Derek Powers (Futures End)

Derek Powers is Blight, a radioactive madman with a lethal touch. Former head of Powers Technology, now his mission is to find and kill Bruce Wayne and his archenemy the new Batman.

History

Batman Beyond: Rebirth

Past and Origins

Head of Powers Technology, Derek was in secret developing forbidden tech hiding from the government in several dark sites. In one of these, he experimented on the speedster Splitt while working alongside Warren McGinnis.^[1] During the Brother Eye conflict, he merged with Wayne Enterprises in hope to be able to produce enough defensive output against the cyborgs. During the fusion, Bruce Wayne tried to suppress all Powers' dark sites, but without success as some remained operative.^[2] In one of these laboratories, Powers had an accident that turned him into a man of pure radiation: now a monster named Blight, he became a dangerous threat to Gotham and faced Batman.

Gotham Academy

At some point, Powers used a mystic, beating heart bound to a grandfather clock to send himself back in time, where he attempted to kill Warren McGinnis, Terry's father, before he could conceive Terry.

Derek Powers Prime Earth 002 — Professor Powers.

Inside Powers' classroom Gotham Academy students Kyle and Colton find a pile of classified research papers but are distracted by a thumping noise when Powers himself walks in and scares them away. Underneath Powers' room Colton and Kyle bring Maps in to investigate the crawlspace where they heard the noise before. From the ceiling blood drips down onto them and inside the space they find a grandfather clock and a heartbeat from inside it. As they pull the clock down Blight chases them away. Outside the classrooms they open the clock to find a beating heart which reminds Maps of Olive's nightmares. Before they realise the skeleton has followed them outside and Maps is sucked into the clock and is trapped. At that moment Kyle and Colton flee through the forest past the vampire battle carrying the clock with Blight in tow. As the two parties converge they realise how Blight was after Warren the whole time, for it will be Warren's son who will be responsible for Blight's condition and he plans on removing them both from time. From the skies Pomeline falls onto Blight knocking him and Warren unconscious long enough for Pom and Colton to argue again over who was right. Soon enough both villains attack once again and they agree they were both correct, unfortunately. As the two monsters battle, the clock swings open and Maps jumps out with knowledge of the future which she must keep secret and of the two villains. Now reunited the team manage to trick both Blight and Decobra into the time-travelling clock which they seal up and Pomeline shoots the heart with her crossbow - as Olive foresaw. As a result, Blight was returned to his proper place in the timeline.

Apparent Death

In their final fight in a submarine, Terry barely escaped alive while Blight sunk in the waters of the bay, believed dead from drowning.^[3]

Back from the Dead

Powers managed to come back, finding himself imprisoned in a laboratory of Powers Technology: declaring his intention to kill Bruce Wayne and then whoever wore the symbol of the Bat^[4], Blight triggers the radiation alarm in the laboratory getting the attention of Bruce and Matt in the Batcave, but also of the new Batwoman, a mysterious woman who stole Terry's suit from the Batcave and that is acting as protector of Neo-Gotham in his absence. Still, this new heroine didn't expect to face Blight who, taking her by surprise, gains the upper hand.^[5] Undervaluing Batwoman's ability and revealing her that he's dying and in need of a new body to host him, Blight survives Batwoman's shot at trapping him in the building after triggering a powerful explosive.

Batman Beyond Vol 6 42 Textless — Facing Batwoman Beyond!

After Batwoman left, Blight contacts his former lover Constance Gustinov, the only person able to perform the transfer Derek desires: she tells him that she has the perfect man for the job, an amnesiac Terry McGinnis. The perfect revenge on the Batman and Bruce Wayne presents itself on a silver platter.^[3] As Derek sends out several "devourers" to Wayne Enterprises facilities around town to keep Batwoman occupied, Constance proceeds in luring and then knocking Terry unconscious, trapping him in the transfer pod: as Constance restores Terry's mind to prepare for the operation, Batwoman shuts down the power and saves Terry, fleeing with him. Blight cannot transfer anymore: his radioactivity is off the charts, killing even Constance. The man is enraged, but he won't disappear without killing Bruce Wayne first.^[6]

Derek in fact stole several of Wayne's secret files during their fusion, and in one of them he found out about a secret project placed under Wayne Manor. Making an easy guess and understanding Bruce was the previous Batman, he realized that place must be the Batcave. Attacking it with his full might, trying to take everyone with him, Blight will be defeated once and for all by Terry McGinnis, back in his Batman suit: with the Batmobile, Terry digs out a deep hole in Wayne Manor's underground and buries Blight there.^[7]

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Radiation Production: Powers was transformed in a creature of pure radiation, and naturally produces radioactive energy from his body.

Abilities

Business Management: Powers was the head of a powerful company, Powers Technology, who competed frequently with Wayne Enterprises.

Weaknesses

Power Instability: Blight is a being of pure radiation. As time passes by, he suffers from radioactive decay, increasing his toxicity and lethal touch but also bringing him closer and closer to death. He needs to contain himself in a special suit to interact with people and slow down the process. ^[3]^[6]^[7]

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Blight Suit