Torque

Origin

Little is known of Dudley’s origin before he joined the Bludhaven Police Department. Once a member of the police he became a detective and rose through the ranks to being a fairly powerful member of the department, with an agenda of his own.

Creation

Dudley was created by Chuck Dixon and Scott McDaniel in Nightwing #1 in 1996. His first appearance as Torque was in issue #27.

Character Evolution

Over the course of his portrayal, Dudley was presented somewhat consistently, the one major difference being that when Blockbuster turned his neck around that he sought revenge on those he blamed for his condition. For a short while he employed palindromes at his crime scenes as his personal signature. His nickname was “Deadly”.

Major Story Arcs

Dudley featured prominently in the early issues of the first ongoing Nightwing series. With Dick showing up to Bludhaven to investigate some murders, he first met Dudley who he thought might be a person he could trust, similar to Commissioner Gordon. This ended up being not the case as Dudley was also working for Blockbuster. As time passed though it became clear that Dudley had his own agenda, playing both sides for his own gain. With the eventual confrontation of Blockbuster by Nightwing, Dudley was left to the same fate as most of those that had crossed Blockbuster, a head turned right around. Unlike the others though, he lived and with the help of an enterprising young Hindu doctor (Doctor Sandra Pavaar), he managed to regain control of his body though his head had to stay turned around as it was. He next showed up as the Huntress had traveled to Bludhaven to hunt down some corrupt union members. He appeared on and off for some time, eventually ending up in prison with Tad Ryerstad, and the two formed a bond. Soon after escaping though, Tad murdered him during a dispute.

Powers and Abilities

A shrewd and unscrupulous police detective, Dudley’s greatest asset was his mind. He was otherwise a regular human with no superpowers. He was skilled in various firearms, including a gatling gun, which became his signature weapon when he operated as Torque. With his head twisted 180 degrees, Torque uses mirrored glasses to see forward, allowing him to see all 360 degrees of the battlefield.