Blackbriar Thorn
Blackbriar Thorn is a male comic supervillain who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Pre-Crisis
Blackbriar Thorn was a High Priest of the ancient Druids of Cymru. When his entire sect is massacred by attacking Roman forces, Thorn flees to the surrounding forest. Attempting to escape capture, he transforms himself into solid wood, hiding amongst the trees. Unfortunately for Thorn, the agony of his dying comrades creates a geological upheaval which buries his newly arboreal form underground.
Millennia later, Blackbriar Thorn's body is unearthed by an archaeologist and subsequently displayed at the Gotham City Museum of History. When moonlight strikes the statue on the night of its unveiling, Thorn is revived and begins to wreak havoc upon the Museum and its patrons, which includes the alter egos of Superman and Etrigan the Demon. The heroic pair's actions drive Thorn to retreat into the city, where he later attempts to procure a new body—-that of Superman. Together, Etrigan and Superman defeat Thorn, rendering him incorporeal.
Blackbriar Thorn was initially discovered in an inanimate state within a wooden sarcophagus by an archaeological team in the British Isles. After being transported to the Gotham City Museum of History and placed on public display, he transitioned from a wooden, petrified form back into a sentient entity during a rainy night. He utilized his magical control over the environment to animate the museum's structural elements and exhibits, transforming the building into a living fortress. He confronted Superman and Etrigan the Demon, who had arrived to investigate the disturbance, and used his sorcery to manifest a localized storm and a variety of wooden constructs to restrain the heroes. He engaged in a verbal declaration regarding his identity as a Druid High Priest and his intent to reclaim the Earth from modern civilisation. He resisted physical and mystical attacks by drawing strength directly from the ground and demonstrated the ability to regenerate damage by merging with the museum’s organic materials. Throughout the confrontation, he maintained a defensive position within the museum, orchestrating a series of environmental hazards to impede his adversaries until he was ultimately subdued and returned to a dormant state through a combination of physical force and mystical containment. (DC Comics Presents v1 #66)
In human form, Blackbriar Thorn joined Etrigan, and other assembled mystics lend their combined energies-—channelled through Doctor Occult and Green Lantern Alan Scott—-to successfully defeat the Anti-Monitor's Shadow Demons, which had been ravaging the Earth.
Post-Crisis
Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.
Disembodied once more and said to have lingered in Gotham Park since his prior defeat, Thorn is channeled by a stage psychic at the behest of John Constantine to provide information about a pending calamity in The Green.
Blackbriar Thorn next appears (again, with a human appearance) as an agent of the demon Neron in a demonic realm called The Abyss. Holding captive the soul of Mollie Scott as bait, Thorn attempts to ensnare her husband, Alan Scott, but is surprised to find Alan no longer vulnerable to wood.
As part of Johnny Sorrow's version of the Injustice Society, a more woody-looking Thorn and his teammates are defeated by Wildcat as they invade the JSA's Headquarters. Thorn's defeat left his body splintered into pieces, one shard of which is kept on display in JSA Headquarters. Thorn lies dormant until the Injustice Society's next attack. Using a crossbow, Injustice Society comrade Tigress shoots the splintered sliver of Blackbriar Thorn into Alan Scott's chest. Apparently once more susceptible to wood, Scott is gravely wounded as Thorn regenerates from the embedded projectile and proceeds to inflict more damage. Thorn is ultimately defeated in this siege on the JSA by Stargirl.
Blackbriar Thorn appears most recently in Day of Vengeance battling the Spectre, who, influenced by Eclipso, attempts to kill all magic wielders in the DC Universe. The combatants appear in gigantic form.[9] Thorn loses the battle, but delays his next regeneration in order to lend his powers, along with many other mystics, in a combined effort to defeat the Spectre.
Blackbriar Thorn is among the villains in the ambush of the JSA led by Tapeworm
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, Blackbriar Thorn was a male human of ancient British or Celtic descent whose physical form possessed a distinct, bark-like texture. His face was characterized by sharp, craggy features and a deeply lined complexion that resembled weathered wood, with small, glowing eyes set beneath a heavy, protruding brow. He had long, tangled white or light-grey hair that fell past his shoulders, often interspersed with small twigs and dried leaves, and a matching unkempt beard that covered his lower face. His body type was tall and exceptionally thin, possessing a skeletal and elongated frame with knotty, branch-like limbs that suggested a transformation from flesh into organic plant matter. His attire was primitive and tattered, consisting primarily of a dark, ragged tunic or loincloth made of ancient, decomposed fabric or cured animal hide. He wore various druidic ornaments, including a heavy wooden pectoral and decorative bands around his wrists and ankles that appeared to be crafted from twisted roots. Over his shoulders, he draped a tattered, dark green or brown cloak that mimicked the appearance of moss and foliage, further integrating his silhouette with the natural world. (DC Comics Presents v1 #66)
Powers and abilities
Blackbriar Thorn demonstrated a mastery over geokinesis and chlorokinesis, specifically the ability to manipulate the earth and organic matter at a molecular level. He exhibited the skill of molecular displacement, allowing him to phase through solid stone walls and floorboards as if they were liquid. He displayed the power of animation, imbuing inanimate wooden objects and structural museum beams with independent movement and physical aggression. He showed advanced atmospheric manipulation by generating a localized thunderstorm within an indoor environment, utilizing high-velocity winds and lightning strikes to repel intruders. His biological abilities included self-regeneration and enhanced physical resilience, as he absorbed kinetic energy and repaired structural damage to his body by drawing nutrients directly from the soil. Furthermore, he possessed the capacity for telepathic communication and sensory perception that extended throughout the building he occupied, enabling him to track his opponents' movements through vibrations in the ground. He also exhibited the ability to transform his physical density, alternating between a petrified, immobile state and a flexible, mobile form at will. (DC Comics Presents v1 #66)
Blackbriar Thorn has exhibited a plethora of abilities, including manipulation of the weather, extensive control over vegetation—either living or dead, the ability to regenerate from even a sliver of his physical form, and the creation of illusions. Thorn can draw strength and abilities though physical contact with the Earth itself. Inside buildings, he still retains the ability to control surrounding plant life, animating it to his will and frequently increasing its volume and strength. Thorn's organic manipulation of his own woody form, including the projection of tendrils and vines, appears to be uninhibited when separated from terra firma as well.
Notes
- Blackbriar Thorn was created by Len Wein and Joe Kubertwhere he made his first appearance in DC Comics Presents v1 #66 (February, 1984).
Appearances
- DC Comics Presents v1: (1984)
- Justice League Dark v1:
In other media
Television
- In Young Justice, Blackbriar Thorn appeared in the animated television series in the episode "Misplaced" where he was voiced by actor Kevin Michael Richardson.
External Links
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