- "Did you ever wonder what it felt like when you dropped me in that vat of boiling tar? Since I went in headfirst, I actually felt my ears and nose burn off. The pain of my eyeballs searing was unimaginable, but it was the way that it burned down my throat as I tried to breathe that I thought was really special."
- —Joseph to Daniel Burge[src]
Joseph "Joey" Monteleone, nicknamed Tar Pit by Cisco Ramon, is a meta-human from Central City with the power to generate heated tar from his body. Just prior to the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator explosion, Joseph was dropped into a tar pit by Daniel Burge and Clay Stanley, leading to him being affected moments later by its shockwave. Joseph spent two years trapped in the ground, but he was able to escape when a construction crew made a hole in the ground. In an act of vigilantism, Joseph proceeded to hunt down and punish the men responsible for his near death.
Biography
Early life
Joseph Monteleone's criminal record, status listed as "missing."
As a teenager, Joseph Monteleone committed a crime that placed him in a juvenile detention center. At the center, Joseph bunked with Daniel Burge.[1]
Particle accelerator accident
Joseph Monteleone before he became a meta-human.
Just prior to the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator going off, Joseph was coerced into giving Burge the account number to his money. Despite giving them the account number, Daniel Burge pushed Joseph over a balcony on Clay Stanley's orders, causing him to fall into a tar pit. As the particle accelerator went off, Joseph was buried beneath the ground for two years, unable to see or feel.[1]
As Tar Pit
2 years later, after a construction crew made a hole in the ground, freeing him, Joseph found Daniel Burge. Joseph told Daniel the pain he felt, then made him feel exactly the same pain by covering Daniel in tar, killing him. Joseph then went after Clay Stanley. The Flash intervened as Joseph was about to kill Clay. Joseph made an attempt to hit the Flash with a blast of fire, but the latter got out of the way, causing Joseph to hit a fire hydrant. The water melted Joseph, subduing him temporarily.[1]
Joseph next went after Clark Bronwen (who drove the getaway car for Burge and Stanley the night of the particle accelerator explosion) at a drag race. Joseph disguised himself as the pavement, hurling Wally West, his racing opponent, and their cars toward Clark. The Flash rescued Clark, but a shard of glass pierced Iris' shoulder in the crossfire.[1]
Outside of the Central City Police Department, Joseph waited as Joe used Clay as bait. Joseph, in a large, monstrous form, hurled a blast of fire toward Clay and Joe, though the two got out of the way in time. The Flash then arrived, hurling two nitrous grenades. Joseph's large form shattered, reverting him back to his previous form, and was knocked unconscious by Joe West.[1]
Powers and abilities
Powers
- Meta-human physiology: After Joseph was struck by the energy of the Particle Accelerator explosion, this altered his DNA and supercharged his cells, augmenting his physiology to access his new abilities.
- Tar generation: After being hit in a tar pit by the dark matter of the Particle Accelerator explosion, Joseph gained the ability to produce hot tar from his body. He also knew this power because he was able to create a mass of tar around him that served as a type of armor that also turned him into a great monster. He can also merge with tar so he could control an entire road.[1]
- Pyrokinesis: Joseph is capable of generating flames from the tar his body produces.[1]
Weaknesses
- Water: When Joseph's body is exposed to large amounts of water, the viscosity and temperature of the tar he generates is reduced, causing it to harden.
Appearances
The Flash
Season 2
Season 3
- "Dead or Alive" (cutout)