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Professor Hamilton

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Emil Hamilton
Emil Hamilton as depicted in The Adventures of Superman #425 (February 1987). Art by Jerry Ordway (penciler/inker) and Tom Ziuko (colorist).
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceAs Professor Hamilton: The Adventures of Superman #424 (January 1987)
As Ruin: Adventures of Superman #630 (September 2004)
Created byMarv Wolfman (writer)
Jerry Ordway (artist)
In-story information
Alter egoEmil Hamilton
SpeciesHuman
Team affiliationsS.T.A.R. Labs
Enginehead
Society
Notable aliasesRuin
AbilitiesGenius-level intelligence
Expert scientist

Professor Emil Hamilton is a fictional comic book character appearing in books published by DC Comics, usually as a supporting character in stories featuring Superman.[1]

The character was portrayed by Richard Schiff in Man of Steel.

Publication history

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Created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Jerry Ordway, Professor Emil Hamilton first appeared in The Adventures of Superman #424 (January 1987). His depictions in various incarnations range from that of a trusted ally to Superman and his colleagues to one who is cautious and mistrustful of Superman and his power, to an unambiguous villain. The character was named after Edmond Hamilton, who wrote stories about Superman and other characters from the 1940s to the 1960s.

Fictional character biography

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Emil Hamilton is a former employee of S.T.A.R. Labs who is driven insane after Lex Luthor steals credit for the inventions. After being treated, Hamilton establishes a laboratory in Suicide Slum and becomes an ally of Superman, creating various devices for him.[2][3]

After Doomsday kills Superman, Hamilton is overcome with guilt.[4][5][6][7] He loses an arm in Fall of Metropolis, but replaces it with a self-designed prosthesis.

Hamilton also gives Superboy a visor that gives him the Kryptonian powers he lacks.[8] He spends time with Superman, assisting him in restoring the Fortress of Solitude and saving the citizens of Kandor.[9]

Villainy

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Hamilton later becomes jealous of Superman and becomes Overmind, the leader of a gang plotting Brainiac 13's return. He is partially controlled by Brainiac's technology infecting his arm.[10]

In a 2005 storyline, Hamilton becomes the villain Ruin, seeking to prevent Superman from destroying Earth's sun. He later joins Alexander Luthor Jr.'s Society in Infinite Crisis.[11][12][13][14]

Powers and abilities

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Emil Hamilton is a normal human being and thus, has no inherent powers, though he is a brilliant scientist and inventor, having designed and built devices such as a force-field generator. As Ruin, he wields a powered suit that enables him to teleport and generate red sunlight.

Hamilton has designed various prosthetic arms with unusual abilities, including one that acted as a sunscreen dispenser.

Other versions

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  • An alternate universe variant of Professor Hamilton appears in JLA: The Nail #2.[15]
  • An alternate universe variant of Professor Hamilton appears in Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl #1. This version previously worked with Lex Luthor to create a new solar battery, only to have his reputation ruined when Hamilton attempted to reveal the battery uses the corpse of an infant Kal-El as its power source.[16]
  • The pre-Flashpoint version of Hamilton appears in Convergence, where he reforms, moves to Gotham City, and repairs his friendship with Jimmy Olsen. Furthermore, he builds the Whiz Wagon, a flying, multi-purpose vehicle, as self-imposed reformation therapy.[17]

In other media

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Television

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Emil Hamilton as depicted in Smallville

Film

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Video games

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Miscellaneous

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The Smallville incarnation of Emil Hamilton appears in Smallville Season 11. He helps the Watchtower Network construct an outpost on the moon, assists in transferring Tess Mercer's consciousness from her half-brother Lex Luthor's body to the Watchtower's computer system, and acts as her psychiatrist.[21] After Mercer downloads herself into the "Red Tornado" android and joins the Justice League, she and Hamilton begin dating.[22]

References

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  1. ^ Greenberger, Robert; Pasko, Martin (2010). The Essential Superman Encyclopedia. Del Rey. pp. 116–117. ISBN 978-0-345-50108-0.
  2. ^ The Adventures of Superman #442 (July 1988). DC Comics.
  3. ^ The Adventures of Superman #484 (November 1991). DC Comics
  4. ^ Superman: The Man of Steel #19 (January 1993). DC Comics
  5. ^ The Adventures of Superman #498 (January 1993). DC Comics
  6. ^ Superman: The Man of Steel #20 (February 1993). DC Comics
  7. ^ Superman (vol. 2) #95 (December 1994). DC Comics
  8. ^ Superboy (vol. 4) #1-3 (February–April 1994). DC Comics
  9. ^ Superman (vol. 2) #117 (November 1996). DC Comics
  10. ^ Enginehead #1-6 (June–November 2004). DC Comics.
  11. ^ The Adventures of Superman #636 (March 2005), DC Comics.
  12. ^ The Adventures of Superman #640 (July 2005), DC Comics.
  13. ^ The Adventures of Superman #646 (January 2006), DC Comics.
  14. ^ The Adventures of Superman #647 (February 2006), DC Comics.
  15. ^ JLA: The Nail #2 (September 1998), DC Comics.
  16. ^ Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl and Batgirl #1 (September 1998), DC Comics.
  17. ^ Convergence: Superman #1 (April 2015), DC Comics.
  18. ^ a b c d "Professor Emil Hamilton Voices (Superman)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved July 20, 2024. 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.
  19. ^ Bettinger, Brendan (January 9, 2012). "Richard Schiff to Play Dr. Hamilton in MAN OF STEEL". Collider. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  20. ^ Eisen, Andrew (October 2, 2013). "DC Characters and Objects - Scribblenauts Unmasked Guide". IGN. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  21. ^ Smallville Season 11 #6
  22. ^ Smallville Season 11: Continuity #4
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