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| Tasmanian Devil | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Super Friends #7 (October 1977) |
| Created by | E. Nelson Bridwell Ramona Fradon |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Hugh Dawkins |
| Species | Metahuman |
| Team affiliations | |
| Partnerships | Gregorio de la Vega (husband) |
| Abilities | Transforms into awere-beast granting:
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TheTasmanian Devil (Hugh Dawkins) is afictionalsuperhero appearing inDC Comics, depicted as agaypacifisticAustralianmetahuman with the ability to turn into a large anthropomorphicTasmanian devil.[1] He first appeared inSuper Friends #7,[2] with his first appearance in mainline continuity being inInfinity, Inc. #32.[3]
Tasmanian Devil is usually depicted as a metahuman who was born with his abilities. A humorous alternate origin was given, suggesting that he gained his powers from his mother, who possessed similar abilities to him, raised him in a cult, sold his soul to a Tasmanian devil, and injected him with radioactivemusk from an alien species resembling Tasmanian devils.[4] Regardless, his parents had a hard time dealing with his alter ego until he saved his father's life.
He served as a superhero inTasmania, before joining theGlobal Guardians. He often fought alongside other heroes, such as theSuper Friends andInfinity Inc. Later, the Guardians' base was destroyed and the team disbanded.[5]
Tasmanian Devil helped to rebuild theJustice League's Embassy which had been destroyed during an alien invasion.[6] WhenQueen Bee reformed the Global Guardians as part of her scheme to brainwash heroes, he was left out of the roster due to his connections to the Justice League.[7] After his close friendTuatara fell into a coma after attacking the League, Tasmanian Devil and his friend Joshua Barbazon were preparing to transfer him to the medical lab in the Justice League's Australian embassy, but Queen Bee recalled Tuatara before this could happen.[7]
Tasmanian Devil would join the League in a mission toBialya,[8] which would turn out to be an illegal invasion, as Queen Bee's mole in theUnited Nations, Ambassador Heimlich, had firedCaptain Atom,Elongated Man,Ice, andBlue Beetle.[9] Once Queen Bee's massive brainwashing efforts are uncovered, Tasmanian Devil learns thatDoctor Mist,Jack O'Lantern, andOwlwoman were replaced by imposters, with the real heroes either missing or dead.[10] Tasmanian Devil and the League help with relief and recovery efforts.[11]
Tasmanian Devil rejoins Justice League International after aiding them against the villainSonar.[12] He is present for the funeral of fellow Leaguer Ice.[13] He becomes indirectly involved in another recruitment effort, which does not work out.[14]
It is also revealed that Hugh is openly gay inJustice League Quarterly #8 (September 1992). He has previously been romantically interested in Justice League liaison Joshua Barbazon, had a crush onHal Jordan,[15] and is datingStarman (Mikaal Tomas).[16]
Tasmanian Devil works with the Justice League during theBloodlines event. He teams up, mainly withElongated Man andMetamorpho to stop a group of murderous aliens terrorizingLondon. The men are not very successful as dozens of citizens vanish or are killed. The toll, which includes a missing school bus, deeply affects all three. During one investigation, they are attacked by the rookie armored hero Lionheart, who mistakes the three for the aliens.
The aliens attack the League's headquarters, a (seemingly haunted) castle. Summoned by the energy flares of their youngest member,Maya, the group returns and fights the creatures. Lionheart, though his secondary mission is to discredit the League, sees the nobility in Tasmanian Devil and the others and helps them chase off the aliens. No pursuit is possible, as all are injured; Tasmanian Devil himself has been impaled through the shoulder. Lionheart, before fainting from his injuries, summons medical help through an emergency Justice League communications channel.[17] Tasmanian Devil recovers in time to help his JLE teammates and dozens of other heroes defeat the Bloodlines aliens. The aliens are destroyed in a swamp outside ofMetropolis in America.[18]
Around this time, Tasmanian Devil goes on a JLI goodwill tour toNew Zealand. They resist him at first. He and his contact, Raylene Mackenzie, stumble upon the villainPhobia and Tasmanian Devil literally sniffs out one of her recent murders. The two get into a back-and-forth fight with Phobia. Raylene confronts a fear of drowning, while Tasmanian Devil's hallucination concerns his mother, who was abusive towards her husband. Working together, the two defeat Phobia.[19]
Dawkins later assists the Justice League in battlingOvermaster, who kills Ice.[20][21] The group falls apart, and Dawkins soon leaves too, not wanting to stay in a group so small and unestablished. He does not see the point.[22]
Tasmanian Devil is one of the mourners at the funeral forMaxwell Lord.[23] After some time missing, he is shown attending the funeral ofSue Dibny, wife of Elongated Man.[24]
He joins theUltramarine Corps and lives for a time on their floating city of Superbia. When the entire city is conquered byGorilla Grodd and his forces, Tasmanian Devil and the other surviving heroes are sent to cause destruction.[25] His mind and the Corps are rescued by the Justice League.[26] Soon after, he takes part in the Corps' mission intoNebula Man, a sentient universe. Their efforts later allow the villain to be destroyed.
Tasmanian Devil helps out in theOMAC Crisis. He is one of many superheroes who go to theSahara as bait for the legions of metahuman killing machines. This scheme works, and many OMACs are destroyed without harming the hosts within.[27]
After the events ofInfinite Crisis, Tasmanian Devil is shown at a memorial service/headcount.[28] During the52 maxi-series, Tasmanian Devil and other powered beings, includingGloss andManticore, faceBlack Adam inSydney, Australia. They are shown unconscious and buried in debris.[29]
Later, Tasmanian Devil once again rejoins the Global Guardians.[30]
InJustice League: Cry for Justice, Tasmanian Devil is apparently killed byPrometheus.[31] It is later revealed that Tasmanian Devil was "flayed and stripped of flesh" before being healed via a Lazarus Pit, after which he joins the Justice League's reserve roster.[32]
InDC Pride, Tasmanian Devil joinsJustice League Queer, which his husbandExtraño assembles to defeatEclipso.[33][34]
In theDoomsday Clock storyline, Tasmanian Devil joins the Sleeping Soldiers, Australia's sanctioned superhero team.[35]
Hugh Dawkins can turn into a large Tasmanian devil, similar to awerewolf. In this form, he possesses super strength, claws, advanced healing, powerful fangs, and the ability to grow larger in size. While Hugh is apacifist, his alter ego is often aggressive and bestial.
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