Whistle is an activist and hero in Down River, Gotham City.
History
Willow Zimmerman is a high school student and activist who worked to try to bring positive change to her neighborhood of Down River. Her mother Naomi was undergoing cancer treatments which forced Willow to pick up a job at the animal shelter to pay the bills. She also made friends with a stray dog who Willow called Lebowitz. Soon after, Naomi's estranged friend E. Nigma offered Willow a job as a game runner for his illegal poker nights. Willow would handle setting up locations and sending invitations hidden inside riddles to the players in exchange for 10 times the money she made at the shelter. Willow was good at her job and used the money to get treatment for her mother's cancer. It also allowed her to make friends with one of Nigma's friends, Pammie Isley.
After some time, she was attacked by Killer Croc, who had killed Nigma's previous game runner and was upset that Nigma was ruining Down River. Lebowitz came to her rescue but not before Croc scratched Willow's face and hurt them both severely. During the attack Willow uncovered Pammie's identity as Poison Ivy. Willow survived but spent several days in the hospital and had a new scar across her face. After she returned home, she found that Lebowitz had shown up at her house and her mother allowed the dog to stay. She also found that she could now talk to Lebowitz and they could understand each other. They deduced that somehow the confrontation with Croc put a little of Willow in Lebowitz and a vice versa. Willow now had Lebowitz's dog abilities and gave Lebowitz the ability to communicate with Willow. Willow used her newfound enhanced hearing to spy on Nigma and learn that his plans for Down River were even worse than she imagined. He and Ivy were working together to ruin the prices of real estate in Down River so Nigma could swoop in and buy everything for cheap. Willow began training to test the limits of her new powers and made a costume. When she learned that Ivy was going to destroy a local delicatessen; she set out to stop her along with Lebowitz.
Willow got the drop on Ivy but was quickly overwhelmed by her plants. Bound in vines, Nigma arrived and Willow realized he was the villain known as the Riddler. She used her new whistling power which allowed her to communicate and direct local dogs to summon a pack of puppies and strays. The dogs freed her and Lebowitz but Riddler escaped and Ivy was arrested by the police. Now going by the codename Whistle, Willow decided to use her powers to protect Down River. She kept her job with Nigma to continue her mother's treatments while also having an inside scoop on Nigma's plans but also went back to her efforts as a community activist.[1]
Whistle and Lebowitz later attended a orientation event for potential Teen Titans students at Titans Academy[2] and they were among several new students to join.[3]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Animal Empathy Whistle can literally whistle to attract dogs within her vicinity and direct their actions. While all dogs seem to understand her intentions, she is able to converse with Lebowitz as easily as she would a human. This ability seems to be based on the trust that she will look out for the dogs and has their best interests at heart.[1]
- Enhanced Hearing Whistle is able to hear people speak from far distances, through walls or floors of a building, and even up to several blocks away. This power is stronger when she is listening to someone she is personally close with.[1]
- Enhanced Sense of Smell Her sense of smell is enhanced to the point she can track people or animals through the city.[1]
Abilities
- Animal Training After working in a animal shelter, Willow is comfortable working with dogs.[1]
Weaknesses
- Power Instability Sometimes Whistle's animal instincts make it hard for her to act appropriately in public as she has been known to sniff people, pant, catch balls in her mouth, or try to offer herself up for belly rubs. This can be controlled with concentration but it leaves her feeling awkward.[1]
Related
- 3 Appearances of Willow Zimmerman (Prime Earth)
- 5 Images featuring Willow Zimmerman (Prime Earth)
- Quotations by or about Willow Zimmerman (Prime Earth)
- Character Gallery: Willow Zimmerman (Prime Earth)
Footnotes
  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. |