Garfield Lynns (July 9, 1979[1] - January 2013) was a former firefighter who was presumed deceased in 2009, thought to have died on duty. However, he survived and began targeting and murdering members of his old team, who dubbed themselves The Fireflies, as revenge. During an attempt at killing fire chief Raynes, The Hood intervened and tried to help him, but Lynns refused the offer and committed suicide by stepping into the fire he started.
Biography
Nodell Towers incident
Garfield Lynns before his accident.
Garfield Lynns was a firefighter with the Starling City Fire Department and a member of a unit known as The Fireflies. In 2009, Lynns and his unit were called to duty at the Nodell Towers fire. Raynes, the leader of The Fireflies, eventually ordered the unit to flee the burning site, but Lynns insisted on staying and saving it. The buildings suddenly collapsed and Lynns, trapped inside, was presumed to have died.
However, Lynns in fact survived the collapse. After the fire ceased, he was pulled out of the rubble and spent months comatose in a burn ward as a "John Doe". When Lynns woke up and recovered, he felt betrayed that his former teammates left him behind and became a vengeful recluse, eventually causing his wife and children to leave him.[2]
Targeting his old squad
In January 2013, Lynns began to target his former teammates from The Fireflies. While Danny de la Vega was trying to put out a fire in a burning factory, Garfield sprayed turpentine over him, causing Danny to catch some flames and burn to death.
In another fire, Lynns knocked another member of the team into the flames. The Hood showed up and the two started to fight. Garfield quickly defeated The Hood by tripping him, knocking him down. He then incapacitated the vigilante with a kick before escaping.
At a fundraiser for the Starling City Firemen's Relief Association in Oliver Queen's nightclub, Lynns confronted the entire Starling City Fire Department, led by now Fire Chief Raynes. He personally confronted Raynes before setting the place on fire. Lynns then doused Raynes in turpentine, intending to burn him alive, but The Hood intervened. The vigilante offered to help him instead of killing him. Lynns thanked him for the offer but rejected his help. Lynns instead committed suicide by walking into the fire, where he eventually burned to death.[2]
Abilities
- Keen intellect/Skilled tactician: Lynn would set fires to buildings as a means of luring his former team members to them. He would wait until one of them was alone to kill them. He also knew how to escape the buildings while they were ablaze.
- Incendiary/Inflammable techniques: As a former firefighter, Lynns had practical knowledge of incendiary techniques, which he used in his killing spree.
- Skilled hand-to-hand combat: Lynns was proficient in close combat and used his fire axe as a weapon. Despite his heavy equipment, he was able to defeat a troubled Oliver Queen and almost killed him with a firebomb.
Equipment
- Firefighter suit: Lynns wore a firefighter suit when he worked for the Starling City Fire Department and when he killed his victims.
- Fire axe: Lynns had a fire axe which he would use as a weapon.
- Firebombs: Lynns used a firebomb to kill Oliver.
- Lighter: Lynns had a lighter which he intended to use to set Raynes on fire
Behind the scenes
- In DC Comics, Garfield Lynns, a former special effects expert, is the super villain known as Firefly, as referenced in Arrow with him and his squadron being named The Fireflies, bearing firefly tattoos. In 2013, Lynns' origin was retconned in the Prime Earth as Ted Carson becoming Firefly and Lynns was an innocent civilian framed for his crimes, more in keeping with the Arrowverse character's tragic origin story.
- Interestingly, while Arrow's version of Garfield Lynns is skilled in close combat, the DC Comics version relies heavily on his flamethrower and jetpack in fights.
- In the comics, he is a recurring enemy of the superhero Batman.