- "I left my sanity behind a long time ago. It was slowing me down."
- —Claude Morton to Jesse Reese[src]
Detective Claude Morton was a corrupt police detective of the New Gotham Police Department, partnered with Jesse Reese, and formerly a member of the Blüdhaven Police Department.
Biography[]
Morton was employed as a police detective for the Blüdhaven Police Department. Purportedly fascinated with meta-humans, he transferred over to New Gotham Police Department in order to work on more strange cases. Morton was partnered with Detective Jesse Reese, whose partner was on holiday. Morton introduced himself, explaining his special interest in the freak cases Reese often followed.
The following day, Morton elaborated on the sort of cases he'd seen before, including electrokinesis, enhanced agility, and the ability to transform into a bug or many bugs. Unbeknownst to Reese, Morton had meta-human powers, which he couldn't control. He suddenly got a splitting headache, his powers activating and noticing a meta-human across the street. Morton promised to elaborate further on the freak occurrences the following day, claiming to go home. He instead followed Carl, using the man's fire powers to burn him to a crisp.
The following day, Claude elaborated on "meta-humans" to Reese, a term he introduced to him. He explained how it all began with the Batman, albeit not a meta-human himself. Reese mentioned a woman he'd been conferring with, who Morton was convinced was dangerous. Shortly following, Claude killed another victim, Frosty, who they found in the street. While investigating the body, the Huntress, Reese's associate, appeared. Claude received her abilities, and the two entered combat. Huntress got the upper hand, throwing him into a car, and fleeing. Reese received a call from Huntress regarding the danger that Morton presented, but Morton brushed off the claims. As they walked the streets, Huntress attacked Claude. He didn't retaliate, causing Reese to draw his gun. Huntress let go of Claude, giving him a moment to draw his own gun on Reese. He shot Reese, but was knocked off by Huntress, only grazing the detective's arm. Huntress ran off, followed in pursuit by Morton. They made their way to a rooftop, where they briefly fought. They were quickly joined by a group of meta-humans, who overpowered Claude's senses, causing him to detach from all powers. Finally human again, he jumped into the street below, killing himself.[1]
Powers and abilities[]
Powers[]
- Meta-human physiology: From unknown means, Claude's DNA and cells were altered, enabling him to access his new-found powers.[1]
- Power mimicry: Claude, whenever within about 20 yards of a meta-human, could duplicate their powers.[1]
- Meta-human detection: Claude was able to detect whenever a meta-human was nearby, and specifically who it was, receiving a splitting headache alongside it.[1]
Copied powers[]
- Acid spit: Claude received the power from Arnie Graves, using it to completely dissolve his torso.[1]
- Pyrokinesis: Receiving the power from Carl, Morton used it to burn him to a crisp.[1]
- Cryokinesis: Claude used Frosty's ice powers to trap him in a giant block of ice.[1]
- Enhanced senses: Among Helena Kyle's powers, Claude received this power, with his irises becoming cat-like.[1]
- Enhanced agility: Claude was able to keep up with Helena in combat, due to their shared enhanced agility.[1]
- Superhuman strength: While never demonstrated, Claude likely received this power from Helena also, as she showed the ability to lift him by his neck with more ease than the average human could.[1]
- Accelerated healing: While never demonstrated, Claude could also likely heal faster than the average human, as Helena can.[1]
- Enhanced durability: It is presumed, along with Helena's other powers, that Claude could also sustain large falls without taking any sort of damage, a factor as to why he jumped off of the building to his death when he did, having rid himself of this power.[1]
- Electrokinesis (possibly): Given that Morton had encountered a meta-human with this ability before, there's a high chance that he duplicated said power to kill them.[1]
- Transformation (possibly): Given that Morton had previously encountered a meta-human with the ability to transform into a bug or many bugs, there's a high chance that he duplicated said power to kill them.[1]
Abilities[]
- Investigation: Claude was promoted to the rank of detective in Bludhaven and was given the same position in New Gotham.
Weaknesses[]
- Headaches: Claude's abilities give him headaches that can eventually be too much to bear if too many meta-humans are in a close proximity.
Appearances[]
Birds of Prey[]
- "Prey for the Hunter"
- "Lady Shiva" (mentioned)