Doorman (character)

DeMarr Davis is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer and artist John Byrne, the character first appeared in West Coast Avengers #46 (July 1989).^[1] Davis belongs to the subspecies of humans called mutants, who are born with superhuman abilities.^[2] He is known under the codename Doorman.^[3] Following his death, he was resurrected by the entity Oblivion to serve as an Angel of Death, granting him new abilities. In addition to his portal-based powers, he gained flight, teleportation, and the ability to create objects using Darkforce energy.^[4] The character has also been a member of the Great Lakes Avengers at various points in his history.^[5][6][7][8]

DeMarr Davis Doorman
Art for West Coast Avengers vol. 2 #49.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #46 (July 1989)
Created by	John Byrne
In-story information
Alter ego	DeMarr Davis
Species	Human mutant/Angel of Death hybrid
Team affiliations	Great Lakes Avengers
Notable aliases	The Living Portal Man of Doors Deathurge Doorman
Abilities	As a mutant: Teleportation Intangibility As the Angel of Death: Darkforce manipulation Superhuman durability Costume summoning Death sense Immortality Flight

Davis will make his live-action debut in the upcoming Disney+ original series Wonder Man (2026), set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and portrayed by Byron Bowers.

Publication history

DeMarr Davis debuted in West Coast Avengers #46 (July 1989), created by John Byrne.^[9] He appeared in the 2005 G.L.A. series,^[10] and the 2016 Great Lakes Avengers series.^[11]

Fictional character biography

Little is known of Doorman's life before he responded to Mr. Immortal's advertisement for the hero team that would eventually become the Great Lakes Avengers. It has been revealed, however, that he is a mutant and is African-American.^[12]

Before joining the Great Lakes Avengers, DeMarr Davis was an average American. Sometime during his years in college, DeMarr's mother died. After completing four years of college and three years of graduate school, DeMarr decided to answer Mr. Immortal's newspaper ad asking "costumed adventurers" to work together and form a team. DeMarr, being a mutant with a unique teleporting ability, is able to allow his teammates entrance into almost any structure. He was a founding member of the Great Lakes Avengers.^[12]

He is first seen in public with the team by Hawkeye and Mockingbird, who later agree to become their mentors.^[13] With the team, he helps Hawkeye and the West Coast Avengers against "That Which Endures".^[14] They also assist Mockingbird in a holding action against Terminus.^[15] After aiding the Thunderbolts against the villain Graviton,^[16][17] the team clashes with the mercenary Deadpool.^[18][19]

Doorman is the most cynical of the Great Lakes Avengers, constantly comparing the team to the real Avengers, usually at inappropriate times, and sometimes feeling embarrassed by his friends. Nonetheless, he cares for them deeply, and values each and every member of the team.

During the G.L.A. mini-series, the team takes on Maelstrom, who is trying to destroy the universe. After Dinah Soar's death,^[20] Mr. Immortal suffers a nervous breakdown, leading Flatman and Doorman to search for new members. They travel to New York City, where they fail to recruit a number of heroes. While in Central Park, Squirrel Girl and her sidekick Monkey Joe save the two from muggers. They offer to recruit her in the team and she accepts. Later, they hear an alarm on a nearby factory and encounter Grasshopper, who is battling Batroc the Leaper and his minions. During the battle, Flatman offers to recruit him and Grasshopper quickly accepts, only to be instantly killed by Zaran, one of Batroc's minions.^[21] DeMarr blames himself for Grasshopper's death.^[22]

During the final battle, Doorman sacrifices himself so that Mr. Immortal can stop Maelstrom. In the afterlife, he meets the other deceased GLA members, including Grasshopper, who forgives him. Doorman is intrigued by the absence of Hawkeye, until Mockingbird tells him that he became the new Swordsman. Shortly afterwards, the cosmic entity Oblivion summons him, declaring that he could prove useful to him because of his connection to the Darkforce dimension, akin to Deathurge, who had been recently captured by Immortal. Doorman therefore replaces Deathurge and becomes Oblivion's new angel of death.^[23] Doorman takes Maelstrom to the afterlife after he is tricked into killing himself by Immortal and returns to the GLA. As a servant of Oblivion, he is able to summon skis to fly and is intangible. Doorman continues to be a member of the GLA. Following his encounter with Maelstrom, Doorman understands the team's importance and has a newfound respect for them. After receiving a subpoena from the real Avengers and discovering that they are all mutants, the team decides to change their name to the Great Lakes X-Men, complete with new costumes.^[12]

During the GLX-Mas Special, the team confronts Dr. Tannenbaum, who had released an army of living Christmas trees on the citizens of Wisconsin. Later, Doorman informs the team that he had to go and visit his father. Upon reaching his father's house, his father quickly complains that DeMarr was throwing his life away and needed to join the real world. Realizing that his own happiness is more important than his father's respect, DeMarr finally admits the truth to his father: that he had died and came back as an angel of death. He had not come back to visit his father but rather to collect his soul, as he had fallen off the roof while setting up Christmas lights and died. The revelation of DeMarr's new role in the universe greatly pleases his father, who could not wait to brag to all his friends in heaven about how his son was the new angel of death.^[24]

The Great Lakes Avengers participate in a charity superhero poker tournament hosted by the Thing, where Flatman beats their host in the final round. Flatman's status as champion inspires the team to rename themselves the Great Lakes Champions, after being discouraged from affiliation with both the X-Men and the Defenders by members of those teams present at the tournament.^[25]

In Avengers: The Initiative, Doorman is among the 142 members of the eponymous initiative.^[26][27] Doorman and his Initiative group are tasked with rescuing Dionysus, who has fallen from Mount Olympus and been captured by A.I.M.. They plan to use his powers to cause mental instability in every superhero they consider a threat. Deadpool ambushes Mr. Immortal and Flatman, who recruit him as a reserve member of the Initiative. However, Deadpool eventually overstays his welcome and is kicked out of the group by Squirrel Girl.^[28]

During the Secret Invasion storyline, the team confronts a Skrull disguised as Grasshopper, with help from Gravity and Catwalk.^[29] Gravity later becomes the leader of the team after transferring to Wisconsin.^[30]

Great Lakes Avengers (2016)

In the ongoing series The Great Lakes Avengers, it is revealed that the team had disbanded and gone their separate ways. During that time, Doorman continued on his role as an angel of death. He meets with Flatman and Big Bertha at a local diner after being informed that the GLA has been reinstated as a permanent addition to the Avengers. The GLA relocate to Detroit, Michigan.^[31]

The team then goes to a local bar to try and convince the owner to turn down the music. The owner, Nain Rouge, refuses and begins to insult them, particularly Mr. Immortal and Big Bertha. After the GLA members are arrested, Doorman teleports out of prison and finds that Immortal has willingly buried himself inside a coffin. He brings Immortal back to the surface, convincing him to help the others. The GLA members are later released from prison with help from Connie Ferrari. Doorman is present when Goodness Silva joins the Great Lakes Avengers as Good Boy.^[32]

After the team discovers that Dick Snerd shut them down, Mr. Immortal returns and takes Flatman on patrol, while Bertha, Doorman, and Good Boy go to Nain Rouge's bar to find clues. Upon entering the bar, Doorman is pulled into the Darkforce, where Oblivion angrily demands an explanation for his absence.^[33]

Doorman receives gets a text from Bertha, who was injured while fighting Dr. Nod and his squad.^[34] During the battle, Nod transforms into a monstrous form after taking weight-loss supplements. Doorman and Mr. Immortal get inside Nod's body, where Immortal kills him by punching his heart. After their victory, the team is visited by Deadpool, who tells them that they have been fired and can no longer use the Avengers name.^[35]

Powers and abilities

Doorman has the ability to teleport people or objects through solid matter with his own body that serves as a portal of sorts. His mutant powers operate by tapping into the Darkforce dimension.^[6][23][36] As the Angel of Death, he possesses mediumship, Darkforce constructs, light-speed flight, and supernatural durability.^[37][38]

Other versions

An alternate version of Doorman appears in the "World War Hulk" storyline. He is one of the heroes who try to stop the Hulk during his rampage across Earth and witnesses his teammates be killed by the Hulk.^[39]

In other media

• DeMarr Davis will appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe series Wonder Man, and portrayed by Byron Bowers.^[40][41]

• DeMarr Davis / Doorman is referenced in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2. He is listed as one of the unregistered superhumans that S.H.I.E.L.D. was aware of at the onset of the Civil War.^[42]
• In 2011, HeroClix released a DeMarr Davis / Doorman figure.^{[citation needed]}