Firefly (DC Comics)

Publication history

The first Firefly (Garfield Lynns) appeared in Detective Comics #184 (June 1952) created by France Herron and Dick Sprang.

The second Firefly (Ted Carson) appeared in Batman #126 and was created by Bill Finger and Sheldon Moldoff.

Garfield Lynns

The first iteration of Firefly is introduced as Garfield Lynns, a down-and-out film special effects expert who attempts to rob a theatre by faking a fire, but was stopped by Batman and Robin. He escapes, and in the darkness Batman sees a distant firefly, which he mistakes for Lynns' lit cigarette and chases in the wrong direction. Inspired, Lynns becomes the Firefly, using various lighting effects and optical illusions in his crimes. As a costumed criminal, Firefly has fought not only Batman and Robin, but also the Creeper and the Outsiders.

Ted Carson

The second iteration of Firefly is Ted Carson, an ostentatiously wealthy gold mine heir who gambles away the family fortune and turns to crime to maintain his lifestyle. He is also Bruce Wayne's rival for the affections of Kathy Kane (aka Batwoman). His first time as Firefly occurred when he crashes the party at the Carson Mansion where Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson were attending. Batman and Robin attempt to interfere with Firefly's theft of gold nuggets from the Carson Family's first gold strike, but Firefly blinds them momentarily with a powerful light beam from his helmet and ensures his gang's getaway. Later, Wayne finds Kathy spurning him for Carson causing him to exclaim that he now has both the Firefly and Carson to worry about. Soon, Batman, Robin, and Batwoman are summoned to combat the Firefly at the Gotham Glassworks, but they discover that the Firefly possesses a sonic weapon that can shatter glass and are forced to take cover while the criminals flee, though one of the criminals is caught. Later, Bruce calls upon Kathy, only to find Carson already there. After a few minutes, Ted gets up to leave and asks Bruce to see Kathy to dinner. She pleads a headache and gets Bruce's raincoat still leaving him in the dark as to whether or not she suspects him of being Batman. After Bruce leaves, a fallen paper reveals to Kathy the Firefly's plans to rob the Gotham Museum of Natural History. She becomes Batwoman and travels to Carson's house. Batwoman tells Ted to become Batman and accompany her to foil the Firefly's plans as she reveals that she saw him change from a uniform into civilian clothes at the party. Carson leaves, and emerges in his uniform which happens to be Firefly's costume. He proceeds to tie Batwoman up and joins his gang at the museum attempting to steal silver relics. But Batman and Robin have deduced his next crime-site and Batwoman has freed herself, and the crime-fighters bring the criminals down.

Post-Crisis

How much of Firefly's pre-Crisis history that is still intact is unclear, but post-Crisis shows he works primarily with fire instead of lighting effects, and he also displays pyromaniac tendencies.

Garfield Lynns is originally a pyrotechnic expert for motion pictures, but falls victim to Gotham City's severe poverty and turns to crime, displaying signs of pyromania. Lynns is captured by Batman and Robin after his first robbery. He takes up arson as a hobby, but it soon turns to an obsession; he believes he can see visions in the flames. Inspired by actual fireflies, he builds a suit and becomes a professional arsonist. Early in his criminal career Firefly becomes the protégé of Killer Moth, looking to duplicate the success of crimefighting duo Batman and Robin. The alliance falls apart when Killer Moth realizes the full extent of Firefly's madness and fears for his own well-being.

In the Knightfall storyline, Firefly's plan after his escape from Arkham Asylum is to burn all the places he didn't go to as a child. He successfully destroys his first two targets, but Batman captures him at the site of his third, the Gotham Zoo. He is one of the main villains in part 1, but is captured. He has been locked up so long he has been mostly forgotten about. Knightfall marks one of the few moments where Lynns face is revealed; he has black hair with white highlights.

In his attempt to burn Gotham to the ground, Firefly is horribly burned when the chemical factory he targeted explodes. He suffers burns over 90 percent of his body, and is ultimately sentenced to Blackgate Prison. He was one of the inmates of Blackgate when it was under the control of Lock-Up during the No Man's Land story arc. When Nightwing was captured trying to re-take Blackgate from Lock-Up, Firefly (wearing a mask over his face) wanted to kill him and wear his skin over his burned body.

During the DC One Million crisis, Firefly nearly burned down Gotham while infected with the Hourman virus, requiring Nightwing and Robin to work with the future Batman to stop him.

Firefly makes a short appearance in the Justice League of America story arc "Crisis Of Conscience" fighting Catwoman in Gotham City over a diamond before Batman arrives. Although an epic battle between the Secret Society and the Justice League ensues, Firefly is knocked unconscious and remains that way during the entire battle. He makes another short appearance in the 2005 mini series Villains United, when the Secret Six attempts to escape the Society's grasp.

Firefly is among the numerous heroes and villains apparently murdered by the OMACs in the pages of DC's The OMAC Project, although he later appears alive in Villains United: Infinite Crisis Special and Gotham Underground.

Firefly appears with Mr. Freeze facing Batman (though Firefly is wearing the same uniform as the Firefly design of The Batman). He and Mr. Freeze are again shown as having worked together a month after the events of the Crisis, Batman working with the currently-redeemed Harvey Dent to take them down before he takes his year of absence while leaving Dent to guard Gotham.

Following the Final Crisis, Firefly was with Cheetah's Secret Society of Super Villains at the time when Genocide was created. He was defeated by Wonder Woman alongside Shrapnel, Phobia, and T.O. Morrow.

Firefly is recruited by a new Black Mask to a part of a group of villains that are aiming to take over Gotham, but he follows his own agenda. Inspired by the chemicals that Black Mask used on him, Firefly inserts chips into Gothamites in order to make them burn. Not long after the identity of the new Black Mask was revealed to be Jeremiah Arkham, Firefly was arrested and put into Arkham Asylum. A short time later Firefly is broken out of Arkham Asylum by Dick Grayson, who has assumed the mantle of Batman, to assist him in gaining access to Sebastian Blackspell's closest friends. Batman (Dick) desires to know what Blackspells true intentions are in regards to killing the Riddler.

The New 52

In The New 52 (a reboot of the DC Comics universe), a new version of Firefly appears in Nightwing Annual #1. The Firefly seen is Ted Carson, a former high school teacher who tries to incinerate everything that will separate him from his ex-girlfriend Cindy Cooke. He seemingly murders Garfield Lynns along the way and attempts to use Lynns (a known pyromaniac) as a scapegoat for his crimes. Carson was defeated by Nightwing and Batgirl.

DC Rebirth

In DC Rebirth, Firefly and Killer Moth team up to hunt and kill Batman in All-Star Batman after Two-Face offers millions of dollars to anyone to kill Batman for him, and like most of the people who try, Firefly and Killer Moth fail.

Pre-Crisis

In his Pre-Crisis appearances, Firefly uses tricks with colored lights and other such optical illusions in his crimes.

Post-Crisis

In his Post-Crisis appearances, Firefly is an expert in pyrotechnics and explosives, with a thorough knowledge of inflammable agents. After being horribly burnt all over his body after an out-of-control blaze he started at a chemical factory, he designed and built an insulated, fire-retardant battlesuit to not only protect himself, but outfit it with a number of different features, most of which relate to incendiary weaponry.

Weapons & Equipment

His armament primarily includes a military-grade flamethrower, napalm, grenade launchers, and a self-designed rig that projects a sword-like blade of superheated plasma for close combat purposes. The other main feature of the suit are the fixed wings mounted on his back, which allow him to glide on the updrafts of the fires he creates. Sometimes the wings are depicted as being part of a jetpack instead, granting Firefly proper high-speed flight over short to medium distances.

Smallville Season Eleven

Firefly appears in Smallville Season Eleven comic in Gotham City as the yellow rings of Parallax head to Arkham Asylum. There, Batman and Nightwing are doing their best to contain the newly powered inmates of Arkham, including Firefly, who have already been transformed into Yellow Lanterns. Luckily, Superman arrives just in time to offer assistance to Batman and Nightwing. Superman tries to control the situation but his inexperience with his power ring doesn't help at all, so Bane and Firefly attack him, while he is protecting the doctors.

After this, the Yellow Lanterns stand still and kneel before him. Parallax suddenly appears behind Superman, having John Stewart under his control. Batman steals Firefly's ring. In Gotham, Batman fights with Firefly, when suddenly he gets a call from Tess Mercer and Chloe Sullivan in Watchtower, who ask him to secure a single yellow ring for them. Batman fights with Firefly and during the battle he tricks Firefly into colliding to a building. There Batman finds the chance and takes the yellow ring (which tempts him to become its new bearer) from Firefly and then puts it on his analyzer on the Batplane and sends the data to Watchtower and S.T.A.R. Labs.

After their rings get rebooted and they lose their powers, the inmates of Arkham fall from the sky unable to do anything to save themselves, but fortunately Superman manages to save them all. After Parallax's defeat, all the now depowered criminals return to Arkham Asylum.

Flashpoint

In the alternate timeline of the Flashpoint event, Firefly is a member of the Ambush Bugs led by Canterbury Cricket. He is killed in battle against the Amazons.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold

Firefly appears as one of the Batman and Wonder Woman rogues attacking the two heroes wedding. Firefly is seen battling the Martian Manhunter. Clayface watched footage of the attack on the wedding causing him to realize fire weakened the Martian Manhunter.

Batman v Superman

The Garfield Lynns version of Firefly was introduced to the DC Extended Universe in the tie-in prequel comic to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, available at Dr. Pepper. Before the events of film, Lynns was working with 2 low level thugs in-order to bomb a warehouse full of valuables. While they carry out the plan, they discuss about the Batman, how when he first appeared, he attacked so fast you couldn't even see him. Suddenly, Batman appears and uses a Batarang to destroy the detonator held by Firefly, and proceeds to engage Firefly, who uses his flamethrower to unsuccessfully attack Batman. Batman ultimately subdues him, and leaves the 2 low-level criminals tied up on a sidewalk, for the police to find. While this all happens, Lex Luthor ominously watches all this unfold, on a CCTV.

Live-action

Animation

Film

Lego series

Batman: Arkham

The Garfield Lynns version of Firefly appears in the Batman: Arkham series, where he is voiced by Crispin Freeman in a Texan accent.