Blackout (Marvel)

Blackout is a demonic supervillain from Marvel comics and an enemy of the Ghost Rider.

History
Initially employed by the demonic crimelord Deathwatch, he fought the Ghost Rider (Dan Ketch), and was disfigured in the battle when he was scorched by hellfire by trying to bite through Ghost Rider's jacket. This caused him to become Dan Ketch/Ghost Rider's sworn arch-enemy, leading him into killing his sister Barbara along with several of his close associates.

One of Blackout's earliest victims is the Morlock Pixie, not to be confused with the X-Men character of the same name. The Morlocks had been in conflict over a plan to change babies into mutated forms. Ghost Rider's incorrect belief it was Blackout behind the vanishing of babies brings the attention of the real Blackout. Though the children are rescued safely, with the assistance of X-Factor, Blackout manages to kill Pixie and escape.

He later finds Dan Ketch and tears his throat out while he is in human form. Only supernatural intervention from other sources allows Dan to recover. In the meantime, Ghost Rider is still able to fight.

Around this time, Blackout went on a murderous rampage through Central Park, leading to a hostage situation with the police. He later became allied with Lilith, the demon-goddess, who claimed she was his grandmother. Blackout would team up with many super-powered offspring of Lilith, all doing her will. After being defeated by the Midnight Sons, Blackout had his face deformities repaired and went back to work as a hired assassin, also eliminating a few personal grudges along the way until finally being captured by Ghost Rider. He was hoisted and chained over the World Trade Center where he is thought to have burned to death. Much later, was seen among the escaping villains in the prison breakout in New Avengers #1.

Blackout has been hired by the Hood to take advantage of the split in the superhero community caused by the Superhuman Registration Act. He helped them fight the New Avengers but was taken down by Doctor Strange.

In Secret Invasion, he is one among many supervillains who rejoined the Hood's crime syndicate and attacked an invading Skrull force

He joins with the Hood's gang in an attack on the New Avengers, who were expecting the Dark Avengers instead. He has been recruited by Zadikiel to assemble a "task-force" of Ghost-Rider foes in order to hunt down and destroy both the Ketch & Blaze Ghost-Riders. Later, he attacked the church filled with the gun armed nuns, alongside Orb, Deacon and the new Vengeance. He cloaks the place in darkness threatening and mocking the nuns but is stopped by being shot with bullets that were covered in holy water. Blackout runs away screaming in pain into the night.

Blackout was seen during the Siege of Asgard as part of the Hood crime syndicate

Powers and Abilities
Blackout possesses superhuman strength, one of the more common powers possessed by demons or beings with some degree of demonic heritage. At his peak, Blackout can lift about 2 tons. Blackout can run and move at speeds that are beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete. Blackout's advanced musculature produces less fatigue toxins during physical activity than the musculature of a human. At his peak, he can exert himself at peak capacity for several hours before the build up of fatigue toxins in his blood begins to impair him. Blackout's body was somewhat tougher and more resistant to physical injury than the body of a normal human, possibly a by-product of his superhuman strength. Blackout's body could withstand the rigors of great impact forces. He could withstand impacts, such as falling from several stories or being struck by someone possessing a lower level degree of superhuman strength, that would severely injure or kill a human being. Blackout's agility, balance, and bodily coordination are enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete. Blackout's reflexes are similarly enhanced and are superior to those of a normal human. Blackout's eyesight is heightened to a degree well beyond that of a normal human. He can see with perfect clarity at much greater distances than a normal human. He retains this same level of clarity at night, even to the point of being able to see perfectly in near-total darkness. Blackout, befitting the name he uses, is able to telepathically extinguish any natural or artificial light source within his immediate vicinity.