General Information

Real Name:Grant Albert Emerson
Aliases:Grant Emerson
Company:DC Comics
Creator:Tom Joyner
Bill Marimon
Gender:Male
Character Type:Mutant
First Appearance:Damage #1 - Damage
Issue Died:Blackest Night #4 - Part 4
Powers:Agility
Blast Power
Energy Absorption
Energy Manipulation
Energy-Enhanced Strike
Flight
Intellect
Invulnerability
Sonic Scream
Stamina
Super Speed
Super Strength
Unarmed Combat

Damage

DC Comics

Origin

Grant Emerson was a teenager who had troubles with authority. At the age of 16 he had already been shuttled around from school to school without being able to stay in one for long.

This made Grant Emerson to move to Marietta, Georgia, it was a little after that his powers started to manifest. The first powers he showed were increased speed, as well as endurance, and using them he destroyed a car with one punch using only his hands.

Grant’s powers were incredibly strong, and they lead him to a fight against the villain Metallo. Grant won the fight, however he paid a big price; because of the battle he couldn’t control his powers and blew his entire high school to bits during the battle.

Grant had been raised by two people that he always thought were his parents, John and Kate Emerson; however those weren’t really his parents at all.

Grant’s adoptive parents told a corporation named Symbolix that Grant’s powers were manifesting, which led to their murder by the head of Symbolix, known as Dathan Wahrman.

Soon after that Grant met a former member of the team known as the Young All-Stars, Iron Munro, who would help Grant in almost every way possible. There was a time that Grant even suspected that Monroe was his dad, though it turned out not to be true.

The Titans

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An accident happened and half of Atlanta was blown up by Grant because of his lack of control over his powers. After he was captured he went to trial, and his lawyer was able to make a deal: Grant would join the newly formed Titans that were being led by Roy Harper instead of being put in jail.

After that Grant joined Arsenal’s newly formed Titans team. He stayed there for a short time and then decided to leave the team and go in a quest for answers about his past.

Damage’s true origins

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In his quest for answers he discovered that Vandal Savage had been involved in a series of experiments that were done by the Symbolix corporation.

He also learned about an old experiment that happened years ago, the name of it being “Project: Telemachus”. That project was created to take DNA sampled from metahumans, and inject them into a human body. The person that was chosen to be the experimental subject was the infant son of the Golden Age Atom, Al Pratt.

Going Underground

After he found out about his real origin he saved Florida from a nuclear meltdown. Although he saved the state, he was forced to go underground because if he didn’t he would go to jail since he broke his deal with the court when he left the Titans. He would appear on occasion to protect people. He also appeared two times asking membership into two groups; first to the Justice League of America and then to the newly formed Teen Titans, who had the present and de-aged Atom as their leader. He wasn’t accepted in either of the teams and he would have to go underground again.

A Titan Again

After the events of the Technis Imperative, the five founding Teen Titans (Nightwing, Donna Troy, Arsenal, Flash and Tempest) decided to reform the Titans and that each one would nominate another hero that had been a Titan to join.

Grant and JesseGrant and Jesse
Grant and Jesse

Arsenal’s nomination was Damage, with the only problem being that he was still a fugitive. Using all of his connections, Arsenal was able to erase Damage’s criminal record. He was then offered membership in the Titans, an invitation that he gladly accepted. He became friends with Argent and Jesse Quick (who would later take up her mother’s mantle of Liberty Belle).

Freedom Fighters

After the Titans disbanded along with Young Justice because of the deaths of Donna Troy and Lilith Clay, Damage had to go it alone. Thanks to his good luck he soon joined another team.

Damage joined the newest version of team known as the Freedom Fighters. However, like any other team that Damage had been in, this team ended quickly, and under bad circumstances. During Infinite Crisis, most of the Freedom Fighters (namely Black Condor, the Human Bomb, and Phantom Lady) were brutally slain by members of the Secret Society of Supervillains (namely Deathstroke, the Cheetah, Bizarro, Sinestro and Zoom). Damage survived the attack, however his face was badly scarred. This didn’t only make Damage look horrible, but also made him more aggressive and rude than before.

One Year Later and the Justice Society of America

Liberty Belle (Jesse) saving DamageLiberty Belle (Jesse) saving Damage
Liberty Belle (Jesse) saving Damage

After the events of Infinite Crisis, the DCU skipped one year of continuity. During the missing year, Damage decided to adopt a costume similar to the one worn by Al Pratt. This was in part to honor his dad and also to cover his scarred face. His personality has also changed, with him being now more rude and explosive than before in an attempt to hide his insecurities. He is offered by Hourman and Liberty Belle a place in the Justice Society because his dad was a founding member, but he tells them that he already had offers from the Freedom Fighters and also the Teen Titans. After he unable to pay for the damages to a police car he joins the Justice Society so they can cover the bill.

He started to develop a close relationship with his teammates, especially with Hourman and Liberty Belle (a long time friend of Grant since their days in the Titans). During one point the JSA was attempting to apprehend Zoom, the supervillain that scarred Damage’s face. Zoom crosses the state of Georgia’s border which makes Damage unable to pursue. Regardless Grant uses his powers to leap over and eventually catch up to Zoom. Damage manages to capture Zoom and holds him hostage in Atlanta. Damage displays some sort of explosive aura which activates if Zoom even twitches, which will cause a massive explosion killing them both and thousands of innocents. Liberty Belle then shows up to help Damage. Damage releases Zoom but Zoom, commenting on how weak of heroes they both are, grabs a piece of sharpened metal and throws it at Grant. Right before it strikes the killing blow Liberty Belle regains her speed powers and grabs the metal before it injures Grant, tossing it back and knocking out Zoom.

When the Third World being known as Gog comes to the main earth from the Kingdom Come Earth, he preforms a number of miracles including healing the scars on Damage’s face. Damage, and a number of other JSA members including Hawkman, Amazing Man, Citizen Steel and Northwind, become followers of Gog and stay at his encampment in Kahndaq with other heroes as well as Kahndaq citizens. In the one-shot The Kingdom, the JSA tries to retrieve their members who now stay with Gog, including Damage. Their efforts rely on Atom Smasher talking to Grant in his late father’s house, since Atom Smasher was so close to Grant’s father. This ends badly though, as they break out in a fight, only to be stopped by Alan Scott and other JSA members. Magog then appears ready to take Damage back to the camp if it is his choice, which he accepts, and leaves the JSA without looking back.

When Sandman learned of Gogs’s true intentions, he and the rest of the JSA realized that they must kill Gog. When they arrived at his camp, his followers began to defend him until they realized that the JSA were telling the truth. In retaliation, Gog removed all of the miracles he bestowed, including removing the scars on Grant’s face. This angered him to a point that Grant unleashed a powerful blast upon Gog, although it had little effect. The JSA eventually topple Gog, and cut off his head. The Kingdom Come Superman and Starman take his head to the Source Wall where it will remain forever. Angered by his scars, Grant turns away from his team only to be embraced and kissed by Judomaster, who now confesses her feelings to Grant. The JSA then collect their numbers and return home.

Blackest Night

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Damage was recently killed in the Blackest Night storyline by Ray Palmer‘s ex-wife Jean Loring. His death was the last kill for the Black lanterns to reach 100% power. He went to attack the JSA, and attempted to make peace with his half-brother: it turned out he was pretending to be under their control, and Damage sacrificed himself to destroy the rest of the Black Lanterns. This however, appeared to be a trick as the black lanterns regenerated, and Damage’s true plan was to destroy the JSA base so a black ring could reach the corpse of the Earth-2 Superman. Although the other Black Lanterns appear regenerated (Dr. Midnight, the original Sandman and Mister Terrific, etc), Damage is not seen. It is assumed he returned to a corpse after Blackest Night.

During the Black Lanterns attack Liberty Belle feels guilty about Grant’s death because she was the one who convinced him to join the Justice Society.

Judomaster later gives a eulogy at Grant’s funeral, where she learns of his last wish in his will, and starts a relief fund for the people whose lives were affected by Grant’s powers.

Doomsday Clock and Infinite Frontier

After Dr. Manhattan fixed the history he altered previously, the Justice Society returned to existence. Grant was among them, as it seemed that somehow Dr. Manhattan’s actions undone Damage’s death during Blackest Night.

Grant was one of the members of the Justice Society abducted by Mr. Bones and X-tract so they would be sacrificed to Darkseid as a way to protect Earth prime from invasions of the multiverse. Luckily the abducted Justice Society members were rescued by Jade and with the help of Roy Harper and Justice Incarnate, the heroes were able to briefly stop Darkseid’s plot and return to Earth Prime.

Powers

Although he is the biological son of the Golden Age Atom, Grant contained DNA imprints from the following meta-humans:

Grant is also able to leap great distances with his powers as displayed when he chases Zoom into Atlanta. Damage has amazing abilities, his body acts like a biochemical fusion reactor. He has learned how to harness this amazing power either into energy manipulation or a fusion discharge which was once used to recreate the big bang. He can even use this power to enhance his physical capabilities. Even at his lowest levels he is bulletproof and can lift at least 25 tons, and he also has superhuman speed and amazing reflexes/agility. He has also demonstrated some ability as a combatant. He does however have a major weakness. Involuntary fusion discharges can resort in many casualties and property damage. Also in Young justice sins of youth Damage has learned how to fly and now has powers comparable to those of Superman in terms of strength and durability.

Show of His Abilities

  • Walked through lava with no ill affects other than a lack of oxygen.
  • When he was a teenager he destroyed a car with his bare hands.
  • Jumped over an entire state.

Comic Appearances