A member of Ra's al Ghul's League of Assassins, the master martial artist Shrike operated a school for killers which he called the Vengeance Academy, teaching young children how to be assassins. After a disastrous encounter with the villain Two-Face forced Dick Grayson to give up his Robin identity, Dick infiltrated Shrike's school, to earn back Batman's trust. Shrike was apparently the one to teach Dick the art of Escrima stick-fighting, as he was first seen using these weapons after training at the Vengeance Academy. When Shrike took out an assassination contract on Two-Face, he sent a number of his students to carry out the assassination, including Dick and Shrike's top student, a boy named Boone. Dick saved both Boone and Two-Face in the ensuing battle, confirming Shrike's suspicions that Dick was a spy. Batman arrived to save Dick, only to be badly wounded by Shrike. Two-Face himself arrived in the middle of this battle, wishing to kill his would-be assassins and accidentally killed Shrike just as the assassin was preparing to kill Dick. Two-Face escaped, and Shrike's school fled, with Boone greatly upset by the death of his master. Shrike's legacy was picked up by Boone - Shrike. Shrike's namesake, the bird of prey Shrike, is known for catching smaller animals and impaling them on spikes, thorns, barbed wire, etc. The assassin presumably took this name out of a preference for bladed and spiked weapons.