Prometheus (DC)
Prometheus is a male comic supervillain who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Prometheus was the name taken by a male human born in the modern era. His parents were said to had first met at a date when they saw the movie 'Bonnie and Clyde' where they decided to imitate their life style. (Faces of Evil: Prometheus v1 #1) The pair of hippie criminals who took him along their many illegal ventures and endeavours. They engaged in thefts and other crimes across the United States with them running from the law each time. Thus, they never stayed in one location for long meaning that their son never engaged with other children his age as his parents went on their various adventures. Around this time, his father introduced him to computers and that they would advance in the future to be portable. Eventually one of their capers saw them on the run from the police with them finally being caught. With his parents wounded, they proclaimed their love for their son before having a final stand against the police with them dying as a result. The shock of their death changed his life completely with his hair going white as a result. On that night, he made a decision to wipe out the forces of justice. He came to use the money his parents had saved over the years along with a number of contacts to set him up as the criminal underworld came to honor their deals with his family. In one case, he blackmailed a local mob boss where he threatened to release vital information on him unless he supported him. The young man was given a new identity and came to leave home at 16 years of age where he decided to embark on a quest to learn as many skills as possible to aid him on his mission. He sought to learn everything with him walking among the rich and powerful to learn their secrets. The man also went to work with terrorist guerrillas in Middle Eastern war zones and later was trained in Silat by masters in the jungles of Malaysia. He culminated an impressive array of skills on how to maim and kill in a dozen different languages. His travels later led to him seeking out Shamballa and a supposed mythical kingdom of evil situated in Tibet. He found it and was allowed to remain for a year before the llama showed him the secret far below the temple. Beneath thousands of steps, he discovered a living craft that was thousands of years old with the monks being descended from its occupants. It was then that he had to battle he shapeshifting llama and killed him. The monks allowed him to leave and a new llama was chosen who resembled the previous one. From this encounter, he gained the Cosmic Key and returned to America where he murdered the police officers that killed his parents. He then embarked on his goals by targeting the Supreme Court but then saw a sign showing the Justice League. It was then that he decided to adopt the name Prometheus where he intended to eliminate heroes from the world. (New Year's Evil: Prometheus v1 #1)
He later pursued a superhero by the name of Retro and killed him where he took his identity. Retro was then invited by the Justice League to their Watchtower on the Moon allowing for Prometheus to infiltrate the headquarters. During the tour to the press, 'Retro' asked to use the rest room with Steel escorting him which was when Prometheus revealed his true nature and knocked the armored superhero out. He then proceeded to the consoles at the Watchtower to download its blueprints when he was confronted by the Martian Manhunter. Prometheus used special darts that set the Green Martian on fire and cause him to loose control over his physical form after which Prometheus started sabotaging the Watchtower placing the press at the site at risk. Zauriel then attacked him but he sent the Angel into Limbo with his Cosmic Key and used hypnosis to paralyse Huntress in order to knock her out before he was confronted by Batman. Prometheus then revealed that he had downloaded the Dark Knights fighting style and fought him where he used lights to create a disorienting effect on him allowing him to defeat him. (JLA v1 #16)
Prometheus was later recruited to join the newest incarnation of the Injustice Gang with him working alongside Lex Luthor, Queen Bee and the General. (JLA v1 #36) Together, they targeted the Justice League Watchtower on the Moon in a surprise assault with Prometheus himself confronting Oracle. (JLA v1 #37) Batman confronted Prometheus with the two entering into a long drawn out fight with the villain defeated when the Dark Knight switched the data in his helmet whereby he wiped all the martial arts information and instead imprinted on it the skill set of Stephen Hawking. As a result, the direct link to Prometheus's nervous system caused him to be disabled allowing Batman to easily defeat the supervillain. (JLA v1 #38)
Cry for Justice
Seeing the danger posed by Prometheus, the Martian Manhunter came to use his telepathy to imprison the supervillain's mind. He was then placed as an in-mate at Blackgate Penitentiary where he remained trapped there for many years. In the aftermath, his partner the kid Chad Graham took over the Prometheus identity where he made no effort in freeing his mentor. For years, people came to believe that Graham was the real Prometheus and none knew it was someone else under the mask whilst the original remained trapped in prison. (Faces of Evil: Prometheus v1 #1)
This Prometheus came to participate in the Battle of Metropolis alongside the world's other supervillains where he was responsible for killing Peacemaker. (Infinite Crisis v1 #7) A year later, he came to confront Lady Shiva and used recordings of her fights alongside twenty-nine others styles to defeat her. (Birds of Prey v1 #94)
He would later fall under the control of Starro where Robin was a match for Prometheus though the villain was defeated by an alternate reality version of Tim Drake. (Teen Titans v3 #51)
His mind was restored to him two years later following the death of the Martian Manhunter where he immediately killed the correction officers checking him at his cell. After getting his bearings, he realised he was in Gotham and escaped the prison using the guard's uniforms. Checking through his computer, he found reports of another Prometheus operating and determined that this was Chad who had taken over his identity. (Faces of Evil: Prometheus v1 #1)
By this point though, he had grown tired of killing individual heroes one at a time with the thrill going away from him. He then hatched upon a grand plan in performing a grand deed that would hurt the superhero community. To do hat, he required various advanced pieces of technology and gathered a criminal network to help achieve this goal whilst he operated in the shadows. During this time, he was operating in Europe with impunity and managed to easily kill several members of the Global Guardians which included Tasmanian Devil whose hide he turned into a rug. (Justice League: Cry for Justice v1 #3) Prometheus went to Africa to track down Malavar of Gorilla City in order to steal his scientific knowledge where he killed a tribe of gorillas he stayed with along with Freedom Beast. (Justice League: Cry for Justice v1 #4) The supervillain also came to enlist the services of I.Q. to help in assembling the scientific equipment. (Justice League: Cry for Justice v1 #3) It was his agents that were responsible for stealing components from the Cosmic Treadmill and Zeta Beam technology from S.T.A.R. Labs. (Justice League: Cry for Justice v1 #2) He had hired Killer Moth who he used to steal Time Pool technology as well. (Justice League: Cry for Justice v1 #1) The heroes later came to learn of his actions and looked to capture him but Prometheus came to force one of the Clayface's to work for him. Threatening their family, he had the shapeshifter take his form and allow himself to be captured where he detonated an implanted bomb in his body to eliminate the superheroes. (Justice League: Cry for Justice v1 #3)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Prometheus disguised himself as a civilian name Matt Dell where he entered into a romantic relationship with Midnighter. This was until 'Matt' lured the enhanced superhuman into a trap and stabbed him whereupon he revealed the ruse by showing his true identity. (Midnighter v2 #6)
He then worked alongside Afterthought where they decided to target the Justice League. (Justice League of America v5 #17)
Overview
Personality and attributes
He came to use the alias of Matt Dell as part of his plot against Midnighter. (Midnighter v2 #7)
The death of his parents led to him seeking revenge on the entire criminal justice system. This saw him hunting down the policemen that killed his parents and murdering them. (Faces of Evil: Prometheus v1 #1) Ultimately, he came to want revenge against the superhero community as a whole and wanted them to feel true pain. (Justice League: Cry for Justice v1 #3)
He was noted for being smart and arrogant to the point that he did not like the idea of being under the control of someone else. Initially, he claimed that he had no morals or compassion but corrected himself stating that no one was completely bad but that he rarely used these traits in his character. (JLA v1 #37)
Being constantly on the run from the law, the young Prometheus came to love the sound of sirens and bullets as they faded as he knew that they had escaped the authorities. He was taught by his parents that the law intended to bring them to justice but that they always got away. (New Year's Evil: Prometheus v1 #1)
Prometheus was said to hold as many plans in his mind to defeat superheroes as Batman had to defeat his enemies. (Faces of Evil: Prometheus v1 #1)
He believed that his parents were the coolest people he had ever known. His parents cared deeply for him and looked after him on their criminal adventures. The young man never wanted it to end as he enjoyed being with his parents. (New Year's Evil: Prometheus v1 #1)
For a time, he had a kid sidekick in Chad Graham who was the son of a police man that was one of the people that killed Prometheus's father. He had tracked the man down to kill him but found him already dead at the hands of his own son where Chad pulled a gun and killed him for not letting him play video games. Prometheus decided to take the boy on to be his sidekick and be his 'Robin' where he intended to train him to be something bigger and better. He later came to be disappointed in the boy after seeing that he ruined the Prometheus reputation as a result of his failed antics over the years. This resulted in him murdering Chad Graham after he took back his identity as Prometheus. (Faces of Evil: Prometheus v1 #1)
Powers and abilities
He possessed a helmet that could store digital copies of people allowing him to duplicate their moves, mannerisms and other similar features which were stored in electromagnetic circuits. (New Year's Evil: Prometheus v1 #1) The suit contained a computer system that allowed data on micro-discs to be downloaded directly into his central nervous system. Thus, within moments, he was able to gain all the skills and physical prowess of martial art masters within seconds. Similarly, he could download data directly into his brain after it being copied onto disk. (JLA v1 #16)
His helmet was also equipped with a system that could alter his voice tone and send flashing lights at set intervals in order to use hypnosis where he could keep his opponents paralysed as well as being unable to move. He could also reset the helmet lights to produce a disorienting strobe effect in order to place his foes at a disadvantage. (JLA v1 #16)
From the suits wrists, he could fire darts with specialised ones for different functions such as a phosphorous dart to place a person on fire or a molecular toxin that targeted a persons physiology with it nullifying superhuman specific abilities. (JLA v1 #16) Prometheus was armed with a special baton that felt light but was capable of unleashing incredible damage. (New Year's Evil: Prometheus v1 #1)
From a sect of Tibetan monks, he obtained a device known as the Cosmic Key. It allowed access to a void space he called the Ghost Zone where nothing built straight in that area of space. (New Year's Evil: Prometheus v1 #1) The key was actually a doorway into limbo that consisted of an infinity of nothing. (JLA v1 #16) Initially empty, he came to build his home known as the Crooked House within the Zone. (New Year's Evil: Prometheus v1 #1) The house floated in white emptiness and he could use the key to send his enemies there to be trapped. (JLA v1 #16)
He maintained a number of satellites bases around the world as safe houses and places for him to gather his gear. One of these was located in Gotham City where it was designated as LV-427 where a passcode was needed to enter into the site. (Faces of Evil: Prometheus v1 #1)
Notes
- Prometheus was created by Grant Morrison and Arnie Jorgensen where he made his first appearance in New Year's Evil: Prometheus v1 #1 (February, 1998).
- In an interview on Batman News, writer Steve Orlando commented on the character, "Prometheus’s parents were revolutionaries who committed suicide by cop. He doesn’t believe power can be anything but corrupt. So, a Justice League that’s saying “hey, we’re a team, and you’re all on the team with us,” is something Prometheus is too broken and jaded to believe in. He no longer believes power structures can ever be on the side of the common people. In Prometheus’s mind, he’s protecting people from the JLA’s lies, which he considers more dangerous than himself. He’s, as always, in his heart, self-righteous, and that’s as much a reason he’s as dangerous as his technology... Prometheus has righteous passion and a broken heart, which to me is his tragedy. He thinks he’s enlightening us to the truths of life, but they’re only true if you have no hope. Me? I think with hope, Prometheus could’ve been ON the Justice League instead of trying to kill them, but no one ever took the time to care for him until it was too late."
Alternate Versions
- In JLA/Avengers v1 #1 (2003), Prometheus appeared in the setting of the crossover event between DC Comics and Marvel Comics. In this time, he was involved in skirmishing with Captain America while using Batman's skills only to be defeated by the Avenger.
- In Smallville: Lantern v1 #1 (2014), an alternate version of Prometheus appeared in the Season 11 comic continuation of the live-action television series.
In other media
Television
- In the Arrowverse, Prometheus made a number of appearances in the shared continuity setting.
- In Arrow, the name Prometheus was used by a masked archer antagonist that appeared in the fifth season of the live-action television series. This version was revealed to be a character called Simon Morrison whose father was killed by the Arrow after Oliver Queen returned to Star City. Morrison sought revenge and by adulthood had crafted an identity of Adrian Chase where he operated as an attorney. He also sought out Talia al Ghul and trained under her to get the skills he needed to get his revenge. Talia agreed to teaching him and took him as her student as she desired revenge against Oliver Queen for killing her father Ra's al Ghul. Eventually, Morrison was ready to enact his plans where in the day he rose to district attorney under Mayor Oliver Queen where he pretended to be his friend and in night he took the masked identity of Prometheus. As Prometheus, he operated as a brutal vigilante that killed people to inspire terror in Star City and distrust in the Green Arrow. During this time, he was dubbed by the media as the Throwing Star Killer due to him murdering people with a throwing star.
- In Supergirl, the name Prometheus appeared in the four part "Crisis on Earth-X" crossover where it was an identity used by Tommy Merlyn of Earth-X. He was said to had born in the Reich on his world where he became best friends of his universes Oliver Queen with him becoming a masked archer.
Video games
- In Justice League Heroes, Prometheus appeared in the Nintendo DS version of the video game. He was shown to be working for Brainiac where he went to Gotham City and implanted one of Brainiac's mind control devices on the Dark Knight. He was then defeated by Wonder Woman and the Flash who then went to rescue Batman.
- In Batman: Arkham Asylum, Prometheus did not appear in the video game series but had a profile that could be accessed within the database.
- In Batman: Arkham City, Prometheus was referenced in the setting of the video game though did not make an actual appearance. He was mentioned in an article about two criminals being gunned down in an alley in front of a young boy, and there were newspaper clippings in the GCPD building that revealed he had been released from Arkham Asylum.
Appearances
- New Year's Evil: Prometheus v1: #1 (1998)
- JLA v1:
- Faces of Evil: Prometheus v1:
- Justice League: Cry for Justice v1:
- Midnighter v2:
- Justice League of America v5:
External Links
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