Timothy Hunter
Timothy Hunter is a male comic character who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Timothy Hunter
Tim was born as a conduit for the raw magic that shared the name of the most famous magician to serve it; "The Merlin". In order to increase his power and his legend, the Merlin arranged for Tim to have multiple, contradictory stories about his birth that nonetheless were each equally true. He was at one and the same time the illegitimate son of Tamlin the Falconer and Titania the Queen of Faerie, the son of Tamlin and a beautiful human girl called Mary and any number of other possible origins. At some point, these multiple origins converged and Tim ended up being raised in the Mundane World by William Hunter and Mary - although he later discovered that his mother Mary wore a glamour stone hiding her true nature and appearance, possibly as the brownie Bridie who smuggled him to Earth at Queen Titania's request or possibly another as yet undiscovered origin for the young magician.
As an infant, Tim still had access to his powers as an Opener, for example bringing imaginary friends like Awn the Blink or the Wobbly to life - and claiming and reshaping Tanger and Crimple, who had already served numerous Openers in numerous forms throughout history. He also unconsciously created thousands of alternate worlds with thousands of alternate Tim's. Each of these Tims was a portion of the original, the part that felt particular feelings or suffered particular pain that the original could cope with, and in separating them Tim loses the ability to feel those feelings again, leaving him disconnected from his world and his feelings for most of his childhood and teenage years. One particular early trauma was the death of his mother in a car accident: his father was the driver of the vehicle, losing an arm in the accident and retreating into his grief so far that he spent most of Tim's life sitting in his armchair drinking and watching old films.
Timothy spent his time skateboarding through the streets of London, where he was eventually intercepted in an alleyway by four men known as the Trenchcoat Brigade. He listened as they explained his potential to become the world’s greatest magician and accepted their offer to be shown the history and nature of magic. He accompanied the Phantom Stranger on a journey through time, observing the origins of the universe, the fall of Lucifer, and the rise of ancient magical civilizations like Atlantis. Throughout this transit, he remained a passive observer, asking questions about the various mystical entities and historical events he witnessed. He stood upon the prehistoric earth and watched the dawn of humanity and the first instances of shamanistic magic. He eventually returned to his own time and residence, where he reflected on the vast amount of information he had been shown. He later encountered a small owl, which he chose to keep as a companion, and he ended the period by contemplating the choice he had to make regarding whether or not to embrace his magical heritage. (The Books of Magic v1 #1)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, Timothy Hunter was a male of Caucasian descent with a pale complexion, a thin face, and prominent, dark-framed circular spectacles that sat low on his nose. He had large, inquisitive blue eyes and messy, jet-black hair that often fell into his face in an unkempt fashion. He possessed a small, slight, and wiry body type consistent with an adolescent boy, appearing somewhat frail compared to the adult figures surrounding him. His clothing was casual and contemporary for the period, consisting of a white short-sleeved t-shirt worn under a dark, unzipped hooded sweatshirt or light jacket. He wore loose-fitting blue denim jeans that were often depicted with slight wear or scuffs. For footwear, he wore flat-soled trainers suitable for his hobby of skateboarding. He did not wear a costume or any mystical regalia, appearing as a standard civilian, and he was frequently seen carrying or riding a worn wooden skateboard with dark grip tape. (The Books of Magic v1 #1)
Powers and abilities
Timothy Hunter demonstrated a high level of physical coordination and balance through his proficiency with a skateboard, which he used as his primary means of travel through urban environments. He exhibited the capacity for interdimensional and temporal travel by remaining conscious and physically stable while being transported through various eras of history and mystical realms by the Phantom Stranger. He showed significant intellectual curiosity and the ability to process vast amounts of complex historical and metaphysical information presented to him during his journey. While he did not perform any conscious acts of sorcery, he manifested a passive immunity to the reality-altering effects of the magical dimensions he visited, maintaining his physical form and sanity in environments that were hostile to standard human perception. He also demonstrated the ability to communicate with and observe supernatural entities, such as demons and ancient spirits, without succumbing to fear or physical paralysis. Additionally, he displayed basic domestic skills and the ability to navigate his local neighborhood independently, and he showed an affinity for animals by successfully befriending and handling a wild owl. (The Books of Magic v1 #1)
Notes
- Timothy Hunter was created by Neil Gaiman and John Bolton where he made his first appearance in The Books of Magic v1 #1 (January, 1990).
Hunter: Age of Magic author Dylan Horrocks has pointed out that neither Hunter nor Potter was truly an original idea, with another boy wizard preceding Hunter in comics, and they should be considered more as part of a genre:
- "The superficial similarities are striking - but no more so than any number of other stories in the genre. As Gaiman has repeatedly said, he and Rowling were merely drinking from the same well. In fact, there was even a story in 2000AD (called the Journals of Luke Kirby) which came out a few years before The Books of Magic, which was extremely similar to both the BoM and Harry Potter. This is a genre - and Gaiman and Rowling are both playing with the conventions of the genre, to different ends."
Alternate Versions
Appearances
- The Books of Magic v1: (1990)
External Links
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