Obsidian | |
---|---|
![]() Obsidian as depicted in Infinity Inc. #6; art by Mike Machlan. | |
Publication information | |
Publisher | DC Comics |
First appearance | All-Star Squadron #25 (September 1983) |
Created by |
|
In-story information | |
Full name | Todd James Rice |
Species | Metahuman |
Team affiliations | |
Partnerships | |
Abilities |
|
Obsidian (Todd James Rice) is a superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in All-Star Squadron #25 (September 1983), and was created by Roy Thomas and Jerry Ordway. [1] He is the son of Alan Scott and Rose Canton and the twin brother of Jade. According to an Infinity, Inc. letter page, Obsidian was named "Todd" after a friend of Thomas.
Obsidian made his first live-action appearance on the second season of the DC show Legends of Tomorrow , with a younger version of the character portrayed by Dan Payne, with no speaking lines, and an older version portrayed by Lance Henriksen. Rice also appears in the third season of Stargirl on The CW network played by Tim Gabriel.
Thomas spoke on the character's creation, stating "To make up for Nuklon's and Nightwind's non-blood-relative status, Dann and I decided that Alan Scott, a.k.a. Green Lantern, would have two kids in the new group—twins, no less... Obsidian became the dark side of the ring's magic, but that concept seems to have taken a bit more time to come together." [2]
Todd Rice is the son of Alan Scott and Rose Canton, respectively the Golden Age superhero Green Lantern and villain Thorn. Todd was raised in an abusive adoptive home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. [3] As a teenager, he discovers that he has a twin sister, Jennie-Lynn Hayden / Jade. [4] After reuniting, the two follow in their father's footsteps and become superheroes and founding members of Infinity, Inc. [5] [6]
Following Crisis on Infinite Earths , Obsidian becomes a member of the Justice League. [7] At one point, he was corrupted by Ian Karkull and attempted to cover the world in darkness before being defeated and cured of his mental instability. [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]
Afterwards, Obsidan retired, came to terms with his self-identity as a gay man, and began dating Damon Matthews, an assistant district attorney and ally of Kate Spencer / Manhunter. [13]
After being attacked by Karkull, Obsidian is transformed into a dark egg before it eventually hatches and resurrects him. [14]
During the "Brightest Day" storyline, Obsidian and the JSA battle Alan Scott, who has been possessed by the Starheart, the cosmic force that empowers him and his children. [15] [16] [17] During this time, he and Jade are fused into a singular entity controlled by the Starheart before eventually being separated. [18] [19]
In the 2015 comics event Convergence , a two-part miniseries titled Infinity Inc. featured the return of the pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths version of the Infinity Inc. team, including Todd as Obsidian. Todd and Infinity Inc. were brought to Telos in the series. This Obsidian was based on his pre-Crisis version but had elements of the modern day version of the character as well. His counterparts made veiled references to Todd's sexuality and appeared accepting of him being in a relationship with a man. [20]
In Doomsday Clock , Obsidian is among the Justice Society members who were erased from history when Doctor Manhattan altered history to prevent Alan Scott from becoming a Green Lantern. However, he and the Society are eventually restored when Superman convinces Manhattan to return history to normal. [21] Obsidian then reunites with his father, who comes out as gay to him. [22] [23]
Obsidian is able to harness the energy of the Shadowlands to manipulate shadows, the result of his father being exposed to shadow energy during a battle with Ian Karkull. This enables him to become intangible, fly, and grow to an enormous size.
He has a short-lived, troubled relationship with Marcie Cooper, the third Harlequin, shortly before the disbanding of Infinity, Inc. Later, sexual confusion was shown during his tenure in the Justice League, when he told his friend Nuklon that the only two people he could ever love in the world were his sister and him. When Nuklon asked if he was gay, Obsidian did not fully answer, instead asking "Why must there be labels?" After Obsidian's redemption, JSA penciller Steven Sadowski stated that Todd's sexuality would be dealt with whenever he returned to that title.
Todd appeared in Manhunter (vol. 3) #18 where he shares a kiss with Damon Matthews, a recurring gay character, and spoke in the fashion of a lover, confirming his sexuality. Marc Andreyko, the writer of Manhunter, goes into detail about selecting Obsidian as Damon's lover:
I didn't want to make a character gay unless it felt organic. So, the list was pretty short. Then I remembered when Obsidian was in the JLA years ago and Gerard Jones, the writer, danced around the issue. I went back and read all my Infinity, Inc.'s and although Todd dated women, it was always a mess.
Andreyko said that DC was supportive, wanting a "visible gay character" and that it was "a general void in the DCU that needed exploration". Geoff Johns, longtime writer of JSA, also stated his support for the idea. [26]
When writer Bill Willingham took over the JSA title, there was a great amount of concern among fans about how this would affect Todd (as Willingham is a Republican). Some fans even feared that Willingham would "cure" Todd's sexuality. In Justice Society of America (vol. 3) #40, Willingham attempted to address this concern in a humorous way by having the newly restored Obsidian announce that his homosexuality has been cured, only for him to quickly renounce this claim, telling the readers, while breaking the fourth wall for a brief moment, that he was only joking and that he was still gay.[ citation needed ]
As of Justice Society of America (vol. 3) #43 (October 2010), Todd is still dating Damon, confirming this in conversation with his father.
During the crossover Convergence Infinity Inc., Obsidian's sexuality is referenced. His teammates are okay if he is gay, but he denies it even though he brought a close male friend to his sister's theatre performance.
The following are enemies of Obsidian:
Obsidian appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure . [32]
The Justice Society of America (JSA) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Books. It first appeared in All Star Comics #3, making it the first team of superheroes in comic books. Its original members were Doctor Fate, Hourman, the Spectre, Sandman, Atom, the Flash, Green Lantern and Hawkman.
Infinity, Inc. is a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.
The Injustice Society is a group of supervillains in the DC Comics Universe. They are the main antagonists of the Justice Society of America.
Jade is a superhero in the DC Comics Universe. She first appeared in All-Star Squadron #25 in September 1983. She is the daughter of Alan Scott and Rose Canton and twin sister of Obsidian.
Wildcat is a fictional superheroine in DC Comics' shared universe, the DC universe. Her first appearance was in Infinity Inc. #12 and she was created by Roy Thomas, Dannette Thomas and Don Newton.
Jason Peter "Jay" Garrick is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the first character known as the Flash. The character first appeared in Flash Comics #1, created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert.
Albert Rothstein is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Atom Smasher is known for his power of growth and super strength.
The Sportsmaster is the name of different supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the character; Lawrence "Crusher" Crock, is usually depicted as a criminal who uses sports-themed weapons and gadgets to commit crimes. He is also the husband of Paula Brooks and the father of Artemis Crock.
The Harlequin is the name of four clown-themed DC Comics characters.
The Wizard is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.
Icicle is the name of two supervillains appearing in comic books published by DC Comics: Joar Mahkent and Cameron Mahkent.
Brainwave or Brainwave Jr. is a character in the DC Comics Universe, who is commonly portrayed as a superhero and son of the supervillain, Brain Wave, along with primarily being a member of the Infinity, Inc.
Mister Bones is a character in the DC Comics Universe, created by Roy Thomas, Dann Thomas, and Todd McFarlane, in Infinity, Inc. #16. A former low-level supervillain and member of Helix, he reformed and joined the Infinity Inc. team, then later the Department of Extranormal Operations as a bureaucrat, eventually rising to the rank of Regional Director for the Eastern Seaboard. Thus, he now wears a suit and tie instead of a costume, and is also known as Director Bones. A chain-smoker, he had a habit of speaking in rhyme in early appearances, but he no longer does so.
Manhunter (Kate Spencer) is a fictional superheroine appearing in DC Comics. She is the eighth DC Comics character to be given the name Manhunter, but was the first woman. The character first appears in Manhunter (vol. 3) #1 (October 2004) and was promoted by DC Comics as relevant to the popular Identity Crisis limited series.
Alan Ladd Wellington Scott is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, and the first character to bear the name Green Lantern. He fights evil with the aid of his mystical ring, which grants him a variety of powers. He was created by Martin Nodell and Bill Finger, first appearing in the comic book All-American Comics #16, published on July 10, 1940.
Al Pratt is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the first character to use the name Atom. He initially had no superpowers and was originally a diminutive college student and later a physicist, usually depicted as a "tough-guy" character. Al Pratt is also the father of Damage and godfather of Atom Smasher.
Paula Brooks is a fictional comic book character published by DC Comics. She is one of many characters to use the names Tigress and Huntress. Paula Brooks is married to Sportsmaster and the mother of Artemis Crock.
The Huntress, also known as Helena Wayne, is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character is the daughter of the Batman and Catwoman of an alternate universe established in the early 1960s and referred to as "Earth-Two", where the Golden Age stories took place. A modern-day predecessor of Helena Wayne as Huntress with no blood-relation to Batman or Catwoman, Helena Bertinelli, was additionally co-created by the character's co-creator Joe Staton in 1989, originally intended as a reinvention of the character following the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths, before being retconned as different characters.
Dr. Elizabeth "Beth" Chapel is a fictional superheroine in American comic books published by DC Comics. She is the second character to adopt the Doctor Mid-Nite codename and is the successor of the original, Charles McNider. The character is later succeeded by Pieter Cross after her death at the hands of Eclipso. However, following the events of Doomday Clock, the character is resurrected. Similar to her predecessor, the character possesses the same abilities as Charles and primarily functions as one of the superhero community's renowned physicians. She serves as the official physician for both Infinity, Inc. and the Justice Society of America.
Brain Wave is a supervillain appearing in the DC Comics Universe, a recurring foe of the Justice Society of America and a founding member of the Injustice Society; he is also the father of the superhero Brainwave.
The children of the original Justice Society of America made their smash debut in this issue by writer Roy Thomas and penciler Jerry Ordway...All-Star Squadron #25 marked the first appearances of future cult-favorite heroes Jade, Obsidian, Fury, Brainwave Jr., the Silver Scarab, Northwind, and Nuklon.