Origin

Flashbang was once a quiet, unassuming girl from a small village in West Africa, living a simple life with her family. However, her life took a dark turn when a plague swept through her village, killing her loved ones and leaving her as one of the few survivors. Desperate and grief-stricken, she wandered into the wilderness, where she encountered an ancient Adze vampire lurking in the shadows. The creature, drawn to her sorrow and loneliness, offered her a way to escape her pain—a chance to transcend her human frailties and embrace a new, immortal existence.

Without fully understanding the consequences, she accepted the vampire’s offer and was transformed into an Adze, a being cursed with an insatiable hunger for blood. Her transformation awakened latent telekinetic abilities, making her a formidable force among her kind. But the change came at a cost: her voice was stolen, leaving her mute. However, her mind adapted, allowing her to communicate telepathically, a skill that would later become her signature ability.

After her transformation into an Adze vampire and her years of wandering through West Africa, Flashbang’s path eventually led her to America and the bustling metropolis of Chicago. Drawn by whispers of a city rife with supernatural activity and the promise of anonymity within its urban sprawl, she made her way across the ocean, leaving behind the remnants of her old life. Chicago, with its blend of history, crime, and dark alleys, seemed like the perfect place for a vampire seeking both refuge and opportunity.

Upon her arrival, Flashbang quickly realized that she was not alone in her hunger for power. The city was home to numerous supernatural factions, each vying for control over the underworld. Among these were the Bleeder Kings, a ruthless vampire gang known for their bloody conquests and dominance over Chicago's supernatural criminal enterprises. The gang, composed of vampires with diverse abilities and backgrounds, was feared throughout the city, and joining them was both a challenge and an opportunity for someone like Flashbang.

Her initial encounters with the Bleeder Kings were violent; they viewed her as an outsider and a potential threat. But Flashbang, with her formidable telekinetic powers and telepathic communication, quickly proved herself. During a confrontation with a rival vampire group, she unleashed a devastating telekinetic wave that incapacitated her enemies in an instant, allowing the Bleeder Kings to claim victory with ease. Impressed by her prowess and recognizing her potential value, the gang’s leader offered her a place among their ranks.

Flashbang accepted, seeing the Bleeder Kings as the perfect vehicle for her to carve out a new existence in the chaotic world of Chicago's underground. She embraced her new role within the gang, using her abilities to execute precision strikes against enemies, manipulate objects with deadly force, and communicate silently with her comrades during high-stakes missions. Her mute condition, which once isolated her, now became an asset, as her telepathy allowed her to convey thoughts and strategies directly into the minds of her fellow gang members, ensuring swift and coordinated attacks.

As a member of the Bleeder Kings, Flashbang thrived, becoming one of their most feared enforcers and Skinpeeler's, their leader, romantic interest. She relished the thrill of the hunt, stalking the city's streets and feeding on the blood of the unsuspecting. The gang's influence grew, and so did her reputation—both within the supernatural community and among the human criminals who operated on the fringes of the law. They even tried to take over the Blackout Burned Nights nightclub, but were rebuffed by others in the community.

However, the Bleeder Kings’ reign was not to last. They eventually clashed with Victor Locke, a seasoned demon hunter who protecting the city from demonic creatures. Ironically, they only came to blows because they caught him in their territory and attacked him. Despite their power, he bested them also killing their leader. Flashbang didn't go hunting with them that night and when she learned of his death, she sought revenge. One night she tracked Victor down and fought fiercely against him, using every ounce of her telekinetic strength to repel his attacks, but Locke, who had been warned about her by BBN club owner Artema Midnight, was cunning and prepared. In a final, brutal confrontation, Locke took her down, with a final shotgun blast, sending silver pellets through her and leaving their once-feared empire in ruins.

Major Story Arcs

Flashbang was originally introduced in Victor Locke Demon Hunter #3, where she chased Victor down and they battled it out. In later revisions, pages were removed from issue one and this event was moved to Victor Locke Demon Hunter #2, with Victor being warned in Victor Locke Demon Hunter #1.

Powers

Flashbang possesses the standard powers of an Adze vampire, making her a formidable predator in any environment. She can transform into a firefly-like creature to slip through the smallest of spaces, a form she often uses to travel, infiltrate or escape unnoticed. In her humanoid form, she retains the Adze’s voracious appetite for blood, which grants her enhanced strength, speed, and agility. These natural vampiric abilities are further augmented by her extraordinary telekinetic power, allowing her to manipulate objects and even people with devastating force. She can also use this power to create telekinetic shields to protect herself and others, but can also use them to crush adversaries. Despite being mute, Flashbang communicates through telepathy, projecting her thoughts directly into the minds of others, making her a silent but deadly force. Her combination of standard Adze abilities with these unique powers makes her a lethal and unpredictable adversary, capable of both subtle manipulation and overwhelming force.

Oddities

While she was dispatched by Victor, he didn't do it in the way he was instructed. Instead of falling to dust her body turned into mosquitoes. This leads one to ask is she truly dead.

Flashbang can shape change into a dragonfly to travel large distances unnoticed.

The Bleeder Kings were taken out in the Epitaph: Bread and Salt movie, but never seen in the comics, where they are only spoken about.