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Ted Dymer, also known as the Mad Bomber, was a toy-shop clerk who emulated the bombing spree of a television villain.
History[]
Ted Dymer was a toy collector who parlayed his hobby into a shop called Yestertoys, where he bought and sold classic toys and items. Dymer was obsessed with all different types of toys, and had invested substantial amounts of money to acquire them. Though his collection was vast, his funds were low, and he needed something to fill his pockets. As luck would have it, Simon Trent, the actor who played the Gray Ghost in the television show, had begun selling his old memorabilia to Dymer to make ends meet. Recalling an episode of The Gray Ghost, Dymer realized the other uses his toys could have.
Emulating the style and tactics of The Mad Bomber, Dymer placed bombs within remote controlled cars, designed and modeled after the same cars used in The Gray Ghost. Some cars were even actual models from the show, which he had bought from Trent. Dymer first blew up a plastics laboratory in Gotham City. From there, he began a bombing spree, leaving threats at each site demanding $1 million or a new location would be destroyed. His tracks were mostly untraceable, leaving both bomb squads and the Gotham Police Department stumped.
Batman, however, was a different story. Recalling the same "Mad Bomber" episode of The Gray Ghost, he began to fit the pieces of the puzzle together, and tracked down Trent. Trent professed ignorance, but just before the Gotham Art School was destroyed via arson, Trent recognized a sound—the sound that Dymer's cars made as they drove. From this, they were able to deduce Dymer's tactic, and his next bombing attempt was averted.
Though his attempt to destroy the Gotham Library had failed, Dymer wasn't through yet. He used the toy cars to chase Batman into an alley, and a dead end. Things looked grim, but the Gray Ghost cast a rope down and pulled the Dark Knight to safety. When the two returned to the Batmobile, however, Dymer was ready. He had several of the cars in the area, and chased the two heroes. The cars were no match for the tools of the Batmobile, and Batman and the Gray Ghost eluded danger.
The two tracked Dymer to his toy shop, and discovered the control center Dymer operated from. Though he tried to defeat the Dark Knight, Dymer was stopped, and his toy shop and control center were destroyed as well. Dymer cried over the loss of his toy collection and was subsequently arrested.
Equipment and Abilities[]
Ted Dymer had no abilities outside those of a normal human; however, he did have a rather deranged mind. Within his toy collection were the actual toy cars used in the "Mad Bomber" episode of The Gray Ghost. Emulating the show's Mad Bomber, Dymer placed explosives within some of the cars, which he used to destroy buildings. It's unknown if every car was an original or if some were replicas. Dymer also had some crime savvy, as he was careful not to leave his fingerprints on the bomb-laden toy cars. Although obsessed with toys, Dymer did not appear to let his obsession show to others except at extreme moments, such as when confronted by Batman. Nor did Dymer appear to have the makings of a "kidult", as is the common stereotype of those who work in toy and comic book shops. By outward appearance, Ted Dymer appeared to be a mature full-grown man and competent business owner. It was also unspecified if Yestertoys had failed to make sufficient capital and on the verge of bankruptcy, hence Dymer's idea to turn to crime. It could also be surmised that Ted Dymer had intended to extort a million dollars from the Gotham city council in an effort to retire in style, as his business presumably was unable to legitimately make such a whopping profit.