Defuser (comics)

The Defuser is a fictional character, a superhero created and originally portrayed by Austin, Texas police detective Jarrett Crippen on the reality television series Who Wants to Be a Superhero?. As a result of winning the show in its second season, his character is the subject of a Dark Horse Comics comic book written by Jeremy Barlow with art by Kajo Baldisimo and appeared in a Sci Fi Channel original movie entitled Lightning Strikes in 2009.

Fictional character biography

The Defuser is an expert paramilitary superhero who uses non-lethal weaponry and gadgets to stop villains. He has the unique ability to function at 110 percent (this boosts his speed, strength, agility, reflexes, hearing, and eyesight) making him slightly more formidable than virtually any single foe. He has a night vision to a range of 60 feet.^[1] The Defuser has two weaknesses: bright light (he must wear protective eyewear or he risks being blinded) and he does not harm villains too badly with guns or any other lethal weapons. His archenemies are drug dealers. His catchphrase is, "When the Defuser's around, the bad guys are going down!"

In The Defuser's Dark Horse comic, he fought a plane full of hijackers hand-to-hand to save the passengers, which included his wife Norma. He also, with the help of a sympathetic robot cop, disabled an artificial intelligence determined to preserve its own existence by destroying him.

Jarrett Crippen

Jarrett Crippen is also the director and founder of SCARE for a CURE, a non-profit charity and interactive haunted adventure modeled after, and using many of the same talented volunteers, as Richard Garriott's Britannia Manor and Wild Basin's Haunted Trails. Scare for a Cure started as a haunted house that Jarrett put on in his back yard, asking for donations of canned food for local food banks. It grew year by year, with help from the drama troupes of local high schools. In 2007, shortly after winning the Who Wants to Be a Superhero reality show, Jarrett moved his production to the Austin Elk's lodge. That was when he was joined by many of the volunteers who had done Britannia Manor and Haunted Trails in years past. Props and costumes stored at the Wild Basin wilderness preserve were also given to SCARE for a CURE.

The resulting interactive haunted adventure raised close to $10,000 for breast cancer charities and Elk's club sponsored scholarships in 2007, and awarded four $2500 scholarships to deserving students adversely affected by cancer in 2008. In 2009, SCARE is going back to its roots. It has relocated to Richard Garriott's partially built Britannia Manor Mark 2.

Crippen moderating a Q&A panel with Stan Lee at the 2013 Wizard World New York Experience.

Crippen makes amateur movies with friends who also tried out for Who Wants to Be a Superhero, making mini-movies of The Defuser and sidekicks Gravnos and XSeven, with enemy the Punk that can be seen on YouTube and on the Defuser's Myspace page.

He is also an active member of the Champion's server chat forum, and co-founder of the Megaforce supergroup for the online game City of Heroes.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jarrett Crippen.

• The Defuser on Myspace
• Austin Chronicle article with picture of The Defuser and Richard Garriott in Gen British uniform
• Newsday.com article with picture of The Defuser with Stan Lee
• Podcast interview with Jarrett Crippen
• www.scareforacure.org
• The Defuser comic from Dark Horse