on probation,as all of his actions were Joker's fault. Yin was relieved to see her old partner out of Arkham and shared a group hug with him and Bruce. After the Joker convinced him to give into villainy,Yin had no choice but to bring in Ethan. Ethan told her to say her goodbyes to Ethan Bennett,as from now on,there is only Clayface. Yin regretfully threw on him an ice pellet and froze him in place. She and Bruce then looked at him sadly as he was now another Arkham inmate. After Ethan was cured,he became chief of the GCPD in 2027 and worked alongside the now-comissioner Yin.

#### The Batman/Bruce Wayne

*All I've seen the last few months...the last two nights...has challenged everything I ever believed in. It all comes down to one thing. Ethan. He was right. Gotham needs the Batman.*
―Yin coming to a conclusion about the Batman.[src]

During the first season,Yin went by the book and wanted to bring in Batman and take off his mask. She got close a few times,but Batman always found a way to escape. In the season one finale,after Yin saw the tragic turn of her partner Ethan Bennett into madness,she realised that Ethan was right about the Batman: Gotham needs him. Yin chose to stay away from the cowl and not to call reinforcements. Batman gave her a communicator,and the two then formed an alliance. The two took on many threats together.

*Want me to spell it out for you? There’s two sides to Bruce Wayne. Most people look at you and think “Rich party boy, only does the charity thing for the PR”. But I can see… this isn’t a front. You really do care.*
―Yin realising she was wrong about Wayne.[src]

As Bruce Wayne,the two did not interact much,save when it came to Ethan. In *Fire & Ice*,Yin realised that all of the events and parties Bruce hosts are not simply for his public reputation,but it is because he really cares.

#### James Gordon

Gordon viewed Yin as one of the most valuable cops in the GCPD,as well as a hero.

#### Cash Tankenson

Yin was disappointed when she found out he was her (temporary) new partner. Cash was overzealous,arrogant,and a loud mouth. She was reliefed when Cash decided to find another job. Despite this,she was concerned about him,as she did not want to lose another partner to Joker.

### Enemies

#### Joker

Yin hated Joker deeply. He was the most derranged criminal she arrested to date. Her hatred grew stronger after he turned her old partner Ethan into Clayface.

#### Riddler

Yin could not stand Riddler and his games. She found them both crazy. She would also often refer to Riddler as a maniac.

## Paraphernalia

* **Pistol**
* **Batwave**
* **Earpiece**
* **Ice Pellet**Pistol.Batwave.Earpiece.Ice Pellet.

## Appearances

### *The Batman*

* Season 1
	+ *The Bat in the Belfry*
	+ *Traction*
	+ *Call of the Cobblepot*
	+ *The Man Who Would Be Bat*
	+ *The Big Chill*
	+ *The Cat and the Bat*
	+ *Topsy Turvy*
	+ *The Rubberface of Comedy*
	+ *The Clayface of Tragedy*
* Season 2
	+ *The Cat, the Bat, and the Very Ugly*
	+ *Riddled*
	+ *JTV*
	+ *Meltdown*
	+ *Fire & Ice*
	+ *Strange Minds*
	+ *Grundy's Night (deleted scene only)*
	+ *Night and the City*
* Season 4
	+ *Clayfaces* (Mimicked by Clayface in a flashback)
	+ *Artifacts* (*Mentioned only*)

### *The Batman Strikes!*

* Issue #1 "Penguin Rising"
* Issue #2 "City of Bats"
* Issue #3 "Outlaw and Disorder"
* Issue #4 "Without a Chance"
* Issue #5 "Deadly Partner"
* Issue #6 "The Cat's Prize"
* Issue #7 "Icestorm"
* Issue #9 "Sanity Plea"
* Issue #11 "Man of Service"
* Issue #12 "Break in at Gotham Central"
* Issue #13 "Catwoman on the Prowl"
* Issue #14 "Sands of Time"
* Issue #15 "The Lost Ones" (offscreen)
* Issue #17 "Who is Batman?!?"
* Issue 22 " Demolition"
* Issue 25 " Behind Bars"
* Issue 28 " The Comic and the Straight Man" (Cameo)
* Issue 30 " Young at Art"
* Issue 47 ":20 Minutes"

### In Other Media

#### Scooby-Doo! and the Gourmet Ghost

During the climax, one of the invited guests resembles Ellen Yin. Her appearnce there is based on Yin's red dress from *Fire & Ice*.

Yin in a Scooby-Doo movie.
## Trivia

* Though the character of Ellen Yin is largely original to the series, it appears that she, or at the very least her name, was likely inspired by the character Commissioner Ellen Yindel, from *Batman: The Dark Knight Returns*. Both displayed strong, anti-Batman beliefs at their introduction, and though never confirmed, it is implied that Yindel, like Yin, developed a certain respect for Batman, after seeing his heroics. It is also mentioned in *Artifacts*, and likely a nod to the comic, that she became Commissioner.
* Ellen Yin made her final appearance at the end of the second season and was replaced by Batgirl for the third season onward. She continued to make occasional appearances in *The Batman Strikes! ,*however.
* Ellen Yin bears a striking resemblance to Elisa Maza from *Gargoyles*, especially the maroon coat, black shirt, and jeans habitually worn by both. Greg Weisman worked on both shows.
	+ In regards to the similarity,Weisman believed it was most likely coincidential,as neither did any of *The Batman* crew work on *Gargoyles* nor did any admit Elisa was the inspiration.
* The cleats of Yin's shoes change throughout the first two seasons.
* As her name and appearance imply,she is Asian-American.
* Ellen is from Metropolis, Superman's city.
* Even thought She-Bat (Kirk Langstrom's wife in the comics) does not appear in the show, the comic spin-off, *The Batman Strikes!*, features a similar bat in issue #2. Detective Ellen Yin temporarily becomes a Bat after Kirk Langstrom releases his formula in Gotham.
* Yin's red dress is reused for a woman in Bruce's party in *The Batman vs. Dracula*.
* Yin is one of the characters with their own leitmotif,alongside Batman,Robin,Batgirl,the GCPD (Ethan,Gordon),Cash Tankenson,Superman,Green Arrow,Hawkman,Joker,Catwoman,Kabuki Twins,Killer Croc,Spellbinder,Gearhead,Harley Quinn,the Joining,Captain Slash,and Wrath and Scorn.

## References

1. ↑ The Bat in the Belfry
2. ↑ The Man Who Would Be Bat
3. ↑ The Rubberface of Comedy
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Riddled
5. ↑ https://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=8750
6. ↑ https://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=8540