- "Just a day before President Reagan is set to welcome General Secretary Gorbachev to the White House to sign the INF Treaty, a White House tour ends in violence and what witnesses describe as 'a rocket man.'"
- —Channel 52 Anchor on Gorbachev's meeting with Reagan[src]
Mikhail Gorbachev is the General Secretary, the de facto leader of the Soviet Union, as of 1987. On December 8, 1987, Mikhail Gorbachev and the United States' Ronald Reagan signed the INF Treaty, reducing both countries' nuclear arsenals and paving the way for the end of the Cold War. Gorbachev was among the targets in a historical aberration plot overseen by Damien Darhk and Eobard Thawne.[1]
History[]
In 1987, Ronald Reagan oversaw the signing of the INF Treaty, to which the Soviet Union's General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev agreed. During preliminary negotiations on December 7, the Reagan Administration was infiltrated by Damien Darhk, who, in alliance with Eobard Thawne, conspired with the opportunist KGB agents to get a certain artifact from the Soviet Union in exchange for a CD-Rom that contained the nuclear codes of the United States, as well as a bomb that would blow up the White House. A White House tour that was hosted before the negotiations was compromised when the Legends ended up disrupting peace with their extraordinary abilities, causing panic among the Soviets and Americans alike. While Reagan was meeting Gorbachev on December 7, Darhk's plan transpired, but was ultimately prevented by the Legends, with Ray Palmer and Mick Rory evacuating the guests from the building, before stopping the bomb left by Darhk.[1]
Personality[]
Mikhail Gorbachev, as portrayed on Channel 52, was quite happy to negotiate a treaty with the United States, showing goodwill not seen with the previous Soviet Union leaders like Joseph Stalin. KGB was in de facto opposition to Gorbachev, trying to scheme along with Damien Darhk and H.I.V.E. to see the General Secretary dead in a White House explosion, along with Ronald Reagan.[1]
Powers and abilities[]
Abilities[]
- Diplomacy: Gorbachev was ready to deal with the United States during the Cold War for the betterment of both sides, despite opposition from KGB. However, according to Damien Darhk, the treaty was made in a way to "make the Soviets believe it was their idea", while actually benefiting the United States.[1]
- Leadership: Gorbachev led the Soviet Union as a General Secretary on the path of reforms and better relations with the United States. His leadership, however, was contested by a number of opportunistic KGB agents who conspired with H.I.V.E. to see the General Secretary dead.[1]
Appearances[]
DC's Legends of Tomorrow[]
Season 2[]
Behind the scenes[]
- Mikhail Gorbachev is a real historical figure, being the last General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, from 1985 to 1991; as well as the last, and only, President of the Soviet Union, from 1990 to 1991. Gorbachev's policies of glasnost ("openness") and perestroika ("restructuring") and his reorientation of Soviet strategic aims contributed to the end of the Cold War. His reforms, however, ended up fatal for the Communist Party's regime, with the Soviet Union's dissolution in 1991.
- In DC comics, a fictionalized version of Mikhail Gorbachev had a handful of significant appearances.