Detonator

Batwoman is back on our screens… and Gotham City is under lockdown as well. This time, however, it’s not because of a virus, but for a terrorist, known to the public as the Detonator. The original bomber mentioned in A Narrow Escape was George Adler Sr., a serial killer who wanted to avenge his dishonorably discharged son in the style of Jigsaw, by showing the world that it’s not easy to be heroes, forcing the ones that society believed to be such to choose between themselves and unknown innocents. The copycat is Agent Miguel Robles, portrayed by Nathan Witte, a member of the Crows who dons the mantle to erase his connections with past crimes, including the murder of Lucius Fox. In the comics, we don’t know the real identity of the Detonator, and he’s much more than a “simple” serial bomber. Let’s take a look.

The real name of the Detonator, his past and his family, were all erased the moment he joined the League of Assassins, and consecrated himself as a servant of Ra’s al Ghul‘s vision and mission. Trained to perfection, he rose above the ranks and skills of other assassins, becoming one of the most lethal agents in service of the League; in particular, he became an absolute master in the use of explosives, to the point that nobody, not even within the League of Assassins, could boast a skill equal to his own in that field. With his talent recognized by Ra’s al Ghul in person, he was named Detonator, and was made part of the Seven Men of Death, a personal hit squad of Ra’s, composed of the deadliest assassins in all the League. Together with Detonator, the team counted the one-harmed Hook, the clawed cyborg Maduvu, the master archer Merlyn, the knife-thrower Razorburn, the marksman Shellcase and the lethal Whip. They responded directly to Ra’s al Ghul or, in particular occasions, to Sensei. Their presence was usually required only in occasions in which the regular agents failed or had no chance of success, and they acted as one, leaving death and destruction in their wake, always accomplishing their missions. In one occasion, they were sent to Gotham City by Talia al Ghul, the daughter of Ra’s, to retrieve the Suit of Sorrows, a mystic armor in possession of the Order of Purity. Despite the legendary fame of the Order’s agents, the Seven Men of Death managed to inflict a deadly blow to the secret society, even murdering their leader, Leland McCauley. The intervention of the Order’s best enforcer, Azrael, forced them to leave the Suit behind, but the Order would have never known its former glory.

Following that mission, Merlyn abandoned the League, and a new assassin was chosen to take his place; in the meanwhile, the League underwent several changes in leadership, and the Seven Men of Death were appointed to be the personal bodyguards of Talia. When a reporter from Gotham City, Vicki Vale, found out about the true identity of Batman, Ra’s al Ghul’s destined heir, the Seven Men of Death were sent to the city once again to silence her. The Seven were accompanied by the League’s best assassins, and Detonator joined forces with one of them, the White Ghost. Knowing they were coming, Oracle had formed a small army of vigilantes, consisting in Hawk and Dove, Batgirl, Man-Bat, Ragman and Manhunter, to protect Vale. The ensuing fight was one of the most glorious the Seven had ever faced, but while the other members of the team kept the vigilantes busy, Detonator exploited the situation to target Vicki Vale directly, and involved her in a huge explosion. Another unexpected force, however, intervened to save the reporter: the Insider, another mysterious vigilante (actually, Batman in disguise, who was investigating on what had changed in his absence). The Insider saved Vicki, and then confronted the Detonator directly: as the two fought, the Detonator realized that the Insider was above the level of the others, and even of his own, and was defeated… but also his defeat was part of the plan, as while the Insider was busy with him, the White Ghost had already captured Vale, and was bringing her to Ra’s al Ghul. Even in apparent defeat, the Seven Men of Death always accomplished their mission.

Detonator is a remorseless and cold-hearted killer, an assassin blindly devoted to Ra’s al Ghul and to the League of Assassins, a true believer in the principles of saving the world by the physical elimination of certain targets. He’s a formidable hand to hand combat, but his true specialization are firearms and, overall, explosives, that he uses so proficiently that he can employ them also in close-quarters combat without damage to himself. A formidable tool for bringing death and destruction, the Detonator is among the most accomplished assassins in the international group that already gathers the best assassins in the world: there’re not many people who can claim to have survived after as much as taking a glimpse of him…