Sasha Bordeauxis a fictional character appearing inAmerican comic bookspublished byDC Comics.The character was at first primarily associated withsuperheroBatman,and she has subsequently evolved an association withCheckmatein two of its incarnations. Sasha Bordeaux was created byGreg RuckaandShawn Martinbrough,and first appeared inDetective Comics#751 (December 2000).[1]
| Sasha Bordeaux | |
|---|---|
 Sasha Bordeaux as depicted inCheckmate(vol. 2) #4 (July 2006); art by Lee Bermejo. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Detective Comics#751 (December 2000) |
| Created by | Greg Rucka Shawn Martinbrough |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Sasha Bordeaux |
| Team affiliations | Checkmate A.R.G.U.S. |
| Notable aliases | Black Queen,Black King's Bishop |
| Abilities | AnOMACcyborg independent of Brother Eye, also infrared vision in cybernetic eye, resistant to telepathy. |
Bordeaux will appear in thesecond seasonofPeacemaker,portrayed bySol Rodríguez.[2]
Fictional character biography
editBodyguard and superhero
editSasha Bordeaux first appears as a young martial artist who is hired as Bruce Wayne's bodyguard byWayneCorp's second-in-command,Lucius Fox,albeit against Wayne's wishes. Wayne at first tries to avoid her, but she keeps on doing her job.[3]
She eventually becomes suspicious of his constant late-night disappearances, does some searching, and is shocked to find that Bruce Wayne is secretly Batman.[1]Since she already knows hissecret identity,Batman begins training her to become his apprentice.[4]After weeks of hard work, she becomes fit enough to go out with him on patrol in a suit, though he still treats her as a total stranger both as Batman and as Bruce Wayne. During this time, she falls in love with him, even though he is dating other women.[5]
Framed
editOne night while Batman and Bordeaux are out on patrol, the assassinDavid Cainlures Wayne's ex-girlfriendVesper Fairchildto Wayne Manor and kills her, framing Wayne in the process.[6]Both Wayne and Bordeaux are charged with murder, and Sasha refuses to exonerate herself by giving up Wayne's secret despite the fact that they were patrolling separate areas at the time of the murder and she cannot be sure of Bruce's innocence.[7]They are both arraigned and held without bail while awaiting trial. After a while, Batman escapes to leave his alter ego behind, leaving Bordeaux insideBlackgate prison.Although Sasha is briefly offered her freedom if she testifies against Bruce Wayne - even contemplating taking the deal after Bruce abandons her - a meeting withAlfred Pennyworthleaves her resolved to reject the offer. Alfred helps her realize that Bruce truly valued her work, rather than using her without any thought for herself, as otherwise he would never have allowed her to accompany him as Batman. Batman eventually confronts those who framed him, and Wayne and Sasha are cleared of all charges.[1]
Checkmate
editWhile in prison custody, Sasha is severely wounded by another prisoner and would have died had the government agencyCheckmatenot given her medical treatment. They fake her death and offer to give her a new name and identity (complete withplastic surgery) if she works for them. With no other options, she agrees.[1]
Batman tirelessly searches for Sasha, not believing she died in prison. To facilitate this, he disrupts all of Checkmate's operations inGotham City.The group eventually organizes a meeting between the two, where Wayne confesses his love for her. Sasha, though feeling the same way, realizes that her new life would prevent them from being together and tells him to let her go.
Over time, Bordeaux rises through the ranks of Checkmate and becomes right hand toMaxwell Lord,the group's leader. Lord later hijacks the Brother Eye satellite that Batman created to monitor superhuman activity. Brother I itself recently became sentient due to the actions ofAlexander Luthor Jr.as a part of his plans for theInfinite Crisis.He also creates a cyborg army known asOMACs(humans transformed by a virus) programmed to hunt and kill superhumans or specific targets. During his rule, Lord kills all who oppose him, assisted by Brother I who monitors for rebellion. Sasha feigns loyalty to stay alive, but breaks the pretense when Lord kills his former allyBlue Beetle(Ted Kord) and orders Sasha to dispose of his corpse. Filled with hatred for herself and Lord, she sends Kord's trademark goggles to Batman as part of a message detailing Lord's madness.
After revealing Sasha's betrayal, Brother I sends out an OMAC squad, who finds Sasha and Batman in an abandoned warehouse just after they share a kiss. The OMACs' goal of killing Batman and taking Sasha only partly succeeds, as Batman escapes. Realizing he cannot get any information out of Sasha, Lord imprisons her and brainwashesSupermanin an attempt to kill Batman beforeWonder Womankills him.
Cyborg
editWith the help of another imprisoned agent, Jessica Midnight (who attempted to assassinate Lord earlier), Bordeaux escapes and sets out to kill Lord, unaware he is already dead. As they are on their way out, an OMAC attacks the two and impales Bordeaux, transforming her into an OMAC cyborg.
With Lord's death, Brother I rechristens itself "Brother Eye" and activates all the remaining OMACs to kill Earth's superhumans. Bordeaux contacts the other various factions of Checkmate who left after Lord's takeover, apologizing for Lord and asking them to rejoin.
She then creates acomputer virusand links to the Brother Eye satellite. The virus, along with a massive electromagnetic pulse blast created by the various superheroes, disables the majority of the OMACs. Brother I escapes with 200,000 OMACS.
Infinite Crisis
editEventually, with the aid of thenew Blue Beetle,Batman locates Brother Eye. He then gathers a team of heroes, including Bordeaux, to attempt to destroy it (Infinite Crisis#5 and #6). The attack sends Brother Eye crashing to Earth, but the satellite's central memory remains intact. With the various superheroes needed elsewhere, Batman tasks Bordeaux with destroying Brother Eye. She succeeds and loses her OMAC shell.
One year later
editOne year afterInfinite Crisis,Bordeaux becomes the "Black Queen" of the Checkmate organization. Herconsequentialistattitude towards the success of Checkmate missions puts her into conflict withAlan Scott.She is also in conflict with several of her Checkmate colleagues, particularlyFireandMister Terrific,with whom she is romantically involved. In a 2007 story arc involvingThe Outsiders,Chang Tzutortures Bordeaux to learn more about her cybernetic implants. She is rescued, but has lasting trauma from the event and is transformed into a more mechanical form while healing.[1]
InManhunter(vol. 3) #27 (January 2007), Sasha intervenes in the trial of Wonder Woman (for murdering Maxwell Lord) by secretly delivering exonerating evidence to Wonder Woman's lawyer,Kate Spencer.
Final Crisis
editInFinal Crisis,Sasha forms a resistance againstDarkseidwithSnapper Carr,Mister Terrific,and theCheetah.After being exposed to theAnti-Life Equation,Sasha enters a coma to slow its spread.[8]
In the 2009 miniseriesJSA vs. Kobra,Terrific andDoctor Mid-Niteput Sasha on life support before eventually healing her.[9]
DC Rebirth
editA new interpretation of Sasha debuts inWonder Womanvolume 3 as part of theDC Rebirthinitiative. This version isEtta Candy's superior and linked to an evil artificial intelligence who is attempting to manipulate Wonder Woman from afar.[10]
Powers and abilities
editSasha Bordeaux is a skilled hand-to-hand combatant and marksman. After being transformed into an OMAC cyborg, she gains superhuman physical abilities, enhanced vision, and a protective nanomachine coating.[11]
In other media
edit- Sasha Bordeaux appears as a character summon inScribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.[12]
- Sasha Bordeaux will appear in thesecond seasonofPeacemaker,portrayed bySol Rodríguez.[2]
Notes
edit- ^abcdeWallace, Dan (2008), "Sasha Bordeaux", in Dougall, Alastair (ed.),The DC Comics Encyclopedia,London:Dorling Kindersley,p. 58,ISBN978-0-7566-4119-1
- ^abGonzalez, Umberto (June 10, 2024)."Peacemaker 2:Sol Rodríguez and David Denman Join Cast ".TheWrap.RetrievedJune 14,2024.
- ^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. 53.ISBN978-1-4654-5357-0.
- ^Detective Comics#761 (October 2001)
- ^Greenberger, Robert (2008).The Essential Batman Encyclopedia.Del Rey. pp. 61–62.ISBN9780345501066.
- ^Batman: The 10-Cent Adventure(March 2002)
- ^Detective Comics#766 (March 2002)
- ^Final Crisis: Resist(December 2008)
- ^JSA Vs. Kobra#6 (January 2010)
- ^Wonder Woman(vol. 3) #5 (2016)
- ^Checkmate(vol. 2) #15 (August 2007)
- ^Eisen, Andrew (October 2, 2013)."DC Characters and Objects -Scribblenauts UnmaskedGuide ".IGN.RetrievedAugust 1,2024.
References
edit- Sasha Bordeauxat the Comic Book DB (archived fromthe original)