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Captain Dynamo (comics)
Encyclopedia
Captain Dynamo is a fictional comic book
superhero
, created by writer Jay Faerber
and artist Fran Bueno, who first appeared as a supporting character in Noble Causes: Extended Family
#2 (June 2004) by Image Comics
.
Captain Dynamo was killed by the assassin Widowmaker in Noble Causes #18 (March 2006), and now serves as a posthumous background concept in the monthly series Dynamo 5
. Patterned in the vein of the Superman
archetype, Captain Dynamo was the powerful primary protector of Tower City, and considered by his peers and benefactors to be “the greatest super-hero in the world.” His death threatened to leave Tower City vulnerable to his legion of super-villain enemies, so his widow, Madeline “Maddie” Warner, tracked down and assembled five illegitimate children fathered by Dynamo to carry on his legacy as the Dynamo 5, as seen in Dynamo 5 #1 (January 2007).
, a former agent of a government superhero monitoring organization known as F.L.A.G., who used the cover of an award-winning investigative journalist, now retired. Dynamo had five superhuman abilities: flight, super strength, telepathy
, shapeshifting
, and laser vision
, and maintained a secret headquarters beneath an industrial pier.
Dynamo was killed in 2006 by the assassin Widowmaker, who was presumably hired by one of his enemies. Dynamo was eventually found dead, naked in a hotel bed, the cause of death attributed to some type of poison on his lips, though the details of his death were not released to the public. Warner suspected that he did not find himself in that position of his own accord, but was placed in it by his murderer in order to embarrass him. His death caused an outpouring of grief in the Image universe superhero community, all or most of which was in attendance at his funeral, including the Savage Dragon
, Shadowhawk II
, and Invincible
. In sorting through his personal effects, Warner discovered his little black book, which was filled with detailed information on countless incidents of infidelity on his part. Although devastated by the extent of her late husband’s indiscretions, Warner was faced with the problem of Dynamo’s numerous enemies, who would now take advantage of Tower City in his absence. Although other superheroes attempted to pitch in to keep the peace, Warner decided that Tower City needed a permanent protector.
Scouring through the information she gleaned from her husband’s belongings, she located five young people she believed could be his illegitimate children: Vancouver
, British Columbia
high school geek
Hector Chang
, Washington DC law student and activist Olivia “Livvie” Lewis
, aimless womanizer Spencer Bridges
, Hollywood, California theater employee and NYU Film School
graduate Bridget Flynn
, and Eastbridge, Texas high school football star Gage Reinhart
. Gathering them together, Warner exposed the five to the same radiation that Dynamo had been exposed to forty years earlier, unlocking their own latent superhuman abilities, with each one manifesting one of the five powers that their father possessed. Donning costumes to conceal their identities, the five of them carry on his legacy as the superhero team the Dynamo 5, while coming to terms with learning about the father they never knew, and the four new half-siblings they each now have. Although the five are unaware that Warner is a former agent of F.L.A.G., she is determined to mold them not only into a team, but into a family as well, and functions as their mentor and “unofficial sixth member”, calling the shots from the same headquarters once used by Captain Dynamo, and keeping in constant remote contact with them during their missions.
Dynamo's philandering even extended to his treatment of super criminals, including his archenemy, Chrysalis. In Dynamo 5 Annual #1 (April 2008), Dynamo discovers that Tog-Mar the Living Landscape, an immense monster, was made to attack a city as a diversion while Chrysalis attempts to rob a nearby bank. While Dynamo foils her heist, he allows her to escape, and confirms their meeting later that night, right before Warner and her partner, Augie Ford, arrive at the bank. Warner eventually discovered the truth about her husband's affairs after his death, including a number of illegitimate children he fathered. In Dynamo 5 #6, Chrysalis reveals that Dynamo never "caught" her because of their affair, although they often had arguments over her career as a criminal. She also reveals that Dynamo fathered her daughter, Cynthia, who inherited all of Dynamo's powers, and goes by the code name Synergy. According to Chyrsalis, Dynamo was a presence in Synergy's life, and led a second life behind Warner's back as he helped to raise her.
Dynamo even fathered a child with an alien woman that he had met in outer space, after coming to the aid of her malfunctioning starship
. Because of the taboo of raising a half-breed
on her world, she came to Earth to give custody of their son to Dynamo. Because he viewed the child as a threat to his marriage, he left the infant at a F.L.A.G. research facility, where the child grew up without parents. When he began to bond with Dr. Bridges, one of the scientists there, the two were separated, and Dynamo refused Bridges' pleas to free the boy from the facility. Although Bridges smuggled the boy, who adopted the name Spencer Bridges
, out of the facility, she knew she could not raise him in secret, and he instead grew up in an orphanage and a series of foster homes. Because of this, Spencer views Dynamo as "an enormous hypocrite and a horrible husband".
Captain Dynamo had five known superhuman abilities, the result of exposure forty years earlier to an unidentified form of radiation. The full extent of these abilities is unknown, however a clue to this may lie in his five children, who each inherited one of his powers genetically from him. Whether their manifestation of his powers exactly mirrors his own or exceeds them, however, is unclear.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
, created by writer Jay Faerber
Jay Faerber
Jay Faerber is an American comic book and television writer. Faerber is known for his work on Generation X and New Warriors for Marvel Comics, and The Titans and Connor: Spotlight for DC Comics. He later wrote his own creator-owned titles for Image Comics, including Noble Causes, Dynamo 5 and Near...
and artist Fran Bueno, who first appeared as a supporting character in Noble Causes: Extended Family
Noble Causes
Noble Causes is an American comic book series created and written by Jay Faerber, illustrated by a variety of artists and published by Image Comics....
#2 (June 2004) by Image Comics
Image Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
.
Captain Dynamo was killed by the assassin Widowmaker in Noble Causes #18 (March 2006), and now serves as a posthumous background concept in the monthly series Dynamo 5
Dynamo 5
Dynamo 5 is a fictional comic book superhero team created by writer Jay Faerber and artist Mahmud A. Asrar, which appears in an eponymous series published by Image Comics. The team first appeared in Dynamo 5 #1 . The monthly series ended with issue #25...
. Patterned in the vein of the Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
archetype, Captain Dynamo was the powerful primary protector of Tower City, and considered by his peers and benefactors to be “the greatest super-hero in the world.” His death threatened to leave Tower City vulnerable to his legion of super-villain enemies, so his widow, Madeline “Maddie” Warner, tracked down and assembled five illegitimate children fathered by Dynamo to carry on his legacy as the Dynamo 5, as seen in Dynamo 5 #1 (January 2007).
Fictional character biography
William Warner was born in 1954. Little is known about his origin as a superhero, aside from the fact that he was the much-beloved protector of Tower City for forty years following his exposure to an unidentified form of radiation that granted him superhuman abilities, and husband of Maddie WarnerMaddie Warner
Madeline “Maddie” Warner is a fictional comic book character, the mentor and leader of the superhero team Dynamo 5, who appears in the monthly series of the same name by Image Comics. Created by writer Jay Faerber, Warner first appeared in Dynamo 5 #1 .-Character history:Madeline Warner was born...
, a former agent of a government superhero monitoring organization known as F.L.A.G., who used the cover of an award-winning investigative journalist, now retired. Dynamo had five superhuman abilities: flight, super strength, telepathy
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
, shapeshifting
Shapeshifting
Shapeshifting is a common theme in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. It is also found in epic poems, science fiction literature, fantasy literature, children's literature, Shakespearean comedy, ballet, film, television, comics, and video games...
, and laser vision
Laser Vision
Laser Vision is a Bangladeshi record label.-Laser Vision :Laser Vision Dhaka-Bangladesh is involved in core business of distribution of copyrights licensed quality television programs, recording artists and full-length Bengali feature films released on DVD, VCD, CDs, Audio/Video Magnetic tapes and...
, and maintained a secret headquarters beneath an industrial pier.
Dynamo was killed in 2006 by the assassin Widowmaker, who was presumably hired by one of his enemies. Dynamo was eventually found dead, naked in a hotel bed, the cause of death attributed to some type of poison on his lips, though the details of his death were not released to the public. Warner suspected that he did not find himself in that position of his own accord, but was placed in it by his murderer in order to embarrass him. His death caused an outpouring of grief in the Image universe superhero community, all or most of which was in attendance at his funeral, including the Savage Dragon
Savage Dragon
Savage Dragon is an ongoing American comic book series created by Erik Larsen, published by Image Comics and taking place in the Image Universe. The comic features the adventures of a superheroic police officer named the Dragon...
, Shadowhawk II
Shadowhawk
ShadowHawk is a fictional comic book vigilante anti-hero created by Jim Valentino.He was first introduced in the Malibu Sun free promotional magazine in May of 1992...
, and Invincible
Invincible (comics)
Invincible is a superhero in the . Created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Cory Walker, the character first appeared in Tech Jacket #1 , before graduating to his own self-titled regular series in 2003, as a title in Image's then-new superhero line.Invincible is the teenaged son of Omni-Man, an...
. In sorting through his personal effects, Warner discovered his little black book, which was filled with detailed information on countless incidents of infidelity on his part. Although devastated by the extent of her late husband’s indiscretions, Warner was faced with the problem of Dynamo’s numerous enemies, who would now take advantage of Tower City in his absence. Although other superheroes attempted to pitch in to keep the peace, Warner decided that Tower City needed a permanent protector.
Scouring through the information she gleaned from her husband’s belongings, she located five young people she believed could be his illegitimate children: Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
high school geek
Geek
The word geek is a slang term, with different meanings ranging from "a computer expert or enthusiast" to "a carnival performer who performs sensationally morbid or disgusting acts", with a general pejorative meaning of "a peculiar or otherwise dislikable person, esp[ecially] one who is perceived to...
Hector Chang
Visionary (comics)
Hector Chang is a fictional comic book superhero, a member of the superhero team Dynamo 5, which appears in the monthly series of the same name from Image Comics. Created by writer Jay Faerber and artist Mahmud A...
, Washington DC law student and activist Olivia “Livvie” Lewis
Slingshot (comics)
Olivia “Livvie” Lewis) is a fictional comic book superhero, a member of the superhero team Dynamo 5, which appears in the monthly series of the same name from Image Comics. Created by writer Jay Faerber and artist Mahmud A...
, aimless womanizer Spencer Bridges
Myriad (Image Comics)
Spencer Bridges is a fictional comic book superhero, a member of the superhero team Dynamo 5, which appears in the monthly series of the same name from Image Comics. Created by writer Jay Faerber and artist Mahmud A. Asrar, He first appeared in Dynamo 5 #1...
, Hollywood, California theater employee and NYU Film School
Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts is one of the 15 schools that make up New York University ....
graduate Bridget Flynn
Scrap (comics)
Bridget Flynn is a fictional comic book superhero, a member of the superhero team Dynamo 5, which appears in the monthly series of the same name from Image Comics. Created by writer Jay Faerber and artist Mahmud A...
, and Eastbridge, Texas high school football star Gage Reinhart
Scatterbrain (comics)
Gage Reinhart is a fictional comic book superhero, a member of the superhero team Dynamo 5, which appears in the monthly series of the same name from Image Comics. Created by writer Jay Faerber and artist Mahmud A...
. Gathering them together, Warner exposed the five to the same radiation that Dynamo had been exposed to forty years earlier, unlocking their own latent superhuman abilities, with each one manifesting one of the five powers that their father possessed. Donning costumes to conceal their identities, the five of them carry on his legacy as the superhero team the Dynamo 5, while coming to terms with learning about the father they never knew, and the four new half-siblings they each now have. Although the five are unaware that Warner is a former agent of F.L.A.G., she is determined to mold them not only into a team, but into a family as well, and functions as their mentor and “unofficial sixth member”, calling the shots from the same headquarters once used by Captain Dynamo, and keeping in constant remote contact with them during their missions.
Personality
While Captain Dynamo boasted a public image as the greatest superhero in the world, in private, he was a habitual womanizer who cheated on his wife, Maddie Warner, and fathered numerous children, even when it compromised his crime-fighting duties. In his first appearance in Noble Causes: Extended Family #2, he attends the wedding anniversary of Race Noble, the son of Dynamo's friend of twenty years, Doc Noble, and Race's wife, Elizabeth "Liz" Donnelly-Noble. After Dynamo hits on Liz, and ignores her polite lack of interest, she loudly rebuffs him publicly, causing him to become violent. After he is subdued by other superheroes present, his violent behavior is discovered to be the result of the influence of an extraterrestrial parasite that emerges from Dynamo's mouth. After the parasite is neutralized, Liz tells Dynamo that she knows that he was not under the creature's influence when he hit on her, and that while he may continue his public façade, she would not forget his behavior.Dynamo's philandering even extended to his treatment of super criminals, including his archenemy, Chrysalis. In Dynamo 5 Annual #1 (April 2008), Dynamo discovers that Tog-Mar the Living Landscape, an immense monster, was made to attack a city as a diversion while Chrysalis attempts to rob a nearby bank. While Dynamo foils her heist, he allows her to escape, and confirms their meeting later that night, right before Warner and her partner, Augie Ford, arrive at the bank. Warner eventually discovered the truth about her husband's affairs after his death, including a number of illegitimate children he fathered. In Dynamo 5 #6, Chrysalis reveals that Dynamo never "caught" her because of their affair, although they often had arguments over her career as a criminal. She also reveals that Dynamo fathered her daughter, Cynthia, who inherited all of Dynamo's powers, and goes by the code name Synergy. According to Chyrsalis, Dynamo was a presence in Synergy's life, and led a second life behind Warner's back as he helped to raise her.
Dynamo even fathered a child with an alien woman that he had met in outer space, after coming to the aid of her malfunctioning starship
Starship
A starship or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between the stars, as opposed to a vehicle designed for orbital spaceflight or interplanetary travel....
. Because of the taboo of raising a half-breed
Half-breed
Half-breed is an historic term used to describe anyone who is mixed Native American and white European parentage...
on her world, she came to Earth to give custody of their son to Dynamo. Because he viewed the child as a threat to his marriage, he left the infant at a F.L.A.G. research facility, where the child grew up without parents. When he began to bond with Dr. Bridges, one of the scientists there, the two were separated, and Dynamo refused Bridges' pleas to free the boy from the facility. Although Bridges smuggled the boy, who adopted the name Spencer Bridges
Myriad (Image Comics)
Spencer Bridges is a fictional comic book superhero, a member of the superhero team Dynamo 5, which appears in the monthly series of the same name from Image Comics. Created by writer Jay Faerber and artist Mahmud A. Asrar, He first appeared in Dynamo 5 #1...
, out of the facility, she knew she could not raise him in secret, and he instead grew up in an orphanage and a series of foster homes. Because of this, Spencer views Dynamo as "an enormous hypocrite and a horrible husband".
Powers
- Flight- Captain Dynamo had the ability to defy gravity and fly through the air. Although he had superhuman strength, his flight ability may have included the ability to generate extra thrust completely apart from this, since his daughter, SlingshotSlingshot (comics)Olivia “Livvie” Lewis) is a fictional comic book superhero, a member of the superhero team Dynamo 5, which appears in the monthly series of the same name from Image Comics. Created by writer Jay Faerber and artist Mahmud A...
), who inherited his flight ability, is able to carry another person while in flight, despite not having inherited her father’s superhuman strength.
- Superhuman strengthSuperhuman strengthSuperhuman strength, also called superstrength, super-strength, or super strength, is an ability commonly employed in fiction. It is the ability for a character to be stronger than humanly possible...
- Captain Dynamo had superhuman strength. The upper limit of this strength is unknown, but the heaviest object he has been observed lifting over his head is a bus. His daughter, Bridget Flynn (who goes by the superhero codename ScrapScrap (comics)Bridget Flynn is a fictional comic book superhero, a member of the superhero team Dynamo 5, which appears in the monthly series of the same name from Image Comics. Created by writer Jay Faerber and artist Mahmud A...
), inherited this power, and appears to be capable of similar strength, as she easily lifted a tank over her head and threw it the length of a city block. This strength also comes with a degree of invulnerability, as Bridget is bulletproof and has resisted various attacks including intense heat, electricity and being frozen in a block of ice. Bridget can also hold her breath for twenty minutes.
- Vision- Captain Dynamo had several vision-related powers, including laser visionLaser VisionLaser Vision is a Bangladeshi record label.-Laser Vision :Laser Vision Dhaka-Bangladesh is involved in core business of distribution of copyrights licensed quality television programs, recording artists and full-length Bengali feature films released on DVD, VCD, CDs, Audio/Video Magnetic tapes and...
, x-ray visionX-Ray VisionIn science fiction stories or superhero comics, X-ray vision is the ability to see through physical objects at the discretion of the holder of this superpower. The most famous possessor of this ability is DC Comics' iconic superhero character, Superman....
, and telescopic mission. With his laser vision, he could project powerful red laserLaserA laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
beams from his eyes. With his x-ray visionX-Ray VisionIn science fiction stories or superhero comics, X-ray vision is the ability to see through physical objects at the discretion of the holder of this superpower. The most famous possessor of this ability is DC Comics' iconic superhero character, Superman....
, he could see through solid objects, and with his telescopic vision, he could see great distances. The upper limit of his various vision powers is unknown, but his son, Hector Chang (who goes by the superhero codename VisionaryVisionary (comics)Hector Chang is a fictional comic book superhero, a member of the superhero team Dynamo 5, which appears in the monthly series of the same name from Image Comics. Created by writer Jay Faerber and artist Mahmud A...
), who inherited this power, is able to use it as an effective weapon in combat to neutralize both human opponents and armored tanks.
- Shape-shifting- Captain Dynamo had the ability to physically alter the shape and form of his body. With this ability, he could alter his face features, his body type, and even the clothes he wore, and appear like anyone he chooses. How extensive or radically he could alter his form is unknown, but he could even alter the apparent size of his body, enabling him to disguise himself, for example, as an obese person. His son, Spencer Bridges (who goes by the superhero codename MyriadMyriad (Image Comics)Spencer Bridges is a fictional comic book superhero, a member of the superhero team Dynamo 5, which appears in the monthly series of the same name from Image Comics. Created by writer Jay Faerber and artist Mahmud A. Asrar, He first appeared in Dynamo 5 #1...
), inherited this power, and when in battle, alters his face to remove all of its facial features in order to hide his identity, though how he can breathe or speak when lacking a nose and mouth is unknown. Bridges also seems to require coming into physical contact with someone in order to copy a specific person (or at least their clothing), as seen in Dynamo 5 #1.
- TelepathyTelepathyTelepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
- Captain Dynamo was a telepath who could psychicPsychicA psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
ally communicate with other people. The precise use of this power on his part are unknown, but it is known that his son, Gage Reinhart (who goes by the superhero codename ScatterbrainScatterbrain (comics)Gage Reinhart is a fictional comic book superhero, a member of the superhero team Dynamo 5, which appears in the monthly series of the same name from Image Comics. Created by writer Jay Faerber and artist Mahmud A...
), initially could only use it to read other people’s minds. He could not use it as an offensive weapon like the X-MenX-MenThe X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
’s Professor XProfessor XProfessor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
, whose telepathy allows him to cause intense pain, render unconsciousness, and even control the actions of an opponent, but he gained this ability when electrocuted by the villain Voltage in Dynamo 5 #5. Whether Captain Dynamo had this ability is unknown. He also cannot read someone’s mind if they are unconscious. However, with concentration, he can sift through the thoughts of the many people around him to remotely track someone’s thoughts by recognizing their brainwave patterns.