Multiplex

Origin

Danton Black, a.k.a Multiplex, is Firestorm’s archenemy. He got his powers from the same nuclear explosion as Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein, which gave Multiplex the power of fission, which is the opposite of Firestorm‘s power which is fusion.

Creation

Multiplex was created by Gerry Conway and Al Milgrom.

Character Evolution

Danton Black was the assistant of nuclear physicist Martin Stein at the time Stein was designing the nuclear reactor for the Hudson Nuclear Facility. Black, unfairly, believed that he himself did all the work, while Stein got all the credit. Stein finally fired Black for stealing equipment. Black got revenge by dishonestly claiming that he himself had designed the reactor and that Stein had stolen his designs. As a result, the Nuclear Regulations Council enjoined the opening of the now-completed facility until Black’s accusations could be investigated. Stein believed that if the plant was closed for any reason, people would believe that the plant must be unsafe, an organizations would lobby against it.

Determined to prove that his reactor was indeed safe, Stein decided to start his operation that night. Black secretly came to the plant that night to copy Stein’s designs so he could produce “evidence” that Stein had stolen them from him. Meanwhile, protest group leader Edward Earnheart was planning to blow up the facility. A member of his group, high school student Ronnie Raymond, objected. Earheart knocked both Stein, who had activated the reactor, and Raymond unconscious and left them in the main reactor room with a bomb. The bomb exploded, increasing the scale of the ongoing nuclear reaction and bombarding Raymond and Stein with intense radiation.

Elsewhere in the facility, Black was also bombarded with radiation. The radiation transformed Raymond and Stein, enabling them to merge and become the super hero Firestorm. The radiation affected Black very differently, giving him the ability to divide himself into many separate beings. Black became the costumed criminal Multiplex and eventually learned that Firestorm was Stein and Raymond. Multiplex has battled Firestorm on numerous occasions.

Multiplex joined Alexander Luthor’s Secret Society of Super Villains. He later joined the Suicide Squad. Working with the Suicide Squad, Multiplex helped capture villains to send to planet Salvation.

New 52

Multiplex runs into Green Arrow and is quickly defeated. Arrow was working for Steve Trevor to find out declassified information. Multiplex was using a communicator device, that looked like a silver dollar, to talk to the members of The Secret Society. He escaped, dropping the communicator, while the robot’s created by Professor Ivo attacked Green Arrow.

Multiplex captures Joanne Raymond and Rick and places them in a machine that absorbs their energy. She was able to call her son Ronnie before they were captured. Firestorm arrives and attempts to turn the chemical composition into toilet paper. This process drains firestorm while Rick becomes stronger. Jason realizes that Rick is Danton Black, Professor Stein’s former assistant. Black was selling Stein’s discoveries to the highest bidder before he was fired. Black went back to destroy Stein’s work and the ensuing explosion fused Jason Rusch and Ronnie Raymond while creating a fission effect with Black. Months later Black as able to create himself and duplicate himself. Multiplex siphoned so much power from Firestorm that he overloaded himself. Multiplex has joined with others to apprehend Firestorm. The other villains are Hyena, Killer Frost, Black Bison, Typhoon, and Plastique. Multiplex arrives toward the end of the first battle to get a few punches in on Firestorm and see Plastique propel Firestorm into the air. He escapes toward the end of the second battle after major Force has decimated his allied forces. Firestorm is fighting Multiplex’s duplicates while the real Multiplex is safe on a street corner. Multiplex knows who Firestorm is and tells his family is safe as long as he is let go. Multiplex teamed up with Hyena, Mindboggler, and the second Enforcer to battle local officers in Pittsburgh and were repelled by a passer-by Cyborg.

Major Story Arcs

Powers and Abilities

Duplication

Multiplex is able to create duplicates of himself.

Super Strength

Multiplex and all his duplicates have super-human strength.

Physical Characteristics

Height: 6’0

Weight: 188 lbs.

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Black

Other Versions

Batman Beyond

The new Catwoman apparently is the daughter or descendant of Multiplex. Then again, this new Catwoman could have stolen Multiplex’s technology in order to stage multiple heists.

Other Media

Television

The Flash

Multiplex appears in the Flash episode “The Fastest Man Alive,” portrayed by Michael Christopher Smith. This version of the character is a disgruntled former researcher who lost his job after being fired by Simon Stagg. While trying to sue Stagg over the wrongful theft of his cloning research (which Danton had planned to use to save his dying wife), Danton was transformed into a metahuman by a dark matter wave released by an accident at S.T.A.R. Labs. Using his new found powers, he attempts to exact vengeance by murdering Stagg, but is repeatedly thwarted by the Flash. During a final confrontation, Danton is finally killed after throwing himself out a window.