General (DC Comics)

The General
The General, as depicted in Robin #178. Art by Freddie Williams II
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Detective Comics #654, (Dec. 1992)
Created by	Chuck Dixon
In-story information
Alter ego	Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong
Notable aliases	Anarky, Red Robin
Abilities	Military historian and genius tactician; Skilled hand to hand combatant; Skilled in the use of small arms, as well as the creation and use of bombs and other explosive materials.

The General (Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong) is a fictional character appearing in the DC Comics universe. Created by Chuck Dixon as an opponent for Batman, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #654, published in December 1992. Named for the character's gimmick for military strategy and prowess with small arms, stories involving the character often include historic military references and themes.

Initially portrayed as a dangerously psychopathic, murderous adolescent, the tone of the General was changed by Dixon himself for later appearances. Return appearances featured the character in issues of Robin during the mid-1990s, in which Dixon portrayed the character as pompous and childish, rather than maliciously insane. Though still occasionally dangerous and lethal, the graphic violence of the character's criminal behavior was also toned down.

The character experienced a prolonged period of obscurity after 1997, lasting over ten years, until Fabian Nicieza chose to revamp the character for the concluding story arc of the Robin comic book series in the final months of 2008. With Nicieza's intention being to establish the character as an archenemy for Tim Drake, the General was once again characterized as a major threat in the "Batman Family" pantheon of villains. Recast as a new version of another obscure character, Anarky, Armstrong was also re-characterized with a new "Anarky" themed costume.

The General was created by Chuck Dixon in 1992. Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong is a psychotic child with the mind of a military genius. Bored with his life at a military school, he reads books about military history. Ulysses later escapes his school, burning down the school and killing everyone inside, acts of arson and mass murder, to avoid alerting authorities to his escape. He goes to Gotham City to recruit small-time gang members into a makeshift "army". Utilizing military skills, Armstrong's reputation gains him the nickname "the General". Continuing a campaign to become a powerful crime boss of Gotham, the General conquers and absorbs enemy gangs into a sizable force. Laying siege to a police station with the intent of capturing the storage room full of guns and illegal drugs, with which to fund future activities, he is confronted by Batman. Once captured by Batman, the General's undisciplined army scatters in fear, and the General himself is sent to a youth detention center.