William MacIntyre (New Earth)

Triumph is a superhero who was originally a founding member of the Justice League of America. He was wiped from existence by a time rift when he attempted to sacrifice himself to save the world, and as a result of the self-correcting timestream, was wiped out of everyone's memory, never to be seen or heard from again... until many years later, when time anomalies brought him back into a world which he was rightfully a part of, but had never existed in.

Origins

As a child, William MacIntyre lived primarily with his mother, forced to constantly move from town to town. His father, a professional criminal, wasn't around very often. Triumph was never able to develop any real friendships with those around him, and developed into an immensely intelligent and analytical introvert, who had a lot of time on his hands.

At puberty, he began developing superpowers. He exhibited control over the electromagnetic spectrum, allowing him an immense diversity of different abilities. He decided to become a superhero, and dedicated his life towards preparing himself for such a career. He immersed himself in the creation of Triumph, the identity he had recreated for himself.^[1]

When Earth was invaded by aliens, he had already been in preparation for a long time. He rallied other heroes of the world, Superman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter and Black Canary, enlisting them to work together and save the world. They were the Justice League of America. Triumph's team fell apart very quickly. Although his planning had been solid, his leadership suffered from his tendency to use people more as pawns than as teammates. Ultimately, he was forced to sacrifice himself to save the Earth, by attacking the Aliens' energy weaponry directly, charging up with more electromagnetic powers than he had ever been able to use before. A rift in time tore him from the universe, and the self-correcting timestream wiped him from having ever existed.^[2] The heroes he had brought together were left with no memory of any contact with him, and was trapped in inter-dimensional stasis for over a decade.

Return of the Hero

During Zero Hour, when waves of cosmic entropy shook the foundations of the very timeline itself, Triumph was finally released, and felt ready to retake his position as one of the original heroes of the world. He was sorely disappointed to find that there was no record left of him at all, and even his close friends, allies and colleagues believed they had never seen them before in their lives. As he was returned to reality, so were the alien invaders he had been trapped with. He was able to convince the skeptical Justice League International to help him combat the invaders in Washington, D.C., although he immediately suffered the same problems with teamwork that had led to him being trapped in the first place. He concentrated too much on his own plans over the people he had been using to help him, and the League, already disheveled from earlier crises, was almost defeated by the Aliens.^[3] Triumph was only able to overcome the threat when Martian Manhunter helped him realize and overcome his own failings, using diplomacy as a strategy in tandem with his fighting tactics.^[4]

Justice League Task Force

Triumph helped in the fight against Parallax during Zero Hour,^[5] and in the aftermath, as the League began to reform itself, was offered a position on Martian Manhunter's new Justice League Task Force, which he eagerly accepted.^[6] He served a long tenure on the team, but was eventually kicked off by Martian Manhunter for insubordination, as he would regularly disobey or refuse to consult orders. During Underworld Unleashed, the demon Neron offered him a deal, to trade the precious lost years of is life on Earth for his soul.^[7] Although he refused the offer, he was left with a candle, which he could light at any time to signify that he wished to make the deal. Later, Gypsy and the Ray unwittingly lit the candle by accident. Triumph gets the decade back and was never a member of Justice League Task Force but discovers that the world is exactly the same and his absence made no difference at all, which can be explained as the beginning of Triumph's descent towards evil.^[8]

Fall from Grace

Triumph came under the influence of a malign Thunderbolt named Lkz similar to the one possessed by golden age Justice Society member Johnny Thunder.^[9] Triumph mind-controlled his former Justice League Task Force teammates Gypsy and the Ray, striking at the newly reformed JLA. The combined forces of the JSA and JLA were required to stop the rampaging Thunderbolt and subdue Triumph.^[10] Eventually, the Spectre transformed Triumph into ice and prepared to smash him with a hammer, but was stopped by a plea from the angel Zauriel.^[11] His ice form was stored in the Justice League headquarters, and he was killed when it was blown up.^[12]

Trinity

When the world was fundamentally altered by Morgaine le Fey and Enigma during the events of Trinity, Triumph reappears in the new timeline as a member of the Justice Society International.^[13] A true hero in a world where Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman never existed, Triumph fights to help restore the reality that should be, knowing full well that it will mean his death.^[14] He finds comraderie in Tomorrow Woman, who faces the same fate. He was mortally wounded during a fight with the Dark Arcana,^[15] and apparently succumbed to his injuries and died^[16] shortly before the world could be returned to what it had been.^[17]

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Electromagnetism: Triumph has the ability to perceive and consciously control electromagnetism, one of the four fundamental forces of the universe. He could use this for a variety of purposes, extending well beyond the traditional manipulation of ferrous materials.

Energy Absorption: Triumph has the ability to absorb energy from a variety of sources. It was even revealed that he could siphon the solar energy within Superman's cells, possibly killing Superman in the process.^{[citation needed]}
Energy Projection: Triumph possesses the ability to manipulate the ambient energy within the area around him or the energy inside of him to release potent blasts of energy from his eyes or his hands. These blasts could take the form of just about any electromagnetic phenomenon possible.
Enhanced Senses: This power gives Triumph what he calls "360 degree hyper-senses" which allowed him to perceive and interpret the electromagnetic spectrum. With this unique sensory ability Triumph could 'hear' TV and radio signals and decode satellite transmissions.
Flight: By manipulating his personal electromagnetic field in relation to Earth's, Triumph is capable of defying the effects of gravity, allowing him to hover in midair and fly. He is skilled enough to perform complicated actions in mid-air.
Invulnerability: By supercharging his cellular structure with electromagnetic fields, Triumph can achieve a high degree of invulnerability. He was durable enough to toe to toe with Superman without any significant injury.
Mind Control: Through the manipulation of the bio-electrical current within the human brain, Triumph was able to forcibly control Gypsy and Ray, using them against their wills in an attempt to overthrow the Justice League.
Superhuman Speed: Triumph possesses enhanced reflexes and the ability to move at superhuman speeds through the sheer force of will.^{[citation needed]} His maximum speeds are unknown.
Superhuman Stamina: Triumph has the ability to maintain continuous strenuous physical action for an undefined period.^{[citation needed]}
Superhuman Strength: His electromagnetic powers can be used to enhance his physical strength. He has been shown punching Steel through a wall in the JLA Watchtower^{[citation needed]} and holding his own against Superman.^{[citation needed]}

Abilities

Tactical Analysis

Notes

Although most commonly associated with writer Christopher Priest, Triumph was actually created by Mark Waid, Brian Augustyn and Howard Porter.

Trivia

Triumph was originally written as gay, but his creators never found the time to write a story in which his sexuality could be properly and sensitively dealt with.

Christopher Priest has stated that Triumph was written as gay, though it was never officially stated in comics because he "didn’t have an appropriate storyline to deal sensitively with that issue, but that was my subtext for his emotional center: how out of place and out of sync Triumph was with the DC Universe."^[18]

Triumph's co-creator Bryan Augustyn later wrote a short story in Showcase about Triumph's girlfriend, a fashion designer named Melissa.^[19]

Likewise, Priest seemed to be building up a chemistry between Triumph's Justice League Task Force teammate Gypsy and the magnetic hero, culminating in a kiss.^[20]

Additionally, Triumph was rather forcefully rejected by Fire after making romantic advances.^[21] He also has a son.^[22]

External Links

Footnotes

Justice League member

This character has been a member of the Justice League of America, or the Justice League in any of its various incarnations, sworn by a duty to act as guardians of America and the world by using their skills and/or superpowers to protect Earth from the clutches of both interstellar and domestic threats.
This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Justice League of America members" category.

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."

[1] Triumph #1-4

[2] Justice League America #92

[3] Justice League Task Force #16

[4] Justice League International (Volume 2) #68

[5] Zero Hour #0

[6] Justice League Task Force #0

[7] Justice League Task Force #30

[8] Justice League Task Force #35

[9] JLA #28

[10] JLA #29-30

[11] JLA #31

[12] JLA #38

[13] Trinity #22

[14] Trinity #32

[15] Trinity #39

[16] Trinity #41

[17] Trinity #42

[18] Comic Book Legends Revealed #26

[19] Showcase '94 #12

[20] Justice League Task Force #37

[21] Justice League Task Force #30

[22] Brave and the Bold (Volume 3) #18

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