Nemesis (DC Comics)
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| Nemesis | |
 Nemesis appears on the cover of Wonder Woman v.3 #6. |
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| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | (Tresser) The Brave and the Bold #166, (September 1980) (Mykros) JSA Annual #1, (October 2000) |
| Created by | (Tresser) Cary Burkett (writer), Dan Spiegle (artist) (Mykros) David S. Goyer (writer), Uriel Caton (artist) |
| In story information | |
| Alter ego | - Tom Tresser - Soseh Mykros |
| Team affiliations | (Tresser) Shadow Fighters Suicide Squad Jihad (Mykros) Justice Society of America The Council |
| Notable aliases | (Tresser) Many, among others: Sarge Steel |
| Abilities | (Tresser) Master of disguise; uses disposable masks made of a fine, highly malleable material which could be instantly dissolved with a special spray that he kept concealed in his collar. (Mykros) Superhuman strength, speed, and agility. Highly-skilled sword fighter. |
Nemesis is the name of two fictional characters in the DC Comics universe. Tom Tresser first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #166, (September 1980), and was created by Cary Burkett and Dan Spiegle. Soseh Myrkos first appeared in JSA Annual #1, (October 15, 2000), and was created by David S. Goyer and Uriel Caton.
Nemesis is also not to be confused with Holocaust, a Marvel Comics character who has also gone by the name of Nemesis, or with Nemesis Kid.
Contents |
[edit] Tom Tresser
[edit] Fictional character history
Tom Tresser is a vigilante, turned operative for the U.S. government and a master of disguise. His default costume is a black turtleneck sweater with a balance as a chest symbol and a chest holster.
He was an applicant to an unnamed government agency whose brother Craig was an undercover agent infiltrating a criminal syndicate called "the Council". Craig was brainwashed into killing their family friend Ben Williams and was subsequently killed in self-defense by fellow agents. Tom thus became "Nemesis", preferring to use an alias instead of his dishonored family name. With the assistance of Batman, he cleared his brother's name and saw the men responsible for his brother's death dead.
This was covered in a backup series in Brave and the Bold #166 through 192, with team-ups with Batman in #170 and #193.
[edit] Suicide Squad
Nemesis was apparently killed in the helicopter crash that killed the Council's leader, though he was later revealed to have survived, thanks to Amanda Waller and Rick Flag. He then became one of the few non-criminal members of the Suicide Squad as a means of paying off what he perceived as a debt. Nemesis became an on/off member of the Suicide Squad, assisting them from time to time, and even fell in love with one of their members, Nightshade. Although the love was returned, the two never really began a relationship.
During a mission in Moscow with the Suicide Squad, the team tried to rescue (although she saw it as a kidnapping) Zoya Trigorin. The mission was a bust, as she would die in his arms, and he was taken into custody. Rick Flag and Nightshade set up a rescue mission for their teammate, and even came into conflict with the Justice League because of it. Eventually, the two teams worked out their differences, and Nemesis would later be allowed to escape by the Justice League. He continued to work alongside the Squad for a while, but eventually left the team after bumping heads with Amanda Waller. He would later return only shortly to help retrieve the kidnapped Flag's son and to assist in trying to uncover a secret government cabal. This plot-point that was never resolved.
Nemesis I was drafted into the Shadow Fighters, in an attempt to battle the villain Eclipso. He was originally the sole survivor of the Eclipso massacre that claimed lives of the rest of the Shadow Fighters in issue 13 of the Eclipso series. He would continue the fight against Eclipso in a smaller recon-team that also included Nightshade and the matter-manipulator Chunk. Nemesis and Chunk are saved from a nuclear bomb attack by Nightshade's powers.
After his involvement with the Suicide Squad and The Shadow Fighters ended, he apparently met his end - again - in the pages of Catwoman. In Superman Secret Files 2004, (August 3, 2004) Nemesis was revealed to be alive and well, impersonating Sarge Steel and apparently working for a shadowy Cabal. Furthermore, in the last issue of the second volume of Suicide Squad the then-current team's erstwhile leader Sgt. Rock is revealed to have been an impostor. Given the events of the Superman Annual, "Rock" may well have been Nemesis for some or all of his appearances with the Squad. The story of what happened to Nemesis between his 'death' in Catwoman and subsequent reappearance in Superman Secret Files has not yet been told.
[edit] "One Year Later"
Nemesis was seen again One Year Later after the events of Infinite Crisis, aiding government agent Diana Prince, Wonder Woman in disguise, in the rescue of Donna Troy from several of the Amazon's villains. Nemesis is part of the newly re-opened Department of Metahuman Affairs under Sarge Steel. Around this time, Nemesis assists in saving the life of the second Maxi-Man. Shortly before the events of Amazons Attack Nemesis questions the detainment of Wonder Woman by the D.M.A. and goes against orders to rescue her, after brutally beating, tying up, and gagging several of his fellow agents. He soon uncovers a plot by the villain Circe to trick the U.S. government into destroying Themyscira under false pretenses. During the Amazon counterattack, he was stung by several gigantic Stygian Killer Hornets, native to the Amazon Nation. Wonder Woman risks her life by traveling to Themyscira for an antidote and revives Nemesis back into health. Shortly thereafter, Wonder Woman began courting Tresser, in the traditional Amazon manner.
[edit] Soseh Mykros
A second Nemesis debuted in JSA Annual #1, (October 15, 2000).
Soseh Mykros was the genetically engineered daughter of the leader of the Council, a terrorist group that had once used the hero Paul Kirk, Manhunter. She originally operated as an ally of the Justice Society and assisted the team during a few adventures.
Eventually, she joined Black Adam's group of loose cannon heroes, a group that, while altruistic, had no compunctions about killing. She became romantically involved with her teammate Alexander Montez, a man who had managed to bind the demon Eclipso to himself. However, Alex lost control and Eclipso killed Soseh. Alex regained control only to commit suicide out of grief and to protect others.
[edit] Relationship of Nemesis I and Nemesis II
In DC Comics continuity, Nemesis II does not seem to have any connection to Nemesis I (except for the fact that they both battled organizations named "the Council"). However, Nemesis I was killed in order for Nemesis II to debut in JSA.
When asked in an interview what happened to Nemesis (Tom Tresser), why he was killed off him off in Catwoman #62 [1], and was it true that his death was editorially mandated, Catwoman writer Devin Grayson explained:
| “ | I was actually hoping to use Nemesis for the role in which I ended up using Trickster – cheerful foil and potential romance. But yes, I was told that he was scheduled to be eighty-sixed – an editor liked his name, but didn't like the character, and had plans, I guess, for a "new" Nemesis.
He wasn't slated to die in Catwoman, but I figured that if he was on his way out, his death might as well be handled by someone who liked and respected him – I tried really hard to show what a great character he was before I killed him in such a way as to ensure that should anyone change their mind, they could bring him back without too much trouble [2]. |
” |
[edit] Appearances in other media
Nemesis (Tom Tresser) has appeared as a background character in several episodes of Justice League Unlimited.
He debuted in the first episode of Justice League Unlimited (Initiation), and later was seen more prominently in the episode Dark Heart. [3].
