Shade (character)
Shade | |
---|---|
Tony Harris. | |
Publication information | |
Publisher | DC Comics |
First appearance | Flash Comics #33 (September 1942) |
Created by | Gardner Fox Harold Wilson Sharp |
In-story information | |
Alter ego | Richard Swift |
Team affiliations | Injustice Society |
Notable aliases | "Dicky" "Mr. Black" "Louie" Immortal Wielder of Shadows |
Abilities |
|
The Shade (Richard Swift) is a
Though portrayed in Silver Age comics as a thief with a cane that could manipulate shadows, the character was reinvented in 1994 as a morally ambiguous Victorian-era immortal who gained the ability to manipulate shadows and immortality from an unexplained mystical event. In 2009, the Shade was ranked as IGN's 89th-greatest villain of all time.[4]
The Shade appeared as a major character from the season 1 finale onwards in Stargirl, played by Jonathan Cake.[5]
Character inspiration
Shade got a solo series in late 2011,[6] written by Robinson and drawn by Cully Hamner, which dealt with Shade and his descendants, flashing back to various points in his life as he travelled the globe trying to find who is behind a plot to kill him.
Fictional character biography
The 'Shade' draws his alias from Dante Alighieri's epic poem
Pre-Crisis
The Shade was introduced in Flash Comics #33, as a villain for the original Flash, Jay Garrick. He was portrayed in his first and only Golden Age appearance as a thief with a machine that caused darkness by removing light-reflecting dust particles;[7] in later Silver Age stories he instead used a magical cane which could manipulate shadows. He fought both Garrick and the second Flash, Barry Allen. He was a member of several supervillain teams, including the Injustice Society. Shade was one of three villains used for the first meeting of the two heroes in the famous "Flash of Two Worlds"[2] story, which reintroduced the Golden Age Flash to the Silver Age. He was jailed along with the Wizard and the Fiddler.[8]
In the "Crisis on Earth-S" story,
Post-Crisis
The Shade returned in print in 1986, as a member of the Wizard's new incarnation of the Injustice Society. The Shade's next appearance was in a flashback story in Secret Origins #50 (1989), which presented a post-Crisis retelling of "Flash of Two Worlds".
Post-Zero Hour
After Zero Hour, the Shade's origin was changed drastically. The Shade was
Decades later, Swift is ambushed by Rupert Ludlow, one of the surviving twins. Rupert and his sister have been plotting revenge for years, going so far as to raise their children as future assassins. Though grievously injured, Swift manages to kill Ludlow, as his shadow power has made him both immortal and resistant to injury. Afterward, he leaves England and starts a career as an adventurer/assassin/observer on life, which spans whole continents and leads him to many adventures. While traveling, he meets Brian Savage (
During all of the Shade's escapades, he is pursued by the Ludlows, whom he kills by the dozens. He is nearly killed by one Ludlow, Marguerite Croft, when he falls in love with her in Paris during the 1930s. She tries to kill Shade with poison, but is unsuccessful. Shade survives and is forced to kill Marguerite when she confesses that though she loves him, her loyalty to her family would force her to make more attempts on his life. This leaves Shade with a sense of general depression and the feeling he could never love again. Because of this and the death of Brian Savage, he resumes his activities as an assassin.[12]
During
When the Flash retires in the 1950s, a new hero called the Spider takes his place. Shade investigates the Spider's background and discovers he is both a criminal (using his role to get rid of the competition) and a Ludlow by birth. Ludlow's move to Keystone City was part of his plan to kill the Shade. Shade instead kills the Spider, and rescues Flash and his wife from a murder attempt.[13]
During the 1960s, Shade briefly teams up with Doctor Fate to take down one of Culp's criminal ventures, a mystic organization called the Wise Fools, who wished to repeat the ritual that created him by summoning a wild, uncontrolled bubble of shadow (actually Culp's shadow, separated from the Shade by Culp). Unaware that Culp's consciousness is actually within the Shade, he and Dr. Fate destroy the Wise Fools operation and throw the bubble into an empty dimension (where it continues to grow in power and size). This was all part of Culp's larger plan, one which almost culminates in the destruction of Opal City.[14]
Starman (vol. 2)
Much of the Shade's past is revealed through journal entries included in the Starman comics, including the
Shade has an active part in an adventure of Jack's involving a demon hidden within a poster that can snatch innocent people and drag them into Hell. Shade does not like Merritt, the human guardian of the poster, who has gained immortality for his protection of it, and was the inspiration for Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. In a fight for possession of the poster, Matt O'Dare is dragged within and Shade follows. Inside the poster, Shade, Jack and Matt separately agree to sell their souls in exchange for the liberation of all the souls contained within. The demon, unable to accept a selfless deal, is forced to release everyone (but takes Merritt's soul instead). Matt decides to turn over a new leaf and put his crooked past behind him. Shade assists him in his efforts, while influenced by the revelation that O'Dare is the reincarnated lawman Scalphunter, who happens to be an old friend.[17]
A particularly important point in the life of Shade comes when he meets the demon-lord
Over the years the Ludlow attacks have dwindled. This lasts until the wife of the last Ludlow calls him to talk her husband out of attempting an attack that would certainly cost him his life. Shade talks Ludlow out of pursuing his family's vendetta, burying a legacy of hate that has lasted more than 150 years.[19]
Another notable point during the series' run came when the
At various times, Culp is able to take control over or subtly influence Shade. At one point, Culp takes full control to talk to Jack, in the process making a mistake about the name of a Wilde story. Around the time Jack returns from space in the "Stars, My Destination" story arc, Culp is able to assume full control over Shade's body for an extended period of time and imprison or neutralize most of Opal City's heroes in a bid to loot and destroy Opal - with seemingly no motive other than to destroy what Shade loves most. Gathering an army of villains whom Jack has battled over the course of the series, Culp absorbs Shade's powers, in addition to the shadow force Shade and Dr. Fate had exiled decades before, to cast a spell allowing him to trap Opal City in an impenetrable bubble of shadow and force a confrontation with the city's heroes. Many of the supervillains helping Culp have been gathered by either Neron, the still-vengeful daughter of the Mist, or one of the last Ludlows in existence: the son of the false hero the Spider. This story is the climax of the series, told in the "Grand Guignol" story arc.
Shade eventually is able to cast out Culp, while losing his shadow powers in the process. However, Culp underestimates the Shade, and is tricked into allowing a small shadow imp loyal to Shade to be absorbed into his own shadow, leading to a battle of wills in which Shade draws all the darkness into himself, leaving Culp powerless. Culp attempts to buy his freedom by threatening the younger Mist, but is killed by the elder Mist. This is a turning point for Shade, as he now has freedom of choice, and is able to decide whether he wishes to remain a villain or become a true hero. He is present at the final showdown with the Mist and leaves the building with Ralph Dibny, Jack and Theo Kyle Knight.[21]
Post-Starman (vol. 2)
Since the end of the Starman (vol. 2) series, the Shade has made cameo appearances in several comic series, including
He shows up in Robinson's
During the
Shortly after the events of "Blackest Night", the Shade is approached by Hal Jordan and Barry Allen, and he takes them to the Ghost Zone where they find the rotting corpse of Prometheus.[26]
During
Shade's disappearance is explained shortly after this, when it is revealed that he had been captured and brainwashed by
The New 52
In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, a 12-issue series has the Shade survive an assassination attempt, then travel the world to uncover the people behind it. Along the way he deals with his past before the shadows, as well as the encounters he had with his descendants through the years. It is also explained how he first met Culp, and exactly how he gained the shadow powers.[32]
DC Rebirth
In 2016, DC Comics implemented another relaunch of its books called "
Possible futures
During the Starman story arc "Stars, My Destination"
Starman Annual #1 shows a possible future for Shade as the protector of a Utopian planet thousands of years from the present. As with the current Shade, he enjoys telling tales of his past. The planet's technology and possibly the planet itself seemed to be made almost entirely out of Cosmic Rod technology inspired by Starman and his legacy.
Powers and abilities
Shade is, at present, one of the best, if not the ultimate, channeler of the power of the Shadowlands, which is a quasi-sentient, extra-dimensional mass of malleable darkness. He can use it for many effects, both as an absence of light and a solid substance: he can summon and control "demons", project as shields and conjure areas of complete darkness, create all kinds of constructs out of shadows, transport himself and others through it over great distances, and can use it as a prison dimension. The darkness itself can be dispelled by sufficiently bright blasts of light or energy. Eventually, his experience with the shadows allows him to create corridors through time. The shadows have also granted Shade agelessness and immortality. Dr. Fate once remarked that even the Spectre would have serious difficulty dealing with the Shade, possibly due to the origin of his powers (the former realm of a divine entity on par with God).[34] He is heavily resistant to damage, as seen when a demolition bomb falls on him, leaving him only slightly dazed. Even with his heart torn out of his chest by Black Lantern David Knight, he remained alive and unable to die.
His only weakness (if it can be called such) is the fact that if he loses his shadow, he becomes vulnerable. However, this can only occur if a survivor from the same event in 1838 drains him of it, or in the event of a light strong enough to completely surround him to the point that he is unable to cast a shadow. Prometheus was briefly able to stun Shade with a brief burst of light.
Other versions
- On Earth-33, there is a magician called Shade, with the same powers as the main universe Shade. He is a member of the League of Shamans.[35]
- The Shade (possibly of Earth-11.[36]
In other media
Television
- The Shade, based on the Silver Age comics incarnation, appears in series set in the DC Animated Universe (DCAU), voiced by Stephen McHattie.[37]
- He first appears in Injustice Gang and Gorilla Grodd's Secret Society.
- In Justice League Unlimited, Shade makes non-speaking appearances as a member of Grodd's new Secret Society, which is later taken over by Luthor. When Grodd mounts a mutiny to retake control, Shade sides with him, only to be killed by Darkseid along with most of the Society.
- He first appears in
- Shade appears in League of Shadows, though he later leaves them in the episode "I Know Why the Caged Cat Sings" as a favor to Cheshire and goes freelance.
- An unidentified, original incarnation of the Shade appears in a self-titled episode of The Flash, portrayed by Mike McLeod. This version possesses the power to vibrate his body into a giant shadow of varying length, which he acquired from Doctor Alchemy.
- The Shade appears in Cindy Burman from the Shadowlands and defeat Eclipso. In the third season, Shade helps Stargirl and Pat Dugan reunite Jennie-Lynn Hayden and Todd Ricebefore taking the latter under his wing. Ten years later, Shade finds work as a tour guide at a JSA museum.
Video games
The Shade appears as a playable character in Lego DC Super-Villains, voiced by Christopher Swindle.[37]
References
- ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
- ^ a b Vibber, Kelson (May 16, 2007). "The Shade". Retrieved 2008-03-19.
- ^ Harris, Tony, Starman, DC Comics, 1994
- ^ Shade is number 89 Archived 2009-05-09 at the Wayback Machine IGN. Retrieved 10-05-09
- ^ Petski, Denise (26 October 2020). "'Stargirl' Casts Nick Tarabay & Jonathan Cake As Eclipso & The Shade, Adds Ysa Penarejo As Recurring". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
- ^ "Emerald City Comic-Con: The DC Nation Panel - ComicsAlliance | Comics culture, news, humor, commentary, and reviews". ComicsAlliance. 2011-01-20. Archived from the original on 2011-01-03. Retrieved 2011-01-28.
- ^ Hibbard, E.E.; Fox, Gardner (1942). ""The Man Who Commanded The Night!"". Flash Comics #33. DC Comics. pp. 1–13.
- ISBN 978-1-4654-8578-6.
- ^ Justice League of America #136. DC Comics.
- ^ The Shade miniseries #1 (DC Comics, 1997). DC Comics.
- ^ The Shade #2 (1997). DC Comics.
- ^ The Shade #3 (1997). DC Comics.
- ^ Starman vol. 2 #46 (1997). DC Comics.
- ^ Showcase #4–5 (1996). DC Comics.
- ^ Starman vol. 2 #0–6 (1997). DC Comics.
- ^ Starman vol. 2 #11, 18, 28, 36, 42, 44, 46, 54 and 74 (1997). DC Comics.
- ^ Starman vol. 2 #24–26, 41 (1997). DC Comics.
- ^ Showcase '95 #12 (1995). DC Comics.
- ^ The Shade #4 (1997). DC Comics.
- ^ Starman vol. 2 #30–33 (1997). DC Comics.
- ^ Starman vol. 2 #61–73 (1997). DC Comics.
- ^ Justice League: Cry For Justice #5. DC Comics.
- ^ Justice League of America (vol. 2) #42 (February 2010). DC Comics.
- ^ Justice League: Cry for Justice #7 (March 2010). DC Comics.
- ^ Starman (vol. 2) #81. DC Comics.
- ^ Justice League: The Rise and Fall Special. DC Comics.
- ^ Justice Society of America (vol. 3) #41. DC Comics.
- ^ Starman/Congorilla #1. DC Comics.
- ^ Justice League of America (vol. 2) #54. DC Comics.
- ^ Justice League of America (vol. 2) #58. DC Comics.
- ^ Justice League of America (vol. 2) #59. DC Comics.
- ^ The Shade vol. 2 #1-12. DC Comics.
- ^ The Flash vol. 5 #12. DC Comics.
- ^ Showcase '96 #4. DC Comics.
- ^ Countdown to Adventure #1. DC Comics.
- ^ Countdown: Arena #1. DC Comics.
- ^ a b c "Voice of Shade". Behind the Voice Actors. Retrieved December 15, 2019. Check marks indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sources.
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: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - ^ Petski, Denise (October 26, 2020). "'Stargirl' Casts Nick Tarabay & Jonathan Cake As Eclipso & The Shade, Adds Ysa Penarejo As Recurring". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 26, 2020.