Double Down

Origin

A con man and compulsive gambler, Jeremy Tell gained his powers following a card game in which he lost. Incensed, he attacked and killed the man who had beaten him. The man had in his possession a cursed deck of cards, which cleaved to Tell's flesh and burned off much of his skin. The cards now act as the top layer of his skin, and can be wielded as weapons.

Creation

Double Down was created by Geoff Johns and Ethan van Sciver. He made his first appearance in Flash: Iron Heights #1.

Major Story Arcs

Iron Heights

In the chaos after Murmur releases the Frenzy virus in Iron Heights, Double Down attempts to escape alongside hundreds of other prisoners. He encounters Pied Piper, and is able to briefly incapacitate him by placing one of his cards over Piper's mouth. However, Piper forces his pipe into Double Down's mouth and punches him in the stomach. The resultant sonic blast knocks him unconscious, and he is taken back into custody.

Penguin

Double Down succeeds in escaping Iron Heights, and he and Girder are hired by the Penguin to help him in establishing a new crime ring in Keystone City. They are defeated by the Flash and Nightwing.

Rogue War

During the Rogue War, Double Down fights alongside the Top and other new Rogues.

Countdown

Worried by the recent disappearances of many of the world's super villains, Double Down hides in the backseat of a car driven by Pied Piper and the Trickster. At knifepoint, he demands that they take him with them into hiding. They make it as far as a diner before the Suicide Squad catch up. He is captured, and presumably transported to the planet Salvation.

Zoom

Imprisoned in Iron Heights, Double Down is among the network of villains working for Professor Zoom. He threatens Henry Allen when it becomes apparent that Barry Allen is getting too close to finding out the truth about who killed his mother.

Powers and Abilities

Double Down's powers are derived from a set of magical cards that are embedded in his skin. He is able to peel these cards off of his skin and wield them offensively to a variety of effects that have never been fully explored. Commonly, cards have extremely sharp edges, or can be made to adhere to other surfaces, including the flesh of others. He also has limited mental control of the cards while they are off of his body, but cards will no longer function if he is unconscious.

Other Media

Television

Arrow

Jeremy Tell appears in the episode "Restoration" as a metahuman whose powers were gained when he was getting a tattoo at the time of the STAR Labs explosion. This version of the character can use his playing card tattoos as physical projectiles, and works as a hitman for Damien Darhk. He is portrayed by JR Bourne.