At the beginning of the 21st century, DC Comics introduced a number of new legacy characters. Most of them were forgotten or lost importance after the New 52 revamp in 2011, but some were revived in the Dawn of DC era. One of these characters, the second Captain Boomeranghad a surprise appearance in Wonder Woman #12.
Written by Tom King, with art by Tony Daniel, the Absolute Power tie-in Wonder Woman #12 centers on the interrogation of Captain Boomerang. A powerless Wonder Woman and Damian Wayne team up to question Digger Harkness about Amanda Waller and her plans. Diana is at a disadvantage because her Lasso of Truth no longer works. This leads her to play the “good cop” to Robin’s “bad cop” in the hopes that love will triumph over fear.
To this end, Diana enlists the help of a man named Owen, who is identified as Captain Boomerang’s estranged son. For a moment, it looks like the young man might be able to convince his infamous father to work together. Unfortunately, the two are estranged for a reason.
Captain Boomerang kept an eye on his son, who followed in his footsteps as a small-time crook. It also turns out that Owen only agreed to speak to Digger in exchange for a good report from Wonder Woman. The family reunion ends in a brawl that Wonder Woman has to break up. While this scene is meant for laughs, it also introduces a completely different version of Owen than the one seen in the DCU before Flashpoint.
Owen Mercer, Captain Boomerang II, explains
Owen Mercer was first introduced during the Identity Crisis event. He briefly met Digger Harkness just before the first Captain Boomerang died in a botched assassination attempt. Owen vowed vengeance and was taken under the wing of Captain Cold, who recruited him into the Rogues.
However, Owen quickly came to the conclusion that he did not want to follow in his father’s footsteps, despite adopting his alias and gimmick. Although he still interacted with the villains of The Flash, he primarily worked on the side of the angels. He was a volunteer recruit for the Suicide Squad and part of Batman’s Outsiders team. Here he became a close friend of Supergirl, acting as the big brother she never had.
However, Owen was killed during the Blackest Night event, in a storyline that many readers felt was out of character. Owen was contacted by Harkness, the Black Lantern Digger, and began feeding him innocents in the mistaken belief that this would resurrect him. This violated the villain’s code of honor and caused Captain Cold to kill Owen in response.
Another version of Owen Mercer was introduced in the DC Rebirth Suicide Squad series. This Owen Mercer was considered a genius weapons designer and entrepreneur. However, he turned to terrorism as part of a convoluted revenge plot against his absent father. This Owen Mercer never appeared again after Captain Boomerang foiled his plan.
The Owen portrayed in Wonder Woman #12 appears to be another variant of the second Captain Boomerang. However, it seems unlikely that he will appear again, as his cameo is purely for laughs. Then again, boomerangs have a tendency to come back, as Digger Harkness likes to say.
Wonder Woman #12 is now available in all comic shops.
