| “ | My own father abandoned me, and uh- it put me on a bad path I think. I don't want my daughter going through life thinking I abandoned her. I want her to know that I love her, that's all. I want her to know that I love her. | ” |
Steven "Steve" Sharpe is a character in The CW and DC Universe series, Stargirl.
Steven was the cool fronted yet confident supervillain known as The Gambler, who became a member of the Injustice Society of America as they worked to complete Jordan's dream of Project New America. Through this mission, Steven was placed in the CFO position at The American Dream in Blue Valley, Nebraska. He had an off-putting reputation among his employees as he deeply hated everyone's suggestions.
When Project: New America came to a head, he went to toe-to-toe with the new Dr. Mid-Nite. During this exchange, she distracted him by draining all his assets to leave him penniless. When the ISA's mission failed, Steven deleted his computer's file systems and disappeared into the night with his cat. He returned to Blue Valley looking for redemption to become a worthy father for the daughter he just learned about, but was murdered before he could accomplish his goal.
Steven was an associate of the No Limit Gang, member of the Injustice Society of America until their defeat, and the former CFO of The American Dream.
Biography[]
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Steven Sharpe was born in the Southern states, where his greed led him to become the costumed supervillain, The Gambler. He partook in petty theft, robberies, money laundering, and a slew of other financial crimes. His technological prowess, coupled with his gun-slinging, made him an elusive enemy to many, including the Justice Society of America. Steven became the arch-nemesis of JSA leader Dr. Mid-Nite, and they frequently battled using their technological skills.
Steven became associated with the No Limit Gang. He was also approached by Jordan Mahkent to join his team, the Injustice Society of America. Jordan dreamed of making a better world for everyone, though his diabolical ways made him anything but a martyr. Steven joined the group and on Christmas Eve 2010, The Gambler fought alongside the Injustice Society of America in a battle against the JSA. They successfully defeated the JSA.
After the battle, the ISA put their plan in motion and relocated to Blue Valley, Nebraska. Steven became the CFO of Jordan's million-dollar company The American Dream. Together, they helped build Blue Valley into the town it is today, while secretly plotting Project New America.
Series[]
Season 1[]
Ten years ago, on Christmas Eve, a top-hat wearing costumed villain fought alongside his fellow group members against their heroic costumed foes. This man, known as The Gambler, attempts to attack Starman but is easily and swiftly knocked aside by the Cosmic Staff.and is incapacited for the rest of the fight. In the present day, a woman is giving Barbara Whitmore a tour of The American Dream and points out their CFO, Steve Sharpe. Steve is speaking with Blue Valley councilman, William Zarick, opposite the balcony.[1]
At The American Dream, the CFO, Mr. Sharpe, is conducting an open session on their next philanthropic event, but no one has anything to add except Barbara. She starts that Blue Valley has more restaurants than ever before and presents a community test. Sharpe shoots it down fast, looking around for more ideas. Barbara raises her hand again, this time calling for a farmer's volunteer program but the idea is dismissed by Sharpe as silly. He smirks saying he'll come up with one and dismisses the meeting. As everyone is heading out, Barbara is assured by a coworker that Sharpe tends to be tough.
That night, after Henry King Sr. was rendered comatose, Steve goes to the ISA's secret headquarters under The American Dream. He is met by Jordan Mahkent, who is the leader of the ISA. arriving at the main ISA headquarters table, meeting Steve Sharpe. Steve shows Jordan the footage of the new bespectacled hero who defeated Brainwave, remarking on their resemblance to their former foe, Starman. Steve asks what they should do, prompting Jordan to say that killed one Starman, and will kill another. Steve watches as Jordan's breath condenses, and the screen before them begins to freeze over.[2]
The next day, at The American Dream, Jordan introduces himself as the CEO with Steve standing to his right. Steve claps enthusiastically when Jordan introduces himself. Jordan restates his promise to a past loved one about making America a safer place for their children. A child of immigrants, he's traveled across the country and seen people in need in forgotten communities. He's met with applause, and Steve adds that they'll continue the revitalization of downtown. As he points out addresses, Barbara makes a noise that catches Jordan's attention. He spurs her to speak, and Barbara, stepping forward, tells him it used to be a community theater where residents would put on plays. Steve informs her it's been operating at a loss for years. Dejected, she turns away, but Jordan tells her it's a good idea. Steve protests but Jordan tells Steve to make it happen. Steve is displeased by this turn of events.[3]
In the days that followed, Steve arranges for a truck to come to Blue Valley with a satellite that he needs for unknown means. Steve waits in a movie theater with popcorn when a man arrives. The man gives Steve the schedule, route, and blueprints for the truck and satellite. Steve thanks him, but the man asks for his money. He complies and comments it should help with those pesky alimony checks. He tosses him an imported chocolate coin from France as a tip. The man leaves and Steve chuckles as he goes and smiles wickedly, continuing to eat popcorn.
Days later, outside of Blue Valley, a truck is making its way across the road but is stopped by a BVHS bus blocking the road. The truckers stop and exit the truck to investigate, and are met by a woman playing the violin. In a motel room, the body of the delivery man from earlier is revealed, a bitten chocolate coin on the table. The woman with the truckers reveals herself as Principal Bowin, who enchants one of the men with her violin. His partner asks what he's doing as the music escalates several pitches. Steve appears, telling him his will is stronger than his friend. He remarks it's too bad for the trucker. Seconds later, a derringer pistol appears from under his suit sleeve as he shoots the trucker dead.[4]
The next school day, Beth's goggles alert her that someone is trying to hack into Empire Enterprise, a communications company. Chuck identifies the hacker as The Gambler, a member of the Injustice Society, and his arch-nemesis. He remarks that Gambler is still using the same predictable coding and remarks on his lack of imagination, but explains that Gambler is wanted for murder, fraud, and forgery in several countries. The JSA decides to go after Gambler, as he seems like the easiest target out of the ISA. While the conversation is being had, Gambler is inside Empire Enterprises surrounded by several computer monitors that each have something different on them.
As he works on the complex coding that is the Empire Enterprises system, he begins humming and chair-dancing to Timber by Ke$ha. He is interrupted by the sound of commotion outside the door and stops the music to stand behind the door, drawing his pistol as he waits. When he burst into the hallway, he sees a cat, Juniper on a drink cart knocking over glasses and bottles. Steve comments on the cat being mischievous and then pets him, before returning to his work. He tells Tigress and Sportsmaster that he is almost finished with the coding but just needs a few more minutes. They buy him time by attacking the JSA that have broken into the building.
That night, Steve is present at an Injustice Society of America meeting in their headquarters. He tells Jordan that he was successful in obtaining the information they needed.[5]
The next morning, Pat builds a training exercise for the JSA, which includes homemade figurines of each ISA member. Gambler's figurine is present, wearing a pink top-hat and a makeshift white goatee paired with a white scarf.
Across town, Steven attends an ISA meeting at their headquarters. He is annoyed by Larry Crock's play-by-play of the events that happened last night. He tells Jordan that the night wasn't a complete waste, as he managed to get what they needed. He is quiet as the ISA tries to agree on a plan of action for the new JSA.
At The Pit Stop, Pat explains The Gambler's past to the JSA, pointing his figurine out to the teens. He warns them not to overlook The Gambler because of his robust form and Southern charm. He's one of the world's most dangerous killers and an expert hacker. As he explains Gambler's past, flashbacks of Gambler hacking the night before at Empire Enterprises are seen. Courtney chimes in that they know who he is, as they met him the night before.[6]
Steve is present at another ISA meeting and, like his teammates, seems uncomfortable with Dr. Ito's presence. This could be why he remains quiet during Dr. Ito's explanation of Project New America. He seems rather unimpressed with the doctor's presentation. Steven merely lounges in his chair as he waits for the meeting to end. Despite his unimpressed expression, he is also attentive to the meeting and logistics. Jordan mentions that Steven will be able to hack into the satellite to activate it, which will allow Brainwave to start the mental reprogramming process.[7] In the days that followed, Jordan's suspicions of Barbara escalate as he learns that Stargirl is her daughter, and he decides to snoop on her work computer. He calls Steven for help in logging into her computer and restoring her deleted browser history.[8]
The Gambler plans to initiate a massive communications blackout, using Russia as a proxy. The intent is to make it appear as an external attack so that by the time the government realizes the source is domestic, it will be too late.
When Beth hacks into the network, she discovers the ISA's plans, which they call the "New Constitution." The ISA manifesto surprisingly includes goals like eliminating global warming, embracing renewable energy, reducing discrimination, and universal healthcare. However, Beth then learns these goals only affect adults with developed minds, and that 25% of the population is expected to resist the reprogramming, resulting in their deaths.
Steve Sharpe, the Gambler, suddenly speaks to Beth over the hacked telecom system. He confirms Beth's understanding of the reprogramming plan, estimating that 25 million people may die. When Beth introduces herself as Dr. Mid-Nite, the Gambler laughs, revealing that the broadcast has already started, giving Brainwave 30 minutes to complete the reprogramming.[9]
After the synaptic transmitter activates, adults across town, including teachers, freeze in place under Brainwave's control. In the ISA HQ, Steve Sharpe informs Beth that Barbara's reprogramming will be finished in 30 minutes, warning her about potential fatal outcomes for some, just as a teacher collapses. When Beth realizes the JSA's communication issues are gone because of the signal blockers being turned off, she and Chuck hack into Steve's financial systems, draining his accounts to distract him long enough to activate signal blockers. Steve, furious, warns Jordan that the JSA is in the tunnels, prompting Jordan to gather the villains for a final showdown.
After all the other ISA members are defeated, Steve alone manages to escape.[10]
Season 3[]
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Steve Sharpe strolls into Blue Valley, picking up litter and greeting happy citizens on his way. He knocks on the Whitmore-Dugan House's front door, greeting his former enemies Pat and Courtney with a charming smile. He's come to talk and also brought their mail. The trio sits in the living room as they discuss why Steve is back. He assures them he isn't here for trouble. He wants to follow the example that others in his ilk have set forth. Pat calmly breaks the news that Steve isn't given the chances that others are, as he didn't help them defeat Eclipso. Instead, he ran from everyone and went into hiding. Steve heard about that, but has a change of heart now. He found a birth certificate for a daughter he never knew he had, as her mother put her up for adoption. He wants to be better for Becky. He has no delusions of being a role model like Pat, but he can apologize to those he's wronged and become a productive member of the community. If his daughter ever wants a relationship with him, he'll be worthy. This matters to him because his father abandoned him, and he doesn't want his daughter to go through life thinking he abandoned her. He wants her to know he loves her.
The next stop on his apology tour is Richard Swift, who is not enjoying a cup of tea at Richie Rock's Diner. Steve wants to have a parlay of sorts, starting off by complimenting Richard's sense of style. Richard is unamused and pointedly ask what he wants. Steve wants to change for the daughter he's just learned he has. Richard believes he has no daughter, just as he has no scruples. He's not fooling anyone and should leave Blue Valley before Courtney Whitmore and the others find out whatever it is he's really up to. Steve assures him that his daughter is very real, and he's simply come to extend an apology for their past disagreements. When Richard left the ISA, Steve drained all his bank accounts which was displeasing. Richard lowers his face and when he looks back, his eyes are pure black. He warns him to go. Steve quickly agrees to leave, hopes Richard finds a good cup of tea, and exits the diner.
He goes back to his trailer where he's staying at Cornhusker Estate Trailer Park. He gazes at a photograph of a baby girl, his long-lost daughter Becky. He begins a nationwide search for her on his laptop. As the search renders, he hears commotion outside. He opens his suitcase, moves his clothing aside to reveal his pistol underneath them. He takes it outside to see the intruder. Nothing is out of order, so he goes back inside his trailer. He pauses before dropping the pistol in the trash can. Steve takes a seat and begins to write a letter to Becky, apologizing for the years lost, not being there for her, and wishes he could offer an explanation for his past errant ways.
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Steve gets an alert on his laptop from his search for Becky. He starts looking until an alert module appears for an unidentified feed discovered. He looks into out of confusion, finding nine camera feeds - the BVHS cafeteria, Chapel Residence, Whitmore-Dugan House, Barbara's office at The American Dream, the meeting room of The American Dream, Main Street, exterior of Richie Rock's Diner, exterior of The Pit Stop, and the Sharpe trailer. He shakily stands and retrieves his pistol from the trash. He goes outside to investigate, finding the camera in a tree. He tries to dislodge it when a loud sound breaks out. The security camera cuts out. The JSA arrives looking to interrogate Steve about the No Limit Gang being in Blue Valley. They hear a gunshot and rush to the scene, where they find Shiv kneeling beside Steve's dead body, holding his smoking gun.[11]
Twelve hours before his murder, Steven arrives at Cornhusker Estate Trailer Park, walking into his brand new trailer. He sets his briefcase down on the table, unlocks it, and takes out a photo of Becky. He smiles proudly at the photo, then proceeds to unpack the rest of his belongings, while dancing to his music. He irons his clothing and hangs them in a pristine line in the closet, then puts his laptop on the table. He picks up his gun from his luggage, just as he hears a car speed away from the trailer park, unseen. Steven comes out to investigate the noise but finds nothing. He returns to his trailer as a suited figure watches him from afar. Steve looks at his gun then the picture of Becky and back again. He drops the gun into the trash can. His trailer door opens and Richard Swift enters.
The night of his murder, the JSA huddle around his body as Shiv professes her innocence. She found him like this, picked up the gun, and it went off. Stargirl kneels by the corpse and finds the letter addressed to Becky in his jacket pocket. The team, minus Shiv, regroups at The Pit Stop where they debrief; Gambler wasn't shot as the goggles didn't find a hole, the trailer was twisted like a pretzel so the killer had to be strong, and Gambler's laptop is missing. Courtney and Pat think whoever has the laptop is the killer.
In the morning, Pat and Sylvester track down Richard to ask him where he was the night of Gambler's murder. Richard saw him in this very booth, where they had a rather unpleasant exchange. Later on, he thought better of it, so he went to see him. In a flashback, Richard stands in Sharpe's trailer. He's willing to let the past go. To someone like him, the past is everything. Sharpe would be eternally grateful if they could reset the backgammon board. Richard nods - this is a time of new beginnings for everyone. Sylvester doesn't believe that's how things went. In a flashback to his version of events, Richard plainly says he's going to kill him. Then, Sharpe cowers in fear as he holds his hands out in defense, quivering meekly. In the present, Richard looks at them in disgust, wanting to be credited with a little subtlety. Sylvester and Courtney visit Richard at his house that afternoon, in an ill-fated attempt for Sylvester to apologize. After a fight, Richard provides his alibi of being with Maria at Richie's, teaching her the art of tea brewing.[12]
As the JSA investigates Steve's murder, they learn he was blackmailing Larry Crock and Paula Brooks. He leveraged ISA crimes they weren't involved in, threatening to go public if they didn't pay him off. However, when Steve returned to Blue Valley, he not only returned all the funds, but stopped blackmailing the couple.[13] Ultra-Humanite, posing in the body of Sylvester Pemberton, is attacked outside Gambler's trailer. The puncture wound he suffers is similar to Gambler's fatal wound through the heart.[14]
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Becky reads Steven's letter
Courtney learns that Gambler was killed for finding the surveillance cameras hidden around Blue Valley. The cameras had been placed by Jordan Mahkent[15], who worked with Ultra-Humanite and Shiro Ito[16] to accomplish their larger plans of making a "better" America. They ultimately fought in the Battle of Blue Valley, and were defeated by the JSA. Courtney upholds her promise to deliver Steven's letter to his daughter, Rebecca Sharpe.[17]
Personality[]
| “ | Let's talk about some of our, uh, more eccentric opponents. Like the Gambler. Don't let his rotund form and southern-fried charm fool you. He's one of the most cunning and nefarious criminal masterminds in the world. | ” |
— Pat Dugan in "Shiv Part One"
| ||
Steve is an off-putting man who doesn't enjoy when others express their opinions, even if they have a reasonable point in the matter. He is quick to shoot down ideas that aren't his own or Icicle's, whom he sees to be on equal footing as him, and has a very egocentric yet cut-off personality. He also seems to have a dark sense of humor, casually handing a poisoned chocolate coin as a "bonus" to an associate with a smile on his face. According to Dr. Mid-Nite's Goggles AI, the Gambler has inadequate imagination making his personal programming style easily recognizable by those familiar with it.
He is also very Greedy, as Chuck considers the money the thing that Sharpe loves most, during the final confrontation between the ISA and JSA, losing his money was the perfect distraction to lose his focus on helping Brainwave in accomplish the Project New America. Despite his evil personality, The Gambler has a soft spot for cats, as shown whenever he is hacking and a kitten is seen being petted by him.
After learning of his daughter Steven had a change of heart and decided to become a better person, becoming helpful, considerate and an overall nicer person giving the money back to everyone he blackmailed and wanted to prove himself to the heroes that he has truly changed. However after his death many of the American dream employees had mixed emotions of his death, proving he was not well liked before.
Physical Appearance[]
Steve is an average-sized, middle-aged man, with grey hair and a white beard and mustache. Typically, he's seen in a variety of outfits, mainly suits with an open collar, ascot, and pocket square.
His Gambler outfit consisted of a purple suit, with matching pants and a wide-brimmed hat, seemingly inspired by early Southern gentlemen.
Abilities[]
| “ | Chuck's main adversary. He's known as the Gambler. He's a master strategist. A genius when it comes to probabilities. A programming whiz. Encrypted networks are his thing. Real Dark Web stuff. He's wanted for fraud, conspiracy, and murder. | ” |
— Beth Chapel in "The Justice Society"
| ||
- Genius-Level Intellect: As stated by Dr. Mid-Nite the Gambler himself doesn't have any known superhuman abilities but is a master hacker and strategist, able to easily compete with Dr. Mid-Nite, a genius inventor and doctor in his own right.
- Master Hacker: The Gambler's main skill is his hacking ability, shown to easily access classified information remotely from afar, with some privies of course stationed at the source target, and go virtually undetected, save for Dr. Mid-Nite's glasses which are familiar with Sharpe's digital fingerprint. His skill is so great he's able to engage and multitask in multiple acts of online gambling, including solitaire, while also performing complex coding with relative ease and was implied that he regularly encrypts and maintains software algorithms and technological programming for the ISA's strategic advantage. He was later even able to hack Dr. Mid-Nite's goggles despite their security measures and could contend with its own hacking ability, building up firewalls in record time quickly enough to prevent the goggles from interfacing with his own technologically-controlled security systems.
- Vast Wealth: Prior to Mid-Night's hacking, The Gambler was shown to be extremely wealthy thanks in part to his various dealings and gambling endeavors; when Chuck showed to Beth Steve's multiple bank account balances, they were seen to be at single-digit millions. It's heavily implied he handles much of the financial backing of the Injustice Society and acquire whatever purchasable materials the Injustice Society required.
Gambler's sleeve pistol
- Marksman: As his personal choice of weapon, Steve carries a derringer in a spring loaded holster concealed in his right sleeve which he employs for either self-defense or to eliminate targets with from up-close. However, because he generally implements this weapon at point-blank range, Steve's skill in regards to legitimate marksmanship is raised into question. He used his sleeve gun to execute a truck driver subdued by the second Fiddler.
Equipment[]
- Gambler Suit: Steve wore this suit as his alter-ego, the Gambler.
- Remington 1866: He hides an ornate-looking and gilded derringer pistol under his right sleeve; he has a mechanism mounted on the forearm that allows him to launch it forth, from and through the sleeves' opening, and into his waiting hand at command.
Appearances[]
- His appearance in "Chapter Eight: Infinity Inc. Part Two" was an illusion in The Shadowlands.
| Stargirl | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★ | ★ | |||
| Season 2 | M | ||||||||||||
| Season 3 | ★ | ★ | M | ★ | M | M | ★ | M | M | M | M |
Notes and Trivia[]
- The Gambler is wanted for fraud, conspiracy, and murder.
- His technological skills made him the arch-nemesis of Golden Age JSA member, Dr. Mid-Nite, in spite of his comic book counterpart being a Green Lantern villain.
- While he was hacking into the Empire Enterprises server, he was participating in online gambling.
- He has a soft spot for cats.
- Beth and Charles are one of the few people who are able to outsmart Steven.
- As of Season 2, The Gambler is the only member of the ISA to avoid capture or defeat.
- Despite being credited as 'Steve Sharpe', he has never been referred to by this nickname.
- The Gambler is the only member of the ISA to not make any sort of appearance in season 2 as the deceased members appear as hallucinations at some point throughout the season.
- Sharpe's willingness to be a father to his daughter, Becky despite not knowing her is a foil to Courtney's biological father, Sam abandoning his daughter and only using her to get what he wanted.
- Sharpe was the richest member of the ISA possessing a minimum of at least two billion dollars, with only the likes of the Shade being on par with his wealth.
- He was killed by Dr. Shiro Ito/Dragon King at the behest of Jordan Mahkent/Icicle after the Gambler discovered the cameras that Icicle, Dragon King, and Ultra-Humanite set up to spy on the JSA.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ "Stargirl"
- ↑ "S.T.R.I.P.E."
- ↑ "Icicle"
- ↑ "Hourman and Dr. Mid-Nite"
- ↑ "The Justice Society"
- ↑ "Shiv Part One"
- ↑ "Brainwave"
- ↑ "Shining Knight"
- ↑ "Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. Part One"
- ↑ "Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. Part Two"
- ↑ "Chapter One: The Murder"
- ↑ "Chapter Two: The Suspects"
- ↑ "Chapter Three: The Blackmail"
- ↑ "Chapter Four: The Evidence"
- ↑ "Chapter Ten: The Killer"
- ↑ "Chapter Twelve: The Last Will and Testament of Sylvester Pemberton"
- ↑ "Chapter Thirteen: The Reckoning"