Deathbolt
Deathbolt is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was created by the Ultra-Humanite to fight the All-Star Squadron.[1]
| Deathbolt | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | All-Star Squadron #21 (May 1983) |
| Created by | Roy Thomas and Jerry Ordway |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Jake Simmons |
| Abilities | Electrokinesis; able to generate, project, channel and absorb electrical currents |
Deathbolt made his first live appearance in the third season of the Arrowverse television series Arrow played by actor Doug Jones. Deathbolt also reappeared in an episode of the first season of The Flash as well.
Fictional character biography
Wanted for murder, Jake Simmons fled police in a stolen biplane during a heavy storm. He crashed when lightning struck the plane over Meteor Crater, Arizona. The Ultra-Humanite found him and experimented on him until his body became a living electrical battery. Code-named "Deathbolt", he became the Ultra-Humanite's staunch ally until his defeat by the All-Star Squadron.[2]
Deathbolt (or a successor) returned in recent years and tried to kill the late Starman, Ted Knight only to be thwarted by the arrival of Ted's descendant Farris Knight.[3]
Powers and abilities
Deathbolt can channel the electrical energy in his body into powerful blasts of electricity.[4]
In other media
Doug Jones portrayed a version of Deathbolt in the live-action television series, Arrow, in the season three episode "Broken Arrow".[5][6] Significantly, he was the first metahuman villain to appear on the series,[7][8] with the ability to control and shoot plasma.[9] By the end of the episode, it was revealed that he did not receive his powers from the particle accelerator explosion at Central City - as he was in prison in Opal City on the night of the explosion - but from another unknown means, widening the possibilities of how metahumans come about in the Arrowverse.[10][11]
Deathbolt also appears as one of the villains in The Flash episode "Rogue Air", portrayed again by Doug Jones.[12] As he was about to kill The Flash, he is himself killed by Captain Cold because in Cold's own words said: "He owed me money".[13]
References
- ^ Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Supervillains. New York: Facts on File. p. 78. ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.
- ^ Gordon, Michael (September 19, 2018). "Working For The Weakened: 20 DC Characters The Arrowverse Had To Nerf For The Small Screen". Comic Book Resources. from the original on September 20, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
- ^ Starman (vol. 2) #1000000. DC Comics.
- ^ Steinbeiser, Andrew (February 27, 2015). "Arrow: Doug Jones Cast As Deathbolt". Comicbook.com. from the original on June 23, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- ^ Goldberg, Eric (February 18, 2015). "Arrow: Doug Jones To Play DC Comics Villain Deathbolt". IGN. from the original on February 18, 2015. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ "The Flash to Unite DC Comics Rogues Supervillains". MovieWeb. March 23, 2015. from the original on June 28, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- ^ "Arrow Just Signed On a Brand New Villain For Season 4". Cinema Blend. July 24, 2015. from the original on September 4, 2017. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
- ^ Goldman, Eric (May 1, 2017). "Arrow: Doug Jones to Play DC Comics Villain Deathbolt". IGN. from the original on December 11, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- ^ Leane, Rob (February 19, 2015). "Arrow: Doug Jones to play villainous metahuman Deathbolt". Den of Geek. from the original on November 29, 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- ^ Young, Sage (April 15, 2015). "Who Is Jake Simmons On 'Arrow'? Deathbolt Needs 2 Heroes To Take Him Down". Bustle. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
- ^ Thomas, Leah Marilla (May 12, 2015). "Who Is Deathbolt On 'The Flash'? This 'Arrow' Metahuman Is On A New Team". Bustle. from the original on July 16, 2016. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
- ^ Doug Jones [@actordougjones] (21 March 2015). "What could my "Deathbolt" villain from @CW_Arrow (# 319 "Broken Arrow") be doing on @CW_TheFlash (# 122 "Rogue Air")" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Anderson, Jenna (March 2, 2018). "10 Arrowverse Villains That Should Make a Comeback". Comicbook.com. from the original on August 7, 2018. Retrieved January 29, 2020.