Brimstone (comics)
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Brimstone is an artificial creation also dubbed the "Engine of Destruction", sent by Darkseid of Apokolips to Earth. He first appeared in the DC Comics miniseries Legends in 1986. Brimstone was actually a diversion for the heroes of Earth so that Darkseid's agent, Glorious Godfrey, could seize political power and gain persuasion to turn the people of Earth against the planet's superheroes.
Brimstone was formed by Darkseid implanting a "techno-seed" into a nuclear reactor on Earth, from which emerged the creature, apparently composed of superheated plasma (similar to the make-up of the Sun) held in a solid state by the unknown technology of the techno-seed. Several stories tall, Brimstone had phenomenal strength, and was perpetually aflame due to the make-up of its body; anything unprotected that it touched would be burned, melted, or otherwised damaged by the nuclear-generated heat. Brimstone was also seemingly indestructible, either due to the superheated matter it was composed of or protection granted by the same force that held its body together.
Brimstone proceeded to go on a rampage across the United States, claiming itself to be the fallen, avenging angel of an angry god (which was, in a sense, true, since Darkseid is one of the two races of individuals referred to as the "New Gods"), though it never displayed any specific knowledge of Darkseid or its master's true intentions in creating Brimstone. It battled and defeated the "Detroit" incarnation of the Justice League, and eventually made its way to Mount Rushmore, where it continued to rail against the "sinners" it was sent to "cleanse" from the planet and awaited any who dared challenge it.
The American government, after determining that something in the center of the creature was holding it together, formed the second incarnation of the Suicide Squad to deal with Brimstone. Squad member Deadshot, an expert marksman, was given a weapon that could penetrate Brimstone's body and destroy it at the source, and his teammates ran interference and distracted the creature while Deadshot took aim. The Suicide Squad succeeded in destroying Brimstone, though one member was killed by the creature, the original Blockbuster.
A later, second incarnation of Brimstone, with an identical personality, was seen battling the second hero known as the Ray and Superboy in Hawaii. The origin of this incarnation is unknown. Still later, he appeared battling Martian Manhunter in Justice League Task Force during the Underworld Unleashed crossover.
In 52 #6, one of the characters mentioned that Brimstone fought several Asian superheroes in Tokyo. This version of Brimstone is slated to appear as part of the modern-day Legion of Doom.
[edit] In other media
- A gigantic flaming creature was featured as a threat in an episode of the Teen Titans animated series, "Forces of Nature". Though the creature's origin was completely different from Brimstone's (created in a magic ritual fueled by the powers of Thunder and Lightning), and was seemingly mindless, it could be seen as a homage to Brimstone, the Teen Titans series being known for presenting uniquely different takes on established DC characters.
- A monstrous creature, unnamed but obviously based on Brimstone's character design, appeared in the first episode of Justice League Unlimited, "Initiation". This creature was a mindless, out-of-control, nuclear powered creature created by a totalitarian country resembling North Korea. Green Arrow stops the creature by shooting a "containment rod" into a nuclear reactor located on its chest, allowing Supergirl to destroy it. With the idea of Apokolips selling its technology to unscrupulous Earthlings having been presented both in comics and on Superman: The Animated Series (considered to be a direct predecessor to the two Justice League animated series), it could be possible that the creature's creators bought the technology responsible from Apokolips, though this was never explicitly stated in the episode.
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