Judex

Judex (real name Jacques de Trémeuse) is a fictional French vigilante hero created by Louis Feuillade and Arthur Bernède for the 1916 silent film Judex. Judex (whose name is Latin for "judge") is a mysterious avenger who dresses in black and wears a slouch hat and cloak. He was possibly conceived as a heroic version of the criminal character Fantômas. (Feuillade had directed the popular 1913 serial Fantômas.) The character has since appeared in other films, in novels, on stage and in comic books. Judex appears to have been an inspiration for the American pulp hero The Shadow, who was himself an inspiration for Batman. Creation Louis Feuillade had already made two earlier serials, Fantômas (1913) and Les Vampires (1915), which were popular with audiences, but drew criticism for glorifying criminals. This may have led Feuillade to want to do a heroic serial next. On May 16, 1916, novelist Arthur Bernède pitched Feuillade a concept for a 12-part cinematographic novel, which would be simultaneously serialized in text and film, with story revisions by Feuillade. Judex was a heroic persona, but one who had all of the sinister trappings of the flamboyant villains who were popular at the time. Description After his father committed suicide as a result of being ruined by the villainous banker Favraux, Jacques de Trémeuse adopted the guise of Judex and assembled an organization of ex-criminals and circus people to bring down Favraux and his lethal mistress Marie Verdier. He anticipated later pulp heroes and superheroes in many respects. He was a masterful fighter and an expert at disguise, and boasted a secret headquarters. In the subterranean passages beneath a ruined castle Judex had a base outfitted with technological gadgets. He also had a secret identity: "Judex" (the Latin word for judge) was merely a nom de guerre he had adopted in his quest for revenge. The story bore several similarities with The Count of Monte Cristo.