Peter Mortimer (New Earth)

Scavenger
Mainstream Universe‎‎, 1950s-2011‎
Gallery
Real Name	Peter Mortimer
Main Alias	Scavenger
Other Aliases	Barracuda
Base Of Operations	Atlantic Ocean
Status
Alignment	Bad
Identity	Secret Identity
Occupation	Professional Criminal
Characteristics
Gender	Male
Height	5' 9"
Weight	176 lbs (80 kg)
Origin
Universe	Earth-One · New Earth
Creators	Bob Haney · Nick Cardy
First Appearance	Aquaman #37 (January, 1968)
Appearance of Death	Hawkman Vol 3 #15 (December, 1994)

That's it. That's the way it always is. I caught you fair and square and you go and call the damn fish.

— Scavenger

Peter Mortimer was a deep-sea diver and pirate who called himself the Scavenger.

History

Dressed in a specially-designed diving suit, he plundered the ocean waves, scavenging for valuables from sunken ships. He operated out of an advanced submersible vessel called the Scorpion-Ship. At some point in Mortimer's past, he had an alliance, possibly even a partnership with the Ocean Master, but the nature of this relationship has never been expanded upon, save to say that neither man had any real loyalty to the other.

Many years ago, the Scavenger learned of an alien artifact called a Time Decelerator. He believed that this device would grant him immortality. He journeyed to Atlantis and confronted the Atlantean king, Aquaman. Believing that Aquaman secretly knew the location of the Time Decelerator, he kidnapped his wife Mera and his son Arthur Curry, Jr. He used the technology from his Scorpion-Ship to poison the waters of the Atlantic, forcing Aquaman to help him locate the device. It was actually the Ocean Master however who found it, and though he pointed the Scavenger in the correct direction, he ultimately betrayed him by sabotaging his Scorpion-Ship. The Scavenger found the Time-Decelerator and activated it. Rather than bestowing immortality however, it actually regressed him in age until he ceased to exist.

The Scavenger's essence remained in limbo for many years, but he eventually reconstituted himself to his correct size and age. Donning a new costume, he rebuilt the Scorpion-Ship and allied himself with Kobra.

The Scavenger located a highly coveted sunken submarine called the Bellerophon and began looting it on behalf of Kobra. This brought him into a second confrontation with Aquaman, and this time, he succeeded in keeping Aquaman at bay. Aquaman persevered though and used the aid of some sea barnacles to down the Scorpion-Ship and capture the Scavenger. Infuriated by his underling's failure to raid the Bellerophon, Kobra had the Scorpion-Ship destroyed.

Scavenger is later shown to have reformed, and even become friends with Aquaman. Their last battle was over stolen cargo that turned out to be vaccines. Mortimer's conscience got the better of him, and he was treated like a hero for the first time as he helped deliver them safely. Aquaman helped him clean up his act, and even become a business owner.

After, Scavenger had somehow acquired the avatar of the barracuda. He used his newfound powers to fulfill his pedophilic desires and also profited from selling videos of him raping young boys and girls. Now calling himself Barracuda, he was tracked down by Hawkman, who was investigating other people who had become avatars like himself. Barracuda tried to overpower Hawkman with his mental powers but when he failed, Hawkman slammed his face into a computer screen, killing him.

Powers and Abilities

Abilities

• Gadgetry
• Diving: The Scavenger is an expert diver.
• Hand-to-Hand Combat (Basic): Though he rarely engages in physical combat, the Scavenger is an able-bodied fighter and is proficient at fighting underwater and being able to compensate for changes in water pressure.
• Swimming: The Scavenger is a skillful swimmer.
  

Paraphernalia

Equipment

The Scavenger availed himself of a wide array of technologically advanced devices; most of which are incorporated into the arsenal aboard his Scorpion-Ship. He also uses a specially-designed deep-sea diving suit, which enables him to function underwater for an unknown duration. He later traded up the deep-sea diving suit for a flashier, more standard super-villain costume. The Scavenger also briefly acquired an alien artifact called a Time-Decelerator, but regretted this as the device regressed him in age to infancy and finally to nothingness.

Transportation

• Scorpion Ship: The Scorpion-Ship is a submersible vehicle and is the primary tool of the Scavenger. In addition to navigating through the ocean depths, the ship is also equipped with four, modular legs for traversing the ocean floor. The ship is also equipped with a "Retriever Beam", which uses a column of energy to pull cargo from sunken ships. In addition, the Scorpion-Ship can also generate a Force Field beam, ideal for catching prey. The exterior of the ship is extremely durable and can withstand massive blunt force attacks, such as a ramming bull whale. The ship can also coat itself with a sheathe of ice, which is ideal for warding off heat-seeking weapons.

Weapons

Several hand-held energy weapons, though most of the Scavenger's more advanced weaponry is part of his ship's systems.

Notes

• Although this character was originally introduced during DC's Earth-One era of publication, their existence following the events of the 1985–86 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths remains intact. However, some elements of the character's Pre-Crisis history may have been altered or removed for Post-Crisis New Earth continuity, and should be considered apocryphal.
  

Recommended Reading

• Aquaman #37
• Aquaman #59
• Aquaman #60
• Aquaman (Volume 4) #13
• Hawkman (Volume 3) #15
• Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe Vol 1 20

Related

• 9 Appearances of Peter Mortimer (New Earth)
• 9 Images featuring Peter Mortimer (New Earth)
• 2 Quotations by or about Peter Mortimer (New Earth)
• Character Gallery: Peter Mortimer (New Earth)

Footnotes

Aquaman Villain(s) This character, team or organization, is or was primarily an enemy of Aquaman, or members of the Aquaman Family. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Aquaman Villains."