Captain Boomerang

*Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)* (wanted poster)
*The Suicide Squad*

### Book(s)

*Suicide Squad: The Official Movie Novelization*
*Suicide Squad: Behind the Scenes with the Worst Heroes Ever*

### Game(s)

*Suicide Squad: Special Ops* (picture only)

## Actor(s)

### Portrayed by

Jai Courtney

> **Here's to honor... among thieves.**I actually prefer to think of myself as an asset relocation specialist.**Deadshot and Captain Boomerang**Suicide Squad

**George "Digger" Harkness** was a notorious criminal from Australia and a member of Task Force X. Harkness was raised in poverty in Korumburra, the illegitimate child of Betty Harkness and W. W. Wiggins. Harkness learned early how to develop boomerangs into weapons. Having moved to the US, Harkness undertook a string of jewelry heists in Central City which brought him to the attention of the Flash, who eventually apprehended him during another robbery.

Earning the name **Captain Boomerang** from his father later in his life, Harkness became an infamous bank robber, renowned to be among the most lethal robbers in the world with 54 counts of aggravated assault and 98 counts of burglary to his name.

During his time in Belle Reve, Harkness was serving three life sentences when he was recruited by Amanda Waller to enlist in the government-sanctioned Task Force X, where he was assigned to neutralize the threat of Enchantress and Incubus in Midway City, shortening his prison sentence as a result.

Years later, Harkness went on the run and was wanted by the Gotham City Police Department. In 2021, Harkness was recruited once again for a new grouping of Task Force X to stop Project Starfish in Corto Maltese, but his mission would not go well, as Harkness and the rest of the team were killed.

## Biography

### Early life

> You'd need at least two reams of paper to print out his full rap sheet.
>
> Rick Flag, Suicide Squad: The Official Movie Novelization

George Harkness was born on December 9, 1985, in Korumburra, Australia, to Betty Harkness, where he was raised in poverty as the illegitimate child of W. W. Wiggins, an American toy manufacturer. His stepfather, Ian Harkness, hated the boy and subjected him to abuse and cruelty. As a child, George learned how to craft sophisticated boomerangs and even developed them into weapons. At some point he came to own a pink unicorn stuff toy named Pinky, a toy which he would keep well into his adult years.

During his teens he had a relationships with Mallory Ryan, a girl from Bindoon. There were friction between Digger and Mallory's father, the policeman Stanley, who considered Digger a liar, a cheater, and a thief hailing from a family of liars, cheaters, and thieves. That friction was resolved more than a decade later when Digger threw a boomerang into the tail of Stanley's helicopter mid-flight, causing it to crash. Stanley was killed, and his daughter joined the police force in his stead.

#### Search for his father

At age 15, he and a friend robbed a general store and escaped with the money he obtained thanks to a boomerang. Nonetheless, his stepfather banished him from the house as a result of the incident, but Betty bought her son a plane ticket to Central City, Ohio, and told him to get in touch with his biological father.

During the search, Harkness learned that Wiggins Game Company had been searching for a spokesman, and took the chance to audition under the alias George Green for the job which he landed. Wiggins became impressed with his son's boomerang-throwing skills and gave him the title Captain Boomerang.

#### Thievery

Boomerang, however, had other plans for his new alter ego and began a string of thefts in Australia. On a scene of his robberies in Perth he met again Mallory Ryan, now become a police officer. She told him to stop, but he cut her arm with a boomerang before she could react, giving him the opportunity to make his escape.

#### A fresh target

> No honor among thieves, eh?
>
> Flash to Captain Boomerang, Suicide Squad

 File:Captain Boomerang robbing a bank.jpg
After robbing all banks of Australia he returned to Central City and came to the attention to the metahuman Flash. The deranged boomerang-thrower continued to clash with the Flash during his criminal activities, such as when he tied the unconscious metahuman to a rocket, only to be captured again when the lightning-fast vigilante was able to free himself. In their last encounter, the Flash caught Boomerang participating in a heist on a Diamond Exchange.

 File:Boomerang vs Flash.jpg
There, Boomerang betrayed his associates, throwing a boomerang at the man's head to knock him out before collecting the loot for himself. Before he could leave, he was swiftly and easily incapacitated by the Flash and later incarcerated at Belle Reve, where he spent this time lashing out at guards from inside Cell D-108.

### Saving the world

#### Recruited into Task Force X

> Hey, one minute I'm playing Mahjong with me nanna, then this red streak hits me outta nowhere!"
> "Shut up! You were caught robbing a diamond exchange!"
> "I was not!
>
> Captain Boomerang and Rick Flag, Suicide Squad

 File:Boomerang in Belle Reve.jpg
Captain Boomerang was escorted to the rest of the Task Force X team outside of Belle Reve shortly before they have dispatched to Midway City. He was transported in a yellow body bag and immediately lashed out against nearby soldiers when released. He was welcomed by Rick Flag, who transported each of the member's equipment needed for completing their mission, then traveled to Midway City with the goal being to stop Enchantress and Incubus from destroying the city.

#### Tricking Slipknot

 File:Boomerang talking with Slipknot.jpg

> Mind games."
> "What's that?"
> "This whole bomb in the neck crap, it ain't real, mate. They're making us prisoners of our minds. I don't know about you, but I'm getting out of here; you in?
>
> Captain Boomerang and Slipknot, Suicide Squad

 File:Katana and Boomerang.jpg
The Task Force X crash-lands in Midway City, and Boomerang, secretly wishing to test how real the implanted nano-bombs are, promptly tricks Slipknot into believing that the bombs are a fake bluffing tactic of Amanda Waller. Pretending to join in the escape attempt, Boomerang allowed Katana to subdue him, while Slipknot began scaling a building. Rick Flag activating the nano-bomb, exploding Slipknot's head and killing him. Boomerang, having his suspicions confirmed, wisely chooses to stay with the group. Attracted to Katana, Boomerang asks if she has a boyfriend.

#### Battle of Midway City

 File:Captain boomerang 2.jpg
Soon after, the group encounters weird looking creatures. When Rick Flag approaches them, the creatures became hostile and attack. Instead of fighting with the rest of the squad, Boomerang cracks open a can of beer and watched the fight.

 File:Captain-Boomerang fighting minions.jpg
However one of the creatures attacks him, bringing him into the fight. During the fight, Boomerang's pink unicorn falls on the ground. After taking down a few creatures Boomerang and the rest of the squad watched as Deadshot gunned several creatures from atop a car until they were all gone. After the battle Boomerang picks up his pink unicorn and chastised El Diablo for not helping during the battle. Diablo told him that he doesn't use his powers anymore and produces a flame from his hands. Boomerang then mocks him by lighting his lighter.

#### Retrieving HVT1

Continuing the fight through the city, the Squad heads into a building their target is residing in. They encounter resistance in numerous Eyes of the Adversary that were formerly soldiers that were accompanying them; as Flag's death meant their own, the Squad was forced to fight with the objective of protecting him.

 File:Task Force X huddle.jpg
The group is lead to where their target is residing, being told to wait while Flag brings them out of their safe room. To Boomerang's surprise, the person the group is to protect is Waller herself; she has another screen to detonate the bombs to keep the Squad from trying to enact revenge on her.

The group is lead to the roof, where they would be extracted by helicopter. However, it turns out the chopper was hijacked by the Joker to rescue Harley Quinn; she promptly boards, as her bomb had been turned off by the kidnapped Van Criss. Waller contracts Deadshot to kill Harley, but he promptly misses, earning further respect from Boomerang. However Waller calls for a missile strike that downs the chopper, with Harley seemingly dead, Boomerang sympathized with the disheartened Deadshot. Once another chopper arrives, Waller leaves but is brought back down by Incubus. The group head to ground level, finding Harley survived the crash, Boomerang then returns the bat she had left behind.

 File:Task Force X stand in the rain.png
The Squad finds the crash site, and Deadshot finds files in the chopper and shows the team that Waller is responsible for the entire situation; Flag explains Waller made the unwise move of sending Enchantress to place a bomb to kill Incubus, unaware of their relation. Once Enchantress took control of her host, she began building a machine to ravage the military bases on Earth. Boomerang, promptly disgusted that he and the others are basically a mop-up crew heads into a bar for a drink.

#### Drowning sorrows

 File:Suicide Squad in the bar.jpg

> Why is it always a knife fight every single time you open your mouth? You know, outside, you're amazing. But inside, you're ugly."
> "We all are. We all are! Except for him; he's ugly on the outside, too.
>
> Captain Boomerang and Harley Quinn, Suicide Squad

Having drinks, Boomerang listens as Deadshot explains that they were meant to be patsies to take the blame for everything going on; for a brief moment, he had hope. El Diablo quips that a killer having hope wasn't something he thought was possible, explaining about his past. To Boomerang's shock, Diablo once had a happy married life with children, despite being an arsonist-for-hire in the gang world. One night, however, Diablo's anger and powers cost him his family.

When Harley told Diablo to own his actions, Boomerang snapped and noted that while Harley was attractive, her personality was ugly. Harley retorted they were all ugly on the inside, except Croc, who was ugly on the outside as well; however, Croc laughed that he was beautiful on the inside. Flag then enters the bar, takes the device controlling their neck explosives off his wrist, and smashes it on the table. Boomerang quickly takes advantage of this and leaves the bar with handfuls of beer, but when Harley and Deadshot had decided to help Flag complete the mission, Boomerang rejoined them along with the other squad members.

#### Facing Enchantress and Incubus

> I'm out of here. Anyone who wants to stop me, step up."
>  "Let's go.
>
> Captain Boomerang and Amanda Waller, Suicide Squad

Boomerang uses surveillance to survey Enchantress' machine, but it is quickly destroyed by Incubus. He fought Enchantress and Incubus alongside his teammates, and they defeated them. As everyone prepared to go their separate ways, Waller appeared alive, much to the verbal confusion of Deadshot.

 File:Quinn and Boomerang.png
As she was holding the detonator to the bombs, Boomerang decided to fight her for the right to go free. The woman only gave him a cold stare and accepted his challenge without hesitation. Boomerang was afterwards sent back to Belle Reve, where he was on one instance seen raging against Amanda Waller in his cell.

### Life on the run

At an indeterminate time after the events in Midway City, Boomerang was once again out of prison and wanted by the Gotham City Police Department. During Harley Quinn's siege on one of their branches, she noticed a wanted poster put up by the department and gleefully remarked that she knew the man.

### The Jotunheim Mission

#### The New Suicide Squad

 File:The Suicide Squad Empire Exclusive 2.jpg

> **We're in a butcher's freezer, Harls. Surrounded by dead hogs hanging on hooks. Only they don't know it yet.**Leave 'em alone, Boomer!**Captain Boomerang and Harley Quinn**The Suicide Squad

Sometime after his initial escape, Digger was recaptured and sent back to Belle Reve, where he was once again forced into the Suicide Squad. In 2021, he was assigned to a strike team led again by Rick Flag, containing returning member Harley Quinn, and all-new members Savant, Blackguard, Weasel, Mongal, Javelin, and the Detachable Kid. This new team was sent on a mission to Corto Maltese to annihilate their dangerous and mysterious military project, known only as Project Starfish.

#### Battle on the beach

 File:2020-08-22 (144).png
On the way to Corto Maltese, Boomerang mocked Blackguard and laughed with the other teammates. He expressed surprise that Harley Quinn was back in Belle Reve again so soon. Upon landing on the beach of Corto Maltese, Blackguard betrayed the team, even though Boomerang repeatedly tried to stop him. A fight ensued where Boomerang killed two Corto Maltesian soldiers with his boomerangs.

 File:Boomerang dies.png
However, Mongal attempted to bring down an enemy helicopter, which crashed, first shooting tree bark clippings into Boomerang's head and body, then slicing him to death with its propellers. Harley cried out in disbelief of his death, but a glowing boomerang clenched in his fist remained in the sand where he stood.

## Personality

> Hey, well, you know what they say about the crazy ones.
>
> Captain Boomerang to Harley Quinn, Suicide Squad

Captain Boomerang is a tough, sarcastic, humorous and somewhat crude individual (labeled a "deranged lunatic" on his psychological profile) who has no qualms with theft (98 counts of burglary), beating (51 counts of aggravated assault), or killing, going so far as to trick Slipknot into trying to escape the Suicide Squad (and subsequently getting himself killed), just to test if the implanted nano-bombs were actually real, not wanting to risk his own life.

Despite that, however, Harkness isn't completely devoid of empathy, greatly respecting Deadshot's refusal to kill Harley Quinn, sympathizing with Deadshot's inability to save Harley (when she was assumed to have been killed by Waller's forces), being depressed and shocked after learning El Diablo's dark secret (despite previously mocking El Diablo with a cigarette lighter), and even reprimanding Harley for mocking El Diablo about it. The only other time he shows fear is when Waller accepted his challenge, to fight for his right to be free; her steely gaze was enough to put him in his place.

Harkness also has a penchant for drinking beer (even taking a sip in the heat of a battle with Enchantress' monstrous Eyes of the Adversary army), and a fetish for pink unicorns (carrying around a stuffed one nicknamed "Pinky" on himself most of the time).

## Abilities

> Doesn't work well with others. But he tangled with a metahuman and lived to tell about it.
>
> Amanda Waller, Suicide Squad

* **Peak human condition**: Captain Boomerang, as a highly skilled and experienced robber, is in top physical condition (although not even near to Batman's level), capable of knocking down Navy SEALs with just a single blow, promptly needing to be restrained by Rick Flag and another soldier, swiftly recovered from a blow from Killer Croc, was able to take down several of the Eyes of the Adversary troops, and having 51 counts of aggravated assault to his name. He can also contort his own body into the shape of a boomerang.
	+ **Peak human reflexes**: Captain Boomerang has honed his reflexes throughout years of throwing and catching his boomerangs.
* **Expert combatant**: Captain Boomerang is a decent fighter, and though his file describes him as an expert hand-to-hand combatant, he is not quite on Batman and Katana's level. Regardless, he can cut down multiple people in mere seconds when using the bladed edges of his boomerangs as close-quarter weapons, shown when he overpowered quite a few monstrous troops in rapid succession, though Enchantress herself swiftly defeated him.
	+ **Boomerang mastery**: Captain Boomerang is a master at throwing his bladed and edged trick boomerangs, hence his nickname and weapons of choice. He has displayed exceptional accuracy with his hurled boomerangs as well (swiftly killing his bank robber partner), though he is rivaled in accuracy by Deadshot. In addition, he can wield them as melee weapons to such a degree that he could take down at least half of Rick Flag's Navy SEALs without breathing hard. He has once knocked out the Flash with a boomerang. In Corto Maltese, he was able to cut one man's head in half and another's head clean off from the neck.

> He robbed every bank in Australia at least once. Then he came to America for a fresh target set.
>
> Amanda Waller, Suicide Squad

* **Master thief**: Captain Boomerang, as a self-proclaimed "asset relocation specialist," is a prolific and extremely skilled robber and jewel thief, having 98 counts of burglary to his name, and being known for having robbed every bank in Australia at least once, and several more in the United States, only failing the last time because the Flash intercepted him. Hence, Boomerang is serving three life sentences in Belle Reve, the longest out of anyone on the Suicide Squad. He also robbed a general store with a friend when he was 18 years old.
* **Master tactician**: Captain Boomerang is a master strategist, as he has undertaken a string of jewelry heists. His file describes him as an illustrious escape artist, as he has discreetly planted specially-designed getaway boomerangs in every prison within a 100-mile radius of Central City in order to help him escape if he were to ever be imprisoned there.
* **Expert deceiver**: Captain Boomerang is a highly skilled deceiver, easily tricking Slipknot into attempting to escape (claiming that the implanted nano-bombs are only a fake bluffing tactic of Amanda Waller), thus successfully testing out how real Amanda Waller's nano-bomb threat actually was without having to risk his own life. In addition, he also deceived his bank robber partner, who he swiftly killed with one of his boomerangs. He also attempted to feign innocence in front of Rick Flag, claiming that the Flash had undeservingly apprehended him, but without success. Prior to his incarceration, he temporarily fooled the highly intelligent Flash into thinking that he was being impersonated so he could knock him out with a boomerang.
* **Expert engineer**: As a child, Harkness learned how to craft sophisticated boomerangs and eventually developed them into weapons. His file describes him as an explosive engineer.

### Weaknesses

* **Psychosis**: According to his psych profile, Captain Boomerang is a deranged lunatic, likely due to his step-father, Ian Harkness, subjecting him to abuse and cruelty. He is comfortable with his unprincipled, if not sociopathic, behavior. He has a history of sexually harassing women, vocalizing racist beliefs, betraying comrades, and murdering innocent citizens.
* **Alcoholism**: According to his psych profile, Captain Boomerang is a possible alcoholic. This was evident when he chose to drink a beer during the Battle of Midway City.

## Equipment

### Weapons

> My 'rangs are tricked out like a 1950s pimp.
>
> Captain Boomerang to Slipknot, Suicide Squad: The Official Movie Novelization

* **Trick boomerangs**: Captain Boomerang's primary weapons, with each of them a steel-made curved blade, sharpened on both sides. When thrown, his boomerangs spins about an axis that is perpendicular to their flight direction, and are designed to return to the thrower. He is a very formidable opponent when armed with his trick boomerangs, using them both as ranged and close-quarters weapons.
	+ **Scanning boomerang**: Captain Boomerang utilized a boomerang with a camera that transmits video imagery to his cell phone, in order to help the Squad get a better look at Incubus before attacking.
	+ **Explosive boomerang**: Captain Boomerang used an explosive boomerang while fighting Incubus; however, the mighty metahuman opponent was far too powerful to be affected by the weapon.
	+ **Rocket boomerang**: Although never seen, Amanda Waller's file on Captain Boomerang mentioned that Boomerang tied Flash to a rocket boomerang.

### Other equipment

* **Pinky**: Captain Boomerang's beloved stuffed pink unicorn nicknamed Pinky, which he frequently carries around with him, due to it being his fetish.

## Relationships

* W. W. Wiggins - Father
* Betty Harkness - Mother
* Ian Harkness - Stepfather

Allies* United States Air Force
	+ GQ Edwards †
	+ Gomez †
* Task Force X - Teammates
	+ Rick Flag † - Leader and Friend
	+ Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn - Friend
	+ Weasel
	+ Brian Durlin/Savant †
	+ Mongal † - Accidental Killer
	+ Cory Pitzner/T.D.K.
	+ Gunter Braun/Javelin †
* June Moone - Former Teammate
* Floyd Lawton/Deadshot - Former Teammate
* Waylon Jones/Killer Croc - Savior and Former Teammate
* Chato Santana/El Diablo † - Savior and Former Teammate
* Christopher Weiss/Slipknot † - Former Teammate
* Tatsu Yamashiro/Katana - Former Teammate
* Belle Reve
	+ Hunter Griggs
	+ Ames
	+ Fitzgibbon
* ARGUS
	+ Amanda Waller - Forced Superior
	+ John Economos
	+ Flo Crawley
	+ Emilia Harcourt
	+ Briscoe
* Enchantress † - Target
	+ Eyes of the Adversary
* Incubus †
* Joker's Gang
	+ Joker - Attempted Killer
	+ Jonny Frost †
	+ Panda Man †
* Van Criss Laboratories
	+ Van Criss †
* Starro † - Trget
* Corto Maltese Armed Forces
* Richard Hertz/Blackguard † - Former Teammate

## Trivia

* According to Amanda Waller's files, Harkness once tied an unconscious Flash to a giant rocket boomerang. This is a callback to the comics where Harkness did the same thing.
* It is shown in *Suicide Squad*, on Amanda Waller's files, Captain Boomerang's birthday is September 12, 1985. However, according to Digger Harkness's file on the A.R.G.U.S. official website, Captain Boomerang's birthday is December 9, 1985.
* Captain Boomerang has been described as the "spirit animal" of the Suicide Squad, as he does whatever he pleases when he wants, no matter the situation. Best proven as he has a beer in the middle of a fight.
* In Australia, "Digger" is a local slang word for "soldier". This could be a reference to how Captain Boomerang's father W. W. Wiggins used to be a soldier in the US Army.
* In the 2016 film, Captain Boomerang is the only member of the Suicide Squad team not given special treatments, due to him betraying the team and attempting to escape, which resulted in Slipknot's death.
* In the promotional images for the 2016 film, he is seen wearing his iconic woven hat, but this was omitted from his costume in the movie. He wears a different woven hat in the promotional images and footage from the 2021 sequel.
* Captain Boomerang's first kill (shown in *Secret Files of the Suicide Squad*), as well as his death (in *The Suicide Squad*), are both the result of helicopter crashes.

## Behind the scenes

* Daniel Hargrave, Alain Moussi and Ben Smith-Petersen were stunt doubles for Jai Courtney in the role of Captain Boomerang.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Wolfman, Marv (August 5, 2016). *Suicide Squad: The Official Movie Novelization*. Great Britain: Titan Books.
2. ↑ A.R.G.U.S.
Ayer, David (writer and director) (August 5, 2016). *Suicide Squad*.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Captain Boomerang's file
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Nicieza, Fabian. *Secret Files of the Suicide Squad*. DC Comics, 2016.
Hodson, Christina (writer) & Yan, Cathy (director) (February 7, 2020). *Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)*.
Gunn, James (writer and director) (August 6, 2021). *The Suicide Squad*.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 Amanda Waller's top secret file

## External links

The ***DC Extended Universe Wiki** has a collection of images and media related to* **Captain Boomerang***.*

* File:Favicon.png Captain Boomerang on DC Database
* File:WP favicon.png Captain Boomerang on Wikipedia

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