Prometheus (New Earth)

From DC Database

Contents 1 History 1.1 Training 1.2 JLA 1.3 Injustice Gang 2 Powers and Abilities 2.1 Abilities 2.2 Weaknesses 3 Paraphernalia 3.1 Equipment 3.2 Transportation 3.3 Weapons 4 Notes 5 See Also 6 Links and References 6.1 Footnotes

History

He was the son of two loving, hippie criminals who traveled across the United States with him. They committed indiscriminate murders and thefts, often of a brutal nature (similar perhaps to Bonnie and Clyde). Eventually they were cornered and forced the police to gun them down in front of their son, whose hair turned white from the shock. That night, he swore an oath to "annihilate the forces of justice". His true name has not been revealed.

Training

Prometheus obtained large sums of money both from his parents' hidden stashes of money and by extorting local mob bosses using his knowledge of their criminal activities. Leaving home at the age of 16, he used his money to travel the world in order to develop the skills he would need. His activities during this period included training as an underground pit-fighter in Brazil, working as a mercenary in Africa, joining terrorist groups in the Middle East, studying silat in Malaysia, associating with the wealthy social elite in order to learn their secrets ('I learned to kill in a dozen different Languages'), and attending only the finest in legitimate academic schools and universities. Eventually he found the legendary Himalayan city of Shamballa, inhabited by a sect of monks who worshiped evil itself. Studying with them, he eventually became a favorite of their leader, who showed him their greatest treasure, an alien spaceship upon which their ancient monastery had been built. The leader then transmuted into one of the aliens who'd first landed there, and Prometheus was forced to kill him to obtain the Key to the 'Ghost Zone'.

Along with the ship was a key that opened into what Prometheus dubbed "The Ghost Zone," an infinite expanse of white nothing-ness. (JLA member and angel Zauriel referred to this zone as limbo; it was also used by the White Martians as a form of Hyperspace to effect interstellar travel; the people of Krypton knew it as the Phantom Zone). Prometheus would eventually build himself a small, lopsided wooden house in The Ghost Zone ('Nothing builds straight here. But that's fine with me. A crooked house for a crooked man.'). Here, he was free to build up a resistance to the JLA, unhindered by Earth's authorities or heroes.

JLA

Retro was just a normal young man who had won a competition to be a member of the new JLA for a day by designing his own costume and fictitious "origin story."

Prometheus took the place of Retro at the Justice League Watchtower on the Moon and almost single-handedly took down the League: He shot the Martian Manhunter with a dart that turned his shape-changing power against him, infected Steel's armor with a computer virus which commanded the suit to damage the Watchtower, hypnotized the Huntress into unconsciousness, attacked Green Lantern with a "Neural Chaff" that rendered his ring useless, trapped the angel Zauriel in the Ghost Zone, tricked the Flash into believing that he had planted motion sensitive bombs that would explode if the Flash used his powers. He defeated Batman in hand-to-hand combat with the aide of a device that downloaded the skills of the thirty greatest martial arts masters in the world (including Batman) into his brain and a pair of lights on his shoulder that blinked in an erratic pattern to cause disorientation. At the time, the Watchtower was filled with innocent civilians that the League had invited for a tour. With the Watchtower under his control, Prometheus then demanded that Superman--the only hero he could not defeat--commit suicide in exchange for the lives of the hostages, sacrificing the two things which he presumed would matter to Superman; his image and his reputation. He also expressed his pleasure at the fact that 'Superman said "Prometheus" and he didn't sound scared.'

However, Prometheus's best laid plans were laid to waste by an unforeseen variable: the anti-hero Catwoman, who incapacitated him with a simple whip crack to the groin. Having sneaked onto the Watchtower disguised as Cat Grant looking for things to steal, Catwoman's intervention bought Steel the time he needed to beat the virus (Although it was only thanks to the lucky arrival of Plastic Man that Steel's hammer failed to do any damage to the Watchtower walls) and, in turn, override Prometheus' helmet. Prometheus then escaped to the Ghost Zone.

Injustice Gang

Prometheus later returned as a part of the second Injustice Gang created by Lex Luthor. He was able to use the Ghost Zone and a White Martian spaceship left from the Martian Invasion within it to get into the Watchtower. He almost killed Oracle by defenestrating her when she refused his deal. He wanted her to betray the JLA in return for being able to walk again. Oracle manages to survive by grabbing the hand on the face of the Clocktower, simultaneously damaging Prometheus's helmet.

He then had a final rematch with Batman who had, in the intervening time, managed to unlock the secrets of Prometheus' helmet. Batman replaced the martial arts skills Prometheus had downloaded into his mind with the physical skills and coordination of Professor Stephen Hawking, a famed scientist who can barely move. Huntress, who witnessed the latter half of the battle, described this as "cheating." Batman retorted with "Not cheating. Winning." Batman later commented that it was the "first time [he] ever hit a man with motor neuron disease". Later, Batman was forced to intervene in order to prevent Huntress from killing the helpless Prometheus, firing her from the JLA in the process.

After battling Mageddon, Batman and Martian Manhunter conceded that no prison could hold Prometheus, so they placed him in a psychic loop, trapped in his own memories. In this state, he was sent to Blackgate Prison and left. Martian Manhunter kept him in this state for the rest of his life. During this time, his "identity" and all his equipment was used by Chad Walker, his protegé.

After Martian Manhunter's death at the hands of Libra, Prometheus regained control of his own mind and broke out. Enraged that his successor hadn't tried to rescue him, he tracked the younger man down and killed him.

Powers and Abilities

Abilities

Genius-Level Intellect

• Scientist

• Inventor

• Multi-lingual

Skilled Combatant

Weaknesses

EMP Blast: Equipment can be taken out by an EMP.

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Computerized Helmet: Is connected to his brain and central nervous system.

• Download Capabilities: Able to download any kind of information into his brain and download movements, mannerisms, and fighting styles into his central nervous system. He has been able to download the Watchtower's schematics onto a CD and from there download them straight into his brain which allows him to automatically know where everything is in the Watchtower. Has been able to download a CD into his central nervous system that contains 30 of the World's Best Martial Arts Masters, one of them being Batman's fighting style.

• Hypnosis: by flickering the lights at a rate of 10 cycles per second, he can induce hypnosis.

• Neural Chaff: given off by the helmet, neural chaff disorganizes thought processes. It interferes with brain electricity. Its like giving thoughts the "Flu". Exclusively used against heroes like Green Lantern who need to concentrate to use his ring.

• Short-Term Memory: Enhances his short-term memory

• Pain Killers: His helmet releases endorphins to take care of any pain he feels.

Transportation

Cosmic Key: possessed the key to The Ghost Zone, allowing him teleportation abilities via another dimension as well as a hidden extra-dimensional base.

Weapons

Energized Nightstick

• Reprogram Computer Systems: Program electronic equipment when in physical contact.

• High Hit-Impact: Able to destroy boulders and anvils with a single light strike.

Wrist Gaunthlets: fires and/or launches different kinds of ammo and artillery.

• Phospherous Dart: catches opponents on fire

• Molecular Toxins Dart: attacks morphoplastic nervous system. It gives complete spastic paralysis. The victim doesn't have any control over their physical structure. It stops his molecules from forming polymer chains. This effect turns the victim into a puddle and can last about an hour. Used against opponents with malleable bodies like Plastic Man and Martian Manhunter.

• Mini-Rockets

• Grenades

• Bullets

Notes

• He claims that he can resist Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth until his brain is in ruins.

See Also

• Discuss Prometheus (New Earth) on the forums
• Appearances of Prometheus (New Earth)
• Character Gallery: Prometheus (New Earth)
• Images featuring Prometheus (New Earth)

Links and References

• Prometheus at Wikipedia

Footnotes

Justice League Villain This character is or was primarily an enemy of the Justice League, in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Justice League Villains."