Character Analysis: Deadman
Deadman
Origin: Boston Brand grew up in a home of constant physical abuse from his parents, Gary and Barbara Brand, and Boston found himself tangled in the abuse if they weren’t already fighting with each other. After lashing out at age sixteen he left, joining up with the circus, but even that wasn’t enough to escape his past, and he frequently succumbed to alcohol and violent tendencies. An assassin named Hook was sent to kill Boston for reasons unknown, and in one of his circus acts, was indeed killed. But before his soul could move on to the afterlife, Boston was found between life and death itself before the Hindu entity known as Rama Kushna. His spirit was given power to atone for his sins and to help others live a better life, but her motives were clouded in darkness, called out by an angel, letting Boston escape her control. Even still, he went to search for his killer, but came to accept his role as someone who could potentially intervene with mortals’ lives, becoming the ghostly apparition known as Deadman.
Notable Feats:
-Joined the Justice League Dark
-Helped the Batman track down his killer in Gotham City
–Subsequently helped Batman with many other cases such as Sensei’s plot to destroy Nanda Parbat or the capture of the Boomerang Killer.
-Assisted the Phantom Stranger in defeating Dr. Seine and the Nether Demons
-Exposed the greedy Mr. Solomon for a plot to seize his families’ circus for an invention called the encephalopathic transmogrifier
-Freed a circus of souls from the demon Brazia
-Helped stop Klarion the Witch Boy to restore everyone's proper age
-Survived in Hell
-Played a pivotal role in helping the Lantern Corps defeat Nekron during Blackest Knight
-Was enlisted by the White Entity to find the next host to be the White Lantern
-Helped defeat Circe during the events of Pandora’s Pits
-Would rather be in Pittsburgh than stare up at the Great Evil Darkness.
What Will Be Used:
Numerous inferences have been shown that the timelines of Pre and Post-Flashpoint have been merged, and as of Deadman: Dead Again #3, Rama Kushna restored Deadman’s memories of the various events that happened as far back as Barry Allen’s death in Crisis on Infinite Earths, thus feats from Pre/Post-Flashpoint are all fair game.
Personality:
In circumstances never conceived of by living, Deadman carried the spirit of Boston Brand with him quite well into his new role, always has something to say in that Brooklyn accent of his whether he’s talking you down or walking you through what you’re supposed to do next. But he didn’t start this way. After solving the case of his murderer, Deadman learned to accept his role from Rama Kushna as a being who intervenes in the affairs of mortal lives, for their betterment and well-being. But with each new body he possessed and life he saw, at times he began to question his role, unable to stop those he cared about from sharing a similar fate as himself, especially iconic heroes such as Jason Todd or Barry Allen. He continued to search for the answers, even going so far as to take a roller coaster ride with the Son of the Morning, to figure out what he needs to do. And he learns a very important lesson; one that reminds him that even though he is no longer alive, his story very much is. The tapestry of fate is in his hands, and only he can manipulate it, no matter where that would lead him. Deadman has been met with a new care for the life he never had, being the audience to the performances of others.
When approached about his days as an aerialist, Boston was typically very cynical and resenting of how he acted in the past, but couldn’t put a pin on why. During his endeavors in the events of Brightest Day, he was shown first-hand his initial problem throughout his life; taking those who loved him for granted. Boston knew this, and it was up to him to choose how he would live his life, whether corporeal or non-corporeal, and take that second chance while he still had it. And he did; visiting his dear old granddad and remembering the things he taught him, and when he told him he didn’t have a ‘last ride’, Boston knew that the second chance he
sought out from beyond the grave, had been given to him.
Deadman has an easy time relating to other lost spirits and souls, especially those who died by murder or beyond their control, and his experience as a vagabond of Earth makes him grow a greater bond to these spirits he meets, even if the interactions are short-lived. That being said, as a result he likes to tell his origin story to people he just met…a lot.
As a form of understanding his purpose, Deadman would often put himself into the shoes of those he possessed, operating their everyday life and taking up their roles as his own.
He’s also an excellent storyteller. And he loves cheeseburgers.
Physicality:
Strength:
Deadman makes those he possesses stronger, and his strength varies depending on whose body he is possessing, ranging from simple peak humans to gods amongst men.
-Has shown the capability to trade hits with other astral beings (Challengers of the Unknown #74) (Action Comics #603)
-Even before his death, was in peak condition and could floor men with a punch and even tussle with men stronger than him (Strange Adventures #205, 208)
-In the body of a stranger, briefly traded blows with Batman (The Brave and the Bold #79)
-Hurled the body of a thug at a wall hard enough to knock him out (The Brave and the Bold #79)
-Kicks the Phantom Stranger in the body of a man (The Phantom Stranger Vol. 1 #33)
-As a gargoyle, overpowers another gargoyle (DC Super-Stars #18)
-Breaks out of restraints upon possessing a girl and overwhelms a gargoyle (DC Super-Stars #18)
-Hurls a refrigerator while possessing Tiny (Adventure Comics #462)
-Kicks the snot out of Solomon while possessing a clown (Adventure Comics #462)
-Overpowers two men restraining him from behind with ease (Adventure Comics #462)
-Carries the weight of Dr. Fate’s limp body (Saga of the Swamp Thing Vol. 2 Book Four Part 2)
-Uses Tim Drake and Dick Grayson’s bodies to break out of ice generated from one of Batman’s ice guns (Blackest Knight: Batman #3)
-Easily takes down six armed Mr. Freeze henchmen at once (Brightest Day #14)
-While under a spell that made him tangible again, knocks Felix Faust out with one punch (DCU Halloween Special 2010)
-Destroyed a fake body of the Enchantress from the inside that was portioned with her power despite not having any memories (Justice League Dark Vol. 1 #4)
-Knocked out other astral beings (Justice League Dark Vol. 1 #20)
-Beats up John Constantine in the body of a bartender (Justice League Dark Vol. 1 #30)
-Punched out an astral form of Sensei (Deadman (2018) #2)
-Could carry Dr. Psycho’s psyche (Wonder Woman Vol. 1 #773)
-Lifted up a huge wooden beam while possessing someone (Secrets of Sinister House Vol. 2 #1)
-While under control of Nick Necro and in Sea King’s body, floors Constantine with a punch (Constantine Vol. 1 #12)
-Physically repelled a malevolent spirit (Deadman: Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love Vol 1. #1)
Durability:
Deadman’s durability also depends on who he is possessing, and this can also affect his endurance and stamina. His soul has shown many forms of durability and resistance feats as well:
-Took a hit from Swamp Thing while possessing a dog, albeit he was holding back, as he didn’t want to harm animals (Challengers of the Unknown #84)
-Endures mystical blasts from Darius Caldera, which he describes as if his ‘soul was on fire’ (Deadman: Dead Again #1)
-Endures the pain of ectoplasmic disruptions, claiming that he feels like his lungs are screamin’ out, later survived seemingly being eviscerated in the stasis field, though it is unclear if his soul was erased or how he survived, but later showed he was still alive and possessing people. (Deadman Vol.3 #9)
-Shrugs off being launched back by a summoning spell Felix Faust made that made him visible (DCU Halloween Special 2010)
-Tanks punches from Damian Wayne while possessing Dick Grayon’s body (Blackest Knight: Batman #1)
-Survives being near Black Adam’s “SHAZAM!” lightning attack (Justice League Vol. 3 #23)
-Tanked an attack from Janus amped by Dr. Psycho that broke the ground beneath him (Wonder Woman Vol. 1 #777) [Shown Above]
Speed:
The speed of Deadman, again, varies depending on who he is possessing, but he himself is capable of tremendous speed due to his free nature as a spirit.
-Evades bullets in the body of Jeff Carling (Strange Adventures #206)
-Flies into a man ‘like a flash’, ‘racing a heartbeat of time’ (The Brave and the Bold #79)
-In what appears as moments, flies across various points on Earth to possess animals and disable the brainwave amplifiers (Aquaman Vol. 1 #52)
-Outpaced Seth Gross’ astral form to take over a body (Challengers of the Unknown #74)
-Keeps up with the Challenger SST Jet at speeds ‘unrestrained by barriers of sound and science’ (Challengers of the Unknown #84)
-Possesses a man before he can be punched to acrobatically tumble away (Challengers of the Unknown #85)
-Can possess someone and leave their body in a moments notice, described as ‘within a particle of time’ (The Phantom Stranger #33)
-Possesses someone to save them from a collapsing balcony (DC Super-Stars #18)
-Flies fast enough to ‘cover miles’ to catch up to a truck (DC Special Series #8)
-Able to possess someone, perform an action, and vice versa enough to leave people confused (Strange Adventures #462)
-Possesses an army-men to stop a woman from committing human sacrifice (Action Comics #602
-Evades numerous mystical bolts from Darius Caldera when the spirit of the Flash couldn’t (Deadman: Dead Again #1)
-Dodges a point-blank gunshot in a chemical scientists’ body (Deadman Vol. 3 #2)
-Speed-blitzes two armed henchmen despite being held at gunpoint (Deadman Vol. 3 #3)
-Evades a point-blank gunshot from a Mr. Freeze henchman when his body was physical (Brightest Day #14)
-Outraced a bullet (New Talent Showcase Vol. 2 #1) (700.05 m/s)
-Can keep up with the Flash while he was moving as a blur (The Flash Vol. 4 #28) [Shown Above]
-Claims he sometimes thinks he goes as fast as the speed of thought, though it could be considered hyperbole (Batman vs. Ra’s Al Ghul #1)
Experience & Skill:
Acrobatics:
As Boston Brand, he was an accomplished circus performer and daring trapeze artist, one of the best acrobats and praised for his skill. Even when he is about to possess someone he retains his athletic and agile prowess. He is capable of performing a variety of acrobatic maneuvers, from front and backflips to somersaults:
-In the body of Jeff Carling, retained his athletic prowess, jumping from car to car (Strange Adventures #206)
-Implied to have been capable of doing an aerial quadruple-flip during his career (The Brave and the Bold #86)
–Also implied to be capable of doing a triple back-flip (Adventure Comics #464)
-Maneuvered his way up onto a telephone poll with the Phantom Stranger (The Phantom Stranger #40)
-Thrown over a cauldron of chemicals and uses the railing to hurl himself back on the platform (Adventure Comics #460)
-Performed a tuck and roll to save a pedestrian from falling debris (DC Comics Presents #24)
–Does it again with a woman holding a child (Deadman: Dead Again #1)
-Prevents a man falling to his death with a mid-air flip onto a balcony (Deadman Vol. 3 #6)
-Remembers how to do his trapeze stunts (Deadman Vol. 3 #7)
-Using Damian Wayne’s body, backflips onto the top of the Batmobile (Blackest Knight: Batman #1)
-Easily retained his athleticism and acrobatics when his body was made physical, toppling over the buildings of Gotham City with ease (Brightest Day #14)
-Acrobatically gets John Constantine to safety while avoiding attacks from numerous demons (Justice League Dark Vol. 1 #11)
Occultism/Intelligence:
Deadman’s experience traversing the Earth and beyond makes him intimately experienced in the occult and supernatural. He has familiarity with the afterlife and its many dimensions, along with the mystic and magic aspects that are present in the universe. Likewise, he retains information at a more unique glance that gives him many capabilities when it comes to quick thinking and deduction, or putting his knowledge into play.
Occultism:
-Possessing bodies allows him to retain and figure out information, such as in a few hours learning about a planet, its species, way of life, origins, and more (Challengers of the Unknown #86)
-Has knowledge on the inca mummy cults, their rituals, and beliefs in the afterlife wherewith they go (Batman #532) [Shown Above]
-Outsmarted the goddess Rama Kusha in order to get her to renounce her control of Deadman’s soul (DC Universe Presents Vol. 1 #5)
General Intelligence:
-Gets his hands on an alien weapon by possessing numerous people, dazing them so he could escape the vicinity with the weapon (Action Comics #608)
-King Talaoc praises his leadership and thinks he is one of his own (Action Comics #612)
-Remembers every detail from a newspaper article (Deadman: Love After Death #1)
-Multilinguistic, can speak Spanish (Batman #532)
-While in a fight, could accurately point out injuries and wounds he inflicted on an assassin mid-fight, such as a shattered hip joint or a sternum out of place (Deadman Vol. 5 #2)
-Could instantly recall the origins and upbringing of Christopher Lukas as Insomnia (Knights Terror Vol. 1 #4)
Combat Abilities:
Deadman has also demonstrated that he has learned numerous forms of combat despite being a ghost, showing great skill as a result of his natural athleticism and quick thinking.
Hand-to-Hand Combat:
-If multiple people are present, Deadman has shown patterns of possessing someone, using them or whatever they’re holding as a weapon to keep someone at bay, which he has used on the Batman (The Brave and the Bold #86)
-Knows a pressure point that cuts off the flow of blood from his carotid arteries (located in his neck) to the brain (Adventure Comics #461) [Shown Above]
-Fought against the grim reaper, death itself for control of the body of Alex Atley (DC Comics Presents #24)
-Claims to Sensei that he’s been ‘training’ (Batman Odyssey #6)
-Routinely faced against the forces of Hell, who like him were evil spirits (Deadman: Exorcism #2)
-Fought the Clown, the evil agent sent to Earth by the Devil (Batman/Deadman: Death and Glory)
-Possesses numerous steroid bikers in a heat scrap to make everyone hit the wrong person (Lobo/Deadman: The Brave and the Bald)
-Uses multiple bodies to make a gang beat each other up (Deadman Vol. 3 #5)
-Defeated an entire group of enemies using only a sword (Deadman Vol. 5 #1)
-Knocks out numerous Faust cult members while in the body of one (Justice League Dark [2011] Annual #1)
Marksmanship:
-Aimed a gun for a window to suck a pilot out of a plane due to released pressure (Strange Adventures #216)
-Possesses June to aid her in marksmanship, shooting a building-sized monster to take it out in one shot (Challengers of the Unknown #85)
-Shot an assassin’s gun four times without missing (Deadman Vol. 5 #2)
Misc:
-Picked up some skill on piloting and aviation when possessing bodies (Batman/Deadman: Death and Glory)
Powers:
Ghostly Physiology:
Deadman has no physical body, and the visage of what he looks like is a representation of his appearance at the moment he was killed, wearing his red circus costume and ghostly white mask. As a ghost, Deadman calls himself ‘pure thought’, a ‘substanceless subconsciousness’, existing in a state of limbo preluding Heaven or as he calls it, a ‘dead zone’. As a ghost, he doesn’t need to eat, sleep, or rest.
Possession:
Deadman’s most prominent ability, he is able to put his spirit into the bodies of those who are living, allowing him to fully control their body, down to their actions and movements, and can even speak through them. Once he has left a body, they do not remember the events of what had happened while Deadman was possessing them, usually mistaking it for them blacking out or short-term memory loss of some kind. His possession can work on all living creatures, especially people, but powerful enough enemies under certain circumstances have been able to prevent his possession, or straight up resist it with sheer psychic/mental willpower:
Against Named People:
-Possesses the Batman (The Brave and the Bold #79), and has done so many times
-Takes possession of a Butler to pass a note to Batman on the case of his killer (The Brave and the Bold #79)
-Took over the body and mind of Ocean Master, using enough of his power to override a blocked off part of his memory to help Orm remember Aquaman is his brother (Aquaman Vol. 1 #50)
-Possesses Ocean Master (Aquaman Vol. 1 #52)
-Possesses Swamp Thing
-Possesses Aquaman (Justice League of America Vol. 1 #94)
-Possesses Superman (World’s Finest Comics #223)
-Possesses Superman (DC Comics Presents #24)
-Possess Alfred (Batman/Deadman: Death and Glory)
-Possesses Lobo, who shows willpower and resistance but ultimately Deadman takes over (Lobo/Deadman: The Brave and the Bald)
-Possesses Dick Grayson, instantly tapping into his origins and memories, showing that when he possesses a new person, he gains access to their psyche (Blackest Knight: Batman #1)
-Despite initial resistance, possessed the Voodoo King of New Orleans, Wellman Legros (Action Comics #620)
-Possesses Damian Wayne (Blackest Knight: Batman #1)
-Forces Etrigan the Demon to manifest when possessing Jason Blood, showing control over transformations (Blackest Knight: Batman #3)
-Was forced out of the Flashes’ body, but it was likely due to the Keystone Killer also inhabiting Barry’s body, as before that Deadman admitted he was possessing Flash (The Flash (2011) #28)
-Implies that during his time in Nanda Parbat, he possessed a god (Justice League Dark [2011] Annual #2)
-Possessed the House of Wonders, a counterfeit version of the House of Mystery created from an enchantment comprised of the deep bonds, emotions, and especially the love between Constantine and Zatanna, though Constantine notes he was only able to possess it for a few minutes (Justice League Dark [2011] Annual #2)
-Was able to bypass the mental defenses of Blackbriar Thorn, whose mind was encased in magical thorns as a form of mental barriers (Justice League Dark Vol. 1 #13)
-Entered the mindscape of the House of Mystery, a quasi-sentient object (Justice League Dark Vol. 1 #21)
-With assistance from Brahma Dass' support, he managed to affect the collective mind of Pantheon, a fusion of 10,000 gods (Justice League Dark Vol. 1 #34)
-Possessed John Constantine, even talking for him as some form of mind control (Constantine: The Hellblazer Vol. 1 #11), and John Constantine in the past has resisted Deadman’s possession attempts (Justice League Dark Vol. 1 #5) and even has spells to help him resist possession
-By possessing Damage, was able to revert him back to human form (Damage Vol. 2 #12)
-Was able to simply enter the three sons of Trigon (Belial, Suge, and Ruskoff) in order to obtain information regarding the whereabouts of the Phantom Stranger’s family, showing the ability to simply enter people without possessing them (The Phantom Stranger Vol. 4 #6)
-Possessed Insomnia, though he was eventually forced out (Knight Terrors Vol. 1 #1)
-Possesses Batman while his body is sleeping (Knight Terrors Vol. 1 #2)
Misc. Showings:
-Showed early precision in his career, at first being unsure how he drifted into people’s bodies, but soon was able to jump from body to body (Strange Adventures #206)
-Could touch someone to immobilize them before he possesses them (Strange Adventures #206)
-Possesses a giant ‘squid’ (that is not a squid brudda) (Aquaman Vol. 1 #52)
-Capable of possessing another astral body, albeit it causes him some pain (Challengers of the Unknown #74)
–Also demonstrated some control over the psyche/astral form of others, putting the psyche of a little girl back into her body
-Can possess the body of a ‘mutant degenerate’ sub-man (Challengers of the Unknown #86)
-Claims that the brain ‘goes dead’ when he enters someones’ body (The Phantom Stranger Vol. 1 #33)
-Capable of willing movement in a body if it is deceased (DC Super-Stars #18)
-Possesses a bird to knock a gun out of a man contemplating suicide (Adventure Comics #466)
-Can put people in a trance as he is leaving their body (Action Comics #604)
-Able to possess zombies (Action Comics #620)
-Possessing a man in comatose can wake them up (Deadman: Love After Death #1)
-Can possess someone even if they’re functionally dead (Deadman: Exorcism #1)
-By possessing a body, he can also sense of another astral being is possessing the same body (Justice League Dark Vol. 1 #2)
-Possesses a crow (Young Monsters In Love)
-Able to appear in mirrors and paintings (Secrets of Sinister House Vol. 2 #1)
Anti-Possession Showings:
-Failed to work on Swamp Thing due to Alec Holland’s psyche already possessing the body (Challengers of the Unknown #84)
-Unable to possess Dr. Serge Kroolman, who claimed New Gods like him have psionic resistances that can prevent possession (Lobo/Deadman: The Brave and the Bald)
-Cannot possess the Anti-Monitor (Deadman: Dead Again #1)
-Struggled to possess the Joker due to him being insane but managed to long enough to prevent him from killing Jason Todd (Deadman: Dead Again #2)
-Unable to perform much actions in a battered and bruised body of Jason Todd (Deadman: Dead Again #2)
-Couldn’t inhabit an exile from Nanda Parbat, the hidden Himalayan city watched over by Rama Kushna (Deadman Vol. 3 #2)
-Not confident possessing Felix Faust would work due to his magical power (DCU Halloween Special 2010)
-Struggles to fight back against the control of a Black Lantern ring, and forced himself out of his withered body (Blackest Knight: Batman #1)
-Tried to possess an entity embodying the House of Mystery, and upon viewing his consciousness, was so overloaded he was forced out of the body (Justice League Dark [2011] Annual #2)
-Failed to possess Madame Xanadu (Justice League Dark [2011] Annual #2)
-Unable to possess Red Hood’s body due to Circe’s Pandora demons already occupying it (Trinity Vol. 2 #12)
-Cannot inhabit the bodies of Rotlings due to being undead beings (Swamp Thing Vol. 5 #14)
-Forced out of Condor’s body due to his divine nature as the Avatar of War (Hawk & Dove Vol. 5 #3)
Intangibility:
He can phase through all solid objects as a ghost, including doors, windows, and submarines:
-Casually travels through a door (Strange Adventures #206)
-Goes through the hull of a ship (Aquaman Vol. 1 #50)
-Phased his hands through Swamp Thing and Dr. Pramble to disable their telepathic link to each other (Challengers of the Unknown #78)
-Can phase only certain parts of his body like his head through solid objects (Adventure Comics #460)
-Goes right through the Gotham City sewers (Blackest Knight: Batman #2)
Dimensional Travel:
-Can travel in halfway points between Heaven, Hell and Beyond itself (Saga of the Swamp Thing Vol. 2 Book Four Part 2)
-Took the spirit of Albert Yeats to Heaven (Batman/Deadman: Death and Glory)
-Traveled to the Antimatter universe, though he possessed Flash’s body to do so (Deadman: Dead Again #1)
-Can fly so precisely it looks like he is riding in a car when really he is floating mid-air (Justice League Dark Vol. 1 #3)
-Moves between what appears to be multiple realms to access the House of Mystery, of which Deadman says exists at the crossroads of time and space…even though he doesn’t know what that means (Justice League Dark Vol. 1 #30, 33)
-Was able to reach Wonder Woman when she was sent to Valhalla, the afterlife of Asgard which exists in the Sphere of Gods (Wonder Woman Vol. 1 #772)
-Able to traverse through the Sphere of Gods (Wonder Woman Vol. 1 #774)
Invisibility:
Duplication:
Deadman is capable of duplication due to the fact that his soul is really a reflection of his own imagination, thus he can take any form of which he pleases, such as making an army of Deadmen. By splitting himself into a dozen Deadmen, they were able to take out a fleet of time gremlins. (Justice League Dark Vol. 1 #39)
Regeneration:
Deadman is capable of shaping himself in any way, giving his psyche a vague form of regenerative abilities.
-After being disintegrated in an ectoplasmic cage made by Vikar, was capable of regenerating in the span of potentially a few hours (Justice League Dark Vol. 1 #17) [Shown Above]
-Regenerated having his arm mutilated and his chest ripped apart (Deadman (2018) #2)
Enhanced Senses:
Deadman’s connection to the living and dead have given him the ability to sense the natural order of life and death occur, giving him inferences and insights to the spirits who come and go, or to the spirits who overstay their welcome:
-Could feel the resurrection of Black Lanterns across the planet Earth, showing he can sense souls re-entering their old bodies (Blackest Knight: Batman #1) [Shown Above]
-Can sense the mental status of a spirit (Justice League Dark Vol. 1 #18)
-Was able to sense all of the magic of the universe being used through him when Wonder Woman took hold of Pandora’s Box (Justice League Dark Vol. 1 #23)
-Can sense where people have died (Wonder Woman Vol. 1 #784)
Memory Manipulation:
Deadman has shown the ability to affect what goes on in the mind when he possesses them, as the mind and everything in it are all presently before him. He can manipulate memories in various ways such as viewing them, selecting them, using them for information, or even outright removing them if he so pleases.
-Enters the mind of a woman named Annabelle, flying past her speeding thoughts, capable of making shortcuts to certain parts of the brain (Adventure Comics #464)
-Can enter memories of the past when possessing someone (Deadman Vol. 3 #1)
-Was able to comb out the history of a body he possesses through their memories (The Flash Vol. 4 #28)
-Entering the mind allows Deadman to view memories play out in front of him (Deadman: Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love #1)
-Can view the memories of other astral beings, such as Adelia Ruskin, learning about her past and unfortunate murder (Deadman: Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love #2)
-By possessing Nathan Delamere, learned his true identity as Edward Ruskin, the murderer of his wife Adelia (Deadman: Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love #3)
-Could move freely through Insomnia’s past memories (Knight Terrors Vol. 1 #1)
-Remotely connected his mind to Insomnia’s despite not possessing him, demonstrating a tether or connection Deadman has with people he has possessed in the past (Knight Terrors Vol. 1 #3)
Mental Manipulation:
Deadman has shown a few other ways of manipulating what goes on in the mind:
-Can form mental links with those he touches to detect mystic energy or a strong psyche (The Phantom Stranger #40)
-Can enter the visions of others (Brightest Day Aftermath: The Search for Swamp Thing #3)
-Can tune into telepathic/mental conversations (Aquaman Vol. 15 #50)
-Could force John Constantine to talk while possessing him, showing he can mind control those he possesses (Constantine: The Hellblazer Vol. 1 #11)
Astral Projection:
Sleep Manipulation:
While on an airplane, Deadman was able to cast a dark immersion over the passengers that made them fall asleep.
Resistances:
Hypnosis: Resisted hypnosis from a depth crab in the ‘Noplace’ dimension, albeit he was physical in this dimension. (Aquaman Vol. 1 #51)
Poison & Toxins: Fights off a killer fungus virus within a professor by literally attacking it via possession (Challengers of the Unknown #84)
Soul Manipulation: Endures torture from a psionically engineered torture device on Apokolips, enough time for it to weaken allowing him to escape unlike Lobo’s astral form (Lobo/Deadman: The Brave and the Bald)
Battlefield Removal: Felix Faust sent Deadman away to the land of the dead, but Deadman was able to return back despite the trip back somewhat tiring him out (Justice League Dark Vol. 1 #11)
Transmutation: Was able to instantly revert himself from being transmuted into a pig from Dr. Spider’s Omphalo machine (Bug! The Adventures of Forager Vol. 1 #4)
Anti-Feats:
-His spirit is vulnerable to a device that could turn thought into solid matter (Adventure Comics #463)
-Lobo’s ‘spook collector’ does him in (Lobo/Deadman: The Brave and the Bald)
-Neron erased Deadman’s memory of their encounter (Deadman: Dead Again #5)
-After being caught in a false vision of Nada Parbat, Deadman’s body begins to melt, as a reflection of his current unstable mental state (Justice League Dark Vol. 1 #33)
Equipment:
White Lantern Ring:
-Allows him to breathe in space and fly (Brightest Day #0)
-Summons a construct army of those resurrected by the White Lantern Battery to fight against the Anti-Monitor, blasting him with white light (Brightest Day #3)
–Later tanks one of his antimatter blasts
–Boston himself said the Anti-Monitor is a universe eater, (the panel in the comic before literally lists that as his power) despite being weakened after the events of Blackest Knight
-Resurrected a dead baby bird (Brightest Day #4)
-The upper limits of his resurrection abilities seem to indicate he can’t bring people back from the dead who are already contempt or at peace with being in the afterlife (Brightest Day #5)
-Implied that the ring can allow teleportation, though for Boston it seems to be a lot more erratic and placed based on what the ring requires of him (Brightest Day #6)
Weaknesses:
Deadman lacks a physical body, and his interactions with the world of the living are usually through the bodies he possesses. And on the contrary, certain bodies he can possess can weigh him down in using his power, as he is susceptible to said bodies’ limitations, and if it is in poor enough shape, it can affect his acrobatic abilities. His possession is also not impossible to overcome, as people with enough magic or mental fortitude have forced him out of his body before.
Who Should Deadman Fight?
Comments
Post a Comment