El Dorado (real name Eduardo "Ed" Dorado Jr. ) is the son of Eduardo Dorado Sr.. He was abducted and given meta-powers by the Reach. In 2018, he served as a counselor for meta-humans before he became a member of the Outsiders.
Ed is a teenage Argentine boy with olive skin, messy black hair and brown eyes. He wears a gray shirt with a stylized sun on it, baggy grayish-green pants with multiple zippers and pouches, a maroon vest, a yellow scarf and orange-red strap-on boots with white laces.[5]
History[]
Early life[]
Eduardo was raised by his grandfather in Argentina while his father worked in the United States. Hoping to improve his relationship with his father, Eduardo ran away. However, he was abducted by agents of the Light.[2]
Ed was sedated and flown to Bialya, where Queen Bee gathered strays and runaways for the Partner. He was part of a shipment that arrived after the Team had already departed.[6]
For a little under a week, Ed was experimented upon in the Reach base in the western Pacific. They wanted to see if his Meta-Gene could be triggered.
When the Team infiltrated the base, Robin, Batgirl and Bumblebee liberated the kids and brought them back to the Bio-Ship. Ed made it safely aboard the ship, but several heroes and one abductee were trapped on the ship, temporarily delaying their escape. They eventually managed to get all their people aboard, and set off.[5]
At STAR Labs, Ed argued with his father about the testing he and his friends were put through. His father said he wanted to prove his theory that the Meta-Gene was opportunistic but Ed said he only wanted a cure. Eduardo Dorado Sr. said his son only had himself to blame for his abduction by the Reach. Ed replied that wanting to be with his father was a mistake and he left his father's office. There, he found the other abducted teens were waiting in the hallway. Virgil Hawkins told them they were going to bust out that night.
After testing ended for the day, Nathaniel Tyron told the others they were making a mistake, but Ed and the others disagreed, prompting Neut to sound the alarm. Ed and the others headed for a fire exit but found it locked. Virgil suggested Ed could use his teleportation powers but Ed reminded him he could only teleport himself and along sight lines. When several STAR guards confronted the teens, Ed used his teleportation powers to distract them, allowing Asami Koizumi and Virgil to take them down. The power then went out and Sam found the door unlocked, allowing their escape.
They headed to the bus station, and as they waited there, Sam grabbed Ed and pulled him toward the window, where the STAR guards were approaching. As Virgil went to wake up Tye Longshadow, Tye suddenly manifested a large astral form, broke through the roof, grabbed Ed, Virgil and Sam and ran off with them into the woodlands. There, Blue Beetle caught up with them, saying they needed to return to STAR. The four refused, but Beetle revealed himself as Jaime Reyes and explained to them about the Scarab. He then suggested an alternative: They could meet with Green Beetle, who might be able to help them.
As the four headed down a road, Jaime took a phone call from Nightwing. The others were able to hear the conversation given the excessive volume Jaime had his phone set, learning that Red Volcano was attacking STAR Labs. Beetle told the others to wait until he returned, but after he flew off, Ed said he was worried about his father. Tye said he thought Ed hated his father, but Ed said he only felt that way sometimes. Virgil said he understood and would go back with Ed, and Tye and Sam agreed to join them.
When the four returned to STAR Labs, they watched as Volcano trapped Beetle in a sinkhole. Ed wondered how any of them could help Beetle with their powers but Tye said he would handle it. Ed went inside with the others, where he rescued his father from Volcano, touching his father and managing to teleport both of them to safety. Eduardo Sr. was surprised his son teleported them both and Ed said he was motivated.
After Beetle's attack on Volcano threatened to destroy the STAR building, Virgil told the others they needed to get everybody out. Ed guided Neut and several guards to an exit. Neut thanked him for coming back and Ed told him it was temporary. After the four had cleared the building, Volcano trapped them in fists of earth and told Beetle to stand down, but Beetle pressed his assault. The four were forced to free themselves and Ed angrily told Tye that Jaime had been willing to sacrifice them, to which Tye had no answer.
After Beetle defeated Volcano, he ordered the others to come with him to visit Green Beetle. When several reporters showed up to talk to Beetle, Ed and the others took the opportunity to slip away.[2]
They returned to the bus station, where Lex Luthor met with them. When Ed brought up that Lex had been working with the Reach on a line of drinks, Lex replied he suspected he was being used, a feeling the four teens could relate to, and that he had the resources to protect them and the ability to let them control their destinies.[2]
Ed and the other runaways destroyed various items related to the Reach and their drink. They were contacted by Lex Luthor, who offered them the chance to deal real damage to the Reach.[9]
Taos May 29, 20:36MDT
At their safehouse, the runaways spoke with Luthor via laptop, who told them he wanted them to rescue the Team members held captive by the Reach, giving them a Fatherbox to help them accomplish the mission. Ed, Asami and Tye were initially reluctant, but were convinced they owed the Team by Virgil. Asami used the Fatherbox to open a boom tube to the Warworld.[9]
The four fell into the middle of a group of Reach soldiers. Virgil lead the others in pretending to surrender. They used it as a distraction to engineer a surprise attack and took down the soldiers. When Reach reinforcements arrived, the runaways retreated. They were ultimately able to take the soldiers down and the Fatherbox guided them to where the Team members were being held captive.
There, they found the Team members being held in stasis cells, but were confronted by Black Beetle. The runaways' efforts were ineffective, but Arsenal arrived and instructed the runaways to keep Black Beetle off balance. Arsenal released Mongul from his stasis cell and he attacked Beetle. As the two aliens battled each other, Arsenal and the runaways freed the Team members. They prepared to face a squadron of Reach soldiers that Arsenal had prevented from entering after sealing a door, but when the door was opened, they found that Nightwing, Miss Martian and Sphere had taken down the soldiers. Everyone retreated to the Bio-Ship as Mongul and Beetle continued to battle.
At the Bio-Ship, Nightwing remarked that the runaways might have a place on the Team, given their success despite little training, but after Nightwing dismissed Arsenal from the Team for putting other Team members in danger, Ed and the runaways sided with Arsenal, given that his efforts had allowed them to succeed. They offered Arsenal to join them and he accepted, then the five used the Fatherbox to return to Taos via boom tube.[9]
Taos May 30, 00:33MDT
Upon returning to the safehouse, Arsenal recognized Luthor on the laptop and told the runaways that Luthor was responsible for his missing arm and being kept on ice for many years. Arsenal deduced that Luthor had used the runaways as a distraction to allow the Light to secure the crystal key to the Warworld. After Asami tossed the Fatherbox onto the laptop and destroyed them both, Virgil declared that the group would not abide by Luthor's promises any longer.[9]
When Magnetic Field Disruptors planted by the Reach threatened the Earth, Ed joined 39 other heroes of Earth in a briefing in Metropolis. The heroes would use a computer virus provided by Lex Luthor to safely disable the devices. The heroes were paired off with another into twenty squads: one member would run interference against Beetle-tech Drones guarding the disruptors, allowing the other to get close enough to plant the virus.[10]
Ed was assigned to Alpha Squad, and worked alongside Captain Atom.[11] Within thirty minutes, all squads had succeeded in their mission.[10]
After the Invasion ended, Eduardo Dorado Jr. received an invitation to return to the Team. He declined the honor,[10]preferring to move in with his father.[11]
Ed and Neut began work as peer counselors at the Meta-Human Youth Center. They greeted new arrivals Livewire and Mist at the Center's grand opening, which was broadcast live on GBS.[14]
Ed met with Wendy, Livewire, Mist and Celia Windward at the Center. He addressed Livewire's skepticism about the inhibitor collars offered by the Center, insisting they were voluntary, but was pleased to hear Wendy had no intention of taking one.
Later, during a training session, Wendy lost control of her powers after an argument with Livewire, and began sucking all the air out of the room. Ed was able to teleport her outside. Wendy's powers stopped, but she broke down, calling herself a monster. Wendy later took a collar, much to Ed's dismay.[15]
Ed had the idea for a harvest festival at the Meta-Human Youth Center. He spent most of his time there with Bart, who had helped him set up the festival, though Bart had trouble enjoying the slow bumper cars until Ed took the controls. Ed and Gar both lamented the lack of inspiration for the metas at the Center. Soon after, everyone was disabled by a wave of nausea, followed by the arrival of what appeared to be Count Vertigo and Henchy, who abducted Perdita.
Ed and the Team pursued "Vertigo"'s helicopter, but were unable to get too close without being made dizzy by "Vertigo". Traci disconnected the helicopter's fuel line, forcing it to land.[16]
They followed the helicopter to the Pueblo, but could not find their quarry. They eventually realized they were being fooled with illusions, and Gar used the sense of smell of his bear form to track them. He led them to an unexpectedly strong and invulnerable "Henchy", until the illusion dropped, revealing him to be Devastation. Devastation leapt off and the Team pursued her to find Perdita standing over an injured Psimon-"Vertigo"-who had used his psychic power to disguise Devastation and himself. The Team realized the kidnapping had all been a ploy to lure them from the Youth Center.
They returned to the Center to find the rest of Onslaught taking the metas captive. Ed and the Team defeated Onslaught.[16]
As the new hero team put together by Beast Boy embarked on their first mission in Brooklyn, Maine, Ed showed a group at the Center a live video stream of the event.[17]
After the funeral, the trio met the Outsiders as they brought the metas they rescued in Santiago de Cuba to the Meta-Human Youth Center. Ed announced his intention to join the squad, explaining that the kids at the Center needed to see one of their own on the squad. He was readily accepted.[18]
The Outsiders and the Team worked together to thwart an attack on a UN climate summit by the Bwundan Independence Front. Ed had taken the name El Dorado, the golden one. Kid Flash was injured by an exploding bolt, but Ed saved him from the worst harm and he insisted he would be fine. They succeeded with the help of the Flash, who was called in by Lex Luthor with the intention of discrediting the Outsiders and proving his oversight of the Justice League worked.
On the way back in the Bio-Ship, the Outsiders and Team discussed how they felt set up, which Lia Briggs, a meta-human they liberated from the attackers, confirmed.[19]
The Outsiders took Lia to the Meta-Human Youth Center. Ed's father was extremely concerned after seeing the fight on the news and regretted having allowed Ed to join. After Eduardo revealed he had spoken to other parents behind Ed's back, Ed stormed out, and the rest of the team followed in solidarity.[19]
Ed was at the Premier Building for training. Before they could start, Ed's father arrived with Helena Sandsmark and Jay Garrick. Though Beast Boy had found a new mission, the three guardians refused to let their charges go. Eventually the young heroes convinced their guardians that the importance of the Outsiders' work outweighed the risks.
Later, Wonder Girl posted a picture of herself, Helena, Ed and Eduardo together on her 1K Wordsworth account.[19]
The Outsiders and Vic Stone took the Bio-Ship to the Goode World Studios lot in search of the kidnapped Halo. Vic was suspicious of a building with no web connectivity. While Ed stayed on the Bio-Ship as back-up, the squad entered the building where Vic found a cloaked alien device. They were then boom tubed into an X-Pit. Ed teleported in to try to extract them, going to Kid Flash first before Bart insisted he help Jaime. Ed was unable to teleport out, each attempt resulting in him reappearing in the Pit. After a while, Vic was able to defeat Overlord in cyberspace and send them back. Cassie quickly tied up Gretchen Goode, but Goode disappeared after Vic and Beetle destroyed the alien device, with Vic boom tubing after her.[20]
The Outsiders returned to the Premiere Building, despondent after Gretchen's apparent escape and Vic's disappearance. Two boom tubes then opened, bringing home Vic, Halo and the Team. The group celebrated the victory and inducted Vic, now Cyborg, into the Outsiders.[20]
At the Premier Building, Ed responded to the Troub-alert for a mission to deal with the Headmaster. Beast Boy did not join them, he was sleeping on the couch.
Later, the Outsiders returned to find Gar still asleep. Stargirl berated Gar, but he skulked off. Ed and Cassie shared a look of concern.[23]
Once Henchy stepped outside, Robin descended upon him. Henchy ran, but Ed corraled him, before Robin tied him up with a rope batarang. Looker then read his mind. After getting intel on his (lack of) involvement in Count Vertigo's recent escape, Ed released Henchy while Robin and Looker reported back to Wonder Girl.[26]
Powers and abilities[]
Teleportation: After being experimented on by the Reach for the Meta-Gene, Eduardo gained teleportation powers. Initially, he had the ability to instantly teleport himself effortlessly to any location within his sightline, but could only manage a passenger if sufficiently motivated. However, when he carried others with him, both he and the passenger experienced pain.[2] Over time, he overcame these limitations. By 2018, he could easily teleport another person with him and no longer required line-of-sight. He still required physical contact with the passenger, however.[15] He could teleport into an X-Pit to help his teammates, but he could not teleport back out.[20]
Ed Dorado is based on El Dorado, a minor member of the Super Friends. He was a Mexican hero who possessed a variety of powers, notably teleportation and super strength.
According to Phil Bourassa, the lead character designer for Young Justice, Eduardo's hairstyle was inspired by that of Spike Spiegel from the anime series Cowboy Bebop.[27]
According to Greg Weisman, Eduardo is gay and dating someone, but for some undisclosed reason he is not allowed to say whom.[28] The episode "Illusion of Control" and others implied that he is dating Bart Allen.[16] (See "Kid Flash>Relationships>El Dorado")