Blockbuster (DC Comics)

Blockbuster
Interior artwork from Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe, vol. 1, #3 (May 1985, DC Comics), art by Michael T. Gilbert.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Detective Comics #345 (November 1965)
Created by	Gardner Fox (writer) Carmine Infantino (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Mark Desmond
Team affiliations	Secret Society of Super Villains Suicide Squad Justice League
Abilities	Superhuman strength, stamina, and endurance High-level resistance to injury

The first Blockbuster was Mark Desmond, a chemist who desired to increase his physical strength. Experimenting on himself, he succeeded in making himself stronger and taller, but as a side-effect of the process he also became almost mindlessly aggressive.[3] The mentally debilitated Desmond was cared for by his brother Roland, a local criminal, who kept their mother from discovering what Mark had done to himself.[4]

Roland manipulated his brother into committing crimes on his behalf until they came into conflict with Batman and Robin. Bruce Wayne had once rescued a young Desmond from drowning, and he discovered that he could calm the enraged adult Desmond by removing his cowl and showing his face.[5] Desmond later found himself clashing with Batman on various occasions. He joined the Secret Society of Super Villains briefly for a battle with the Justice League.[6]

King Kull enlisted Blockbuster, Penguin, Queen Clea of Earth-Two, and Ibac of Earth-S to wreck Atlantis and use a cloud to sink islands. They are thwarted by Superman, Wonder Woman of Earth-Two, Green Arrow, and Spy Smasher of Earth-S.[7]

Later, Amanda Waller recruited Desmond for her revived Suicide Squad. He was killed fighting Darkseid's creation, Brimstone.[8]

In Pre-Crisis, Blockbuster absorbed energies from the Alfred Memorial which gave him some powers and was once substituted for the super-strong undead villain Solomon Grundy from Earth-2 due to a machine that was substituting people from both Earths. Green Lantern caused him to fight Solomon Grundy, leading to them both briefly getting the fight knocked out of each other.

In 2011, "The New 52" rebooted the DC universe. Mark Desmond is a patient of Dr. Phayne's. He lives on the estate and at night he undergoes procedures to enhance his intelligence. He is exposed to small amounts of a green compound intravenously. An accident is caused by a new patient believing he is in pain and the cascade of green liquid overdoses Desmond and creates an explosion. The overdose exposes a super-strong man calling himself Blockbuster. He rampages from the building in pain and knocks an attacking Hawkman unconscious.[9] Blockbuster was later mind-controlled by Necromancer to help her steal an artifact from a Washington D.C. museum, which brought the attention of Hawk and Dove. They teamed up with Batman and Robin to stop Blockbuster and Necromancer.[10] Mark Desmond later appears as a member of the Secret Society of Super Villains upon having been recruited by Outsider. When Catwoman breaks out of Arkham Asylum, Mark Desmond and Signalman confronted Catwoman on a rooftop, which ended with Catwoman being knocked out.[11]

Blockbuster
Interior artwork from Underworld Unleashed: Patterns of Fear, vol. 1, #1 (November 1995, DC Comics), art by Rick Burchett.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Starman #9 (April 1989)
Created by	Roger Stern (writer) Tom Lyle (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Roland Desmond
Team affiliations	Underground Society Black Lantern Corps
Abilities	Superhuman strength, stamina, and endurance High-level resistance to injury Genius-level intellect

Roland Desmond became the second Blockbuster after a severe illness forced him to be treated with experimental steroids. Like his brother Mark, Roland became a child-minded super-strong monster. He ran wild in the Southwest, but Batman and Starman (Will Payton) brought his rampage to an end.[12][13]

Desmond became obsessed with elevating himself greatly above his debilitated intellect. A pact with the demon Neron granted him a genius-level intellect and Desmond embarked once more on a career of crime and destruction. He began his revived criminal career by causing chaos in the town of Manchester, although his schemes were foiled by the speedster, Impulse.

Desmond then moved to his mother's hometown of Blüdhaven. He forced the crime lord Angel Marin out of power and took over the city's criminal rackets. Roland's plan was to build a criminal empire in Blüdhaven that would eventually enable him to extend his dominion over Gotham, Star City, Metropolis, and New York's underworlds. For that purpose, he bought the corrupt elements of the city's police department, most notably Police Chief Redhorn and Inspector Dudley "Deadly" Soames.

Despite his swift and vicious consolidation of power, Blockbuster's hold on Blüdhaven's organized crime was nevertheless weakened by the intervention of the city's new protector, Nightwing (Dick Grayson, the former Robin), who, with Oracle's help, foiled Desmond's plans at every turn. Oracle often removes money from Blockbuster's accounts and he has a man working to stop and find Oracle, named Vogel.[14]

Desmond's primary goal became the elimination of the young vigilante.[15] He placed a contract on Nightwing's life, employing the services of several assassins, including Lady Vic, Stallion, Brutale, the Trigger Twins, and Shrike.

As a further result of his initial transformation, Desmond later developed albinism and a heart defect. He was restored to (comparative) health by a heart transplant from one of the talking apes of Gorilla City, and was consolidating his control over Blüdhaven and contemplating a takeover of Gotham City, when he was killed by the new Tarantula, Catalina Flores.[16]

As part of the Blackest Night event, Roland's corpse is reanimated by a black power ring and recruited to the Black Lantern Corps.[17]

In 2016, DC Comics implemented another relaunch of its books called "DC Rebirth", which restored its continuity to a form much as it was prior to "The New 52". Blockbuster appears asking Nightwing to help with a job.[18]

Lex Luthor created a new Blockbuster in the pages of the miniseries event, 52, to serve as an opponent of his manufactured hero team, Infinity, Inc.

Little is revealed about this Blockbuster, save for the fact that Luthor possesses some measure of control over his actions and level of strength. Luthor also comments that he is stronger than either of the previous two Blockbusters. This brute's cognitive abilities and appearance are very similar to the original. Blockbuster, with controlled interference from Lex Luthor, kills the superhero Trajectory.

A Blockbuster appears among the villains exiled to an alien world in Salvation Run. In issue #3, it is revealed to be a disguised Martian Manhunter.

A newer, female Blockbuster appears in the swamps of Louisiana and fights Mon-El.[19]

The Blockbuster's Gang first appears in Nightwing vol. 2 #2. This gang was one of the most powerful mobs in Blüdhaven, made up of corrupt police officers and supervillains. The organization leader is Roland Desmond. Current members: Thrilldevil, Giz, Mouse and Mateo Flores. Former members: Brutale, the Electrocutioner III, Torque, Lady Vic, the Shrike IV, the Stallion, the Tarantula II, the Trigger Twins and Cicso Blane.[20]

The Roland Desmond version of Blockbuster is mentioned as using a construction company as a Trojan horse. The owner and multiple workers are killed by an Alien they unearth from a bioweapons lab at a construction site.

The Roland Desmond version of Blockbuster appears in Adventures in the DC Universe #1 and DC Comics Presents: Wonder Woman Adventures #1.

In Batman: Arkham Knight-Genesis, a prequel comic to Batman: Arkham Knight, the Mark Desmond version of Blockbuster and Catman brutally beat Jason Todd, the second Robin, while dressed in Batman costumes as part of the Joker's brainwashing of Todd. Todd fought back, but was reluctant to kill them. Harley Quinn encouraged him, shooting Blockbuster in the chest to prove her point.

In Stan Lee's Just Imagine... series, Blockbuster is reimagined as Brock Smith, a death row inmate notorious for a series of mass murders committed with his bare hands, who is rescued by the series' mysterious villain Dominic Darrk and re-empowered with extra super-strength (and a purple carapace) as part of a villainous Doom Patrol. He is defeated and de-powered by Batman and Wonder Woman (who crack his purple facade with Wonder Woman's staff), and dies after running over a live electrical cable.[21]

• The Mark Desmond incarnation of Blockbuster appears in the Justice League Unlimited animated series, voiced by Dee Bradley Baker. Following a minor appearance in the episode "Kid Stuff", Blockbuster joins Gorilla Grodd's Secret Society in the episode "I Am Legion". Prior to and during the episode "Alive!", Lex Luthor takes command of the Society, but Grodd mounts a mutiny. Blockbuster sides with the latter, but is frozen by Killer Frost and killed off-screen in an explosion caused by Darkseid.
• A variation of Mark Desmond appears in The Batman animated series episode "Meltdown", voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson. This version is an African-American scientist working for Wayne Enterprises who is in charge of enforcing Ethan Bennett's parole.
• The Mark Desmond incarnation of Blockbuster appears in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold animated series, with Desmond voiced by James Arnold Taylor and Blockbuster voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson. This version of Desmond is an evil prodigy who stole chemicals from S.T.A.R. Labs and created a serum to increase his strength. He appears in the teaser of the episode "Death Race to Oblivion!", where he robs a museum and is almost foiled by Batman, but Desmond drinks serum and transforms in Blockbuster. Captain Marvel intervenes and defeats him. In "Night of the Batmen", he assists Bane, Solomon Grundy and Killer Croc in stealing the statue, but is thwarted by Captain Marvel dressed as Batman.

Blockbuster as seen in Young Justice.

• The Mark Desmond incarnation of Blockbuster appears in the Young Justice animated series, with Desmond voiced by René Auberjonois while sound effects were used for Blockbuster's vocal effects. This version of Blockbuster was purposefully redesigned as the series creators felt the original version was too similar to Marvel Comics character, the Hulk.[22] As such, Desmond's transformation involves his Blockbuster form ripping through his human skin. Additionally, Desmond is a senior member of Project Cadmus who answers directly to their board of directors, the Light. In "Independence Day", he uses the Blockbuster serum to fight the Team, but is defeated and taken away by Justice League. In "Terrors", as inmate of Belle Reve prison, he serves as muscle for Icicle Sr. and participates in mass breakout before being defeated by Superboy. In "Usual Suspects", Blockbuster joins Lex Luthor, Queen Bee, Sportsmaster and Bane in meeting Superboy, Miss Martian, and Artemis, but is defeated again by Superboy.

• Blockbuster was reportedly featured in David S. Goyer's unproduced screenplay for a Green Arrow film project entitled Escape from Super Max. In the script, Blockbuster appeared as an inmate of the titular Super Max Penitentiary for Metahumans.[23]
• An unnamed, alternate universe version of Blockbuster appears in the animated film Justice League: Gods and Monsters, with vocal effects provided by Marcelo Tubert. He and a group of terrorists fight their universe's Justice League before Batman kills him.
• The Roland Desmond incarnation of Blockbuster makes a minor appearance in the animated film Batman: Bad Blood, voiced by John DiMaggio.[24]
• The Mark Desmond incarnation of Blockbuster appears in the animated film Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold, with vocal effects provided by Fred Tatasciore. He and Bane try to ambush Mystery Incorporated, but Shaggy and Scooby-Doo distract them while their friends escape.
• The Roland Desmond incarnation of Blockbuster appears in the animated film Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay, with vocal effects provided by Dave Fennoy. This version is one of Professor Zoom's henchmen, having joined him in exchange for "having his own island", before Blockbuster is killed by Killer Frost.

• The Mark Desmond incarnation of Blockbuster appears as a boss in Young Justice: Legacy, voiced by Mark Rolston.
• The Roland Desmond incarnation of Blockbuster appears in Batman: The Telltale Series, voiced by Steve Blum. This version has blue skin and is a member of the Children of Arkham, a group of terrorists who seek to purge Gotham City of its corruption, who serves as second-in-command to the Penguin, who in turn answers to the group's leader, Lady Arkham. After some fight against Batman, he joins to the group to attack a mayoral debate. He is subdued by Batman with EMP mine with other members and is remanded to Arkham Asylum.