Adrian Chase

Adrian Chase is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, he is the second character to use the Vigilante alias. Chase debuted in New Teen Titans #23 (September 1982) before becoming Vigilante in New Teen Titans Annual #2 (August 1983). He later appeared in his own Vigilante series that featured Wolfman, Alan Moore, and Paul Kupperberg as writers.

Adrian Chase
Adrian Chase as the Vigilante in Vigilante #2 (October 1983)
Art by Keith Pollard
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceNew Teen Titans #23 (September 1982)
New Teen Titans Annual #2 (August 1983; as Vigilante)
Created byMarv Wolfman
George Pérez
In-story information
Alter egoAdrian Chase
Team affiliationsCheckmate
Notable aliasesVigilante
AbilitiesBrilliant marksman
Superb hand-to-hand combatant

Josh Segarra portrayed the character on The CW's live-action TV series Arrow, although instead of appearing as Vigilante, he was depicted as the supervillain Prometheus. Chris Conrad will portray Chase on the upcoming HBO Max series Peacemaker.

Fictional character biography

Adrian Chase was a New York City district attorney unlike his father Charles Chase. He sought justice his own way as the anti-hero Vigilante after his wife Doris Chase and their children were killed by mobsters.[1] Adrian was initially shown taking pains to make sure he did not kill his enemies (unlike the Punisher from Marvel Comics) and would regularly use non-lethal weaponry to disable his opponents.

Throughout the Vigilante series, Chase was tormented over the justice of his actions and the pain brought to others. Chase flirted with abandoning his Vigilante identity after he savagely beat an ex-convict who turned out to be innocent. Eventually, Chase did abandon his Vigilante identity, believing that he could be both more effective and happier as a judge. But during his absence, the Vigilante identity was assumed by two of his friends (fellow judge Alan Wells and then bailiff Dave Winston respectively) without his knowledge.

But after Wells killed a police officer and in the wake of Winston's death at Peacemaker's hands, Chase once again assumed the Vigilante role, believing it was the only way to protect his loved ones. However, his experiences with Welles and Winston had damaged his fragile psyche beyond repair, causing him to adopt more vicious tactics in his war on crime. Seeking revenge on Peacemaker, the out of shape Adrian gets beaten in a fight and unmasked on live TV, thereby ending Chase's secret identity and forcing him even further into the Vigilante role.

Eventually, Chase became ever more conflicted over the violence he engaged in and the harm he caused to those around him. He also became increasingly mentally unstable—alternating between bouts of enraged violence, paranoia and terrible remorse for his actions. Near the end, he even resorted to murdering innocent police officers who got in his way. His mounting guilt culminated in Chase contemplating the course of his life and then committing suicide.[2]

Before his death, he frequently battled Cannon and Saber and Electrocutioner.

Adrian makes an appearance in the Day of Judgment limited series, as one of the dead heroes in Purgatory. He and the others run interference, battling the guardians of the realm, so other living heroes can escape with the soul of Hal Jordan. When the crisis concluded with Jordan assuming the Spectre mantle, Jim Corrigan appeared briefly on Earth, stating that the efforts of Chase and other heroes in Purgatory had earned an appeal in the shining city.[3]

It is been revealed recently that Adrian is the brother of Dorian Chase.

Powers and abilities

As the Vigilante, Adrian Chase is a superb hand-to-hand combatant, a brilliant marksman, and a master of the lariat. He also possessed the ability to heal quickly and regenerate his body from injuries as serious as stabbings or gun shot wounds, although he was capable of dying if the injuries were severe enough.

In other media
  • A variation of Adrian Chase makes his live-action debut in the fifth season of the television series Arrow, portrayed by Josh Segarra. This version of Chase was born Simon Morrison, and lost his father, Justin Claybourne, to the Hood. Following the murder, Morrison vowed revenge, adopts the moniker, "Adrian Chase", and conducts research into the vigilante. Eventually, Chase learns the Hood is Oliver Queen, and seeks out Talia al Ghul to train him in the League of Assassins' ways. Using this training, Chase became "Prometheus" and began targeting and haunting Queen and his allies. He also manipulated Artemis and recruited Black Siren to his cause. While Queen and his team eventually deduce Chase's identity, the latter kidnaps the former's son William Clayton, captures his teammates, and brings them to the island, Lian Yu. Once Queen and his allies reaches Lian Yu, Chase reveals he has rigged the island with explosives and that the trigger is in his brain before killing himself, though Queen and most of his allies survive. Chase's Earth-2 doppelgänger appears in the final season episode "Starling City", who became his Earth's version of the Hood. Queen encounters him after the Monitor sends him to Earth-2, and they work together to defeat Earth-2 Tommy Merlyn despite initial difficulties.
  • Adrian Chase is set to appear in the upcoming television series Peacemaker, a spin-off of the live-action film The Suicide Squad, portrayed by Chris Conrad.

References
  1. Vigilante (1983) at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived July 19, 2015, at WebCite from the original on July 19, 2015.
  2. Vigilante #50 (February 1988). DC Comics.
  3. Day of Judgement #5. DC Comics.
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