Darkman (real name Peyton Westlake) is a title character and the protagonist of the 1990 superhero film Darkman and its sequels, Darkman II: The Return of Durant and Darkman III: Die Darkman Die. The character originated in a short story written by the film's director, Sam Raimi, titled "The Darkman," and is based on the Universal Pictures' movie monsters while retaining traits of the DC Comics WWII disfigured hero the Unknown Soldier. He was portrayed by Liam Neeson in the original film and Arnold Vosloo in the sequels.

Biography

In the third film and the un-aired television pilot, his biography is slightly retconned, but the character's canonical history is as such: Peyton Westlake was a mild-mannered and brilliant scientist working on a synthetic "skin" capable of aiding burn victims. He had a good relationship with district attorney Julie Hastings, who indirectly caused his injuries by telling corrupt developer Louis Strack, Jr. that he could not build his "city of the future" without a permission document from Westlake's laboratory. At this, Strack hired sadistic mobster Robert G. Durant to get the document and in the process, Durant and his gang brutally disfigured Westlake, killed his assistant and destroyed his lab.

Julie believed he was dead and a funeral was held, but Westlake's hideous body was placed in a clinic that was used for various experiments to sever Westlake's pain receptors and enhance his strength. The experiments, however, affected Westlake's mental stability and he became an impulsive, bipolar, sarcastic, and violent man. Westlake escaped the clinic and sought refuge in an abandoned building in the film's city. He hid his grotesque appearance with bandages and a trenchcoat and used his synthetic skin, which only lasts 99 minutes in light. He managed to rebuild a relationship with Julie, claiming he survived his "accident" and was constantly fleeing so that she does not see his true face. As "Darkman", he begins ruining Durant's illegal activities by framing his gang so Durant kills his own men, including his possible implied lover. After discovering the culprit is Darkman, Durant attempts to kill him from a helicopter using a grenade launcher. Darkman manages to defeat his archenemy by literally clinging to the helicopter and using his strength to pull it into a tunnel and explode the chopper. Darkman gratifyingly yells "Burn in Hell!".

After this, Darkman poses as Durant in order to infiltrate Strack's new skyscraper, which was the reason the developer hired Durant in the first place. Strack suspects Darkman will come after him and takes Julie hostage. Strack also taunts Darkman by calling him a "monster" and after a battle atop the skyscraper, Darkman nonchalantly flings Strack to his death, realizing that vengeance and rage cannot satisfy his sorrow. He also decides that he can never be with Julie because of his disfigurement and promptly abandons her, vowing to become a vigilante and bringer of justice.

After a year of crimefighting, Darkman is shocked to discover that Durant is alive and back in town and that he must again battle his archenemy and avenge a scientist named Brinkman, who he managed to partner with in order to work at perfecting his synthetic skin so he may lead a normal life. After defeating Durant, Darkman found a new enemy in drug lord Peter Rooker, who proved to be his most powerful adversary after going through a process that makes his strength equal to Darkman's. Darkman managed to bring down Rooker by posing as him but felt conflicted as he fell in love with Rooker's wife and children, who he had to abandon as well to resume his life as a vigilante. Beforehand, however, he finally manages to perfect his synthetic skin, but uses the only sample to heal Rooker's daughter.