Ace (Justice League)
| Ace | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Amos Fortune, Ernest Clay |
| Team affiliations | Royal Flush Gang |
Ace is a fictional character from the Warner Brothers studios animated series Justice League. She is the member of the Royal Flush Gang, which is a group of villains modeled on the cards in a royal flush in poker. The first Ace was Amos Fortune, who shaped his childhood gang into the first Royal Flush Gang. In later incarnations of the Gang, the succeeding Ace was a super-strong android; the android was later replaced by the human Ernest Clay.
Ace in other media
Justice League
In animated continuity, the first Ace (voiced by Hynden Walch) was a young girl. Her power is mind control, but she can also create illusions, and drive people insane just by looking at them. She had been experimented on by what appeared to be a clandestine government operation to increase her power. This Ace, along with her Royal Flush Gang has fought Batman and the Justice League under the leadership/manipulation of the Joker.
Ace first appears in the Justice League Season 2 episode "Wild Cards." In the episode, The Joker "hosts" a reality TV show with the Justice League pitted against the first Royal Flush gang, attempting to defuse bombs in real time and on television all over Las Vegas. The Joker attempts to use a reluctant Ace to turn the television audience insane after the Justice League wins, but his his effort is narrowly avoided due to Batman's interference. The Joker had kept a mind control headband that had been used on Ace in the installation as an added insurance against her. The shock of seeing the device again brings Ace around; she turns her powers against the Joker himself and then departs, destination unknown.
Later, under Ace's leadership, a second (or possibly third according to Batman Beyond-era Amanda Waller) Royal Flush Gang fought the JLU again. In the Justice League Unlimited episode "Epilogue," Ace's powers have advanced to the point where she can create and alter reality, not just perception. She created a new version of the gang seemingly out of desperation to have friends to play with. Unfortunately, the people Ace empowered decided to go out and commit crimes instead.
As the League battled the Gang (minus Ace), Amanda Waller explained that Ace was dying, and the possible psychic backlash caused by her death could kill millions. (Waller's presence and knowledge indicates that she may have been an early experiment of Project Cadmus.) Batman volunteered to kill her with a special weapon supplied by Waller, though Hawkgirl wanted to do so at first. When he got to Ace however, it was revealed that Batman had no intentions of killing her.
Ace started to talk to him about how her childhood had been stolen and she bonded with Bruce after reading his mind and learning he didn't have much of a childhood either. Ace also learned though that she was going to die in a matter of minutes. After contemplating her fate for a few moments she asked Bruce "could you stay with me?....I'm scared". He does so and, within the hour, the Royal Flush Gang and the rest of reality returned to normal, but Ace was no more.
Batman Beyond
There have been four incarnations of the Gang, and probably many more. In the future continuity of Batman Beyond, the Royal Flush Gang has become an almost cult-like "family tradition", and members are not allowed to leave. The group that Terry McGinnis (Bruce's successor) encounters includes a superhumanly strong and durable android called Ace.