Whiteface
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- For other uses, see Whiteface (disambiguation).
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Whiteface is a fictional comic book supervillain in Marvel Comics. He is similar to The Joker and to real-life American serial killer John Wayne Gacy. Like them, he is a murderer with no conscience or remorse. His real name is Steven Binst. Whiteface was first introduced in Supreme Power: Nighthawk. Created by Daniel Way and Steve Dillon, he is the first supervillain to appear in the Supreme Power universe that does not have any super-human abilities.
[edit] Character history
Steven Binst, originally a pharmacist in a small town in southern Illinois, was convicted 13 years earlier of poisoning a mother and her children by giving them a toxin disguised as prescription medicine. While the police initially assumed a murder/suicide, a clerk from the pharmacy came forward to identify Binst as having given the family the pills. During the FBI's investigation, it found a laboratory with a large stockpile of the toxin, which he was apparently testing before widescale use; the FBI and the courts were unable to elicit an explanation from Binst for his actions. In prison, he was placed in solitary confinement for his own protection, but was assaulted by unidentified attackers, who left him in a catatonic state and with two distinctive scars running down from either side of his mouth.
After 10 years in prison, he has since escaped wearing the clown costume that would later become his criminal signature. Five weeks later, after saving a baby from death and taking him to a woman named Doctor Arredondo, Nighthawk sees an epidemic of drug addict deaths all over Chicago. As the death count rises to 3800 over three days, the governor is helpless to stop the circulation of poisoned drugs. Nighthawk interrogates a federal judge to try to find the supplier, to no avail. Later Binst, made up as a clown, goes to a birthday party for the mayor's 6-year-old son, killing the mayor's son and wife using poisoned helium balloons. The mayor, grief-stricken, commits suicide during a press conference, but not before calling on Nighthawk to kill Binst.
A manhunt for the killer starts in Grant Park, where the mayor's wife first met Steven Binst. Nighthawk tracks Binst down to an abandoned warehouse, but is knocked out by Binst with a sleeping gas. After escaping Whiteface, Nighthawk is exposed to the poison. Nighthawk out-of-costume goes to see Dr. Arredondo who helped him in the past. She now knows he is Kyle Richmond; after kissing him, he asks about a little baby he saved named "Baby Doe". After Kyle leaves, Dr. Arredondo goes to the nursery to look in on Baby Doe. Unknown to Dr. Arrdondo and Nighthawk, Whiteface takes down Nighthawk, kills Dr. Arredondo and then takes Baby Doe.
After finding Dr. Arredondo dead, Nighthawk goes looking for Steven Binst. The Deputy Mayor of Chicago gives a press conference and says that "Whiteface is dead". Nighthawk tracks Whiteface to a water treatment plant with Baby Doe in hand.
Whiteface makes the claim to Nighthawk that they're two sides of the same coin, and deep down need each other. Whiteface tosses the child in the water, thinking Nighthawk cannot stop him and save the child at the same time. Nighthawk begs to differ and shoots Whiteface with a harpoon gun that pierces through his chest. Using Whiteface as an "anchor", Nighthawk dives in the water to save the baby. After recovering the child, Whiteface offers his surrender. Nighthawk instead rips the harpoon out of Whiteface, eviscerating him in the process. Nighthawk finishes with kicking Whiteface, snapping his neck and knocking him into the treatment water to finally die.
