Dead Boy was 17 years old when he was mugged and murdered in the Nightside. He made a deal with a mysterious entity (the nature of which is never revealed; all the explanation he gives is "I would have got a better deal with the Devil") so he could avenge his death, but once his soul repossessed his body, he couldn't leave it. Now he's in his own body as an undead of some sort, and he admits that he hates it. A few times, he has said that he's done everything he could to try and kill himself, but most of the time he says that he finds death to be very liberating.
He has been possessing his own body for approximately thirty years, and is open about the fact he chooses to get involved in situations only for the excitement, frequently reiterating how he doesn't care, he's dead. For the same reason, he drinks and eats excessively, as well as experiments with strong drugs, in attempt to feel alive.
He's described as not being particularly moral. He feels very little pity for the problems of the living in general, but is famous to much of the Nightside's populace for being a formidable opponent when he desires.
Appearance[]
Dead Boy is said to still have the thinness of adolescence, described as likely being attractive before death intervened. He's said to have a sulky mouth, dark eyes, and dark curly hair. His skin is pale grey, and he openly displays injuries he's obtained to his torso with the outfit he wears: a stained purple greatcoat, leather trousers, and calfskin boots, topped with a black rose on his lapel. He often wears a pearl stickpin in his throat, to show off. His torso shows that he is held together with superglue, stitches, staples, and black duct tape. However, he did fill in a bullet hole in his forehead with builder's putty and cover over the mark carefully with makeup.
Abilities[]
Due to being undead, and perhaps that he is a spirit possessing his own body, Dead Boy does not feel pain. Therefore, he can take much more damage than any normal human can and isn't immediately affected by it. Though the damage remains and won't heal, there haven't shown to be any repercussions to it as of yet. Another power he holds is super strength. Described as being able to leap distances of ten feet or more with ease, and have the strength to punch a robot's head off, however, it's unclear whether or not this has to do with the fact he's dead and cannot feel his muscles' limits, or whether that was part of the agreement he made with the Something that reanimated him. Along the same lines, he has the power to neutralize the magic of others, to a certain extent.
Car[]
Dead Boy's car is from either an alternate timeline or the future, and is extremely high-tech. Without wheels (although sometimes it has them), silver in colour and described to be sleek and streamlined beyond belief, the interior is extremely plush and just as technologically advanced as the outside. The dashboard is covered in gauges and displays, and though he sits in the driver's seat, Dead Boy does not drive the car. He states that his 'sweetie' is a much better driver than he is, and he wouldn't dare try. Dead Boy himself admits offhand that the car chose him— not the other way around.
The car reportedly possesses the ability so speak, but John Taylor says that Dead Boy is the only one capable of hearing it— though the car doesn't mind chauffeuring certain other passengers, as Dead Boy sometimes lends it to Taylor. The car itself does need to be directed, and cannot decide locations on its own, but it has a very wide selection of defenses that it uses automatically instead of a car alarm. This is demonstrated when it drives Taylor to Griffen Hall, using a chainsaw and flamethrower to burn away its protective jungle upon attack.