Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Who's Who: Caress

Caress
by Russell & Siskoid


Real Name: Chi Tsan
Super-Power(s): Acid excretion
Planet of Origin: Earth
Relationship to Legion: Villain; member of the Fatal Five

Legion Log
Caress made her debut as a member of the newly formed Fatal Five. After battling the Legion of Super-Heroes, holding her own against the powers of Polar Boy and Sensor Girl, Caress was eventually imprisoned on Labyrinth.

At that time her history was revealed. Chi Tsan was a mercenary and adventuress who accepted work that skirted the legal line. After the Khund Empire asked for her for a specific mission, she accepted with one condition: in lieu of payment, the Khunds would use their human/cyborg expertise to grant her super-powers. After she succeeded, her body was modified so that her glands would secrete an intensely powerful acid. She took the name Caress, becoming a more powerful assassin for hire.

It was her "acid touch" that brought her to the attention of the Emerald Empress and the Persuader, who were in the midst of re-forming the Fatal Five. As someone with a similar ability to previous Fatal Five member Mano, she fit right in.

After the so-called Five-Year Gap, it is thought in mercenary circles that Caress was tricked into going to Earth where the Dominators subjected her to gruesome experiments in their underground chambers. She presumably died when the Earth was destroyed.

After the Reboot, Caress is among the super-powered inmates of the prison dubbed "Planet Hell" who have taken over when the young Legion is sent to investigate. Like the rest of the prisoners, she is recaptured.

After the Threeboot, no mention of Caress is made.

After Infinite Crisis, Caress' original history has presumably been more or less restored. She has yet to resurface.

Defining Villainous Moment: 

Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #25
Caress is introduced as a member of the new Fatal Five

Important Caress Stories:

Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #25
Caress takes on Polar Boy

Legion of Super-Heroes (v3) #26
Caress takes on Sensor Girl

DC Heroes: Legion of Super-Heroes 2995 Sourcebook
Speculation on Caress's fate Five Years Later

Legion of Super-Heroes (v4) #65
The Reboot's Caress is an inmate on "Planet Hell"

2 comments:

  1. I never understood the "need" for this character. She had no personality and no history. What we know of her comes from text biographies, not her appearances. I would have preferred the return of Mano instead.

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  2. Presumably the Empress was trying to re-create the original Five power-wise, and Caress was as close as she could come to Mano. I don't know what this says about Flare or Mentalla as Validus, though.

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