Deadman
A ghostly circus performer seeking justice through possession and flight.
Deadman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by scripter Arnold Drake and artist Carmine Infantino, the character made his debut in Strange Adventures #205 (1967). He serves as the superhero persona of Boston Brand, an aerialist murdered during a circus act by an assassin with a hook prosthetic hand. His spirit was granted the ability to possess the living by the deity Rama Kushna to find his killer. As a spirit, he is invisible to mortals and possesses abilities including flight, intangibility, and body possession. He has been a frequent supporting character since the 1970s and an occasional protagonist in numerous limited series.
Quick Facts
- Publisher
- DC Comics
- Debut
- Strange Adventures #205 (October 1967)
- Creators
- Arnold Drake (writer); Carmine Infantino (artist)
- Real name
- Boston Brand
- Species
- Ghost
- Alliances
- Justice League Dark
- Seven Soldiers of Victory
- Sentinels of Magic
- Justice League
- Powers
- Flight
- Invisibility
- Intangibility
- Possession
- Expertise in acrobatics, unarmed combat, and occultism
Lore & Background
Boston Brand performed under the name Deadman, wearing a red costume with white corpse makeup until his murder by 'the Hook.' This killer was part of an initiation into a secret society of contract killers (not specifically named 'The League of Assassins'). Rama Kushna granted Brand the power to possess any living being to find his killer. The story revealed that the real Hook is one among many one-handed men working for the organization. Fighting them led to Deadman briefly inhabiting an artificial body created by the Forever People. Rama Kushna maintained Nanda Parbat, a city where she rehabilitated criminals, though its fall is not depicted in original Deadman stories as resulting from combined military and mystical forces.
Reader's Guide
Deadman has been adapted into various media including television, film, and video games. His publication history includes a four-issue limited series in 1986 written by Andrew Helfer and drawn by José Luis García-López. In 2002, he starred in an ongoing series lasting nine issues. Notable cameos include Alan Moore's run on Swamp Thing, Neil Gaiman's The Books of Magic, and Batman: Gotham County Line (November 2005). In 2009, he was a featured title in Wednesday Comics. A three-part miniseries titled Deadman: Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love was written by Sarah Vaughn with art by Lan Medina. His retconned origin was revealed in Brightest Day #14 (2010), written by Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi. In 2026, a new comic series started.
Did You Know?
- Arnold Drake initially conceived Deadman as a muscular skeleton before developing the final concept.
- Neal Adams' stories and the first story were reprinted together in a seven-issue series in 1985.
- In 2001, DC Comics published a slipcased hardcover edition collecting the original Deadman stories.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Deadman a character in Death Stranding?
No, this figure is actually a DC Comics superhero named Boston Brand who does not exist within the game's universe.
What abilities does this ghostly hero have?
Deadman can fly, become intangible to mortals, and possess other bodies to exact revenge on his killer.
More in Characters & Portals
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