Friday, September 5, 2008

Blockbuster


Mark Desmond was a scientist experimenting with steroids who turned himself into a giant, stupid, super-strong man/monster called Blockbuster. His brother Roland, an aspiring criminal, cared for Mark and manipulated him into criminal acts. Batman eventually stopped Blockbuster, who was recruited into Amanda Waller's Suicide Squad, and eventually died.

Later, Roland Desmond fell ill and took a steroid treatment not unlike his brother's and underwent the same transformation. Unhappy with his condition's effect on his mind, the new Blockbuster struck a deal with Neron, the DC Universe's version of the devil, and Roland gained the intellect to match his strength and ambition. He went to Bludhaven, the city protected by Nightwing (Dick Grayson, formerly Robin), and took over the criminal underworld there.

Eventually Roland Desmond died too, and a third Blockbuster emerged in the crossover series 52, but he wasn't even tangentialy a Batman enemy.

Pros: He's a big scary strong guy. And steroids are a significant cultural issue, so maybe there's some relevance to a story with Blockbuster. Roland Desmond, despite being a superstrong albino, is basically a mobster, which fits perfectly with the movies.

Cons: Mark Desmond isn't much more than Dr. Jeckyll permanently turning into Mr. Hyde. Roland Desmond's a more interesting character, but is more of a Nightwing enemy than a Batman one. And there are far more significant and more iconic big scary strong enemies for Batman to face.

How I'd do it: Personally, I'd probably use Roland Desmond to borrow good ideas from Spider-Man and Daredevil stories (like this) featuring the Kingpin. Ignore the steroids and the superhuman strength, and just make him a very large, very strong man in a fancy mobster suit.

Casting Guesses: Another one where a wrestler might be the best choice, and I don't follow wrestling.

Verdict: He won't be a featured villain, no chance there. The first Blockbuster was a pretty minor villain, and the second barely ever fought Batman. But naming some strong guy Blockbuster (or Desmond) is certainly a possibility. Heck, you could retroactively name Tiny Lister's Dark Knight character Blockbuster.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

This guy's a Nightwing villain, not a Batman villain. And to link Nightwing into it, you would have to start with the whole Dick Grayson thing

Bill said...

The first Blockbuster originated in Detective Comics, and was a Batman & Robin foe.