Kirk Langstrom
Kirk Langstrom is a male comic character who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Kirk Langstrom
When Kirk Langstrom was a young boy, he fell into a deep cavern and was lost for more than six weeks. Police conducted a massive search for the child, and were nearly ready to give up when they finally found him. Though his parents were overjoyed to see their son returned to them, Kirk seemed almost sorry to leave the cave. He silently waved goodbye to the 'friends' he left behind. By this point, the police were ready to give up their active efforts at finding the boy and instead resort to weekend searches on a more voluntary basis. As they were ready to leave, the young Kirk emerged from the caves and was re-united with his family though he was saddened at having to leave the area. Afterwards, he attended the cinema with his parents where he grew bored over the movie and ended up backstage. Whilst there, he met a 6 year old Bruce Wayne where the two bonded after finding a dead bat there. He then told Bruce a story about how he got lost in secret caves for six months and met a race of batmen. (Secret Origins v2 #39)
Langstrom later gained employment as a zoologist and nocturnal mammals expert at the Gotham Natural History Museum. In that time, his admiration for costumed crime fighters led to him wanting to emulate them and became greater than the legendary Batman. Thus, secretly, he began develop a serum extracted from the glands of bats which he exposed to himself in ever increasing doses to give him natural abilities of the flying mammals. This resulted in an increased sensitivity to sound and light though Kirk came to view his experiment a success. At first, he compensated by using ear-plugs and sunglasses to manage his new abilities but was later horrified when he saw that his features had been turned into a bat-like humanoid. He wrote a letter to the curator of the museum claiming that his mother was ill and had to return to Chicago in order to excuse himself from work. Langstrom then looked to find a cure for his mutation where one night his new senses led him going deeper into the museum at night time. During that moment, he witnessed Batman being attacked by the Blackout Gang who were using their equipment to see and operate in the pitch-black darkness. They nearly succeeded in overwhelming the Caped Crusader but Langstrom intervened where his superior strength allowed him to overpower the criminals and defeat. Batman thanked Langstrom only to be shocked at his appearance with Kirk fleeing the scene as he began to change into a Man-Bat. (Detective Comics v1 #400)
A short time later, Langstrom tried to find a cure for his mutation, but the transformation was far too advanced to stop. He quickly started sprouting leathery, bat-like wings under his arms, which allowed him to fly as a bat. As his animal instincts also became stronger, Man-Bat sought refuge and found Batman's Batcave, where he was defeated by the Dark Knight. While Man-Bat was unconscious, Batman started creating an antidote for Langstrom. (Detective Comics v1 #402) When Man-Bat refused Batman's help, the Dark Knight called Francine to help him, to no avail. Shortly after this, Man-Bat reached Francine and convinced her to marry him and to use the Man-Bat Serum as a proof of her love. Transformed into human bats, Kirk and Francine tried to get married on a church until Batman stopped them and forced them to take the cure to revert their mutations. (Detective Comics v1 #407)
Shortly after, Kirk and Francine got married with Batman as their best man, but a few days later, he had a relapse into his Man-Bat identity. With his mind altered again, Man-Bat created a more potent Man-Bat serum that would allow him a permanent transformation, but Batman prevented him from using it and provided another antidote to revert the transformation once again. (Detective Comics v1 #416) Months later, it was Francine who transformed back into She-Bat after she came in contact with a rare species of bats during an investigation in the desert of Las Vegas, Nevada. Robert worked with Batman to bring Francine back to safety. (Detective Comics v1 #429)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of history was created with a different series of events. Kirk Langstrom
Wishing to continue making amends, he continued working for the government when A.R.G.U.S. received bodies mutilated by magic. Etta Candy had Langstrom sent to aid a new incarnation of the Justice League Dark led by Wonder Woman in combating this threat. This saw the scientist travel to the chamber underneath the Hall of Justice where he went to assist as scientific expert and became fascinated at the discoveries he could find as a team member. (Justice League Dark v2 #1)
Though deceased, his body came to be recovered by a special government unit called Task Force Z that began to experiment Lazarus Resin. This was used to bring the Man-Bat in an undead state where he was part of a group of such operatives that were handled by the Red Hood. (Task Force Z v1 #1)
Overview
Personality and attributes
As a result of his serum, he began to change into a humanoid bat-like creature known as the Man-Bat. (Detective Comics v1 #400)
It was known that as a boy that he had been a good storyteller. (Secret Origins v2 #39)
He had always dreamed of being a hero and fighting alongside the legendary Batman. (Detective Comics v1 #400)
Kirk was shown as being the son of noted businessman Abraham Langstrom who was strict on him. (Batman: The Dark Knight v2 #28) He was said to have had a deaf sister named Lisa Langstrom with part of his research based on helping her. (Man-Bat v4 #1)
For a time, he came to believe that love had passed him by until he met Francine where he decided to resist falling in love with her at first. (Man-Bat v4 #1)
Powers and abilities
He developed a serum derived from the gland-extracts of bats that he exposed to himself in ever increasing doses. Langstrom expected that this would lead to increased sensitivity to minute sounds that would be the basis for natural sonar detection. This resulted in the smallest noises initially being painful to him and his bright light was unbearable to him forcing him to wear sunglasses. The serums effects led to his vocal cords being able to emit super-sonic signals that allowed him to navigate in complete darkness. This was because his ultra-sensitive hearing picked up the bounced back echoes guiding him to a target like a homing missile. As such, he gained a bat's natural sonar ability though he increased sound sensitivity could drive him crazy and he at times needed to dull them by using war ear-plugs. (Detective Comics v1 #400)
Over time, more changes occurred to Langstrom's physiology with his hands growing hairy and more claw-like similar to a bat. He initially believed that this was a temporary secondary characteristic of his serum but was horrified when his face had developed bat-like characteristics. As the Man-Bat, he developed more characteristics of the small mammals such as sleeping upside-down and had dreams of being a bat. The mutation resulted in him gaining super-strength allowing him to easily overpower human beings. (Detective Comics v1 #400)
Notes
- Kirk Langstrom as the Man-Bat was created by Frank Robbins and Neal Adams where he made his first appearance in Detective Comics v1 #400 (June, 1970).
Alternate Versions
In other media
Television
- In the DC Animated Universe, Man-Bat made multiple appearances in the shared continuity setting:
- In Batman: The Animated Series, Kirk Langstrom first appeared in the animated television series starting in the episode "On Leather Wings" where actor Marc Singer voiced the character while sound effects portrayed the Man-Bat's sounds.
- In Justice League Unlimited, the character did not appear but was referenced in the animated television series in the episode "The Doomsday Sanction". Professor Milo mentioned Langstrom's research in hybridization as part of his own efforts in creating weapons for Project Cadmus.
- In The Batman, Kirk Langstrom appeared in the setting of the animated television series where he was voiced by actor Peter MacNicol.
Films
- In Son of Batman, Kirk Langstrom appeared in the animated film where he was voiced by actor Xander Berkeley. He was shown as being a white haired scientist married to Francine Langstrom with the couple having a teenage daughter named Rebecca Langstrom. His specialty was in genetics where he was studying the means of creating human-bat hybrids with this attracting the attention of Ra's al Ghul. The leader of the League of Assassins forced Langstrom to comply with him in creating Man-Bat soldiers for him. After Ra's was killed, Deathstroke usurped the League and created a new arrangement with Langstrom in the completion of his project by keeping his family hostage. Langstrom was later successful in creating Man-Bat assassins that served Deathstroke who deployed them in various operations. Batman and Robin were later able to free both Francine and Rebecca Langstrom from Deathstroke where they reunited the pair with Kirk Langstrom.
- In Justice League: Gods and Monsters, an alternate version of Kirk Langstrom featured in the animated film where he was voiced by actor Michael C. Hall. This version was a scientist who came to be afflicted by a rare type of cancer. During his college years, he was close friends with fellow student Will Magnus and had a friendship with his girlfriend Tina who he secretly loved. In an effort to cure himself, Langstrom tested a formula on himself turning him into a vampiric creature that could be sustained by drinking blood. He retained a humanoid form and somewhat managed to control his hunger where he served as a super-powered vigilante called the Batman. Eventually, he encountered his world's Superman and Wonder Woman where they formed the Justice League that used lethal force in dealing with threats.
Video games
- In Batman: Arkham Knight, Kirk Langstrom appeared in the setting of the video game in the Arkhamverse where he was voiced by actor Loren Lester.
Appearances
- Detective Comics v1: (1970)
- Secret Origin v2:
- Detective Comics v2:
- Batman: The Dark Knight v2:
- Justice League Dark v2:
- Man-Bat v4: (2021)
- Task Force Z v1: (2021)
External Links
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