Joseph Rigger was the original Firebug
History[]
Firebug first appeared in Batman #318 (December 1979). Joe Rigger was a soldier and demolitions expert who returned to Gotham City when his family had been killed in three separate building-related accidents. His sanity slipping, Rigger vowed that those buildings would not kill again. Using his military training and a costume containing tanks of napalm, he became the Firebug and set out to burn all three buildings to the ground. He was defeated by the Batman atop the towering Gotham State Building, and believed dead after his tank exploded. Firebug reappeared some time later, taking on a mission from the Calculator to invade Hero Hotline's HQ, but was disarmed and defeated by the Hotline members. Still later, Firebug escaped Blackgate Prison and applied for membership in Black Mask's gang, but was beaten by his rival arsonist, Firefly. He subsequently attempted to prove he was a better arsonist, and again appeared to be killed by his own inferno. He was later revealed to have survived. His close brush with death along with the scarring it caused prompted him to sell his Firebug costume and gear to Harlan Combs (Firebug 2).
Powers and Abilities[]
Joe Rigger possessed military training, and his Firebug costume contained tanks of napalm to set things on fire.
Background Information and Notes[]
Firebug's 1979 fire-based persona and obsession with arson actually predates the modern characterization of Firefly, which debuted in 1993, with Detective Comics #661. Chuck Dixon and Graham Nolan seem to have originated military gear and protective suit concept, which has since been applied to Firebug.
In other media[]
Firebug as he appears in the game.
- Firebug was the second-to-last boss, preceding the Joker, in the NES' Batman loosely movie-based Batman game. He, Killer Moth, and The Electrocutioner are super-villains working as thugs-for-hire for the Joker. He could run at high speeds, punch rapidly, and throw giant fireballs from his hands.