Dummy is the name of different fictional characters appearing in
American comic book
An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...
s published by
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
.
Publication history
The original Dummy first appears in ''Leading Comics'' #1 and was created by
Mort Weisinger
Mortimer Weisinger (; April 25, 1915 – May 7, 1978) was an American magazine and comic book editor best known for editing DC Comics' ''Superman'' during the mid-1950s to 1960s, in the Silver Age of comic books. He also co-created such features a ...
and
Mort Meskin
Morton Meskin (May 30, 1916 – March 29, 1995)Social Security Death Index, SS# 071-16-1099. was an American comic book artist best known for his work in the 1940s Golden Age of Comic Books, well into the late-1950s and 1960s Silver Age.
Early ...
. He is not to be confused with Scarface, the ventriloquist dummy/
alter-ego
An alter ego (Latin for "other I", "doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a different ...
operated by
Arnold Wesker
Sir Arnold Wesker (24 May 1932 – 12 April 2016) was an English dramatist. He was the author of 50 plays, four volumes of short stories, two volumes of essays, much journalism and a book on the subject, a children's book, some poetry, and oth ...
. In addition to his ''Leading Comics'' appearances, the Dummy fought the Vigilante in six Golden Age stories: ''
Action Comics
''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/Comic anthology, magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as National Allied Publications, and later as National Comics ...
'' #58 (March 1943), #63 (August 1943), #69 (February 1944), #75 (August 1944), #87 (August 1945) and #96 (May 1946); although the Vigilante remained a regular ''Action Comics'' feature until issue #198 (November 1954), issue #96 was the Dummy's final appearance for many years.
The second, known as Danny the Dummy, first appears in ''Batman'' #134 (Sept 1960) and was created by
Bill Finger
Milton "Bill" Finger (February 8, 1914 – January 18, 1974) was an American comic strip, comic book, film and television writer who was the co-creator (with Bob Kane) of the DC Comics character Batman. Despite making major (sometimes, signatu ...
and
Sheldon Moldoff
Sheldon Moldoff (; April 14, 1920 – February 29, 2012) was an American comics artist best known for his early work on the DC Comics characters Hawkman and Hawkgirl, and as one of Bob Kane's primary "ghost artists" (uncredited collaborator ...
.
Fictional character biographies
Original Dummy
The Dummy is an archenemy of the Golden Age era
Vigilante
Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without Right, legal authority.
A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a pers ...
, and a skilled inventor of weapons. As the leader of a criminal gang, the Dummy pretends to be a ventriloquist's dummy through whom the gang's supposed "true" leader conveys instructions, the gang never suspecting that the Dummy himself is their leader. The Dummy's secret identity is never revealed; in fact, it is never made clear whether the Dummy is a very short human being or an actual wooden dummy that has somehow been brought to life. The Dummy was a member of a group of villains brought together by the Hand to cause crimes around the nation, which led to the first case of the
Seven Soldiers of Victory
The Seven Soldiers of Victory (also known as Law's Legionnaires) is a team of fictional comic book superheroes in the DC Comics universe. They first appeared in ''Leading Comics'' #1 (Winter 1941), and were created by Mort Weisinger and Mort Mesk ...
; his particular efforts were prevented by the Vigilante, with whom he had apparently already clashed in untold stories, since he was already a known Vigilante enemy.
Dummy later escapes from prison with the help of his large companion Bobo. Then he and Bobo worked on a crime spree that involved them robbing the Jeweler's Exchange. When the package was opened, Dummy posed as a mechanical toy to fool the owners until he used knock-out gas. Both of them were defeated by Vigilante and
Stuff the Chinatown Kid
Stuff, the Chinatown Kid is a DC Comics fictional character, a sidekick to the original Vigilante. He first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #45 (February 1942).
In ''American Comic Book Chronicles: 1940-1944'', Kurt Mitchell and Roy Thomas say that ...
where they surrendered to the police.
In his latest racket, Dummy has his minion Flipper pose as a ventriloquist where they got gigs at high society shows. While Flipper used a look-alike of Dummy which Stuff the Chinatown Kid identified, the real Dummy was operating in the crowd. After breaking out of their respectful traps, Vigilante and Stuff defeated Dummy and Flipper and handed them over to the police.
The Dummy returned to challenge the Seven Soldiers on his own.
Dummy later shrinks himself and his henchmen to small size in order to get onto a cargo train. When the shrinkage wears off, they rob the train and make their getaway. Despite being affected by the shrink ray, Vigilante and Stuff the Chinatown Kid turn the tables on Dummy and his henchmen who are then handed over to the police.
The Dummy was shown to be responsible for the death of the Vigilante's sidekick Stuff the Chinatown Kid.
The Dummy also appears in ''
All-Star Squadron
The All-Star Squadron is a DC Comics superhero team that debuted in ''Justice League, Justice League of America'' #193 (August 1981) and was created by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Jerry Ordway. Although the team was introduced in the 1980s, its se ...
'', where he is recruited for
Mister Mind
Mister Mind is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Otto Binder and C. C. Beck for Fawcett Comics, he made a cameo appearance in ''Captain Marvel Adventures'' #22 (March 1943) before making his full f ...
's
Monster Society of Evil
The Monster Society of Evil is a supervillain team created by Otto Binder and C. C. Beck for Fawcett Comics. It is led by Mister Mind against their mutual enemy Captain Marvel. The team is significant as one of the first supervillain teams in comi ...
. In the course of this storyline, the Dummy passes through
Green Lantern
Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
's energy force-field unimpeded, implying that the Dummy is made of wood (which would make him immune to Scott's power) and is indeed a living ventriloquist's dummy.
In modern times, the Dummy returned and took over the criminal organization
Injustice Unlimited
The Injustice Society (also called the Injustice Society of the World) is a group of supervillains in the . They are the main antagonists of the Justice Society of America.
The Injustice Society first appears in ''All Star Comics'' #37 (Oct 1947 ...
to battle
Infinity, Inc.
Infinity, Inc. is a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.
The first incarnation is mostly composed of the children and heirs of the Justice Society of America (JSA), making them the Society's analogue to t ...
After the reality alteration caused by the ''
Crisis on Infinite Earths
"Crisis on Infinite Earths" is a 1985 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics. The series, written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by George Pérez, was first serialized as a 12-issue limited series from April 1985 to March ...
'', the 1995-1996 miniseries ''Vigilante: City Lights, Prairie Justice'' (1995–1996) depicts Stuff having been killed by mobster
Bugsy Siegel
Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel (February 28, 1906 – June 20, 1947) was an American mobster who was a driving force behind the development of the Las Vegas Strip. Siegel was not only influential within the Jewish Mob, but along with his childhood frie ...
and not Dummy. During a fight with Vigilante, Dummy dies by falling off a cat walk onto a lit spotlight.
In ''
DC Rebirth
DC Rebirth is a 2016 relaunch by the American comic book publisher DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic book titles. Using the end of The New 52 initiative in May 2016 as its launching point, DC Rebirth restored the D ...
'', a new depiction of Dummy is seen. This version is described by Mister Mind to be a Victorian man who was turned into a wooden dummy by a wizard's curse and was imprisoned in a location in the Magiclands called the Monsterlands following a fight with the "heroes of yesterday". Dummy introduces himself as Exile #413 and directs Mister Mind and
Doctor Sivana
Doctor Thaddeus Bodog Sivana is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bill Parker and C. C. Beck, the character is a recurring enemy of the superhero Captain Marvel/Shazam, both of whom first appe ...
to a boat that would take them to the Dungeon of Eternity. He cannot go with them to the Dungeon of Eternity because he cannot deal with water, due to him being made of wood. When the Monster Society of Evil was freed, Dummy had to swim to the Dungeon of Eternity and was displeased that he was left behind, as Mister Mind promised him freedom.
Superboy-Prime
Superboy-Prime (Clark Kent, born Kal-El), also known as Superman-Prime or simply Prime, is a DC Comics superhero turned supervillain and an alternate version of Superman. The character first appeared in ''DC Comics Presents'' #87 (November 198 ...
states to Dummy that he can get him out in exchange for removing the little red sun outside of his prison. Dummy does so and is double-crossed by Superboy-Prime, who uses his heat beams on Dummy.
Danny the Dummy
Danny the Dummy, a pint-sized ventriloquist in a top hat and suit, has a hit act in which he plays the dummy to a normal-sized "ventriloquist" named Matt (who is revealed as the real dummy at the end of each show). But the fact that people invariably refer to Danny as "the Dummy" infuriates him, and inspires him to use dummies for crime to make dummies out of the law.
Powers and abilities
The original Dummy was a skilled inventor. He wields a cane in battle that can fire powerful force beams.
Other versions
The original Dummy was seen in a flashback in the canon
Arrowverse
The Arrowverse is an American superhero media franchise and a shared universe that is centered on various interconnected television series based on DC Comics superhero characters, primarily airing on The CW as well as web series on CW Seed. ...
comic miniseries ''Earth-Prime''. In the issue that ties in with ''
Stargirl'', Dummy appears among the villains that fought Pat and
Starman
''StarMan'' is a 1996 fantasy novel by Australian writer Sara Douglass. It follows the second book in the series, '' Enchanter'', with Axis marching north with his army to confront a formidable enemy.
Background
''StarMan'' was first published ...
during their time with the Seven Soldiers of Victory.
[''Earth-Prime'' #4. DC Comics.]
In other media
* The first Dummy appears in two episodes of the ''
Justice League Unlimited
''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is a 2004–2006 American superhero animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and ...
'' animated television series. He is seen as a member of the
Legion of Doom
The Legion of Doom is a group of supervillains who originated in ''Challenge of the Super Friends'', an animated series from Hanna-Barbera based on DC Comics' Justice League. The Legion of Doom has since been incorporated into the main DC Univers ...
, although he isn't present in the two-part finale, when the Legion goes into space to resurrect
Brainiac
Brainiac is a colloquial adjective used to describe exceptionally intelligent people. It may also refer to:
Culture Fictional entities
* Brainiac (character), a fictional supervillain in DC Comics, and an enemy of Superman
* Brainiac (story arc), ...
and then erupts into civil war.
* The first Dummy makes a cameo at the end of ''
Justice League: The New Frontier''.
* The first Dummy appears in the film ''
Lego DC: Shazam!: Magic and Monsters'', voiced by
James Arnold Taylor
James Arnold Taylor (born July 22, 1969), also known by his initials JAT, is an American voice actor, writer, producer and podcaster. He is known for portraying Ratchet in the ''Ratchet & Clank'' franchise, the main character Tidus in '' Final Fa ...
. He appears as a member of the Monster Society of Evil.
References
External links
Dummyat DC Comics Wiki
Dummy IIat DC Comics Wiki
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dummy (Dc Comics)
DC Comics supervillains
Comics characters introduced in 1941
Comics characters introduced in 1960
Characters created by Mort Weisinger
Fictional inventors
Vigilante characters in comics