Joaquin Flores

* Biography
* Threat Assessment
* Trivia and Notes
* Gallery

## Tiger Shark

Operates Along Western Coast of the North & South America, but also known to operate along the Balkan coast — particularly off the coast of Vlatava, as well as in Vlatava

## Physical Description

### Tiger Shark: ~1980 - ~1996

Full disclosure: we do not know much about this individual's childhood and early adult life. It can be speculated that he comes from an abusive or similarly traumatic childhood which has left him with deep psychological scars. Based on his accent, we can deduce he's like a Corto Maltesian so it's likely that he was a young man when the country underwent a violent civil war following the events of the Manhattaning. We know that certain rural warlords in the country made use of guerilla child soldiers. Some remarks made by this criminal seems to indicate he may have been a child when he first engaged in violent torture and/or murder.

### Tiger Shark: ~1996 - ~1998

As a young man, this Corto Maltesian was recruited by the Safinat Dakhma. According to Green Arrow, there was a recruitment program operating in Corto Maltese between 1996 and 1998 — possibly even as late 2000 when Green Arrow went to Corto Maltese and found the League's operations center shut down (though it is possible it was simply relocated — maybe to Casa Azul).

Based on his style of hand-to-hand combat, it is believed the Corto Maltesian youth was trained by Hattori Tatsu (which would point to his training, at least partially, taking place after 1997).

### Tiger Shark: 1998 - 2000

Based on his current profile and tracking his particular methodology, we believed he undertook his blood rites in 2000, when an assassin with their face covered in blood was seen fleeing from the scene of the grisly murder of a Tropidoran drug lord (and his three pet jaguars).

### Tiger Shark: 2000 - 2007

After this, the assassin became known to his order as *Qinae al Dam* (translates to "Blood-Mask") and soon thereafter began working within the ranks of the Stepping Foot. It appears he earned the rank of Syd Qatal over a period of seven years, most of it apparently developing a reputation as being a skilled smuggler for the League.

### Tiger Shark: 2007 - 2013

His first known encounter with a member of any asset of the Network was in 2007, when Green Arrow and Guardian found him off the coast of Star City, sewing a screaming naked woman into the corpse of a killer whale on deck of his boat. Green Arrow and the recently debuted Guardian intervened. In the brief scuffle between Qinae al Dam, the ship's crew (likely Safinat Dakhma foot soldiers), and Team Arrow, the woman was saved but her captor and several others escaped.

When the victim was later questioned, she was identified as Dr. Balin, a marine biologist employed at Star City's zoo. Dr. Balin identified her kidnapper as a smuggler known as "Tiger Shark" that had been attempting to gain her aid in acquiring some animals illegally — particularly "anything with sharp teeth and claws". Dr. Balin did not know what the man wanted these creatures for but had previously been paid handsomely by the man to examine a malnourished alligator acquired by the smuggler or his employer. Balin said she took the money the first time as she had medical bills to pay and it was for the care of an animal, but she could not abide being part of anything that may endanger animals.

Though Balin was fired shortly after this, she got to keep her life and found a new job out in Gotham City at Amusement Mile's "Wonders of the Sea". Only years later, Tiger Shark returned to throw Balin into the killer whale tank, along with a canister of a chemical borrowed from another of the Stepping Foot's ventures. Balin learned the hard way that Tiger Shark has a long memory for those who have wronged him.

### Tiger Shark: 2013 - Present

Tiger Shark remains a frequent associate of the Stepping Foot's activities, both in Star City and in Vlatava. It is suspected he resides in Corto Maltese in his off-time.

## Threat Assessment

### Resources

* **Safinat Dakhma Training:** Trained in the ways of the Stepping Foot, Tiger Shark is a deadly opponent and not one to be underestimated. Though he specializes more overseeing the logistics of the League of Assassins, one should never forget he is still a world-class assassin.
	+ ***Athletic:*** Tiger Shark is in excellent physical condition.
	+ ***Boating:*** Tiger Shark is a world-class sailor and submarine pilot. He routinely evades Coast Guard and Navy patrols without much effort. His rather opulent yacht (the *"SDS Pasíon del Pecador"*) is able to transform into a submarine.
	+ ***Knives:*** Tiger Shark preferred weapons are blades, particularly throwing knives and daggers. He is rarely seen using the same knife twice, implying he has quite the collection of blades at his disposal at all times. With a knife in hand he has shown he can injure world-class martial artists, like the Black Canary. During a raid of his docked yacht, Tiger Shark killed an entire team of Star City's elite Greensleeve officers, armed only with the steak knife he had been using when officers barged in on a dinner.
	+ ***Interrogation:*** Tiger Shark is a dangerous interrogator an torturer. It is speculated that he may have studied under El Penitente. Tiger Shark is known to leave the bodies of the victims of those who died under his knife in grisly displays to send a message. He has shown some experimental interest in what he calls "pre-mortem taxidermy".
	+ ***Legerdemain:*** Tiger Shark is a skilled pickpocket, an expert at sleight-of-hand, and is an overall expert at concealing things on his person. He employs these skills routinely in his work as a world-class smuggler.
	+ ***Marksman:*** Despite his preference to bladed weapons and more 'intimate' weapons, Tiger Shark has shown himself to highly skilled in the use of firearms. Several times he has been seen firing a handgun at authorities or rivals in the Hard Knocks gang while fleeing from criminal business dealings.
	+ ***Martial Artist:*** Tiger Shark is a highly skilled hand-to-hand combatant and martial artist due to his Safinat Dakhma training and passion for violence. His skills have allowed him to defeat multiple opponents in combat at the same time. He has held his own against the likes of Green Arrow, Black Canary, and the TMNT — though it should be noted that he employed tactics to escape combat at his first opportunity as he likely realized he was outmatched in direct combat.
	+ ***Occult Knowledge:*** As a fully initiated and qualified member of the Safinat Dakhma. Tiger Shark is well aware of the existence of magic, is familiar with mystical rituals, alchemical formulas, and the existence of the Lazarus Pits. He has deep interest in Mogwai (well, mostly in their Gremlin form) and has a deep desire to find the one known as Beebo to reclaim as his personal pet... or a new pair of shoes.
	+ ***Pilot:*** Tiger Shark is a master pilot, known to fly planes and helicopters.
	+ ***Stealth:*** Tiger Shark is a highly trained assassin and smuggler. He is a master of getting into places he should not be, whether on foot, by water, or even by air.
	+ ***Throwing Weapons:*** Tiger Shark is highly proficient in the use of throwing knives. He's successfully cut Green Arrow's bowstring with a knife throw from fifty yards.

### Weaknesses

* **Control Freak:** Tiger Shark is known to have violent outbursts when things do not go the way he has planned. He has murdered dozens of his own underlings without remorse when they have failed him in the slightest.
* **Eccentric:** No known image exist of Tiger Shark without his signature red mask. He also dresses in a wardrove almost entirely made from the bodies of animals — often exotic or even endangered animals.
* **Mental Illness:** Tiger Shark is mentally ill, exactly what ails him is best left to be diagnosed by a professional, but he has shown obsessive and violent behaviors. He also has the odd habit of spouting off what he feels like his own strange poetry [Update: it turns out these are actually lines taken from Corto Maltesian action movies.]
* **Vice — Greed:** Tiger Shark lives a life of relative luxury. He is often seen dining on steak or caviar, often paired with expensive wine of champagne. Money is something he enjoys earning as well as spending. Cash is both disposable and indispensable to him.

### Analytics

* **Physicality:** 3 — Trained / Exceptional
* **Occult:** 3 — Trained / Exceptional
* **Weaponry:** 5 — Master / Remarkable
* **Expertise:** 5 — Master / Remarkable
* **Range:** 5 — Master / Remarkable
* **Strategy:** 3 — Trained / Exceptional
	+ **TOTAL:** 60
	+ **RANKING:** Moderate Threat

## Trivia and Notes

### Trivia

* He's a 'troubleshooter' working for the Velzaquez family.
* Daniela Velazquez was chosen by her parents to marry him. They bought a luxury home in Star City and arranged for Dani to sign with a talent scout in America. their plan was to set up an import/export business of his own in Star City, with Daniela used as a distraction.
* Daniela allowed for the relationship to happen, but didn't want to marry him. She delayed it as much as she could and then seduced Joaquin's best friend and made sure he learned of the affair. Dani believed she would be protected against Joaquin's wrath due to being the daughter of his employers.
* When he left the country to find his now former best friend, Daniela moved out and found work as an actress and became Lito Rodriguez's 'girlfriend'.
* He loves Tino El Caido movies. He owns many props from the movies, including Tino's snakeskin jacket from the first movie.

### Notes

* Joaquin Flores is a character from the Netflix series *Sense8*.
* His appearance is based on the actor Raul Mendez, who portrayed him in the show.
* He's a composite character with supervillain Tiger Shark.
	+ His alias Dr. Gaige is a nod to the Silver Age version of the character.
	+ The red mask is a nod to the modern version of the character.

## Network Files

Network Files Tiger Shark.jpgNetwork Files: Tiger Shark

## Links and References

* Appearances of Joaquin Flores

1. ↑ Network Files: Tiger Shark
2. ↑ Network Files: Daniela Velazquez
3. ↑ VOX Box: Behind the 8 Ball - Lito 3