Triumph (comics)

Not to be confused with Captain Triumph.

Triumph (William MacIntyre) is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics universe whose first full appearance was in Justice League America #92 (August 1994). He was created by Brian Augustyn, Mark Waid, and Howard Porter, though the character is primarily associated with writer Christopher Priest.

Triumph
Triumph as depicted in Justice League International #68 (September 1994); art by Phil Jimenez (pencils), John Stokes (inks), Gene D'Angelo (colors).
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Justice League America #91 (August 1994)
Created by	Mark Waid & Brian Augustyn (writers) Howard Porter (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	William MacIntyre
Team affiliations	Justice League International Justice League Task Force Justice League
Abilities	Ability to control the electromagnetic spectrum

Years after Triumph's initial appearance, Priest revealed that the character was partially based on DC Comics creative director Neal Pozner, who died just before Triumph's introduction, but knew about the character: "Triumph was always [proven] right... it was what made him so annoying to his fellow heroes… [He] was a gentle tuckerization of… Neal Pozner. Neal was, likely, the sharpest tool in the shed… [Neal] was always right. He was. At the end of the day, Neal would be proven right. That fact, more than anything else, annoyed many staffers beyond reason."^[1]

Fictional character biography

Triumph is a founding member of the Justice League who entered a dimensional limbo while saving Earth, erasing the world's memory of him.^[1] He later returns to Earth and rejoins the Justice League, becoming a member (and wannabe leader) of Justice League Task Force, which was by then essentially a Justice League B-team of minor members. ^{[1][2][3][4][5]} However, Triumph's whining over being erased from knowledge as being a founding member, coupled with his arrogant nature,^[1] causes him to be expelled from the group.^[6] During this time, he is offered one of Neron's candles. His lighting it would restore his place in the founding of the JLA, in exchange for his soul. Triumph is tempted, but does not light it and leaves it in its box. It is later lit by members of the Task Force, not realizing its significance. Triumph appears as a forlorn hobo, without any explanation of what happened to him in the revised timeline, but having apparently lost his soul against his will^[4].

In JLA, Triumph becomes destitute and resorts to selling stolen League items to supervillains to pay rent. He is influenced by the fifth-dimensional imp Lkz before the Justice League and Justice Society stop him. The Spectre later transforms Triumph into an ice statue that is stored in the Watchtower and later destroyed by Prometheus.^[7] Several years after Triumph's death, it is revealed that he has a son named Jonathan. He battles the Teen Titans before Raven convinces him to stand down.^[8][9]

In Trinity, Triumph is resurrected in an alternate reality before sacrificing himself to save Tomorrow Woman.^[7][10][11]

Powers and abilities

Triumph can manipulate and sense the electromagnetic spectrum, enabling him to control electricity and sense television and radio signals.^[12][13] He can also generate force fields and change the density of other objects.