Hush

Born a child of wealth and privilege, young Thomas Elliot, later to become Hush, was close friends with Bruce Wayne. The brash child was one of the only children at school brave enough to approach Bruce, whose family's reputation kept his peers distant. Bruce's father, Dr. Thomas Wayne, was happy to see the two bond, and believed that Bruce had finally found a friend that he could relate to. Thomas and Bruce enjoyed playing games of strategy, Thomas always seemingly outmaneuvering the otherwise brilliant Bruce.

One weekend, Dr. Wayne took Bruce and Thomas with him on a trip to Metropolis, where he was attending a medical conference. On arrival, the boys were instructed by Dr. Wayne to wait outside the hotel near the car while he and Alfred checked in, but Bruce and Thomas saw the formerly retired superhero Green Lantern flying overhead. They followed, and subsequently witnessed a battle between Green Lantern and his old nemesis, the Icicle. When Bruce and Thomas got back to the hotel, Dr. Wayne was angry with the boys for disobeying him. As a result, Bruce and Thomas were grounded, having to spend the whole weekend in their hotel room.

Thomas's father Roger Elliot was an alcoholic who would physically abuse young Thomas. His mother Marla, who came from more humble beginnings and married into the Elliot family's wealth, was unwilling to risk losing her acquired social status and wealth and instead stayed with Roger, continuing to expose her son to her husband's abuse. She forced Thomas to memorize war strategy and Aristotelean philosophy so that he could better defend himself against his father's abuse and learn to strategically maneuver and avoid his wrath.