Breathtaker was a member of the Hangmen and an enemy to the Titans. Her aerokinesis powers allowed her to literally take the breath out of someone's lungs.
History
Not much is known about the woman known as Breathtaker, apart from the fact that she was born and raised in the United States of America. Real name unknown, Breathtaker obtained aerokinesis abilities in an unspecified way (it's possible she was just born with them), and she saw in them the potential to pursue a profitable career: she became an international assassin. Liking stealth, Breathtaker became specialized in in murdering people by sucking away the air from their lungs, making it look like a perfectly natural death: a great opportunity for someone who wanted to work as a hired killer. To implement her chances in a crowded world like that of supervillains, she contacted other people like her to form a team, traveling around the world to find them: in Puerto Rico she hired the super-strong Stranglehold, in Australia the mind-controller Provoke, in Japan the young electricity-manipulator Shock Trauma, and in Russia the cyborg Killshot. Together, the five super-powered killers were the Hangmen, next-gen assassins ready to make a name for themselves. Their first major assignment was an official one, coming from the government of Qurac: the Middle-Eastern country wanted them to eliminate an old enemy of theirs, the terrorist Cheshire, who had tried to nuke the entire place. Cheshire was a formidable target, but Breathtaker found an easy way to get at her: she and her team targeted her daughter, Lian Harper, to lure her out. Unfortunately, it wasn't her the one who came to Lian's aid.
Lian Harper, in fact, was indeed the daughter of Cheshire, but her father was Arsenal, the infallible archer member of the Titans. Before even realizing it, the Hangmen were involved in a clash with the Titans, and they emerged defeated from it.[1] This marked the birth of a harsh rivalry, and Breathtaker led her team several other times against Nightwing and his young teammates, sometimes allying themselves even with more seasoned and proficient assassins like Deathstroke, the number one in the category. Seeking more profit, eventually Breathtaker formed an alliance with Alexander Luthor Jr. and let him merge her team with his Secret Society of Super Villains, only to use the huge team's assault on Metropolis as a cover to loot the city. Seeking the opportunity, Breathtaker double-played Luthor, and paid Dr. Psycho to fake her own death and her teammates' ones, so that they could elude for a while the pressure of being followed by superheroes: Psycho pretended to catch them overseeing their mission for looting, and had them "executed". The team laid low for a while, being officially dead, and when they finished spending what they had "earned" during their robberies they reappeared: this time, Breathtaker was interested in the offer of Libra, who was reforming Luthor's Society and offered a prize, any prize, to the villains who accepted to be part of the team. Of course, Breathtaker had perfectly clear in her mind what she wanted from Libra: she didn't aim for more money nor for glory, all she wanted was the immediate and brutal death of each and every Titan around.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Aerokinesis: Breathtaker can asphyxiate people by causing the air in their lungs to leave their body.[1]
Abilities
Related
- 8 Appearances of Breathtaker II (New Earth)
- 3 Images featuring Breathtaker II (New Earth)
- Quotations by or about Breathtaker II (New Earth)
- Character Gallery: Breathtaker II (New Earth)
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Titans #21
  Secret Society of Super-Villains member |