Night Thrasher is the name of two characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Dwayne Taylor Donyell Taylor Night Thrasher (
Donyell Taylor), also known as
Bandit, is a character from
Marvel Comics. He first appeared in
Night Thrasher (vol. 2) #3 (October 1993), and was created by
Fabian Nicieza and Ken Lashley. Donyell is the older half-brother of
Dwayne Taylor, the original Night Thrasher. Donyell Taylor was born after a one-night stand between his unnamed mother and Daryl Taylor, father of Dwayne Taylor. Daryl Taylor was a rich business man who had turned the inheritance from the deaths of his parents into a hundred times the amount he was given. With it he set up charitable foundations like the Taylor Foundation. Daryl had been married to Dwayne's mother Melody since they were 18 years old. Daryl met Donyell's mother while at the bar in the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago. Daryl paid Donyell's mother a check worth six figures to keep quiet of their affair after she revealed she was pregnant. Donyell resented Dwayne for having the money and the family he never had. Dwayne resented the notion that his life was somehow any better because he barely remembered his parents, who were murdered by Silhouette's father
Andrew Chord. Donyell took the name Bandit and began targeting Night Thrasher's old foes to prove he was superior to Dwayne. Dwayne would later endure a severe beating at Bandit's hands. Later wanting a rematch, Bandit abducts
Silhouette keeping her tied to a chair under blinding lights to lure Dwayne into a confrontation, but Dwayne wins the rematch. Donyell begins sleeping with Silhouette soon afterwards. When Night Thrasher, Silhouette, and various other members of the New Warriors are sent back in time Donyell joins Hindsight Lad, Sprocket, and his father's killer Andrew Chord in creating a new team of New Warriors to save the originals. The team consisted of Bandit,
Hindsight Lad, Turbo,
Darkhawk,
Dagger, and
Powerpax. Donyell later comes to terms with his half-brother, finding common ground during their battle against the
Sphinx when the Warriors were returned to the proper time period. Donyell and Silhouette quit the New Warriors soon after and moved to Chicago. This was the last time that they were seen for several years. The next time Donyell shows up, he has apparently been seeing
Bella Donna for a few months. No one knows what exactly happened between Silhouette and Bandit in Chicago that caused them to separate. It is clear by their conversation at Dwayne's grave site that they are no longer a couple. During "
Civil War", Dwayne Taylor is killed by
Nitro and Donyell Taylor takes over the Taylor Foundation. It is also revealed that Donyell was involved in a car accident that caused his legs to be amputated. Donyell denies involvement in the latest incarnation of the New Warriors. However, he reveals that a large amount of money was drained from the Taylor Foundation against his wishes and only he and his brother Dwayne had access to those accounts. Later it is revealed that Donyell Taylor never lost his legs. The last panel shows him standing up and staring out of a window, with the image of Night Thrasher behind him, suggesting that he took his brother's alias and costume, and now leads the New Warriors. Apparently, Dwayne and Donyell reconciled at some point, as he is seen expressing regret for the earlier hostility in their relationship at Dwayne's grave. Donyell creates a time machine, intending to save Nitro from killing the New Warriors. When the machine is activated, it instead sends the New Warriors into a future where Iron Man has taken the Registration Act to the extreme, a future where all superpowered beings have been removed from the general populace, and the people are under a rule of tyranny. Confronting Iron Man, Donyell discovers that it is not Tony Stark in the suit, but Dwayne, returned from the dead. Despite having misgivings about Dwayne's totalitarian rule, Donyell's need to reconnect with his brother leads him to betray and capture the other New Warriors. After Dwayne kills Tony Stark (who in this timeline had taken on the identity of Night Thrasher) in cold blood, Donyell comes to his senses, rescuing the others and freeing the incarcerated superheroes. Donyell is then attacked by Dwayne, and is forced to kill him. Upon their return to the present, Donyell disbands the New Warriors, believing they will never be able to trust him again. Later, a man with a Night Thrasher outfit appears among the
Counter Force members that arrive at
Camp Hammond during the assault of the Thor clone called
Ragnarok. He is later confirmed to be Donyell Taylor, who becomes the group's benefactor (and second in command) when the group goes on the run from
Norman Osborn, changing the group name to "Avengers Resistance".
Powers and abilities of Donyell Taylor Bandit is a mutant with bioelectrical powers similar to an
electric eel that require physical contact and a conductive medium to work. He can channel an electrical charge strong enough to stun, injure, or kill through someone just by touching them. He augments the range of this power by shooting special wire-tethered quarrels from his wristbow. He has also demonstrated superhuman speed and reflexes on par with
Midnight's Fire and
Silhouette. Donyell is an accomplished
marksman, acrobat, and martial artist. Bandit carries a specialized wrist mounted
crossbow, that fires wire-tethered quarrels tipped with miniature grappling barbs which would penetrate an opponent's flesh and then open up beneath the skin. He then uses his powers to send a debilitating
bio-electric charge along the
electrically conductive tether, basically making himself a living taser. He also carries a variety of throwing stars. His Night Thrasher armor, apart from giving him added protection, enables him to create solid energy weapons, such as a bo staff, escrima sticks, and wrist blades. At one point he banged the sticks together to create an energy shockwave. He also displayed a jet pack and used Pym Particles to shrink himself and others down. Donyell is an accomplished thief and scientist, it is revealed in
New Warriors (vol. 4), that he was able to empower de-powered mutants by stealing powerful technology from the likes of the Avengers. The full capabilities of this knowledge are unknown, but he is feasibly capable of producing incredibly powerful enhancing technology/exoskeletons.
Other versions of Donyell Taylor An alternate version of Donyell was revealed in
What If...? (vol. 2) #81, living in the
Age of Apocalypse. When that world got attacked by
Galactus, Bandit was killed in battle. One of the main features of the story was the fact that Donyell and his brother Night Thrasher were more reconciled emotionally than they are in the 616 universe. ==Nightcat==