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Randa Duane was the first duplicant created by H.A.R.D.A.C.
History[]
Randa Duane was formerly the assistant of Karl Rossum, but at one point had apparently died and was replaced by a duplicant on H.A.R.D.A.C.'s orders. H.A.R.D.A.C. used her to steal information on technologies, and prototype pieces of technology itself, being created by rival companies of Cybertron Industries for the purpose of ensuring that machines would be superior to humans. Among them was Wayne Enterprises, where Randa purposefully dropped a robotic briefcase. After the robot had succeeded, Randa awaited its arrival via its built-in escape system of a rocket. As soon as it landed, Randa removed its contents—Wayne Enterprises microchips—and proceeded to return "home" in a voice-activated car. Noticing she was being pursued by Batman, she activated the car's built-in rear weaponry, which managed to stop the Dark Knight's batglider. Unfortunately, whilst she was successful in getting away with the chips, the actual design specs she was supposed to recover were still at Wayne Enterprises on Bruce Wayne's personal computer.
Bruce is introduced to Randa.
Days later, Bruce paid a visit to Rossum at Cybertron Industries to see if he knew anything about the theft. Rather, Rossum decided to show Bruce his crowning invention: H.A.R.D.A.C. Randa emerged from the interior of H.A.R.D.A.C. whilst explaining to him what the acronym of the supercomputer's name stood for (Holographic Analytical Reciprocating DigitAl Computer). Removing her glove to shake his hand, Bruce noticed that her skin was cold, like ice, with Randa saying the reason was that she had been in the cold room. As Rossum was unwilling to disclose more information to Wayne about the functions of H.A.R.D.A.C., he decided to attempt to "charm the information" out of Randa and asked her on a date. She accepted, realizing she could more easily acquire the company information of Wayne Enterprises technology that way. After Bruce and Rossum left, she spoke with H.A.R.D.A.C. who told her that recent developments were making people too curious due to the failure to succeed in recovering the design specs. H.A.R.D.A.C. then ordered Randa to see to the placement of his newest android creation: a duplicate of James Gordon. Arriving at Gordon's house, Randa tasered the real Jim Gordon and left his robotic replacement to take his identity, whilst she took the body of the real Jim Gordon back to Cybertron, so that H.A.R.D.A.C. could further study human behavior and mindsets from Gordon.
The next day, she arrived at Wayne Enterprises for her date with Bruce, purposefully leaving her compact behind. The compact was a small robot that downloaded files from Bruce's computer. Later, at Wayne Manor, Bruce and Randa were in the process of discussing Rossum's inventions, just as Bruce decided to attempt to ask how Rossum seemed to know exactly what had been stolen from his company. Before he even received an answer, Lucius Fox called, informing him that the computer files had now been stolen as well. Bruce left, telling Randa to stay behind at the Manor until he returned. Upon arriving at Wayne Enterprises, Lucius told Bruce that everything had been taken, before Bruce revealed that they only received dummy files and that the real ones were stored in the terminal at his house. Using the compact robot to overhear this, H.A.R.D.A.C. informed Randa to search the house. She proceeded to stun Alfred before using special goggles to locate the main terminal. In doing so, she discovered the Batcave and that Bruce Wayne was Batman, which she reported to H.A.R.D.A.C. Heading to the main computer, she finally began downloading the specs of the chips before Bruce returned home.
Later, Harvey Bullock was told by the duplicate Commissioner Gordon to go and meet with Randa at Cybertron to take a statement from her. Upon arrival, Bullock was captured and a robotic duplicate took his place as well. Rossum however, caught on to H.A.R.D.A.C.'s real intentions and tried to shut it down. Not wanting to be reprogrammed, it stunned its creator and instructed Randa to put his body into storage so that he could be "improved upon".
Randa is crushed by H.A.R.D.A.C.'s elevator.
After this, Bruce arrived at the Gotham Club by invitation from Mayor Hill, where he learns that most of Gotham's elite has been replaced with android duplicates. Randa jokingly made a comment to Bruce about "a woman scorned", referring to him leaving during their date, before revealing she intended to taser and capture him for replacement like the others. Bruce managed to escape and destroyed many of the duplicants in the process.
Soon after, Barbara Gordon would come looking for her real father at Cybertron Industries, where she was quickly captured by a hidden robot and brought before H.A.R.D.A.C., Randa and a robotic replacement of Rossum. Randa told her that she would soon be "joining her father". Luckily enough, Batman arrived moments later, disabling H.A.R.D.A.C., destroying most of the duplicants and freeing all of the human captives. As they made their escape, Randa attacked Batman, her true robotic face now showing under her skin. As the others used Rossum's personal elevator to make their escape from the exploding building, Randa managed to overpower the Dark Knight, forcing his head underneath the elevator car as it was coming back down. At the last second, he used his strength and momentum to flip Randa over into the shaft and get clear. Randa was then crushed and completely destroyed by the weight of the elevator.
Background information[]
As revealed in the commentary for "Heart of Steel, Part II", Randa's appearance was specifically modeled upon that of Marilyn Monroe.
Appearance[]
Batman: The Animated Series
- "Heart of Steel"
- "His Silicon Soul" (Cameo on a computer screen)