Judex

The French fictional character Judex is a mysterious avenger who dresses in black and wears a slouch hat and cloak, created by Louis Feuillade and Arthur Bernède. Originally conceived as a heroic version of the criminal character Fantômas, 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 popular earlier serials, Fantômas (1913) and Les Vampires (1915) which were popular with audiences, but drew criticism for glorifying criminals. As a consequence Feuillade decide to create a heroic persona, Judex, but one who had all of the sinister trappings of the flamboyant villains who were popular at the time. Judex was conceived by Feuillade and novelist Arthur Bernède, who also published a novel based on the script and adapted the original film for the stage in 1923.

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, as Judex (the Latin word for judge) is a nom-de-guerre he has adopted in his quest for revenge. Although the original Judex serial derived from the first Fantômas also directed by Louis Feuillade, the story bore several similarities with The Count of Monte Cristo.

While in the first serial, Judex acted solely out of personal revenge, the second one, Judex's New Mission, showed him acting as a vigilante and a defender of the innocent.

Judex initially appeared in movie serials, but has been adapted into other media over the years.