Manchester Black

Manchester Black is a fictional character in American comic books published by DC Comics, in particular those featuring Superman. He was created by Joe Kelly and Doug Mahnke in Action Comics #775 (March 2001).^[1] Introduced as an antihero, the character later becomes a supervillain.

Manchester Black
Manchester Black in Action Comics #775, art by Doug Mahnke.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Action Comics #775 (March 2001)
Created by	Joe Kelly Doug Mahnke
In-story information
Alter ego	Manchester Black
Species	Metahuman
Team affiliations	The Elite Suicide Squad S.T.A.R. Labs The Authority
Abilities	Telekinesis Mind reading Mind control Thought projection Illusion generation Dream manipulation Memory manipulation Lie detection

David Ajala portrays Manchester Black in Supergirl.

Fictional character biography

Manchester Black is the leader of a team of super-powered antiheroes called the Elite, who gain popularity for viciously killing their foes. Superman battles the Elite, beating them and temporarily depowering Black by damaging his brain. Following this, Black's sister Vera assumes leadership of the Elite's remants.^[2]

In Our Worlds at War, Manchester Black regains his powers and joins the Suicide Squad to recruit Doomsday and battle Imperiex. Black later battles Superman before realizing the error of his ways and committing suicide.^[3]

Manchester Black is resurrected in The New 52 continuity reboot and depicted as a high-ranking S.T.A.R. Labs executive.^[4] In Action Comics #1,050 (2023), Lex Luthor uses Black's powers to erase the public's knowledge of Superman's identity, killing him in the process.^[5][6]

Powers and abilities

Black is a powerful telekinetic and telepath. He can create detailed illusions on a vast scale, erase memories, and could telepathically control thousands of minds at the same time. While controlling Bizarro and Silver Banshee, he was able to temporarily grant them enough sanity to enable them to communicate and form plans.

David Ajala as Manchester "Ches" Black in Supergirl.

In other media

• Manchester Black appears in Supergirl, portrayed by David Ajala.^[7] This version is a Black British man who fell in love with an Empath from Ikthanol named Fiona Byrne (portrayed by Tiya Sircar). After the Children of Liberty capture and kill Byrne, Black seeks revenge by forming the Elite and using a Martian artifact called the Staff of H'ronmeer that grants telepathic powers, only to be killed by Martian Manhunter.
• Manchester Black appears in Superman vs. The Elite, voiced by Robin Atkin Downes as an adult and Grey DeLisle as a child.^[8][9]
• Manchester Black appears as an unlockable playable character in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, voiced again by Robin Atkin Downes.^[10]
• Manchester Black appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.^[11]

Collected editions

Some of Black's appearances have been reprinted in trade paperbacks:

• Justice League Elite (reprints: Action Comics #775, JLA #100, JLA Secret Files 2004 (lead story), and Justice League Elite #1-4, tpb, 208 pages, 2005, Titan ISBN 1-84576-191-X DC, ISBN 1-4012-0481-3)
• Superman: Ending Battle (reprints 2002's Superman (1986 series) #186-87, Adventures Of Superman #608-09, Superman: Man Of Steel #130-31, and Action Comics #795-96, tpb, 192 pages, 2009, DC, ISBN 1-4012-2259-5)