Manhunter (DC)
Manhunter is the name used by several characters in the DC Universe.
Manhunter (Paul Kirk)
- Main Article: Paul Kirk
He continued to operate as a big game hunter in the late 1930's until the outbreak of World War II. At the governments request, he put aside his life as a crime fighter and instead operated as an agent. In 1945, one of his missions involved freeing noted Doctor Anatol Mykros from the Nazis. After the war, he returned to life as a hunter but was killed in Africa in 1946 by a mad bull-elephant. Kirk's body was recovered by agents of the mysterious secret society known as the Council who took the remains to their sanctuary. Once there, they kept in a frozen cryogenic state over the span of 25 years. With new advancements being made, the Council began applying their advanced knowledge to slowly restore Paul Kirk back to life. Following various experiments such as genetic surgery, he was awakened and inducted as an agent of the Council. Under the tutelage of Asano Nitobe, he was trained to the peak of human ability and the cells in his body were used to create cloned duplicates to serve as the elite enforcers of the Council. Dr. Mykros who was now a member of the Council explained to Kirk that their mission was to save mankind from destroying itself. (Detective Comics v1 #439)
Manhunter (Dan Richards)
- Main Article: Dan Richards
Dan Richards
Clancy sent Richards to investigate the murders in Hugh Blandings castle, anyone who staid in the blue room died by morning. Hugh’s daughter Alice’s fiancée Bob Drake spent a night in the blue room, and Richards changed into Manhunter an saved him from a spectral figure that drugged him an tried to kill him. The murderer was Alice, who was quite mad and suffered from paranoid delusions. (Police Comics v1 #21)
Manhunter investigated the death of socialite Martin L. Mirth. The prime suspect was ex-con Poker, and Poker told him he had gone to jail because Martin’s expose his gambling racket because his gambling debts to Poker would have bankrupted him. Poker wanted to kill him, but found Mirth a changed man who donated to charity and set Poker up in his own business. Manhunter knew Mirth’ been spending time with a homeless man and visited him. The homeless man was actually Mirth, who’d switched places with his doppelganger Ben Bumb to hide from Poker. Manhunter learned that Mirth had killed Bumb when he refused to give up his social standing because he could use it to help people. Manhunter turned in Mirth, who was sentenced to death for the crime of murder, the murder of himself. (Police Comics v1 #27)
Manhunter (Mark Shaw)
- Main Article: Mark Shaw
Origin
Mark Shaw was a male human who was born in the modern age on Earth. He came to be a public defender where he was assigned to be assigned to clients who could not afford a lawyer. In one case, he was assigned to Joe Burk in a criminal matter but the client refused to cooperate on the matter. Shaw determined that this was because Burk was being forced to take the fall for someone else and was frustrated that he could not help the man. It was then that his uncle revealed to him the existence of the 'Shan' Manhunters who were a secret order of vigilantes that fought against injustice for many years in secret. He then encouraged his nephew to use a Lion Medallion of the sect and become one of their number in the fight against crime. (1st Issue Special v1 #5)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.
Manhunter (Paul Kirk Clone)
- Main Article: Paul Kirk
Manhunter (Chase Lawler)
- Main Article: Chase Lawler
Chase Lawler was a musician in Star City. When his ex-girlfriend signed a record deal with the same shady executives that left his brother strung out and broke, Lawler was desperate for a way to save her. Through a musician friend, he learned of Dr. Malig, a reputed sorcerer. Malig helped him summon a primordial being known as the Wild Huntsman, a force that hunted and preyed upon outsiders from society. Malig sent Lawler to face the Huntsman knowing that by taking his place in the grand order, Lawler would inherit his powers. The Huntsman succeeded in killing the record executives but Lawler, now equipped as Manhunter, tried to stop the force from freely hunting humanity in the modern world. When Manhunter's brother Billy attempted to intervene, the Huntsman hunted and captured him. Manhunter was forced to kill his own brother in order to prevent an even worse death. The act of stealing the Huntsman's prey, allowed the power to fully transfer from the Huntsman into Manhunter and the Huntsman was once again made irrelevant. Dr. Malig then attempted to kill Manhunter and claim the powers for himself, as was his plan all along, but Manhunter realized Malig wasn't as powerful as he believed. He hunted Malig but stopped short of killing him. Resigned to the fact that he was now a hunter of men, Manhunter vowed to end the hunt before he taking a life. (Manhunter v2 #0)
Manhunter (Kirk DePaul)
- Main Article: Paul Kirk
Manhunter (Kate Spencer)
- Main Article: Kate Spencer
Around 16 months ago, she was the prosecutor in the trial over the supervillain Copperhead who had committed numerous murders and engaged in cannibalism. She petitioned the jury to consider the death sentence for his crimes but ultimately they were convinced by the defense that the villain was a victim of his genetic anomaly that compelled him to kill. He was to be transferred to a Metahuman prison and research facility where during transit he escaped as well as killed the guards escorting him who he ate. After learning of the escape, Kate used her access to enter the evidence locker to gather some equipment where she decided to confront Copperhead. She battled him in the sewers where she managed to use the armor and weaponry to kill him thus ending his reign of terror. Kate decided to adopt the name of the Manhunter and left the name over the supervillain's body as she began the life of being a vigilante. (Manhunter v3 #1)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.
Manhunter (Ramsey Robinson)
- Main Article: Ramsey Robinson
Manhunter 2070 (Starker)
- Main Article: Manhunter 2070
Overview
Notes
- The concept of the Manhunter was created by Jack Kirby where it made its first appearance in Adventure Comics v1 #58 (January, 1941).
Alternate Versions
In other media
Television
- In Beware the Batman, the Kirk Paul Manhunter appeared in the setting of the animated television series in the episode "Unique" where he was voiced by actor Xander Berkeley.
Appearances
- Adventure Comics v1: (1941)
External Links
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