Gizmo (DC Comics)
Gizmo is the name of two fictional characters from DC Comics.
Publication history
The Mikron O'Jeneus version of Gizmo first appeared in New Teen Titans #3 and was created by George Pérez and Marv Wolfman.[1]
Fictional character biography
Mikron O'Jeneus
| Gizmo | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | New Teen Titans #3 (January 1981) |
| Created by | Marv Wolfman George Pérez |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Mikron O'Jeneus |
| Team affiliations | Fearsome Five S.T.A.R. Labs |
| Abilities | Genius intelligence, brilliant inventor and engineer |
A bald dwarf who flies around on a jet pack, Gizmo is a genius inventor who can turn seemingly innocuous objects like vacuum cleaners into dangerous weapons.[1] Gizmo created a corporation which supplied technology to various people, including criminals. Hoping to increase his wealth, Gizmo joined the Fearsome Five through an ad placed in the Underworld Star, a criminal underground newsletter, by the psychopathic criminal Doctor Light.[2]
After a number of unsuccessful conflicts with the Teen Titans, (and Superman in Adventures of Superman #430) Gizmo went straight for a while, and took a job at S.T.A.R. Labs,[1] until his former Fearsome Five teammate Psimon, after having been seemingly killed by his teammates, resurfaced looking for revenge, and shrank Gizmo to microscopic size. Years later, Gizmo found a way to revert to his normal size, and took up a life of crime once again, partnering with his former teammate, Mammoth.
In a storyline in Outsiders #12–15 (July–October 2004), frequent Captain Marvel archenemy Doctor Sivana gathered Gizmo and the others, and put the team to work for him in a scheme to short sell LexCorp stock by having them steal its accounts from its corporate building in Metropolis, and then driving down the stock by killing all the people in the building, and destroying two other Lexcorp properties. At the latter of the two, a microchip processor factory of Lexcorp's subsidiary, Kellacor, the Five were confronted by the Outsiders. After escaping, the criminally unsophisticated Five urged Sivana to take Lexcorp's nuclear missile facility near Joshua Tree, California. When Sivana refused, Psimon asserted that they would take it anyway, and in response, Sivana killed Gizmo with a laser blast to the head,[1] and severed relations with the remaining four, warning them that he would kill them if they ever crossed his path again. Sivana used the money he made from the scheme to purchase a tropical island off the coast of Thailand to use as his lair, and the remaining members of the Five were defeated in their plan to take the facility and fire a nuclear missile at Canada.
Whether the remaining members will take on a new member, find a way to revive Gizmo (as had been done with his teammate Shimmer), or change their name to the Fearsome Four (as Sivana sarcastically suggested after killing Gizmo) remains to be seen.
Gizmo appeared in undead form, summoned by Brother Blood to prevent the Teen Titans from freeing Kid Eternity, in Teen Titans #31 (2006). In Birds of Prey #120-121 (2008), Gizmo was reanimated by the geniuses at Macintech Research & Development, a technology company located in Platinum Flats. He disposed of their C.E.O and earned his seat on the Silicon Syndicate, a sinister group of high-tech criminals. Gizmo retained most of his brain function, but is still missing his eye and is partially decomposed.
O'Jeneus
In DC Special: Cyborg issue 5 a new Gizmo debuted where he is the son of the first Gizmo.[1] He is based visually on the animated Gizmo. After graduating from the villainous H.I.V.E Academy, the diminutive teen followed in his father's footsteps and became the second Gizmo, a high-tech super-thief. He battles Cyborg as a member of Mr. Orr's "Cyborg Revenge Squad."
The New 52
In the New 52 (a reboot of DC Comics' continuity), a version of Gizmo first is a member of the Fearsome Five. The group appears with the Secret Society, which is allied with the Crime Syndicate.[3] He is sent with the other members of the Fearsome Five, along with Doctor Psycho and Hector Hammond, on a mission in which he is defeated by Cyborg and the Metal Men.
Powers and abilities
Gizmo is capable of creating unbelievable weaponry by transforming one machine into another. In his tiny hands using state-of-the-art technology, something like an ordinary vacuum cleaner can easily be converted into a deadly, unstoppable tank.[1]
In other media
Television
- In the Teen Titans animated series, Gizmo is a recurring villain from the H.I.V.E Academy. He was voiced by Lauren Tom in earlier appearances and by Tara Strong in "Revved Up" and in "Titans Together".
- Gizmo appears in the Teen Titans Go! episode "Laundry Day", voiced again by Lauren Tom.
Video games
- Gizmo is a boss in both Teen Titans video games.
- Gizmo appears in DC Universe Online as part of the "Sons of Trigon" downloadable content.
Miscellaneous
- Gizmo has also made several appearances in Teen Titans Go!. He is the main villain in issue #9.
References
- ^ a b c d e f Beatty, Scott (2008), "Gizmo", in Dougall, Alastair (ed.), The DC Comics Encyclopedia, New York: Dorling Kindersley, p. 138, ISBN 0-7566-4119-5, OCLC 213309017
- ^ Greenberger, Robert (2008), "Fearsome Five", in Dougall, Alastair (ed.), The DC Comics Encyclopedia, New York: Dorling Kindersley, p. 120, ISBN 0-7566-4119-5, OCLC 213309017
- ^ Justice League Vol. 2 #29. DC Comics.
