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Darkman
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Real Name
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Peyton Westlake
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First Appearance
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"Darkman" (August 24, 1990)
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Creators
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Sam Raimi
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Team Affiliations
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None
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Aliases
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None
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Base of Operations
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No information
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Powers
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Adrenaline-Superhuman Strength, Resistance to Pain
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Skills and Abilities
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Brilliant Scientist, Master of Disguise, Street Fighting Experience
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Paraphernalia
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Synthetic Skin
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Darkman is a superhero and master of disguise who is the main character in the Darkman movie series.
In the first film, Darkman was played by Liam Neeson. In the sequels, he was played by Arnold Vosloo.
Origin[]
A brilliant scientist, Dr. Peyton Westlake was working on creating a synthetic skin when the henchmen of crime lord Robert Durant blew up him and his lab. Westlake survived but lost his skin and was driven mad. Looking for revenge, Westlake recreated his artificial skin and used it to impersonate his victims, vowing revenge on the criminals who destroyed his life.
Biography[]
Very little of Peyton Westlake's early life is revealed. Dr. Peyton Westlake was a scientist working on creating a synthetic skin graft for burn victims, and skin cancer patients. Westlake had a run-in with crime lord, Robert G. Durant. Durant tried to have Westlake killed and ordered his men to blow up Westlake's lab.
Westlake survived, but most of his body and face were covered in severe burns. Luckily, his unconscious body was found (though unidentified), where he underwent a strange new procedure at a hospital. Most of his sensory nerves were severed to avoid chronic pain from the burns. Also, his body occasionally produces adrenaline at random times, due to the fact he has no danger input in his mind. Unfortunately, there was a side effect to the treatment. His emotions now run wild, causing him to grow furious at simple things, Westlake, in a panic, escaped the hospital and began hiding out in the burnt out husk of his lab.
Eventually Westlake was able to rebuild enough of his lab to start the synthetic skin once more. He began to study Durant, and his goons, and started formulating plans to gain his revenge. He began using the synthetic skin he developed to assume identities of Durant's gangsters. He perfected every last detail, even the voice of anyone he became.
However, Westlake found that the synthetic skin could only last for 99 minutes maximum before dissolving in the light. Westlake tried to recreate his face and reconnect with the woman he loved, Julie, but soon found that his own mental issues and the issue of the skin got in the way. When Julie learned the truth, she offered to help Westlake but Westlake was too ashamed to see her with his real face. It was not long before Westlake began acting against Durant's criminal agents, using his mastery of disguise to defeat them and cause confusion within Durant's organization. Slowly, Durant's empire crumbled beneath him, forcing him to find a way to fight against Westlake. When Julie unwittingly reveals Westlake's secret to his enemies, she is kidnapped and Westlake's secret liar is raided and destroyed. Westlake then retaliates and defeats Durant and saves Julie from them.
It was after this that Dr. Westlake made his full transition from a simple scientist, to a near insane antihero. Darkman has given up everything in his former life, and has come to terms with what he has become.
Darkman II: The Return of Durant[]
Still fighting crime as Darkman, Westlake moved his operations to an abandoned subway track and used it as his new laboratory. He continued to work on the flaw of his synthetic skin by stealing tissue samples from the criminals he defeats. However, he was still unable to overcome the 99 minute threshold for the skins durability.
Meanwhile, Durant survived his seemingly fatal helicopter crash and has been in a coma for some time. Upon awakening, he began once again his life of crime, this time kidnapping a brilliant but mad scientist and using a weapon he built, a particle beam, to take control of the underworld.
Darkman, around this time, met a scientist named Jesse Brinkman who is also working on synthetic skin. Brinkman managed to work with Donald Westlake's work and overcame the 99 minute mark for the skin. However, before he could share this with Darkman, Brinkman was murdered by Durant for refusing to sell his building. Darkman realized, based on the manner in which Brinkman's body was found, that Durant was responsible and was still alive. Darkman is later shocked when a friend, reporter Jill Randall, was killed to silence her and her investigation into Durant's actions.
Darkman, realizing his sister will be targeted next by Durant, as she held control of the building, worked to protect her.
