Painkiller was a metahuman mercenary hired by Tobias Whale to work with a street gang called the Royal Family. He was capable of disabling any and all of a person's body parts and senses, and even kill them with his powers. Even though being a vicious assassin and intellectual strategist, he apparently died in combat with Black Lightning after having murdered an unarmed black teen to frame cops. His real name identity was not revealed.
Elements from this character were later adapted into the Arrowverse character Khalil Payne.
Painkiller was created by Tony Isabella and Eddy Newell, first appearing in Black Lightning (Volume 2) #2 (1990).
