Drago

DRAGO

Real Name: Daniel Rogers

Class: Human magic-user

Occupation: Supervillain, former Corporal, U.S. Army

Group Affiliation: None

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: South Pacific island

First Appearance: Titans II #33 (May, 2011)

Powers: Drago was blind but possessed telepathy. He was an accomplished hand-to-hand combatant.

History: (Titans II #34 (fb), 35 (fb)) - Corporal Daniel Rogers served in the U.S. army, and had a pathological view that saw losing as unacceptable. He earned the nickname Dragon Rider because he loved torching villages, hoping to see something in the eyes of the dying that would fill the void in his life. He fought alongside Sgt. Slade Wilson, in Afghanistan, targeting the terrorist and mystic Jeremiah. They had to extract a Captain who’d seen Jeremiah, the only man alive who could ID him. When Jeremiah’s forces attacked Wilson ordered Rogers to stay behind, and for the first time in his life he questioned his superior. Wilson shot him in the leg, giving him time to escape with the Captain, and realizing he’d sentenced Rogers to death. Rogers survived and vowed revenge. Jeremiah’s men took him hostage, but Jeremiah decided to share with him his philosophy of molding a stronger world and training him. He taught Rogers to use telepathy, and convinced him that his vision of the world was compromised by his old ways of seeing things. Rogers gouged his own eyes out, adopted the persona of Drago, and killed Jeremiah. He took over his army, but staid true to his vision of an orderly world. He set up base in the South Pacific, using Dr. Rainn, who’d perfected a technique to unlock a subject’s inner vision, to make more men like himself. He had his converts battle to the death in gladiatorial contests to show them that every day of life was precious, and that not all survived to achieve enlightenment.

(Titans II #33-36) - Drago coerced his former assassin Cheshire and her ex-lover Arsenal to get close to Deathstroke and bring him to Drago. Cheshire had betrayed Drago, and if she didn’t agree to the mission she would have died. They infiltrated Deathstroke’s Titans, and went on a mission to Drago’s island. Cheshire and Arsenal turned on Deathstroke, and after he was restrained Drago plucked his one good eye out. Cheshire and Arsenal felt they’d fulfilled their promise to Drago, but he decided to change the terms, putting Arsenal in captivity, and telling Cheshire that he had everything a man could want except an heir, and demanding she give him one. . Cheshire attacked Drago, and using his telepathy he realized she had a death wish, blaming herself for her daughter’s death and regretting the day she gave up Lian. She’d secretly hoped that Deathstroke would kill her before she killed him. Drago decided to make Deathstroke enlightened like he was. He dumped him in the caverns beneath his island, and told him to survive. The cavers were filled with the failed experiments of his second-in-command Dr. Rainn. Arsenal escaped captivity and freed Cinder. She killed Dr. Rainn, and agreed to trust Arsenal until the mission was over. Deathstroke’s eye healed, and he overcame Rainn’s Subhumans, and the Titans united to defeat Drago. Deathstroke was about to kill Drago, when Drago reminded him that he’d broken his promise in Afghanistan to never leave a man behind. Deathstroke spared his life, but made him promise to leave Cheshire alone. Cheshire was furious, but Deathstroke told her she lost the right to expect him to fulfill his promise to her after she stabbed him in the back.

Comments: Created by Eric Wallace, Fabrizio Fiorentino & Philip Tan.

Drago had a cameo in Titans II #38.