Shade (DC)
Shade is a male comic supervillain who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Pre-Crisis
Shade was a common thief of unknown identity on Earth-2 who could manipulate the shadows with his cane. He fought both incarnations of the Flash, Jay Garrick and Barry Allen. Initially a loner villain, he became a later member of the Injustice Society. In his first public crime, Shade and his henchmen blanketed all Keystone City, Jay Garrick's city, in total darkness, in an event ironically named Black Friday. In this appearance, Shade had long hair and used a big device, not his cane, to cause the darkness. (Flash Comics v1 #33)
Shade was in Injustice Society when the group enslaved the New Genesis population and revived Darkseid. (Justice League of America v1 #183)
Post-Crisis
Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Richard Swift was a young man in the year 1838 when one night in London he found himself trapped amidst an unexplained mystical tragedy that killed 104 people. The most immediate effect on him was the permanent loss of his memories prior to the incident. Coincidentally, a passer-by named Piers Ludlow offered to take in Swift whilst he recovers. The whole affair, however, was a setup as the Ludlow family were in fact a band of killers and swindlers who had grown wealthy by killing their wealthy business partners and then killing a vagrant in the vicinity to give the impression of a failed robbery/homicide. Before they could make Swift their next scapegoat, he reflexively unleashed his shadows thus killing all the Ludlows present at the scene. Only a young pair of twins, absent from the excursion, came to survive the massacre. The following evening, Swift came to meet one of his true friends with this being the author Charles Dickens. (The Shade v1 #1)
Decades later, Swift is ambushed by Rupert Ludlow, one of the surviving twins. Rupert and his sister have been plotting revenge for years, going so far as to raise their children as future assassins. Though grievously injured, Swift managed to kill Ludlow, as his shadow power has made him both immortal and resistant to injury. Afterward, he leaves England and starts a career as an adventurer/assassin/observer on life, which spans whole continents and leads him to many adventures. While traveling, he meets Brian Savage and visits Opal City for the first time. He establishes himself in Opal, acquiring real estate and generally living well, even encountering Oscar Wilde. During his journeys, he meets a similar immortal born of the same incident and bearing his same powers, a dwarf by the name of Simon Culp, who becomes his mortal enemy. (The Shade v1 #2)
During all of the Shade's escapades, he is pursued by the Ludlows, whom he kills by the dozens. He is nearly killed by one Ludlow, Marguerite Croft, when he falls in love with her in Paris during the 1930s. She tries to kill Shade with poison, but is unsuccessful. Shade survives and is forced to kill Marguerite when she confesses that though she loves him, her loyalty to her family would force her to make more attempts on his life. This leaves Shade with a sense of general depression and the feeling he could never love again. Because of this and the death of Brian Savage, he resumes his activities as an assassin. (The Shade v1 #3)
When the age of costumed heroes began and unknowingly influenced by the malevolent Culp, Swift decided to give himself the name "The Shade" (added a 'the' to his nickname) in 1942. Downplaying his formidable shadow powers, Shade committed crimes in various cities, most notably Keystone City, where he found himself a nemesis in the form of the Flash, Jay Garrick. The Shade would privately refer to his battles as "the joust", which he engaged in for the simple thrill of combat with another super-powered combatant.
Despite his turn to super-villainy though, Opal City remained untouched by Shade as the villain considered the city he lived in off-limits. Indeed, The Shade has been known to be protective of Opal City, to the point of using his powers to kill any criminals who attempt to commit crimes in the city. The Shade even would engage in the occasional super-hero battle, saving Howard Hughes from the villainous Johnny Sorrow. However, Culp slowly began to fight Shade to gain dominance of Shade's body, culminating in the Shade believing that Culp was alive and plotting against him and ultimately to him and Dr. Fate teaming up to find Culp, never knowing that the villain he was seeking was inside his stomach. Shade would later team up with the Mist to murder the retired super-hero Invisible Hood, though it is unknown if Culp was responsible for this act of murder.
Jack Knight became the new Starman after the death of his brother David and united with Shade to save Opal City from the Mist and his family's reign of terror that threatened to destroy the city Shade had made into his home. Having returned to the United States and effectively retired since the Injustice Unlimited fiasco, Shade took an interest in Jack Knight and offered to mentor the man who helped save Opal City from the Mist. Jack would be privy to the Shade's diaries, learning much of his life and new back-story as well as his opinions on the various men who used the Starman moniker. Though many in Opal were distrustful of the Shade, he slowly won the trust of many in the city though Culp, furious at how the Shade had rejected evil, finally assumed full control over Shade's body. Gathering an army of villains who Jack Knight had battled over the course of his heroic career, Culp (in Shade's body) cast a spell that allowed him to trap everyone inside Opal City using the shadow powers he possessed and began to destroy the entire city before Starman and the Shade (who ultimately expelled Culp from his body) opposed him. Ironically it would be the Shade's former ally the Mist who would kill Culp, as Mist sold his soul to Neron to restore his mind (nearly gone due to Alzheimer's Disease) in exchange for his killing the Shade. However, Ted Knight would sacrifice his life to save Shade and Opal City from Mist's final rampage.
Shade was among the crowd of heroes that attended Johnny Thunder’s funeral. (JSA v1 #37)
Later on, Shade appeared to Green Arrow, Arsenal and Cat-Man when Arrow was looking for an answer to why Cat-Man attended his funeral. Shade told him there were some aspects of his will and testament he couldn't carry out himself, so he needed to entrust them to Cat-Man. Shade told him he couldn't locate some of the effects in the Arrowcave, nor find the Arrowcar, so Arrow and Arsenal went off to find the mementos. (Green Arrow v3 #17)
Afterwards, Shade found Sentinel in the Shadowlands, stripped of his power and nearly dead thanks to Mordru. Sentinel’s JSA teammates Star-Spangled Kid and Captain Marvel asked Shade for help, but he acted aloof. The Kid knew Shade walked the line between good and evil, but he would want help any original JSA member in need, even if he couldn’t admit it, so she ordered him to help them escape the Shadowlands. The Shade told her he was impressed with her bravado and believed she might have a bright future, then teleported them out of the Shadowlands. (JSA v1 #49)
Opal City came to be besieged by electrical storms during the Infinite Crisis, and Shade did his best to save Opal’s citizens and architecture from the storm’s effects. However, he could not save Sam Kurtis, who died when a building collapsed on him. Shade later informed Stargirl that her father had died. (JSA v1 #81)
The Shade learned about Prometheus's conspiracy in ordering a series of attacks on various superheroes and informing this news to his old rival Jay Garrick. He then accompanies Garrick to the Justice League Watchtower to warn the other heroes, but arrived too late to find Prometheus already there. (Justice League: Cry for Justice v1 #5)
During the Blackest Night, Shade was in a relationship with Hope O'Dare, and claimed that he was in love with her. After a night of sex, Shade and Hope were confronted by David Knight, reanimated as a Black Lantern. David ripped out Shade's heart, but, due to his powers, he survived, unable to be killed and resisting the call of a black ring that sought to turn him into another undead. After David threatened to kill Hope and later his brother Jack, an enraged Shade used his powers to trap the Black Lantern within the Shadowlands after decrying the Lantern as a mockery and a fake, saying he had "no light of his own", and used his own heart as a channel to bind and banish him. Afterward, Hope admitted that she loved Shade as well, and the two lovers departed from the scene of the battle. (Starman v2 #81)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Richard Swift
He first encountered Hawkman in 1948 where Shade helped in the defeat of the Gentleman Ghost. The encounter led to him and Carter Hall becoming friends over the years. (Hawkman v5 #16)
A badly wounded Hawkman approached Richard for aid after the Shadow-Thief gained far greater control over the power of shadows. Shade was willing to aid Carter but came to notice that his shadow was missing. He then took Carter into a sealed panic room as he deduced that the Shadow-Thief had followed Hawkman secretly. This proved to be true and the villain emerged within the panic room where he claimed Shade's shadow thus taking a significant portion of his abilities before departing. Richard determined that he was the target of the Shadow-Thief who wanted to remove a rival over the control of shadows and had used Hawkman to achieve that goal. (Hawkman v5 #15)
Overview
Personality and attributes
Powers and abilities
Notes
- Shade was created by Gardner Fox and Hal Sharp where he made his first appearance in Flash Comics v1 #33 (September 1942)
In other media
Television
- In the DC Animated Universe, the character made multiple appearances in the shared continuity setting:
- In Justice League, Shade made his first appearance in the animated television series starting from the episode "Injustice For All: Part 1 & 2" where he was voiced by actor Stephen McHattie.
- In Justice League Unlimited, Shade made multiple appearances in the animated television series with the character having a non-speaking role.
- In The Flash, a character later named Shade appeared as a brief antagonist in the live-action television series set in the Arrowverse where he was portrayed by actor Mike McLeod.
- In Young Justice, Shade appeared in the animated television series third season Outsiders where he was voiced by actor Joel Swetow. In the episode "Triptych", he unwillingly partakes in Simon Stagg's metahuman trafficking operation until being freed by Cheshire. As of the episode "Artemis Through the Looking Glass", Shade joined the League of Shadows, though he later leaves them in the episode "I Know Why the Caged Cat Sings" as a favor to Cheshire and goes freelance.
- In Stargirl, the Shade appeared in the setting of the live-action DC Universe television series. He was shown to had been a member of the Injustice Society where he participated in the slaughter of the Justice Society of America in their headquarters where he fought Doctor Mid-Nite. Afterwards, the ISA looked to enact Project: New America where they planned to covertly brainwash several States to follow them. The Shade was shown to had disagreed with Icicle's plan and parted ways with the group though his picture remained in their portrait at their hidden base at Blue Valley. Afterwards, the Shade learnt of the ISA's defeat and remarked how he warned Jordan that his plan would never succeed.
Video games
- In Lego DC Super-Villains, Shade appeared as a playable character in the video game setting where he was voiced by actor Christopher Swindle.
Appearances
- Flash Comics v1: 1942)
- Shade v2:
- The Flash v5:
- Hawkman v5:
External Links
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