What the heck is the Shade's origin?

[Batman 80]

I've been to just about every comic site known to man and no one knows what his origin is. One site even said he was an immortal.

[Arachkid]

Here's what I found on a Starman website (http://members.aol.com/nachro2/starhome.htm) (the Shade was an important supporting character in the recent Starman series) BTW, it looks like they have adopted his golden-age costume for JL, rather than his newer, classier look.

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The Shade
(First appearance: FLASH COMICS #35)
-presumably from London, England
-former antagonist of the first two Flashes, now a fixture of Opal City
-admits his evil, but justifies it as a need
-immortal man frequently wearing a black suit, power is manipulating existing shadows- emerging from them, hiding in them, creating manifestations out of them; can't use shadows where there aren't any (e.g., while surrounded by fire)
-shadows are sometimes living creatures with their own consciousnesses
-shadows were instinctual
-bleeds shadows, which he can draw back into himself and thus heal wounds
-shadow residue is preservable and usable by others
-outgoing and personable but spooky
-charm, smiles, and wit mask his sadness- a rare person to make him happy was Marguerite Ludlow, whom was unfortunately part of that murderous clan
-has noble motivations of love for his city
-despite his love for his city and his friends, he tries to pass himself off as inhuman, which by defintion would indicate a lack of emotions
-crimes were a game, never killing superheroes so that the game could continue
-clever and double-crossing- fooled the Mist into a setup for the police
-like his friend Oscar Wilde, he notes, is opinionated, preoccupied with aesthetics, and has a grand sense of self
-another friend was Charles Dickens, whose life he saved; was the basis for one of Dickens' characters- according to Mark Peyton, he is Dick Swiveler, who along with immortal dwarf Quilp, is featured in The Old Curiosity Shop whose very title sounds...kind of...influential ;)
-good friend of Matt O'Dare, whom he knew in his previous life as Brian "Scalphunter" Savage
-known to intercede in other people's problems- for a price
-not reluctant to kill if need be
-helpful- saved the original Flash's life and parted temporarily as friends, tells Jack of coming dangers, was the informant in the Ragdoll case
-writes journals which reveal much about his long past and the history of Opal
-hasn't loved in a while, because lovers die- most recently known lover was Marguerite Ludlow, whom he had to kill
-regarding morality, "changed of late" but still has "delicious disregard" for the lives of his enemies
-some worst crimes: in 1902, killed everyone in a Chinese village; killed 326 in Algiers
-calls his soul a "black shrivelled thing"; fought the Flash in particular for "life and speed and humor", to give him what little life he could feel
-would kill for love and peace; hasn't ever known peace
-in #27, wasn't invited to the O'Dares' dinner, even after everything he's done with them- he is still too spooky; when welcome to stay, said he wasn't good at gatherings
-will become infected by a cancer that leaves him unable to control his shadows, and then exile himself into another dimension where he'll master time travelling through his shadow, to bring Jack from the 20th Century into the 30th
-will survive into the far future to become the leader of Opal on a small planet

[Batman 80]

Thanks for the info. Sounds like a grim character. Should be interesting to see how he is portrayed in the Injustice gang episode. This page also has info on Copperhead as well.

[Karkull]

I always did like the Shade in the Starman series. He always struck me as similar to John DeLance's "Q" from Star Trek: The Next Generation (actually, John DeLance would be a perfect voice for him!).

[Green Lantern]

Actually, my understanding is that the Shade in this JL series will be nothing like he was in Starman. In Starman, he was a very deep, complex character. In this series, he's a villain. We think.

We'll find out, I guess, but don't expect James Robinson's wonderful interpretation of this character. I wish we could. :(

[Karkull]

Well, they also said that it was Luthor's story and that the other villains would not be focused on. So maybe they'll go into the Shade later in the series.

[Arachkid]

For anybody else who has seen the design for the character: do you think the Shade will try to confound the Justice League with riddles? :D