10 Shockingly Dark Origins Of Comic Book Heroes
6. Deadman
Boston Brand was a skilled and fearless acrobat who dressed in the persona of “the Deadman”, with a ghastly white face and a red suit. One night, he was murdered by an assassin with a hook for a hand. On the way to the Afterlife, Boston was stopped by Rama Kushna, the Hindu Goddess. She offered him the power to control the bodies of the living to find his killer and balance the scales of justice. Brand agreed, and even after finding his killer, he chose to continue to seek justice for others.
Batman was integral to helping Brand find The Hook, and the pair have worked together on several occasions. Boston found that he could become solid in the mystical city of Nanda Parbat. Once, the villainous Sensei used his ability to hypnotize Deadman and sent him to kill Batman in a variety of other bodies.
Deadman has become part of a larger mystical and magical group of heroes that deals with the supernatural threats to the universe. The pragmatic Boston often offers advice or acts as a Greek chorus to the fantastical happenings that occur around him. He is as everyman as a Deadman can be. He also spends a lot of time talking to people on their way to the Afterlife.