| Character Name: | Toyman |
| Real Name: | Winslow Percival Schott Jack Nimball Hiro Okamura |
| Publisher: | DC Comics |
| Debut: | (Schott) Action Comics #64 (September 1943) (Nimball) Action Comics #432 (Okamura) Superman (vol. 2) #177 |
| Creators: | (Schott) Don Cameron Ed Dobrotka (Nimball) Cary Bates Curt Swan (Okamura) Jeph Loeb Ed McGuinness |
| Alliances: | (Schott) Superman Revenge Squad The Society Injustice League Super Foes (Nimball) Legion of Doom |
| Species: | Human |
| Aliases: | (Okamura): Toymaster |
| Powers: | (All):
(Schott & Nimball):
(Okamura):
|
The Toyman is the name of three supervillains and one adolescent superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, as an adversary for Superman.
The most well-known incarnation of the Toyman is Winslow Percival Schott, a criminal who uses toy-based or toy-themed devices and gimmicks in his various crimes.[1] The Toyman made frequent appearances in the Golden Age comics, but has appeared infrequently in Superman stories since then. In the succeeding years, Jack Nimball briefly took up the mantle after Schott retired while Hiro Okamura uses the name while operating as a superhero despite Schott coming out of retirement by then.
Schott, Nimball, and Okamura have made several appearances in DC-related media, with Schott appearing in television series set in the DC Animated Universe, in which he is voiced by Bud Cort, and the live-action television series Smallville, portrayed by Chris Gauthier. Additionally, Schott along with his son and series original character Winslow "Winn" Schott Jr. appear in the live-action Arrowverse television series Supergirl, portrayed by Henry Czerny and Jeremy Jordan respectively.
The Winslow Percival Schott version of the Toyman first appeared in Action Comics #64 (September 1943) and was created by Don Cameron and Ed Dobrotka.[2]
The Jack Nimball version of the Toyman first appeared in Action Comics #432 and was created by Cary Bates and Curt Swan.[3]
The Hiro Okamura version of the Toyman first appeared in Superman (vol. 2) #127 and was created by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness.[4]
The Toyman first appeared in 1943 and appeared in several Golden Age Superman stories.[5] Schott appeared less frequently in comics published after the early 1950s, but remained a semi-regular foe during the '60s, '70s, and '80s.
While at first more of a nuisance, the Toyman gradually grew more emotionally unstable and paranoid over time, his toys following suit by becoming a lot more dangerous. Although Winslow Schott in his civilian persona was a rather sweet, humble, quirky (if socially withdrawn) person, as the Toyman he turned into a childish, destructive megalomaniac. During the '70s Winslow was effectively retired from crime, but he kept contact with Superman and even helped out to take down Jack Nimball, who he felt sullied the Toyman legacy.
This retirement proved to be tragically short, as not long after Winslow put some of his toys on display (a suggestion by Superman), the entire museum exhibition was completely wrecked. Sightings reported this to be the work of a man in blue tights flying at great speeds. Thinking he has been played for a fool by Superman, Schott swore to destroy everything Superman cared about to avenge his life's work. Eventually it is revealed that the real culprit was Bizarro, in search of the duplicator ray, but by then it was already too late: Schott had already returned to his Toyman ways, murdered Jack Nimball and a hotel door guard in cold blood, and built a giant robot to terrorize the city. Shortly after his defeat, he regained his sanity and remembered what he had done. He shed tears of regret as he was escorted to the police car. After that incident Winslow's mental state grew even worse, and while he often made several legitimate attempts to atone for his sins, he would often relapse back into madness.
After 1985's miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths and John Byrne's Man of Steel miniseries, the Toyman's history was revised, and the Post-Crisis version of the character first appeared in Superman (vol. 2) #13 (January 1988). In this version, Winslow Schott is an unemployed British toymaker who blames Lex Luthor and his company, LexCorp, for being fired from the toy company he is working for. He uses his toymaking talents to seek revenge, which eventually causes him to cross paths with the British hero Godiva, and subsequently, Superman himself. The Toyman continues to commit various crimes in Metropolis, including engaging in child abduction.
The Toyman later became a much more sinister figure, shaving his head, wearing black and getting advice in his head from "Mother". This was prompted by him being told that a range of Superman action figures would not include him, as he was not "edgy" enough.[6] While this seems to begin as a pose of what he thought people expect of a villain, it rapidly became a genuine psychotic break. While in this state he abducted and later murdered Adam Morgan, the son of Daily Planet reporter Cat Grant. Adam and several other children captured by the Toyman tried to escape, but Schott found out and stabbed Adam to death for being the leader of the group. This caused Schott to develop a hatred of children, as he blamed them for not appreciating his toys. At the time, Schott showed no remorse for what he had done. When Cat Grant later confronted him in prison he cruelly told her "You were a bad mommy. I'm glad I killed your son."[7]
The Toyman later seemingly recovered, and Superman showed him that children did appreciate old-fashioned toys, arranging parole in an orphanage; it was later revealed, however, that this was all a hallucination caused when Zatanna attempted to cure him and he had, in fact, returned to child abduction. He appeared after JLA: Crisis of Conscience where Zatanna reveals she mind-wiped him. She and Superman go after him. Zatanna is bound and gagged by him, but freed by Superman; however, the Toyman escaped.[8]
Winslow was seen in as a criminal released by Lex Luthor's aide Mr. Orr to deploy his genetically engineered hero Hope,[9] but she almost kills the villain, until Superman saved him.[10] The Toyman was in the Infinite Crisis: Villains United special as well, preparing for the Blackgate Prison break by lacing the dinner stew with Venom and Velocity 9 to increase the prisoners' strength, speed, and aggression. Unfortunately, some guards also ate the drugged stew and fought the superheroes who showed up to stop the criminals.
He was later seen as a member of the Injustice League in the Justice League of America Wedding Special.
The Toyman's history was later revised in Action Comics #865, by Geoff Johns and Jesus Merino. Winslow Schott tells Jimmy Olsen that he was a toymaker who lived with his wife Mary. When a businessman offered to buy his shop to expand the number of children his toys can reach, he refused. When Mary was killed in a car accident a few weeks later, Schott agreed to the purchase. However, the businessman lied and gave his technologically advanced toy plans to arms manufacturers. Schott proceeded to bomb the business with an explosive teddy bear. A twist at the end of the story reveals that Mary was just one of his first robotic creations.
Following his first confrontation with Superman, Schott met the Prankster for the first time. The Prankster is a cruel, callous man who commits crimes "because it's fun". He repeatedly asked Schott to "team up", but Schott refused.
Schott reveals to Jimmy that the Toyman who killed Adam Grant was a robot created by Schott to replace him in the event that he was ever incarcerated and that a glitch in the robot's programming resulted in it developing a personality (and later a hatred of children), and that Schott's repeated attempts to contact the robot resulted in it suffering from delusions of "Mother". This was confirmed in Superman Secret Files 2009, although Jimmy initially expressed doubt that Schott was telling the truth.
In the 1997 Speed Force Special, the Max Mercury story Child's Play, set in 19th century New York City, featured the Schott Toy Company run by Archimedes Schott, a crooked businessman who resembles Winslow. Any relationship between them is unknown.
In 2011, "The New 52" rebooted the DC Comics universe. In the Supergirl series while in Arkham Asylum, the Toyman is visited by Cat Grant (whose son Adam was murdered) and Supergirl. Cat interrogates him about children who have been kidnapped with dolls left behind. The Toyman claims he is innocent and the robotic dolls attack him. Supergirl saves him and gets him to medical care. When Cat return home, she is confronted by a villain called the Dollmaker. He identifies himself as Anton Schott implying that he is somehow related to the Toyman.[11] The Dollmaker eventually reveals himself to be the abandoned son of Winslow, who has been kidnapping children and using macabre experiments to turn them into slaves. He tells Cat that he wants her to become his new mother, and that he wishes to serve as a replacement for her murdered son, but Cat violently rejects him. With her gag temporarily removed, Cat is able to call Supergirl for help, and the two are able to defeat the Dollmaker and free the children he had enslaved.[12]
In the 1970s, a man named Jack Nimball assumes the identity of the second Toyman during a period in which Schott had retired from his criminal career and first appeared in Action Comics #432 (February 1974).[13] Nimball wore a jester costume and used a similar modus operandi to the original Toyman. However, this version of the Toyman proved short-lived. Schott killed Nimball with a mechanical toy bird and resumed his criminal career in Superman #305 (November 1976).[14] Between those two issues, this Toyman's only other appearances were in Action Comics #454[15] and Superman #299.[16]
Nimball appears as one of Schott's androids in Action Comics #865.[17]
The version of the Toyman who appears in Challenge of the Superfriends was based on Nimball.
In 2016, DC Comics implemented another relaunch of its books called "DC Rebirth" which restored its continuity to a form much as it was prior to "The New 52". A flashback showed Superman apprehending Toyman.[18]
In 2011, Mattel released a DC Universe Classics 6" Toyman figure based on the Jack Nimball version of the character. On the back, though, the character is labeled as Winslow Percival Schott.[19]
is a teenage mechanical genius from Japan first appearing as the Toyman in Superman (vol. 2) #177 (February 2002) by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness. He shows up in Metropolis in a giant Super Robot fighting Metallo, claiming the cyborg's equally-giant body was based on material stolen from his grandfather.[20]
He later becomes an ally to Superman and Batman. In the Superman/Batman series, he aids the two in destroying a kryptonite meteor that threatens the Earth. He strikes a deal with Batman to provide him with various technological implements.[21] Okamura uses more technologically advanced devices than the traditionally-constructed contrivances Schott uses and his work is largely whimsical in nature. Many of his inventions are inspired by anime and manga, including giant mechas (notably, his giant Composite Batman-Superman robot).[22]
Okamura appears only a few times in the Superman/Batman comic book, and his activities are limited to Japan. Winslow Schott remains active as the Toyman in the United States. In the Sam Loeb-penned memorial issue Superman/Batman #26, Okamura fakes his own kidnapping at the hands of Schott, forcing Superboy and Robin to search through his complex to save his life. Realizing his loneliness, Superboy and Robin extend their friendship to the boy.[23] Okamura joins Robin and the other Teen Titans at Titans Tower for Superboy's funeral, clutching a Superboy action figure.
In Superman/Batman #45, he offers to assist the duo in their quest to rid the world of kryptonite, using spider-like nanobots to collect kryptonite molecules in the air. His offer becomes a necessity as Lana Lang, in a last-ditch effort to get rid of Kryptonians and keep LexCorp afloat, turns a set of kryptonite caches into "dirty bombs", which irradiate the entire planet. Okamura comes to the rescue, settling for a Power Girl-bot to "date". Instead, he gets his own dream date, a dinner in Paris with the real Karen, and the status of an honorary member of the Justice League.[24]
A future version of Okamura, allied with a power-hungry group of Titans, travels back in time to the modern day to cement their power-base in Teen Titans (vol. 3) #52 (January 2008).[25]
Okamura appears as one of Winslow Schott's androids in Action Comics #865; given the unreliable nature of Schott's narration, Hiro's status as his android creation is suspect.[17]
In 2011, The New 52 rebooted the DC Comics universe. Hiro Okamura operates as the Toymaster. He and his friend Agnes have reverse-engineered the works of Silas Stone and Professor Emil Hamilton to create a massive multiplayer online role-playing game that puts the players with Batman and Superman in real life. When it comes to the Toymaster's latest game, Jimmy Olsen is one of the players that will partake in the game that will involve the killing of Batman. When Batman and Superman track down the Toymaster, he warns Batman of their weakness of being beaten down in real life while also stating that his game has somehow began to manifest in real life. Before Batman can destroy the console to end the game, the Toymaster's building is then attacked by Mongul, who plans to make the Toymaster's game real for him.[26]
Okamura later appears as a confidant at his Toymaster Gameshop for a witness named Condesa to Clark Kent and Lois Lane's story on HODOR_Root, in which he agrees to help them.[27]
The Toyman does not have powers, but he does possess an incredible technological prowess and expertise in robotics, as well as knowledge of biological weaponry. Despite the childish motif which he usually insists on incorporating, his creations are highly sophisticated, destructive, and dangerous. In addition, most of these inventions have an innocuous or even comical appearance that disconcerts his opponents.[28]
The second Toyman possesses skills identical to Winslow Schott.[29]
The Japanese Toyman is an excellent engineer, able to fix most machinery (such as giant robots and computer hardware).
The Toyman surfaces in Metropolis and allies with Lex Luthor in Action Comics #837 (May 2006) as part of the One Year Later 'Up, Up, and Away' story arc. His first appearance was written by Geoff Johns and Kurt Busiek with art by Pete Woods.
His appearance, inspired by the character's incarnation, is that of a child-sized doll. This Toyman mentions meeting Hiro Okamura in Japan and stealing one of his Superman robots. As part of his bargain with Luthor, he is given the information needed to find his creator Winslow Schott in exchange for assistance in a plot against Superman.
This Toyman, renamed the Toyboy, is shown amongst Schott's other robots in Action Comics #865,[17] and appears as the Toyboy alongside Schott in the 2009-2010 World's Finest miniseries.
On the cover of Justice League of America (vol. 2) #13, it shows this android Toyman as a member of the Injustice League.
A female version of the Toyman named the Toywoman appears in Superman #349 (July 1980). The Toywoman is the gender-inverted version of Winslow Schott, the criminal known as the Toyman, created by Mister Mxyzptlk to serve as an enemy to his creation of Superwoman. Once Superman tricked Mister Mxyzptlk into saying his name backwards, the creation of Superwoman and Toywoman were undone.[30]
The Bizarro Toyman appears in Action Comics #856 (November 2007). When Bizarro III found himself infused with radiation from a blue sun, he developed the ability to replicate himself as well as create other "Bizarro" lifeforms based upon likenesses of people from Earth. He used this power to populate a cube-shaped planetoid dubbed the Bizarro World within the blue sun star-system. One of the many duplicates that he created was a Bizarro version of Superman's adversary Toyman. Bizarro imprisoned Toyman inside of his Fourtriss uv Bizarro along with several other known foes.[31]
An unidentified Toyman appears in World's Finest Comics #167 (June, 1967). He tries to start a crime spree in Gotham City, but is thwarted by Superman, Supergirl and Batman. Nevertheless, Toyman uses a prototype molecular-dissolver ray on Batman to injure him.
An older Hiro Okamura appears in the Titans Tomorrow reality as a member of the Titans Army who utilizes a suit of orange-and-blue manga-themed battle armor.[25]
In the story, Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? by Alan Moore, the Toyman and the Prankster are unwittingly manipulated by Mister Mxyzptlk to discover Superman's secret identity. They succeed after kidnapping Pete Ross and torturing the information out of him, then killing him. After managing to unmask Clark Kent in front of Lana Lang and others by machine-gunning him and revealing his costume beneath his clothes, the Toyman and the Prankster are captured by Superman.[32]
The Toyman appears in Justice as a member of the Legion of Doom. This version communicates through a human-sized marionette resembling Jack Nimball, became obese and infected with Brainiac's cybernetics, and is based in a city resembling a funhouse and populated primarily by children and families he has taken hostage.[33] He attacks Hawkman and Hawkgirl in their museum using toy fighter planes and a gigantic Nimball Marionette, blowing up their museum and leaving the duo for dead,[34] though they survive the attack.[35] When the Justice League storm the Hall of Doom, Toyman uses his marionette and the city's toys to attack them, but they destroy the former before Superman locates Schott. The League save the hostages while Schott recovers in the Batcave.[36]