Blockbuster (DC Comics)

This article is about the DC Comics supervillain. For the Marvel Comics supervillain, see Blockbuster (Marauder).

Blockbuster is the name of four supervillains and a criminal organization appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. ^[1] The first iteration was an adversary of Batman and Robin, while the second served as one of Nightwing's greatest enemies. The third debuted in 52 as a member of Lex Luthor's Infinity, Inc.

Blockbuster has appeared in various media outside comics, including television series and films. Kevin Michael Richardson, Dee Bradley Baker, René Auberjonois, and Dave Fennoy have voiced the character in animation.

Publication history

The Mark Desmond incarnation of Blockbuster first appeared in Detective Comics #345 (November 1965), and was created by Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino. ^[2]

The Roland Desmond incarnation of Blockbuster first appeared in Starman #9 (April 1989), and was created by Roger Stern and Tom Lyle.

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	Superhuman strength, stamina, and durability

The first Blockbuster is Mark Desmond, a chemist who desires to increase his physical strength. He succeeds, but is rendered mindless and aggressive. ^[3] His brother Roland cares for him and manipulates him into committing crimes on his behalf. ^{[4] [5]}

In later appearances, Blockbuster joins the Secret Society of Super Villains and the Suicide Squad before being killed in battle with Brimstone. ^[6] He returns following The New 52 continuity reboot. ^[7]

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	Superhuman strength, stamina, and durability Genius-level intellect

Roland Desmond, Mark's brother, becomes the second Blockbuster after undergoing experimental treatment for an illness. ^{[8] [9]} He later moves to his mother's hometown of Blüdhaven, where he battles Nightwing. ^{[10] [11]}

Desmond later develops albinism and a heart defect as a side effect of his initial transformation. He receives a heart transplant in Gorilla City before Tarantula kills him. ^[12]

In Blackest Night , Blockbuster is resurrected as a Black Lantern. ^[13] He later returns permanently following the DC Rebirth relaunch. ^[14]

Other Blockbusters

Two unidentified incarnations of Blockbuster appear in 52 and Superman #689, with the former being a member of Infinity, Inc. created by Lex Luthor. ^{[15] [16]} Furthermore, Martian Manhunter disguises himself as Blockbuster in Salvation Run . ^[17]

Powers and abilities

All incarnations of Blockbuster possess superhuman physical abilities coupled with reduced intelligence. Roland Desmond temporarily overcomes this weakness after receiving enhanced power from Neron. ^[18]

Other versions

An alternate universe variant of Blockbuster appears in Just Imagine... . This version is Brock Smith, a murderer and death row inmate who is rescued and empowered by Dominic Darrk and joins the Doom Patrol. He is defeated by Batman and Wonder Woman and dies after being electrocuted. ^[19]

In other media

Television

Blockbuster as he appears in Young Justice.

• The Mark Desmond incarnation of Blockbuster appears in Justice League Unlimited , voiced by Dee Bradley Baker. ^[20] This version is a member of Gorilla Grodd's Secret Society before being killed by Darkseid.
• Mark Desmond appears in The Batman episode "Meltdown", voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson.^{[ citation needed ]} This version is an African-American scientist working for Wayne Enterprises who is in charge of enforcing Ethan Bennett's parole.
• The Mark Desmond incarnation of Blockbuster appears in Batman: The Brave and the Bold , voiced by James Arnold Taylor and Kevin Michael Richardson respectively.^{[ citation needed ]} This version is a prodigy who stole chemicals from S.T.A.R. Labs to create a strength-enhancing serum.
• The Mark Desmond incarnation of Blockbuster appears in Young Justice , voiced initially by René Auberjonois and again by Dee Bradley Baker following Auberjonois' death. ^[21] This version is a senior member of Project Cadmus and the Light. Additionally, he was redesigned due to his perceived similarity to Marvel Comics character the Hulk, ^[22] with Desmond's transformation having his Blockbuster form ripping through his human skin.
• Mark Desmond appears in The Flash episode "Funeral for a Friend", portrayed by an uncredited actor.^{[ citation needed ]} This version is a criminal who wields an exo-suit stolen from Ivo Laboratories.

Film

• Blockbuster was reportedly featured in David S. Goyer's unproduced screenplay for a Green Arrow film project entitled Escape from Super Max ^{[ broken anchor ]} as an inmate of the eponymous prison. ^[23]
• An alternate universe variant of Blockbuster appears in Justice League: Gods and Monsters , voiced by Marcelo Tubert. ^[24] He and a group of terrorists fight their universe's Justice League before Batman kills him.
• The Roland Desmond incarnation of Blockbuster makes a minor appearance in Batman: Bad Blood . ^{[25] [20]}
• The Mark Desmond incarnation of Blockbuster appears in Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold , voiced by Fred Tatasciore.^{[ citation needed ]}
• The Roland Desmond incarnation of Blockbuster appears in Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay , voiced by Dave Fennoy. ^[20] This version is a henchman of Professor Zoom before being killed by Killer Frost.

Video games

• The Mark Desmond incarnation of Blockbuster appears as a boss in Young Justice: Legacy , voiced by Mark Rolston. ^[20]
• The Roland Desmond incarnation of Blockbuster appears in Batman: The Telltale Series , voiced by Steve Blum. ^[20] This version has blue skin and is a member of the Children of Arkham, an anti-corruption terrorist group. He serves as second-in-command to the Penguin, who in turn answers to the group's leader Lady Arkham.

Miscellaneous

• The Roland Desmond incarnation of Blockbuster appears in Adventures in the DC Universe #1. ^[26]
• The Mark Desmond incarnation of Blockbuster appears in Batman: Arkham Knight – Genesis #5 as an associate of the Joker, Harley Quinn, and Catman until Jason Todd kills him. ^[27]

See also

• List of Batman family enemies

References

1. Greenberger, Robert (2008). The Essential Batman Encyclopedia. Del Rey. pp. 57–58. ISBN   9780345501066.
2. Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 48. ISBN   978-1-4654-5357-0.
3. Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Supervillains. New York: Facts on File. p. 34. ISBN   0-8160-1356-X.
4. Greenberger, Robert (2008). "Blockbuster I". In Dougall, Alastair (ed.). The DC Comics Encyclopedia. London: Dorling Kindersley. p. 56. ISBN   978-0-7566-4119-1.
5. Eury, Michael; Kronenberg, Michael (2009). The Batcave Companion. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 220. ISBN   978-1893905788.
6. • Secret Society of Super Villains #1-15 (June 1976 - July 1978)
   • Justice League of America #135 (October 1976)
   • Legends #3 (January 1987)
7. • Hawk and Dove (vol. 5) #6 (April 2012)
   • The Savage Hawkman #18 (May 2013)
   • Justice League of America (vol. 3) #3 (July 2013)
8. Starman #10 (May 1989). DC Comics.
9. Wallace, Dan (2008). "Blockbuster II". In Dougall, Alastair (ed.). The DC Comics Encyclopedia. London: Dorling Kindersley. p. 55. ISBN   978-0-7566-4119-1.
10. Nightwing (vol. 2) #44 (June 2000). DC Comics.
11. Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Manning, Matthew K.; McAvennie, Michael; Wallace, Daniel (2019). DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle. DK Publishing. p. 258. ISBN   978-1-4654-8578-6.
12. Nightwing (vol. 2) #93 (July 2004). DC Comics.
13. Blackest Night: Batman #1 (October 2009). DC Comics.
14. Nightwing (vol. 4) #22. DC Comics.
15. 52 #21. DC Comics.
16. Superman #689 (August 2009)
17. Salvation Run #3 (March 2008)
18. Underworld Unleashed #1 (November 1995)
19. Just Imagine... JLA #1, DC Comics.
20. "Blockbuster Voices (Batman)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved December 5, 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
21. "Mark Desmond Voice - Young Justice (TV Show)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved March 23, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
22. "Blockbuster Turn by *Phillybee". Deviant Art. Archived from the original on July 9, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
23. Mayimbe, El (May 19, 2008). "Supermax: Green Arrow Story Details + Villains/Inmates Gallery". LatinoReview.com. Archived from the original on October 13, 2008. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
24. "Tough Guy Voice - Justice League: Gods and Monsters (Movie)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved March 23, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
25. Gerding, Stephen (January 13, 2016). "Exclusive: Nightwing's Romantic Life Takes a Hit in Batman: Bad Blood Clip". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on June 9, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
26. "Adventures in the DC Universe #1 - Now You See 'Em (Issue)". Comic Vine. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
27. "Batman: Arkham Knight: Genesis #4 (Issue)". Comic Vine. Retrieved March 23, 2024.