Stiletto

Stiletto is a character in Noctropolis portrayed by actress Hope Marie Carlton. She is a dagger-wielding vigilante partnered with Darksheer.

History
Born Susan Emelia Cowper, she was deemed a problem child in school from the beginning. Not even in her teens when first affiliated with the youth gangs roaming Subterrainia, the fierce girl showed her rebellious streak even in those circles. Pushing herself to her limits in martial arts and knife fighting to be regarded as a fighter, she was finally inducted into the "Traitors" and receiving her nickname barely 14 years old.

After two years of running with the Traitors she grew disinterested and started doing better in school, although following a former boyfriend's killing in a drive-by shooting only the timely appearance of three Wards prevented her doing worse than putting the rival gang member responsible in a hospital. Convicted on assault with a deadly weapon and sentenced to juvenile detention until her 18th birthday she was released after seven months for good behaviour, genuinely committed to be a model of rehabilitation.

However only two years of normalcy later her plans for attending college were interrupted by the Drealmer and his henchmen invading her home. After killing two of the henchmen with her namesake daggers, her parents and two older brothers were slaughtered in front of her by the third as she was incapacitated by the supervillain's mind control. It remains unknown how the Drealmer came to leave her alive.

Her tracking of the diminuitive villain coincided with similar efforts by the newly surfaced costumed vigilante Darksheer whom she took down with ease after he had mistaken her for a common thief before teaming up with him to take down Drealmer, soon after a more permanent partnership was formed.

Personality
Being gifted in several martial arts and excelling at wielding the pair of stiletto daggers worn on the calves of her costume and well known as a totally fearless and vicious fighter willing to use lethal force, she cuts an intimidating figure to the criminal element of Noctropolis. Having killed at least four perpetrators and injured at the very least twenty more, although these acts have all been confirmed by the authorities as a last resort she is more or less allowed to operate only under Darksheer's direct supervision.

Though usually inclined to hide it, Stiletto has remarkable intelligence. Deeply cynical, she does not hold the city of Noctropolis in high regard, occasionally seeming to even resent it. Alongside her propensity for sudden callous cruelty, she also harbours a fierce loyalty to her few friends. She shares a deeply personal mutual grudge with Tophat for unknown reasons although their similar backgrounds may have something to do with it.

No doubt accustomed to heavy drinking in her wild youth, she is prone to lapse into borderline alcoholism during depression.

SPOILERS
As Peter Grey reads in the final issue of Darksheer and Stiletto, Stiletto arrives at the Thrillsville amusement park, finding Desperado and Widowmark dead and Darksheer about to be murdered by Tophat. She lays Tophat out cold, berating Darksheer for leaving her out of the loop but he retorts angrily that she had no business interfering and leaves to treat his wounds.

The next day Stiletto meets with Father Desmond in St. Luciens Cathedral about the front page news that Darksheer is retiring from crimefighting. Stiletto believes it, arguing that her partner no longer gives a damn about the city but Desmond assures her he is confident that she need only tell Darksheer how she truly feels to make him reconsider.

She confronts Darksheer and he admits leaving her is harder than anything else and begins to kiss her but stops himself. She admits that she loves him but he simply states that he has other plans and leaves her heartbroken. She later watches in tears as Darksheer is presented with a key to the city by the Mayor and sent off with a parade, vowing "Never ever again!".

Trivia

 * Fans like to refer to her as a sidekick, often citing the iconic dynamic duo, DC Comics' Batman and Robin. Stiletto bears most resemblance to the second Robin, the cynical and violent street urchin Jason Todd but oddly enough her initial teaming up with Darksheer parallells part of the first Robin Dick Grayson's character arc in Warner Bros' Batman Forever released in the following year.


 * Fans like to point out the character's resemblance to Marvel Comics' Dagger of Cloak & Dagger. Other notable mentions are Ms. Marvel a.k.a. Warbird (sharing issues with alcohol), the sai-wielding Elektra of Daredevil and Moon Knight´s love interest Marlene Alraune.


 * Hope Marie Carlton had previously played a dream version of herself in A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master which fans speculate may have influenced the character's origins involving the Drealmer.


 * Hope Marie Carlton and Brittney Lewis (The Succubus) both played in Stephen King's The Stand released in the same year as Noctropolis.