Your people have always been squeamish about the sacrifices necessary for scientific advancement. 
- — The Thinker src
The Thinker (real name Gaius Grieves) was an opportunistic, hyperintelligent metahuman and the chief scientist who ran and oversaw the horrible experiments of Project Starfish in Corto Maltese.
History
Origins
Early days of Project Starfish
Doctor Gaius Grieves was an opportunistic Scottish scientist whose brain was enhanced by special diodes and antennae, making him incredibly intelligent, earning him the nickname the "Thinker". At the end of the Cold War, a starfish-like alien with the ability to control minds using face-hugging spores was discovered by American astronauts. The U.S. government sent it to the Nazi-built research facility Jotunheim in Corto Maltese in an attempt to weaponize it without attracting attention from their enemies. Grieves was hired to oversee the experiments, a three decade long endeavor known as "Project Starfish", which involved the kidnapping and making subjects out of political enemies of the tyrannical Herrera family, the Maltese regime, as well as their families and friends, mercilessly torturing them, and the alien by proxy, forcing it to grow larger with every mind it fed on. Grieves came to see these cruel experiments as necessary, becoming quite proud of his accomplishments in the study, and viewed the beast as his life's work, nicknaming it "Starro the Conqueror".
Grieves joins Luna
Over the years, the Thinker took to spending time after work at a gentlemen's club La Gatita Amable. He remained loyal to his Maltese and American employers, and gained a rather slippery and sly nature to survive them. Starro also grew to gargantuan size, making it necessary to move it to the underground levels of Jotunheim. In 2020, the Herrera regime was overthrown by military leaders Silvio Luna and Mateo Suarez in a violent coup. They slaughtered the Thinker's staff, but kept him after learning about Project Starfish, and his convincing that they needed him to control it.[1]
Aiding the Suicide Squad
Captured by the Suicide Squad
A few nights after making up with Luna, Grieves arrived at La Gatita only to be ambushed by the Suicide Squad, an American black-ops team sent to destroy Jotunheim after Luna's takeover. They were under the impression they were to destroy Starro to protect the world from it, but their true purpose was to destroy evidence of the United States' involvement in the project.
The Squad forced Grieves to help them break into Jotunheim to place explosives around its interior, and their leader, Colonel Rick Flag, insisted on being shown Project Starfish. The Thinker complied, and after Flag had born witness to the horrors of the study, Grieves, in a fit of rage over losing his work, told him the truth about who funded the project. A furious Flag tried to take the hard drive of Jotunheim's computer out of the facility, but he was stopped by Peacemaker, his teammate and the inside man who'd known the truth all along.
Face to face with Starro
The explosives on the upper levels were then set off too early by the rest of the Squad, causing the center of the tall building to collapse. The debris collapsed Starro's bonds, freeing it. Grieves attempted to flee when he saw this, but Starro wrapped around his arms, legs, and neck with its tentacles, and after hearing Grieves plead for mercy, it ripped him apart and splattered his body into a bloody pulp against an observatory window.[1]
Legacy
The years of abuse the Thinker put Starro through hurt and angered it so much that it escaped the remains of Jotunheim and went on a rampage across the city of Valle Del Mar, killing hundreds by crushing them and assimilating them into its minions with its spores. The remaining Suicide Squad was able to kill it and end its rampage, and even use the information Grieves gave them about America's involvement in Project Starfish to blackmail their way out of custody by threatening to leak it to the press. But none of this was thanks to Gaius Grieves, an awful, disgusting man who left behind a trail of anger, pain, and death in his wake.[1]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
Abilities
- Science
- Charisma
- Multilingualism: The Thinker was fluent in both English and Spanish.
Notes
- This version of the character is exclusive to the continuity of the DC Extended Universe and is an adaptation of the Thinker. The original character was created by Gardner Fox, Everett E. Hibbard, and Matt Kindt and first appeared in Suicide Squad (Volume 4) #24.
- The Thinker was portrayed by Peter Capaldi.
- This is the first onscreen adaptation of the Thinker not based on the Clifford DeVoe version.
Recommended Reading
Related
- 2 Appearances of Gaius Grieves (DC Extended Universe)
- 10 Images featuring Gaius Grieves (DC Extended Universe)
- 1 Quotations by or about Gaius Grieves (DC Extended Universe)
- Character Gallery: Gaius Grieves (DC Extended Universe)
External Links
Footnotes