Werner Vertigo is a descendant of the royal family of Vlatava who can distort the balance of others using a small electronic device that he uses to treat a hereditary inner ear defect.[3] As Count Vertigo, he becomes an enemy of Green Arrow and Black Canary.[1]
He would later come to join the Suicide Squad in exchange for a shortened prison sentence, and it was revealed that he was plagued by bipolar disorder. After the Suicide Squad disbands, Count Vertigo is captured by Vlatavan rebels, who intend to use his powers to overthrow the government and manipulate him using drugs.[1] However, Amanda Waller frees Vertigo, after which he undergoes therapy to remove the drugs' effects.[4][5] Furthermore, he forgives Poison Ivy, who previously worked to capture him.[6]
In The New 52 continuity reboot, Count Vertigo is renamed Werner Zytle. He is the ruler of Vlatava who lost his fortune and seeks to regain it via crime.[11][12][13]
Powers and abilities
Being raised in a noble family, Vertigo was trained in classical martial combat and the sports of boxing, fencing, and equestrianism. He has also been trained in judo and general karate.
Upon joining Task Force X and Checkmate, he learned other hand-to-hand combat skills.
His "Vertigo Effect" has long since been internalized through circumstances that have not yet been revealed. He uses his power to disrupt his enemies' balance. In hand-to-hand and melee combat, Vertigo uses his power to disorient his opponents. He also uses the Vertigo Effect to disrupt the aim of gunmen, snipers and the like. The exact range of the power is yet to be determined, seeing as how on one mission, guards watching him in action on camera were also affected by his power. This ability is also capable of disrupting guidance systems on missiles, vehicles, and detection systems. Count Vertigo also wears magnetic boots with which he can walk walls or ceilings. He also has in recent years gained the ability of flight.
Vertigo as he appears in Batman: The Animated Series.Count Vertigo as he appears in The Batman.
Count Vertigo, referred to simply as Vertigo, appears in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Off Balance", voiced by Michael York.[16] This version is a German leading member of the Society of Shadows whose "Vertigo Effect" is derived from an eyepatch, which Batman theorizes to be radioactive. After being defeated by Batman and Talia al Ghul, Vertigo is presumed dead.
Count Vertigo appears in The Batman episode "Vertigo", voiced by Greg Ellis.[16] This version is a scientist and ex-employee of Oliver Queen who wields a mechanical eyepiece, which he used to strand Queen on a deserted island for years.
Two incarnations of Count Vertigo appear in Arrow, with both being involved in the distribution of the street drug "Vertigo" and displaying great skill in using it as an offensive weapon via syringes.
The first, Cecil Adams,[17] appears in the second season episode "State v. Queen", portrayed by Seth Gabel. While he goes unnamed in the episode, his name is revealed in the fifth season episode "Kapiushon". This version is a secretive drug dealer who initially goes by the street name "The Count", based on the needle marks of his drugs resembling vampire bites, before taking the name "Count Vertigo" and poisoning Starling City's citizens, such as Thea Queen, with his namesake drug. Upon learning of this, Thea's brother Oliver Queen develops a bitter rivalry with Adams, eventually killing him to protect Felicity Smoak.
The second is Adams' successor Werner Zytle, portrayed by Peter Stormare. In the third season episodes "The Calm" and "Canaries", he becomes the new "Vertigo" and takes advantage of Queen capturing his mob rivals to rapidly build a criminal empire. Additionally, Zytle modified his namesake drug so that it causes the user to experience their deepest fears. Throughout his appearances, he battles Queen and Laurel Lance until they capture him.
^Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 72. ISBN978-1-4654-5357-0.
^Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Supervillains. New York: Facts on File. p. 68. ISBN0-8160-1356-X.
^Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons #3 (August 2011)
^ abcde"Count Vertigo Voices (Green Arrow)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved April 26, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
