Fictional character biography
Mark Desmond
| Blockbuster | |
|---|---|
 The Mark Desmond incarnation of Blockbuster as depicted in Batman #309 (March 1979). Art by John Calnan. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Detective Comics #345 (November 1965) |
| Created by | Gardner Fox (writer) Carmine Infantino (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Mark Desmond |
| Species | Metahuman |
| Team affiliations | Secret Society of Super Villains Suicide Squad |
| Abilities |
|
The first Blockbuster is Mark Desmond, a chemist who desires to increase his physical strength. Experimenting on himself, he succeeds in making himself stronger and taller, but as a side-effect of the process he becomes almost mindlessly aggressive. [3] The mentally debilitated Desmond is cared for by his brother Roland, a local criminal, who keeps their mother from discovering what Mark had done to himself. [4]
Roland manipulates his brother into committing crimes on his behalf until they came into conflict with Batman and Robin. Bruce Wayne had once rescued a young Desmond from drowning, and he discovered that he could calm Desmond by removing his cowl and showing his face. [5] Desmond later clashes with Batman on various occasions.
Blockbuster absorbs energies from the Alfred Memorial which gave him some powers and was once substituted for the super-strong undead villain Solomon Grundy from Earth-Two due to a machine that was substituting people from both Earths. Green Lantern causes him to fight Grundy, leading to them both briefly knocking each other out. Grundy is taken back to Earth-Two by the Justice Society of America, while Blockbuster is handed over to the police by the Justice League. [6]
Blockbuster briefly joins the Secret Society of Super Villains for a battle with the Justice League. [7]
King Kull enlists Blockbuster, Penguin, Queen Clea of Earth-Two, and Ibac of Earth-S to wreck Atlantis and use a cloud to sink islands. They are thwarted by Superman, Wonder Woman of Earth-Two, Green Arrow, and Spy Smasher of Earth-S. [8]
Later, Amanda Waller recruited Desmond for her revived Suicide Squad. He was killed fighting Darkseid's creation Brimstone. [9]
In 2011, The New 52 rebooted the continuity of the DC universe. Mark Desmond is reintroduced as a patient of Dr. Phayne who undergoes procedures to enhance his intelligence, where he is gradually given a green compound via intravenous therapy. Another patient, believing himself to be in pain, causes an accident that causes Desmond to overdose on the compound and transform into Blockbuster. He rampages from the building in pain and knocks an attacking Hawkman unconscious. [10] Blockbuster is later mind-controlled by Necromancer to help her steal an artifact from a Washington D.C. museum, which attracts the attention of Hawk and Dove. They team up with Batman and Robin to stop Blockbuster and Necromancer. [11]
Blockbuster later appears as a member of the Secret Society of Super Villains, having been recruited by Outsider. When Catwoman breaks out of Arkham Asylum, Blockbuster and Signalman confront Catwoman on a rooftop, which ends with Catwoman being knocked out. [12]
Roland Desmond
| Blockbuster | |
|---|---|
 The Roland Desmond incarnation of Blockbuster as depicted in Underworld Unleashed: Patterns of Fear #1 (November 1995). Art by Rick Burchett. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Starman #9 (April 1989) |
| Created by | Roger Stern (writer) Tom Lyle (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Roland Desmond |
| Species | Metahuman |
| Team affiliations | Blockbuster's Gang Underground Society Black Lantern Corps |
| Abilities |
|
Roland Desmond becomes the second Blockbuster after a severe illness forces him to be treated with experimental steroids. Like his brother Mark, Roland becomes a child-minded super-strong monster. He rampages in the Southwest before being stopped by Batman and Starman (Will Payton). [13] [14]
Desmond becomes obsessed with elevating himself greatly above his debilitated brain. A pact with the demon Neron restores his intelligence at the cost of his soul. Desmond embarks once more on a career of crime and destruction, even after his soul is restored. He begins his revived criminal career by causing chaos in Manchester, Alabama, although his schemes are foiled by Impulse. [15]
Desmond moves to his mother's hometown of Blüdhaven, where he forces crime lord Angel Marin out of power and takes over the city's criminal rackets. Desmond plans to build a criminal empire in Blüdhaven that would eventually enable him to extend his dominion over Gotham, Star City, Metropolis, and New York's underworlds. For that purpose, he hires corrupt members of the city's police department, including Police Chief Redhorn and Inspector Dudley Soames.
Despite his swift and vicious consolidation of power, Blockbuster's hold on Blüdhaven's organized crime is weakened by the intervention of the city's new protector, Nightwing (Dick Grayson, the former Robin), who, with Oracle's help, foils Desmond's plans at every turn. Oracle often removes money from Blockbuster's accounts and he has a man working to stop and find Oracle, named Vogel. [16]
Desmond's primary goal becomes the elimination of the young vigilante. [17] He places a contract on Nightwing's life, employing the services of several assassins, including Lady Vic, Stallion, Brutale, the Trigger Twins, and Shrike.
As a further result of his initial transformation, Desmond develops albinism and a heart defect. He was restored to (comparative) health by a heart transplant from one of the talking apes of Gorilla City, and was consolidating his control over Blüdhaven and contemplating a takeover of Gotham City, when he was killed by the new Tarantula, Catalina Flores. [18]
In the Blackest Night event, Roland's corpse is reanimated by a black power ring and recruited to the Black Lantern Corps. [19]
Blockbuster is resurrected following The New 52 reboot and the DC Rebirth relaunch, which rebooted the continuity of the DC universe. [20] Nightwing battles Blockbuster, who learns his secret identity of Dick Grayson. [21] When Nightwing defeats Blockbuster, the people of Blüdhaven stand up to him. Blockbuster's gang desert him when Batgirl exposed that he owned Blüdhaven Private Prisons, where they had all served time. Blockbuster flees into an alley, where he is killed by the villain Heartless. [22] [23]
Nightwing later learns from Nite-Mite that Blockbuster had a daughter named Olivia with Jezebel Jet and sold her soul to Neron for greater intelligence. [24]
Blockbuster III
In the series 52 , Lex Luthor creates a new Blockbuster offscreen to serve as an opponent of his manufactured hero team Infinity, Inc. Little is revealed about this Blockbuster, save for the fact that Luthor possesses some measure of control over his actions and level of strength. Luthor also comments that he is stronger than either of the previous two Blockbusters. Blockbuster rampages in Las Vegas, only to be stopped by Infinity Inc. Several members of the Teen Titans appear to confront Blockbuster, but he escapes amidst an argument on whether he should be taken to Alcatraz. With controlled interference from Lex Luthor, Blockbuster kills the superhero Trajectory when Luthor turns off her powers. [25]
Blockbuster appears among the villains exiled to an alien world in Salvation Run . [26] In issue #3, Blockbuster is revealed to be Martian Manhunter who disguised himself to observe the exiled villains on Batman's behalf. [27]
Female Blockbuster
A newer, female Blockbuster of indeterminate origins appears in the swamps of Louisiana and fights Mon-El and King Billy. [28]
