Trident (DC Comics)

For other uses, see Trident (disambiguation).

Trident is the name of a number of supervillains in the DC Comics universe.

Characters

Trident is an identity taken by a group of three supervillains working for H.I.V.E.:

Trident I, II, & III

• Real Names: Sammy Jaye, 'Prof', Unknown
• First Appearance: The New Teen Titans #33 (1983)

It is also the name used by a brainwashed Val Armorr in One Year Later:

Trident IV

• Real Name: Val Armorr
• First Appearance (as Karate Kid): Adventure Comics #346
• First Appearance (as Trident IV): Justice League of America #3 (Vol.2)

History

At one time, the three alter-egos of Trident were operatives of the H.I.V.E., with Prof being a weapons design specialist. Eventually, they decided to team up and strike out on their own. Each adopted the costume and code-name of Trident, and each was armed with a powerful trident. The weapon had three tines: the right tine shot fire, the left tine shot ice, and the center tine released a blast of devastating force.

Trident operated in New York City, each criminal taking turns at committing several large robberies. It was believed that Trident was only one person. Eventually, Sammy Jaye Trident tried to cheat his two partners out of their share of loot. The other two killed Sammy, and his costumed body was discovered by the New Teen Titans. It was Starfire who eventually figured out that there was more than one Trident.

Some time after the two surviving Tridents were imprisoned, Wildebeest sprang the Black Trident from jail as well as Gizmo, the Puppeteer and the Disruptor. These villains were eventually recaptured by the Teen Titans.

One of the Trident has appeared as a member of Alexander Luthor, Jr.'s Society in the Teen Titans/Outsiders Secret Files one-shots.

The name Trident was also used by a Starro-infected Karate Kid who claimed to be a member of the Trident Guild. However, these beliefs were due to the effects of brainwashing by Starro.

Powers and abilities

Trident carries a trident that has three tines: the right shoots fire, the left shoots ice, and the middle releases a blast of devastating force. He can project holograms which make him appear several feet away from where he is actually standing while concealing his true position.

In other media

Television

• Trident appears in Teen Titans voiced by Clancy Brown. Trident is depicted as an extremely arrogant fish man (who is loosely based on the DC Comics villain of the same name) and is an enemy of the Atlanteans. He intended to overthrow Atlantis and take over the surface world by making an army of clones of himself using toxic chemicals. He was attacked by the Teen Titans in their T-Sub, accompanied by the Atlantian superhero Aqualad. His own ego, however, thwarted his plans when Beast Boy and Aqualad enticed his entire clone army to turn on each other, and they were soon afterwards buried in an undersea cave by the Titans. Trident later reappeared as a member of the Brotherhood of Evil. He takes down Aqualad with help from Plasmus in "Calling All Titans," and is defeated in with the rest of the Brotherhood in "Titans Together."