My name's Tommy Monaghan and I kill people for money. It's a living. — Hitman src

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History

is awith minor telepathic powers. Despite his violent profession, he is in good standing with the superhero community.

Tommy Monaghan was born to Kathryn Monaghan, an Irish prostitute, in Gotham City. His mother had a habit of naming her children after the johns who impregnated her, all holier-than-thou citizens who utilized her services away from prying eyes, in order to shame them before the whole town, but Tommy's father, ruthless businessman Tom Dawson, was a violent man who threatened to kill Kathryn if she named her unborn son after him; Kathryn did so anyway, as her hatred for Dawson was stronger than her fear of him. As a warning, once Dawson heard of this from the obstetrician that gave Kathryn the news that she had another child on the way, he had her house burnt down, killing three of her children. Kathryn fled to the United States, and left Tommy with a Catholic orphanage in Gotham City. Dawson tracked her down and mutilated her. She later died from her injuries.[1]

Tommy grew up in St. Killian's Orphanage under the guidance of Sister Concepta and Sean Noonan, the latter of which treated him like a son. He befriended Sean's nephew Pat, and the two remained friends into their adulthood. Tommy joined the United States Marine Corps, where he met Natt Walls. He and Natt became friends when Tommy took his side against two corrupt Marine recruits. They served together in Operation Desert Storm in Iraq and saw little action, though they did accidentally kill a group of British S.A.S. troops.[2]

Upon returning to the United States, Tommy became a hitman, and he worked for several mafia families and government agencies. Though he killed for a living, he maintained a firm rule of never killing a good person. This rule came into play several times in Tommy's life as he had encounters with police officers and superheroes. Tommy himself became a superhuman when he was performing a hit on the head of the Dubelz Crime Family. One of the Bloodlines Parasites, the hideous Glonth, killed his target, then attempted to kill Tommy by draining his spinal cord fluid. The attack left Tommy alive and able to read minds and see through solid objects. Tommy and the demon Etrigan worked together to temporarily defeat Glonth and kill Joe Dublez. The death of the Dubelz patriarch, however, earned him the hatred of that family.[3]

Etrigan hired Tommy to help him remove Asteroth from power in Gotham City. Asteroth had gotten a religious group called the Choirboy Commandoes to guard him. Etrigan, being a demon of Hell, was not equipped to face them. Tommy was able to decimate the Choirboy Commandoes, as well as Asteroth's thugs, long enough for Etrigan to send Asteroth back to Hell.[4]

During another of Jason Blood and Etrigan's ongoing conflicts, Tommy's services were again purchased, this time by Blood. Tommy was to watch the aged wizard Merlin and kill him if he moved against Blood. Tommy did his job, shooting the man. Blood, after dealing with Etrigan's plot, skipped town without paying Tommy the two million dollars he promised.[5]

When the wrath of the Dubelz family came to Tommy, in which Pat Noonan was killed for not revealing Tommy's location to an associate of Moe Dubelz, Tommy declared vengeance on the entire Dubelz family, and he managed to kill every one of them. The Arkannone, Hell's lords of the gun, were impressed by Tommy's ability to kill so effectively, and they sought to employ him as their earthly agent. He resisted, and the Arkannone sent the Mawzir after him. Tommy managed to kill the Mawzir and the Arkannone with the help of Etrigan. The incident had also led to his on and off relationship with a honest GCPD detective Deborah Tiegel.[6]

Tommy's activities also catches the attention of Mr. Truman, a CIA Agent who despised metahumans and attempted to enlist Tommy to a special group in controlling and eliminating the metahuman population under the interests of the United States; Truman ensured that if Tommy rejected his offer then he would be killed while appearing to be resisting a police arrest.[7] Tommy, however, undermined Truman by secretly recording his conspiracy while under a wiretap and bringing incriminating evidence against him with help from Deborah Tiegel and Green Lantern.[8]

Tommy had several encounters with superheroes and villains. His dealings with heroes often coming at odds over Tommy's career, such as Batman. But in some cases can be notably amicable. Amazingly, one of the heroes that actually appreciated Tommy was Superman, who became Tommy's confidant.[9] Regardless of Tommy's occupation, he proved himself as a hero when he helped the Justice League in eradicating a Bloodlines Parasite outbreak on their satellite headquarters.[10]

Tommy would again come into another conflict with Truman over the protection of Maggie Lorenzo, a homeless woman who witnessed an escaped subject of Truman's experiment to duplicate the effects of the Bloodlines incident. Allying with Natt Walls and Kathryn McAllister (a defecting associate of Truman), Tommy destroys Truman's experiment, ultimately leading to a final showdown in which he and Natt were killed but not before killing Truman in the process.[11] Tommy's passing did not go unheard of in the superhero community. Superman was devastated by the news and admitted that he admired Tommy's moral courage in extreme situations.[10]



Powers and Abilities

Powers

Telepathy : Tommy could use controlled telepathy on those with no psionic defences. Prolonged or strained use would cause him migraines. [12] It also acted subconsciously on occasion. He would often know if someone was preparing to attack him. [13]

: Tommy could use controlled telepathy on those with no psionic defences. Prolonged or strained use would cause him migraines. It also acted subconsciously on occasion. He would often know if someone was preparing to attack him. X-Ray Vision: Tommy has controlled "X-ray" vision which allows him to see through fields of depth.

Abilities

Firearms : Tommy was a U.S. Marine trained in various standard firearms. While he is proficient with guns, he himself admitted he was outclassed several times. [14]

: Tommy was a U.S. Marine trained in various standard firearms. While he is proficient with guns, he himself admitted he was outclassed several times. Hand-to-Hand Combat (Basic): Tommy has had Marine training but practiced no advanced martial arts.

Weaknesses

Migraines : When his telepathy first manifested, Tommy had constant migraines which he could only dull with alcohol. [15] Later on he only got migraines from continued or focused use of his power. [12]

: When his telepathy first manifested, Tommy had constant migraines which he could only dull with alcohol. Later on he only got migraines from continued or focused use of his power. Smoking: Tommy was a chain smoker.[16]



Paraphernalia





Transportation

Weapons





Notes

Tommy's eyes, after being attacked by Glonth in his first appearance, were originally red and continued to be so throughout The Demon. It wasn't until his own ongoing series that his eyes became black.



Trivia

By the time of his death, Tommy had a debt of $107.56 at Guy Gardner's Warriors bar. The bar tab was put into a showcase in the bar.

Tommy once teamed up with Azrael, albeit accidentally. [17]

Tommy disliked Indian food but found himself eating it for the sake of the women he was dating. [18]

According to Peter Kirby, Tommy has killed almost five hundred people.[19]

Related





New Blood

This character was one of the many superpowered individuals introduced during the "Bloodlines" crossover event, where a number of Alien Parasites invaded the Earth and inadvertently activated the Metagene in a number of people. While not necessarily all members of the "Blood Pack", this group of people has come to be known as the "New Bloods". This template will automatically categorize articles that include it into the "New Bloods" category.

The Demon supporting cast

This character has been an ally or antagonist to either The Demon Etrigan or his counterpart Jason Blood in any of their various incarnations.

This template will categorize articles that include it into "The Demon Supporting Cast" category.