The turn of the 21st century saw a number of new legacy characters introduced at DC Comics. Most of them were forgotten or diminished in importance after the 2011 New 52 revamp, but some have been restored in the Dawn of DC age. One of these characters, the second Captain Boomerang, had a surprising appearance in Wonder Woman #12.
Written by Tom King, with art by Tony Daniel, the Absolute Power tie-in Wonder Woman #12 centers around the interrogation of Captain Boomerang. A powerless Wonder Woman and Damian Wayne join forces to question Digger Harkness about Amanda Waller and her plans. Diana is at a disadvantage, because her Lasso of Truth is no longer working. This leads her to play “good cop” to Robin‘s “bad cop,” hoping love will win out over fear.
To that end, Diana enlists the help of a man named Owen, who is identified as Captain Boomerang’s estranged son. For a moment, it looks like the young man might talk his infamous father into cooperating, Unfortunately, the two were estranged for a reason.
Captain Boomerang kept tabs on his son, who followed in his footsteps as a petty crook. It also comes out Owen only agreed to talk to Digger in exchange for a good report from Wonder Woman. The family reunion ends in a scuffle, which Wonder Woman has to break up. While this scene is played for laughs, it also introduces an altogether different version of Owen than was seen in the pre-Flashpoint DCU.
Owen Mercer, Captain Boomerang II, Explained
Owen Mercer was first introduced during the Identity Crisis event. He briefly met Digger Harkness, just before the first Captain Boomerang died during a botched assassination attempt. Owen swore revenge and was taken under the wing of Captain Cold, who recruited him into the Rogues.
However, Owen quickly concluded that he didn’t want to follow in his father’s footsteps, despite adopting his alias and gimmick. While he still interacted with The Flash’s villains, he primarily worked on the side of the angels. He was a willing conscript into the Suicide Squad and part of Batman’s Outsiders team. It was here that he became a close friend of Supergirl, acting as the big brother she never had.
However, Owen was killed off during the Blackest Night event, in a story many readers thought depicted him out of character. Contacted by the Black Lantern Digger Harkness, Owen began feeding him innocents in the mistaken belief this would resurrect him. This violated the Rogues’ code of honor, pushing Captain Cold to kill Owen in response.
Another version of Owen Mercer was introduced in the DC Rebirth Suicide Squad series. This Owen Mercer was said to be a genius weapons designer and entrepreneur. However, he turned to terrorism as part of a convoluted revenge scheme against his absent father. This Owen Mercer never had another appearance after Captain Boomerang thwarted his plan.
The Owen depicted in Wonder Woman #12 seems to be yet another variant of the second Captain Boomerang. It seems unlikely he will make another appearance, however, as his cameo is played entirely for laughs. Then again, Boomerangs do have a tendency to come back, as Digger Harkness is fond of saying.
Wonder Woman #12 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
