Villains Beginning With 'R'
Robert G. Durant
Darkman film (1990)
Mobster Robert G. Durant and developer Louis Strack Jr. have been giving bribes to members of the zoning commission, when suddenly attorney Julie Hastings, comes upon an incriminating document proving their both corrupt. She is the girlfriend of scientist Peyton Westlake, who is developing a new type of synthetic skin to aid burn victims. He is frustrated with a flaw in the "skin", which causes it to rapidly disintegrate after being exposed to light for 99 minutes; however, it remains intact in darkness. Despite his devotion to the project, he cannot get past this limitation.
In retaliation, Durant and his minions attack and injure Westlake, retrieve the document that was left there, then blow up his lab. The blast throws Westlake clear of the lab; he survives but is hideously burned. He is brought to a hospital and subjected to a radical treatment in which the nerves to the pain centers of his brain are destroyed. Removing this sensory input gives him increased strength due to adrenal overload and keeps his injuries from incapacitating him, but it also destabilizes his moods and mental state.
He escapes the hospital and sets out to get revenge on Strack and Durant, and to try to re-establish his relationship with Hastings. To hide his scarring and blend into crowds, Westlake rebuilds enough of his equipment to make his synthetic skin, but is still unable to overcome the 99-minute window of integrity. Thus, he can only appear as himself (or later as others, whose features he is able to duplicate) in daylight in public briefly, and otherwise wears bandages and a trench coat in his identity as "Darkman." He is able to make masks in advance and store them for long periods by keeping them from light sources. He takes the opportunity to observe important people, such as the henchmen of his enemies, so he can masquerade as them.
He eventually succeeds in destroying his enemies, but is unable to return to his old life, and thus continues his existence as Darkman.
SUMMARY
ARCH RIVAL : |
Peyton Westlake AKA "The Darkman". |
STRENGTHS : |
Completely ruthless, and displays this when he tortures his victims (like cutting their fingers off with a cigar cutter). |
WEAKNESSES : |
Didn't count on having to deal with "The Darkman". |
WEAPONS : |
Guns and knives....and a cigar cutter! |
QUOTE : |
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