Master Jailer

The Master Jailer is a male comic supervillain who features in DC Comics.

Biography

Pre-Crisis

Master Jailer in Superman v1 #331.

Carl Draper was a male human born in the modern age where he was an overweight and introverted boy who grew up in Smallville. Infatuated with Lana Lang, he resented Superboy, with whom Lana was infamously obsessed. On one occasion, when Carl and his classmates were accidentally trapped in a cave, Carl discovered the way out after courageously exploring but was denied the credit for rescuing Lana and the others when Superboy arrived before he could get help. Nevertheless, this incident demonstrated Draper's innate knack for exposing the vulnerabilities in containment systems, which would serve Draper well in his future profession as a security consultant. (Superman v1 #331)

Post-Crisis

Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.

Whilst in prison, he was secretly approached by U.S. President Lex Luthor who looked to enlist Draper's aid in targeting Superman. Alongside Neutron, the pair were to attack the White House in order to take hostage Vice President Ross and his wife as they were both friends of the Man of Steel. Using his technology, the Master Jailer was able to easily encase the White House in chains as well as deal with the Secret Service guards. It was then that Superman arrived where at first he was seemingly defeated by both the Master Jailer and Neutron. However, Superman managed to free himself and knock out both villains leading to their arrest as well as return to prison. Whilst in his cell, Draper was once more approached by Luthor who was continuing his plans against the Man of Steel by using the superpowered in-mates of the prison. (Superman v2 #186)

Post-Flashpoint

Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.

Overview

Personality and attributes

In high school, the other children used to pick on Draper and gave him the nickname Moosie to mock him. Later on, he came to take the role of a masked supervillain where he began to call himself the Master Jailer. (Superman v1 #332) At another point, he was shown to had adopted the code name of Locksmith. (Action Comics v1 #739)

A combination of hurt, rage and self-hatred led to Draper changing himself as he looked to gain some self-respect. (Superman v1 #332)

Carl had said that he knew everything about prisons. (Adventures of Superman v1 #517)

He had claimed that he was not good in tests. (Checkmate v2 #17)

Draper had admitted that he was perhaps a control freak. (Superman v2 #186)

By adulthood, he came to have a daughter who was named Carla Draper who was much like him. (Adventures of Superman v1 #517)

Powers and abilities

During night courses, he came to learn that he had an aptitude and interest in architecture. Though his real obsession was in traps, locks, cages and other forms of confinement which led to him becoming a master locksmith. (Superman v1 #332)

Draper has poor impulse control, making it all too easy for him to give in to his sadistic fantasies against his better judgement. Ever since being drafted into Checkmate, Draper has consented to a surgery to implant a computer interface into his brain to repress his unstable tendencies. (Checkmate v2 #17)

As the Master Jailer, he wore a special costume for his villainous identity. The suit was capable of tapping into power packs that he had designed for his prison that used the prisoners own superpowers against them. Though able to contain prisoners, this energy could be harnessed by Draper’s suit allowing him to replicate their abilities for himself. Thus, he could combine the abilities of various super-powered beings and use them in combat against his enemies. (Superman v1 #331)

Draper’s scientific acumen and talent for building allowed him to create life-like robot duplicates of himself. Thus, he was able to use robotic doubles to pretend to be him whilst he himself operated as the Master Jailer. (Superman v1 #331)

He was shown to later make use of devices based on Apokolipsian technology which he gained from his time with Intergang. This was used to help him create 'smart technology' capable of learning and evolving from situations in order to better cope with their targets. It was shown to be capable of sensing an advantage held by an enemy and then targeting it to remove it from the field. (Superman: The Man of Steel v1 #43)

At one point, he built a sanctuary for himself in a cave within Mount Olympus that was the automated prison he built for super-criminals. (Superman v1 #332)

He once established his own security company that offered his advanced tech to people with this being Draper Security Technology. (Superman: The Man of Steel v1 #43)

Whilst working for Checkmate, he initially operated as a consultant but looked to gain the title of Castellan that was the callsign for the Castles head of physical security. (Checkmate v2 #17)

Notes

• The Master Jailer was created by Curt Swan and Martin Pasko where he made his first appearance in Superman v1 #331 (January, 1979).

In other media

Television

• In Supergirl, Master Jailer made an appearance in the live-action series as an antagonist in the episode "Truth, Justice and the American Way" and was portrayed by actor Jeff Branson.

Appearances

• Superman v1: (1979)
• Superman v2:
• Checkmate v2:

External Links

• DC Database Entry

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