Francine Langstrom
Francine Langstrom is a female comic character who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Pre-Crisis
Francine Lee
She later notified the police that her fiancé Kirk was missing and had not visited his mother in Chicago. (Detective Comics v1 #402)
Batman tried to provide a cure for Langstrom with Francine's help, but Man-Bat refused help. Instead, he convinced Francine to use the Man-Bat Serum on herself as proof of her love and once turned into a She-Bat, the two monsters tried to get married in a church, until Batman stopped them and forced them to take the antidote to revert their mutations. (Detective Comics v1 #407)
Shortly after, Francine and Kirk got married with Batman as their best man, and she became Francine Langstrom. Unfortunately, a few days later Kirk had a relapse and transformed into Man-Bat once again. Francine tried to talk sense into him, but it was Batman once again who managed to return Kirk into a human. (Detective Comics v1 #416)
Months later, it was Francine who needed Batman's help, when she transformed into the fearsome She-Bat again, after being exposed to a rare species of bats during an investigation in the desert of Las Vegas, Nevada. Francine was taken to a hospital, where she would received a blood transplant, to clean the traces of the bat serum in her blood. (Detective Comics v1 #429)
However, Francine and Kirk decided to delay the treatment until she was stronger, but with time they forgot about it. A year later, Francine was manipulated by a sorcerer called Baron Tyme, who used her to murder people, turning her back into the She-Bat. Kirk Langstrom became the Man-Bat again and used hypnosis to break Baron Tyme's hold over her. Kirk defeated Tyme and the sorcerer apparently died in his tower chamber when the room caught on fire. (Man-Bat v1 #1) Afterwards, Kirk and Francine moved to his home town of Chicago where she lived with him at the Lakeshore Manor Apartments and was provided the treatment she needed for her 'bat' problem. (Man-Bat v1 #2)
Post-Crisis
Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Francine Evelyn Lee
After her husband disappeared, Batman came to hire Francine to serve as the head scientist in the study of a captured Omni Mind and Community unit recovered from Jardine Towers. Thus, she came to work alongside the Outsiders where she and Salah Miandad studied the machine. They came to reprogram the unit and named it ReMAC whose existence was kept secret from the Justice League. (Batman and the Outsiders v2 #3)
Dr. Francine Langstrom worked with S.H.A.D.E. to help provide a cure for her husband Kirk Langstrom who was the Man-Bat and in Gotham City. They tracked him down and she attempted to give the cure with this being hampered by the arrival of Bizarro and later by Black Lantern Solomon Grundy during the Blackest Night. (Superman/Batman v1 #67)
Francine along with her children were later targeted by a villainous vigilante named the White Knight. He was looking to kill all the relatives of Arkham Asylum in-mates with him hypnotising the Langstrom and dressing them as angels that were to jump off a roof. They were saved by Batman and Robin where they came to make a recovery at the hospital whilst the Dark Knight tracked down the activities of the White Knight. (Batman and Robin v1 #21)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Francine Lee
Francine Lee would meet Dr. Kirk Langstrom whilst serving as an assistant at a medical research facility. Although Kirk had been led to believe it was love at first sight, Francine really had been tasked by her employers with wooing the doctor, getting married, and keeping a close eye on him while he continued his work on his revolutionary Man-Bat Serum. The original plan was to string Kirk along until he had completed the formula and then kill him, allowing Francine to inherit all the money from her husband's invention and Elliot Caldwell to produce an army of Man-Bats. (Detective Comics v2 #23)
Whilst Kirk was away with the Justice League, Francine remained in Gotham during a time when there was a wave of bat-related deaths afflicting the city with the animals dying for unknown reasons. Francine was able to hear their screaming which were a constant barrage to her and a moment when she was not in control of herself she injected her body with the Man-Bat serum. This caused her transformation into Man-Bat with Batman attempting to stop her from harming anyone as she went into a crazed rampage till she crashed into the Old Kane Castle. Once there, Batman injected her with a serum returning her to normal and she was rendered unconscious but not before begging the Dark Knight to save the bats. (Detective Comics v1 #1001)
Overview
Personality and attributes
According to one account, she was originally known by the name of Francine Lee. (Detective Comics v2 #23) Kirk would refer to her as Francie. (Detective Comics v1 #402) After her transformation, she came to be known as the She-Bat. (Detective Comics v2 #23.4)
Her father was Dr. Alan March who was a scientist and skilled in genetics. (Batman: Urban Legends v1 #19)
Powers and abilities
Notes
- Francine Langstrom was created by Frank Robbins and Neal Adams where she made her first appearance in Detective Comics v1 #402 (August, 1970)
In other media
Television
- In Batman: The Animated Series, the character made her animated debut in the DC Animated Universe in the episode "On Leather Wings" where she was voiced by actress Meredith MacRae. Dr. Francine Langstrom was the blonde hair glasses wearing daughter of scientist Dr. March and she later married Dr. Kirk Langstrom where they pair became scientists that studied chiroptera. Following the appearance of a Man-Bat creature, Bruce Wayne approached the Langstrom's and met with Francine in order to consult with them about some genetic samples he had and sounds he recorded where he claimed that they were from some bats in his chimney. Francine commented that the sounds were of no bat species she had ever heard of though the Langstrom's agreed to help. rancine was infected with the Man-Bat Serum, which was an improved version created by her father. After the exposure, Francine transformed into a She-Bat, but couldn't remember her actions while transformed. She was saved by Batman, who found an antidote for her, freeing the Langstroms from the curse of the Man-Bat for good.
- In DC Super Hero Girls, Francine Langstrom appeared in the setting of the animated television series in the episode "Nightmare in Gotham, Part 1" where she was voiced by actress Tara Strong. She was a S.T.A.R. Labs scientist used by the Joker to carry out his plan to destroy Gotham City.
Films
- In Son of Batman, Francine Langstrom appeared in the setting of the animated film where she was voiced by actress Diane Michelle. The brown haired woman was married to Dr. Kirk Langstrom and the pair had a teenage daughter named Rebecca Langstrom. Francine was not shown as being a daughter and seemed oblivious to her husband's hidden experiments that he was forced to do for the League of Assassins. After the death of Ra's al Ghul, Deathstroke visited the Langstrom family and took both Francine along with Rebecca hostage in order to force compliance from Dr. Langstrom. He wanted the doctor to complete his experiments on Man-Bat hybrids that he had been doing for Ra's al Ghul. Once given the task, he took Francine and Rebecca to one of his strongholds to maintain leverage over Kirk. Francine kept reassuring her daughter to have faith in her father and later the pair were saved by Batman along with Robin.
Video games
- In Batman: Arkham Knight, the character appeared in some video footage and a case file. She had been romantically involved with Kirk Langstrom in university where they pair received their PhD's with the two marrying. However, Kirk began to experience hearing loss and the pair began studies on bat's to find a cure. When testing the formula on himself, Kirk transformed into the Man-Bat and in his feral state he killed Francine leaving her body in the laboratory. After being returned to normal, he learnt what he had done from Batman and was left in an anguished state upon learning that he had killed his wife.
Appearances
- Detective Comics v1: (1970)
- Batman v1:
- Man-Bat:
- Batman and the Outsiders v2:
- Superman/Batman v1:
- Batman and Robin v1:
- Detective Comics
- Detective Comics v1:
External Links
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