David Zavimbe
David Zavimbe is a male comic superhero who features in DC Comics.
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Biography
Zavimbe
He never knew his parents as they died of AIDs with the only family he had being his brother Isaac Zavimbe. (Batwing v1 #4)
Around 10 years ago, David lived the life of a child soldier. He and his brother Isaac joined a domestic terrorist organization called the Army of Dawn that harbored orphans. Their leader was General Ayo Keita who would rummage the land looking for orphans to manipulate and exploit. Hundreds of homeless children become nothing more than pawns in Keita’s game. The Zavimbe brothers became his favorite pieces. Quick, nimble, and an abnormal talent to kill, they excelled above the rest, quickly becoming Keita’s most coveted soldiers where they were referred to as the Dragonflies due to their speed and dexterity. General Ayo Keita promoted these boy soldiers into an elite squad of men. During his reign, Keita's thirst for power and supremacy caused him his life. One particular day he accompanied the Dragonflies on a personal mission to kill his long time rival, General Okuru. When Keita and the Dragonflies located General Okuru, David and Isaac were disgusted that Okuru had surrounded himself with women and children. However, Keita did not care. He ordered the Dragonflies to bomb the entire village. David pleaded to Keita that he could take out Okuru personally, slit his throat, but he and his brother would not kill the women and children. Isaac blasted his gun into the air and gave away their position. Keita could not stand for the insubordination and began to savagely hack and slash at Isaac with a machete. Out of fear, David fled, leaving his younger brother to die. Later, under the shroud of the night, David captured Keita from his quarters, bonded his hands and dropped him outside of Okuru’s hideout. He fired a shot into the air and fled the scene. After Keita's death was certain, David swore to never kill again and spent his next days walking to The Children's Harbor. The Children’s Harbor was an orphanage and a child solider rehabilitation camp. David spent the rest of his childhood under the care of the camp's owners, Matu Ba and Rene Diallo. As a child, David’s sins as a solider haunted him in the form of nightmares. He would often leave the rehabilitation camp, performing random acts of justice in an attempt to reconcile for his actions. He would viciously take out his anger, which he had for himself, on criminals throughout the city. In an attempt to calm David, Rene pleaded with him to grow older and become a cop. She suggested to Matu that, as a police officer, David could channel his anger and deal with crime legally, oppose to vigilantly lashing out at criminals. (Batwing v1 #4)
When the last member of the ruling family, Jezebel Jet, went missing in Gotham City, the cabal of interests that controlled the country decided to choose David as their new figurehead. He promised the local oligarchs and the foreign bankers that business would continue in a friendly fashion. In return, they would allow him to live as a millionaire playboy. (Batman Incorporated: Leviathan Strikes! v1 #1)
He was later recruited into Batman Incorporated where he adopted the name Batwing and was sent to investigate the presence of Leviathan in Africa. This saw him investigating child soldier training camps in rural Mtamba linked to the organization. (Batman Incorporated v1 #5) Continuing his operations, he helped break a Leviathan cell in his country with the help of the heroes in the Kollektiv who invited David to be their resident 'dark avenger'. Batman suggested he accept the offer stating that they would need such allies in their fight against Leviathan. (Batman Incorporated v1 #6) Afterwards, David had to publicly denounced Batwing's vigilante activities against corrupt officials, but his generals suspected he was hiding something, and so planned to kill him. With the help of some friends and a body double, David was able to fake his own kidnapping by Batwing, thus saving his life and throwing his enemies off the scent. (Batman Incorporated: Leviathan Strikes! v1 #1) Afterwards, Leviathan staged a massive assault on Batman Incorporated and its allies in an effort to eliminate them. Batwing was believed to had been killed in the skies of Mtamba battling killer Man-Bats. However, in reality, he and the other heroes survived as part of the Dead Heroes Club that had re-grouped at Batcave West. (Batman Incorporated v2 #1) Batman Inc. staged a counterattack leading to five hundred Man-Bat warriors being deployed against the heroes. In response, Batwing had been staged with an ultrasonic gun designed to neutralise them leaving the transformed elite ninja bodyguards temporarily paralysed from the attack. (Batman Incorporated v2 #4) Despite that, Leviathan's forces continued their onslaught on the mountaintop refuge of Batman Inc. and its allies with Batwing being injured whilst defending his compatriots. David came to be knocked out by the Heretic who had joined the battle and had killed the Knight where he used the slain vigilantes body to slam against Batwing. (Batman Incorporated v2 #6) Despite his injuries, David continued to provide telemetry and scouting information to the Batcave over the deteriorating situation in Gotham City. (Batman Incorporated v2 #7)
The final truth was revealed after the heroes rescued the Kingdom's tech-powered member, Steelback. He tells them that years ago, the Kingdom were fighting the ruthless dictator of Congo alongside the People's Army, which left him only with the capital city to defend. Intending on this to be a victory of the people, they left the army to go alone, but soon received a message saying the dictator has allied himself with the African crime lords, making it impossible to win even with The Kingdom's intervention. The heroes are forced to give amnesty to him and promise no retaliations after that. The crime lords fought anyway but without the dictator to support them, their army of child soldiers was slaughtered, and 50,000 lives were lost in the battle. This tragedy led to the Kingdom's subsequent dissolution. (Batwing v1 #15)
Batwing assists the U.N.-sponsored Justice League International when they're attacked by a terrorist group called the Burners. (Justice League International v3 #7)
Despite this he helps them take down an African warlord during their last sanctioned mission. (Justice League International Annual v3 #1)
Overview
Personality and attributes
He told Batman that his tactic of instilling fear would not work on the average criminal in Africa as they had seen too much. (Batwing v1 #1)
It was noted that his parents died of HIV/AIDS very early in his life. (Batwing v1 #1)
He was noted to had been a member of the royal family of Mtamba with Jezebel Jet having been one of his relatives. (Batman Incorporated: Leviathan Strikes! v1 #1)
One of his close associates was Matu Ba who was formerly a member of The Children's Harbor that was a child soldier rescue organization. (Batwing v1 #1)
Powers and abilities
Similar to Batman, David Zavimbe possess no superhuman abilities. Having honed his abilities as a soldier, his primary skill is marksmanship. The vast majority of David's arsenal, as Batwing, are projectiles fired from his utility gauntlets. However, he is a formidable combatant capable of demonstrating various styles of martial art. Prior to joining Batman Inc. David took down numerous metahumans, with abilities ranging from energy projection to super strength, with nothing more than his police batons.
As a member of Batman Inc., he was provided his own version of the Batsuit that had wings and flight capabilities. (Batman Incorporated v1 #5)
David Zavimbe's bat-suit is a full body armor. David's entire body, from the neck down, is encased in the armor. It is made of an unspecified metal capable of withstanding small explosions and crushing blows. It is also bulletproof and shock resistant. The cowl/helmet of the batwing armor only covers the eyes and ears exposing the mouth, nose, upper forehead, and the entire back of the head. The cowl allows David to hear when fling at high speeds. A mech suit attachment can be used to increase flight speed as well. The armor's later upgrades grant remote control access and hologram projection.
Zavimbe had a hidden base of operations that was known as the Haven. It was located within the city of Tinasha situated in the Democratic Republic of Congo. (Batwing v1 #1)
Notes
- David Zavimbe as Batwing was created by Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham where he made his first appearance in Batman Incorporated v1 #5 (May, 2011).
Alternate Versions
- In Smallville Season 11 Special v1 #2 (2013), David Zavimbe appeared in the setting of television series tie-in.
Appearances
- Batman Incorporated v1: (2011)
- Batwing v1:
- Justice League International Annual v3:
External Link
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