Derek Powers
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Derek Powers aka Blight is a supervillain in the animated series Batman Beyond, voiced by Sherman Howard. He is the corrupt leader of Wayne-Powers, having taken over Bruce Wayne's corporate empire. He's the arch-nemesis of McGinnis's Batman, and the primary antagonist of the first season. Derek's character is comparable to that of Lex Luthor - he uses many illegal means to control corporate Gotham, and has amassed a vast fortune. His powers seem to be based on Batman villain Dr. Phosphorus. He is also responsible for the death of Terry McGinnis' father.
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[edit] Appearance
Before his transformation, Powers was over six feet tall with white hair. Since then, he has the form of a black skeleton surrounded by bright green translucent flesh after his exposure to a mutating gas and radiation. Powers is able to hide his condition with a thin chemical covering over his skin that imitates his original appearance and contains his radioactivity, but it has a limited duration and tends to flake off when he is under stress.
[edit] Powers
Powers' powers are a result of his exposure to a mutating gas of his own creation upon his first confrontation with Batman. His staff was able to save his life with intense radiation exposure, but the procedure altered his appearance, damaging his cellular structure and causing his skin to peel and his body to glow bright green. He continued seeking a cure for his condition, including transplanting his consciousness into a new body cloned from his DNA. The process was tested on Mr. Freeze, who also had damaged cellular structure, but Freeze's new body soon reverted to its previous form, implying that the same would happen to a clone of Powers. Thus the procedure required further study and prompted Powers to attempt to have Mr. Freeze murdered and his organs biopsied. The attempt failed, Freeze escaped and returned (in an ice suit) to exact revenge, freezing Powers in the process. This attack caused Powers' potent radioctive properties to become unleashed and, adopting the name of Blight, he used his new powers against both Freeze and Batman, against whom he appeared unstoppable until Freeze was able to propel Blight into a lake with a blast of ice (Freeze then sacrificed himself and destroyed the facility). Blight was able to shoot powerful blasts of radiation; his very touch could be lethal.
[edit] Quotes
- Batman/Terry McGinnis: "You killed my father."
- Blight: "Do you have any idea how little that narrows it down?!"
[edit] Father
While Paxton is the only family of Derek Powers shown, Batman Adventures #15 was originally going to introduce a character known as Warren Powers (Confirmed as the father of Derek Powers). To note, Powers Technology obtains the patients of Gothcorp. Due to a hidden clause, however, Ferris Boyle recieves 7 million dollars on the deal.
The issue features the final fate of Mr. Freeze, setting up his appearance in Batman Beyond. The original ending further supports the idea by having Powers Technology taking the remains of Freeze (his head), because as Warren states it might come in handy some day. The secrets of immortality are locked inside that head.
[edit] Other Appearances
Derek Powers/Blight would make a few appearances in the comic based on the show.
He appears in issue 3 of the miniseries attempting to steal radiation to destroy the city. His second appearance (his last was Post-Ascension) is in issue 18 where Stalker plotting ways of capturing him, including using Batman as bait.
