- "The difference between murder and execution is only a matter of authority. I have it. You don't."
- —Druce to Rip Hunter on the methods of Time Masters[src]
Time Master "Zaman Druce"[1] was the alias of the unnamed leader of the Time Masters and the former mentor/ex-friend-turned-enemy of Rip Hunter. Druce de facto seized control of the Time Masters as one of their senior members in control of the Oculus, all for his plan to ensure the timeline in which Vandal Savage took over the world and fought off an invasion from Thanagar.
Biography
Hunting down Rip Hunter
Druce tracked down Rip Hunter in 1986 after the latter stole the Waverider and assembled a team to stop Vandal Savage. Druce told Rip that Chronos had died in the crash and if he ended his crusade, he would be acquitted of his charges and brought to the vanishing point, along with this team being brought back to their own timeline. Druce then told Rip he had an hour to make his decision.[2] When Rip returned, Chronos held Rip at gun point and Druce told Rip that the council couldn't risk him being kept alive. When Druce told Rip his friends had abandoned him, Firestorm and Mick Rory arrived but Druce quickly escaped.[2]
After returning to the vanishing point Druce sentenced Time Pirate Kaylex Druzan to death and deployed the the Pilgrim to eliminate a younger version of himself to erase his actions on time itself, and the current Kaylex was erased from history. After the Pilgrim returned Druce gave her next assignment, 8 individuals who'd caused disruption to the timeline. Druce ordered the Pilgrim to target their younger selves and kill them all, with the exceptions of Rip and Kendra as eliminating them would be too dangerous to the timeline. However, the team managed to shield their younger selves in the Refuge.[3]
The Pilgrim's quest was all for naught, yet Rip Hunter ended up delivering himself into Druce's hands all the same. After realizing that Vandal Savage used future technology for the creation of the Leviathan, Rip took his team on the Waverider to the Vanishing Point, intending to rest his case before the Time Masters. To his surprise, Druce revealed that Rip's information only further proves that, for the safety of timeline, they cannot remove Savage from it. Druce then ordered to arrest Rip Hunter's team and assist Savage with going back to 2166.[4]
Confrontation at the Vanishing Point
Druce spoke with the imprisoned Rip Hunter, telling him of the dangers that would beseech the world of the future in case Savage is not allowed to conquer Earth, such as the invasion of Thanagarians. When Rip refused to believe that, calling Druce as mad as Savage himself, the Time Master took him to the Oculus Viewing Chamber. Druce claimed that through the Oculus device, the senior Time Masters can see the "true" version of the timeline. Furthermore, using this device, they can manipulate the outcomes of many different events of the timeline. The Time Masters thus predestined the death of Rip's family, as well as Rip's eventual rebellion, from the very beginning, all to strengthen Vandal Savage, who was the one being ordered by the Time Masters all along, including on his decision to murder Jonas and Miranda Coburn. Disheartened, Rip was returned to his cell, waiting for the execution along with Ray Palmer and Martin Stein, only to be rescued by Sara Lance and Leonard Snart. Druce tried to stop the Waverider's crew in anger, but was knocked out by Snart. Even the newly-remade Chronos turned on his masters, revealing himself to be in control of his actions all along.[5]
Druce perished during the destruction of Oculus Wellspring.
Druce stayed confident, thinking that the effect of the Oculus would not allow Rip Hunter's team to win. He appeared with a platoon of guards to ambush the team when they arrived to the Oculus Wellspring, only for his platoon to be slaughtered by the unexpectedly arriving timeship, piloted by none other than Jefferson Jackson. Enraged, Druce led more guards to stop the team from sabotaging the Oculus device, but was too late. He perished when Leonard Snart sacrificed himself to ensure the massive explosion at the Oculus Wellspring.[5]
Personality
Druce was a manipulative-liar, trying to appear as a man capable of mercy and forgiveness to Rip Hunter, only to try and ambush him and his crew. Out of arrogance; he arrogantly refused to owe up to his betrayal of the man that considered him his mentor, stating that Rip's betrayal is all the grounds the Time Masters need to "execute" him. Sure of his own impeccability, he taunted Rip that his friends abandoned him.[2]
Druce was extremely arrogant, sure that his plans couldn't possibly fail. This overweening pride of his proved to be his downfall, when revealing the secrets of Oculus to Rip, he mentioned that the Vanishing Point wasn't affected by the device's power, allowing Rip's team to formulate a plan to evade the control of Time Masters. Despite that, Druce tried to claim that destiny would still affect the team and result in Ray Palmer's death, only for him to be proven completely wrong when Mick Rory and then Leonard Snart decided to sacrifice themselves in Ray's death.[5]
Whenever he wasn't in control of the situation, like when Leonard and Sara Lance unexpectedly assaulted the Time Masters' prison, or when Leonard was about to destroy the Oculus, Druce had shown desperate anger, trying to regain said lost control.[5]
Druce was also ruthless, stating that the only difference between a murder and an execution is the authority. Imperiously believing himself to have the authority (another example of his arrogance) as he thought himself above justice, taunting Rip before ordering his troops to execute the rogue Time Master and his crew, only for his platoon to be slaughtered by the unexpectedly arriving of a timeship, piloted by Jefferson Jackson.[5]
Druce was immoral and unstable to the point of being delusional, trying to justify his reasons for helping Vandal Savage take over the world and to fight off an invasion from the Thanagarians, as well as being responsible for the death of Rip's family. Rip believed he was just as insane as Vandal, he had no guilt or remorse for any of his actions.
Druce was quite cowardly, when things did not go the way he expected, he ran away like the coward he truly was; like when his platoon was slaughtered by the unexpectedly arriving of a timeship, piloted by Jefferson.
These negative traits of his were what eventually led to Druce's deserved/justified death at the hands of Leonard Snart.
Trivia
- In the Turkish language, "Zaman" means "time". In Arabic, "Zaman" means "long ago". In Indonesian "Zaman" means "era".
Appearances
DC's Legends of Tomorrow
Season 1
- "White Knights""
- "Last Refuge""
- "River of Time""
- "Destiny""