| “ | I hate feeling this useless! Sitting here in this ivory tower while strangers risk their lives and someone else cleans up Remnant's mess. This isn't what we were trained to be. | „ |
| ~ Blake airing her frustrations. |
Blake Belladonna is one of the main protagonists of the 2023 comic book crossover series DC/RWBY. She is a young Huntress hailing from the world of Remnant who is transported to the DC Universe after their realities begin merging together. She is a member of Team RWBY.
Biography[]
Blake Belladonna was born as the only child and of Ghira Belladonna and his wife Kali, in the Faunus-run continent of Menagerie. Blake and her family were Faunus, and Blake specifically was a cat Faunus with an additional pair of cat-like ears on her head. Her father Ghira was the leader of the Faunus rights origination known as the White Fang. From an early age, she was raised with a distrust of humans and was often a part of Faunus rights protests. This led her to joining the White Fang as a teenager; however, the group changed under the new leadership of Adam Taurus into a terrorist organization. Blake stayed with the group, honing her Semblance, a special power connected to her soul that allowed her to create shadow clones of herself. She supported the White Fang until it grew too corrupt, and she fled. She decided to become a Huntress, and was accepted into the prestigious Beacon Academy. After an initiation, she was made a member of Team RWBY, consisting of herself, Weiss Schnee, Yang Xiao Long, and their leader Ruby Rose. They battled Grimm until an ancient evil called Salem, who sought revenge on their headmaster Professor Ozpin, destroyed their school. The team then devoted themselves to defeating Salem and ending her Grimm scourge on the world.
One day, Blake and her team find themselves transported to another world. They are confused at first, and decide to lay low. They find that Grimm have also arrived in this world, and fight them off. They soon are intrigued by a strange man they come across who dresses like a bat and inflicts fear onto people. Additionally, the people in the city start displaying superhuman powers out of nowhere. Team RWBY ambush the Batman, and he holds them off. During the fight, Team RWBY's outfits change to appear like those of superheroes. Soon, the two sides realize that they are on the same side. Batman takes them to the Batcave where they meet Nightwing, Batgirl, Alfred, and Catwoman. They realize that Remnant and the DC universe are merging together. People are developing Semblances, including Batman, and all the technology in the world is becoming reliant on Remnant's energy source of Dust. They track the Grimm coming from Arkham Asylum, where the inmates have been unleashed by the Joker. Blake chews out Batman for his secluded and brooding nature, much to her team's surprise. The Joker uses his newfound Semblance to merge with a powerful Nuckelavee Grimm. Batman stays to fight as Team RWBY are forced to retreat.
As they discuss what to do with Batman, Catwoman, and Nightwing, the three superheroes develop Semblances, and Team RWBY realize that they are the ones spreading Semblances to people. They feel the need to flee to ensure that they do not hasten the merging of Remnant and the DC universe, and call upon the aid of John Constantine and Zatanna Zatara to transport them to Themyscira, home of the Amazons. They are welcomed in by Wonder Woman, who provides them shelter and rest. At the Themysciran library, the heroes realize that their worlds have touched before, and that stories from the DC universe are fairy tales in Remnant and vice versa. Blake is described as the inspiration for the story of "Beauty and the Beast". As they are learning, they are suddenly attacked by Cheetah, leading an army of Grimm. She impales Yang with a spear, but Wonder Woman is able to use her newfound healing Semblance to heal her. The team defeat Cheetah and use the Lasso of Truth on her, which ends her connection with the Grimm and forces her to reveal that the Grimm follow Team RWBY. While they research how to use the Lasso to purge other people using the Grimm, Team RWBY are quarantined to prevent them from spreading more Semblances.
However, that night, the team are abducted by Lex Luthor, who brings them to Metropolis, where Superman is fighting Grimm. He reveals that he made a deal with Salem to begin merging their worlds together. He had hoped that, by doing so, he would grant everyone in the world superpowered Semblances, provide them with Grimm to fight, and create a world where no one relied on superheroes anymore and instead were their own supporters. Team RWBY chastise him for his thoughtlessness, though he refuses to admit fault. Suddenly, Superman is possessed by a Chill Grimm. Lex flees as the possessed Superman battles Team RWBY.
Lois Lane arrives, and the Chill senses Superman's love for her and transfers to her. However, the love between Superman and Lois is so strong that the Chill keeps traveling between the two, and Ruby is able to kill it as it transfers. Superman takes the Team to the Fortress of Solitude, where they try to figure out what emotion is needed to sever possession or links with the Grimm. They decide they need to go back to Gotham and hold back the Grimm pouring from Arkham, and Superman takes them there. There, they find Luthor preaching his deeds to a crowd. However, they see that he still wants to reign as a ruler over him and reject him. As he turns to leave and return to Salem, Batgirl uses her Semblance to shut off his power armor and render him helpless. Team RWBY trap him, then head for Arkham.
They fight Grimm off on the way inside, and are forced to take down Batgirl and Nightwing when they are possessed by Chills. They realize that, although Lex Luthor was the one that initiated the merge of the worlds, the first one to bond with a Grimm is the one controlling them: the Joker, now fully merged with the Nuckelavee to become the "Boogeyman". Additionally, Batman has become possessed by a Chill, but has merged with it to become a evil version of himself. This Dark Batman has a new outlook on the world, seeing it as rotten and ruined, and begins trapping everyone he believes is responsible for Gotham's state in a twisted, destroyed Arkham. He traps Team RWBY, who fight through the Grimm tide. When Batman himself arrives, Ruby realizes that he needs to battle for his own soul, just as the Boogeyman returns. As Batman and the Boogeyman fight, Blake and her team hold off the Grimm. Ruby throw herself between Batman and the Boogeyman as they fight, becoming impaled. This causes Batman to think he has been responsible for the loss of a life and the Joker to believe he has killed his obsession, Batman, and the shock causes them both to purge their respective Grimm from within. With the Nuckelavee gone, the Grimm under its control fade, as does Remnant's influence on DC Earth. The other DC heroes come to inform Team RWBY that things are returning to normal, and that they are helping the people around the world who have lost their Semblances. Wonder Woman uses the last of her Semblance to heal Batman and Ruby, then the rift between worlds, allowing Team RWBY to return to Remnant. They thank their newfound friends and return to their world victorious.
Powers and Abilities[]
Blake is an expert combatant, excelling at both ranged and melee combat. Her weapon, Gambol Shroud, is a combination gun and katana, which allows her to fight with the blade or fire Dust ammunition. Her Semblance allows her to create shadow clones, tangible duplicates that can take hits or be used as distractions. Blake also possesses an Aura, an extension of her soul that provides defense, though it can be overtaxed.
While in the DC universe, Blake and her team spread Remnant's influence to those they come across; most notably, inadvertently giving people Semblances, attracting Grimm, and making machinery become reliant on Dust instead of electricity. Because of this, Team RWBY try to avoid people native to the DC universe for fear of what they might cause.
Gallery[]
.jpg "DC RWBY (comic).jpg (145 KB)")
_Team_RWBY_ambushing_Batman.jpg "DC RWBY (Chapter 1) Team RWBY ambushing Batman.jpg (383 KB)")
_Team_RWBY%27s_DC_outfits.jpg "DC RWBY (Chapter 1) Team RWBY's DC outfits.jpg (463 KB)")
_Blake_Belladonna%27s_introduction.png "DC RWBY (Chapter 2) Blake Belladonna's introduction.png (207 KB)")
_Yang_comforts_Blake.jpg "DC RWBY (Chapter 3) Yang comforts Blake.jpg (175 KB)")
_Team_RWBY_meets_Lex_Luthor.jpg "DC RWBY (Chapter 4) Team RWBY meets Lex Luthor.jpg (1.66 MB)")
