Clifford DeVoe (New Earth)

From DC Database

Thinker

Gallery

Real Name

Clifford DeVoe

Current Alias

Thinker

Aliases

The Thinker

Alignment

Bad

Affiliation

The Injustice Society, The Suicide Squad, Checkmate

Universe

Earth-Two, New Earth

Status

Citizenship

American

Origin

Origin

Creators

Gardner Fox

First appearance

All-Flash #12

History

Clifford DeVoe was born in Keystone City in the decade after 1900. Showing intelligence from an early age, he evetually found employment as a DA. However, in his first major case, against mob boss Hunk Norvock, DeVoe was stumped when the defense put a young woman on the stand, and he withdrew his case rather than offend the jury by harshly questioning her. This failure, coupled with the knowledge that crinme could be made to pay, drove him to alcohol. Visiting Norvock while drunk one night, he offered his services as a "thinker" - a preparer of alibis and legal precedents to keep his organization out of jail. Norvock gave him a house and a stipend and he set to work.

For a decade, Clifford DeVoe worked anonymously, until two of Norvock's underlings threatened to impklicate him in major crime to the police. On Norvock's prodding, DeVoe infiltrated the police station in a plice uniform, stole the evidence and killed the two lieutenants. However, this made Norvock paranoid that DeVoe planned to replace him. Going to his house to kill DeVoe, Norvock was tricked into shooting a reflection in a steel mirror. The bullets ricocheted, killing him. The police ruled a suicide, and the Keystone City underworld fell into disarray... until a coalition of senior bosses chose DeVoe as thier leader, citing his previous work. Taking the alias "The Thinker", DeVoe set to work.

The Thinker was first imprisoned by the Flash, which drove the two men to become mortal enemies. He always sought out new scientific devices to use and his most important was the "Thinking Cap," a metal hat that could project mental force. The Thinker would use this device repeatedly over the years.

The Thinker was a member of the Injustice Society, and, together with the Fiddler and the Shade, he was the man behind the decades-long "abduction" of Keystone City and the original Flash, after which he was defeated by the Flashes of two eras. His "suspended animation-time" in Keystone kept the Thinker young over the years, and he continued his criminal career in modern times.

In recent years, however, DeVoe accepted a mission with the Suicide Squad in exchange for a full pardon. Although he was seemingly killed by the Weasel during this mission, he survived and made his way to Keystone City. He reformed, dedicated his life to good works, even becoming friends with his former nemesis Jay Garrick. (during this period, his equipment was copied for use by Cliff Carmichael.)However, he developed terminal cancer, apparently connected to the Thinking-Cap. Garrick, attempted to save him with the Thinking Cap, but DeVoe refused, preferring to rest in peace. His last words, to Garrick, were "Learn to lose evey once in a while. A little humility prepaes you for what lies ahead."

After his death, Mister Terrific used the Thinking-Cap to create an artificial intelligence based on DeVoe's brain-patterns.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Technologically derived telekinesis and mind control

Abilities

High intelligence, enhanced by legal training a criminal career of many decades

Strength level

Unknown, presumably low by normal human standards

Weaknesses

All the weaknesses of a normal human male who engages in little or no exercise, exacerbated by terminal cancer

Paraphernalia

Equipment: Thinking Cap
Transportation: None known.
Weapons: None known.

Notes

• Although this character was originally introduced during DC's Earth-Two era of publication, their existence following the events of the 1985-86 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths remains intact. However, some elements of the character's Pre-Crisis history may have been altered or removed for Post-Crisis New Earth continuity, and should be considered apocryphal.

This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Thinker (DC Comics. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with DC Database, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

Trivia

• No trivia.

See Also

• Discuss Clifford DeVoe (New Earth) on the forums
• Appearances of Clifford DeVoe (New Earth) (Chronological)
• Appearances of Clifford DeVoe (New Earth)
• Character Gallery: Clifford DeVoe (New Earth)
• Fan-Art Gallery: Clifford DeVoe (New Earth)
• Quotations by Clifford DeVoe (New Earth)

Recommended Reading

• None.

Links and References

• Thinker (DC Comics) at Wikipedia.org
  

The Thinker's page at the Golden Age Villain Checklist

Footnotes

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