As a kid Roland Desmond lived with his brother Mark on an island near Gotham. Unlike his brother, Roland wasn't awfully bright and it didn't take him long to get a criminal track record, with convictions for robbery, petit larceny, conspiracy to commit grant theft and murder. When an experimental serum turned his brother into the hulking Blockbuster, Roland saw it as a perfect opportunity to bring his criminal activities to a new level by manipulating his brother into carrying out his criminal activities.

  Mark eventually died at the hands of Brimstone during a mission for Suicide Squad and Roland returned to a life of petty crime. However, some moths later during Invasion!, the alliance of aliens activated a gene-bomb in Earth's atmosphere, that triggered the latent meta genes in a great number of humans. Among those affected was Roland who was wracked with seizures and rushed from prison to a hospital. The prison medical staff then treated him with an experimental steroid in an effort to cure him. Instead the steroid reacted with his genetically altered cell structure to enable him to become a hulking creature like his brother. Unlike, Mark, however, Roland had control of his transformations -- and his mind. The prison staff then decided to transfer him to a medical facility for further studies. However, during the transfer Roland escaped. The new Blockbuster soon lost his ability to revert to normal but before he could do anything about it his rampages in the southwest brought him to the attention of Starman who with the help of Batman was able to stop the new Blockbuster. Roland was then imprisoned at Belle Reve [Starman Vol. 1 #9-#10].

  After a stint with an anti-Suicide Squad [Suicide Squad #63-#66] and a short prison stay [Outsiders Vol. 2 # 9], Roland accepted a deal from the inhuman Neron to gain the intellect that his brother had possessed [Underworld Unleashed #1, #3]. Now a cunning criminal mastermind, Blockbuster tested himself against Impulse [Impulse #8] and then prepared to establish a base of power in Washington, D.C. Opposed by Steel, the city's resident hero, Roland realized that he would be better served by finding another city as his base of operations [Steel #32]. The metropolis in question would be a cesspool south of Gotham named Bludhaven [Nightwing Vol. 2 #1], home of Mark and Roland's elderly (but devious) mother. Using his newly found intellect he slowly and methodically set up shop as Bludhaven's new crime lord. First by learning from, then forcefully supplanting the former boss Angel Marin. Roland is now considered the new crime lord of the city, although only a few know of his identity.

  Blockbuster quickly built a criminal empire in his new home, staying behind the scenes even as Gotham émigré Nightwing moved to town. Roland and Nightwing finally met face-to-face [Nightwing #7-#8], igniting a war that continues even now. On another front, Blockbuster launched a hunt for the computer crimefighter known as Oracle [Birds of Prey: Batgirl #1]. Oracle, who'd been keeping tabs on Roland ever since his demonic makeover, responded by bankrolling her own operations with funds electronically stolen from his own cache [Birds of Prey #3, #6].

  Along the way, Blockbuster has also had run-ins with Young Justice [Young Justice #8] and Encantadora [Secret Origins of Super-Villains 80-Page Giant #1].

  Roland's recurring chest pains [Nightwing #32] eventually led doctors to conclude that he had a terminal heart condition and required a transplant [Nightwing #34]. The discovery of a sentient ape named Grimm from Africa's Gorilla City seemed to be the miracle that Blockbuster was hoping for [Batman Annual #23]. Grimm proved incompatible with Roland [Nightwing #39] but Blockbuster made a deal with the evil ape to arrange a guide to Gorilla City in the hope of finding a match [Nightwing #43].

  His first priority, however, is completing the hunt for Oracle [Nightwing #45-#46 / Birds of Prey #18-#21].

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