The Calculator

[GenXMaverick]

First off, a tip of the hat to Nate (cncoyle) for his posts suggesting The Calculator as the I.C. mastermind. You've convinced me, my good man! Here are some things I've run across in a review of information online and in the comics:[list=1][*]The Calculator's ultimate goal for every superhero on the planet.

See some similarities below between Identity Crisis and the following? I do...

Originally posted at BatmanUK.freeserve.co.uk
The Calculator is a criminal genius whose costume has two unique features. One is a giant calculator that can instantly solve any mathematical equation, including the odds of a given hero's actions in certain situations. The other is a bizarre type of energy-beam that Calculator can cause to become any weapon he desires, much like Green Lantern's power ring can. His ultimate goal was to pit himself against every super-hero on the planet, so that his computer could have all their strengths and weaknesses in it and thus ensure he could never be beaten again. But Batman found a way to outwit him a second time, by doing the unexpected. Calculator has also faced the Atom, Black Canary, Elongated Man, Green Arrow, Hawkman, the second Air Wave, and Blue Beetle.

Note who The Calculator fought in his plan "to pit himself against every superhero on the planet, so that his computer could have all their strengths and weaknesses in it and thus ensure he could never be beaten again": The Atom, Black Canary, Elongated Man, Green Arrow, Hawkman and Batman. All heroes that were both present for Doctor Light's mindwipe and were the first JLA members The Calculator targeted.

Below are the issues where this took place:

Originally posted by CheckmateKnight at the DC Message Boards
With all this talk of Identity Crisis, I recently went back and re-read the Calculator back-up stories in DETECTIVE COMICS #463-468. The first five issues has 6 page stories written by Bob Rozakis (DC's Answer Man), and art by either Marshal Rogers or Mike Grell - inked by Terry Austin. Atom, Black Canary, Elongated Man, Green Arrow, and Hawkman all go up against the Calculator solo before all regrouping with Batman in DETECTIVE COMICS #468.

The same JLA members are mentioned by Brad Meltzer in Wizard Magazine #148:

As for which Leaguers will dominate the spotlight?

"...perhaps most importantly, the next tier of Green Arrow, Hawkman, Atom, Elongated Man, Zatanna, Black Canary."

Once again--the original targets of The Calculator, plus the very members responsible for mindwiping super-villains.
[*]Brad Meltzer's promise to surprise fans with The Calculator.

The following is a verbatim quote from Brad Meltzer in an interview with Wizard Magazine (#150):

"And these villains are not morons. They all have real identities below the capes and funny hats, and I think they'll surprise people the most. Nobody likes The Calculator--nobody. But after this, they'll never look at him the same way again."

[*]Moron villains = mindwipes[/list=1]
It has been noted more than once, but it bears repeating. Villains who were "cleaned up" (as Hawkman said) by Zatanna's magic became less of a threat. Or, as Green Arrow put it in Identity Crisis #2 when The Flash asked him about Dr. Light, morons.....

FLASH: "I fought Light half a dozen times in The Titans. He was always..."
GREEN ARROW: "A moron."

Dr. Light wasn't the only super-villain in Identity Crisis to get pegged a moron. Witness this overlooked passage from I.C. #1.....

Narration by Bolt
The voice on the other line is Noah Kuttler. Used to call himself The Calculator. Ran around with giant numbered buttons on his chest.

Exactly. A moron.

Coincidence? I think not. Why?

Because the last battle The Calculator had with the Justice League was with... The Atom, Hawkman, Elongated Man, Green Arrow, Black Canary and Batman. The Leaguers who began mindwiping villains like Doctor Light.

JLA beats Calculator. Batman has them mindwipe Calculator. Then...

Narration by Bolt (again, from I.C. #1)
Then he heard the myth of the Oracle. Huntress was once muttering to herself during a fight. The so-called Oracle was supposedly feeding her info. Rumors spread. Calculator finally had an original idea. He's good with information. And we all need information, right?

Who's the moron now?

It's not specified if Calculator was present for the fight with Huntress or if he just heard the rumors. However, given how Dr. Light's memories came flooding back in the midst of witnessing a fight with the JLA, it stands to reason the same situation would apply with The Calculator. Especially since The Huntress is part of the Batman family.

Note once again the repeated references to villains as morons, as well as The Calculator being "good with information." As in his original plot "to pit himself against every super-hero on the planet, so that his computer could have all their strengths and weaknesses in it and thus ensure he could never be beaten again."

The original title for the first issue of Secret Society Of Super-Villains was "Beware The Brotherhood Of Crime!" I believe The Calculator regained his memories (a secret the JLA would be unaware of) and decided to form his own anti-"Birds Of Prey": a Brotherhood Of Crime (to go along with his new role as the self-appointed "anti-Oracle"). Or a new SSOSV.

Bring in Felix Faust or a resurrected Wizard to counter Zatanna's mindwipes with their own version of the same spell. Add in Chronos and Shadow Thief--along with a dying-to-join Capt. Boomerang--and The Calculator's "ultimate goal" can finally be put into action.

EDIT: a reunion of SSOSV members such as Faust, Chronos and Shadow Thief would explain their familiarity with the mindswapping talisman from Justice League of America #166. Hence, The Calculator uses it to mindswap the first superhero he fought: The Atom.

[Xander]

You know, J - DC's gonna come in and shut this thread down in seven minutes.

Oh, wait! We're not the DCMB's!!!

Honestly, amazing research, my friend! You've got me convinced (I was like a voter... I believed it was Calculator but had no proof to the point!!!). Wow... I'm anxious to see all this REVEALED in IC #7...

[cncoyle]

Woo-hoo! I get credit for something I barely remember saying!

Hell, I've been across the board on this Identity Crisis thang. I still think my "Ralph & Sue do it using body switching to have a child, get rich and pay the JLA back for replacing him w/ Plastic Man" theory would have been the biggest mindf$#k EVER.

But what about Black Lightning's comment on the cell phone?!?

[TCJohnson]

What was his motivation for killing Bolt and Captain Boommerang?

[wetookhim]

Originally posted by GenXMaverick
First off, a tip of the hat to Nate (cncoyle) for his posts suggesting The Calculator as the I.C. mastermind. You've convinced me, my good man! Here are some things I've run across in a review of information online and in the comics:[list=1][*]The Calculator's ultimate goal for every superhero on the planet.

See some similarities below between Identity Crisis and the following? I do...
Note who The Calculator fought in his plan "to pit himself against every superhero on the planet, so that his computer could have all their strengths and weaknesses in it and thus ensure he could never be beaten again": The Atom, Black Canary, Elongated Man, Green Arrow, Hawkman and Batman. All heroes that were both present for Doctor Light's mindwipe and were the first JLA members The Calculator targeted.

Below are the issues where this took place:The same JLA members are mentioned by Brad Meltzer in Wizard Magazine #148:Once again--the original targets of The Calculator, plus the very members responsible for mindwiping super-villains.
[*]Brad Meltzer's promise to surprise fans with The Calculator.

The following is a verbatim quote from Brad Meltzer in an interview with Wizard Magazine (#150):[*]Moron villains = mindwipes[/list=1]
It has been noted more than once, but it bears repeating. Villains who were "cleaned up" (as Hawkman said) by Zatanna's magic became less of a threat. Or, as Green Arrow put it in Identity Crisis #2 when The Flash asked him about Dr. Light, morons.....

FLASH: "I fought Light half a dozen times in The Titans. He was always..."
GREEN ARROW: "A moron."

Dr. Light wasn't the only super-villain in Identity Crisis to get pegged a moron. Witness this overlooked passage from I.C. #1.....

Coincidence? I think not. Why?

Because the last battle The Calculator had with the Justice League was with... The Atom, Hawkman, Elongated Man, Green Arrow, Black Canary and Batman. The Leaguers who began mindwiping villains like Doctor Light.

JLA beats Calculator. Batman has them mindwipe Calculator. Then...It's not specified if Calculator was present for the fight with Huntress or if he just heard the rumors. However, given how Dr. Light's memories came flooding back in the midst of witnessing a fight with the JLA, it stands to reason the same situation would apply with The Calculator. Especially since The Huntress is part of the Batman family.

Note once again the repeated references to villains as morons, as well as The Calculator being "good with information." As in his original plot "to pit himself against every super-hero on the planet, so that his computer could have all their strengths and weaknesses in it and thus ensure he could never be beaten again."

The original title for the first issue of Secret Society Of Super-Villains was "Beware The Brotherhood Of Crime!" I believe The Calculator regained his memories (a secret the JLA would be unaware of) and decided to form his own anti-"Birds Of Prey": a Brotherhood Of Crime (to go along with his new role as the self-appointed "anti-Oracle"). Or a new SSOSV.

Bring in Felix Faust or a resurrected Wizard to counter Zatanna's mindwipes with their own version of the same spell. Add in Chronos and Shadow Thief--along with a dying-to-join Capt. Boomerang--and The Calculator's "ultimate goal" can finally be put into action.

EDIT: a reunion of SSOSV members such as Faust, Chronos and Shadow Thief would explain their familiarity with the mindswapping talisman from Justice League of America #166. Hence, The Calculator uses it to mindswap the first superhero he fought: The Atom.

IF YOU DIDN'T READ IDENTITY CRISIS #6, DO NOT READ:



Only problem is that Batman would never mindwipe Calculator and this is proven in IC #6 when it's revealed that he not only didn't take part in the mindwipe of Dr Light that he himself was mindwiped.

Also, I believe Elongated Man had no part in the mindwipe of Dr. Light since he had already left with Sue Dibney to the hospital. He never voted.

[GenXMaverick]

Originally posted by TCJohnson
What was his motivation for killing Bolt and Captain Boommerang?

Bolt isn't dead. He's recuperating in the hospital. Calculator stated upfront to Bolt that he could only give him a percentage of the probability of the kids having guns. Bolt will be back (and that part of the story will be explained in an upcoming issue of Teen Titans, IIRC).

RE: Captain Boomerang.

Calculator told Digger in I.C. #3: "They want someone younger."

With the son taking over for the father, they now have what they wanted.

[cncoyle]

Originally posted by TCJohnson
What was his motivation for killing Bolt and Captain Boommerang?

They were the only ones that could directly link him to the crimes? (Best I got.)

[GenXMaverick]

Originally posted by wetookhim
IF YOU DIDN'T READ IDENTITY CRISIS #6, DO NOT READ:



Only problem is that Batman would never mindwipe Calculator and this is proven in IC #6 when it's revealed that he not only didn't take part in the mindwipe of Dr Light that he himself was mindwiped.

Also, I believe Elongated Man had no part in the mindwipe of Dr. Light since he had already left with Sue Dibney to the hospital. He never voted.

My point was that the Elongated Man was one of the original targets of The Calculator. His indirect involvement in the events that led up to the mindwiping of villains is what I meant by including him with the others. He is peripherally involved and was one of the very first heroes The Calculator ever attacked.

RE: Batman being mindwiped. That I also addressed. Either Felix Faust or The Wizard played the "anti-Zatanna" role. This fits in with The Calculator's M.O. of playing the "anti-Oracle."

And in one of my searches on Google, I read somewhere that Batman laughed at The Calculator in front of the JLA after defeating him. I may have misread that--but still, that had to be humiliating for Calculator (and infuriating). Helluva reason to wanna screw with Batman's head.

And this is not the first time Batman has had SSOSV members play with his mind. The Wizard did it first in JLA #166--and now we know his head has been played with twice.

EDIT: Also, who's to say that the other JLAers didn't mindwipe The Calculator after Batman left?

By mindwiping Batman and eliminating any memory of mindwiping Calculator, that leaves only the other villains as primary suspects. Hence, the heroes would never think to consider Calculator a suspect... because they don't remember mindwiping him.

[GenXMaverick]

It also occurs to me that this would be a stunning twist. The JLA decides to mindwipe the super-villains... and then the villains turn around and do it to them. Use a sorceror against a sorceress. Brilliant.

Can't you just imagine the look on Ollie's face if that turns out to be the case? That would be a moment I would love to see.

[TCJohnson]

Originally posted by GenXMaverick
Bolt isn't dead. He's recuperating in the hospital. Calculator stated upfront to Bolt that he could only give him a percentage of the probability of the kids having guns. Bolt will be back (and that part of the story will be explained in an upcoming issue of Teen Titans, IIRC).

RE: Captain Boomerang.

Calculator told Digger in I.C. #3: "They want someone younger."

With the son taking over for the father, they now have what they wanted.

I did not say that Bolt was dead. I asked what his motivation for killing Bolt was, because somebody did try to kill him.

The Bolt is hired to do what should be an easy mission. His targets, however, unexpected had guns and shot him.

Captain Boomerang is hired to do what should be an easy mission. His target, however, unexpectedly had a gun and shot him.

They were both taken out in the exact same manner. That can't be a coincidence. There has to be a connection.

I the question should not be, "who is taking out the relatives of superheroes." The question should be, "Who is taking out the super villians?" Or even "Who is takng out the former members of the suicide squad?"

I think that the death of relatives have been nothing but a distraction.

Originally, Bolt was the target. He was being set up to be killed. However, there were two super heroes in the area. The Calculator had reports from callers that Elongated Man and another super hero were in the area. He knew because somebody called it into a radio talk show. Somebody else could have been listening to the radio. The mastermind had to get elongated man out of the area, so he had Sue killed, giving her enough time to call Elongated Man and get him back to the apartment.

The mastermind saw that the heroes were all investigating Sue's death, but not the it on Bolt. So he uses Drake to kill Captain Boommerang. Now everybody is investigating the motivations for Drake's murder, but not investigating the motivation for Captain Bommerang's murder.

Threatening Lois sent the heroes into a tizzy that took out several supervillians.

Who is going after the super villlians?

Calculator is too obvious. If it is the calculator then I will be very disappointed because he was my first pick from issue one. Oh, and as for Meltzer's surprise, I think we already are looking at the Calculator with a new respect.

I think the Calculator is being manipulated. He is being used to send these villians on the mission, but he is not the one who is arming the victims.




SPOILER!!!!


The writer of Manhunter, I forget his name, said that Manhunter will be the prosecutor of the identity crisis murderer. Manhunter is somebody who use extremely violent methods to take out supervillians. How interesting would it be to prosecute somebody who went to even greater extremes to kill villians?

[GenXMaverick]

Originally posted by TCJohnson
I did not say that Bolt was dead. I asked what his motivation for killing Bolt was, because somebody did try to kill him.

The Bolt is hired to do what should be an easy mission. His targets, however, unexpected had guns and shot him.

Captain Boomerang is hired to do what should be an easy mission. His target, however, unexpectedly had a gun and shot him.

They were both taken out in the exact same manner. That can't be a coincidence. There has to be a connection.

Er, um, but the kids did not want to kill Bolt. They asked where the money was. At which point Bolt (a man who can throw lightning at you!) replies, "Who said anything about money?" If the guy who was supposed to pay me for my merchandise--a guy who can throw lightning at me--didn't have the money he promised me, you better believe I'd have something to defend myself.

And as I said before, Calculator stated it plain as day: "They want someone younger." Now, they have Owen... so bye-bye, Digger.

No connection to Bolt, especially since Luthor's armor is being addressed outside of I.C.

He'll be back. And so will Captain Boomerang--the new one, that is.

[TCJohnson]

Sorry, but the fact that Bolt and Digger both went down the same way cannot be a coincidence.

Somebody probably told the kids, "The Bolt won't have your money. He is going to try and kill you."

He went to do the job, the mark unexpectedly had weapons and he got shot. That statement perfectly describes what happened to Digger and Bolt. And it is not something really obvious so it probably is not a red herring.

[TCJohnson]

Oh, and Luthor's armor is being addressed outside of IC but that doesn't have anything to do with it. Luthor's armor was just the bait and is now a loose end. How the mastermind got it and put it in the alley and where it is now is what is going to be addressed outside of IC.

ANd I am not saying BOlt won't be back! I have said that twice now. But somebody did try and kill him.

[Fazhoul]

Originally posted by cncoyle
Woo-hoo! I get credit for something I barely remember saying!

This happens to me all the time but seldom to my benefit.

[GenXMaverick]

Originally posted by TCJohnson
Oh, and Luthor's armor is being addressed outside of IC but that doesn't have anything to do with it. Luthor's armor was just the bait and is now a loose end. How the mastermind got it and put it in the alley and where it is now is what is going to be addressed outside of IC.

ANd I am not saying BOlt won't be back! I have said that twice now. But somebody did try and kill him.

T.C., I hear you on Bolt, but one thing in your claim that someone was plotting his murder does not make sense: the kids wanted the money for the crate with the armor. He can't pay them if he's dead and they haven't gotten their money. Remember Batman's rule: "Who benefits?" The kids want their money--they don't want to kill Bolt.

Oh, and assume you're right. The kids were hired killers sent to murder him... so they stop running when he asks them to call the hospital and then they dial 911?

You don't call an ambulance for a guy you were paid to kill. Also, if they were already paid to kill him, all they have to do is shoot him and run before he throws a thunderbolt at them. You don't wait to have a conversation--just shoot him and run. That's what paid killers do. Maybe stay after to make sure he's dead. Those kids did neither. Hell, they stood there, called the ambulance and comforted him, telling him he's going to be alright. Hired killers simply do not do that.

Calculator has met Elongated Man, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Hawkman, Batman and The Atom all before. He has been planning from the very beginning to take on every superhero on the planet. Bolt is an associate who tried to rip off someone in a heist and got caught; he's not the focus nor were his shooters hired to kill him. Captain Boomerang, they replaced with a younger version. The JLA has been and still is the "ultimate goal."

[TCJohnson]

Who said the two kids were hired killers? I didn't! Drake wasn't an hired killer either. But the same thing happened to Bolt that happened to Digger.


I am saying is that somebody gave those kids two guns and a not saying, "Bolt will try to cheat you, here are guns! Protect yourself!" They killed bolt in what they thought was self defense. Since Bolt was expecting to be carrying something he could not teleport with, he wasn't ready to teleport. And somebody hired Bolt so that he would be in this situation. You saw how surprised Bolt's was when the guns were pulled. And if they weren't expecting Bolt to double cross them, then how were they prepared enough to pull out the guns fast enough to hospitalized him before he started throwing thunder bolts.

So, once again, I am not saying those kids were paid killers, any more than Drake was. I am saying somebody sent both Bolt and Captain Boommerang into situations where they were unprepared and got themselved killed or hospitalized.

Somebody set up Bolt the same way the set up Captain Boommerang. And like Robin's father, the two kids were not hired killers. They were set up.

And as for not being the focus....isn't that the point of mysteries? TO draw your focus away from the real killer?

[TCJohnson]

By the way, only one of them stopped running.

[GenXMaverick]

Originally posted by TCJohnson
Who said the two kids were hired killers? I didn't! Drake wasn't an hired killer either. But the same thing happened to Bolt that happened to Digger.


I am saying is that somebody gave those kids two guns and a not saying, "Bolt will try to cheat you, here are guns! Protect yourself!" They killed bolt in what they thought was self defense.

No, T.C. Sigh... they did not "kill" Bolt. They shot him. Big difference between getting shot and actually dying.

Since Bolt was expecting to be carrying something he could not teleport with, he wasn't ready to teleport. And somebody hired Bolt so that he would be in this situation. You saw how surprised Bolt's was when the guns were pulled. And if they weren't expecting Bolt to double cross them, then how were they prepared enough to pull out the guns fast enough to hospitalized him before he started throwing thunder bolts.

I have the issue right in front of me. This bugs me because both the teens selling the crate and The Calculator are very straightforward. Calculator tells Bolt right upfront that he can't say for sure if they have guns or not; he can only guess how much chance there is of that. The kids (Benny and Trey) don't pull guns until Bolt says he doesn't have the money. They point at him and ask for the money. You say they're not hired killers, yet in the same breath suggest they were prepared to kill him. That doesn't make sense, T.C. Benny and Trey either were coming to shoot him or they weren't. One of the two. But that isn't what annoys me about your reply.

You're adamant this proves The Calculator is being manipulated by someone else which makes zero sense. Who? For what reason? Pick any suspect from those available in Identity Crisis and then give me a logical connection (founded in DCU continuity) that proves your belief in someone other than The Calculator.

So, once again, I am not saying those kids were paid killers, any more than Drake was. I am saying somebody sent both Bolt and Captain Boommerang into situations where they were unprepared and got themselved killed or hospitalized.

Somebody set up Bolt the same way the set up Captain Boommerang. And like Robin's father, the two kids were not hired killers. They were set up.

And as for not being the focus....isn't that the point of mysteries? TO draw your focus away from the real killer?

No. The point of a mystery with good clues is to show how the writer had the story planned out all along. That way, the reader gets to play detective along with the main characters---that, my good man, is why they call it a mystery. As I've stated, Calculator told Boomerang they want someone younger; now they have Owen. It has nothing to do with misdirection; Calculator told Digger (and us) that they wanted a younger Boomerang.

The only connection (if there is any) that makes Bolt relevant is his being a distraction for The Elongated Man while Chronos (in The Atom's body) killed his wife.

You clearly take Bolt's appearance in the story incredibly seriously. I don't, mostly because we've been told that sequence will addressed and resolved outside of Identity Crisis. As I said, Bolt's heist may have been a legitimate ploy... but the ploy was to distract Ralph Dibny; it was not to kill Bolt.

[TCJohnson]

I am annoying you? Why don't you drop the condenscending attitude with the sighs and the rolling of the eyes.

No, T.C. Sigh... they did not "kill" Bolt. They shot him. Big difference between getting shot and actually dying.

That was a slip of the keyboard. Hospitalizing him. Nearly killing him.

The kids (Benny and Trey) don't pull guns until Bolt says he doesn't have the money. They point at him and ask for the money. You say they're not hired killers, yet in the same breath suggest they were prepared to kill him. That doesn't make sense, T.C.

It does make sense. Ok, they are suppose to meet this big bad super villian. They get a note saying, "He will try to double cross you. Protect yourselves." And it comes with four guns. They take the guns. They are ready to deal but they are nervous because of the note. When Bolt says, "Who ever said anything about money." they panic because of the double cross is going down.

We don't know what Bolt was going to say next, by the way. He could have been offering diamonds or drugs.

But that isn't what annoys me about your reply.

Annoy you? Well, fuck I thought we were having a discussion about a comic book. SO, what exactly annoys you? That somebody disagrees with you? That is pointing out something that you have missed? Tell me what exactly annoys you.

You're adamant this proves The Calculator is being manipulated by someone else which makes zero sense. Who? For what reason? Pick any suspect from those available in Identity Crisis and then give me a logical connection (founded in DCU continuity) that proves your belief in someone other than The Calculator.

I don't know yet, but I am certain it is not the calculator. During this whole thing, he has been purely mercenary about this. He has been doing everything for money, nothing personal. He has not motivation other than getting rich.

And if it was the calculator, they why doesn't he just sell other villians? They would pay a lot of money to know about Lois Lane, or Jack Drake. He sells the other villians the IDs, he becomes rich and they end up just as dead with supervillians coming out of the woodwork after them.

Why go after Jack Drake? He was not a member of the JLA. Why go after Sue Dibny? Neither Robin nor Elongated Man were not there, so he would not have been able to study their attacks. I mean, watching Robin hold Jack Drake. What does that tell the Calculator? According to the Calculator's original appearance, he had to actually fight the superheroes.

As I've stated, Calculator told Boomerang they want someone younger; now they have Owen. It has nothing to do with misdirection; Calculator told Digger (and us) that they wanted a younger Boomerang.

They never said a younger boomerang. They said a younger hitman. Why would they want a replacement Boomerang? What is it about that identity that would be so important to perserve...especially when there is already a lot of young assassins.

The only connection (if there is any) that makes Bolt relevant is his being a distraction for The Elongated Man while Chronos (in The Atom's body) killed his wife.

I disagree, and I don't know why this "annoys" you so. I think it was the other way around. I think that the Bolt is going to be the real target that set off the chain of events.

[TCJohnson]

one more thing:

No. The point of a mystery with good clues is to show how the writer had the story planned out all along. That way, the reader gets to play detective along with the main characters---that, my good man, is why they call it a mystery.

Yes, but they can't make it obvious. Calculator has been involved with Bolt's death, Jack Drake's death, and Digger's death. He is the one who has all the information. He is too obvious a choice. What is the good of playing detective if he makes it too easy. Calculator was an obvious choice from the beginning.

Murder Mysteries have what is called red herrings. Those are things to distract you from the real murderer, real crime.

In a good murder mystery, the killer is somebody you would never guess, but makes sense once you have all the clues. Brad is trying to fool you.

[TheFoo]

Dude, you need to be an editor over at DC.

[Kolimar]

Quite the thorough investigation and analysis you did there, GenX. Congratulations on a job well done.

[Christian Otte]

Am I allowed to spoil? Whatever . Here is the answer on whether or not The Calculator is the villain.








































Yes. Well, I believe so - Wizard's web site lists The Calculator on their list of nominees for favorite villain - just take a look:

FAVORITE VILLAIN
The Calculator (Identity Crisis)
Darkseid (Superman/Batman)
Deathstroke (Identity Crisis)
Dr. Light (Identity Crisis)
Electro (New Avengers, Spider-Man)
The Gorgon (Wolverine)
Loki (Loki, Thor)
Major Force (Green Lantern)
Ord (Astonishing X-Men)
Serial Killer (H-E-R-O)
Titans of Tomorrow (Teen Titans)

Well, there you have it .

PS: I also read over at Fanboy Rampage that Dick Grayson was previously listed as a nominee for favorite villain...

[cncoyle]

Originally posted by Christian Otte
FAVORITE VILLAIN
The Calculator (Identity Crisis)
Deathstroke (Identity Crisis)
Dr. Light (Identity Crisis)

Y'know, if you had told me last year that these three, especially The Calculator and Dr. Light, would be nominated for "Favorite Villain", I'd say you're outta your gourd.

Well done, Meltzer, especially on The Calculator. Not since the Joker has a lame one-note villain been turned into a formidable threat for the heroes!

[cncoyle]

Okay, after having read #6, there are still some issues that need to be resolved. The real Identity Crisis killer has stolen other people's powers, abilities & weapons. (I'm not convinced the killer is who we're supposed to think it is at the end.)

• Bolt's teleportation abilities in IC #1 don't work when they should. Otherwise, those kids wouldn't have gotten the jump on him like they did.
• Heat Wave's flame gun in #1
• Slipknot's noose in #2
• Atom's size-changing ability (shown in #6)
• Most important of all: knowledge of the superheroes' secret identities, especially Superman & Robin (which makes me think they know Batman's)

I think we're dealing with a multiple mindswapper, someone who has figured out how to use the mindswapping talisman multiple times.

Is there a chance that the Calculator somehow remembered what had happened to Dr. Light and aided him in getting revenge via the mindswapping talisman? All along it's been Dr. Light even though by the end of #2, we're supposed to believe it's NOT Dr. Light? A bait & switch & switch? (The only thing that goes against this theory is that Dr. Light had his revelation during the course of the story, after the murder of Sue. Could it have been an act?)

Or is it merely someone ELSE in Ray Palmer's body?

AAAAUUUUGGGGHHHHH!