History
Deadman: 1933 - Present
Boston Brand never cared about life, until he lost it. You see, Boston was a spoiled second son of a rich British media mogul, Nigel Brand and his wife, Emma. Boston and his brother Cleveland (both sons named after the American cities their mother had grew up in) enjoyed the lap of luxury in their earliest years and never knew suffering, but that all change quickly with the advent of the second World War.
In September of 1940, while Boston was with his father on a business trip, Cleveland and Emma were at home during one of the first bombings of London. Trapped in the rubble and debris, Cleveland was forced to watch as his mother slowly bled to death before his eyes. Though he survived, Cleveland was never again whole. Other than the loss of his mother, Boston was more or less unaffected by the war, having somehow avoided the bombings and much of the bloodshed, and as such was never really again able to empathize with his brother. As adults, Cleveland took off to travel post-war Europe and Boston lived off their father’s wealth, often disappearing to exotic locales on extended holiday.
When Nigel Brand passed, Cleveland was unable to be reached. After a period of time, Boston had his brother declared legally dead and thus claimed the entire fortune for himself. Not entertaining an interest in working, Boston sold off the remainder of his father’s assets and relocated to a lifestyle of island hopping at various tropical ports of call. It was in the late 50’s that Cleveland Brand, now a member of the League of Assassins, tracked his brother down and carved out Boston’s heart and cut off his own hand to serve as sacrifices for a powerful ritual that bestowed Cleveland with immortality and gave him a new name: The Hook. Of course, unknown to Cleveland, Boston’s soul was unable to move on as a result of the ritual and Boston became a revenant spirit, able to possess the living and sense the presence of dark magic. In an effort to make amends for his past in hopes of being released from his state, the pale shade of Boston has become an unsung hero. Recently, he has teamed up with other occult persons able to see him to create the occult task force called “Dark Justice”.[1]
Powers and Abilities
Missing Data
Trivia and Notes
Trivia
- The "scars" of Deadman are meant to be wrinkles to show he was emaciated and exsanguinated at the time of his death. The bloody hands are from him clutching his chest in his last moments. The "D" on his belly was a sigil written in his blood as part of the ritual he was killed to power.
- Deadman joined the Justice League in 2015 nominated by Martian Manhunter. A.R.G.U.S. doesn't recognize his membership because he can't be seen or heard.
- In general, anyone with magical abilities should be able to see and hear Boston. Also, maybe people with super sight could also find ways to see him. So... Wonder Woman, Doctor Fate, the Hawks, Superman, Power Girl, Martian Manhunter, Cyborg, Icon, and the like should all be able to see him or figure out ways to see him. For tech savvy heroes,Blue Beetle or Batman could whip up some goggles or something (if they don't have them already) to be able to see the Deadman.[2]
- Boston started dating Dawn Granger. Carter Hall warned him not to take advantage of her or he will hit him with his axe.
Notes
- Earth-27's origin of Deadman differs from other sources as the acrobat story is a bit obscure and felt outdated. Also, Rama Kushna is not removed from the origin, The ritual made Boston a revenant but it was later that he was given some tutelage as to his nature and his abilities while looking for a way to lift his curse in Nanda Parbat. It was there that Boston met Rama Kushna.
Links and References
- Appearances of Boston Brand
- Character Gallery: Boston Brand