Judson Caspian was the second known incarnation of the Reaper. A socialite who'd lost his wife during an attempted robbery, he prowled Gotham twenty years before Batman's crusade. Caspian would return to vigilantism during Batman's second year, later dying during a confrontation with the Dark Knight. His daughter Rachel was also romantically involved with Bruce Wayne, whilst his son Julian would later become a successor to the mantle.
History[]
Post-Crisis[]
Prior to his operations, Judson Caspian was married to Mary Rachel Caspian and the father of Rachel Caspian. After taking his family to a circus, the happy family returned to find their home had been robbed by an unnamed criminal. As he tried to confront the man, Judson was shot and seriously injured, leaving him to only watch as Mary was fatally shot before she could call for help. After recovering from his injuries, Judson began a brutal campaign of vigilantism, donning the identity of the Reaper to strike fear into his enemies' hearts. Judson also used lethal means, often impaling his enemies with arm-attached scythes. Caspian would later retire after a battle with Green Lantern, moving to Europe.
Judson returned to Gotham City during Batman's second year, planning to see Rachel join the Sisters of Mercy Order as a nun. Seeing the city hadn't changed since his operations, he redonned the Reaper moniker and began targeting street-level criminals operating in the city. These also included figures connected to organized crime, police officers and civilians.
During his first confrontation, Reaper managed to outmatch and almost killed Batman. His use of lethal force saw the Dark Knight adopt more drastic means to capture him, including abandoning rules against using firearms and even cooperating with Gotham's criminals such as Joe Chill. During this time, Rachel began dating Bruce Wayne, leading her to put off taking her vows. Judson appeared to take a liking to the playboy despite how he'd affected her future.
After a three-way confrontation between several of Gotham's most prominent crime lords and the GCPD at a warehouse, Reaper was believed to be eliminated after the area exploded. However, he survived and began stalking Batman. At Crime Alley, he witnessed the vigilante expose identity as Bruce Wayne to Joe Chill and contemplation murdering him to avenge his parents. Before Bruce could decide, Reaper killed the hitman and offered a final confrontation with Batman at the incomplete Wayne Foundation Building. In their final battle, Batman defeated Reaper and learned his identity as his fiancé's father. Believing Bruce would make a fine replacement, he committed suicide letting go of the beam he was holding and falling to his death.
The confrontation exposed his identity to the world. Rachel, guilt-ridden for his actions, decided to rejoin the nunnery and called off her engagement to Bruce. Judson's words also inspired Bruce never break any of his rules and abandon the means he'd been using in their confrontations. Unknown to Judson, his murder of Chill was witnessed by his son, who took on the Reaper mantle in a scheme that targeted Batman directly. After the Zero Hour event, Judson and his history as the Reaper was wiped out of existence.
Post-Flashpoint[]
In the DC Rebirth era, Judson and his history as the Reaper was restored to the new universe with a version which closely matched the counterpart in pre-Zero Hour "New Earth". In addition to Rachel, he also had a son called Julian, who lived in Greece following his mother's murder. Unlike his sister, Julian agreed with his father's methods and, after his death, formed the Reapers, a vigilante organization under his control and modeled after Judson's operations. In addition, an unnamed criminal was inspired by Judson and also used the Reaper moniker, though only his costume and weaponry rather than vigilantism.
Characterization[]
Abilities[]
- Hand-to-hand Combat: Caspian was experienced in hand-to-hand combat, being able to overpower Batman during their first confrontation. He was also capable of taking on an entire room of enemies and easily overpower them.
- Marksmanship: Caspian used handguns and other firearms effectively during his battles with Batman and criminals in Gotham.
- Stealth: Caspian's Reaper was able to approach targets without detection. He used these to either get to targets, overhear conversations to gain information. He was also able to follow Batman and Joe Chill without either learning until too late.
- Intimidation: Caspian could easily intimidate criminals and civilians alike, using these to influence his targets or aid him in combat.
Equipment[]
- Reaper Costume: As the Reaper, Caspian wore a large hooded black cloak with a heavily armored red leather or cuir bouill, which prevented bullets and melee attacks from affecting him. The knees and fists of the red leather armor are tipped with spikes that made his attacks more powerful. Caspian also wore a skull shaped mask with hooks on the mouth to cover up the lower part of the face, and red glowing eyes.
- Scythes: Caspian wielded two scythe-shaped weapons, with various other lethal implements contained in the spiked shafts of both weapons. These included powerful handguns, which allowed him ranged attacks, and smoke pellets similar to Batman's, which gave the illusion that the Reaper is in fact an incarnation of death. The scythes are stored in two inverted sheaths located on his back under his cloak.
- Handgun: The Reaper made use of two handguns during a confrontation with the Gotham City Police Department. It is unclear how powerful they were compared to those implemented in his scythes.
- Automatic Gunman: The Reaper made use of an mechanized gunman during a battle with the police, using it as a distraction whilst he assassinated one of his targets.
Appearances[]
- Detective Comics: "Batman: Year Two"
- Secret Origins (Vol. 2) #50: "Unfinished Business" (Flashback Only)
- Batman: Full Circle (Flashback Only)
- Batman/The Shadow #3: "Part Three" (Flashback Only)
- Detective Comics Annual 2019: "Adam Raised a Cain" (Flashback Only)
- Merch. Appearances
- DC Heroes Roleplaying Game: When A Stranger Calls (as an illusion only)
- The Essential Batman Encyclopedia
Notes[]
- Judson's incarnation of the Reaper (and his daughter Rachel) inspired the creation of the Phantasm for Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.