Devil Ray (Justice League Unlimited)

Devil Ray is a supervillain on the animated series "Justice League Unlimited". He was voiced by Michael Beach.

Character History

Unlike most of the Legion of Doom, Devil Ray was not a pre-existing DC Comics character. This is particularly notable since DC comics and Challenge of the SuperFriends did include an Aquatic based supervillain with a diving suit, Black Manta. However, Black Manta could not be used in the show since, according to writer Dwayne McDuffie, the rights to Aquaman characters were no longer available. [ [http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/index.php?showtopic=2615400&view=findpost&p=3660878 Justice League - TWoP Forums ] ] Devil Ray, a resilient fighter and ruthless killer, was asked by Gorilla Grodd to join his expanding Secret Society (a.k.a. Legion of Doom). An obvious choice because Devil Ray takes great pleasure and pride in his heinous work. Devil Ray’s armour was greatly advanced by Lex Luthor, and Grodd put the souped-up Devil Ray to the test when he sent Devil Ray out on a mission to retrieve the corpse of the Viking Prince, an ancient warrior that Grodd believed held the key to invulnerability, from a melting glacier. When Wonder Woman confronted he and a few other members, Devil Ray shot her with a poison dart, and if not for King Faraday, he would have killed her. When the Viking ship thawed, Devil Ray towed it with a submarine, and was followed by Wonder Woman. He engaged the Amazon to fight in an underwater battle, after nearly poisoning Wonder Woman on the surface, and even though Devil Ray was in his "natural" environment, Wonder Woman defeated him by catching him off-guard and cracking his helmet with her legs from behind, leaving him adrift. After having his armor destroyed Devil Ray was handed over to authorities to be put away, but he soon escaped to rejoin the Society.

Not long after, Devil Ray was sent on another mission. This time he was sent steal the Heart of Nanda Parbat. Devil Ray wouldn't allow anyone to stop him on this mission, so he disposed of the monastery's Master, Deadman's mentor. This allowed Luthor and Tala to steal the power force needed to enact Grodd's scheme. Later on, when the Legion assailed Gorilla City, Deadman possessed Wonder Woman's body to take revenge against Devil Ray, and beat him to a pulp. After the Legion was defeated, Devil Ray attempted to kill Wonder Woman. Attempting to save Diana, Deadman lunged into Batman's body. The possessed Batman shot Devil Ray with a found gun, causing him to fly backwards into a console panel which electrocuted him.

Powers & Abilities

Devil Ray wore a suit that allowed him to breathe underwater and withstand deep-sea pressures. It was also equipped with rocket boosters that enabled him to fly and navigate underwater, and two wrist-mounted guns. Lex Luthor augmented his abilities and in this form, Devil Ray acquired super strength and stamina. He had enough strength, speed and invulnerability to challenge Wonder Woman and live. The guns in his gauntlets allow him to shoot poisonous or explosive stingers or laser bolts at his targets, and also an array of venomous or explosive trident-shaped stingers.

Trivia

Devil Ray appears to be a nemesis of Wonder Woman after attempting to kill her numerous times. It is also speculated that Devil Ray also may be an Aquaman villain due his aquatic nature and the fact that he is based on Aquaman villain Black Manta.

Within mainstream comics, in "Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis" #52, the new Aquaman (Arthur Joseph Curry) inquires if Black Manta is the name of a cartoon character, and is corrected "...wasn't he called Devil Ray?", a reference to the rename in "Justice League Unlimited".

References

* [http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/jlu/bios/devilray/] - Bio for Devil Ray