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Devil Ray was a supervillain recruited by Grodd into his Legion of Doom. He was a resilient fighter and ruthless killer, who took great pleasure and pride in his heinous work.
History
The Viking Prince
Devil Ray was sent to retrieve the corpse of the Viking Prince from a melting glacier. When he and his teammates were intercepted by Wonder Woman, Devil Ray shot her with a poison dart, and if not for King Faraday, he would have killed her. When the Viking ship was thawed out, Devil Ray towed it with a submersible, and was followed by Wonder Woman. He engaged the Amazon in an underwater battle, and even though Devil Ray was in his "natural" environment, Wonder Woman defeated him by cracking his helmet and leaving him adrift. Devil Ray was put away,[2] but he soon escaped to rejoin the Legion.
Devil Ray's defeat.
Nanda Parbat
He was then sent on another mission ― stealing the Heart of Nanda Parbat. Devil Ray would not allow anyone to stand in his way, so he cold-heartedly disposed of the monastery's Master, Deadman's mentor, without thinking twice. Later on, when the Legion assailed Gorilla City, Deadman possessed Wonder Woman's body to take revenge against Devil Ray, and beat him badly. After the Legion was defeated, Devil Ray attempted to kill Wonder Woman, whereupon Deadman lunged into Batman and shot him, plunging Devil Ray into a panel and electrocuting him.[1]
Powers and abilities
Devil Ray wore a suit that allowed him to breathe underwater and withstand deep-sea pressures. It was also equipped with rocket boosters that enabled him to fly and navigate underwater, and two wrist-mounted guns. After Lex Luthor augmented his abilities, Devil Ray acquired super strength, stamina, and durability which is sufficient enough to challenge Wonder Woman and survive. He also received an array of venomous and explosive trident-shaped stingers.
Background information
Devil Ray was intended to be Black Manta, Aquaman's archnemesis from the DC Comics, but his name had to be changed for this show due to copyright issues. In the show, he never actually encounters Aquaman, and is instead a rogue of Wonder Woman.
Black Manta debuted in Aquaman #35 (September 1967), and was created by Bob Haney and Nick Cardy. He was an unidentified African-American who donned a suit equipped with laser beams in his bug-eyed helmet that also allowed him to breathe underwater and swim swiftly. Black Manta was primarily a treasure hunter who clashed with Aquaman on numerous times. He moved around in a manta-ray submersible, and gathered himself an army of African-American minions. At some point he revealed that he intended to create an underwater kingdom where his race could overcome the history of racism and white persecution. However, he later confessed that this was a mere ruse to recruit Cal Durham. Black Manta's rank as arch-enemy escalated after kidnapping Aquaman's son, Arthur Jr, and forcing Aquaman to do battle with his sidekick and friend, Aqualad. Arthur Jr.'s inevitable death plunged Aquaman into the downward spiral that shattered his friendship with Aqualad, ended his longtime marriage, and set him off in an obsessive quest to take revenge against Black Manta. In one of their later confrontations, Black Manta was fatally wounded, whereupon he was met by Neron who transformed him into a manta-man hybrid, in exchange for his soul. However, this change was short-lived, as Aquaman restored him back to normal with his healing touch.
Black Manta was featured as a regular villain on Aquaman, as well as in three different incarnations of Super Friends. A DCAU version of Black Manta has appeared in the comics Justice League Adventures and Justice League Unlimited.
See also
Appearances
Justice League Unlimited
- "I Am Legion" (Cameo)
- "To Another Shore"
- "Dead Reckoning"
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 McDuffie, Dwayne (writer) & Riba, Dan (director) (February 18, 2006). "Dead Reckoning". Justice League Unlimited. Season 2. Episode 6 (airdate). Episode 32 (production). Cartoon Network.
- ↑ McDuffie, Dwayne (writer) & Riba, Dan (director) (September 24, 2005). "To Another Shore". Justice League Unlimited. Season 2. Episode 4 (airdate). Episode 30 (production). Cartoon Network.
| Members of the Secret Society |
|---|
| Leaders |
| Grodd • Lex Luthor |
| First Group |
| Clayface • Giganta • Killer Frost • Parasite • Shade • Sinestro |
| Second Group |
| Angle Man • Atomic Skull • Bizarro • Black Mass • Blockbuster • Bloodsport • Cheetah • Copperhead • Crowbar • Devil Ray • Doctor Cyber • Doctor Destiny • Doctor Polaris • Doctor Spectro • Dummy • Electrocutioner • Evil Star • Fastball • Giganta • Gentleman Ghost • Goldface • Heatwave • Hellgrammite • Javelin • The Key • KGBeast • Killer Frost • Lady Lunar • Livewire • Major Disaster • Merlyn • Metallo • Mirror Master • Monocle • Neutron • Nightfall • Parasite • Psycho-Pirate • Puppeteer • Puzzler • Queen Bee • Rampage • Shade • Shark • Silver Banshee • Sinestro • Sonar • Sportsmaster • Star Sapphire • Tala • Tattooed Man • Thinker • Top • Toyman • Tsukuri • Volcana • Weather Wizard |