|
Paxton Powers was the estranged and duplicitous son of Derek Powers.
History
The Rise to Power
For unknown reasons, Paxton was exiled in Verdeza, where he ran the Wayne-Powers branch. During his tenure there, he proved himself to be just as corrupt and megalomaniacal as his father.
Paxton learns about his father's condition.
Paxton's callous management made him very unpopular amongst the residents of Verdeza who became enraged as their lands and rivers became increasingly polluted as a result of his operations in the area. Paxton remained in Verdeza until Derek summoned him to Gotham City to be the acting chairman of the Wayne-Powers board. Paxton was supposed to work under his father, who would still retain all his control on the conglomerate.
Paxton pleads Batman for help.
However, Paxton wasn't interested in any more "grunt work," so he orchestrated a plot that would compel his father to expose his radioactive condition, and thus force his withdrawal. He had a worker of his to barge in a board's meeting and protest to Paxton's promotion. This spectacle enraged Derek so much that his skin started to shed. Shortly after escaping, Derek contacted Paxton for help. Instead of sending him his medical staff as requested, Paxton dispatched an ambulance, which forced Derek to go into hiding. Paxton managed to convince the Wayne-Powers board to support him as CEO.
Therefore, Paxton later called for Batman with the Bat-Signal, and asked him for assistance. He explained how he intended to use the Pinchcell to siphon Derek's radiation, so that he could receive medical care. He claimed that Derek's condition had affected his mind. Paxton needed Batman to track his father down and lure him into a net that was connected to the contraption.
The good son lays the trap.
However, his true intention was to kill his father to seize control over Wayne-Powers, and since he didn't fully trusted Batman, he ordered Mr. Mendez to be ready to kill him too.
Soon Paxton received the location of his father's hiding place in a nuclear submarine, along with a rendezvous to enact his plan. Inside the sub, Paxton attempted to use the radiation-draining device to kill his father. When Batman tried to stop him, Paxton order his men to kill him. In the middle of the mêlée, the Pinchcell was damaged, and the process was interrupted. Powers broke free and Paxton ran for his life. Derek's powers flared out of control and sunk the submarine with him inside.
Paxton offered an alternative version of the events to the public, consisting of his father being aboard the submarine when its dormant reactor breached, which Batman could not refute without jeopardizing his secret identity. However, since he was not found in the wreckage, Batman made sure that Paxton was beleaguered by the possibility of Derek returning to take his revenge.[3]
Paxton, the Business Man
Despite being a chip off the old block, Paxton was less conspicuous than his father, and didn't get so much attention from the media, or even Batman. Ian Peek even did an inside report claiming that Paxton's quiescence was a consequence of his spending most of his time at private parties.[4] Still, Paxton did follow his father's footsteps in making unpopular decisions to run his business. One of his maneuvers was downsizing his expensive weapons engineer, Jim Tate, under the excuse of moving the light weapons division into new areas. This prompted Tate to become the criminal known as Armory.[5]
The Ransom
King extorts Paxton.
During his exile in South America, Paxton developed a penchant for pre-Columbian art. After moving to Gotham, he hired robbers to steal priceless trinkets, and he assembled a vast collection stashed in his place. At some stage, Paxton commissioned the Royal Flush Gang to steal the Jaguar of the Dazer. Upon seeing that the effigy was mildly spoiled, Paxton refused to pay the full sum he had originally offered, giving King a less than generous compensation for his efforts. This compelled the Royal Flush Gang to abduct Paxton and demand for 20 million credits in ransom.
Paxton is taken away.
Paxton told King that his money was tied up in investments and he subsisted merely on company perks. When Bruce Wayne rejected to pay for his ransom, Paxton offered King one piece of his collection ― the Crown of Tikal, which was worth twice the amount he was asking. He then gave him the codes to bypass the security system. Little did Paxton know, he was being duped by King and his assistant Sable Thorpe in a scam to swindle his collection. Paxton was aware, however, that he would face legal charges now that Bruce Wayne knew of his illegal art collection. So, he proposed King to assassinate Bruce, so that he could gain access to millions in company credits, and thus duly reward him.
After King failed to complete his assignment, Paxton was arrested and charged with plotting to commit murder. What became of him after this is unknown,[1] although Wayne was able to re-assume his position as CEO of Wayne Enterprises.
Appearances
Batman Beyond
- "Ascension"
- "Armory" (Mentioned Only)
- "Sneak Peek"
- "King's Ransom"
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 In "King's Ransom"
- ↑ Batman Beyond, "Ascension"
- ↑ In "Ascension"
- ↑ In "Sneak Peek"
- ↑ In "Armory"