- "I love the light."
- —Jake Simmons to Felicity Smoak[src]
Jake Simmons (died May 19, 2015), nicknamed Deathbolt by Ray Palmer, was a meta-human who had the power to absorb electricity, which he could then use to generate plasma beams from his eyes. The source of his mutation is unclear, as Simmons was known to have not been in Central City during the particle accelerator explosion. He was imprisoned in the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator, but he, along with the rest of the imprisoned meta-humans, was eventually freed by Leonard and Lisa Snart. However, he was killed by Leonard with the latter's cold gun, apparently because Simmons owed him money.
Biography[]
On December 11, 2013, Simmons was incarcerated at the Opal City Police Department. Through unknown means, as he was not in Central City on that night, he gained meta-human powers.[1]
Criminal activity in Starling City[]
As the news kept reporting Roy Harper turning himself in as the Arrow, Simmons traveled to Star City to take advantage of there not being an active "Arrow". He used his powers to kill two guards at a bank and took off with the money that he had taken. After leaving the bank, he was confronted by the Atom. Simmons blasted the Atom with plasma, but his A.T.O.M. Exosuit prevented the plasma from killing him. The Atom unleashed a blast of electricity at him, but Simmons simply absorbed it, thanking him for the top-off. The two then engaged in a fist fight where Simmons started to strangle the Atom with a chain. The Atom managed to fly away, only to end up crashing into a dumpster, damaging his suit in the process.
Later, Simmons found Felicity Smoak at a power plant and held her hostage. The Atom arrived and saved Felicity. Oliver took control of Ray's suit by a remote link, which harnessed the Atom's abilities along with his own battle prowess. The link was successful at first until Simmons gained the upper hand and destroyed the remote link, leaving Ray helpless. Jake was about to kill him until Oliver gave Ray the encouragement he needed to beat Simmons. Ray held his hand over Simmons' eyes and reflected his eye blast back into his face and then proceeded to beat Jake into unconsciousness.
Later, Simmons was locked up in The Pipeline at S.T.A.R. Labs by Cisco and Ray. Cisco came to the realization that Simmons was not in Central City on the night of the explosion but in Opal City instead, which made both he and Ray wonder how Simmons obtained his powers.[1]
Time in the Pipeline[]
After Simmons was incarcerated in the Pipeline, Cisco and Ray asked Simmons questions to figure out his list of allergies, but Simmons grew annoyed and tried to punch Ray, charging his fist with plasma. However, Cisco had equipped Simmons's cell with an electromagnetic field that broke plasma down into liquid, turning the plasma into water.[2]
Escape from the Pipeline[]
After being sedated by having knockout gas sprayed in his cell, Simmons was moved out of S.T.A.R. Labs in a truck with the other meta-humans. He and the other metas awoke and began squabbling, with him fighting with Kyle Nimbus in particular. However Leonard and Lisa Snart sabotaged the truck, and Simmons and the others escaped. In the ensuing battle, Mark Mardon struck the Flash with a lightning bolt and knocked him to the ground, and Simmons took the opportunity to move in to try to kill him. However, Leonard killed him with a blast to the face from his cold gun before he could do so. When asked why he killed him by Mardon, Snart stated that Simmons owed him money.[3]
Personality[]
Like most meta-human criminals, Jake Simmons displayed a lack of humanity following the gain of his powers. However he did not share the detached calamity of a sociopath like Kyle Nimbus nor twitchy madness like Farooq Gibran. Rather, Simmons maintained a cold front and a dry tone. However, his usual dry tone was without overtones of deadpan humor, such as stating to Felicity Smoak that he "[loves] the light" when she thought he was light sensitive whilst simultaneously displaying his powers to her.
Simmons is shown to be ruthless, with his main motivation being money and power. He never hesitated to kill civilians during his crimes and even tried to brutally strangle the Atom in their first fight.
Simmons' never displayed any outward feelings of intimidation, even when faced with the Atom's powers. He seemed to convey a sense of self-importance and arrogant, as shown when he angrily tried to attack Ray Palmer and Cisco Ramon when they named him "Deathbolt" and mocked his imprisonment. However, Simmons was also calm and level-headed, attempting to deescalate Kyle Nimbus and Mark Mardon fight, pointing out that it wouldn't solve anything.
Simmons was serious, blunt, and straightforward, which often caused him to be easily irritated. For example, he continuously derided Ray and Cisco as they worked to figure out his list of allergies and attempted to hit with his powers Ray when he believed the latter was asking too many questions.
Powers and abilities[]
Powers[]
- "He absorbs energy and turns it into weaponized plasma."
- —Felicity Smoak[src]
- Meta-human physiology: Through unknown means, Jake's DNA was altered, allowing him to access his powers.
- Electricity absorption: Simmons was able to absorb electricity to power himself. However, too much electricity can overload him.
- Plasma generation: Simmons was able to shoot plasma beams through his eyes and charge his fists with the energy to create strong attacks. He could even use his optic blasts like tractor beams to lift and throw his targets, as demonstrated when he levitated a security guard.
- Superhuman durability: Simmons seems to have enhanced durability. He experienced no pain while punching Ray while the latter wore his exosuit and was able to withstand being punched multiple times during his second fight with Ray.
Abilities[]
- Skilled hand-to-hand combatant: Jake is a proficient combatant and appeared to know Boxing, as he was able to strike multiple blows at Ray while the latter wore his A.T.O.M. Exo-Suit. However, he was overwhelmed when Oliver was remotely controlling the suit while Ray was still wearing it.
Weaknesses[]
- Power-dampening tech: Simmons's powers could not work while he was imprisoned in the pipeline.
- Electromagnetic fields: The plasma energy Simmons generates from his body can be turned into water if its exposed to electromagnetic fields.
Appearances[]
Arrow[]
Season 3[]
The Flash[]
Season 1[]
- "Grodd Lives" (mentioned; deleted scene)
- "Rogue Air"
Season 2[]
- "Family of Rogues" (mentioned)
- "The Fury of Firestorm" (indirectly mentioned)
Season 5[]
- "Seeing Red" (indirectly mentioned)
The Chronicles of Cisco[]
- Post 10 "Chapter Eight: Jake Simmons" (mentioned)
- Post 12 "Chapter Ten" (mentioned)
Trivia[]
- Simmons is one of the few individuals to become a meta-human without the use of a particle accelerator. He is also the first person in the Arrowverse to not receive his abilities from the particle accelerator.
- So far, it remains unknown how he received his powers.
Behind the scenes[]
- In the DC comics, Jake Simmons fled police, wanted for murder, in a stolen biplane during a heavy storm. He crashed when lightning struck the plane over Meteor Crater, Arizona. The Ultra-Humanite found him and experimented on him until his body became a living electrical battery. Code-named "Deathbolt", he became the Ultra-Humanite's staunch ally until his defeat by the All-Star Squadron.
- Jake Simmons is notably the first meta-human to appear on Arrow not in relation to a crossover with The Flash, which is meta-human centric. The second is Jeremy Tell.
- In a deleted scene from "Grodd Lives", Caitlin Snow revealed to Barry Allen that Jake is a vegan.