Created by: Alex Simmons and Dwayne Turner
1st appearance: Batman: Orpheus Rising #1, 2001
Nationality: American
Team Affiliations: none
Legal Status: Unknown
Height: 5’10 Weight: 220
Eyes: Brown Hair: Black
Relatives: Unnamed Parents (deceased)
Skills and abilities: Accomplished dancer, singer, martial artist, tactician, and leader.
Powers: His costume grants him enhanced resistance to injury. The gauntlets possesses short retractable claws on the knuckles, the ability to fire projectiles. It also has sonic emitters, holographic projectors
Biography
Gavin was born to an ex-dancer mother and ex-soldier turned T.V sports producer. He never quite fit into the mold of “young black man”, instead of shooting hoops an roaming the streets he danced and excelled at academics. After his habits made him the target of bullies his parents enrolled him in martial arts. To him it was another dance and he excelled at it. After High school he joined a dance troupe and toured the world. His travels lead to a life changing experience as poverty, sickness and injustice were all around him. He tried to make a difference but was almost killed. This caught the attention of an organization trying to protect the innocent and save the world. They trained him extensively in martial arts and gave him a custom made power suit to aid him in battle.
With his training complete he returned to his home town of Gotham City. In a bid to fight crime and give the Black People of Gotham a symbol he became Orpheus, Gotham’s socially conscious superhero. He helped minimize drug and gun traffic in his district even though Batman considered him a “wild card”. The assassin Onyx became his bodyguard as they made a difference all over Gotham as symbols for the Black Community.
Orpheus is eventually killed by Black Mask during “War Games”.
Now this is a character that deserved better than what he got. Gotham’s first black superhero, and he winds up with his throat slit and killed off and barely even remembered to this day.
http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=788827&GSub=19231
Never heard of this guy, now I’ll be ebaying this series.
He had so much potential. What a waste.
I hate how overnight he went from a highly skilled agent of a secret organization, to an incompetent bat stooge who needed a bodyguard. Then he was was so easily taken out. Come on he was a martial arts master able to go toe to toe with Batman . Some two bit crime lord was able to get the drop on him?
So DC “fridged” a great character just to make Batman even more angsty/broody. Why not? They do it with everyone when it comes to them having dealings with Bruce.