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| As a result of the New 52 in 2011, the entire line of DC characters was relaunched, incorporating properties belonging to the company's imprints: Wildstorm, Milestone, and Vertigo. As such, elements of this character's history have been altered in some way from the previous incarnation. For a complete list of all versions of this character, see our disambiguation page. |
Jeffrey Franklin Burr is the original Kobra, also called the Nagas, founder and leader of the Kobra Cult.
History
Born alongside his brother Jason Burr, Jeffrey Burr was abducted by the "Cult of the Kobra God", who raised them to be their prophesied leader.[1] Burr founded Kobra,[2] a snake-themed terrorist organization that insinuated undercover operatives into society in what was dubbed the "Coilstrike Initiative"[3] and, under his leadership, was bent on world domination. An insane genius, Burr possessed abilities that were tempered by a link between himself and his long-lost twin, which ultimately drove him to kill Jason. With his death, Kobra thrived and came into conflict with Batman, the Outsiders, Checkmate, and the Suicide Squad. Burr was killed when Black Adam tore out his heart, though Kobra lived on.[1]
Following alterations made to history, Jeffrey Burr was instead killed by the assassin Deadshot:[4] to pursue Kobra's agenda of chaos, he used the life of Deadshot's daughter, Zoe Lawton, to leverage him into assassinating industrialist Bruce Wayne. Instead, the assassin joined forces with Batman and turned on Kobra, and Burr, with Lawton at knifepoint, was gunned down by Deadshot to save her life.[5]
The Kobra Cult would later bring Burr's spirit back from the dead through black magic and a resurrective Lazarus Pit in the American desert. In a play for revenge against Deadshot, they abducted Zoe Lawton once more,[6] using her as bait to draw in the assassin, who would provide a host body for Burr's spirit, which took control of Deadshot's mutated, snakelike body. The reborn Burr reveled in his new body's skills, firing on the assassin's allies and his own cultists alike, and prepared to activate the Coilstrike Initiative when he was shot in the chest by Lawton. Fleeing the presumed death of his host body, Burr's spirit jumped to Keenum, a mutated Kobra outcast, and he escaped into the desert.[3]
Powers and Abilities
Abilities
- Firearms (Formerly): When Burr's spirit inhabited Deadshot's body, he possessed his skill as a marksman.[3]
- Genius Level Intellect[1]
Weaknesses
- Insanity[1]
- Psychic Link: Burr's abilities were hampered by a link he shared with his twin brother.[1]
Notes
- Kobra was created by Martin Pasko, Jack Kirby, and Steve Sherman, first appearing in Kobra #1. However, Kobra first appeared as part of Prime Earth continuity in Suicide Squad (Volume 5) #1 by Rob Williams and Jason Fabok.
Related
- 5 Appearances of Jeffrey Franklin Burr (Prime Earth)
- 1 Images featuring Jeffrey Franklin Burr (Prime Earth)
- Quotations by or about Jeffrey Franklin Burr (Prime Earth)
- Character Gallery: Jeffrey Franklin Burr (Prime Earth)
Footnotes