Monk (DC)
The Monk is a male comic supervillain who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Golden Age
The Monk
The Monk hypnotized Bruce Wayne's then-fiancée, Julie Madison, into trying to kill a man. Batman stops her and the next day, Bruce Wayne takes her to a doctor, who has also been hypnotized and tells them to go on a cruise. Batman uses the Batgyro to get to the ship Julie is on and meets the Monk, who is after Julie. The Monk tries to use his hypnotic powers on Batman, but Batman uses a Batarang to escape his trance. The Monk lures Batman to his base in Paris, where Batman defeats a giant ape that is set on attacking him. However, the Monk succeeds in catching Batman in a net and tries to lower it into a den of snakes, but using the Batarang again, Batman knocks the lever up, breaks a glass chandelier, and uses the glass to cut through the net. The Monk has a female assistant named Dala, who lures Batman to the Monk's lair using Julie Madison as bait. (Detective Comics v1 #31) The Monk places Julie in a hypnotic trance again, but Batman again rescues her. After rescuing Julie after following her to Transylvania, Batman meets Dala, whom he takes towards the Monk's castle. Nonetheless, he is caught in a net, hypnotized, and trapped in a pit by the Monk, who transforms into a wolf to summon others, but Batman escapes, using gas to knock out the wolves, then using a rope attached to a Batarang to climb out. He kills the Monk and Dala by shooting them with silver bullets made from candlesticks as they lie in their coffins. (Detective Comics v1 #32)
Silver Age
Louis DuBois was a post-Civil War plantation owner in New Orleans where he and his sister Dala are attacked by their vengeful ex-slaves and subjected to a voodoo ritual which transforms them into the undead. During the course of the story, Batman himself is transformed into a vampire by the Monk but is eventually cured by a serum administered by a priest/exorcist named Father Green. At the conclusion of the tale, Green departed with the captive Monk and Dala, hinting that he had been pursuing them for a very long time indeed.
Post-Crisis
Following the Crisis of Infinite Earths, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Niccolai Tepes was the vampiric leader of a cult called the Brotherhood, based in an abandoned castle/mansion on the outskirts of Gotham City. His followers, among whom is the gothic Dala, feed upon the blood of captured victims. Only the most devoted acolytes are transformed into true creatures of the night however. Maintaining a link with the 1939 version, Julie Madison is once again turned into the Monk's pawn, as she is lured to the castle by Dala under the guise of the Monk being a self-help guru. At present, the current origin of the character has not been revealed for certain, although he could be wealthy Gotham son Richard Rallstone, as he was electrocuted during a fight with Batman. The bolt of lightning seemingly incinerated and presumably killed the Monk, with Batman expressing disbelief in the idea of the Monk as a true vampire. It was revealed that Dala was not a vampire, but she hoped to become one so she can serve as Niccolai's right hand.
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.
Tepes along with his vampiric Brotherhood came to serve a new monster and sought to ensure his rise in the world. This saw them looking to gather honest blood and led them to capturing soup kitchen workers in Gotham City. Their activities drew the attention of Andrew Bennett who confronted them in the newly formed region of Monstertown where the Monk was seemingly killed. (Gotham City Monsters v1 #1)
Overview
Personality and attributes
Powers and abilities
In addition to the various mental and physical benefits that vampires are heir to, they also possess the ability to turn others into vampires as well. Each new vampire is traditionally subservient to the one who "turned" them, but some strong-willed vampires have been known to rebel against their masters.
Vampires often possess the ability to transform into a variety of creatures or effects such as bats, wolves, rats or even mist. While their physical attributes may fluctuate during such states, a vampire's mental acuity is the same as that when they are in their human shape. A vampire who transforms into an animal may also benefit from that particular animal's attributes including razor-sharp claws, fangs or the ability to fly. Vampires also often demonstrate the ability to alter their appearance at will.
Notes
- The Monk was created by Gardner Fox and Bob Kane where he made his first appearance in Detective Comics v1 #31 (September, 1939).
Alternate Versions
In other media
Other
Appearances
- Detective Comics v1: (1939)
- Batman v1:
- Batman and the Mad Monk v1:
- Batman v3:
- Gotham City Monsters v1:
External Links
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