Who is Junior?
The solicitations for Secret Six #5 promise that we’re finally going to learn the mysterious identity of the crime boss known only as “Junior.” That gives us a little less than three weeks to do a little Vegas-style odds-making.
SS#4 gave us a couple glimpses of the shadowy figure (click on the image to the right for a larger view). So, here’s what we know.
CLUES:
(1) He’s got what looks to be stitches across his face.
(2) He’s strong enough to go toe-to-toe with Bane.
(3) He’s got an oddly misshapen head.
(4) He travels in a potato sack and does business from a small, wooden box.
Flexy DC villains — with or without patchwork faces — bring up a few names to be considered. Here they are, along with the odds of their being revealed in issue #5:
Hush is a Gotham-based black-cape with a thing for sutures. Gotham seems to be playing large on the horizon of this storyline, so that lends some credability to this theory, but there’s no way he’s able to smack Bane around, and there’s no way he’s going to do any business in a box until Batman finally puts him in one for good. Furthermore, he seems to have his hands full in the Batman R.I.P. storyline (and subsequent arcs). (Odds: 500-1)
Zsasz was the head of his own intergovernmental company and had amassed a large personal fortune in addition to his family’s wealth, so it’s not hard to see him as a much-feared crime lord. He’s another Gothamite, and he certainly fits the disfigurement requirement. He might fare well with someone in Bane’s weight class — given the element of surprise. Last seen in Batman: Cacophony a few weeks ago, he is definitely out of Arkham and at large. But the third and fourth clues make this one a longshot. (Odds: 100-1)
Copperhead is a contortionist, and he’s probably in the power class to give Bane a good fight. And, since his costume covers up most of his head, he might have the oddly-shaped skull. The stitches are still a question mark, though. And he’s currently playing a big role in another DC villain-themed title, Terror Titans. (Odds 75-1)
The original Rag Doll. Here’s where things get interesting. He undoubtedly has the rap sheet to live up to the laundry-list-style confession from SS#4. And he’s a shoo-in for the four clues we’ve assembled. Heck, he’d be the odd-on favorite except for the fact that he’s dead.
Back in JSA Classified #5-7, in the Injustice Society arc (such a well-done story, by the way), Rag Doll buys the farm handling the Cosmic Key (and in so doing, brings Johnny Sorrow back to the material plane). (Once again, click on the image to see a larger version.) But, of course, you can’t swing a dead cat in the DC universe without hitting someone who’s spent some quality time in a coffin.
Heck, you can’t even guarantee the cat’s dead.
And, there’s the odd little passage as the Cosmic Key powers up. Rag Doll insists that “It’s working!” Working at what? Working at granting a whole new set of meta-abilities to an aged heel, perhaps?
Finally, given the oddness inherent in the family, as related by the younger Rag Doll throughout the Secret Six series, the whole “Junior” moniker might just be an indication of a family tree with a couple fewer branches than most. (Odds: 5-1)
And that’s right where the column would have ended if I hadn’t gotten caught up in reading those three JSA Classified issues. (Aside to DC… I’ll take those characters any day of the week and give you guys a solid title. Just sayin’.) In JSA Classified #6, the original Rag Doll reveals the following: “I have many children. One has been using my identity. We keep our distance… Usually.” Multiple children, eh? Junior…? Could this be the younger Rag Doll’s brother? This has the kind of “What the” factor that Gail Simone excells at. And that’s where my money is: Another Rag Doll son. (Odds: 2-1).