Lucius Fox’s new bodyguard has a long history that extends beyond the DC Universe and deep into the history of the WildStorm Universe.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Batman #101 by James Tynion IV, Guillem March, Tomeu Morey, and Clayton Cowles, on sale now.
In Batman #101, the Dark Knight finds himself in an unscheduled sparring session with Lucius Fox’s new bodyguard, Grifter. Grifter is able to hold his own against Batman, and it becomes obvious that Batman and Grifter know about each other or at least know about the other’s reputation. Though Grifter has been around since the early 1990s, he hasn’t always been a part of the DCU, which goes to show that Batman’s knowledge of people extends well beyond the reach of both Gotham City and the DCU.
Grifter debuted in WildC.A.T.s #1, which was part of the WildStorm Universe and was created by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi. WildStorm was founded in 1992 and as an independent company established by Lee. In 1999, WildStorm became an imprint of DC Comics and remained separate from DC editorially until it was shut down for good in 2010. Despite ending publishing, some of the characters from the WildStorm Universe now appear in DC continuity.
Grifter was one of the characters that made the leap from the WildStorm Universe to DC continuity. As a young boy, Cole Cash witnessed his conman father murdered by a gangster who would go on to marry his mother and abuse him. After running away from home, Cole became the getaway driver for a crew of thieves, but when the crew became too violent, Cole betrayed them and helped save an FBI agent. In doing so Cole was caught be the police and given the option of either joining a clandestine agency known as International Operations or go to jail. He chose the former.
Cole is given the codename Deadeye because he is deadly with most guns. While part of Team 7, he and his teammates were exposed to Gen Factor, an experimental chemical that activated a variety of psi powers and gave Grifter telepathy and telekinesis.
In the alternate Flashpoint timeline, Grifter appears with a new background. Now he is the head of the U.K’s resistance movement against the rampaging Amazons. In this timeline, Grifter helps Batman defeat Black Manta but is killed in battle by Enchantress. After the New 52 relaunch, Grifter gets his own title and has his backgr0und changed once again to be a former U.S. Army Special Ops soldier who went AWOL and became a con-artist. During one of his cons, Cole is held captive by the Daemonites, a race of aliens who can take over human bodies. While an alien is trying to take over his body, Cole awakens and stops the transfer, which gives him telepathic abilities.