Created by author Gail Simone, Creote started out as a villain, reformed, then became slightly villainous, and now may be completely in the good hero fold again. To most, Creote is a former KGB special agent and the muscle. But if he has one defining characteristic, it’s his love for and devotion to Brian “Savant” Durlin.
Aleksandr Creote
When first introduced, Savant and Creote capture Black Canary in order to discover just who Oracle is. Savant is a computer genius battling Oracle, who’s been stopping his crimes. Savant is the one who beats Black Canary on the orders of Savant. It’s quickly clear that Savant is oblivious to Creote’s affections for him. And also that Creote is far more than just the muscle in his and Savant’s relationship, in all its varying states.
However, Oracle (aka Barbara Gordon) manages to reform both of the two criminals, and she brings them into the Birds of Prey. Every once in a while, they assist the Birds on their missions. Creote turns down the advances of Lady Blackhawk at one point. He also gets into an embarrassing undercover situation with Huntress where she needs to change.
In the recent resurrection of Birds of Prey, it was revealed that after Oracle’s battle with the Calculator where Savant and Creote were captured for two days and tortured for information on Oracle’s real identity (which neither of them knew at the time), Savant decided to get revenge. He’s angry because they were used as pawns in Oracle’s battle with Calculator. But mostly because Savant’s memory is non-linear, and his memory of being tortured haunts him continuously. With access to Oracle’s own computer networks, Savant’s able to figure out Oracle’s true identity and the location of the Bat Cave where Babs is currently running her operations from.
The two fake their own deaths at the hand of the White Canary. Specifically Creote kills himself after Savant’s killed by the White Canary. And due to their tragic gay death plotline, for a month, comic book fans were rightly up in arms about the plot. Then the next month, it was revealed that they weren’t actually dead.
Savant has figure out that Babs is Oracle, and together, Creote and Savant capture her. Savant actually plans to kill himself and have Babs witness it firsthand. However, Babs, with the help of Creote, saves Savant as he attempts to jump to his death. When Savant questions Creote on why he helped Babs save him, Babs informs Savant that Creote’s in love with him.
Savant questions Creote on what Bab’s said, and Creote confirms his love for Savant as the “truest thing I have ever known.” Savant says that he’s been stupid and blind. Then the two men hug, and Bab’s inner monologue seems to indicate that she believes they’ll find love with each other. And really, who’s going to question Babs. Especially when she decides to employ them full-time as her computer guys. Awesome.
And that’s where Birds of Prey left off with these two.
Support this blog and get to know Creote and Savant from their evil beginnings, buy Birds of Prey, Vol. 1: Of Like Minds by Gail Simone.