Characters: Danny Boy
Real name: Daniel O'Boyle
Occupation: Lord of the Wild Hunt, Master of the Sluagh, former singer and musician
Identity: Daniel O'Boyle was reported missing years ago and is assumed to be dead.
Legal Status: Citizen of Ireland with a criminal record
Place of Birth: Cork, Ireland.
Known relatives: Ann Marie O'Boyle (mother), Devon O'Boyle (father), Lorcan O'Boyle (brother), Madeline O'Boyle (sister).
Group Affiliation: The Caustics (band), Burning Sidhe (band), Bras For Banshee (band)
Powers and Abilities: As Lord of the Wild Hunt and Master of the Sluagh, Danny Boy possesses several powerful abilities. He is superhumanly strong and seemingly impervious to most physical harm. Danny Boy is the nexus point to an abysmal shadow dimension inhabited by creatures known as the Sluagh. These creatures have been known to man since the time of the Roman Empire and been called by various names. They were once thought to be an army of the undead and always been associated with terror and death. The Sluagh fill mortals with irrational dread and mind numbing terror and prolonged contact with them induces madness. They commonly manifest as a flock of black birds and are the reason for the phrase "a murder of crows." They are why ravens are feared. However birds are not their true form and they can combine bodies to move as a single multi-eyed, multi-clawed mass of pure malevolence.
Danny Boy can produce enough Sluagh to fill a skyscraper or lift and throw a bus. He can fly by enveloping himself in a whirling flock of black birds. The Sluagh attack using teeth, claws and psychic energy; which manifests in various ways. They are powerful enough to smash metal or break through walls.
The Sluagh are weak in the light of the day but gain strength in shadow and are most powerful at night.
Daniel O'Boyle was a gifted singer and musician. He possessed a voice that was at times described as rapturous.
Brief Personal History: Daniel O'Boyle was born into a very religious and musically inclined family. However from a young age it was clear that Daniel's musical gifts outshone the rest. Even his sister, Madeline, who was a fantastic singer in her own right, paled next to him. The O'Boyle children soon became famous in their native city of Cork and their church solos became legendary affairs.
At the age of 13 Daniel became to youngest contestant allowed to enter the "Ireland's Talent Cavalcade" television competition and subsequently its youngest winner, with his stirring rendition of "Danny Boy" bringing a nation (and most of the British Isles) to tears. His finale performance was released as a single and quickly went to number 1 on the music charts. Daniel O'Boyle became a star and teen heartthrob in the United Kingdom. His debut album was a smash hit and quickly earned platinum certification. Madeline's full length album was released soon after and was hailed by critics but achieved only moderate success.
Daniel's meteoric rise, the crushing weight of his celebrity and the total and absolute loss of privacy made the next few years quite tumultuous for the teen. He suffered mood swings and was plagued by depression. The life of a star engulfed the young singer and he soon became known for hard partying, drug use, sex scandals and brushes with the law. His look changed and he developed a preference for tattoos, piercings and wild hair. The only person who could calm him down was his sister Madeline.
Daniel's sophomore album was a near-career ending disaster. His new rebellious persona and nihilism themed songs were totally rejected by his fans. Daniel then experimented with a series of bands, slipping further and further from public favor. He developed gambling and heroin addictions and was in and out of rehab, finding himself in debt to some very dangerous people.
Madeline's second album, an album where she chronicled some of the pain she felt regarding her brother's slide into addiction, earned her Critics Choice Awards and her first gold album and single.
In an effort to help turn Daniel's life and career around, Madeline suggested that they collaborate on a new album. Daniel reluctantly agreed and struggled with sobriety during the writing and recording process. Madeline's manager moved the siblings' studio to a secluded countryside cabin and video recoded many of the recording sessions. A heart wrenching video of the brother and sister baring their emotions on a beautifully harmonized, acapella version of "Danny Boy" went viral globally. The next year, the success of the duo's album saw them preparing for their first world tour.
On the night before they left for the tour, some of Daniel's creditors sent "collectors" to the cabin. In the ensuing confrontation, Daniel was injected with a hodgepodge of drugs and Madeline was stabbed in the leg. The siblings escaped into the dark with pursuers tracking them by the light of the moon. Soon the injured duo could run no further and collapsed in a field ... awaiting whatever fate came.
Fate however had brought them to a very pivotal moment in time. The O'Boyle's had stumbled onto the site of a clash of unearthly entities. They watched horrified as myth came to life before their eyes. Balor -- a giant cyclopean creature and leader of the Fomoire -- nightmare creatures from Irish mythology, was leading his army in brutal battle against the Lord of the Sluagh (also known as the Wild Hunt).
The two eldritch armies destroyed the O'Boyle's pursuers without even noticing. All through the night giant monsters and shifting, screeching, void-black creatures pummeled and slashed and tore at each other -- twisting the very fabric of reality before the O'Boyle's eyes. The duo managed to hide underneath an outcropping of rock while the battle raged. As dawn approached, Balor's forces pushed into the very heart of the Sluagh, forcing their master to seek refuge in the nearest living being. Madeline, seeing the Lord of the Sluagh approaching, threw herself across her brother to shield him –and the creature entered them both as the sun rose and all the combatants of the terrible battle vanished.
All day the O'Boyle's lay dead to the world. When night fell something rose from the ground that was no longer Daniel O'Boyle. The creature tenderly cradled the unconscious Madeline and then, borne on the wings of an unimaginable flock of eldritch black birds, flew her to the nearest hospital. The terrible screeching of the Sluagh coupled with the strains of angelic voices singing "Danny Boy" could be heard through the entire city of Cork. Madeline O'Boyle was admitted to the hospital in a catatonic state.
None of the bookies who dispatched men to the O'Boyle's cabin survived the night.
Nights in Cork became much darker over the following weeks as the creature could be seen on rooftops near the hospital, surrounded always by the terror inducing Sluagh, filling the air with ominous song.
The creature's mournful vigil might have continued had Balor and his army not attacked the city of Cork itself. The attack warranted a response from Britain's superhuman agency T.R.A.F.A.L.G.A.R. (who'd been tracking Balor for some time), who found the invading monsters almost more than their agents were able to handle. When the creature entered the fray, T.R.A.F.A.L.G.A.R. member Baskerville telepathically scanned its thoughts and discovered the mind of Daniel O'Boyle ... and a sliver of the consciousness of Madeline O' Boyle. She also sensed an immense darkness, a caged hunger, wanting to be loosed.
Once Balor was defeated and the city saved, Baskerville discovered the truth about the O'Boyle's but promised her silence to the creature she now called "Danny Boy, Lord of the Wild Hunt."
While Danny Boy can normally found on the nighttime rooftops of Cork, he was last seen in Dublin battling the Sons of Mordred, who were attempting to awaken the master of the Sluagh trapped within him.
Written by Damion Gonzales
Character design by Sean Isaakse