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Captain Boomerang

(Redirected fromOwen Mercer)

Captain Boomerangis the name of twosupervillainsappearing inAmerican comic bookspublished byDC Comics,who respectively serve as enemies to both theBarry AllenandWally Westversions of theFlash.[1]Created by writerJohn Broomeand artistCarmine Infantino,the first Captain Boomerang,George"Digger"Harkness,first appeared inThe Flash#117 (December 1960). He has also been a prominent member of theSuicide Squadsince its second iteration in the late 1980s. During the 2004 storylineIdentity Crisis,George Harkness is killed and his son,Owen Mercer,created byBrad MeltzerandMichael Turner,takes over his father's role as Captain Boomerang for a period of time. However, during the 2009–2010Blackest Nightstoryline, Owen is killed and Harkness returns to life, resuming his role as Captain Boomerang, and, overwhelmed by grief and rage, evolves as a dangerous threat after the loss of his son.

Captain Boomerang
George "Digger" Harkness as Captain Boomerang, as depicted inThe Flash#148 (November 1964).
Art byCarmine Infantino(pencils) and Murphy Anderson (inks).
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceThe Flash#117 (December 1960)
Created byGeorge"Digger"Harkness:
John Broome
Carmine Infantino
Owen Mercer:
Brad Meltzer
Michael Turner
In-story information
Alter egoGeorge "Digger" Harkness (Captain Boomerang I)
Owen Mercer (Captain Boomerang II)
SpeciesHuman
Team affiliationsSuicide Squad
Justice League
Secret Society of Super Villains
Rogues
Notable aliasesMirror MasterII
Abilities
  • Expert marksman
  • Expert combatant
  • Utilizes various trick and weaponized boomerangs

Both Harkness and Mercer have been adapted from the comics into various forms of media, including television series, feature films, and video games. In particular, Harkness appeared in theArrowversetelevision seriesArrow,portrayed byNick E. Tarabay,and theDC Extended UniversefilmsSuicide Squad(2016) andThe Suicide Squad(2021), portrayed byJai Courtney.Additionally, Mercer appears in the Arrowverse seriesThe Flash,portrayed byRichard Harmon.

Publication history

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George "Digger" Harkness appeared inThe Flash#117 (December 1960) and was created by writerJohn Broomeand artistCarmine Infantino.[2]Throughout the first several years of the character's existence, Captain Boomerang spoke with an American accent. Beginning in the late 1980s, he developed an Australian accent.

Owen Mercer first appeared inIdentity Crisis#2 (2004), and was created byBrad MeltzerandRags Morales.

Fictional character biographies

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George "Digger" Harkness

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George "Digger" Harkness's debut as Captain Boomerang on the cover ofFlash#117 (Dec. 1960)

Secretly the illegitimate son of an American soldier and an Australian woman, Harkness was raised in an Australian town called Korumburra in poverty, during which time he developed great skill in makingboomerangs,and in using them as weapons. As a young adult, he was hired as a performer and boomerang promoter by a toy company which was, unbeknownst to him, owned by his biological father. It was at this time that he developed the Captain Boomerang persona that he would continue to use in his later criminal career.[3]Audiences ridiculed him, and a resentful Harkness turned to using his boomerangs for crime.

When he began committing crimes, he threw suspicion off himself by briefly pretending another man was impersonating him, showing his 'parents', (really other crooks) to the Flash after the Flash caught him next to a crime scene. He nearly succeeded in killing the Flash after knocking him out with a boomerang, then tying him to a giant boomerang that he fired, which then got sent into space and then fell into the ocean. However, the Flash escapes from his friction-proof bonds by quickly vibrating his molecules. He also increased the boomerang's velocity so much he was able to use it to defeat and jail Harkness and the two crooks.

Boomerang becomes a recurring enemy of theFlashand joins theRogues,a group of villains dedicated to opposing Flash.[4]Later on, Harkness joins theSuicide Squadin exchange for a pardon.[4]However, his grating personality and blatant racism cause considerable friction among his teammates, and he is considered to be a dangerous, vicious, cowardly and undependable member.

George "Digger" Harkness as Captain Boomerang on the cover ofThe Flash(vol. 3) #7 (Jan. 2011), art by Francis Manapul

InIdentity Crisis,Captain Boomerang is sent to killJack Drake,who kills him before dying.[5]InBlackest NightandBrightest Day,Boomerang returns as aBlack Lanternbefore theLife Entityfully resurrects him.[6]

Captain Boomerang during The New 52. Art byLee Bermejo.

InThe New 52continuity reboot, Captain Boomerang returns to the Suicide Squad.[7][8][9]InDoomsday Clock,he is among the villains who meet with theRiddlerto discuss the Superman Theory.[10]

Owen Mercer

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Captain Boomerang
Captain Boomerang (Owen Mercer),
panel fromIdentity Crisis#6 (January 2005), art byRags Morales
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceIdentity Crisis#3
(October 2004)
Created byBrad Meltzer
Rags Morales
In-story information
Alter egoOwen Mercer
SpeciesMetahuman
Team affiliationsRogues
The Society
Outsiders
Suicide Squad
Black Lantern Corps
Notable aliasesOwen Harkness, Captain Boomerang Jr., Silver Boomerang
AbilitiesUtilizes various trick and weaponized boomerangs
Limited superhuman speed called "speed bursts"

At the beginning of the 2004Identity Crisisstoryline, "Digger" Harkness a.k.a. Captain Boomerang found himself an obsolete villain in the modern world of supervillains. Regularly going up to the supervillain satellite looking for jobs, asking favors from theCalculator,he was at the end of his rope looking for a job to put him on the map again.

During this time he felt it was finally time to reach out to the son he never raised,Owen Mercer.Before Harkness's death, the two bonded. Taking up his father's legacy, he became the second Captain Boomerang.Captain Cold,brother toGolden Glider(who was believed to be Owen's mother), took Owen in as one of theRogues.[11]

Though Owen initially had no real attachment to the Rogues (and even voiced various, albeit short, opinions out loud), he grew to enjoy the purpose and sense of family the team offered after finding that his father's body had been stolen for use in a lab (which was later revealed to be part of a plan to get memories from Harkness).

Around this time theRogue Warstoryline began, in which the "reformed" Rogues fought the Rogues under Captain Cold. Ashley Zolomon is told by Harkness himself (he is briefly revived by the "reformed" Rogues as part of an experiment) that Golden Glider is not Owen's real mother. Later, it is revealed inFlash#225 (January 2006) that Meloni Thawne is the mother of Owen Harkness, formerly Owen Mercer, the new Captain Boomerang, having conceived him by the original Boomerang while he was trapped in the 30th Century. It is unknown whether she gave birth to Bart Allen or Owen first, or how Owen made it back to our own time.

During the 2005–2006Infinite Crisisstoryline, Owen was part ofAlexander Luthor Jr.'sgroup of villains.He, Captain Cold, andMirror Masterwere sent to guard a factory against theOutsiders,under the command ofDeathstroke(who was actuallyArsenalin disguise). When the ensuing battle between Outsiders and Rogues destroyed the machinery in the factory, the Rogues and other villains would not help in the fight at all and then at the explosion, he is saved by the Outsiders, while the Rogues left them at the base to blow up. He is then turned over to the authorities off-panel.

During the52series, Owen is part of aSuicide Squadsent byAmanda Wallerto attackBlack Adam.

In the 2006One Year Laterstoryline, Owen finds himself placed in the metahuman prison known asIron Heights.There he finds himself being the cellmate ofBlack Lightning,who was arrested for a murder that Deathstroke the Terminator committed.[4]It is soon discovered that the other inmates have learned of Black Lightning's identity and are planning to murder him. The Outsiders become aware of this and attempt to break Pierce out of jail. Unfortunately it goes terribly wrong. As they escape, Black Lightning asks that they take Owen with them, which they grudgingly agree. As they escape, the Outsiders' jet, thePequod,is shot down, and while the team escapes, the world believes them dead.

Because of this event and the Freedom of Power Treaty, the team now works covertly. Most of the current Outsiders were believed dead until a botched mission revealed their presence to the world. His history as a Rogue has been exploited several times by team leaderNightwingfrom torturing dictators to taking down a clonedJay Garrick.However, it is revealed that his desire to join the Outsiders comes from his desire for a family. Nightwing allowed him to join his team partially because Arsenal felt he would be worthy, and because Owen has been striving to find a family since the death of his father and the outbreak of the Rogue War.

Owen searched out the currentRobinbecause of their connection, where their fathers killed one another. While Robin originally believed Owen was searching for him to finish the fight his father started, inRobin#152, Owen revealed that he wished to make amends with the younger hero, and has offered his assistance to help Robin destroy a bomb created by theJoker.The two later spend the following night spreading out old hideouts of several villains. Afterward, Robin gained a bit of civil respect for Boomerang despite what their fathers did to one another. Boomerang attempted to shake hands with Robin, but Robin refused the gesture feeling unready to make that step.

At some point during his tenure with the Outsiders, Captain Cold approached the mercenaryDeathstrokewith an offer concerning Owen. In exchange for kidnapping Deathstroke's daughterRose(who had betrayed her father and joined theTeen Titans) and delivering her to her father, Deathstroke would track down the Outsiders and turn Owen over to the Rogues. The villains planned to force Owen to cooperate with the team by administering the same mind-controlling agent that Deathstroke had used on his daughter as well as Batman's partnerCassandra Cain.However, this plan fell apart when Rose escaped and helped the Teen Titans defeat the Rogues, which led to Deathstroke backing out of the deal.[12]

Owen has also developed a close friendship with Supergirl,Kara Zor-El.[4]After Supergirl returned from her time away with Power Girl, Kara began looking to start a normal life on Earth and went out a 'date' with Owen, during which they spoke of their past problems. Kara has nicknamed Owen 'Boomer'. Although the pair often flirts with one another, they have never progressed to a romantic relationship. This comes primarily from the fact that Kara continues to show interest in Nightwing, and jokingly says that what she and Owen has is more of a brother-sister relationship, in which he has an unhealthy fixation on his 'little sis'.

Feeling rejected after Kara's relationship with Power Boy, Owen goes to a bar where he meetsCassandra Cain(Batgirl), who at the time was being mind-controlled by Deathstroke the Terminator, and who had been hired to kill Supergirl. Cassandra kidnaps and tortures Owen to lure Supergirl. Unfortunately, this proves unnecessary, as Kara had tracked down Cassandra on her own, without any knowledge of Owen's kidnapping. Batgirl nearly manages to defeat Supergirl, but is defeated when Kara grows Krypton Sunstones which impale her foe. Kara then rushes Owen to the hospital where he is treated. While still in medical care, it is discovered that Power Boy has been stalking Kara.

Following Kara's rather violent break-up with Power Boy, the Earth was overtaken by spirits from the Phantom Zone, which began to emerge from within Superman. Kara managed to defeat the Phantoms and return the Earth to normal. Afterwards, inSupergirl#19 Kara begins to make amends with all the people who she has hurt since arriving on earth. Amongst them, Boomer, to whom she apologises for letting him get hurt and leading him on. During this conversation, the matter of Owen's relationship with Kara is finally clarified. When asked by Kara how he feels about her leading him on, Owen replies, "Well, if I may... for me to have been 'led on' would presume I thought I had a shot with you... For me to think I had a shot with a sixteen-year-old girl -- crystal-powered hypersleep whatever junk aside... that would mean I am a dirtbag with a thing for jailbait. Which I am not".

InCheckmate#13-15, crossover withOutsiders#47-49, Checkmate abducts all members of the Outsiders exceptNightwing,allowing him to infiltrate their headquarters to offer them a deal: The Outsiders will not be shut down over their actions in Africa in exchange for infiltrating Oolong Island on behalf of Checkmate. During the operation, Nightwing, Owen, and Checkmate'sBlack Queenare taken captive byChang Tzu,and the latter two are tortured and experimented on. AfterBatmanrescues the Outsiders overNorth Koreanterritory, and Nightwing hands over the team to him, Owen and Nightwing are paired with each other in "auditions" for the new lineup. Pushed too far, feeling he does not need to prove himself anymore, Owen returns to the Suicide Squad although Batman feels he could make a good double agent.[4]

InAll Flash#1, Owen as part of the new Suicide Squad captures two of the Rogues that are responsible for Bart Allen's murder,Heat WaveandWeather Wizard,in Louisiana. InCountdown#39, he and the rest of the Squad chase afterPiperandTricksterinGotham Cityafter they had escaped capture from Squad memberDeadshot.The Squad however is just as unsuccessful as Deadshot, and the two Rogues escape capture.[13]

Owen visits his father's grave along withTar Pit,when the swarm ofblack ringsfly into the crypt and reanimate all the deceased villains asBlack Lanterns,including his father.[14]The Rogues battle in theIron Heights,when the battle resulted in adrawon both sides, Owen arrives and abducts Digger from the battle, believing he can bring his father back.[15]Later on, Owen has apparently chained up his father's body and is feeding him victims such as a villain named Sandblast who was relying on Owen to get him into the Rogues. It is revealed that Owen has been deceived by Boomerang into believing the blood of enough victims can bring him back to life. The Rogues track Owen down with Captain Cold berating him for believing Harkness' lies. Realizing that Owen has broken the Rogues' code of honor by killing women and children, Cold shoves him into the pit. Owen has his heart ripped out by his father, with a ring flying in to revive him as a Black Lantern. The Black Lantern Owen and his father are then encased in ice by Cold.[16]His father manages to escape and join in the mass battle against the heroes where he is brought back to life and full health.[17]

Powers and abilities

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Captain Boomerang carries a number of boomerangs in his satchel. He is an expert at throwing the weapons and as well as ordinary boomerangs he has a number with special properties, including bladed, explosive, incendiary, and electrified boomerangs. Upon his resurrection, Digger finds he has the ability to create boomerangs out of energy that explode on contact.[18]However, this new ability is lost when he completes the task given by the White Lantern Entity.[19]

The original Captain Boomerang then began to train his son Owen Mercer before he died. He has exhibited creativity in his boomerangs by creating "razorangs" and an acid-spewing boomerang. Owen has also exhibited "speed bursts", short bursts of limited super speed over short distances, most notably when throwing boomerangs. These were even possible during the time period that Bart Allen fully contained theSpeed Force,usually displayed as his ability to throw boomerangs at high velocities, rather than running.[20]However, duringChang Tzu's experiments, he claimed he believed Mercer could access the Speed Force, and Mercer denied having super speed at all anymore, but Chang Tzu was able to activate Owen's speed involuntarily, causing him great pain.[21]The exact source of this power remains unrevealed. Regardless, as ofJustice Society of America#8, the Speed Force appears to have returned and is accessible to all former speedsters once more.

Other versions

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  • An alternate universe variant of Captain Boomerang calledAdam Clayappears in theTangent Comicsone-shotGreen Lantern.This version is a disenfranchised pilot whose family was killed by a Japanese army. Clay escapes in his family's crop duster and forms a group of pilots under the nickname "Captain Boomerang" for his family's Australian origins and theCAC Boomerangplane.
  • An older, alternate universe variant of Digger Harkness appears inKingdom Come.[22]

In other media

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Television

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  • The George "Digger" Harkness incarnation of Captain Boomerang appears inJustice League Unlimited,voiced byDonal Gibson.[23]This version is a member ofTask Force Xand theRogues.
  • The George "Digger" Harkness incarnation of Captain Boomerang appears inBatman: The Brave and the Bold,voiced byJohn DiMaggio.[23]
  • The George "Digger" Harkness incarnation of Captain Boomerang appears inArrow,portrayed byNick E. Tarabay.[24]This version is a formerASISagent and member ofA.R.G.U.S.'s Suicide Squad. While working for the latter, his commanding officerLyla Michaelswas ordered to scrub a failed mission and "sanitize" the active Squad members via implanted nano-bombs. However, Harkness' bomb failed to detonate, leading to him seeking revenge against her. In the episodes "Draw Back Your Bow" and "The Brave and the Bold",he resurfaces in the present to kill Michaels, only to be foiled byOliver Queen,theFlash,and their respective teams. Following this, Harkness is imprisoned in an A.R.G.U.S. prison on the island Lian Yu. In the episode "Lian Yu",Oliver recruits Harkness to battlePrometheus.While Harkness betrays Oliver to join Prometheus,Malcolm Merlynsacrifices himself to save Oliver by killing Harkness with a landmine.
  • The Owen Mercer incarnation of Captain Boomerang appears in theninth seasonofThe Flash(2014), portrayed byRichard Harmon.[25]This version is a member of theRed Death's Rogues who possesses the additional ability to teleport and wields boomerangs constructed fromWayne Enterprisestechnology.
  • The George "Digger" Harkness incarnation of Captain Boomerang appears in theYoung Justiceepisode "Leverage", voiced byCrispin Freeman.[23]This version is a member of Task Force X.
  • An unidentified Captain Boomerang appears inHarley Quinn,voiced byJosh Helman.This version is a member of the Suicide Squad's "A-Team".

Film

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Video games

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Lego

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Miscellaneous

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  • An unidentified Captain Boomerang makes a cameo appearance in theInjustice: Gods Among Usprequel comic.
  • The George "Digger" Harkness incarnation of Captain Boomerang appears inThe Flash: Season Zeroas a member of A.R.G.U.S.'s Suicide Squad.
  • The George "Digger" Harkness incarnation of Captain Boomerang makes a cameo appearance in a flashback in theArrowtie-in novel,Arrow: Vengeance,in which he trained withSlade Wilsonduring his time in the ASIS.
  • The George "Digger" Harkness incarnation of Captain Boomerang appears in theBatman: Arkham Knightprequel comic as a member ofHarley Quinn's Suicide Squad before he is hired byAmanda Wallerto join Deadshot in assassinatingBruce Wayne.However, Digger is betrayed and killed by Deadshot.
  • An unidentified Captain Boomerang appears in theInjustice 2prequel comic as a member ofRa's al Ghul's Suicide Squad.[32]

Merchandise

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  • An unidentified Captain Boomerang received a figure in wave 18 of theDC Universe Classicsline.[33]
  • An unidentified Captain Boomerang received a figure in theJustice League Unlimitedtie-in toy line.
  • The Owen Mercer incarnation of Captain Boomerang received a figure in Mattel's "DC Infinite Crisis" line.

See also

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References

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  1. ^Rovin, Jeff (1987).The Encyclopedia of Supervillains.New York: Facts on File. pp. 48–49.ISBN0-8160-1356-X.
  2. ^Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016).The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe.DK Publishing. p. 60.ISBN978-1-4654-5357-0.
  3. ^Greenberger, Robert (2008).The Essential Batman Encyclopedia.Del Rey. p. 77.ISBN9780345501066.
  4. ^abcdeGreenberger, Robert(2008), "Captain Boomerang", in Dougall, Alastair (ed.),The DC Comics Encyclopedia,New York:Dorling Kindersley,p. 66,ISBN978-0-7566-4119-1,OCLC213309017
  5. ^Identity Crisis#5 (December 2004)
  6. ^
    • Blackest Night: Batman#3 (December 2009)
    • Blackest Night: The Flash#1 - 3 (December 2009 - February 2010)
    • Blackest Night#8 (March 2010)
    • Brightest Day#0 (April 2010)
    • Red Robin#15 - 16 (August - September 2010)
    • The Flash(vol. 3) #2 - 7 (May - December 2010)
    • Brightest Day#7 (August 2010)
    • Brightest Day#18 (January 2011)
    • Brightest Day#23 (April 2011)
    • Red Robin#26 (August 2011)
  7. ^Suicide Squad(vol. 4) #27 (March 2014)
  8. ^Suicide Squad(vol. 4) #3 (January 2012)
  9. ^Suicide Squad(vol. 4) #4 (February 2012)
  10. ^Doomsday Clock#6 (July 2018). DC Comics.
  11. ^Greenberger, Robert (2008).The Essential Batman Encyclopedia.Del Rey. pp. 77–78.ISBN9780345501066.
  12. ^Teen Titans: Cold Case(February 2011)
  13. ^All Flash#1. DC Comics.
  14. ^Blackest Night: The Flash#1 (December 2009)
  15. ^Blackest Night: The Flash#2 (January 2010)
  16. ^Blackest Night: The Flash#3 (February 2010)
  17. ^Blackest Night#8 (March 2010)
  18. ^The Flash(vol. 3) #3 (June 2010)
  19. ^Red Robin#26 (August 2011)
  20. ^Outsiders(vol. 3) #36 (July 2006). DC Comics.
  21. ^Checkmate(vol. 2) #15 (August 2007). DC Comics.
  22. ^Kingdom Come#2 (June 1996). DC Comics.
  23. ^abcdefghi"Captain Boomerang Voices (Flash)".Behind The Voice Actors.RetrievedMarch 19,2019.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.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  24. ^Hibberd, James (2014-09-16)."'Arrow' casts 'Spartacus' actor as Captain Boomerang | EW.com ".Insidetv.ew.com.Retrieved2016-08-06.
  25. ^Petski, Denise (September 21, 2022)."'The Flash': Richard Harmon Joins CW Series As A New Captain Boomerang ".Deadline Hollywood.RetrievedSeptember 22,2022.
  26. ^Kroll, Justin (December 2, 2014)."'Suicide Squad' Cast Revealed: Jared Leto to Play the Joker, Will Smith is Deadshot ".Variety.RetrievedJuly 12,2015.
  27. ^Wilding, Josh (December 1, 2016)."Jai Courtney On Suicide Squad 2: I Don't Feel Like I'm Done With Boomerang".We Got This Covered.
  28. ^Truitt, Brian (August 7, 2021)."'The Suicide Squad' spoilers! How that surprise end-credits scene sets up John Cena's spinoff show ".USA Today.RetrievedAugust 10,2021.
  29. ^Ortiz, Andi (August 6, 2021)."All the Major Deaths in 'The Suicide Squad' Ranked".TheWrap.RetrievedAugust 10,2021.
  30. ^Durnbush, Jonathon (August 23, 2020)."Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Set in Batman: Arkham Universe".IGN.RetrievedAugust 23,2020.
  31. ^"LEGO DC Super Villains - Arthur Parsons interview with IGN San Diego Comic Con 2018 (New Gameplay!)".YouTube.19 July 2018.Retrieved5 November2021.
  32. ^Injustice 2#1. DC Comics.
  33. ^Re, Yo Go (October 5, 2011)."Captain Boomerang: DC Universe".Online Action Figure Entertainment.
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