Mister Bones ( Robert Todd) is a character in the , created by Roy Thomas, Dann Thomas, and Todd McFarlane, in Infinity, Inc. #16 (July 1985).
Keith David voices Mister Bones in Stargirl.
Fictional character biography
Origin
Dr. Benjamin (also known as Amos) Love, a
gynaecology, injected six
pregnancy women with an experimental mutagenic drug. Each of the women gave birth to a metahuman child. Dr. Love kidnapped the infants and raised them himself, never allowing them to leave the house. The children learned all they knew from books, radio, and television.
[ Infinity Inc. #18. DC Comics.] Later, the six young adults learned the true story of their origin from reading Love's diary and confronted him. They decided to execute him for what he did to them and Bones took Dr. Love out in the desert alone to kill him with his
cyanide touch; the doctor begged for his life and Bones felt pity for him and let him go. Bones later showed the rest of his "family" the grave of Doctor Love.
[ Infinity Inc. #52. DC Comics.] After the supposed death of Doctor Love and taking their cue from the
they had watched on television, the six created costumes to go with the names Doctor Love had given them and called their group Helix with them taking on names like Penny Dreadful,
Tao Jones, Kritter, Baby Boom, and Arak Wind-Walker.
Working with Helix
The team kidnapped the Infinitor Fury in an attempt to extort money. Although they were defeated by Fury's teammates, Infinity, Inc., Helix managed to escape.
[ Infinity Inc. #16–18. DC Comics.] Later, the second Wildcat (Yolanda Montez) learned that she was in fact a cousin of Helix's new member
Carcharo and that they are both products of the same genetic experiments as Helix. The two teams battled to a stalemate and Mr. Bones was arrested while the others escaped. Later, Mr. Bones was freed from prison by Doctor Love.
[ Infinity Inc. #25–28. DC Comics.]
Carcharo soon turned on the Helix and kidnapped Mr. Bones. In the ensuing struggle Carcharo is stabbed with a long piece of metal and in a last-ditch effort bit Bones's leg off, and then died from cyanide poisoning. To make sure Bones got medical care, Helix turned themselves in to the authorities.[ Infinity Inc. #29. DC Comics.] Mr. Bones received an artificial leg and Dr. Beth Chapel (Beth Chapel) helped him recover from his injuries, and the two formed a friendly relationship.[ Infinity Inc. #36. DC Comics.]
Working with Infinity, Inc.
Since they were minors, an informal court hearing was held to determine the fate of the members of Helix. It was found that Mr. Bones had too much of a negative influence on them. Infinity, Inc. was given custody of Bones while the rest of the Helix would receive treatment.
[ Infinity Inc. #38. DC Comics.]
For most of his time with Infinity, Inc. Mr. Bones was not a member of the team even though he took an active part in their adventures and became a hero in his own right, and was eventually accepted by most of the Infinitors.[ Infinity Inc. #51–53 (1988). DC Comics.]
Racked with guilt, Bones left Infinity, Inc. When Dr. Love gained control of Helix and ordered them to kill Bones, Helix instead turned on Love, killing him. Helix then left in disgust, telling Bones he was no longer one of them. The Infinitors, though, granted Bones full membership in the team, but Bones's role in Skyman's death would end up being instrumental in their disbanding soon afterward.
Running the Department of Extranormal Operations
At some point after Infinity, Inc. disbanded, Mr. Bones became Director of a local branch of the U.S. Department of Extranormal Operations (D.E.O.), and as a D.E.O., Director Bones has had numerous interactions with the operations of the superhuman community.
He has at times asked various DCU teams for their covert assistance. Notably, he has worked with the Justice Society of America a few times, to the point that Mister Terrific infiltrated the D.E.O. headquarters to tell Mr. Bones to stop harassing them. Bones was also wary of
Albert Rothstein, his old fellow Infinitor, after his murder of
Hank Hall. Mr. Bones became a supporting character in
Manhunter.
Mr. Bones and the operations of the D.E.O. are featured in the DC Files Secret Files and Origins Year 2000 special.
In a Final Crisis tie-in, Mr. Bones is seen as one of the fallen during a strike against Wonder Woman's Female Furies in Blüdhaven, with Count Vertigo and Negative Woman.[ Final Crisis #4 (2008)] He later survived the encounter as he is seen with Atom Smasher in a bar in Justice Society of America (vol. 2) #27 discussing the aforementioned incident and the latter's position on the team. When Rothstein leaves with other Society members, Bones is seen on the telephone calling the Global Peace Agency.
The New 52
In 2011, "The New 52" rebooted the DC universe. Mr. Bones is shown to be acting as the D.E.O.'s director and tasks agent Cameron Chase with capturing
Batwoman.
[ Batwoman #1 (September 2011). DC Comics.] Bones now believes himself to be
Jacob Kane's illegitimate son.
[ Batwoman (vol. 2) #17 (April 2013). DC Comics.][ Batwoman (vol. 2) #19 (June 2013). DC Comics][ Batwoman (vol. 2) Annual #1 (June 2014). DC Comics.] He captures
Beth Kane, sister of Batwoman, and blackmails Batwoman into agreeing to uncover
Batman secret identity.
[ Batwoman (vol. 2) #20 (July 2013). DC Comics.] Batwoman, Col. Kane's "Murder of Crows" elite paramilitary group, and the heroine
Bette Kane fail to rescue Beth. Agent Asaf, compromised by Hawkfire,
[ Batwoman (vol. 2) #23 (October 2013). DC Comics.] shoots Bones in the head after he threatens to kill Beth rather than hand her over.
Asaf later says Bones was mentally unbalanced, and is not Jacob Kane's son.
Infinite Frontier
In "Infinite Frontier", Mister Bones is talking to Cameron Chase about the recent events that have transpired since the events of "" that revealed the Multiverse to everyone.
[ Infinite Frontier #1. DC Comics.] He makes a deal with
Darkseid to spare their Earth and battles Jade, but escapes.
[ Infinite Frontier #5. DC Comics.][ Infinite Frontier #6. DC Comics.]
Powers and abilities
Bones' mother's exposure to mutagenic drugs during pregnancy gave him three superhuman powers, two of which are extremely inconvenient to his daily life: superhuman strength; transparent skin, flesh, and organs that give him a skeleton-like appearance; and toxic, cyanide-like sweat.
In other media
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Mister Bones appears in . This version was originally a member of Shadowpact during World War II before the group came into contact with Hades, who promised them eternal youth in exchange for breaking him out of his prison. After Bones failed to fulfill his side of the deal, Hades punished him by turning his skin, muscles, and organs invisible and his bones black. In the present, Bones becomes the head of the Department of Extranormal Operations, using body paint to appear normal.
[ Smallville Season 11: Olympus #1-4]
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Mister Bones appears in Stargirl, voiced by Keith David.
- Notes
- Citations
