Billy Wu is Roundhouse, a young hero who can transform his body into a ball. He is a member of the Teen Titans.
History
Origins
He and his sister Claire were born as twins, with him being born second.[1] They grew up together and were best friends, Claire being the smart one and Billy being the more sociable one. Eventually however, on their way to a Supreme drop, they take a shortcut that cuts past a warehouse. This warehouse exploded however, dumping unknown chemicals onto Billy, turning him into a blob and his skin blue, while Claire was killed in this explosion.
Billy soon got a suit made in help thanks to his mother that allowed him to walk around and move, but he was heavily depressed after the death of his sister and best friend, and stayed in his room most of the time. This was until he discovered Kid Flash on Viewtube, with his videos inspiring him to make his own. Wallace eventually discovered his, and the two became friends, with Wallace even inviting Billy to join the Teen Titans, an offer he accepted.[1]
Full Throttle
Roundhouse and the Teen Titans embarked on their first mission together, which was to defeat Brother Blood and his cultists. After teaming up, they eventually succeed and find Blood's connection to the mysterious person called 'The Other'. Billy was able to download Blood's financial records afterwards, before the church was blown up.[2]
Next, the Teen Titans went after Gizmo, who was running an illegal weapons operation under the guise of a toy shop. And after the team defeated him, Gizmo's self destruction protocol activated, and Roundhouse was tasked with clearing out the store of kids. Once Robin and Djinn are able to get the nuclear bomb, Kid Flash was tasked with taking it out to sea where it can detonate safely, but he was too tired to do so. So Roundhouse offered himself up to be tossed into space by Crush along with the canister in an attempt to save the city. His idea was ultimately a success and the bomb detonated safely in space, though he was thought to be dead because of his sacrifice.[3]
However, with some igneous theory, he was able to get out of the range of the nuclear explosion, and sent crashing down into the East China Sea where he received a concussion. He was soon entangled in a fisherman's net, in which the sailors tossed him into a bathroom and locked the door, trapping him. But after a nap, he was apparently woken up by his sister, Claire, who instructed him to escape by flushing himself down the toilet and taking one of the ship's lifeboats to shore. And after talking some more with his sister before she disappears, Billy eventually disguised himself as a kid's baseball to get a ride back to America, in which he was grounded by his mother for being so reckless.[4]
Kid Flash was the only one to mourn his apparent sacrifice, while the other Titans moved on. Billy was however revealed to be alive after Wallace tries to tell his mother of his passing.[5]
The two got into an argument afterwards, because Roundhouse didn't let Kid Flash and the team know that he was alright, because he thought that they wouldn't really care. They eventually go out when they got the news that Commissioner Gordon was shot, but realize once they arrive on the scene that it was actually Djinn who was casting an illusion. The three then get back to the others, who were tracking down the shooter, Lady Vic. Robin officially welcomes Roundhouse back to the team, but in his excitement, Billy alerts Vic of their presence.
After trying to catch the villain, the Titans chased her into a nearby building, but when they get to the room that she is in, they discover that she had been murdered, and right afterwards, the entire building blows up on them.[6]
Alive, but wounded and trapped, Roundhouse and the Teen Titans were trapped underneath the structure of the building, being held up by Crush, and had to find a way out without alerting others, with Robin eventually devising a plan to go underneath down to the sewers below. He tossed over explosives to Billy, who was to contain the explosion of the bombs in order to break open the floor, in which he does successfully, leading the team to fall down into the sewers safely.[7]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Metamorphosis: He is capable of turning his body into multiple spherical forms, ranging from a ball of fire, ice, iron, he's even capable of shrinking to the size of a baseball.[2] [4]
- Superhuman Speed: By contorting his body to form a ball, Roundhouse can roll at speeds far beyond a normal human's.[2]
- Superhuman Strength: In his ball form, Roundhouse's body can smash cars.[2]
- Superhuman Durability: Roundhouse has been able to survive being within the blast radius of a nuke capable of blowing up Times Square, along with falling from orbit into the East China Sea, with his only noted injury being a concussion.[4]
Abilities
- Genius Level Intellect[3]
- Computer Hacking: Billy was able to gain full remote access to the Batcomputer, though not without detection from its security system.[8]
Other Characteristics
- Allergies: Billy is allergic to cat dandruff.[9]
- Technological Reliability: If Billy's suit stops working, he turns into a blob, making it difficult for him to speak and to move.[10]
Paraphernalia
Equipment
Roundhouse suit
Trivia
- Billy has a Viewtube account with around 2000 "buddies" (subscribers).[2]
- Billy has remarked that he cannot swim.[7]
- Billy's twin sister Claire was his best friend before her passing. He has since found a new best friendship in Kid Flash.[1]
- His abilities are very similar to Bouncing Boy from the Legion of Super-Heroes.
Related
- 76 Appearances of William Wu (Prime Earth)
- 52 Images featuring William Wu (Prime Earth)
- 6 Quotations by or about William Wu (Prime Earth)
- Character Gallery: William Wu (Prime Earth)
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Teen Titans (Volume 6) #35
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Teen Titans (Volume 6) #20
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Teen Titans (Volume 6) #21
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Teen Titans (Volume 6) #25
- ↑ Teen Titans (Volume 6) #22
- ↑ Teen Titans (Volume 6) #23
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Teen Titans (Volume 6) #24
- ↑ Teen Titans (Volume 6) #26
- ↑ Teen Titans (Volume 6) #29
- ↑ Teen Titans (Volume 6) #28
Teen Titans member This character is or was primarily a member of the younger superhero team known as the Teen Titans, in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Teen Titans members" category. |
Titans member This character is or was primarily a member of the superhero team known as the Titans, in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Titans members" category. |
Robin Villain(s) |
Titans Villain(s) This character has been primarily an enemy of the Teen Titans, the Titans, or any of the other various Titans incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Titans Villains" category. |