Grifter
Grifter (Cole Cash) is an Image Comics character from Wildstorm Universe, first appearing in WildC.A.T.s: Covert Action Teams Vol 1 1, created by Jim Lee; Brandon Choi.
Overview
Grifter is the costumed identity of Cole Cash, a con man, gambler and mercenary who became one of the most popular characters of the Wildstorm Universe. Created by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi, he debuted in WildC.A.T.s: Covert Action Teams #1 and served as the wisecracking human element on a team dominated by aliens and superhumans. Recognizable by his fringed leather coat, bandanna mask and pair of automatic pistols, he has also gone by the name Deadeye.
Powers & Abilities
Cash is a latent gen-active human whose psionic potential — largely dormant or unstable — occasionally manifests as telekinetic or mental abilities. His real strengths are mundane but formidable: elite military training, hand-to-hand combat skill, and marksmanship that makes him one of the deadliest gunfighters in his world. He is also a practiced grifter and card sharp, relying on deception, improvisation and a bottomless supply of sarcasm as much as firepower.
History
Born in Los Angeles, Cash served in the covert military unit Team 7, where exposure to the Gen-Factor awakened latent psionic abilities in its members and left many of them broken or hunted. He later drifted into mercenary work and petty scams before being recruited into the WildC.A.T.s, joining their war against the alien Daemonites. Across subsequent Wildstorm eras and his later integration into the DC Universe, he continued to operate as a freelance troubleshooter, frequently entangled in conspiracies involving intelligence agencies and hidden alien influence.
Family & Relationships
His mother was Sylvia Del Gracci, and his complicated family tree includes brothers and stepbrothers such as Max Cash, Sam and Peter Del Gracci, and the ancestor Frank Cash. Max, in particular, has functioned as both kin and antagonist over the years. Cash's most significant personal relationship is with the Kherubim warrior Zealot, who trained him in the Coda fighting arts and remained an on-and-off lover and ally.
Teams & Affiliations
Grifter is best known as a founding member of the WildC.A.T.s. He was previously part of the black-ops squad Team 7 and worked in connection with International Operations (I.O.), the covert agency that oversaw it.
Notable Facts
His real name, Cole Cash, is a nod to his career as a card player and confidence man. Widely considered the breakout character of the early Image Comics Wildstorm line, he headlined his own solo series and later received a new title when Wildstorm characters were folded into the DC Universe with the New 52. He is often cited as an example of the "ordinary guy with guns" archetype holding his own alongside gods and aliens.
Overview written by Waypoint (AI-generated).
- Real name
- Cole Cash
- Reality
- Wildstorm Universe
- Gender
- Male
- Identity
- Secret
- Citizenship
- American
- Place of birth
- Los Angeles, California, USA
- First appearance
- WildC.A.T.s: Covert Action Teams Vol 1 1
- Creators
- Jim Lee; Brandon Choi
- Also known as
- Deadeye
- Occupation
- Adventurer, Mercenary, former Soldier, Intelligence Agent
- Affiliations
- WildC.A.T.s, formerly Team 7, I.O.
- Relatives
- Sylvia Del Gracci (mother, deceased), Win Cash, Sam Del Gracci, Max Cash (brother, Tazy Del Gracci, Peter Del Gracci (stepbrother, Frank Cash (great-grandfather
Full details at Image Comics Database (Fandom) → · CC BY-SA. Facts + summary by Waypoint.