Creation
Warblade was co-created by Brandon Choi and Jim Lee. Making his debut in WildC.A.T.s: Covert Action Teams #1 – Resurrection Day, August 1992 under the Image and Wildstorm comics imprint. In 1999 Wildstorm was purchased by DC Comics, Wildstorm left Image and took all their characters with them including Warblade and the WildC.A.T.s. Following DC Comics New 52 reboot, Warblade made his New 52 debut on May 2, 2012 in the pages of Teen Titans Annual, written by Scott Lobdell and penciled by Brett Booth. Warblade didn’t appear on the Wild Storm miniseries, but has appeared in the Justice League Incarnate series as inhabitant of earth 41.
History
Wildstorm
Superb artistic talent and radiant green hair belie the true nature of Reno Bryce. To his friends, he is a dangerous Kherubim/Human hybrid code-named, Warblade. As Warblade he’s a shape shifter who can turn his body parts into razor sharp cutting blades.
As a young boy, Daemonites murdered his family and left an orphaned Reno Bryce in the lands of Hong Kong. Vowing to rid the Earth of the Daemonites, he’s spent his whole life preparing himself for the fight and as one of the first members of Lord Emp‘s WildC.A.T.s, he’s had lots of opportunities to the follow through on his threat. Personally responsible for the death of dozens of Daemonites, he won’t quit until their evil presence is completely annihilated.
Sometime after the murder of his family, Reno was kidnapped by an organization called Cyberdata and made into a member of their strike team known as the S.H.O.C.s. Fellow teammate, Misery used her telepathy to manipulate Warblade and later Ripclaw, even going as far as making them fall in love with her. However, when Warblade figures out she’s a traitor, he attempts to kill her. Witnessing his actions, Ripclaw attempts to take his life, believing Reno to be the traitor. (Note: This aspect of the character is not canon anymore since the incorporation of Wildstorm Productions to DC Comics).
He later washed up on the shore of Gamorra, where he was found and saved by Jacob Marlowe and Jules. They brought Reno into the WildC.A.T.s after that, and surgically removed a kind of control chip that unfortunetely resulted in Warblade losing some of his memory.
Wildstorm Rising
When the WildC.A.T.s find an old Kherubim ship, they fixed it up and traveled to Khera. Once they finally made it to the planet, Warblade was delighted to be introduced to the Shapers Guild where he met other Shapers like himself. Under the tutelage of an ancient Shaper, Lord Proteus taught Warblade how to better utilize his abilities. Manifesting more elaborate and creative forms instead of limiting himself to his claws. He was very disappointed to find out from his fellow teammates and friends Void and Voodoo about the darker side to Kheran society. After some disputes with Zealot, the WildC.A.T.s left Khera and returned to Earth.
Once they had returned to Earth, the WildC.A.T.s went on several missions and adventures to rid the planet of the evil Daemonites. They had delt with everything from Helspont, Hightower, Lord Entropy, the Witch known as Tapestry. However, learning that the actual Kherubim/Daemonite war was truly over, severely discouraged the team and damaged their ranks.
Warblade had eventually gone for his annual visit to Japan to hone his skills and clear his mind, but also to end his one time friend Pillar in Cyberdata’s S.H.O.C.s team. He unsuspectingly ran into another remnant from his past, Ripclaw, but now a member of Cyber Force. The two would, after some butting of heads, put aside their differences for the greater good, and even reconcile. They spare Pillar’s life, but with a solemn vow of killing the Daemonite possessed man if they ever see him again. Warblade returned to the WildC.A.T.s to face a group of radicals built on the foundation to eradicating all alien lifeforms on Earth, The Puritans. After this conflict and the successful defeat of the Puritans, Reno found romance in the form of Jacob’s most trusted assistant, Jules Newberry. However, eventually it just wasn’t enough for Reno Bryce.
He retired as a super hero to focus on his artwork in New York. Here he even met his fiancé, Fiona Sedgewick. Their love wouldn’t last long, before they could marry, the mercenary Pike had come for their lives based on a vision of killing a WildC.A.T.s member. Sadly, Fiona was killed. Warblade should have died, but he managed to pull himself back together, molecule by molecule. The process apparently took several months, but once he was whole again, he waisted no time in hunting Pike down. He found the mercenary in Sarajevo, where Reno then proceeded to kill his thugs in order to get Pike’s undivided attention, it worked. Once they clashed, Reno mysteriously injected Pike with a number of his molecules and killed the mercenary by pulling them all back at once. He added the final insult, letting Pike know while he lay dying that regardless if he would of succeeded in killing Warblade or not, his vision wouldn’t have come to pass because the WildC.A.T.s were already disbanded.
A broken Reno later joined a newly formed WildCats, but this iteration of the group was short lived. After the apparent death of Zealot, the team disbanded and Warblade left for Bosnia. He met another woman, Helena. He admittedly used Helena to remind him of Fiona, his deceased fiancé. Reno again put away the claws to focus on his art. He had fallen into such a depression, his painting reflected nothing but pain and suffering. He tried to not get involved in the countless day to day crimes, but one day he just couldn’t take it anymore and he brought Warblade out to play. The local authorities were none too happy, particularly an Inspector by the name of Svoboda. The inspector tricked Reno into visiting his office the next morning. The next thing Reno knew, he was waking up in a hospital bed, where Svoboda explained they had a doctor splice with his genes on the molecular level to basically neuter his abilities. However, this wasn’t enough, an example had to be made out of Reno Bryce. Svoboda had the doctors remove Reno’s hands.
Reno Bryce had fallen into such a depression after the loss of his hands, Helena left him. He developed a drinking problem, and quickly got out of shape. He attempted to use his prosthetics to paint in order to support his drinking habit, but he was unsuccessful. He put aside his morality in order to find himself a paying job. He became a bouncer in a Bosnian whorehouse for a pimp named Khatchik. Reno developed an infatuation for one of the liquor girls there, a blonde buxom woman by the name of Lindy. What Reno didn’t know was, a group called the Five Guys, traffickers were looking for Lindy. They didn’t traffic drugs or weapons, they trafficked organic hybrid chemicals. Weapons of micro-destruction. Gene-spliced mutated viruses. Things escalated when Reno tried to help, tried to be the hero once more. He found himself in a hospital bed again, this time face to face with the doctor that took his powers and his hands, Slotnik. Doctor Slotnik was regretful of his actions, and offered to help restore his abilities with an experimental procedure. The procedure nearly killed him, but Reno once again willed himself to life, reconciling with himself he had become Warblade again. He killed the Five Guys, and discovered Linda’s deceit, but spared her life under the condition that she never fail her niece whom had no one left, or Warblade would come back for her.
Reno Bryce later opened an exposition to showcase his artistic sculptures in Chicago, Illinois. He kept in contact with Grifter, catching up from time to time. During his expo, Reno found himself involved in a feud between the rogue Kherans known as the Brotherhood of the Blade and the Daemonites for Nemesis. In New York Warblade teamed up with Maul, Voodoo, and Mr. Majestic once again to successfully hold off hordes of zombie infected civilians as Nemesis faced off in a final showdown with Raven.
Captain Atom: Armaggedon
When Captain Atom‘s presence in their world threatens to destroy the entire Wildstorm Universe, Reno once again brings his claws out of retirement to team-up with fellow WildCats, Zealot, Voodoo, and Maul. Captain Atom and Warblade had a brief encounter after Voodoo’s defeat. Captain Atom was skeptical that Warblade could hurt him at all, but was soon proved wrong after Reno’s assault. Captain Atom went on to defeat the WildCats, but found a way to not only return to his own Universe, but save theirs as well.
After the World Storm events of Captain Atom, Warblade later joined with Spartan. Reno Bryce went deep undercover on Kaizen Gamorra‘s extraterrestrial space colony, under the Black Op’s moniker, Cutlery Kid. He’d regularly report his findings back to Spartan.
WildC.A.T.s: World’s End
Next we see Reno, sometime after the end of the world, located in Halo Corporation’s premier building in Los Angeles. Reno Bryce is helping with refugees as they are brought in, along with Voodoo to help them feel at home. Soon off we see Majestic attacking the building. After his assault however, he offers several WildCats a place in his paradise in Hawaii, Warblade included, but he refuses.
When the WildCats try to help create Oasis’s over other locations in the world, they’re met with skepticism and force. They ultimately fail their goal, but upon returning to Los Angeles they find Defile has come to take over the city of angels. But first he will have to go through the WildCats. Warblade was actually injured by Lord Defile himself in the assault, but quickly recovers in the form of a massive dagger. Together with a gargantuan Maul and the other WildCats, they defeat Defile, but soon with the analytical help of Voodoo, strike a treaty with the Daemonites.
Later, Reno helps the WildCats to retrieve Zealot’s daughter. Once there however, they find out Majestic’s paradise isn’t what its all cracked up to be. When they try to escape, they are met with force from Majestic himself. Majestic follows the WildCats all the way back to Los Angeles, Spartan sacrifices his body to stop both Majestic and Defile. Majestic survives the explosion, but halts his pursuit.
Afterwords, Warblade assists Team 7 take on the omnipotent villain, Tao. After Tao’s very trying defeat, Warblade forced to relive the loss of his hands and love, Max Faraday wishes to see his heroes again. He gave the WildCats new looks based on their original uniforms created by Lord Emp.
The WildCats and Warblade were later summoned to UnLondon by The Authority, offered a chance to leave Earth on The Carrier. Reno stayed to join Earth’s war against the Knights of Khera. Reno suffered serious injuries that actually left him immobilized at the hands of another Shaper named, Sabre. He was hospitalized on Skywatch, where he was tended to by Stormwatch personnel Nurse, Luisa Biondi. It was through her help and insistence that helped Reno partially recover after three month’s of physical therapy. The two shared an intimate bond despite Luisa already being married. After finding out about Luisa’s family, who’d gone missing during the advent of Armageddon. He convinced Luisa to search for her husband and son to at least find some kind of closer. The couple went in search of Luisa’s family in the ruins of Phoenix, Arizona. They traveled to a shelter under the Central Library, where her family was supposed to go in case anything monumental happened. The two find their way inside the shelter, but only to find unrecognizable bodies of the deceased, including a corpse that wore her son’s watch. Reno tried to reassure Luisa they may still be alive, that her son might of given his watch to another child, but was emotionally lashed back by her for giving her hope and making her come down to Earth to look for her family.
After the WildCats, the Authority, and StormWatch save the Earth from complete destruction, we last see Warblade attending to the medically wounded. This is the last we see of Warblade before the Flashpoint story arc, which lead to the merging of the DC, Vertigo, and WildStorm Universes into the New 52.
DCNew52
In DC’s New 52, Warblade is a teenage agent of an organization called N.O.W.H.E.R.E. that monitors young Metahumans the world over. Warblade is assigned the task of leading Harvest’s Ravagers and retrieving runaways. While appearing quite monstrous, his Ravager form is only cosmetic and appears to be manifested from Warblade’s powers. His faceplate is defined with a wicked grin, and green glowing eyes. It appears as though his eyes glow a brilliant jade green even when his faceplate slides back. Unlike his Pre 52/Wildstorm counterpart, his hair is now an unusual platinum silver instead of green. While originally appearing merciless, sardonic, and uncompassionate, he has shown to at least care for one person just before his off panel death scene at the hands of Deathstroke, Rose Wilson.Not much is known about Warblade’s origins. It can be assumed however, his is similar to many of the Ravagers that have been recruited by the 31st century villain named Harvest. Meaning he was most likely kidnapped in his youth, experimented on, tortured, and made to compete in one of Harvest’s Culling events leading to his earned position as leader of Harvest’s destructive team of teens, The Ravagers.
The Culling
When the Teen Titans and Legion of Super-Heroes are abducted into The Culling, they sabotage Harvest’s event, keeping everyone from killing each other. This act lead to Warblade leading his team of Ravagers to face off against both groups. Warblade himself faced off against Superboy, easily standing toe-to-toe with the Superman clone. Ultimately The Colony was destroyed and Harvest’s Phase 5 Ravager recruits escaped with Caitlin Fairchild. Warblade gathers a retrieval squad to mercilessly hunt the escapees. Warblade and Rose Wilson successfully obtain Bright Eyes and Windshear, however when it comes to Fairchild and the runaways, they just manage to escape their grasp by an act of desperation.
Ghosts of Future Present
The newly inducted Ravagers, Windshear and Bright Eyes are intercepted by Fairchild and the runaway Ravagers to keep them from capturing a young 14 year-old metahuman girl, Lisa, with the power of precognition. After they fail to capture the child it is revealed Warblade and Rose have been watching the entire time. When they face off, while formidable they’re ultimately defeated by an unleashed and uncontrollable Terra. Terra becomes so consumed by her power she seeks to kill an unconscious Warblade with an Earth spike through his chest. However, when Warblade survives he insultingly congratulates Terra on becoming an official Ravager. A momentary distraction allow both Warblade and Rose to escape the situation.
Planetcide
Moments later Warblade was called to war at Harvest’s side, along with Psykill and Leash to help the Legion of Super-Heroes against Lord Daggor and Thraxx. Warblade fought thousands and thousands of self healing, unwavering, killing machines at Daggor’s and the Conqueror Supreme’s will to destroy the population of Earth. At one moment, Warblade found himself fighting alongside his former pupil, Ridge during this conflict. He told Ridge that he was welcome to return home to the Colony in exchange for a favor. This favor has yet to be revealed. After Harvest succeeded in accomplishing his mysterious goals and ensured the Earth was saved, he along with his Ravagers left the Legion, Fairchild and her rogue Ravagers to die.
Pray that ye may be healed!
A Beta test Ravager by the name of Adam, escapes the Colony. Warblade and Rose follow in pursuit all the way to Hartsville, Colorado. They attempt to aid Adam, but his unstable physiology implodes, dispersing a lethal Non-Baryonic Radiation(NBR) virus throughout the entire town. Warblade and Rose proceed to try and quarantine the town. However, before they can figure out how to eliminate the virus, Rose is infected and to make matters worse, Fairchild and her band of Ravagers appear. After a momentary battle, they’re encouraged to work together by the Sheriff of the town. Warblade is tasked with taking care of a locally infected inmate by the name of Carmine.
When Warblade faces off with the infected and empowered criminal, Reno obtains all the sampling he needs to make sense of Harvest’s virus. After beheading the inmate, Warblade uses his findings to dissipate the Virus. Unfortunately the Sheriff is willingly sacrificed in the process. Warblade himself can’t understand why someone would sacrifice themselves for others.
Home Wreckers
Warblade and Rose decide after an attempt on their lives by Harvest, that the only way to get back into his good graces after the events in Hartsville, is to successfully retrieve Fairchild and her rogue Ravagers. However, when their mission to retrieve these runaways goes awry by the appearances of the The Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man and Rose’s father, Deathstroke, the two focus on Fairchild as she flees the scene to find a means of controlling the Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man. When they are intercepted by Deathstroke, Warblade takes the task of finishing off their assassin, himself. He pleaded for Rose to run, just before his off panel decapitation and death.
The events of Rebirth and Doomsday Clockagain rewrote the history of the DC universe, undoing several of the events of the New52 era, including most of the Warblade version and history with the Titans, the Ravagers , erased or moving them to “earth 52”.
Until now, an alternate version of Warblabe, very reminiscent of his more 90s iteration debuted in Justice League Incarnate as inhabitant of earth 41. If there is a Warblade character in the mainstream DC earth (earth 0), or in a new independent Wildstorm universe, is still unknown.
Powers and Abilities
High Tensile Bio-Molecular Physiology
Warblade’s unique physiology affords Reno many abilities, including limited shape shifting, limited physical resistance, the weaponizing and stretching of his limbs, and the ability to survive without oxygen or his vital organs. It’s important to note, while his blades and physiology take on a metallic appearance, they are not metal (stated in Superboy #9 – The Culling, Part Two: Lost Claws.) As such, New-52 Warblade is not susceptible to common metal weaknesses such as heat, magnetics, and electricity. Another example of this was in The Ravagers #11 – Home Wreckers, Thunder & Lightning combine their respective powers(Sound & Electricity) to attack Warblade and he quickly recovers with no physical damage or pain. New 52 Warblade also appears to have more molecular cohesion, considering his body doesn’t appear to liquefy like his pre-52 counterpart after extensive damage.
Infinitely Sharp Blades
Reno’s bladed constructs are under his complete mental control. This allows Warblade the ability to not only increase the density of his blades but also their lethality, making them as sharp as he desires at will. Thus far, Warblade has not met a surface he couldn’t split in half. For all intents and purposes, his blades can cut through anything and they have yet to ever be shattered.
Shape Change
Warblade can psionically manipulate his cells to change form at will. This includes limited plasticity and the weaponizing of chosen body parts, stretching any number of his limbs several feet, usually focusing his efforts on more discrete body parts such as his fingers, hands, and arms. In the New 52, Warblade has constructed massive claws, swords, and massive claymore like cleavers. His Pre 52 self has been known to create more elaborate forms labeled as a Murder Tree, Skin of Thorns, Blood-Bird Posture, Fountain of Daggers, Flail of Arrows, Ruin’s Butterfly, Bloody Briar, and in one case a giant dagger in the hands of a gargantuan Maul.
Healing / Reconstruction
Warblade’s body has the natural ability to reconstruct within moments of actual physical damage. It should be noted, his body is limitedly resistant to all forms of damage. Meaning while damage is possible, it’s quite difficult. Most of the time Warblade has sustained damage, it has been from a bladed weapon of some kind. He has recovered from super powered beatings, collisions throughs mountains, impales through the heart, and in the case of his Pre 52 self, complete molecular deconstruction, effectively willing himself back to life, molecule by molecule.
Radar Invisibility
After visiting Khera, Pre-52 Reno Bryce learned how to make himself invisible to any kind of conventional radar. New-52 Warblade has yet to show this ability.
Telekinetic Immunity
In the pages of Superboy #9 – The Culling, Part Two: Lost Claws, Warblade admits to being immune to Superboy’s TK just like the rest of the mysterious Thirteen.
HUD
In the pages of The Ravagers #9 – Fathers, it appears Warblade has access to a HUD or Heads-Up Display of some kind when analyzing the residue from a violent NBR infected inmate’s energy attack. Allowing Reno Bryce to quickly analyze and identify the virus strain. It is unclear however, if the HUD is an exclusive function of his mask or if this is simply how he sees the world at all times regardless of when he wears the Warblade mask.
Enhanced Reflexes/Speed
Reno Bryce is quite swift, while not hyper-sonic, his speed and reflexes are several times that of an average human. Bryce moves and travels very quickly and very fluidly. He has consistently speed-blitzed his enemies, often striking before his opponents have the time to react. He has displayed fantastic offensive reflexes, consistently dodging crowds of enemy attacks while simultaneously pressing an attack of his own. Warblade has also been shown to make high-speed dashes/leaps of several yards with ease..
Enhanced Strength
Warblade has commonly displayed super-human strength, effortlessly hurling full-sized human forms using one arm, or shattering rock with his limbs, generating enough force to have them explode like directed shrapnel.
Enhanced Stamina
Warblade is well known for his inability to ever give up. He takes super powered beatings, energy assaults, impalings, he just keeps going. Warblade has established himself as an individual that if you want stopped, nothing short of death will stop him. Even that is questionable, as he’s willed himself back to life on several occasions.
Intellect
Warblade has shown to be, resourceful, analytical, and intelligent. Commonly exploiting physical weaknesses, creatively defeating his opponents, and even displaying knowledge of how to nullify a lethal virus strain created by the villain Harvest whom has shown great scientific and biological knowledge.
Martial Arts
Wildstorm Reno Bryce was a regular practitioner of Kendo and Kung-Fu. Disciplines he took up after the harsh murder of his parents by the Daemonites, so he may exact his revenge.
Other Media
WildC.A.T.s (1994 TV Series)
In the 1994 TV series, Reno Bryce was a brilliant computer programmer until Daemonites discovered his true nature and tried to take him prisoner. Hoping to use him as a host body for the Daemonite leader Helspont. Rescued by the WildC.A.T.s, Void activated Reno’s powers and showed him that he was really a Crossbreed. He still resisted joining the WildC.A.T.s until Helspont put them at risk and he found himself compelled to fight on their behalf. Since joining the team he has had few regrets, although once in a while he wishes he still had time for more human pursuits.