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Derek James, aka Sideways, is a teenage metahuman who has the power to create rifts in midair and leap through dimensions at will.

Origin

Derek is a Puerto Rican teenager adopted by David and Helen Flynn.[1] He was in Gotham City with his adoptive mother, Helen, when Challengers Mountain returned from the Dark Multiverse. After being separated from his mother by the subsequent earthquake, Derek fell into a massive fracture in the ground and through a rift into the Dark Multiverse. After four days, Derek was able to teleport back to Gotham. After a month, his friend Ernestine designed a costume for him to use. However, in his first live-stream as the hero Sideways, Derek was confronted by the Tempus Fuginaut, a mysterious figure who intended to kill him for supposedly damaging space-time.[2]

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Derek attempted to escape using his powers, but Tempus revealed his staff renders Derek's powers inert, and decided to escape through freefall. Regaining his powers, Derek escaped but not without breaking his arm. Rushed to the hospital by Ernie, Derek's short stay was interrupted by the angered Killspeed breaking free nearby.[3] Driven outside the two would combat across the streets of Gotham. Reaching Gotham Pier, Derek's attempt at reason failed, their fighting continuing with James eventually winning as the Gotham City Police Department neared, but not without accidentally taking Killspeed's arm into one of his rifts. Unbeknownst to him, a close eye watched from above.[4]

Pulled In All Directions

Sometime later, Derek, still looking for fame, would take on the rampaging Replicant with Hot Spot, unaware of a planned meeting with his mother and Dark Star Sciences CEO Leto Dominus. Replicating his powers, Replicant rifted himself apart, leading to opinion backfiring on Derek. Thinking of quitting, such thoughts were dashed aside by the pleading Tempus Fuginaut within his bedroom.[5] Apologizing, the Fuginaut explained to Derek his true role of sealing disruptions, through showing him the Branefold Interior. Pulled by responsibilities, Derek would later fight the Showman following the latters call-out and enthrallment of his school.[6] Continuing his duties as Sideways after an argument with his mother, Derek would join Tempus in cleaning existence of its sickness. Unknown to him, Helen had figured out his identity, later passing within Crime Alley later that day.[6][7]

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Grief

A Better Sideways

Broken and disgruntled, his relationship with his father and Ernie would slip, ultimately leading to him nearly drowning many students at school if not for the interruption of Zatanna and the mystical Seven Soldiers, needing his aid in a threat against humanity. Attacked, he was separated, yet saved by the The Unseen.[8] Stuck within the dungeons below, he freed Kal-El (Kingdom of Benevolence) from a kryptonite cocoon. Together the duo, later with help from the Unseen and the Seven Soldiers would defeat Sheeda, returning home with a strengthened pride in himself. However, during this time he would miss his mother's funeral.[9]

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An Unexpected Duo

Devastated by his own actions, he and Ernie would take a journey to Paris to clear his mind. Dealing with the local threat of Leviathan Organization terrorists. Returning to Ernie, he found her caught by a mysterious teleporter. Quickly saving his friend with a rift, Derek was unable to best Bolt. Placed within the hands of the Black Star Sciences, believing it was the actions of Leto and the group led to his mother's death.[10] Forcibly used to open a portal to the multiverse, the corrupted rift would unleash dark beasts within the laboratory. Broken free, Derek attempted to close the rift by opening another within causing a cascading gravity well and explosion, however he was saved by the intervention of the Tempus Fuginaut.

Returning home after a talk with Detective Hopkins and his father he would meet his biological mother.[11] Reestablishing a relationship with both his adoptive father and biological mother his meeting was interrupted by a call by Detective Hopkins. Figuring out who truly killed his mother, Derek attacked Sandy Bridwell on the highway, forcing a confession out of the woman by balancing her car upon a cliff. Angered, he would rift the woman away to the police. Later meeting with Ernie they would discuss his future as a heroe, mentioning various teams at the time. With a cleared mind, he responded to the last late texts of his mother and moved on, rifting away with his close friend.[12]

Young Justice

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Derek along with Aqualad, Spoiler, and Arrowette was recruited by Impulse as a backup member of Young Justice to confront a S.T.A.R. Labs division gone rogue. He was also a key component to rescue successfully Conner Kent, bringing him back to Earth after he was lost in Skartaris.[13]

Dark Crisis

Sideways took part on the battle at the Hall of Justice between the various heroes and the army of King Deathstroke following the disappearance of the Justice League.[14]

Powers

  • Dimensional Teleportation: Derek can create tears in space-time, or "rifts" as he calls them, which allow him to leap through dimensions at will, allowing him to move from one place to another.[2] Derek is also capable of opening multiple rifts in various different locations, allowing him to look through them like windows.[4] He eventually learned to open the rifts to another universes with his power,[7] allowing him to travel between dimensions and realities at will.[15]
    • Rift Constructs: The edges of Derek's rifts are solid and indestructible, meaning he can use them as shields to block enemy attacks.[16] The edge of his rift was strong enough to block an entire bus being thrown at him.[4] His rifts are also sharp enough to easily cut though solid matter.[17]
    • Rift Tracking: Derek's could use his rifting ability to track someone's whereabouts quickly. Simply by focusing his mind on the person he wanted to find before leaping through the rift he created, allowing him to instantly transport to their location.[7]
    • Gravity Manipulation: Derek found that he can create a mini black hole, by creating a second rift within a rift he had previously created. However, this ability proved too dangerous, as he can't control it properly and the black holes could grow bigger quickly sucking everything into it.[11]
  • Accelerated Healing: Derek possesses some degree of healing abilities and can recover from any injuries or wounds faster than normal humans. For example, he only needed two days to heal his dislocated shoulder. The time it takes for full healing seems to depend on the level of his injury.[4]
  • Superhuman Strength: Derek is much stronger than a normal human, strong enough to easily carry a fully loaded dresser drawer over his head.[2] The upper limits of his strength is still not yet to be explored.
  • Superhuman Durability: Derek's body is tougher and much more resistant than any normal human, though he's far from invulnerable.[2] He can withstand great impacts, such as falling from heights[3] or being hit by the bus.[10]
  • Superhuman Stamina: Derek's advanced musculature produces fewer fatigue toxins during physical activity than an ordinary human. This allows him to exert himself physically for much longer periods of time before fatigue begins to impair him.[11]
  • Superhuman Agility[citation needed]
  • Superhuman Reflexes[citation needed]

Weaknesses

  • Power Instability: Due to a lack of control over his newfound powers, Derek can't predict where he will leap to and could end up anywhere. In addition, his powers can potentially disrupt the balance of space-time if not used carefully.[2] Overusing his Rifting power can also drain his stamina, so it will take few minutes or more for Derek to recharge his energy.[18]
  • Inexperience: Due to lack of fighting skills and experience as a crime fighter, Derek's relies more on his superpower. this made him quite overwhelmed when faced with more experienced opponents.[10]


Related

Footnotes



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Young Justice member
This character is or was a member of Young Justice, a team of younger super-heroes and side-kicks who fight crime together separately from their adult counterparts, in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Young Justice members" category.

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