Deadman is a

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

. Created by writer

Arnold Drake Arnold Drake (March 1, 1924 – March 12, 2007) was an American comic book writer and screenwriter best known for co-creating the DC Comics characters Deadman and the Doom Patrol, and the Marvel Comics characters the Guardians of the Galaxy, Hav ...

and artist

Carmine Infantino Carmine Infantino (; May 24, 1925 – April 4, 2013) was an American comics artist and editing, editor, primarily for DC Comics, during the late 1950s and early 1960s period known as the Silver Age of Comic Books. Among his character creations are ...

. He first appeared in ''

Strange Adventures ''Strange Adventures'' is a series of American comic books published by DC Comics, the first of which was August–September 1950, according to the cover date, and published continuously until November 1973. Original series ''Strange Adventure ...

'' #205 (October 1967) The character, whose real name is Boston Brand, is depicted as an acrobat who was murdered by an unknown assailant, and then granted power by a Hindu deity to remain a disembodied spirit who can temporarily take possession of any living being in order to fight evil forces. Deadman has also appeared in various media outside comics. He is voiced by

Raphael Sbarge Raphael Sbarge (born February 12, 1964) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Jake Straka on ''The Guardian'' (2001–04), Jiminy Cricket / Dr. Archibald Hopper on ''Once Upon a Time'' (2011–18) and Inspe ...

in ''

Justice League Unlimited ''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is an American superhero animated series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation with DC Comics in season 3 and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Universe, and ...

'',

Michael Rosenbaum Michael Rosenbaum (born July 11, 1972) is an American actor and podcaster. He is known for portraying Lex Luthor (Smallville), Lex Luthor on the television series ''Smallville'', a role that ''TV Guide'' included in their 2013 list of "The 60 Nas ...

in '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'', and

Nicholas Turturro Nicholas Turturro Jr. (born January 29, 1962) is an American actor. Turturro is best known for his roles in New York City based films and on the television series '' Blue Bloods'' and ''NYPD Blue''. He has collaborated with director Spike Lee sin ...

in ''

Justice League Dark Justice League Dark, or JLD, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team made their debut in ''Justice League Dark'' #1 (September 2011). The team features some of the more supernatural characters in t ...

''.

Creation

Arnold Drake spoke on the development of Deadman and revealed the 1966 original concept sketch of the character, which was initially a muscular skeleton. Drake further stated, "They were looking for something to bolster a magazine that was about to die, and I came up with Deadman, and they were going to turn it down, utthen they bought the idea, but decided to turn down the title, because they were afraid, that the board would not permit them to title he comic ''Deadman'' because of the comics code of authority, so I said you fight for that, it's a good title, they did and Deadman succeeded. Drake later recalled in an interview, "So here I was in the middle of a

Zen Zen (; from Chinese: ''Chán''; in Korean: ''Sŏn'', and Vietnamese: ''Thiền'') is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Yogacara and Madhyamaka phil ...

-Buddhist movement and I thought, "Maybe I can use that for my main character."

Publication history

Deadman's first appearance in ''Strange Adventures'' #205, written by Arnold Drake and drawn by Carmine Infantino, included the first known depiction of

narcotic The term narcotic (, from ancient Greek ναρκῶ ''narkō'', "I make numb") originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with numbing or paralyzing properties. In the United States, it has since become associated with opiates ...

s in a story approved by the

Comics Code Authority The Comics Code Authority (CCA) was formed in 1954 by the Comics Magazine Association of America as an alternative to government regulation. The CCA enabled comic publishers to self-regulate the content of American comic book, comic books in the ...

. The series is most associated with the art and writing of

Neal Adams Neal Adams (June 15, 1941 – April 28, 2022) was an American comic book artist. He was the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates, and was a Creator ownership, creators-rights advocate who helped secure a pension and re ...

and the writing of Jack Miller, who took over from Infantino and Drake after the first story. The first story and all of the Adams stories were reprinted in 1985 as a seven-issue series. Although he appeared occasionally in the 1970s and 1980s as a supporting character in various comics, including Jack Kirby's ''

Forever People Forever People are a group of extraterrestrial superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They first appeared in ''Forever People'' #1 ( cover-dated February-March 1971), and were created by Jack Kirby as part of his ...

'', Deadman did not get his own series again until 1986, in a four-issue

limited series In the field of comic books, and particularly in the United States, a limited series is a comics series with a predetermined number of issues. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is finite and determined ...

written by Andrew Helfer and drawn by

José Luis García-López José Luis García-López (born March 26, 1948) is a Spanish people, Spanish-Argentines, Argentine comics artist who works in the United States, particularly in a long-running relationship with DC Comics. In addition to his storytelling art, he pr ...

, which picked up the story where Adams left off. Deadman's next major storyline was in ''

Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/Comic anthology, magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as Detective Comics Inc., which later merged into National ...

Weekly'', in 1988–1989. After this, he starred in the two-issue series ''Deadman: Love After Death'', drawn by

Kelley Jones Kelley Jones (born July 23, 1962) is an American comics artist best known for his work on ''Batman'' with writer Doug Moench and on '' The Sandman'' with writer Neil Gaiman. Early life Kelley Jones was born in Sacramento, California and grew up ...

and written by

Mike Baron Mike Baron (born July 1, 1949) is an American comic book writer and novelist. He is the creator of ''Badger (comics), Badger'' and the co-creator of ''Nexus (comics), Nexus'' with Steve Rude. He is also well known as the first writer on Marvel Co ...

. This was followed by the limited series ''Deadman: Exorcism'' in 1992, also written by Mike Baron and drawn by Kelley Jones. Jones' gaunt, zombie-like rendition of the character would later appear in the pages of ''Batman''. There was a Deadman

ongoing series In comics, an ongoing series is a series that runs indefinitely. This is in contrast to limited series (a series intended to end after a certain number of issues thus limited), a one shot (a comic book which is not a part of an ongoing series), ...

in 2002, which lasted nine issues, as well as a couple of standalone issues. His cameo appearances also continued, including several issues of

Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...

's run on ''

Swamp Thing Swamp Thing is a superhero and antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several different incarnations throughout his publication. The ch ...

'', and

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...

's ''

The Books of Magic ''The Books of Magic'' is the title of a four-issue English-language comic book Limited series (comics), miniseries written by Neil Gaiman, published by DC Comics, and later an ongoing series under the imprint Vertigo Comics, Vertigo. Since its or ...

''. He had a cameo in books two and three of '' Batman: Gotham County Line'', which was released in November 2005. In 2009, Deadman was a featured title in the

Wednesday Comics ''Wednesday Comics'' was a weekly anthology comic book launched by DC Comics on July 8, 2009. The twelve issues of the title were published in 14" x 20" broadsheet format, deliberately similar to Sunday newspaper comics sections. Each edition fea ...

. The character and self-titled series have won several awards, including the 1967 Alley Award for Best New Strip (by

and

in ''

''), and the 1968 Alley Award Hall of Fame (for

). DC Comics published a slipcased hardcover edition collecting the original Deadman stories in December 2001. Deadman's

retcon Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in fictional story telling whereby facts and events established through the narrative itself are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subsequently published work ...

ned origin is revealed in ''

Brightest Day ''Brightest Day'' is a 2010–2011 Crossover (comics), crossover storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of a year-long comic book Limited series (comics), maxiseries that began in April 2010, and a number of tie-in books. The story is a dir ...

'' #14 (2010), written by

Geoff Johns Geoffrey Johns (born January 25, 1973) is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and film and television producer. Johns's work on the DC Comics characters Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash (comics), Flash, and Superman has drawn critical accl ...

and

Peter Tomasi Peter J. Tomasi is an American comic book editor and writer, best known for his work for DC Comics. As an editor, he oversaw numerous comic books featuring the Justice League, including series starring various members of that team such as Batman, ...

. Deadman had a three-part miniseries called ''Deadman: Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love'' written by Sarah Vaughn with art by Lan Medina.

Fictional character biography

Circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...

trapeze artist A trapeze is a short horizontal bar hung by ropes, metal straps, or chains, from a ceiling support. It is an aerial apparatus commonly found in circus performances. Trapeze acts may be static, spinning (rigged from a single point), swinging or ...

Boston Brand performs under the name Deadman, a stage persona that includes a red costume and white corpse makeup. When Brand is murdered during a trapeze performance by a mysterious assailant known only as the Hook, his spirit is given the power to possess any living being by the

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

god

Rama Kushna Ra's al Ghul Nyssa Raatko Rag Doll Rag Doll is the name of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first, Peter Merkel, is a villain of the original Flash, while the second is an enemy of Starman ...

to search for his murderer and obtain justice. It is established in ''

Green Arrow Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' No. 73 on September 19, 1941 (cover dated November 1941), th ...

'' (vol. 4) #4 that Deadman believes Rama is the supreme being of the universe. At the end of the Neal Adams story line, Deadman seems to discover the truth behind his murder and the ultimate fate of Hook, who killed him as part of an initiation into a society of

contract killers Contract killing (also known as murder-for-hire) is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or people. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of compensation, moneta ...

. However, the real Hook is one among many one-handed men who work for an organization known as "The Scavengers". This group steals advanced technology for a profit. Fighting the Scavengers also led to Deadman gaining an artificial body from the

. This group had rented rooms from Trixie Magruder, an old circus companion of Deadman.

Various missions

Rama Kushna also maintained a city for some time, called

Nanda Parbat Nanda Parbat () is a fictional city in the DC Comics universe. It first appeared in '' Strange Adventures'' #216 (February 1969), created by Neal Adams. It is named after the Himalayan peak Nanga Parbat, with the first name mixed with another H ...

, where she rehabilitated criminals with her power. One of the worst was Darius Caldera, who almost destroyed the world when he left the city. Nanda Parbat later fell due to a combined military and mystical force. All the evil people are now back in the real world, still a danger. Brand's twin brother, Cleveland, is killed while possessed by Boston, while he's performing Boston's circus act. The killer was out to kill Boston Brand. Rama also dies to defeat Jonah, a spirit similar to Deadman. Around this time, Deadman assists the

Spectre Spectre, specter or the spectre may refer to: Religion and spirituality * Vision (spirituality) * Apparitional experience * Ghost Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Spectre'' (1977 film), a made-for-television film produced and writt ...

in battling a demon before being forced to fuse with him after the demon injures him. Later, Deadman receives a birthday present from his diminutive friend, Max Loomis. Max places himself in a trance to "meet" Deadman and the two take a pleasant journey down "memory lane", mainly Deadman's more pleasant memories of Nanda Parbat. Soon after, Loomis meets with old circus friends and Deadman involves himself in a case of suspected murder. Deadman wants to go after the escapees of Nanda Parbat, but Max thinks pursuing the murder is a better course. Over several years, a mysterious stranger has Deadman travel through time to try to save the souls of deceased heroes from Caldera. Due to the mental influence of various forces, Deadman is unable to use the knowledge of the timestream to benefit humanity. With the assistance of the spirits of the deceased heroes, Deadman defeats Caldera and the powers behind him. Max Loomis provides vital help on the material plane. After that, Boston and Loomis decide to hunt down the other Parbat escapees.

Youth and Hell

In the ''Sins of Youth'' incident, Deadman is one of the dozens of heroes reduced to a preteen age by

Klarion the Witch Boy Klarion the Witch Boy is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, having first appeared in '' The Demon'' #7 (March 1973) and was created by Jack Kirby. The character is typically portrayed as a powerful but mischie ...

and an alien machine owned by

Doiby Dickles Charles "Doiby" Dickles is a fictional character from DC Comics. He was the original sidekick for Alan Scott (the first Green Lantern), appearing in comic book stories starring that hero from 1941 to 1949. He has a New York accent. Publication his ...

. He assists

Secret Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret. Secrecy is often controver ...

in confronting Teekl, Klarion's cat familiar, in an effort to restore everyone. He also joins in the fight against mystically created and mystically altered villains. During ''

Day of Judgment The Last Judgment is a concept found across the Abrahamic religions and the '' Frashokereti'' of Zoroastrianism. Christianity considers the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to entail the final judgment by God of all people who have ever lived, res ...

'', Boston Brand travels with a group of heroes to the frozen wastelands of Hell. Their goal is to restart the demonic fires, thus recalling all the demons from the earthly plane. An accident strands Brand and the others under the frozen waters of the

River Styx In Greek mythology, Styx (; ; lit. "Shuddering"), also called the River Styx, is a goddess and one of the rivers of the Greek Underworld. Her parents were the Titans Oceanus and Tethys, and she was the wife of the Titan Pallas and the mothe ...

, forcing them to live out what would be, to them, Hell. For Brand, it is that the sharpshooter hits him in the shoulder, thus he survives. Brand feels he needs to die to learn "how to live". His battles against the demons would come back to haunt him. In the four-part ''Black Baptism'' miniseries, Deadman and several other "

Sentinels of Magic The Sentinels of Magic is a fictional team of supernaturally powered superheroes created by Geoff Johns and Matthew Dow Smith appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. First appearing in ''Day of Judgment (comics), Day of Judgment ...

", the magical group formed after the ''Day of Judgment'' incident, are hunted by the Diablos. Partly fueled by revenge, they subdue many of the Sentinels and drain their magic. The JLA eventually rescue them all and destroy all the Diablos.

Blackest Night

Boston Brand begins to hear the voices of the dead and his own remains calling for him to protect them. Being a spirit, he is unable to stop his body from being raised as a

Black Lantern The Black Lantern Corps is a fictional organization of wikt:corporeal, corporeal revenants (resembling intelligent zombies or jiangshi) appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, related to the emotional spectrum. The group is composed of d ...

. He attempts to possess his own body but is ejected after experiencing extreme pain during the attempt. He assists

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

Robin Robin most commonly refers to several species of passerine birds. Robin may also refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), inclu ...

, and

Red Robin Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc., more commonly known as Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews or simply Red Robin, is an American chain of casual dining restaurants founded in September 1969 in Seattle, Washington. In 1979, the first franchised R ...

in repelling the Black Lantern invasion. Deadman manages to save

Commissioner Gordon James W. "Jim" Gordon Sr. is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, most commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane as an ally of Batman, the character debuted in the fir ...

from the Black Lanterns by possessing the body of

his daughter ''His Daughter'' is a 1911 American silent short drama film directed by D. W. Griffith, starring Edwin August and featuring Blanche Sweet. Cast Plot See also * D. W. Griffith filmography * Blanche Sweet filmography __NOTOC__ This is ...

, spiriting them both to safety. Deadman is later sent by Batman to possess Jason Blood, invoking the power of

Etrigan Etrigan the Demon is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, Etrigan is a demon from Hell who, despite his violent tendencies, usually finds himself allied with the forces of good, mainly beca ...

. Deadman uses Etrigan's demon flame to hold back the Black Lanterns, but struggles to maintain control of his body and is forced out. Deadman then frees Batman and Red Robin, who had frozen themselves to escape the Black Lanterns' onslaught. He is later seen inside the Black Lantern

Damage Damage is any change in a thing, often a physical object, that degrades it away from its initial state. It can broadly be defined as "changes introduced into a system that adversely affect its current or future performance".Farrar, C.R., Sohn, H., ...

's ring, apparently having followed

Jean Loring Jean Loring is a character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, formerly associated with the Atom (Ray Palmer), Atom, for whom she was a supporting character and primary love interest. She first appeared in ''Showcase (comics), Showcase ...

, Mera and

the Atom The Atom is a name shared by five superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original Golden Age Atom, Al Pratt, was created by writer Bill O'Connor and artist Ben Flinton and first appeared in All-American Publ ...

when they shrank down to enter it. He frees Mera and the Atom from Loring by briefly possessing her, allowing them to return to normal size. During this incident, he says he believes possessing the Black Lanterns causes him damage. He is later seen at Nanda Parbat, attempting to stop the Black Lanterns attempting to pass through the spiritual barrier by taking over their bodies and ripping them apart. He briefly loses himself to a Black Lantern's personality, but is saved by the

Phantom Stranger The Phantom Stranger is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, of unspecified paranormal origins, who battles mysterious and occult forces, sometimes under their Vertigo (DC Comics), Vertigo imprint. The character ...

. The Stranger convinces Deadman to enter his body again, telling them it is his destiny to bring it within Nanda Parbat. With the Stranger's help, Deadman forces the black ring off his body, bringing it through the gate of Nanda Parbat. The body, which the Stranger states is of "singular importance", is placed under the gatekeeper and Blue Devil's protection, and Deadman heads out, intent on sharing the information he gleaned while inside the Black Lanterns with

Hal Jordan Harold "Hal" Jordan, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created in 1959 by writer John Broome (writer), John Broome and artist Gil Kane, and f ...

. In the aftermath of the final battle, Deadman is restored to life by a

White Lantern The White Lantern Corps is a fictional organization appearing in comics published by DC Comics, related to the emotional spectrum. Founded during the ''Blackest Night'' event, the members of the White Lantern Corps are powered by the white light ...

ring.

Brightest Day

In the 2010–11 miniseries ''

'', Deadman discovers that his white ring can resurrect others. He begins to acclimate to living again, including exercising self-preservational habits, but expresses reservations about being alive again. As he attempts to learn what his mission on Earth is, he teams up with

Hawk and Dove Hawk and Dove are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Steve Ditko and Steve Skeates, they appeared in ''Showcase (comics), Showcase'' #75 (June 1968) during the Silver Age of Comic Books. The du ...

. Deadman learns that he will cross paths with the person the Entities chose to guard the Earth. The Entity also instructs Deadman to embrace life and those around him, as he led a selfish life in his previous one, realizing the value of others only after he died. In learning to appreciate his new life, Deadman realizes that he and Dove have fallen in love, and reconnects with his grandfather. The Entity also tells Deadman that when

Nekron Nekron is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of the Green Lantern Corps. Created by Mike W. Barr, Len Wein and Joe Staton, the character, who exists as an embodiment of Death, first appeared in ...

attacked Earth, he created a "dark avatar" who will try to destroy the Star City forest and Earth's soul. The Entity reveals that Earth's savior is

Alec Holland Alec Holland is a fictional character in comic books published by DC Comics. He is most notably a character in the various ''Swamp Thing'' series. Holland appeared in his first live-action adaptation in the 1982 film ''Swamp Thing'' played by Ra ...

, and the "dark avatar" is a corrupted

. After

Captain Boomerang Captain Boomerang is the name of two supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, who respectively serve as enemies to both the Barry Allen and Wally West versions of the Flash (DC Comics character), Flash. Created by wr ...

accidentally kills Deadman, he gives his power ring to Holland, transforming him into a new Swamp Thing who kills the original.

The New 52

In ''

The New 52 The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero American comic books, comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint (comics), Flashpoint" Fictional crossover, cros ...

'' continuity reboot, Deadman's origins are reimagined in the initial run of the anthology series ''DC Universe Presents''. After living a selfish life as Boston Brand, he is forced to possess people as Deadman following his assassination to solve their problems and avoid being sent to Hell. He also features as a member of the supernatural team,

. Deadman uses his possession talents to help take down various supernatural threats, such as Dr. Mist and Faust. Despite their earlier claim, he and Dove try to rekindle their love. However, their attempt fails as Deadman insists on carrying on their relationship forward using borrowed bodies, while Dove shows disdain and repulsion to the idea. Furthermore, by helping out June Moone, they both gain the enmity of a crazed Enchantress.

DC Rebirth

As part of the

DC Rebirth DC Rebirth is a 2016 relaunch by the American comic book publisher DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero comic book titles. Using the end of The New 52 (2011–2016) initiative in May 2016 as its launching point ...

relaunch, a three-part miniseries, ''Deadman: Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love'' was released in October 2016. The story featured the creative team of writer Sarah Vaughn and artist Lan Medina. Deadman also appears in the ''Trinity'' book, focused on Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, along with Justice League Dark teammates Zatanna and

John Constantine John Constantine (), also known as Hellblazer, is an antihero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was created by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette, and John Totleben, and first appeared in ''Swamp Thing'' #37 (June 1985). I ...

Dawn of DC

In ''

The New Golden Age "The New Golden Age" is a crossover event in DC Comics publications. Written by Geoff Johns, the story follows the Justice Society of America unraveling a mystery following the Golden Age heroes and villains and the untold stories that come with i ...

'', Deadman helps

Doctor Fate Doctor Fate (also known as Fate) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version was originally created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman, debuting in ''More Fun Comics' ...

and

Detective Chimp Detective Chimp (Bobo T. Chimpanzee) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. A common chimpanzee who wears a deerstalker cap (à la fictional sleuth Sherlock Holmes), Detective Chimp has superhuman-level intell ...

fight

Per Degaton Per Degaton is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is a known time-traveling villain who is a recurring enemy of the Justice Society of America. Cory Grüter-Andrew portrays a young Degaton on the first se ...

and investigate Hauhet, the new guiding force behind the Helmet of Fate. Deadman is a central character in the ''

Knight Terrors "Knight Terrors" is an American comic book line-wide crossover event published by DC Comics from July to August 2023. The event is headlined by Joshua Williamson writing the opening and ending one-shots along with the core 4-issue miniseries. Th ...

'' event, where he helps battle the nightmare-controlling villain

Insomnia Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder where people have difficulty sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep for as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low ene ...

. He sacrifices himself to defeat Insomnia, but is resurrected by Rama Kushna.

Powers and abilities

As a disembodied spirit, Deadman can fly, become intangible, and possess others. As a White Lantern, he is able to teleport, heal others, and create energy constructs.

Other versions

* A skeletal, alternate universe variant of Deadman appears in ''

Kingdom Come Kingdom Come may refer to: * "Kingdom come", a phrase in the Lord's Prayer in the Bible Film * ''Kingdom Come'' (1919 film), a Western short featuring Hoot Gibson * ''Kingdom Come'' (2001 film), a comedy starring LL Cool J * ''Kingdom Come'', ...

''. * An alternate universe variant of Deadman appears in ''

''. * Deadman makes a minor appearance in ''Bizarro World''. * An alternate universe variant of Deadman appears in '' Superman & Batman: Generations II''. * An alternate universe variant of Deadman appears in ''

Superman/Batman ''Superman/Batman'' is a monthly American comic book series published by DC Comics that features the publisher's two most popular superheroes: Superman and Batman. ''Superman/Batman'' premiered in August 2003, an update of the previous series, ' ...

''. * An alternate universe variant of Deadman appears in '' Flashpoint''. This version is a performer at Haly's Circus who is killed in an

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...

attack and becomes a guardian to

Dick Grayson Richard John "Dick" Grayson is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Batman, Teen Titans and Justice League. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane, he first appeared in ' ...

In other media

Television

* Following the success of ''

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963). Although initial ...

'' (2000),

Warner Bros. Television Warner Bros. Television Studios, operating under the name Warner Bros. Television (abbreviated as WBTV; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division), is an American television production and distribution studio and the flagship studio o ...

announced that a ''Deadman'' television film for

TNT Troponin T (shortened TnT or TropT) is a part of the troponin complex, which are proteins integral to the contraction of skeletal and heart muscles. They are expressed in skeletal and cardiac myocytes. Troponin T binds to tropomyosin and helps ...

was in development, which was also being considered as a pilot for a potential television series. The project was in development until 2003, but was later shelved. * Deadman appears in the ''

'' episode "Dead Reckoning", voiced by

. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. This version previously worked with

to solve his murder before coming to reside in a temple at Nanda Parbat. * Deadman appears in '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'', voiced by

. This version is a former performer at Haly's Circus with no explicit connection to Rama Kushna. Additionally, he suffers from melancholic self-pity over not knowing how or why he is unable to "cross over" until he joins forces with Batman,

, and

Speedy Speedy refers to something or someone moving at high speed. Speedy may refer to: People * Speedy (nickname), a list of people * Speedy Long (1928–2006), American lawyer and politician * Speedy Mashilo (born 1965), South African politician * ...

to defeat

Gentleman Ghost Gentleman Ghost (James "Jim" Craddock), introduced as Ghost, and also known as Gentleman Jim, is a supervillain appearing in works published by DC Entertainment. Created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Joe Kubert, the character first appeared ...

and becomes a hero. Afterward, he is offered the chance to ascend to the afterlife, but refuses. * In 2011, WBTV hired ''

Supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

'' creator

Eric Kripke Eric Kripke (born 1974) is an American screenwriting, writer and television producer. Kripke came to prominence in the late 2000s for creating The WB/The CW, CW fantasy drama series ''Supernatural (American TV series), Supernatural'' (2005–2020) ...

to helm a ''Deadman'' television series for

The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...

, as the network was looking to commission a new superhero series. However, the series never materialized and Kripke has since moved on to other projects. * Deadman appears in ''

Teen Titans Go! ''Teen Titans Go!'' is an American animated television series developed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic for Cartoon Network. It premiered on April 23, 2013, and is based on DC Comics' fictional superhero team the Teen Titans. The series ...

'', voiced by

John DiMaggio John William DiMaggio ( ; born September 4, 1968) is an American actor. His various voice roles include Bender on ''Futurama'', Jake the Dog on ''Adventure Time'', Marcus Fenix in the ''Gears of War'' series, Dr. Drakken on '' Kim Possible'', ...

. * Deadman appears in a self-titled segment of ''

DC Nation Shorts ''DC Nation Shorts'' is an animated series of shorts featuring characters from DC Comics from a variety of different titles that aired on Cartoon Network on Saturdays at 10/9c. Production In March 2012, the shorts premiered as part of the '' DC ...

'', voiced by Matt L. Jones.

Film

Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born 9 October 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and artist. His work has been characterized by a strong connection to fairy tales, Gothic fiction, gothicism and horror fiction, horror often blending the genres ...

has taken an interest in producing a film about Deadman, with ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' reporting that

Nikolaj Arcel Nikolaj Arcel (born 25 August 1972) is a Danish filmmaker and screenwriter. He is best known for his 2012 film ''A Royal Affair'', which won two prizes at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival and which ...

was set to direct. * Deadman appears in ''

'', voiced by

. This version is a founding member of the eponymous team and a friend of Black Orchid. * Deadman appears in ''

Teen Titans Go! To the Movies ''Teen Titans Go! To the Movies'' is a 2018 American animated superhero comedy film featuring the DC Comics superhero team, the Teen Titans. Based on the Cartoon Network animated television series ''Teen Titans Go!'', it was produced by Warner ...

''. * The Dick Grayson incarnation of Deadman, dubbed "Deadwing", appears in ''

Injustice Injustice is a quality relating to unfairness or undeserved outcomes. The term may be applied in reference to a particular event or situation, or to a larger status quo. In Western philosophy and jurisprudence, injustice is very commonly—but ...

'', voiced by Derek Phillips. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.

Video games

* Deadman appears as a character summon in '' Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''. * Deadman makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in Raiden's ending for ''

Injustice 2 ''Injustice 2'' is a 2017 fighting video game. It is the sequel to 2013's '' Injustice: Gods Among Us'' and the second installment in the ''Injustice'' series which is based on the DC Universe. It is developed by NetherRealm Studios and publish ...

'' as a founding member of Justice League Dark. * Deadman appears as a playable character in ''

Lego DC Super-Villains ''Lego DC Super-Villains'' is a Lego-themed action-adventure platform video game developed by Traveller's Tales. The fourth installment in the ''Lego Batman'' series of games, it is a spin-off that focuses entirely on villains of the DC Univers ...

'', voiced by

Steve Blum Steven Jay Blum (; born April 29, 1960) is an American voice actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, his roles include Spike Spiegel from the anime series ''Cowboy Bebop''; Amon from ''The Legend of Korra''; Heatblast, Ghostfreak, and ...

. He is available as part of the "Justice League Dark DLC Character Pack".

Miscellaneous

* Boston Brand / Deadman appears in ''

The Batman Adventures ''The Batman Adventures'' is a DC Comics comic book series featuring Batman, set in the universe of Batman: The Animated Series and its successors. Overview ''The Batman Adventures'' was created to tie-in with the '' Batman: The Animated Series' ...

'' as a performer for Haly's Circus and the champion of a male Rama Kushna. * Boston Brand appears in ''

Batman and Robin Adventures ''The Batman Adventures'' is a DC Comics comic book series featuring Batman, set in the universe of Batman: The Animated Series and its successors. Overview ''The Batman Adventures'' was created to tie-in with the '' Batman: The Animated Series' ...

'' #15 as a performer for Haly's Circus who took over for the Flying Graysons. * Boston Brand / Deadman appears in '' Batman: Gotham Adventures'' #6. * Boston Brand / Deadman appears in the ''

'' tie-in comic. * Boston Brand / Deadman appears in ''Batman Beyond Unlimited'' #16 as a member of the New Terrific Trio. * Boston Brand / Deadman appears in the '' Injustice: Gods Among Us'' prequel comic. After being mortally wounded by

Mister Mxyzptlk Mister Mxyzptlk ( or ), sometimes called Mxy, is a character who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is usually presented as a trickster in the classical mythological sense. Mxyzptlk possesses reality-warping powers with ...

disguised as the

, Brand gives his powers to the recently deceased Dick Grayson before moving on to the afterlife. * Boston Brand / Deadman appears in '' Batman: The Adventures Continue''.

Collected editions

Notes

References

* Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams, ''The Deadman Collection'', DC Comics, 2001, . * Jack Kirby, ''Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Volume Three'', DC Comics, 2007, , .

External links

Deadman
at Comic Vine {{DC Comics Mystery Titles, state=collapsed 1967 comics debuts Comics characters introduced in 1967 Characters created by Carmine Infantino Characters created by Arnold Drake Comics by Neal Adams DC Comics male superheroes DC Comics titles DC Comics fantasy characters DC Comics superheroes DC Comics undead characters Fictional ghosts Fictional characters who can turn intangible Fictional characters who can turn invisible Fictional characters with body or mind control abilities Fictional trapeze artists Hindu superheroes Undead superheroes