The least ruthless member of the team, surprisingly enough, is Rose Tattoo. The Authority’s UN-backed predecessor, Stormwatch, was run by a murderous, psychotic genius named Henry Bendix. Prior to the rest of the team discovering his genocidal bent, “Stormwatch” Vol. 1 #37 sees him bring on a deadly new member of the team in Rose Tattoo. This beautiful and mostly silent woman becomes Stormwatch’s deadliest assassin.
It’s not just that she’s a cold-blooded killer that makes her so formidable. Like Jenny Sparks, who is the Spirit of the 20th century, Rose Tattoo is the living embodiment of murder. She’s bound to a fellow homicidal spirit in Bendix, and he uses her as a deadly, focused weapon. After her status as Bendix’s personal assassin is revealed, Jack Hawksmoor kills her in issue #50.
But it’s impossible to kill an idea, and like the various Jennies and Doctors, Rose Tattoo is reincarnated and returns to serve Bendix in “The Authority: Revolution” #9. She’s up to her old tricks, killing the Doctor so that Bendix can trap his spirit. In the final battle between The Authority and Bendix’s team, the new Doctor decides not to kill her. Instead of the Spirit of Death, he uses her powers to transform her into the Spirit of Life in issue 12. Healing the sick and bringing the dead back to life, she’s as far from ruthless as possible. Of course, things quickly go sideways when she’s later transformed back into her original state, but for a short time, she’s on the side of the angels.
The least ruthless member of the team, surprisingly enough, is Rose Tattoo. The Authority’s UN-backed predecessor, Stormwatch, was run by a murderous, psychotic genius named Henry Bendix. Prior to the rest of the team discovering his genocidal bent, “Stormwatch” Vol. 1 #37 sees him bring on a deadly new member of the team in Rose Tattoo. This beautiful and mostly silent woman becomes Stormwatch’s deadliest assassin.
It’s not just that she’s a cold-blooded killer that makes her so formidable. Like Jenny Sparks, who is the Spirit of the 20th century, Rose Tattoo is the living embodiment of murder. She’s bound to a fellow homicidal spirit in Bendix, and he uses her as a deadly, focused weapon. After her status as Bendix’s personal assassin is revealed, Jack Hawksmoor kills her in issue #50.
But it’s impossible to kill an idea, and like the various Jennies and Doctors, Rose Tattoo is reincarnated and returns to serve Bendix in “The Authority: Revolution” #9. She’s up to her old tricks, killing the Doctor so that Bendix can trap his spirit. In the final battle between The Authority and Bendix’s team, the new Doctor decides not to kill her. Instead of the Spirit of Death, he uses her powers to transform her into the Spirit of Life in issue 12. Healing the sick and bringing the dead back to life, she’s as far from ruthless as possible. Of course, things quickly go sideways when she’s later transformed back into her original state, but for a short time, she’s on the side of the angels.