Hero/Villain Profile: The Phoenix Force

So to finish off this Theme Week, it felt appropriate to go with the absolute queen of Birds, The Phoenix Force. Before we get started, I feel the need to point out that, to my understanding, the Phoenix Force is a genderless entity. Which makes sense, if something doesn’t breed, gender would be as useless an extra toe. But, because the Phoenix seems to have an affinity for Jean Grey, I’ve always thought of it as a her. Sounds much better than calling her It all the time. Also, less confusing with “It’s” vs. “Its.” Oh the woes of a former English Major. Let’s get to it.

We may die, but this would be a heck of a final image.

The birth of the Marvel Universe was certainly a popular party. They had creatures like Galactus and the personifications of Eternity and Death leaping from the big bang, the traditional gods like Gaea, Uranus, Borr (father of Odin), and the beings that would become Demons, Like Mephisto being created. Of all the beings created at the beginning, one of the most powerful was the being that would become the Phoenix. In her earliest days, she was a formless being. She is described as the manifestation of life and passion. She is a nexus of mental energy from across the universe. Life itself, all that is, was, and what one day may be feed her power. She is one of the most feared beings in the Universe. Not because she’s malevolent or cruel, but because by her very nature she must destroy. She’s like a wildfire, burning away what is old, diseased, or weak, which isn’t great, but ultimately makes room for new things. Not evil, not good, just destructive.

After a few millennia of existing in deep space, occasionally purging sections of the universe, she was drawn to Earth. As cosmic beings tend to, not sure why. Of all the tiny worlds in the Universe, I don’t really see what’s so great about our little world. Anyway, she was drawn to a magician named Feron. Feron worshipped a Phoenix. The Entity liked the image of the colossal fire bird, and adopted it as her usual form. Feron asked the Phoenix to project a stone pillar across the multiverse, which would one day become the base of operations for the British superhero team, Excalibur. It was part of plan he devised with a Sorcerer Supreme from a parallel world, Necrom. Apparently projecting the same object across all possible realities generates a huge amount of mystical energy. Necrom then double crossed Feron, and tried to steal the power of the Phoenix Force. Feron tapped into the Phoenix’s immense power, and was able to fight Necrom off. Necrom was able to steal a piece of the Phoenix, which drove it back into deep space, confused and in great pain.

She's fighting Galactus, and winning
I'l let that sink in.

She returned to space, went back to her normal routine. Flying across space, and laying waste to sections of space. As celestial beings tend to do. Her attention was drawn to Earth again centuries later. A young woman named Jean Grey had used her own telepathic powers to connect her mind to her friend Annie Richards. Annie was dying, and Jean was doing her best to keep Annie’s mind/soul on this plane of existence. Such a thing is pretty much impossible to accomplish, so all Jean was doing was pulling her own mind/soul into the “other side.” The Phoenix took pity on Jean, and lent her power to allow Jean to break the connection between herself and Annie. This also forged a powerful bond with the Phoenix, who decided to keep an eye on Jean. A few years later, Jean and her team, the X-Men, were on a mission in space. The space shuttle they were on needed to make an emergency landing. Jean used her powers to protect her team, and tried to pilot the shuttle back to Earth. While doing so, she was exposed to lethal doses of Radiation. Dying and in immense pain, she called out to the cosmos for help. The Phoenix answered. She put Jean in a protective cocoon, and reshaped herself into a Jean look alike, intending to let Jean use her body as a loaner while her real body healed. But, the Phoenix was overwhelmed by the sensations she was experiencing for the first time. Jean remained in the cocoon in Jamaica Bay, and the Phoenix took her place. Kind of a bizarre “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” moment, isn’t it?

The Phoenix as Jean remained with the X-Men for a bit. She did things like saving the universe from annihilation by repairing the powerful M’Kraan Crystal. The M’Kraan Crystal is essentially a universe incased in a gem, so yeah, it breaking would be bad. After a mission where the X-Men were separated, and each in the group thought the others dead, Phoenix was approached by a mysterious man in Greece. He introduced himself as Nikos, but was really Mastermind, a powerful psychic who sensed the Phoenix’s power and wanted to bend her to his will. He compared the Phoenix to a god, and encouraged her to use her powers as she saw fit.

Mastermind eventually had the Phoenix join the Hellfire Club, a social club for the most powerful people in the world. Its inner circle named themselves after chess pieces, The Phoenix taking the place of the Black Queen. She eventually broke free, but was fundamentally altered. The Dark Phoenix, as she called herself now, flew off into space, destroying a star and killing billions to feed her new found addiction to sensation. She also destroyed an observatory spaceship of the Shi’ar Empire. She returned to Earth, and was drawn into psychic combat with Charles Xavier. Xavier, being a bad ass, defeated the Dark Phoenix and reverted her back to her pre-insane form. She and the X-Men were then taken to the Shi’ar Empire, and forced into a trial by combat. They were rather upset because of the star killing and ship destroying. When the Imperial Guard of the Shi’ar Empire looked like they were going to win, The Phoenix snapped, when Dark again, and destroyed herself in an apparent suicide. Much to Cyclops’ horror. Remember, he thought she was the real Jean.

After accepting her role as the Phoenix, and purging her eviler
emotions, Jean became the White Phoenix of the Crown.
All the Phoenix power, with none of the Dark Phoenix tude.

The Phoenix, being a Phoenix and essence of life itself, would constantly return. Hard to kill life itself. She often returned to bond with Jean, who was her favored host. The Phoenix’s biggest role occurred a few years ago. 90% of Mutants had lost their powers, and things were pretty awful for the de-powered Mutants. But, when a space bound hero named Nova crash landed on Earth and told the world the Phoenix was coming, Cyclops saw it as a means to save his species. Captain America and the Avengers saw this as a doomsday scenario. The two fought over what to do with Hope Summers, the Mutant Messiah that was the Phoenix’s target for a host. Iron-Man and Hank Pym create a disruptor that they hoped would destroy the Phoenix. Instead, it weakened the Phoenix and broke it into fragments. These fragments bonded with Cyclops, Colossus, Magik, Emma Frost, and oddly enough, Namor the Sub-Mariner. One of these things is not like the others. They used their cosmic power to conquer the world, and quickly became drunk with power. The Avengers, and other heroes fought against them, and as the Phoenix Five were defeated, the fragments were absorbed by the remaining members. Following Highlander Logic, you know, there can only be one, Cyclops became the main host, and the new Dark Phoenix. Driven insane by the power, he murdered Charles Xavier, and started destroying the world. Through the combined efforts of Hope Summers, Scarlet Witch, and the spirit of Jean Gray, they were able to separate Cyclops from the Phoenix, seemingly destroy the creature, and use the cosmic power it held to reignite the force of Mutation in humans. But, as we all know, you can’t keep a cosmic being down.

The Phoenix is a cosmic being, with power over creation. She draws her power from life itself, from what is, was, and could be. In that regard, her power is literally limitless. It can wield massive amounts of energy, bend space and time, move massive objects, and connect her mind with countless beings. She can manipulate matter on a sub-atomic level, changing lead to gold, that sort of thing. She often seeks out hosts with psychic potential. For reasons. Her hosts gain her immense powers, telepathy, telekinesis, and pyrokinetic abilities. Her hosts also gain a certain level of immortality. If a host is severely wounded, they’re incased in a cocoon of energy known as the Phoenix Egg, to regenerate. When combined with a host like Jean Gray, who is often called her perfect host, her power seems to skyrocket. Unfortunately, her immense power has a tendency to corrupt anyone she’s bonded with. “Absolute power corrupts absolutely,” as the saying goes.

She’s appeared a number of times outside the comics. Most versions stay true to the comics, with the Phoenix Force being introduced as a neutral force, or ally of the X-Men, that is often times corrupted by a truly malevolent force.

You want the most perfect adaptation of the Phoenix story? Watch the five part “Phoenix Saga” and the four part “Dark Phoenix Saga” of X-Men: The Animated Series. Episodes 29-33 and 40-44, specifically. It covers everything, Jean bonding with the cosmic being, using its power for good, being corrupted by the “Inner Circle” Club, breaking free of the Club but then going on a rampage, and her ultimate redemption. I don’t want to ruin it by describing it, just watch and enjoy.

To be a host, one doesn't necessarily need Psychic Powers
They're a bonus, not a prerequisite.

She cameoed in the end of X-Men: Evolution. When describing the future that he’d seen while connected to Apocalypse, Xavier claims that “With a heavy heart, I saw the dearest of friends become the most terrible of enemies.” As he says it, we’re shown an image of Jean Gray being consumed by the Phoenix. Show runners have confirmed that The Phoenix would have been the antagonist if they’d gotten another season. The Phoenix being a baddie for X-Men: Evolution? Darn, that would have been soooo perfect. Alas, it’ll never be.

We see parts of the Phoenix throughout the original three X-Men movies. Glimpses of her are seen whenever Jean pushes her powers to the limit, like when hurling Wolverine in X-Men or when she simultaneously lifts the X-Men’s ship The Blackbird, while holding back a torrent of water in X-2. She is one of two antagonists in X-Men: The Last Stand. This movie follows the Phoenix how she was initially portrayed in the comics, as Jean Gray reaching the peak of her power and losing control along the way. She destroys Cyclops and Xavier, before being drawn into Magneto’s cause. She’s ultimately set free by Wolverine, who stabs her. Not a huge fan of Last Stand, as it kind of dropped the ball with the Phoenix story for me, and killed off some of my favorite characters. And for taking guys like Angel and barely using them. Fools.

The Phoenix Force is one of those characters that is integrally tied into the X-Men mythos. Like Apocalypse, Magneto, and Charles Xavier, it seems that if a series lasts long enough, the Phoenix Force will appear in some form or another. What makes the character interesting is her ties to Jean Gray. Transforming a character that is a good natured, and at times rather timid, and then unleashing the beast. The corruption of Jean, and her eventual redemption is usually pretty interesting. I disbar X-Men: The Last Stand, as I feel that its Jean Gray/Phoenix combination left a lot to be desired. I wish I could have seen the X-Men: Evolution version, as I feel it would have been one of the best incarnations of the character. But, alas, it shall never be. Next time, let’s get back on the Arrow train, with Episode 3.

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Hero Profile: Hawkman

I’ve mentioned this a few times, but DC Comics have a rather confusing canon. The various reboots that they have had has led to multiple iterations of the same characters. They may have similar names, and looks, but their stories can vary vastly. One such instance was with Hawkman and Hawkgirl. In Hawkgirl’s Hero Profile, I covered the silver age story, where the Hawks are members of an alien race known as the Thanagarians. They get stranded on Earth and use their alien biology and weaponry to be superheroes. A pretty standard story, but it’s not the original. The Golden Age tale of Hawkman and Hawkgirl was much… stranger. Let’s get to it.

I wonder if it's hard to see around the beak.

Hawkman and Hawkgirl’s story began centuries ago in ancient Egypt. This is going to be weird. In this era, the man that would be Hawkman was known as Prince Khufu. He was a fair and just ruler, beloved by the people and all that jazz. Example of his greatness? He was served by Ancient Egypt’s version of Superman, Teth-Adam. Mighty Adam, in English. Things were good under Khufu’s rule. And then an alien ship crash landed. That’s when the trouble started. Khufu, Teth-Adam and a wizard named Nabu investigated the ship, and found the crew dead or dying. The aliens were Thanagarians, and one lived long enough to whisper “Nth Metal” before dying. Teth-Adam flew the ship back to Khufu’s palace, where they fiddled with the alien tech. They learned that the Nth Metal had many usual properties, such as negating the effects of gravity, and giving the wielder enhanced strength. They made several creations, including a scarab that let Khufu fly, an impressive looking, knife, and a battle glove. Khufu also made some gifts for his wife, Chay-Ara. The metal had an unusual effect on the two, imprinting them with the knowledge of Thanagar, and binding their “souls” together. Things probably would have gone pretty well, if it wasn’t for the priest Hath-Set. Set was a cruel and vengeful priest, and wished to rule Egypt. He stole the impressive knife, kidnapped Khufu and Chay-Ara, and killed them with the knife.

Then the weirdness happened. Because of their exposure to the Nth Metal, Khufu and Chay-Ara souls are forced to reincarnate each time they died, meet in their next life, fall in love, just to die again at the hands of the reincarnated Hath-Set. Khufu, Chay-Ara, and Hath-Set are reincarnated many times across the ages. They were knight and a lady in 5^th century Europe, a blacksmith family in the 14^th century, he was John smith in Colonial Virginia, gunslingers in the Old West, and detectives in the early 1900s. It’s why I like the idea of reincarnation, leads to a lot of interesting stories. In the modern era, Khufu is Carter Hall, an Egyptian Archeologist. He uncovers many artifacts from Khufu’s time, including the knife that killed him ages ago. This knife triggered Carter to recall his past life, and learns that an evil scientist named Dr. Anton Hastor is the reincarnation of Hath-Set. Carter uses the Nth metal he found to create a gravity defying belt, fashions a costume, and goes to get vengeance on Hastor. Hastor, in the meantime, has also relearned about his past, kidnapped a bunch of scientists, and built a giant fly fortress. He also kidnapped another archeologist, Shiera Sanders, who was the reincarnation of Chay-Ara. What are the odds? Carter is able to defeat Hastor, save Shiera, and the two become major heroes. The Hawks become founding members of the Justice Society of America. Since then, they’ve helped shape several generations of superheroes, battled great cosmic forces, jumped across time and space, died and been revived several dozen times. Who knew that this life would be different than all the others combined?

I can't take him seriously in that mask.

Carter Hall derives his powers from the Nth metal that makes up his equipment. He uses a few ancient artifacts to create a harness, belt, boots, and giant wings made from the stuff. These items allow Carter to defy gravity, they also enhance his strength, eyesight, healing abilities, and also helps him regulate his body temperature. Why is that last one important? Because it’s what lets him fly at high speeds and altitudes without freezing to death. He also has knowledge of all of his past lives, which gives him proficient in a number of weapons, fighting styles, cultures, and languages. It must help to be an archeologist with knowledge of the ancient past. Must make finding dig sites really easy.

Carter Hall has appeared in a few series outside the comics. He and Shiera haven’t had their own standalone series, but they’ve been regulars on a couple of shows.

He was portrayed by Michael Shanks in the final two seasons of Smallville. He’s introduce in the two-hour TV special, “Absolute Justice.” He was the leader of the Justice Society of America back in the 1960s, before the team was dismantled by a distrustful US Government. In the 2000s, Carter spends most of his time in the JSA’s old headquarters, looking after the mentally damaged Dr. Fate. He’s initially distrustful of the modern heroes like Green Arrow, Cyborg, and the young Superman. They’re forced to work together, as the villainous Icicle Jr. murders former members of the JSA. After defeating Icicle, Carter is something of a mentor to various characters. He’s ultimately killed in the episode “Icarus.” In it, tensions between vigilante superheroes and the rests of the world boil over. Clark Kent orders the other heroes underground until things blow over. The evil General Wilson is obsessed with capturing “The Blur,” Clark’s current hero alias, and brings in his friends for questioning. Hawkman flies in to save Lois, but is killed when his wings are set ablaze. Wilson makes a pretty sick joke about it, the operation to get the heroes was called Icarus, and it ultimately ended with a winged man falling to earth. As payback for Carter, Clark banishes Wilson to the Phantom Zone. Don’t mess with Superman’s friends. He’s taken to Egypt and buried beside his wife.

Newest look. Four stars.

He has a minor role in Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. He’s chosen alongside Shazam to protect a special government instillation for President Lex Luthor. The two pair off and take on one hero each. Shazam goes against Superman, and Hawkman takes on Batman. Shazam is Superman’s physical match, and his magic abilities give him an edge over Superman, and Hawkman’s close to Batman’s intellectual equal, and his superstrength and flight gives him an edge. On paper at least. The heroes are able to overpower them, and steal their costumes to get up close to the corrupt president.

We see Carter in the DC Animated Universe a handful of times. He's introduce in "Shadow of the Hawk." In it, he's an archaeologist that discovered Thanagarian technology in a Egyptian Tomb. He was hit with a memory recording device, mixing his thoughts with the ancient Thanagarians that crash landed there. He creates a costume, finds Shiera, and tries to convince her that they were lovers in a past life. They're attacked and nearly killed by a creature called the Shadow Thief. They escape the tomb, and Shiera does her best to let him down gently. The final moments of the episode shows two mummies holding hands, implying that Carter might not be completely nuts. He returns in "Ancient History," where the Shadow Thief kidnaps him, Shiera, and GL John Stewart. It shows them a vision of their past together, Carter and Shiera as Khufu and Chay-Ara, and John as a royal adviser. Love triangle ensues, which ends with them all dying. Shadow Thief is revealed to be a fragment of Carter's mind, released when he got his mind scrambled. Carter reabsorbs Shadow Thief, and leaves. He's a background character in the series finale, fighting the forces of Darkseid along side the other heroes. 

Carter has appeared as part of the CW-DC Universe. He’s part of the crossover episode between Arrow and The Flash. He arrives in the Flash’s Central City to protect the current incarnation of Chay-Ara from their age old nemesis. Not Hath-Set in this Universe, but Vandal Savage. He kidnaps Chay-Ara, called Kendra in this lifetime, and tries to force her to remember her past. He has to fight the Flash and Green Arrow to do so, but is overpowered. They form an alliance, and work together to keep Kendra safe, and stop Savage. Savage is destroyed by the Flash and Arrow, and Kendra leaves with Carter to learn about her new found bird powers. They both appear in the spin off series Legends of Tomorrow.

He’s a playable character in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham. I only mention it because of the pretty funny cut scenes involving him. At the start of the game, Hawkman is kidnapped by Lex Luthor and his cronies. They keep Hawkman in a bird cage in the sewers, and dress Luthor in his costume. They occasionally cut back to Hawkman trapped in throughout the game. His best line is towards the end, when he begrudgingly sighs and says, “I hope someone calls my wife.” It’s a silly, but fun game. Give it a shot.

Overall, Carter is an interesting character. He’s one of the oldest of the DC Heroes, and has had a lot of iterations. His origins as an eternally cursed Egyptian Prince is rather strange, but also very unique. He’s a founding member of one of the original super teams, and has mentored several heroes.  Plus, how many heroes swing an oversize mace at folks. Other than his wife. I’ve enjoyed him in the series that he’s appeared in, and I hope to enjoy him when I finally sit down and watch Heroes of Tomorrow. He’s the high flying, mace wielding, forever reincarnating hero of ancient Egypt, the Hawkman. Next time, we’ll end the theme week with the mother of all birds, the Phoenix Force. 

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Hero Profile: Red Robin

Batman has had a lot of Robins. Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, our next guy Tim Drake, and later his biological son Damien. It’s a veritable Round of Robins. A Round being the unofficial collective name for a group of Robins. Fun ornithology fact. And while Dick is the most successful, Jason is the most dangerous, and Damien is Batman’s actual son, Tim has his own quirks to make himself unique in this group of red birds. Let’s get to it.

Don't love the costume but
at least it's a semi original
look.

Tim grew up in the upper echelons of the Gotham Social Hierarchy. When he was a kid, he and his parents visited the Haly Circus, and got to witness the Flying Graysons acrobatics act. After the show, he got to go backstage and got a photo with the Graysons. Unfortunately, the next time the Drake’s came to watch the Flying Graysons, it was the day that a pair of gangsters coated the Grayson’s trapeze wires with acid. A few years later, Tim watched some footage of Batman and Robin in action against the Penguin. During the encounter, Dick showed off his acrobatic prowess, doing a quadruple somersault. Tim deduces that the young man adding Batman was Dick Grayson, and logically then, Bruce Wayne is Batman. I feel the need to point out that he was nine when this happened. Nine-year-old figured something out that eludes the minds of the greatest evil geniuses.

Tim kept their secret, and followed the exploits of the Dynamic Duo. He was very excited to see Dick become Nightwing, and to see a new Robin in the form of Jason Todd. After Jason was brutally murdered by the Joker, Tim noted a…change in Batman’s behavior. The Dark Knight was getting progressively more violent, which convinced Tim that Batman needs a Robin to keep his sanity. Everyone needs a Wingman. He decided to approach Nightwing. He helped the original Robin solve a mystery at Haly’s circus, and then convince him that Batman was in need of a little help. Nightwing planned on helping, but disagreed with Tim on one factor. Tim felt that the key was a Robin. Nightwing wasn’t interested in putting the red tights back on, but still raced to help out his mentor. But he and Batman were pretty quickly captured by Two-Face. Tim, realizing that his idols were pretty screwed, donned the Robin costume and got Alfred to help him save the Dynamic Duo. After that, Batman reluctantly agreed to allow Tim to be the new Robin, on a trial basis.

Over the next several months, Tim was rigorously trained by Alfred, Nightwing and Batman before he was allowed to wear the costume for real. This would have been a pretty awesome occasion, if Tim’s parents hadn’t been kidnapped on the same day. His folks were kidnapped by Obeah Man, an evil voodoo sorcerer, and being held for ransom. Batman quickly figured out which tiny Caribbean island they were being held on, and he and Robin rushed to the rescue. They were able to defeat the Obeah Man, but were too late to completely save Tim’s folks. They’d been forced to drink water laced with a powerful poison. It killed Tim’s mother, and left his father paralyzed. Batman thought about rescinding the offer, fearing that Tim would fall to the dark side like Jason before him. But, the ordeal made Tim resolve to serve justice, not vengeance.

That's a heck of a lot of  cape.

Tim served alongside Batman for several years, joined the Teen Titans, and tried to be as effective a side kick as possible. He also helped out Nightwing from time to time. Tim likes being active. He briefly relocated to Bludhaven, Nightwing’s main stomping ground, after the triple wammy deaths of his father, his best friend Superboy, and his girlfriend. It makes for a rough couple of weeks. When he returned to Gotham, he was formally adopted as Bruce Wayne’s son. A little surprised that it took three Robins for Batman to say, “He legally gets my stuff in the likely event of something awful happening to me.” Dick and Jason must feel like chopped liver. After Batman was seemingly killed by the dark god Darkseid, there were a number of major changes in the Bat family. Dick took up the role of Batman, and Damien stepped up to become Robin. Tim decided to start traveling the world. Why? Because he believed Bruce was still alive, and decided to go out searching for him.

Tim created the identity of Red Robin, to separate himself from the role he’d given up to Damien, and yet still pay homage to his “roots” as a sidekick. Side note, isn’t a Red Robin like saying a Black Crow, Pink Flamingo, or Tan Turkey? Do they really come in other varieties? Back on task. While searching for Bruce, Tim started butting heads with the League of Assassins and another group of assassins the Council of Spiders, both of which were also searching for signs of the Dark Knight. He’s able disable both groups, by in large, and then returns to Gotham to stop Ra’s masterstroke. Ra’s plan was to use another foe of Batman, Hush, to seize all of Bruce’s assets. Hush, aka Thomas Elliot, was a childhood friend of Bruce’s, and after some extensive plastic surgery, you have a perfect Bruce Wayne clone. Ra’s, being a complete psycho, also wanted to destroy all those people that Bruce Wayne held dear. Ra’s sent out his assassins to take them out. I’m fairly certain Dick, Jason, and Damien can handle themselves. Just saying. Tim took Ra’s head on, and was able to distract Ra’s long enough for Tim to be named controlling shareholder of Wayne Enterprises. Evil plan thwarted. Ra’s bowed out, called Tim a Detective (that’s basically his highest praise), and then threw him out a window. No one ever said Ra’s al Ghul was a gracious loser. Tim was saved from death via defenestration by Dick. Aren’t big brother’s great? Red Robin has since become a major hero in Gotham. He reestablished his connections with the Bat Family, and was overjoyed to see his adoptive Father return. So goes the rollercoaster of life.

Like his predecessors, Tim is an exceptional athlete and has an above average IQ. He’s trained in nearly a dozen forms of martial arts, though his favored fighting style is Bojutsu. That’s traditional Japanese Bo Staff fighting, for those who don’t recognize the name. He’s considered to be the smartest of the Bat Family, and when you consider his competition, that’s saying something. He excels in computer science, biology, engineering, and genetics. The last one he developed in an attempt to re-clone his dead best friend, Superboy. He also has the gift of gab, speaking Russian, Spanish, German and Cantonese. A jack of all trades.

Tim Drake has only appeared a few times outside the comics. An interesting little factoid about him, that I’ve read is that he was named after Tim Burton. His reward for directing 1989s Batman.

He's got a stick, and he knows how to use it.

Tim was introduced as the new Robin in The New Batman Adventures. This version has certain elements of Jason Todd in him as well, as he’s introduced as a young orphan that is adopted by Bruce at the start of the series. One episode that sticks out in my mind was “The Demon Within,” where he and Batman assist Jason Blood. Blood is split from his demonic alter ego, Etrigan, by an evil young sorcerer, Clarion the Witch-Boy. While Batman takes on Clarion and his shapeshifting pet cat Teekl, Tim is left to protect Jason from the mind controlled Etrigan.

We see how Tim’s life played out in Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. The movie explained that Tim’s life as Robin ended when he was kidnapped by the Joker. The Joker and Harley tortured and experimented on Tim, turning him into “Joker Jr.” During the procedure, Joker also learned all of Tim’s little secrets. When Batman and Batgirl catch up with them, Joker taunts Batman while showing Bruce a video of Tim’s transformation. Batman beats the crap out of Joker, but Tim is the one to finish the job. There are two versions of Joker’s end, in the TV version, Tim shoves Joker and he falls onto some electrical wires. In the DVD version, Tim impales Joker with a spear gun. Graphic. After that, Tim is forced into retirement, and Batman returns to a solo act. Years later, Tim is a communications engineer with a wife and family. When the Joker resurfaces in Gotham, much to everyone’s shock, the new Batman Terry McGinnis believes Tim might be connected. When he meets Tim, he sees a slightly bitter man who doesn’t look fondly back on his time as Robin. Terry initially rules him out, but it’s ultimately revealed that Tim is the Joker. Sort of. The clown prince of crime had used stolen genetic technology to implant Tim with a copy of Joker’s mind, memories and DNA. This causes a Jekyll and Hyde transformation in Tim, who had no idea what’s going on. Terry frees Tim of Joker’s control by zapping him with a high powered joy buzzer, and sees Tim reconnect with Bruce. All’s well that ends well.

We see Tim appear again in Young Justice season 2. He and Dick have strong relationship, a very mentor/mentee set up. In the early episodes, Dick does his best to give Tim encouragement and experience, while keeping Tim safe. In the first episode he’s put in charge of Team Gama, as the Young Justice team is stretched thin and that Gama wasn’t expected to see much action. Can anyone guess what happens? Gama uncovers a huge alien invasion operation that sets up the plot for the rest of the season. Tim is largely a background character in this season, the cast was pretty huge, but he and Dick have a number of good moments together.

Tim’s a solid character. He’s a pretty good mix of brains and brawn. Like Wally West and Guy Gardner, he’s the third iteration of a character. You’d think it’d be hard to keep a character interesting when he’s the third guy to take up a title. It’s kind of hard for me to judge him, though, as the two versions of the character that I’ve seen are so vastly different. The DC Animated Universe character is at time brash and arrogant, traits that the show creators must have taken from Jason Todd. The Young Justice version is much more reserved, and isn’t as confident as Nightwing or Batgirl. He tries, though, which counts for a lot. He’s the bo staff brandishing, secret identity uncovering, second detective, the Red Robin. Next time, Hawkman, Golden Age version. 

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Hero Profile: Nightwing

Do I really even need to do an opening paragraph for this guy? Oh, I’ve got one. Think of a side kick. If Robin isn’t in the top five of the list you just thought of, you’ve been living under a rock. And, unlike some other characters that have remained more or less the same since their inseption, Dick Grayson has actually developed quite a bit from his early days as the Boy Wonder. Let’s get to it.

Again, why is it that so many "covert" focused
characters dress in bright colors?

While I’m 90% certain most of us have some idea about the origins of Dick Grayson, it’s still probably better to cover them in brief. Dick grew up as the youngest member of the “Flying Graysons,” alongside his parents. He was a gifted acrobat from his earliest days, and loved to fly on the trapeze. The Flying Graysons were so good, they didn’t work with a safety net. Put a pin in that, we’ll get back to it in a second. One day, Dick witnessed a pair of gangsters trying to extort protection money from the circus owner, Mr. Haly. Haly refused, which probably wasn’t the best idea. The Gangsters, wanting payback, decided to sabotage the best act of the Haly Circus, the Flying Graysons. They snuck into the circus after hours, and coated the trapeze wires with an acid. During the performance the following day, Dick’s parents used said trapeze, and fell to their deaths when the wire snapped. So yeah, working without a net is cool, but…yeah, it would have been really helpful here. Dick wanted to rush to the police to let them know what he knew, but was stopped by the big brooding Batman. Batman warns Dick that the thugs work for Tony Zucco, a powerful crime boss, and that Zucco would…take offense to being named a suspect.

Dick still might have gone through with calling the cops, if Batman hadn’t revealed his own origins about his parent’s tragic deaths. Seeing the similarities in their background, Dick asked to be Batman’s aide, so he could get justice for his parents. Batman agrees, and trained him as Robin the Boy Wonder. After a few weeks of intensive training, they start hitting Zucco where it hurts, his wallet. They disrupt hiss disreputable business, and then catch the crook at a construction site after he got mad and stupid. Batman and Robin become an inseparable pair for years to come. The two quickly develop a father/son bond. Robin becomes something of a big wig in terms of Hero sidekicks, and even helps found the Teen Titans, a team comprised of entirely sidekicks. On one of their adventures, Batman and Robin find themselves in an Alternate reality. One where the shrunken City of Kandor is still full sized, and protected by its own Batman and Robin. These two being an alternate Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen, going by the codenames Nightwing and Flamebird. Remember that first name, folks, it’ll be important in a sec. Robin goes into semi-retirement as Dick attends College, but he’s always ready to jump into action should Batman ever need him.

Simple, but effective costume.
Though wouldn't a gray bird match the name better?

After several years of being in his late teens/early twenties and yet still being referred to as the “Boy Wonder,” Dick has enough. He decides to rebrand himself, and uses the alternate Superman’s identity to do so. He becomes Nightwing, and sets about on his own crusade of justice. He occasionally stops in to help Batman and his successor Robins, Jason Todd and Tim Drake, respectively, but largely works on his own stuff. Which, does kind of come in handy a few years later. Batman had a faceoff with Bane that left him with a shattered spine. He chose another hero named Jean-Paul Valley to succeed him as Batman. Why? When Dick is clearly the best option? Well, Bruce didn’t want to burden the young man that is essentially his oldest son with the heavy mantle of Batman, especially given how hard Dick worked to be his own hero. And he feared Dick would go off the deep end trying to get payback. Turns out, he should have been more concerned with Valley, who loses it and starts behaving erratically. Batman goes through some extensive physical training to get back up to snuff, and he, Nightwing, and Robin (Tim Drake) battle and defeate Valley. But after this, Batman decides he needs to do a little soul searching, and leaves the cowl and cape in Dick’s very capable hands. While holding the fort as Batman, Dick gets a better idea of the emotional, physical and mental burdens his surrogate father has to go through on a daily basis. Suffice to say, when Bruce comes back, Dick happily returns the Batman costume. He seems to still desire to be Batman, but for now, he’s content being the Nightwing.

Richard “Dick” Grayson, like his mentor, is 100% natural human. He has trained pretty much since the cradle to swing on trapeze, which makes him a natural acrobat. He’s vigorously trained his body to be the peak of human ability. Dick rivals his mentor in terms of skill in martial arts, fencing, escapology, and criminology. He uses a variety of gadgets; smoke bombs, grappling hook, metal batons, “bird-a-rangs,” and the like.

Dick’s version of Robin has appeared in a number of Batman franchises. Usually, if a show/movie series lasts long enough, we’ll see the Flying Grayson in one form or another.

We see Dick go through his entire transition from sidekick to his own superhero in Batman: The Animated Series. His early episodes had him as the Bird-Boy, but he and Bruce have a serious falling out between Batman: TAS and its sequel show The New Adventures of Batman. While the two would still work together, there was always a strong sense that their personal relationship hadn’t recovered. He does form a strong bond with his successor, Tim Drake.

Best Nightwing line of the movie: "You know what I missed
most about running with you? The toys." 

Teen Titans’ Robin was almost never addressed by his “real” name, certain elements of his character are clearly Dick Grayson. The fact that he and teammate Starfire have a thing, the fact that in the time hopping episode “How Long is Forever?” we see Robin has become Nightwing, and that he has an obsessive extra-dimensional fan whose name is Nosyarg Kcid. Spell it backwards. See? Many of the early episodes focus on the team battling the villainous Slade, who wants to make Robin into his successor. Slade comes really close, after hitting the other Titans with nano-explosives. While training Robin to be ruthless, he makes an almost off-hand comment about how one-day Robin would call him father. In a pretty badass moment, Robin simply states “I already have a father,” which causes a group of Bat’s to swarm.

We see Nightwing in Batman: Under the Red Hood. He’s voiced by Neil Patrick Harris, who has also played Spider-Man in another series. No real point with that tidbit, the guy gets around is all I’m saying. He steps in to help Batman battle he incredibly dangerous Amazo Android. After they disable the Robot, he does his bests to help Bruce uncover the identity of the Red Hood, but is benched after he breaks his leg stopping a helicopter from falling onto the Gotham City streets. If you're going to get benched, that's the way to do it.

In my humble opinion, the Best Dick Grayson appeared in Young Justice. He’s the youngest member of the covert ops Team, still an awful name, but is the most experienced. Thirteen years old, but has been training as Robin since he was nine. He is forbidden to reveal his identity to the rest of the team, so is either wearing his mask or shades around the other team members. We get to hear Batman's thoughts on his young ward in "Agendas." In the subplot of the episode, the Justice League gets together and discusses adding new heroes to their roster. Wonder Woman calls Batman out on training Robin, claiming that Bruce was making someone just like him. Batman counters with "So he wouldn't be like me." He hoped to give Robin the closure that he never did, which seems to work out. Robin tries very hard to get himself and the rest of the team up to snuff throughout the series. In the episode “Performance,” he leads the Team on a mission to protect the Haly Circus. It’s revealed that one member is actually the Parasite, who would steal the abilities of circus performers to rob several high tech institutions. After stopping Parasite, Robin has a nice bonding moment with Mr. Haly, who revealed that he’d never forgotten what a Flying Grayson looks like on the Trapeze. It’s a good moment.

We see him in season two, where he’s transitioned to full leader of the Team, and is now Nightwing. Despite offers to join the Justice League, he chooses to stick with the Team. For Reasons. One of his most awesome moments happened in the episode “Complications.” In it, he’s investigating the mysterious disappearance of several teammates. When he learns who did it, he snaps the wing off a bird-a-rang. Batman tech is remarkably durable, so you have to imagine the rage he needed to feel to break one of those.

Dick Grayson is the original sidekick, for better or worst. I enjoy his story, the broken little Robin that turns into a savage Bird of Prey. Despite his unusual circumstances, he’s like any son, trying to live up to, and surpass, the expectations of his adoptive father. I think they put it best in Young Justice episode, “Disordered.” In it, the team is recovering from a psychologically damaging training mission. While talking with Black Canary, the group’s shrink, Robin admits that he no longer wants to be Batman. He still looks up to him, still wants to emulate him, but that he can’t be willing to sacrifice everything for victory. Like Batman. That’s why I think why he’s a well-liked character. We can all relate to living up to expectations, and trying to be our own man/woman/???, however you choose to self-identity.  He’s the amazing acrobat, the high flying Grayson, the shadowy Nightwing. Next time, the other other Robin, Tim Drake. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Grayson#/media/File:Robin_BTAS.jpg

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Villain Profile: Vulture

A vulture is an ugly, bald headed, carrion feeder. We associate them with death, or worse, the stuff that happens after death. So, naturally, anyone that chooses to use that as their moniker must be a pretty unpleasant person, too. That pretty much fits Adrian Toomes to a T. He’s one of Spider-Man’s oldest and most persistent foes. Which is pretty impressive, given that he was about 60 in the 60s. Old man’s a fighter. Let’s get to it.

When you get right down to it, he's just an insane
old man in long underwear. And an anti-gravity pack

Adrian Toomes was an electronics engineer for most of his life. He was partnered with a man named Gregory Bestman, Toomes handled inventing stuff, and Bestman handled the books. This worked well, until Toomes made his best invention to date. He developed a harness that allowed him to defy gravity. He rushed to show Bestman his invention, but was horrified to learn that Bestman was embezzling funds. Toomes didn’t have legal recourse, and ended up losing his job. He was enraged, and started trashing their office. In his anger, he also discovered that his harness gave him superstrenght. Deciding to turn to crime, he used his harness in the most impractical manner ever. Swooping down and snatching purses. Goodness, it sounds stupider out loud. Seriously, superstrenght and flight, it just screams high priced assassin. But no, purse snatching. He does move up to stealing things like diamonds and armored cars when they try to transfer them outside. This gets Spider-Man’s attention, who beats up the buzzard and sends him packing. This encounter is what gives young Peter Parker the idea to take pictures of himself beating up supervillains and selling them to the Daily Bugle.

He later tried to steal the payroll form the Daily Bugle, and then was enlisted by Doctor Octopus to be part of the original Sinister Six. The hilarious part, Doc Oct originally planned to get every villain Spider-Man had faced, but only Vulture, Electro, Kraven the Hunter, Mysterio, and Sandman responded. One of the most well-known supervillain team ups started off as basically a poorly responded to Craigslist ad. How sad. In their first plan, rather than team up and get Spider-Man all at once, they decide to fight him one at a time, in the hopes of exhausting him. Dumb plan. Vulture was the second to last to face Spider-Man. He forced Spider-Man to drop his web-shooters, coated a rooftop in oil, and tried to blow him off the building with gale force winds caused by his wings. Spider-Man escaped, grabbed a lasso that Vulture tried to hang him with, and captured the winged villain. Toomes and the rest of the Six were arrested.

Closest he's ever come to getting Spider-Man.
Which is really sad when you think about it.

While in prison, he suffered a pretty serious injury in the prison workshop. Believing that he was dying, he told his cellmate Blackie Drago where he kept a backup Vulture costume. Blackie stole the costume, and later revealed that he orchestrated the accident on purpose to get Toomes’ tech. When Toomes recovered, he got his original costume back, and fought Drago for the mantle of Vulture. Somehow, Toomes ended up on top. Later, he arranged for the murder of New York’s top mobsters, and took over as the new crime lord of NYC. A Big Man of Crime, if you will. He got Spider-Man’s attention again, the two fought, and you know how it ends. Toomes is one of those guys who should get some kind of rewards card for how often he checks into prison. Vulture attempted to retire from villainy, until he heard Bestman was back in town. He donned his bird costume and murdered the man he blamed most for ruining his life. Vulture is one of Spider-Man’s most well connected supervillains, surprisingly. He’s good buddies with Electro, and Doc Oct, and dozens of other villains. He’s been a part of several incarnations of the Sinister Six. Who knew the guy who named himself after a corpse eating bird would be such a people person?

Adrian Toomes, using his impressive skills in electrical engineering, developed a special harness that lets him defy gravity. He uses his large wings to direct himself in the air. His harness is described as a “electromagnetic anti-graviton generator.” But, much like Magneto, he can fly because it looks cool. His harness also gives him superstrength. Some versions also have the ability to temporarily drain the youth from a victim, cause reasons.

Toomes has had sporadic appearances in Spider-Man media. He’s right on the edge of being as famous as Green Goblin and Doc Oct, and being as obscure as…hm… I was going to say Rhino, but he’s kind of well know now. Ah… The Big Man? Is he obscure enough? Yeah I think so.

He was a recurring character in Spider-Man back in the 90s. This version used his bizarre life sucking powers on several occasions. He was featured in several episodes, but wasn’t an original “Insidious Six” member, he was part of version 2, replacing Mysterio.

Uhg, he's even uglier than normal in this one.

The most accurate version of the character appeared in The Spectacular Spider-Man. I’ve actually watched the first season since my last Spider-Man related post, so I can now make first hand observations. He was the first actual villain that Spider-Man faced in the first episode, “Survival of the Fittest.” He was introduced as an elderly but gifted engineer. He was infuriated to learn that, after showing Norman Osborn his prototype flight Harness, that Oscorp had stolen the idea and claimed it was theirs. Osborn made the pretty accurate observation that few would believe that “The old Buzzard” made something so amazing. He used his flight tech, and some specialized talons, to try to kill Osborn. When he claims that he’d become a “Vulture” like Osborn said, Osborn, who is surprisingly ballsy for a guy being held several stories off the ground, corrected him and said “you can’t even get the name right.” Say what you want about Osborn, but they guy has cojones. He’s defeated by Spider-Man. He returned in “Group Therapy,” where he broke out of prison and joined Doc Oct’s Sinister Six. This version did the smart thing and attacked Spider-Man all at once. They might have won, if Spider-Man hadn’t been wearing the Venom Symbiote. While Peter slept, the suit took control and thrashed the villains. He returned with the Six on a few occasions, but kept getting their butts kicked.

A completely new version appeared in Ultimate Spider-Man. This version of Adrian is an amnesia suffering teenager that had been experimented on by Doc Oct. Spider-Man and Adrian go to Oct, who was imprisoned on the Helicarrier. Once there, Oct revealed that he’d put special programming into Adrian. By uttering Carrion Feeder, Adrian is thrown into a rage and starts wrecking stuff. Spider-Man helps Adrian recover, and they recapture Oct. He’s later recruited by the villainous Taskmaster as part of his Thunderbolt’s team. He helps Taskmaster commit a mass break out at the Helicarrier, and escapes.

He hasn’t made any live action appearances. He was slated to appear in Spider-Man 4, but the film fell apart. He was going to appear in an Amazing Spider-Man sequel, but again, this fell through. Maybe he’ll get his shot in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Vulture is one of those villains that I don’t particularly like, but I do have to respect him. He’s one of Spider-Man’s oldest villains, and did help Peter Parker figure out how best to finance his Superheroing. And, again, I find it kind of hilarious that he’s one of the more social villains in Spider-Man’s rogues gallery. Oversized bird of prey doesn’t really scream team player, now does it? Also, while I made fun of his choices in crimes, it is kind of nice to have a villain that isn’t often planning on global conquest. We really could use more of “normal” criminals in circulation. He’s the old but persistent, senile but savage bird of prey, The Vulture. Next time, the original sidekick, Dick Grayson aka Robin aka Nightwing.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survival_of_the_Fittest_(The_Spectacular_Spider-Man)#/media/File:Spectacular_Spider_Man_pilot.jpg

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Hero Profile: Falcon

Sam Wilson is a character that’s gotten a lot of buzz in the last few years. He’s one of Captain America’s oldest buddies, and is now one of the successors to the title of Captain America. He’s fought against both criminals, and racism over his long career. I wonder if he and Winter Soldier have ever had a fight over who is Cap’s Best Friend. That would be a fight to remember. But enough of speculation, let’s get to the character.

High flying adventure.

Samuel Wilson’s life was peaceful to start. His father was a prominent minister in Harlem. He had an affinity for birds from an early age. He raised pigeons from when he was about seven, and by sixteen, he had the largest coop in Harlem. He lost interest, however, as he grew more and more jaded by the obvious racism that he was forced to face on a daily basis. He refused to join his family’s church, and even went so far to claim his parents were ignorant about the “real world.” Rather than do the cliché thing and try and force Sam to fall in line with their way of thinking, they got him some books about different faiths. Apparently, Minister Paul Wilson and his wife Darlene were interested in their son having faith than having their faith. Unfortunately, the very next night, Paul was murdered when trying to break up a neighborhood fights, and within two years, his mother was killed by a mugger.

Feeling…upset, Sam decided to abandon everything his family held dear, and moved LA to live as a professional criminal. He went by “Snap” Wilson. Pretty stupid alias, not going to lie. He lived like this for a while, until he took a fateful flight to Rio. He went to land a big score, but his plane crashed onto Exile Island. This was a peaceful island, until a group known as the Exiles took over. They were the B-squad of world conquerors. They’d collaborated with the Red Skull back in the 40s, but had been betrayed and left on the island. They enslaved the local populace and kept plotting. While on the island he formed a strong bond with a falcon which he named Redwing.

Sam and his two best friends
A bird and a guy from the 40s.
strangest friends ever.

This is a part that gets a little confusing. So, the Red Skull developed a plan to kill Captain America, using Sam. He used the Cosmic Cube, an immensely powerful object that was capable alter reality, on Sam. First, he uses the cube to create an immensely powerful link to Redwing. This allowed Sam to communicate with his feathered friend via telepathy, and gradually developed the same connection with all birds. He then used the Cosmic Cube to alter reality. Or possibly altered Sam’s memories of the past. The articles are a little unclear on the subject.  In this new history, or new memory of history, Sam was an upstanding citizen that had been lured to Exile Island. He meets Captain America there, and the two whip the natives into a full scale rebellion. They create Sam’s persona of The Falcon, to inspire the natives. Sam received personal training from Cap, and the two became fast friends. They led the rebellion, and later returned to New York together. Sam became a frequent partner of the Captain. He essentially becomes the Robin to Cap’s Batman. He even wore the Captain America Costume briefly when Steve was believed to have died. He partnered with Black Panther for a bit, too. T’Challa is the one that developed the special flight harness that let’s Sam soar like a bird.

He mentored a young man named Roscoe, who attempted to take up the Captain America mantel after Steve quit to become Nomad. Roscoe is murdered by the Red Skull, which drives Steve to become Captain America again, and he and Sam sought vengeance. When they confronted Skull, he revealed Sam’s possibly “true,” possibly “original,” past. He seemed to think that Sam realizing that he was a former gangster would cause the young hero to turn on Captain America. Yeah, it’s a pretty bad plan. Sam and Cap defeat the Skull, and Sam is then named head of the Super-Agent division of SHIELD. They’re the Agents that get costumes. He is also appointed to the Avengers. Which is good. But to fill a federal mandated racial quota for the Avengers. Not as good… He quit at the firsts opportunity, refusing to be the “token” on the team. He’d eventually get a job on the Avengers again, but this time, the right way. Falcon eventually was offered the identity of Captain America, when Steve Rogers was no longer able to continue being an active hero. But I’ll get back to that another time.

Sam Wilson doesn’t have “natural” superhuman powers. I realize that that is an oxymoron. But’s the best way to explain this one. The Red Skull used his Comic Cube to forcibly create a mental link between Sam and his partner bird, Redwing. After some training and intense concentration, Sam has learned to connect his mind with any bird in a given area. This helps make Sam an exceptional spy, as he has a million eyes flying around a given area. Sam is an exceptional martial artist and gymnast. Trained by Steven Rogers himself. He is a gifted bird trainer, even before he got his power over avian lifeforms.

Really love his movie costume.

He has a specialized set of artificial wings that help him fly. His original wing, and the later replacement, were both developed by super genius T’Challa aka Black Panther.  His original costume was comprised of sturdy, light weight titanium wings. The wings were covered in thin solar power receptors that power the high-speed turbines in his uniform and boots. This original harness was destroyed, but was quickly replaced. The new wings were made with a special emitter that created holographic “hard light” wings. Same rules as the Green Lantern Corps hard light rings, they’re made of energy but are solid. Comic book logic. He has something called a “magnetic drive” in the wings that give him the thrust necessary to stay airborne.

Despite being one of the original African American Superheroes, Sam’s appearances outside the comics has been limited until very recently.

He was a recurring character in The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. He appeared in “Nightmare in Red” and “Code Red.” In both, he was a covert agent working on corrupt politician Dell Rusk’s Code Red. “Code Red” revealed that he, Doc Samson, and Winter Soldier were all being mind-controlled by Rusk, who was really Red Skull in disguise. He returned in “Avengers Assemble,” where he helps the Avengers battle Galactus.

He’s a major character in Avengers Assemble. Which is a little confusing. Several episodes have implied that this is a sequel show to Avengers: EMH, and yet Falcon is completely different. Very little is revealed about the Falcon from Avengers: EMH, but he’s very clearly a grown man. In Avengers Assemble he’s a seventeen-year-old SHIELD operative that’s given his tech by Tony Stark. While he doesn’t have Redwing in this version, his wing pack can detach and fly around on its own in “Redwing Mode.” Show is just okay, give it a watch if, like me, you occasionally need an Avengers hit. This version of Falcon also appears in Ultimate Spider-Man, which shares continuity.

Sam Wilson made his cinematic debut in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. He’s portrayed by Anthony Mackie. This version of Sam is a former pararescuer for the US Air Force. He was part of a specialized unit that used experimental wing packs to fly. He uses a pair of submachine guns as his primary weapon. He helps Captain America and his team stop the HYDRA corrupted SHIELD. He reprises his role in Avengers: Age of Ultron, where he attends the Avengers victory party for defeating HYDRA. He has a minor role in Ant-Man, where he and Scott Lang battle at SHIELDs new headquarters, where Scott was trying to steal a specialized item that Hank Pym invented years ago. He also had one of the best lines in the movie. After fighting, and being beaten, by Scott, he over the radio tells the operator that “Cap can NEVER hear about this.” Mackie will reprise his role in Captain America: Civil War, and assumedly future Marvel movies. This version doesn’t have his strange psychic connection to birds, but apparently a robot drone version of Redwing will appear in Civil War.

Sam is an okay character.  His powers are rather unique, albeit a little strange. He is one of the original African American superheroes, and is one of Captain America’s oldest friends. Which earn him a number of points. I really like his movie version, which is both confident and yet slightly insecure when working with Captain America. It must be rough, having a best friend that is also a living legend. I hope to see him in a few more movies, if nothing else. He’s the fiercely loyal, high flying, Falcon. Next time, another kind of flying predator, the Vulture. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falcon_(comics)#/media/File:TheFalcon.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_America_and_the_Falcon#/media/File:CapFalcon10.jpg

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Villain Profile: The Penguin

It’s time for another Theme Week. What’s the theme this time? Birds. Why? Why not? Well, to be honest the thought process went like this. I’m delivering mail at my new job, hear a crow cawing at me, heckle the birds, and then thought, there are a lot of bird themed Superheroes. I’ve had worse ideas.  So that’s why. Am I nuts? Yes. Are we still doing it? Totally. Let’s get to it.

Wan wan wan wan. I think that's how I onomatopoeia-ize
Penguin's Laugh.

Another random tidbit about me, I love penguins. Those weird, waddling birds that swim like torpedoes, but don’t fly, I just love ‘em. I’ve seen just about any movie or film that relates to these birds. From Happy Feet to March of the Penguins. Some might say I have a problem. Thus, you can imagine my…mixed feelings about Oswald Cobblepot. Either a tiny high society gangster, or gross tiny high society gangster. Aka, rock and hard place. But more on that in a second.

Imagine that short, fat little kid that was always picked on in elementary-high school. Every school had one. That was Oswald. He also had an oversized, beak-like nose, and was forced to carry an umbrella by his overprotective mother. Apparently his father died from pneumonia, so his mother somehow thought that the umbrella would protect her son from lung inflammation. This guy had absolutely no chance of being normal, did he? Anyway, there are two distinctive reasons as to why this bird became a crook. One, his mother died, and he was forced to sell her collection of pet birds to pay for her debts. His first criminal act was to steal the birds back, and things just kind of snowballed after that. In the other, he’s rejected from his high-society family, and turns to crime to help him live the life he’d grown accustomed to before being cut off. Either way, he dresses in formal wear, top hat, monocle, and tux. Making him one of the most formal criminals since Deadshot. What’s that? Deadshot came second? Oh, well, there you go.

He began his career in Gotham City by stealing a priceless painting. How did he do it? Rolling it up and stuffing it into the handle of his umbrella. It was the 50s, security tech wasn’t all that great. He kept it as a symbol of his intellect, and as proof his worth to the local mob bosses. He helped the mob perform some difficult heists, then murdered the boss with his bizarre umbrella gun and took over. He then started one his most ingenious plans to date, getting rid of Batman. Penguin’s plan was to frame Batman for his thefts. Batman unravels the plot, but Penguin escapes. The Penguin has become one of Batman’s most well know and persistent foes. Some put him on par with the Joker in terms of notoriety. His crimes range from extortion to blackmail to theft. He uses various means to perform said crimes, from advanced technology to highly trained birds that follow his commands. Who knew that a degree in Ornithology could be so useful? He was one of many villains that participated in an auction that the insane professor Hugo Strange put on for Batman’s secret identity. Batman stopped said auction, which I’m sure got Oswald all flustered.

I wonder if his left eye still works...

As time has gone on, the Penguin has shifted from street crime to the more legitimate kind. He opened up a large Bar/Casino called the Iceberg Lounge. He uses this place as a front for his illegal enterprises, and also to generate funds for his operations. Arms dealing, drugs, extortion, that sort of thing. Batman could technically ruin this business but chooses not to, as the Penguin is willing to serve as an informant so long as Batman doesn’t affect his business. Sometimes, it’s better to stick with the devil you know.

The Penguin is an…interesting bad guy. He uses his intellect and ill-gotten gains to finance a criminal empire that rivals that of Black Mask. He uses a number of umbrellas with various hidden weapons inside. Said umbrella weapons range from a hidden sword, gun, flamethrowers and poison gas spray. He’s also surprisingly athletic for a fat guy. He’s self-taught in several martial arts, including Judo and bare knuckle boxing. He usually delegates the dirty work to his various henchmen, but does get his hands dirty from time to time.

The Penguin is one of Batman’s most recurring villains. He’s appeared in just about every Batman franchise to date.

Let’s take a second to discuss his looks. In most of his incarnations, he’s just a short, fat millionaire. It worked for about forty years, so it wasn’t a bad look. Back in 1992, this changed. He was portrayed by Danny DeVito in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns. This version is a horribly deformed man, with flipper like hands, a hunchback, and razor teeth. He’s a social outcast and wants vengeance against the social elites of Gotham City for shunning him. Different shows and movies flip flop between these two versions.

I haven’t seen the live action Batman TV show from 1960s. But, I do know, that the Penguin’s actor, Burgess Meredith did have a lasting effect on the character. I’m talking specifically about his laugh. Meredith had this distinctive, squawking laugh. This has followed the Penguin ever since.

24 years later, and Danny DeVito's
Penguin still freaks me out.

He was a major antagonist in Batman: The Animated Series. This version takes elements from the Burton movie, such as his flipper like hands, and more hunchbacked features. But, like the comics, he’s a wealthy aristocrat and love of the finer things in life. He is one of five Batman villains that all attend a poker night in “Almost Got ‘im.” This baddy poker night includes Two-Face, Poison Ivy, Killer Croc and the Joker. Most colorful poker night, ever. They each tell a short story about the time they almost killed Batman. Penguin’s plan involved spraying Batman with hummingbird food and then releases a bunch of hummingbirds with poison tipped beaks. They sting him repeatedly, and would have killed him, if Batman hadn’t been able to activate the sprinkler system, and wash himself clean. One of his biggest episodes was “Birds of a Feather.” In it, the Penguin honestly tries to reform, mend his ways and be a functioning member of society. This plan is somewhat ruined by Veronica Vreeland, a Gotham socialite that wanted to make a splash at one of her parties. She pretends to like the Penguin, and he starts falling in love with her. His heart breaks when he hears the other guests pointing out that he’s just being used, and kidnaps them all to hold for ransom. Batman saves the day, and Penguin points out that all he wanted was for someone to like him. It’s really rather sad. He was also one of three villains that Professor Hugo Strange invited to an auction for Batman’s secret identity in “The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne.” Like Joker and Two-Face, he isn’t sold by Strange just telling them, once Batman destroys the proof.  

Penguin reappears in the New Adventures of Batman. The “sequel” show to Batman: TAS. Somehow, between the two shows, Penguin goes through some major plastic surgery. He’s not the only character to get a major make over, but his is one of the more obvious changes. He’s set up the Iceberg Lounge by this point in the show, and has taken up the artsy arms dealer part of his character.

I bet there are some folks who'd be willing to kill
for Penguin's plastic surgeon.

He was a major villain in The Batman. This version is another of the more gross looking versions of the character. The Penguin is obsessed with re-establishing the Cobblepots as a major family in Gotham City. His family also used to employ Alfred Pennyworth’s family, before they hit on hard times. As such, he has a personal grudge with Batman’s butler. Bet that’s the first time that’s ever happened. This version uses a number of specially trained birds, and these pair of creepy kabuki twins with razor sharp claws. Penguin occasionally has some really good ideas for really stupid reasons, like in “Team Penguin,” where after watching an Ocean’s Eleven parody, he decides to create a team of villains to defeat Batman. His team consists of Killer Croc, Bane, Killer Moth, Firefly, and Ragdoll. Overall, no one on said team respects him or takes orders well, except for Killer Moth, who is unusually loyal to Penguin. They steal some experimental chemicals, which turn Killer Moth into a giant mutant moth. Batman, Batgirl, and Robin are able to stop them. He gets his flipper hands on Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern ring during “Ring Toss,” and uses it…somehow. Despite never showing any particularly strong willpower. Somethings are better left unanalyzed.

He’s got a few parts in the Arkham games. He’s one of the various villains thrown into Gotham City’s Arkham City, an open air prison. Unlike the others, he wasn’t arrested, he just refused to leave his casino when Hugo Strange started setting up shop in the lower end of Gotham City. He’s a major player in Arkham City’s power structure, he runs one of the biggest gangs in the city, and supplies various factions with resources. He’s also got the monster Solomon Grundy in his basement. He’s appears in pretty much the same capacity in Arkham Origin. Arms Dealer, who the player never fights directly. This version, rather than having a monocle, has a part of a broken bottle jammed into his face over one eye. Extra game content reveals that a distraught patron jammed the bottle into his eye, and that it’s stuck in there too good to be removed. It makes him look rather distinct.

The Penguin is an interesting bad guy. Of all of Batman’s bad guy’s he’s one of the few to not suffer from an obvious mental disorder. Which is getting increasingly rare. I like the more modern version of the character that mixes the grossness of the Burton version with the more traditional aristocrat. He’s got a minor bit in Batman: Assault on Arkham, where he outfits the Suicide Squad with tech and info. In the scene, he’s sipping a fine wine, and gulping down whole fish. It’s creepy and gross, but highlights the best parts about the character. He’s the aristocratic avian, the waddling arms dealer, the Penguin. Next time, the Falcon.

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Villain Profile: Deadshot

Other than the scope-eye placement, great
costume.

What do you get when you combine killer accuracy with an amoral personality? You get Deathstroke. Or Bullseye. Or the Punisher. Or even Hawkeye in some iterations. I’m getting off track here, we’re talking about Deadshot today. I just used that little intro to point out that there are a few characters that boast skills on or above Deadshot’s own. Just keep that in mind. Let’s get to it.

Deadshot began life as Floyd Lawton. Oh my, that’s right up there with Leonard Snart on the list of worst real names ever. Lawton’s father was an abusive SOB that regularly beat Lawton and his beloved older brother. During one of his father’s outbursts, where he beat the older son, Lawton decided to take matters into his own hands. He grabbed his father’s hunting rifle, climbed a tree, and took aim at his hated sire. But, when Lawton pulled the trigger, the branch he sat on snapped, and he plummeted to the ground. This also caused his shot to arc wildly, and strike his brother instead. While it hasn’t been stated outright, its believed by many that it was the death of his brother that caused Lawton to perfect his marksmanship and why he seems to have no regard for his own life. Killing a relative will have that effect on a boy.

Years later, Floyd Lawton somehow amassed a sizeable fortune, and set up shop in Gotham City. When Batman and Robin were out of the city on vacation, it was the 50s Batman did a lot of goofy stuff back then, Lawton decided to make his move. He dressed up in a tailored suit, top hat, and little domino mask, stopped a robbery with his trick shooting skills, and introduced himself to the police and mayor as Deadshot. Despite the incredibly aggressive moniker, the Mayor chose to trust Deadshot, and even went so far as to replace the Bat-Signal with a Shot-Signal. Bullseye Signal? Target Signal? Whatever, Deadshot became a bigtime hero in Batman’s absence. When the Dark Knight returned, he was very suspicious of the new “vigilante superhero.” His suspicions panned out when, after tracking Lawton to his home, he discovered that Lawton was planning on killing Batman and becoming the criminal overlord of Gotham. Batman was able publicly expose Lawton, and saw him sent to prison.

People took him seriously in this?
Really?

This turned out to be a pretty bad idea. While in prison, Lawton trained constantly to improve his strength and fighting skills for his next confrontation with Batman. He was able to escape prison with the unwilling help of the Penguin. Lawton stole a special, laser firing monocle that the Penguin had smuggled into prison to facilitate his escape. My question, what idiot let the Penguin keep a monocle in his cell? Do prisoners get to keep specialized eye-wear like that? Anyway, Lawton fashioned a new red costume, complete with a creepy one eyed mask, and set his scope on Batman once again. The two battled across Gotham City, and Batman came out on top. This time, when he was sent to prison, he was intercepted by a few government officials. Seeing his skills as a marksman, and his complete disregard for human life, someone in the upper echelon of shady government deals decided to offer him a deal. Deadshot would have to perform a suicide mission, in exchange for a reduced sentence. Lawton agreed, and became a member of the Suicide Squad. Deadshot excels as a member of the Suicide Squad, and becomes a regular on the roster. Not sure if he’s happy with that or not, as part of the reason he joined was to die. Apparently he’d developed some kind of “Hate life” complex, and, while he didn’t want to commit suicide, he didn’t care whether he lived or died. He almost got his wish, however, with one mission.

There was a powerful Senator that had threatened to expose the Suicide Squad to the general public. Lawton’s immediate Superior, Rick Flag, didn’t take this kind of threat too kindly, and set out to kill the Senator. Lawton was ordered to stop Flag, by any means. His means? Kill the Senator himself. When questioned later, he stated that his mission was “Stop Flag from Killing the Senator. Exact Words.” That’s some crazy, Terminator/I, Robot movie rule bending right there. Lawton was gunned down at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial by police, but survived his wounds and continued working for the Suicide Squad.

It's raining Lead, Hallelujah,
It's raining Lead. 

The last thing I’ll mention is Deadshot’s daughter. Apparently he’d had a fling with a woman years ago, that resulted in his daughter, Zoe. I imagine his reaction went something like this, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGSIzFEFK6Y. Just replace Son with Daughter. But, he was not so happy to learn that he lived in one of the more…scummy districts of Star City. Deadshot decided to clean up the neighborhood. After killing a few thugs, getting the attention of Green Arrow, and then faking his death, yet again, Deadshot slipped back into the woodwork. Knowing that Green Arrow would patrol the area more often seemed to relieve Lawton’s consciences. So he could kill more people. Priorities.

Deadshot is an expert assassin and marksman. While he has a number of deadly firearms, he’s best known for his high powered sniper rifle, and a pair of machine guns mounted to his wrists. He once pulled a William Tell, shooting an apple off of someone’s head, but while also being blindfolded. After his first appearance, he’s trained in hand-to-hand combat, and is now more or less on par with Batman.

Deadshot has made a number of appearances outside of the comics. Interestingly, I don’t think there’s been a single version that has had a particular history or grudge with Batman. Much like Deathstroke, he’s kind of evolved past his initial concept. He has fought Batman on several occasions, but I’ve just never noticed the intensity that his history implies.

He appeared as a character in Justice League: Unlimited. In his first episode, “The Enemy Below” he was hired to assassinate Aquaman. After the second or third attempt, he’s chased down by the Justice League and is forced to reveal who hired him. He later appeared as a background villain in “Hereafter.” He’s one of many baddies celebrating the supposed death of Superman by rioting in Metropolis. Personally, with guys like the Flash, Batman, and Green Lantern running around, I’d have held off on the celebrating. In “Task Force X” he’s recruited by Colonel Rick Flag, Jr. as a part of said Task Force. He’s pretty much forced to go along when he learns that his last meal was laced with nano-explosives. The Mission of the Task Force is to steal The Annihilator, a magical war machine that the Justice League had stashed away in the Watchtower. They break into the JL’s floating fortress, and steal the suit. He’s rather “annoyed” to learn that he’ll need to work for five years before getting his sentence suspended. But, he seems to have escaped capture after Task Force X’s backer, Project Cadmus, dissolved.

Lawton is a minor villain in the final season of Smallville. In his first episode “Shield” he’s got his sights set on reporters Clark Kent, and Cat Grant. Imagine his surprise when Clark turns out to be Bulletproof. He’s a background character after that, working alongside Rick Flag and the Suicide Squad.  

Green Arrow needs to watch his back.

I’d say his biggest appearance to date is in Arrow. He’s the second major villain that Oliver Queen encounters after dawning his mysterious Green Hood. They battle across Starling City, and the fight ends with Deadshot apparently killed. He returns in “Dead to Rights” where it’s revealed that Oliver just seemed to have left him blind in his right eye. He’s given a new targeting device in the form of a red cybernetic eye. He’s hired to assassinate billionaire Malcolm Merlyn, but is once again foiled by Oliver. He later joins the Suicide Squad. This series also introduced a sort of rivalry between him and original character John Diggle. Apparently, Diggle’s brother had been killed by Deadshot years ago, and after discovering it was Deadshot that had done the deed, swears vengeance. Things get more complicated when they’re forced to work together on the Suicide Squad.

He was the “main” character in Batman: Assault on Arkham. He’s put on a team with Harley Quinn, Killer Frost, King Shark, Captain Boomerang, and Black Spider. He’s apparently worked with the Squad before, as he’s unsurprised when he’s captured for the team. He’s tasked with stealing the Riddler’s Cane from Arkham Assylum, which has a flashdrive on it containing sensitive information about the Suicide Squad. He’s the de facto leader of the group, which does accomplish its mission, despite a few hiccups.

A Suicide Squad movie is set to release in August of this year. This version of Floyd Lawton is going to be played by Hollywood Heavyweight Will Smith. Did I just make that reference because he also played Muhammad Ali? You bet I did. There’s just one small thing about the movie promos thus far that makes me nervous. It’s a silly little thing, completely pointless really, but… his scope eye is on the wrong side. I know, minor nitpick, but in my experience, it’s little changes like that that hint at much, much bigger problems. Like making Pa Kent “Okay” with Clark letting people die, which leads to unconvincing Dark Superman. Just saying.

Honestly, not the biggest fan of Deadshot. I feel that his skill set, while impressive, is handled better by guys like Deathstroke and even Hawkeye. As I said in the opening, there are a lot of characters with killer accuracy, it’s really not that new of an idea. I am also not the biggest fan of how a lot of series bring up his daughter. Not sure how most people respond to it, but for me, it’s like seeing Sandman’s daughter in Spider-Man 3. A transparent attempt to make me believe that an otherwise awful human being “isn’t all that bad” and sympathize with him. If’s he’s a stonecold killer, go with it, if he’s a loving father using the only skill he has to provide for his child, go with it, I’m just not a fan of this mix and mash stuff. That being said, it should be interesting to see how Will Smith’s character holds up against the other versions. Provided he has enough screen time to be fleshed out. What? He’s sharing the screen with the Joker and Harley, if those two aren’t trying to steal the show in every scene, they’re doing something wrong. He’s the master marksman, the cold contract killer, the impeccable Deadshot. Next time, Batman’s avian themed baddie, The Penguin.

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