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Deadman


Origin - Boston Brand is a ghost; a walking Deadman. He was formerly a circus acrobat who was murdered during a trapeze performance by a mysterious assailant known only as the "Hook". So he could search for his murderer and obtain justice, the Hindu goddess, Rama Kushna, gave his spirit the power to possess any living being. While he was searching for his killer, he felt obliged to help others. He used his power to alter circumstances that benefited the innocent and corrected any wrongdoing. Boston found out the truth about his murder and came to accept his role as one who intervenes in mortals' lives. Over the course of several years, Rama Kushna has had Deadman confront the sorcerer Caldera during multiple times. Due to this, he's altered the fate of the souls of several deceased superheros. Two of them are Flash (Barry Allen) and Robin (Jason Todd). During the Robin incident, he tried to possess the Joker, but was driven out by the man's insanity. The corporeal remains of Boston Brand were raised by a Black Lantern Ring making him one of the Black Lantern Corps. Deadman, having learned of the attempt to possess his corpse, was unable to control its actions and was forced to leave the body due to the agony involved. He did however receive impressions of what was going on in Blackest Night and was able to inform the Lanterns on how to defeat Nekron. He was one of twelve individuals resurrected by the power of the white light, startled to find himself among the living once more. Following the Blackest Night, Boston is now the only person still in possession of a White Lantern ring. The White Entity reveals to Boston that it is dying and his task is to find the chosen one who will take over for the Entity. Boston begins to search for the chosen one with the help of Hank Hall and Dawn Granger, the latter of which Boston falls in love with. While searching for the chosen one, Deadman's ring reaches 100% and transforms him into a White lantern, transporting him to Hawkman and Hawkgirl. The Entity tells them that in order to reclaim their lives, they need to learn to live apart from each other as they value love over life. The couple refuses to be separated again and the Entity says "So be it", reducing them to white dust in front of Deadman's eyes. When the Entity then deposits Firestorm into the Star City forest; he is approached by Deadman demanding that he be given the White Lantern. While Hawk and Dove are transported to the Star City forest by the Entity, the "dark avatar" made his presence known, revealed to be a corrupted Swamp Thing, and the Entity then has Deadman reduce Firestorm into fire and revealed to them that their life-forces are to be part of the elementals, guardians that represent the four elements with the task to protect the Star City forest from the "dark avatar". The Entity then tells them that they must protect the ultimate savior, which is Alec Holland. Within the forest, Captain Boomerang finds Dawn and throws a boomerang at her. Hawk however, fails to catch the boomerang and instead the boomerang is caught by Boston, who ends up dying in the process and used his final act to move his white power ring to Alec Holland transforming him into the new Swamp Thing, allowing him to destroy the corrupted original Swamp Thing and cleanse the Green from Nekron's influence. In the process Boston was once again returned as Deadman with no way of being restored to life again. Leaving him angered as he lost his chance with Dove and that he got "screwed" again for living his life, which was what the Entity was trying to teach him in the first place. Dawn, who had grown to love Boston, is heartbroken. She and Brand share an emotional farewell.

Powers and Abilities - Boston has the ability to possess other living creatures. While doing this, he maintains full control over his target, and can even speak through them. A host body gifted with a particularly willful spirit has been known to exorcise Deadman's presence from their form. Typically whenever Deadman abandons a host form they maintain no knowledge or memory of their actions while possessed. Deadman can only possess one human being at a time. Prolonged attachment to a specific host places Deadman at risk of a permanent bonding; the nature of which has been known to vary from time to time. He cannot be visibly perceived by other human beings. This is an automatic ability, and one that Deadman has no control over. Beings gifted with supernatural prowess (Zatanna for example), may be able to see Deadman's true form. He can pass through anything and everything. This is an automatic ability, and one that Deadman has no control over. He possesses the ability to "fly" between the lands of the living and the lands of the dead. When possessing a human form Deadman is limited by whatever physical restrictions apply to the host body. Deadman is a professional acrobat and gymnast. Deadman possesses the physical strength level of whomever he is possessing at any given moment.

Weaknesses and Limitations - The health and nature of whichever host body he is possessing at the moment may place certain physical limitations on this ability. If Deadman possesses the body of an out of shape, middle-aged man, he will not be able to tumble as dexterously as he would were he in possession of a more athletic specimen.