Saturday, 11 October 2014

Joker (Flashpoint)

First Appearance: Flashpoint: Batman Knight of Vengeance (2011) Issue 1: Part One

 The Joker is the greatest enemy of the Batman and Gotham City.

Joker is watching the the rain fall from an unknown location. She speaks to the room that they should play house as there are three present, saying one can be bay, daddy and mommy and that they'll have fun. She says that he will come, turning and smiling at Judge Dent's twin children, who are cowering and hugging each other in the shadows.

Yo-Yo (Flashpoiont)

First Appearance: Flashpoint (2011) Issue 1: Flashpoint Part One

Yo-Yo is the female side-kick to the Joker and enemy to Batman and Gotham City.

Batman gives chase after her across the roof of Wayne Casinos and tackles her to the ground. He demands to know where the Joker is. But she says that "the Joker is in all of us" and saying that everyone in the city is a little bit crazy. Batman denies that he is, but she says no one in their right mind would stay in Gotham. He asks again where the Joker's fun house is, before threatening with "while you still can." She replies that it is on the tip of her her tongue. Batman says it needs to come out, scratching her glasses. He interrogates her to try and get Joker's location after she had kidnapped Judge Dent's twin children. Yo-Yo laughs telling him that he is probably too late and they may be dead. Batman tells her "then so are you" before throwing her off the roof. 

She was saved just in the nick of time by Cyborg, who she throws her arms around and tells him that she will surrender "for him." To which he replies that that idea was smart.

Mr. Zhao- Earth 2 (The New 52)

First Appearance: Earth 2 (2012) Issue 10: The Tower of Fate Part One

Mr. Zhao is the father of Sam Zhoa, living in China.

Alan visits Sam's grave in Wuxi (Jiangsu Provence), where he meets with Mr. Zhao and apologies for not being able to attend the funeral but struggles to explain why he wasn't. Mr. Zhoa just tells him that people grieve in different ways and that the only thing that matters now is that he was there. But when he states that he mist his son's funeral, Mr. Zhao tells him that burial ceremonies of some people are followed by weeks of mourning and if he had gone that way Alan would have had plenty of time, but Sam liked things simple. Alan thanks him for inviting him to speak seeing as he seemed not to approve of their relationship. Mr. Zhao says that didn't, but he would rather have a living son that was gay than not having his son at all. He also said it was clear to him that he always made Sam happy. Alan tells Zhao that he feels terrible as he believes he was being targeted and that Sam and all the people on the train died while he was alive. Mr. Zhao tells him that he had heard rumors from numerous sources that he wasn't the target at all for the train accident, but Sam was. He used his wealth and private investigators to try and find cold facts, but no full evidence was given why.

Joker- Earth 2 (The New 52)

First Appearance: Earth 2 (2012) Issue 17: The Dark Age Begins

The Joker was among those captured in the Black Basement holding facility, beneath the World Army Arkham Base.

After Batman frees Marella and James Olsen, he tells them there was one more person he had come for, walking to the Joker's stasis chamber. Sato tells him that there is no way the Joker could be free, but Batman just snatches her gun off him. She orders Red Tornado not to let Batman release Joker, but Batman tells her that he wasn't going to. He shoots the Joker five times in the head, leaving him dead and lying on the side glass of the chamber.

Joker makes a cameo in issue 17 and dies in issue 18.

King Markov- Earth 2 (The New 52)

First Appearance: Earth 2 (2012) Issue 8: Lazy Sunday


King Markov was the king of Dherain, until he was deposed and killed by Steppenwolf.

King Markov offered Steppenwolf a place to stay in Dherain, saying it is “your country” for as long as he needed it. In conversation he questions Steoppenwolf about a comment he made about luggage and the fact that he didn't imagine him using conventional luggage to travel with.

Steppenwolf congratulates him on international law and the treaty he had managed to obtain that allowed him to close the borders of the country at the end of the war when he should have been trialled for aiding his invasion. Markov tells him that as long as he makes no more unrest in Dherain, then the treaty will still stand. He says that they are both fortunate for the way “things turned out.” But he changes the topic, setting up a toast and asking if Steppenwolf liked champagne, which he replies that he never had, but wasn't afraid to try, accepting a flute. He then invites his guest to dine with him. They make conversation and Steppenwolf reveals that he feels that after five years he finally accepts Earth as his home. Markov asks if there was no other way of him getting back to Apokolips, but he replies that the technology needed to create a boom tube was complex even before Batman sealed the planet off. He asks if he is devastated about not going home, to which Steppenwolf replies that he was at first but not now.
As part of the deal of offering Steppenwolf sanctuary, he would supply Dherain and Markov with Apokoliptian technology. He secretly ordered his men to kill or capture Steppenwolf and has them preparing to strike in the courtyard. He wanted to stockpile all the weapons and tech that Steppenwolf had added to the arsenal, but thought him to be a problem as the World Army would investigate if word got out about Steppenwolf's presence.

Steppenwolf comments that his men are “as good as dead”, when Fury begins her assault on Dherain and when he pretends that he does not know what is happening, he asks him not to insult him by denying that he has these plans. Steppenwolf begins to tell Markov about his most loyal associate, which leaves him puzzled by the phrase “warrior.” Steppenwolf reveals that she is the daughter of the “greatest Amazon”, which he understands immediately as Wonder Woman. He shouts that it would be impossible for that to be Wonder Woman's daughter as Steppenwolf had killed her during the battle and her daughter would have wanted revenge upon him, not join him, but he tells her that he had gotten her at an impressionable age.

Markov turns on Steppenwolf, saying that he will enjoy the poetry of the fact that he is fighting two Apokoliptians with technology they had received from Apokolips. But Steppenwolf retorts that men who find poetry in war have seldom fought in them, but he is blasted to the ground. Markov tells him that the pact is over, saying it was a means to acquire advanced weaponry, which he used to keep the World Army away, but with the strength of the World Army increasing he needed to increase his power as well. He truthfully says that Steppenwolf is most useful being a bounty that he gets a reward from. He uses a powerful suit of armour, based on Parademon schematics to try and fight him. Steppenwolf strikes at them, stating that he made a terrible error of judgement in inviting him to there. Steppenwolf complements his plan of taking him captive, stealing his technology and selling him to the World Army, but tells him that he also has a plan to take his throne. He wants to see how long it would take for the treaty to last if he was present and if it would still be honoured.

Markov orders his troops to open fire on Steppenwolf, until he is the only one left. He flies at Steppenwolf, stating a Markov had been on the throne since the country's inception and it will never be taken from him. He sneers that “Kings fall... Bloodlines end”, chucking his battle axe which cuts through and kills Markov. He is then decapitated and his head is lifted in front of his people as a trophy for Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf praises him to being a leader and a fighter and much more.

Steppenwolf commemorates him with a statue, to show him more as a worthy successor, rather than a tyrant and gaining the quick change and help of the Dherainian people.

Fury- Earth 2 (The New 52)


First Appearance: Earth 2 (2012) Issue 8: Lazy Sunday

Fury is an Amazon and the daughter of Princess Diana of Amazon Island (Wonder Woman.) She is a dangerous assassin for Apokolips and worked under Steppenwolf.

After Steppenwolf's defeat, Fury was the only member of his forces to stay with him and be loyal, while the others fled or were rounded up and captured by the World Army. She had originated from Earth (Amazon Island) and was taken away from her mother, being trained in Apokolips combat at an “impressionable age.”

Fury hid in the trees while her master was meeting with King Markov of Dherain and killed two men, who were tasked to kill Steppenwolf with an Apokoliptian energy whip. She hangs the first one up by his neck and wraps her legs around the other's neck. Then she took out the rest of the troops, single handedly. Fury snarls at them, asking how they were going to kill her when “you're so busy dying.”

When King Markov uses Apokolips armour to blast Steppenwolf down, she is distracted, getting hit by an energy blast from tank with Apokolips technology. They soldier's inside claim they have her and prepare to fire again, but before they can she gets back up and uses the whip to smash the tank.

After Markov is killed she asks Steppenwolf if she had done as he bid and he agrees, saying she had done well in both head count and theatrics and that she never disappoints him. He tells her it's time to end it and she says it's good as she is yet to work up a sweat, but he tells her not in combat and that it will be done in words. Fury watches as Steppenwolf raises Markov's head and makes his speech, before shouting that the king was dead and “long live the king!” while the survivors bow.

Two weeks later she reports to him that the people are adapting to having him on the throne. Steppenwolf tells her he has always had a way of manipulating minds and that creating a statue for Markov was a help. But he also says it is time for them to start having “fun.” When she questions this, he tells her that Dherain was just a stepping stone and that he wanted control of the world.

Val Zod- Earth 2 (The New 52)


First Appearance: Earth 2 (2012) Issue 19: The Dark Age Part 3

Val Zod is a Kryptonian who was sent to Earth to escape the destrucion of Krypton. At some point he was taken prisoner and locked away in the sub-level of the Arkham World Army Base by Terry Sloan.

Val is kept in a furnished prison behind a steel door, protected by guards. When the second Batman tells Marella to rip open the door and Red Tornado to be ready for what they are going to find a guard tells them not to and that he is not dangerous. She opens the door saying if they tear down the door it will scare him. Val smiles and seems happy by the arrival of company. He asks the female guard, Kym, if everything was okay and Kym says that the group are just here to visit. He gets excited saying that he made tea and hands Batman a cup of camomile and saying that he hoped he likes it. When Batman asks why he was locked in the cell, Val replies that he is not and that Terry Sloan says he can leave at any time. James tells her that “Terry” isn't the person he thought he was and asks if he had ever been outside, but Val says he doesn't and begins to sweat. Olsen questions if there is anything wrong, but he isn't sure. He shouts that it's Batman, before clutching his chest and collapsing in pain. Kym and Batman go to his aid. Batman suspects that something in the room is affecting him and that his cell was protection but then something else comes to mind. When he touches Val, he shouts “you hurt!” Batman removes a necklace he is wearing, which has a chunk of Kryptonite attached to the beads, revealing Val to be Kryptonian to the others.

Red Tornado helps support Val up the stairs along with Kym, the other guard and the rest of the group. She flies off with Val and James to the Batcave, while the others fight against the Parademons.