Mister Zsasz is one of Gotham City's most ruthless serial killers. Zsasz's descent into madness began after his parents died. He gambled away their fortune at The Penguin's Iceberg Casino, and when the money ran out, The Penguin suggested he should go and kill himself. As Zsasz was about to do just that, he was attacked by a knife-wielding madman. Zsasz dispatched his assailant and experienced an epiphany: life was meaningless, but killing made everything comprehensible. He embarked on a murder spree, slaying hundreds and recording each kill with a cut on his body.