- "The devil deals the cards"
- —Lala's trigger words[src]
Latavious "Lala" Johnson[1] (born November 21, 1976),[2] also nicknamed Tattoo Man by Tobias Whale[3], is a high-ranking gangster and current leader of The 100, and the cousin of the late Will. He helped run Club 100 and the Seahorse Motel.
Biography[]
Original multiverse[]
Early life[]
Latavious was born on November 21, 1976[2] and raised in Freeland. At some point he was a student of Garfield High School, taking lessons by Jefferson Pierce, however after he graduated he choose to follow the path of crime starting to going by the name "Lala"[4] and becoming a high-ranking member of The 100 to the point that, around 2013, he was put in charge of Club 100 as well as the Seahorse Motel, which he kept at peace for 5 years, up until 2018.[5]
Kidnapping the Pierce's girls[]
When Will visited Club 100, Lala had him and Jennifer Pierce brought to him in a private room. He requested the $100,000 that Will owed him, instead suggesting Jennifer become a prostitute at the Seahorse Motel to pay off the debt. When she refused the idea and hit Will, Lala expressed fondness for her. They were interrupted by Jefferson Pierce, unbeknownst to him, who began using his electrical powers to get Jennifer to safety. The following day, Lala was visited by Jefferson, who asked for assurance that Will would stay away from his daughters, as he'd been aggressive. Malik walked by and Lala made him introduce himself to Jefferson, physically abusing him and taking his phone from him for not selling their produce, much to the anger of Pierce. Lala agreed to do Jefferson the favor in return for owing him one. That night, after Will kidnapped Jennifer and Anissa Pierce, keeping them hostage at the Seahorse Motel, Lala scolded him for it, beating him to the ground. He eventually escaped in his car, only to be stopped in the road by Tobias Whale's henchman. They took him to Whale, where Tobias shot him with a harpoon for creating problems with Black Lightning.[5]
First death[]
Lala is killed by Tobias.
Further being punished, Lala was gagged by Tobias. The following day, he watched as a number of gang members rode motorbikes and quad bikes for amusement. He was approached by Jefferson Pierce, who threatened him, only to be beaten down. That night he met with Will, who he was forced to shoot in the head, due to incompetence. The night after, Lala went to enter the Seahorse Motel, only to be approached by Lawanda White. Ordering her to get out of his face, she didn't comply, causing him to kill her. The following night after that, in an apartment, Lala was met by Black Lightning, who beat him. When the vigilante was forced to flee, Lala was brought in to the police station, unbeknownst to him having been incriminated by recordings on Lawanda's phone. Later, Tobias made his way into the police station, choking him to death before he could rat him out.[4]
Resurrection and back to business[]
Lala was resurrected through Lazarus Prime's cloning process and awoke in a room, only for Lawanda White to appear and turn into smoke, transforming herself into a tattoo on his left chest.[6]
Lala gets resurrected by unknown reasons.
Lala returned to Club 100, finding two guys practicing a song he decidedly liked. Lawanda's ghost continued to plague Lala, attempting to manipulate him into killing one of his own men out of distrust, but he refused. While taking a shower, Lawanda appeared to him again as he questioned why and how he came back, though she gave him no answers, kissing him before turning into smoke.[7]
Lala took over leadership of the 100, starting to deal traditional drugs throughout Freeland, for which his associates disagreed, as they believed everybody would much rather prefer Green Light. Eventually, Lala started hallucinating his cousin Will, like Lawanda, who transformed himself into smoke and form a tattoo on his right chest. Calling Steven Conners, Lala offered up his mother as collateral, hoping to borrow some of his cocaine and cannabis, selling it on the street and giving Conners a commission of their sales, to which he agreed.[8]
Human bomb[]
Sometimes later, Lala received a phone call from Tobias with the message, "The devil deals the cards" which puts a fear in Lala. Following the event, Lala visits Thomas Hidalgo for unknown reasons. He is then captured and brought before Tobias by Syonide. Tobias asked him if he believed in resurrection then. Lala gets frightened and agrees to take down the A.S.A. with him. Tobias revealed his involvement in Lala's resurrection, with a side effect being that Lala's victims tattoo themselves onto his body and haunt him forever.[3]
Later, Lala was captured by the A.S.A. When Martin Proctor interrogated him, it was revealed Tobias sent him in with a bomb implanted in him. Martin left him while the bomb exploded, supposedly killing Lala.[2]
Second resurrection[]
Lala in Garfield High.
At some point, Lazarus Prime resurrected Lala once again and instructed him to find the source of his pain. Lala showed up at Garfield and attacked Jefferson while he was grading papers after remembering the death of his friend, Earl though his memory still wasn't clear on what exactly happened. After Jefferson showed him a yearbook picture of Earl, Lala remembered killing Earl himself before The 100 could get to him since Earl was about to snitch on them to the police. Earl, like Lawanda and Will, takes his place as a tattoo on Lala's body as he sets off to achieve his own redemption by killing Tobias.
Anti-Monitor Crisis[]
During the Anti-Monitor Crisis, Lala as well as everyone in the multiverse except for the seven Paragons, was killed in an antimatter wave by the Anti-Monitor on December 10, 2019,[9] only to be restored a month later, after the Paragons and the Spectre created a new universe.[10]
New multiverse[]
Chasing the White Whale[]
Lala sent his lieutenant Devonte Jones to the Ultimate O to collect his extortion fee from Lady Eve, but he was soon called by Destiny that Eve wanted a meeting. Lala assumed that Eve wanted to negotiate her fee, but she said that she wanted the briefcase that he was using as bait to kill Tobias Whale; Lala, after pretending that he didn't have such a thing, told Eve that he refused. Lady Eve then revealed that she has always been in control and demonstrated by making Lala sit on the floor, unable to speak. Eve offered to free him of the Shadow Board's technology if he relinquished the briefcase.[11]
After Lala pays an informant on the happenings of the Ultimate O, Black Lightning and Thunder arrive to ask for his assistance in the War for Freeland; Lala denies their request.
Lala has Destiny kidnapped in order to have a meeting with Lady Eve; she questions why he took such an extreme measure so he explains that he did not want to be ignored. Lala wanted the whereabouts of Dr. Matthew Blair; upon meeting him, Devonte assaults the doctor while Lala wants the location of Tobias.[12]
Lala gets a phone call from Destiny telling him that Lady Eve wants him to fight in the battle because the A.S.A. will destroy Freeland if the battle is lost. In response, when an assault team attacks Bill Henderson, Lala, Devonte, and a gang of thugs help to kill the Markovians. Lala and Bill acknowledge each other by nodding their heads.[13]
One year later[]
A year after the War for Freeland, Lala continued to run The 100, but the gang was at war with the Kobra Cartel. Lala continued to sell drugs through the gang, but Thunder and Lightning would constantly interfere.
On the anniversary of the War, Lala told Devonte Jones that he wanted him to have two different locations for when the shipments arrived; he wanted the drugs and the weapons capable to kill meta-humans separated.
Later, Lala sat in his car. He was contemplating which of his lieutenants to kill because the drugs were destroyed by Lightning and Thunder; Lala calculated that someone was an informant. After Devonte distributed the weapons to the lieutenants, Lala threatened to kill each one in order of where they stood if they did not succeed in killing Lightning, whom he viewed as the stronger of the two, inspiring them to set a trap for the sisters.[14]
A few days later, Devonte told Lala that the gang members he sent to fight the Kobra Cartel all died except for their driver in battle against Destiny; Devonte warned that she would retaliate, but Lala was unmoved. He told Devonte to assure that the police would lose some of the DEGs that were to be shipped into the city.
Later, Lala was kidnapped, blindfolded, and brought before Blackbird who told him and Destiny that they could fight but not at the park where the homeless of Freeland were staying. Ultimately, Lala agreed, after Blackbird threatened him. Lala concluded that drug sales would be better if the people felt more secure.[15]
Lala continued to lose money because, in the fight club he started where people place bets virtually without seeing the true identity of the fighters, Marcel Payton wins against opponents bigger than he is and Lala continues to underestimate Marcel. To relieve his frustration, Lala kills the gang member who fired upon Lightning but failed to kill her. The next day, Lala sees Jefferson Pierce at the club; he tells the educator that if it were not for the respect he has for him, Jefferson would be dead for demanding that Marcel not fight.[16]
After killing a soldier to procure a shipment of DEGs, Lala has Devonte and other test the Direct Energy Guns; only one gun is not defective. Deputy Chief Wesley Robinson soon enters and tells Lala that a shipment of 2nd-generation DEGs will be sent to the police department soon; Wesley hopes that it evens the debt he owes Lala, causing Lala to threaten the policeman. Later, Lala confronts Jefferson for fighting in the club, warning Jefferson that his presence might bring unwanted attention if Jefferson loses.[17]
Temporary death[]
Lala dies.
As Destiny met with members of the Kobra Cartel at a construction site about extortion money, Lala and The 100 attacked. Ishmael appeared and used his swords to stop Lala's gunfire. The two battled until Lala was killed. Taking into account Lala's power of resurrection, Destiny encased him in concrete with Ishmael noting that Lala will rise again, only to die from suffocation, over and over. Destiny took the statue to the Ultimate O for a permanent display in her office.[18]
Tobias Whale moved the statue of Lala to his mansion, saying to Destiny and Ishmael that it looked better there; Tobias then declared himself leader of the Kobra Cartel and an end to the gang war.[19]
The new King of Freeland[]
Lala noticing Tobias Whale's corpse after escaping his cement prison.
During the final fight between Black Lightning and Tobias Whale, Lala's cement statue is accidentally knocked over, once again restarting his resurrection cycle. Later that night, Lala finally breaks free of his cement prison and notices Tobias' corpse still impaled outside the window from the aftermath of the fight from earlier, much to Lala's thrill.[20]
Powers and abilities[]
Powers[]
- Meta-human physiology: After being resurrected, Lala's DNA was altered and his cells were supercharged, turning him into a meta-human and thereby allowing him to access his powers.
- Superhuman strength: Lala has enhanced strength and endurance.
- Regenerative healing factor: Lala was able to take several bullets, even one directly to the head. He not only returned to his feet within seconds, but quickly regenerated the lost damage.
- Ageless longevity (possibly): Lala may agelessly be immortal, possibly due to his healing abilities or resurrection.
- Self-resurrection: Lala is able to resurrect himself upon death.
- Mediumship (possibly): Lala is able to communicate with the victims he's killed directly and indirectly.
Abilities[]
- Leadership/Intimidation: Lala is a great and feared criminal gang leader in Freeland.
- Expert marksman: Lala is a very skilled marksman. He executed his cousin Will and shot Lawanda White to death with his sidearm.[4]
- Expert hand to hand combatant: Lala is a very skilled hand to hand combatant and is able to go toe to toe with Tobias Whale.
Weaknesses[]
- Tattoo manifestation: As of a side effect of the soul-bonding process, every person Lala killed shortly before and following his resurrection have their essence and face appear on his body in the form of tattoos. He has no control over this and the process appears to be excruciatingly painful.
Former weaknesses[]
- Mental illness: Post-resurrection, Lala suffers from persistent hallucinations of his former victims. This appears to have stopped in the new multiverse.
Appearances[]
Black Lightning[]
Trivia[]
- Lala has been brought back to life without any time travel the most, with three resurrections, one more than Otis Graves, Damien Darhk, and Eobard Thawne.
- After his third resurrection, Lala starts reviving akin to Jack Harkness from Doctor Who and Torchwood; even when he dies, he comes back with an audible gasp of air.
- Given he resurrects from anything and heals from it, it's unknown if even old age can kill him. Lala may be a true ageless immortal; unlike Ra's al Ghuls and Damien Darhk, who used Lazarus Pits and other mystic means to extend their lives.
Behind the scenes[]
- In the DC Comics, Tattooed Man, the nickname Tobias gave to Lala, is a name used by two supervillains and one superhero.
References[]
- ↑ "Black Jesus: The Book of Crucifixion"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Shadow of Death: The Book of War"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "The Resurrection and the Light: The Book of Pain"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Lawanda: The Book of Hope"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "The Resurrection"
- ↑ "Equinox: The Book of Fate"
- ↑ "The Book of Revelations"
- ↑ "Sins of the Father: The Book of Redemption"
- ↑ "The Book of Resistance: Chapter Four: Earth Crisis"
- ↑ "Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Four"
- ↑ "The Book of War: Chapter One: Homecoming"
- ↑ "The Book of War: Chapter Two"
- ↑ "The Book of War: Chapter Three: Liberation"
- ↑ "The Book of Reconstruction: Chapter One"
- ↑ "The Book of Reconstruction: Chapter Two"
- ↑ "The Book of Reconstruction: Chapter Three"
- ↑ "The Book of Reconstruction: Chapter Four"
- ↑ "The Book of Ruin: Chapter Two"
- ↑ "The Book of Reunification: Chapter One"
- ↑ "The Book of Resurrection: Chapter Two: Closure"