Editing Prometheus (DC Comics) (section)

=== Unnamed version ===
The most well-known version is the unnamed son of two [[hippie]] spree killers, who traveled across the [[United States]] with them until they were gunned down by police in a shootout. This traumatic experience causes their son's hair to turn white, and he vows to "annihilate the forces of justice" to get revenge for his slain parents.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cowsill |first1=Alan |last2=Irvine |first2=Alex |last3=Korte |first3=Steve |last4=Manning |first4=Matt |last5=Wiacek |first5=Win |last6=Wilson |first6=Sven |title=The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe |date=2016 |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=978-1-4654-5357-0 |page=239}}</ref>

Using his parents' hidden caches of money, the son travels the world and develops his skills, becoming an underground pit-fighter in [[Brazil]] and a mercenary in [[Africa]], and joining terrorist groups in the [[Middle East]]. After avenging his parents' deaths by murdering the police officer who shot them, he locates the [[Himalayas|Himalayan]] city of [[Shambhala]], inhabited by a sect of monks that worshiped the concept of evil. Prometheus discovers the monastery has been built on an alien spaceship, and the leader of the sect is one of the creatures from the vessel. He kills the alien and obtains the "Ghost Key", which opens a portal to the "[[Limbo (DC Comics)|Ghost Zone]]".

Prometheus builds a house in the void as his headquarters, which is warped by the dimensional effects to become "crooked". He relates his origin to a young man, with the alias "Retro", who has won a competition to be part of the [[Justice League|JLA]] for a day. Prometheus kills Retro, copies the young man's mannerisms (courtesy of his advanced helmet), and joins the tour group at the JLA transporters, intending to masquerade as Retro to gain access to the [[JLA Watchtower]].<ref>''New Year's Evil: Prometheus'' (February 1998)</ref>

Initially, the plan appears to be successful, with Prometheus infecting [[Steel (John Henry Irons)|Steel]]'s armor with a virus, hitting the [[Martian Manhunter]] with a dart containing a toxin that destabilizes his ability to control his shape, knocking out Huntress, trapping [[Zauriel]] in the Ghost Zone, beating [[Batman]] senseless using downloaded skills, using neural chaff to disrupt [[Kyle Rayner|Green Lantern]]'s will, and manipulating the Flash into believing that the tower is rigged with bombs that will detonate if he moves too fast. He then tries to force [[Superman]] to kill himself after admitting that the hero is too powerful for him to kill, stating that he will murder the rest of the tour group otherwise. Prometheus is then caught off guard by the anti-hero [[Catwoman]] (who is disguised as journalist [[Cat Grant]]), allowing the heroes time to recover. Steel is able to restore his suit and transfer the virus to Prometheus' suit. Admitting he lied about the bombs, Prometheus switches places with Zauriel in the Ghost Zone and escapes capture.<ref>''JLA'' #16–17 (March–April 1998)</ref>

Prometheus appears briefly during an encounter between the JLA and the [[Avengers (comics)|Avengers]] and skirmishes with [[Captain America]] while using Batman's skills, but Captain America easily defeats him by exploiting the villain's overconfidence and his own enhanced physique.<ref>''JLA/Avengers'' #1–4 (September 2003 – May 2004)</ref>

Prometheus returns as a member of [[Lex Luthor]]'s second Injustice Gang. During the confusion caused by the arrival of the weapon Mageddon, Prometheus is able to use a [[White Martian]] space vessel abandoned in the Ghost Zone to infiltrate the Watchtower and attack [[Barbara Gordon|Oracle]]. Oracle escapes, with Prometheus's helmet being damaged in the process. The villain retrieves his original helmet (lost during the first battle with the JLA) and battles Batman once again. Prometheus is neutralized when Batman sabotages his helmet, overriding the information on the disc Prometheus uses to upload his combat skills and replacing the data with the physical skills and coordination of Professor [[Stephen Hawking]]. Batman prevents fellow member [[Huntress (DC Comics)|Huntress]] from killing the now-helpless Prometheus.<ref>''JLA'' #36–41 (December 1999 – May 2000)</ref> Batman and Martian Manhunter take Prometheus into custody and use the latter's telepathy to reduce Prometheus to a mentally disabled adult, reasoning that his skills and training mean that no jail could hold him under conventional circumstances. Upon Martian Manhunter's death at [[Libra (DC Comics)|Libra]]'s hands, Prometheus's mind was restored and he tracked down Chad Graham, killing his would-be protégé and maiming/murdering members of the [[Blood Pack (comics)|Blood Pack]] super-hero team.<ref name="auto">''Faces of Evil: Prometheus'' #1 (March 2009)</ref>

==== Cry for Justice ====
A spate of superhero deaths ([[Freedom Beast]] and [[Gloss (character)|Gloss]]) and attacks on others ([[Barry Allen]], [[Batwoman]], and [[Crimson Avenger]]) is revealed to be the work of the true Prometheus. The villain impersonates [[Captain Marvel Jr.|Freddy Freeman]] and gains access to the JLA satellite, which in turn allows Prometheus to place teleportation devices in the home cities of various heroes which will "strand" them in various places in the past and future, as revenge for the years that he spent with his mind damaged. Prometheus also maims [[Roy Harper (character)|Roy Harper]] after Harper realizes his foe is not Freddy Freeman. After defeating the JLA and the [[Teen Titans]] by reading files on them, Prometheus is captured by [[Donna Troy]] and beaten brutally, until being stopped by the Shade. Prometheus offers to reveal the location of the devices in exchange for his release, after they malfunction and begin destroying the cities. With [[Star City (comics)|Star City]] suffering massive casualties (including Roy's daughter), Prometheus's ultimatum is met and he returns to his lair, but is murdered by [[Green Arrow]] by shooting an arrow through his head.<ref>''Justice League: Cry for Justice'' #1–7 (September 2009–April 2010)</ref>

==== ''The New 52'' ====
In 2011, "[[The New 52]]" rebooted the DC universe. Prometheus shows up to torment [[Midnighter]] using stolen technology from the God Garden that he sells to various individuals around the world. In addition, he acquires the Gardener's secret files on Midnighter's true identity and origin. When confronted by Midnighter, Prometheus uses God Garden technology to block Midnighter's tactical computer, eliminating the edge Midnighter has in analyzing an opponent's fighting techniques. Prometheus also reveals that he has downloaded all of Midnighter's own skills into his brain to use against his enemy. Pretending to be an ordinary man, he uses the alias '''Matt Dell''' to seduce and have a romantic relationship with Midnighter to achieve his goals.<ref>''Midnighter'' (vol. 2) #7 (July 2016)</ref>