Nemesis (DC Comics)

Publication history

The Thomas Tresser character was created by writer Cary Burkett in 1979 and named for an actor with whom Burkett was rooming in New Hampshire. The character debuted in an eight-page backup story in The Brave and the Bold #166 (September 1980) written by Burkett and drawn by Dan Spiegle.

The character was featured in one of the Final Crisis Aftermath limited series Escape written by Ivan Brandon with art by Marco Rudy. In 2010 he was the eponymous character in the mini-series Nemesis: The Impostors.

Fictional character biography

Thomas Andrew Tresser is a vigilante, turned operative for the U.S. government and a master of disguise. His default costume is a black turtleneck sweater with a balance as a chest symbol and a chest holster.

He was an applicant to an unnamed government agency whose brother Craig was an undercover agent infiltrating a criminal syndicate called "the Council". Craig was brainwashed into killing their family friend Ben Marshall and was subsequently killed in self-defense by fellow agents. Tom thus became "Nemesis", preferring to use an alias instead of his dishonored family name. With the assistance of Batman, he cleared his brother's name and saw the men responsible for his brother's death dead.

This was covered in a backup series in The Brave and the Bold #166 through 192, with team-ups with Batman in #170 and #193.

Suicide Squad

Nemesis was apparently killed in the helicopter crash that killed the Council's leader, though he was later revealed to have survived, thanks to Amanda Waller and Rick Flag. He then became one of the few non-criminal members of the Suicide Squad as a means of paying off what he perceived as a debt. Nemesis became an occasional member of the Suicide Squad, assisting them from time to time, and fell in love with one of their members, Nightshade.

During a mission in Moscow with the Suicide Squad, the team tried to rescue Zoya Trigorin. The mission was a bust, as she would die in his arms, and he was taken into custody. Rick Flag and Nightshade set up a rescue mission for their teammate, and came into conflict with the Justice League because of it. Eventually, the two teams worked out their differences, and Nemesis would later be allowed to escape by the Justice League. He continued to work alongside the Squad, but left the team after conflicts with Amanda Waller. He would later return only shortly to help retrieve Flag's kidnapped son and to assist in trying to uncover a secret government cabal. This plot-point that was never resolved.

Tresser was drafted into the Shadow Fighters, in to battle the villain Eclipso. He was originally the sole survivor of the Eclipso massacre that claimed lives of the rest of the Shadow Fighters. He would continue the fight against Eclipso in a smaller recon-team that also included Nightshade and the matter-manipulator Chunk. Nemesis and Chunk are saved from a nuclear bomb attack by Nightshade's powers.

After his involvement with the Suicide Squad and the Shadow Fighters ended, he apparently met his end - again - in the pages of Catwoman. In Superman Secret Files 2004, Nemesis was revealed to be alive and well, impersonating Sarge Steel and apparently working for a shadowy Cabal. Furthermore, in the last issue of the second volume of Suicide Squad the then-current team's erstwhile leader Sgt. Rock is revealed to have been an impostor. Given the events of the Superman Annual, "Rock" may well have been Nemesis for some or all of his appearances with the Squad. The story of what happened to Nemesis between his 'death' in Catwoman and subsequent reappearance in Superman Secret Files has not yet been told.

"One Year Later"

Nemesis was seen again One Year Later after the events of Infinite Crisis, aiding government agent Diana Prince, Wonder Woman in disguise, in the rescue of Donna Troy from several of the Amazon's villains. Nemesis is part of the newly re-opened Department of Metahuman Affairs under Sarge Steel.

Around this time, Nemesis assists in saving the life of the second Maxi-Man. Shortly before the events of Amazons Attack Nemesis questions the detainment of Wonder Woman by the D.M.A. and goes against orders to rescue her. He uncovers a plot by the villain Circe to trick the U.S. government into destroying Themyscira under false pretenses. During the Amazon counterattack, he was stung by several gigantic Stygian Killer Hornets, native to the Amazon Nation. Wonder Woman risks her life by traveling to Themyscira for an antidote and revives Nemesis back into health.

Shortly thereafter, Nemesis is again wounded in battle. While he is recovering in the hospital, Wonder Woman began courting Tresser, in the traditional Amazon manner. After formally meeting her mother Queen Hippolyta, he is inducted as a member of the Amazon race despite being a male. He is given the title of Sir Thomas of Cleveland, and given the ranking of Guardsman. Tom ends any potential relationship aside of friendship with Diana once he discovers that she doesn't truly love him but instead wanted to use him to create a family.

Recent adventures

In the Final Crisis Aftermath: Escape storyline, Tresser is kidnapped and "reprogrammed" by Global Peace Agency. He then appears in Nemesis: The Imposters, battling false versions of the DC Universe.

Soseh Mykros

A second Nemesis debuted in JSA Annual #1 (October 2000).

Soseh Mykros was the genetically engineered daughter of the leader of the Council (not to be confused with the above mentioned Council), a terrorist group that had once used the hero Paul Kirk, Manhunter. She originally operated as an ally of the Justice Society and assisted the team during a few adventures.

Eventually, she joined Black Adam's group of loose cannon heroes, a group that, while altruistic, had no compunctions about killing. She became romantically involved with her teammate Alexander Montez, a man who had managed to bind the demon Eclipso to himself. Alex lost control and Eclipso killed Soseh. Alex regained control only to commit suicide out of grief and to protect others.

Relationship of Tresser and Mykros

In DC Comics continuity, Mykros does not seem to have any connection to Tresser except for the fact that they both battled organizations named "the Council". Tresser was killed in order for Mykros to debut in JSA.

When asked in an interview what happened to Nemesis (Tom Tresser), why he was killed in Catwoman #62, and was it true that his death was editorially mandated, Catwoman writer Devin Grayson explained:

In other media

Nemesis (Thomas Andrew Tresser) has appeared as a background character in several episodes of Justice League Unlimited.

He debuted in the first episode of Justice League Unlimited ("Initiation") and later was seen more prominently in the episode "Dark Heart".