Richard Swift (Earth-2: Post-Crisis)

"Don't you know there's a difference between bad and evil? I've been called wicked more than once. A law broken here, rule bent there, the odd life taken. But nobody that didn't deserve it."

- The Shade to Courtney Whitmore

Richard Swift is the criminal known as The Shade and a former member of the Injustice Society of America.

Early Life
Richard Swift was born to an unnamed man and as a brother to Emily in 1808 in London.

The Shade
In the 1800s, Swift was merely a con man and a thief who was active in the streets of London. He was then hired by a cabal, the Men of Tears, to procure the Black Diamond for their aim to summon a god from a shadow world beyond. However, Swift betrayed the cabal and ordered a forgery, creating a replica of the mystical Black Diamond and completed his mission. The Men of Tears then started a dark ritual and used Swift as the sacrifice for the summoning. Since the diamond was merely a replica, the energy from the doorway to the Shadowlands were unable to be contained and required a vessel. Swift soon became the vessel and obtained his abilities of immortality as well as the ability to control the shadows.

Swift to later adopted the alias "The Shade" and operated as an antiques collector as well as investigating the mystical artifact that gifted him his powers. During the years, while Swift remained immortal, his family members passed away one by one. He soon regretted not being there for his father's illness and was haunted by the death of his sister Emily.

Injustice Society of America
"Our interests aligned for a moment, but birds of a feather we were not. Jordan Mahkent and his merry band were no friends of mine."

- The Shade

Decades soon passed as Swift became a member of the Injustice Society of America. However, their goals only aligned for a short period of time while Swift betrayed the villainous organization at some point.

Sending a Message
"I saw fear in his eyes when he told me that he had faced it before. I mean, this thing...it murdered men, women, children. I mean, he called it...real evil."

- Sylvester Pemberton

Christmas Eve
On December 24, 2010, the Injustice Society lured their arch-enemies, the Justice Society of America, into a battle at an abandoned mansion. During the battle, The Shade dragged away Dr. Mid-Nite to Shadowlands, which was witnessed by Stripesy. He later betrayed Icicle and the Injustice Society.

Ten Years Later
"Oh, Jordan, I told you it was folly."

- The Shade

In December 2020, Swift returned to the Injustice Society's headquarters after the failure of Project: New America. He exclaimed that he told Jordan that their plan was folly before conjuring black smoke which covered the faces of the rest of the ISA members and eventually his own.

Meeting Barbara & Pat
"I deal in things both old and curious, as a collector. And one of my many passions is magic. Stage magic, that is."

- Richard Swift

Sacrifice
"Barbara, would you mind-- would you mind awfully telling people that I died... doing something good?"

- Swift's last words

Powers

 * Connection to the Shadowlands: When Swift's replica Black Diamond failed to contain the energy from the doorway to the Shadowlands, he became a vessel to the energy and gained exceptional powers.
 * Umbrakinesis: Swift is able to manipulate darkness to the extent he was able to conjure shadows. It was also later said that his powers are drawn from Shadowlands.
 * Teleportation: Swift has the ability to be travel through shadows and teleport to locations with shadows instantly.
 * Portal Opening: Swift is capable of opening a doorway to the Shadowlands, appearing in the form of complete brightness to those present in the realm.
 * Immortality: Swift has been alive since 1908, with the Shadowlands preventing his body from aging and protecting him from any mortal weapons. However, beings from the Shadowlands, including Eclipso, is able to severely injure Swift and affect his healing until the doorway to the Shadowlands is reopened.
 * Regenerative Healing Factor: While the doorway to the Shadowlands, the Black Diamond, remains active, Swift is able to heal from injuries no matter how much, allowing him to survive for over 2 centuries.

Weaknesses

 * Cosmic Staff: The Cosmic Staff was able to incapacitate Swift once.

Current Equipment

 * The Shade Suit: Swift wears a protective suit whilst operating as The Shade.
 * 67' Jaguar: Swift drives a 67' Jaguar, which was complimented by Pat Dugan.