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Copperhead (DC Comics)

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This article is about the DC Comics version. For other characters given this name, as well as other uses, see Copperhead (disambiguation).
Copperhead
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceThe Brave and the Bold #78 (July 1968)
Created byBob Haney (writer)
Bob Brown (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego(I) John Doe
(II) Nathan Prince
(III) Sameer Park
(IV) Jane Doe
SpeciesMetahuman
Team affiliations(I & III) Secret Society of Super Villains
Suicide Squad
Black Lantern Corps
(II) Terror Titans
Abilities
  • Supreme contortionist
  • Prehensile serpentine tail
  • Secretes deadly poison

Copperhead is the name of several supervillains appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, mostly as enemies of the superhero Batman.

Female variations appeared in Batman: Arkham Origins, and in live action on the first season of Gotham (named Larissa Diaz), portrayed by Lesley-Ann Brandt.

Publication history

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Copperhead's first appearance in The Brave and the Bold #78 (July 1968). Art by Bob Brown.

The first Copperhead first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #78 (July 1968) and was created by Bob Haney and Bob Brown.[1]

Fictional character biography

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John Doe

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The criminal known as Copperhead first appeared in Gotham City in a copperhead costume.[2] He commits numerous thefts before finally being apprehended by Batman and Batgirl. Copperhead then turns to more deadly pursuits as a super-assassin, constricting victims to death with his costume's tail.[3]

At various times, he fought Hawk and Dove, Superboy, and Jack Knight, in addition to joining the original incarnation of Secret Society of Super Villains.[4] Copperhead used the travel opportunities his freelance career afforded him to pursue his hobby of collecting transistor radios.

Although a master contortionist, Copperhead is largely powerless without his snake-skin costume.

During the Underworld Unleashed storyline, Copperhead sells his soul to the demon Neron in exchange for power and is transformed into a deadly human-snake hybrid.[5][6][7]

Copperhead is later killed by Manhunter (Kate Spencer).[1][8] He is resurrected as a Black Lantern in Blackest Night before being killed by several Lanterns.[9][10][11]

Nathan Prince

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Teen Titans (vol. 3) #56 featured a team of villains called the "Terror Titans", legacy villains whose mantles are inherited from older villains. One of the members shown is identified as Copperhead and appears visually as the character prior to the deal with Neron. The story did not reveal any information about the character or provide context with regard to previous stories.[12]

In the subsequent Terror Titans miniseries, it is revealed that the second Copperhead's true identity is Nathan Prince, and he is the only member of the Terror Titans who does not have a familial connection to his predecessor. As a child, Nathan drowned his baby sibling out of jealousy, and even attempted to kill his parents. Unable to go through with it, he instead ran away to live on the streets, where he would solicit himself, having sex with older men, after which he would kill and rob them. It is still unknown how Prince came to work for Clock King. During the Dark Side Club's metahuman battles, the heroine TNTeena is badly injured, and Clock King tasks Copperhead with watching over her as she recuperates. Copperhead complies, and over time, falls in love with her.[13] However, Nathan is later forced by Clock King to kill her.[14] Nate and the rest of the Terror Titans are then sent to assist the Martyr Militia, a group of brainwashed metahumans, in destroying Los Angeles, but the tables are turned by Ravager and Miss Martian, the latter using her telepathy to undo the brainwashing. The Terror Titans flee to their base, only for Clock King to kill Disruptor, and leave them to be apprehended by the metahumans. Two weeks later, Nate breaks his fellow Terror Titans out of custody, and the group swear revenge on Clock King.[15]

Sameer Park

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A new incarnation of Copperhead appears in the New 52 (a 2011 reboot of the DC Comics universe). This version is Sameer Park, a Pakistani snake man and member of the Secret Society of Super Villains.[16] He is killed by Deathstroke in Forever Evil #5.

Jane Doe

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A female Copperhead using the alias Jane Doe makes her debut sometime after the death of her predecessor. This version of the character resembles the incarnation seen in Batman: Arkham Origins; DC Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns said that this new incarnation would appear as a villain in the New 52 after the game's release.[17] It was adapted for comics in November 2016, three years after the game's release. This Copperhead is described as a deadly hitwoman and one of the two most toxic individuals on the planet (the other being Cheshire).[18]

This Copperhead is a South American crime boss in Central City as well as a former mercenary who has fought Batman and the Flash. Two-Face placed a large bounty on Batman's head that many super-villains and mercenaries intended to collect, including Copperhead. Alongside several other villains, Copperhead tracked down Batman to an active train. Climbing on board, Copperhead attempted to kill Batman, but he was able to escape by jumping into a flowing stream. After a brief stint of assassinations and other mercenary jobs, Copperhead was called up to lead her families' crime business in Central City. After a mysterious rival boss started muscling in on her territory, she decided to hire several mercenaries to enforce her rule, including Shrapnel, Black Spider, and the Trigger Twins. However, they were all arrested by the Flash, which prompted Copperhead to open negotiations with the mysterious crime lord, whom she discovered was Captain Cold of the Rogues, to find a way to defeat the Flash. Copperhead followed Cold's plan to eliminate the Flash, but Cold turned on her when he planted a cold bomb in a weapons delivery. The Flash was able to save her after he apprehended Cold, but without any evidence of her involvement, she was allowed to walk free.

Unknown

[edit]

An unidentified Copperhead takes part in a scheme organized by Helena Bertinelli's mother Fenice and is arrested by the Birds of Prey. He later appears as one of many villains that Batman and Catwoman defeat when he takes the latter on a typical night of his job. This version appears to be inhuman, with copper skin and non-snake-like qualities, such as teeth.[19] They are later shown as one of the many villains in Batman's Rogues Gallery who were beaten down by Bane in his attempt to reach Batman in Arkham.[20]

Powers and abilities

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Copperhead's contortionist skills allow him to fit himself into incredibly small spaces (such as chimneys). He originally wore a snake-themed costume made of metallic and elastic fibers and covered vulnerable points with Kevlar, making it bulletproof and impenetrable to almost any cutting weapon. The costume had been treated with a highly slippery water- and heat-proof silicon gel, allowing Copperhead to slide along any surface and slip out of tight spots. The tail could be stretched several feet and was strong enough to snap bone and shatter stone. The suit's helmet contained two seven-inch-long fangs which were capable of piercing human skin, and were coated in a potent neurotoxin derived from copperhead snakes. The toxin could paralyze a person almost instantly, and death would follow within 30 minutes. Later, Copperhead sold his soul to the demon Neron and was transformed into a human-snake hybrid. His reflexes and agility were greatly increased, and he gained venomous fangs, a forked tongue, claws, and a prehensile tail.

In "Terror Titans", Clock King mentions that the second Copperhead does not have any superpowers, meaning he utilizes a snake-themed suit, like the original once did.[21]

The Copperhead from "The New 52" has snake-like abilities.

The female Copperhead does not appear to have any superpowers and instead uses different poison equipment such as darts in addition to being a skilled martial artist.

Other characters named Copperhead

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A version of Copperhead appears in Sensation Comics #15. This version is an enemy of Little Boy Blue.[22]

Another character named Copperhead appeared in Leading Comics. Francisco Pizarro is a criminal who briefly turns the Seven Soldiers of Victory against each other during an Andes treasure hunt.[23]

Other versions

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A child version of the John Doe incarnation of Copperhead named Johnny appears in the Tiny Titans comics.

In other media

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Television

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Film

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  • The John Doe incarnation of Copperhead makes a cameo appearance in Superman/Batman: Public Enemies.[24]
  • The Sameer Park incarnation of Copperhead appears in Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay, voiced by Gideon Emery.[28][24] This version is a cyborg metahuman contortionist with a prehensile tail and a metallic jaw capable of spitting acidic venom. He is recruited into Amanda Waller's Suicide Squad and tasked with retrieving a "Get Out of Hell Free" card for her. During the mission, Killer Frost betrays the team and nearly escapes with the card, but Copperhead fights her until Waller detonates a bomb implanted in his neck to keep the squad in line, killing him and Killer Frost.

Video games

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Miscellaneous

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Merchandise

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  • The John Doe incarnation of Copperhead received two action figures in the Justice League Unlimited toyline, with one appearing in a three-pack alongside Lex Luthor and Mirror Master.
  • Copperhead received an action figure in Wave 12 of the DC Universe Classics line.
  • Copperhead received an action figure in the DC Imaginext figure line as part of a two-pack alongside Batman.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Beatty, Scott (2008), "Copperhead", in Dougall, Alastair (ed.), The DC Comics Encyclopedia, New York: Dorling Kindersley, p. 87, ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1, OCLC 213309017
  2. ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 72. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
  3. ^ Jimenez, Phil; Wells, John (2010). The Essential Wonder Woman Encyclopedia. Del Rey. p. 96. ISBN 978-0345501073.
  4. ^ Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Supervillains. New York: Facts on File. pp. 66–67. ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.
  5. ^ Underworld Unleashed #1 (November 1995). DC Comics.
  6. ^ Damage #18 (November 1995). DC Comics.
  7. ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Manning, Matthew K.; McAvennie, Michael; Wallace, Daniel (2019). DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle. DK Publishing. p. 255. ISBN 978-1-4654-8578-6.
  8. ^ Manhunter #1 (October 2004). DC Comics.
  9. ^ Blackest Night #1. DC Comics.
  10. ^ Blackest Night #3. DC Comics.
  11. ^ Green Lantern (vol. 4) #50. DC Comics.
  12. ^ Teen Titans (vol. 3) #56
  13. ^ Terror Titans #4. DC Comics.
  14. ^ Terror Titans #5. DC Comics.
  15. ^ Terror Titans #6. DC Comics.
  16. ^ Justice League of America (vol. 3) #4
  17. ^ "Newsarama | GamesRadar+". 22 May 2023.
  18. ^ All-Star Batman #2. DC Comics.
  19. ^ Batman (vol. 3) #14. DC Comics.
  20. ^ Batman (vol. 3) #19. DC Comics.
  21. ^ Teen Titans (vol. 3) #59
  22. ^ Sensation Comics #15 (March 1943). DC Comics.
  23. ^ Leading Comics #6 (March 1943). DC Comics.
  24. ^ a b c d "Copperhead Voices (DC Universe)". Behind the Voice Actors. Retrieved December 15, 2019. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  25. ^ Malmont, Paul (November 24, 2014). "The #DCTV Secrets of GOTHAM: Episode 10 – "Lovecraft"". DC Comics.
  26. ^ Lovett, Jamie (November 25, 2014). "Gotham: First Look At Copperhead". Comicbook.com.
  27. ^ Maglio, Tony (November 24, 2014). "'Gotham's' Copperhead Debuts on Fox's Fall Finale (Exclusive Photos)". TheWrap.
  28. ^ Trumbore, Dave (January 11, 2018). "Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay Cast, Images Revealed". Collider. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  29. ^ Eisen, Andrew (October 4, 2013). "DC Characters and Objects - Scribblenauts Unmasked Guide". IGN. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  30. ^ Siegel, Lucas (July 18, 2013). "SDCC '13: BATMAN: ARKHAM ORIGINS Panel Reveals COPPERHEAD, More". Newsarama. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  31. ^ Michael, Jon; Veness, John (November 2, 2018). "Characters - LEGO DC Super-Villains Guide". IGN. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
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