Baron Blitzkrieg
Baron Blitzkrieg is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, originally residing on Earth-Two.[1] He first appeared in World's Finest Comics #246 (August–September 1977). His first several appearances marked an antagonistic relationship with Wonder Woman and he later faced both the Amazon and Superman towards the end of World War II.[2]
| Baron Blitzkrieg | |
|---|---|
 Baron Blitzkrieg as seen in Young All-Stars #9. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | World's Finest Comics #246 (September 1977) |
| Created by | Gerry Conway Don Heck |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Reiter |
| Team affiliations | Shadowspire Secret Society of Super Villains Black Lantern Corps |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength Heat vision Flight |
Fictional character biography
He is a frequent opponent of the All-Star Squadron, a band of costumed adventurers who fight domestic and foreign menaces during World War II.[3] Baron Blitzkrieg was originally an especially vicious German army officer who was blinded and disfigured when a concentration camp prisoner threw a bottle in his face. German scientists restored his sight but not his appearance. So they experimented on Blitzkrieg, giving him superhuman strength, invulnerability, optical energy beams and the ability to fly. However, each of these abilities are manifested one at a time and only with training is he able to incorporate them together.[4]
Baron Blitzkrieg is the leader of Shadowspire and allied with Vandal Savage's organization known as Symbolix. Together, they incorporate experimental research which produces the superhero Damage. The Baron becomes a recurring foe in Damage's series, starting with issue number three.
During the JSA tie-in to Infinite Crisis, it is revealed that Baron Blitzkrieg has joined the Society. The Philadelphia heroine known as Liberty Belle, who gets her powers from the Liberty Bell, attempts to jumpstart her abilities by ringing the bell. Due to the recent supposed death of Uncle Sam (who later returned in A Brave New World), her powers are unfocused, and Blitzkrieg is thought to have been killed by the sonic shockwaves. He is killed by Superboy-Prime who destroys the Baron's head with heat vision.[5]
Baron Blitzkrieg has been identified as one of the deceased entombed below the Hall of Justice as seen in Blackest Night, and he is revived as a member of the Black Lantern Corps.[6]
He also appeared in Batman: The Widening Gyre by Kevin Smith.
Powers and abilities
Baron Blitzkrieg has enhanced strength, agility and endurance. He wore body armor that offered some protection from physical attack. He has heat vision and he can fly.
The pre-Crisis version of the character could travel between Earth-2 and Earth-X.
Other versions
Flashpoint
In the alternate Flashpoint timeline, Baron Blitzkrieg is killed by Frankenstein with a sword driven through his chest.[7]
In other media
Baron Reiter appears in flashbacks in the fourth season of Arrow, portrayed by Jimmy Akingbola.[8][9] This version is an African individual who grew up in a small village until bandits destroyed it. Though Reiter survived, the event traumatized him and he vowed to never feel that powerless again. After becoming a mercenary and founding Shadowspire, he led them in occupying Lian Yu to find a magical artifact called the Khushu Idol and enslaved people to harvest drugs called "Slam" as a front. After A.R.G.U.S. sent Oliver Queen to Lian Yu to infiltrate Shadowspire and uncover Reiter's intentions, he joined forces with fellow slave Taiana Venediktov to find a map leading to the idol. Despite finding it, hiding it in a cave system, and detonating the entrance, Reiter found the idol regardless and sacrificed two of his men to gain power from it, acquiring superhuman strength and telekinesis. He fought Queen and Taiana until the former killed him.
See also
References
- Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Supervillains. New York: Facts on File. p. 17. ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.
- Greenberger, Robert (2008), "Baron Blitzkrieg", in Dougall, Alastair (ed.), The DC Comics Encyclopedia, London: Dorling Kindersley, p. 37, ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1
- Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 25. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
- Jimenez, Phil; Wells, John (2010). The Essential Wonder Woman Encyclopedia. Del Rey. pp. 55–56. ISBN 978-0345501073.
- Infinite Crisis #7
- Blackest Night #4
- Flashpoint: Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown #1 (June 2011)
- Goldberg, Lesley (July 22, 2015). "'Arrow' Cast DC Villain Baron Blitzkrieg for Season 4". The Hollywood Reporter.
- Abrams, Natalie. "Arrow boss explains Baron Reiter casting". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
