Per Degaton
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Per Degaton is a supervillain in the DC Universe who can travel through time. Per Degaton made his first appearance in All Star Comics #35 (June-July, 1947).
Character history
Per Degaton was obsessed with time travel ever since he began working as an assistant for the Time Trust, a group of scientists developing a time machine. Nazis attempted to steal the near-working machine, but were foiled by the Justice Society of America. In a fit of jealousy Per Degaton sabotaged the time machine and left the Time Trust soon after. In 1942 he was employed at Project M, another secret scientific group; during this time he met the time travelling robot Mekanique, who enlisted his aid in her war against the All-Star Squadron. In exchange for his help, Mekanique promised to give him the secrets of time travel. They failed in their attack on the All-Stars, and Mekanique’s body was destroyed, but Degaton salvaged her head. He kept her head by his side for the next five years, and they fell in love.In 1947 Degaton was assisting Professor Malachi Zee, a former member of the Time Trust. Zee was able to finish a time machine with the help of Degaton and Mekanique. Degaton planned to take the machine for himself, and shot Zee, who unexpectedly fell into it, sending him 40 years into the future. Mekanique suggested that the two of them simply wait four decades for the machine to reappear, but this idea drove Degaton into a lunatic rage. He buried Mekanique’s head, and made new plans for himself. Per Degaton began a short career as an evil para-military commander and joined the Injustice Society of the World. He led an army of prison escapees in an assault on Washington D.C. but was defeated by the JSA and spent the next 30 years in prison.
After his release Degaton roamed the streets as a derelict until his old ally Brain Wave found him. Together they attacked the JSA, but were unsuccessful. Degaton returned to prison, but was paroled ten years later due to advanced age.
Free at last Degaton reconstructed Mekanique and the pair battled Infinity Inc. at the site of arrival of Zee’s time machine. When it reappeared it contained not only the dying Zee, but a 1947 version of Degaton himself. When Degaton lunged at the machine as it disappeared in 1947, the machine’s energies had created two Degatons, one who lived a normal life and one who was carried along with the time machine. The older Degaton disintegrated instantly due to the paradoxical existence of two Degatons at one moment. Mekanique killed the younger Degaton as well as herself, fearing this Degaton would end up betraying her once more.
Degaton has since returned as a foe for the Justice Society, altering history at will, like orchestrating the killing of the [USA] President. During one of the annual meetings between JLA and JSA he almost succeeded in plunging Earth-2 into a nuclear conflict, bringing nuclear warheads to 1940; he was fooled and beaten by the combined forces of the heroes with some help from the All-Star Squadron.
For years Degaton had tried without success to alter the course of history for his own good, even thwarting the course of ancient historical events like the wars led between Greece and Persia. It should be noted that since Degaton was disintegrated by the appearance of his younger self, we can assume that the Degaton featured in those adventures was the same Degaton who left 1947 with the recently obtained time machine.
Degaton, frustrated for being not able to harm the JSA in chronologically their next encounter, used his time-travelling abilities to "watch life hurting [his enemies]". Sequentially confronting all the current JSA members (2004) he told them that he saw them die and revealed some hints on their final moments. For example, Degaton provided the revelation of the gruesome punishment that Atom Smasher would suffer at the hands of the Spectre, the breaking down of the relation between Stargirl and Captain Marvel, and it is only due to the intervention of Daniel that Degaton didn't tell Doctor Fate of his final passing.
Now equipped with a time disc, Degaton's a man that lives between seconds, apparently ageless in an intangible state, from which he can only be forced with the concentrated tachyons in the hourglass of Hourman
In JSA #68 (2005) after sending his genetically enhanced agents from the future (the "Red Morgue") to kill all relatives of Stargirl, he caused the JSA's temporary 1940s dissolution to become permanent, and disgraced all the masked crimefighters as traitors, thus erasing from history all subsequent superheroes. Degaton was eventually stopped and beaten to a bloody pulp by Atom Smasher, his hands soaked with the concentrated tachyons of the hourglass. Degaton then retreated into the time-stream, fully committed to watching the death moments of his enemies.
From his comments, Degaton has revealed he is one of the few people aware of the Crisis on Infinite Earths and the multiple timelines that once existed.
Per Degaton was last seen during the massive Metropolis battle in Infinite Crisis #7, his role and motives were never explained since he only appeared in one splash page.
Powers
Per Degaton possesses a limited "time vision," allowing him to know what will happen in the near future. He is out of phase with normal time, which renders him intangible. Hourman's tachyon filled hourglass has been shown to blur his time vision and allow anyone possessing it to hit Degaton.
It is unclear whether these are innate abilities Per Degaton acquired or if they are the result of his time disc.
Equipment
Per Degaton stand atop a "time disc." This machine allows him to travel through time as well as having failsafes to return time to normal should his plans fail. It floats and Degaton has mentioned a camera in it. Degaton also uses small time discs which can be thrown. Upon contact with a person, it speeds up metabolism. The speed is apparently variable; Hourman was sped up an hour until his powers ran out while the Atom was sped up to the point where his atomic physiology would explode.
See also
External links
Images: '' [link]
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