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Daniel Turpin was a member of the Metropolis Police Department's Special Crimes Unit.
History
Turpin was a cop from the street who worked his way up in the SCU. Apart from his police skills he was an expert in numerous kinds of weapons. He was close friends with Maggie Sawyer and had a great deal of respect for her. The two of them worked well together most of the time, but there were times when Inspector Sawyer had to pull rank to keep him in line, even going so far to relieve him of duty when he lost his objectivity about a case. He always liked Superman, but did not always want him to interfere in police business, as he believed that it was the police department's responsibility. This stance towards Superman sometimes got him in trouble with Maggie Sawyer, who supported Superman and sometimes even wanted to bring him in on cases. However, in one such case, Turpin, after being relieved of duty by Inspector Sawyer, saved Superman from Bruno Mannheim and Kanto, earning the Man of Steel's respect. This extends to after the incident when Superman confronted the attending reporters' insinuations that the police were useless by praising Turpin's courage and skill.
Turpin fights Bruno Mannheim.
Known for his temper and quick to act, Maggie Sawyer describes him as "a good soldier who is as loyal as a bulldog" and says that if she'd had a dime for every time he quit the force, she'd make Lex Luthor look like a pauper. Apart from this, Turpin proved to be a capable leader and tactical thinker when, after Maggie Sawyer was injured, he commanded the SCU Officers in direct combat and managed to hold their own against Darkseid's forces when they tried to invade Earth. Turpin was also involved in the fight against the Parasite and Earl Garver. Turpin continued his career of fighting crime until his death.
Last Days
When Darkseid led his armies on a full-blown invasion of Earth" Superman was defeated and the US Military was reeling from Apokolips' sneak attack of their Metropolis Army Base. Dan Turpin stood at the forefront leading the MPD's SCU and SWAT units as Earth's front-line defense against conquest. Lois Lane reported that Turpin was actually managing to gain the upper hand against the vastly more advanced and powerful armies of Apokolips using nothing but the standard city police arsenal, clever strategies, as well as sheer tenacity.
Turpin's final heroic stand.
When Darkseid personally arrived to crush Earth's resistance by presenting the beaten Superman to them, Turpin bravely defied the universal conqueror's declaration that his rule had begun. Inspiring the other people of Earth to keep fighting, Turpin physically assaulted one of Darkseid's Parademons, using its weapon to free Superman. With Superman freed and Highfather's New Gods arriving to defend Earth, Darkseid's forces had no choice but to flee. Turpin continued to taunt the retreating Apokoliptian army, but his defiance would come at a heavy cost: out of spite for his defeat and a desire to give his enemies one more parting shot, Darkseid struck Turpin with his Omega Beams, disintegrating him completely.
A large memorial service was held for Turpin, with attendees including Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Perry White, Maggie Sawyer, Emil Hamilton, Lex Luthor, Mercy Graves and many others. After the memorial service ended, Superman personally stood in front of Turpin's grave and bid farewell to his old friend, concluding that "In the end, the world didn't really need a Superman, just a brave one".
Daniel Turpin's final resting place
Daniel Turpin's grave, which proclaims him as "Earth's Greatest Hero", lies on the sunny hillside of Metropolis, visited by friends in life and watched over by longtime ally Superman.[2] His death at Darkseid's hands became one of Superman's many grievances against the Dread Lord of Apokolips; conversely, Darkseid would lament that he would have killed more humans if he had known how deeply Turpin's death affected Superman.[3]
Background information
Trivia
The design for Turpin was based on comic book legend Jack Kirby, who originally created the character. Dan Turpin is a member of the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit and worked closely with Superman and Superboy on many occasions. Dan had romantic feelings for his superior, Maggie Sawyer, but those feeling faded upon realizing that Maggie was a lesbian. Turpin returned in the FINAL CRISIS crossover, in which he was turned into the new host body of Darkseid, after investigating the death of the New Gods. In issue 6 of the story, Darkseid and thus Turpin's body is shot by Batman, allowing for Darkseid to be killed by Black Racer. After being freed of Darkseid, Dan regains momentary control of himself again, before vanishing. What happened to him is unknown.
Appearances
Superman: The Animated Series
- "Tools of the Trade"
- "Two's a Crowd"
- "Double Dose"
- "Monkey Fun"
- "Solar Power" (Cameo)
- "World's Finest, Part II"
- "The Hand of Fate"
- "Bizarro's World"
- "Prototype" (Cameo)
- "Apokolips... Now!"
- "Legacy, Part II" (Mentioned Only)
References
- ↑ Evanier, Mark (writer) & Geda, Curt (director) (February 1, 1997). "Tools of the Trade". Superman: The Animated Series. Season 1. Episode 12 (airdate). Episode 12 (production). Kids WB!.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Fogel, Rich (writer) & Riba, Dan (director) (February 14, 1998). "Apokolips... Now!, Part II". Superman: The Animated Series. Season 2. Episode 26 (airdate). Episode 35 (production). Kids WB!.
- ↑ Dini, Paul, Fogel, Rich (writers) & Riba, Dan (director)). (February 12, 2000). "Legacy, Part II". Superman: The Animated Series. Season 4. Episode 3 (airdate). Episode 50 (production). Kids WB!.