Martian Manhunter
Real Name: J'onn J'onzz
Nicknames: Big Green Buddy; Manhunter from Mars; Son of Mars
Former Aliases: Bronze Wraith, Bloodwynd; Mister Zero
Other Current Aliases: J'Onn J'Onzz (alternate spelling); John Jones, many others (See Other Aliases)
Status
Occupation: Adventurer, Detective
Legal Status: Being a shapeshifter, J'onn has legal status in several different countries, using various false identities.
Identity: Secret, though the general populace of Earth is aware that he is from the planet Mars. They are unaware however, of the true extent of his Martian capabilities, as well as his numerous identities.
Marital Status: Widowed
Group Affiliation: Former member of the Justice Experience; former member of the Justice League of America
Base of Operations: The Astral Plane; formerly Mars; formerly Middleton, Colorado; formerly Denver, Colorado; formerly Z'Onn Z'Orr; formerly JLA Watchtower
Origin
Last of the green Martians, J'onn J'onzz has made Earth his new home and fights crime as the Martian Manhunter.
Place of Birth: Mars
Known Relatives: M'yrnn (father, deceased); Sha'sheen (mother, deceased); M'yri'ah (wife, deceased); K'hym (daughter, deceased); Ma'alefa'ak (twin brother); D'all (father-in-law, deceased); J'ahrl J'onzz (ancestor, deceased)
First Appearance: Detective Comics #225
History
In his debut story, J'onn J'onzz is accidentally teleported to Earth by a human scientist, Dr. Erdel, who immediately has a heart attack and dies, leaving the Martian stranded and unable to return. He is able to use his powers to fit in, adopting a human-like appearance and calling himself "John Jones". He joins the police force, secretly using his alien powers to help the inhabitants of his new planet. After he had given up his John Jones persona he became Marco Xavier in order to infiltrate the international crime cartel known as VULTURE. During the superhero revival that became known as the Silver Age of Comic Books, the Manhunter from Mars adopted a more characteristically superheroic modus operandi, openly fighting crime in a green-skinned form.
Later comics reveal that Mars was dead when J'onn was taken, killed by a mental plague deliberately started by his brother Ma'alefa'ak. It is also said that, prior to becoming a superhero in his real form, he took the identity of the Bronze Wraith, and fought crime with the Justice Experience (a group that essentially exists to fill the gap between the eras of the Justice Society of America and the Justice League of America).
The Martian Manhunter's history is closely linked with that of the Justice League: He is a founding member of the superhero team, and his appearances with the League kept him in the public eye long after his own series of back-up stories (appearing in Detective Comics and House of Mystery) was cancelled. In the ''Justice League International'' series, J'onn is shown to be obsessed with Oreos, partially due to Captain Marvel's influence; the story of how he got over the addiction is told in his eponymous series (which, in a retcon, refers to them as "Chocos", no doubt due to copyright issues).
In Justice League International, J'onzz reveals that his familiar appearance is not his true Martian form but a "compromise" between his true form and a human appearance. This concept is refined in his solo series, which explains that his real form is private and that, even on Mars, his "public" appearance was the familiar version.
In addition to serving in the League under his own identity, he also joins (under duress) as "Bloodwynd".
Martian Manhunter began as an ongoing series in 2000, written by John Ostrander, and illustrated by Tom Mandrake (with fill-in art provided by Bryan Hitch among others). The series lasted 36 issues before being cancelled due to low sales. Outside of this, the Manhunter appears predominantly in Justice League comic books; he is the only character to be involved with every incarnation of the League. (From the late 1960s until the late 1970s, J'onn was absent from the JLA, having left Earth to find New Mars. This storyline is later retconned during the Crisis, and it is now assumed he was with the team at this time.)[citation needed]
J'onzz has two minor appearances in the Sandman series, in the issue #5 story "Passengers", in which the Dreamlord Morpheus inquires about the whereabouts of his Dreamstone. At this time, J'onn identifies him as an old God, and he sees Morpheus as a floating face, rather than the humanoid form others see him in. He also appears in issue #71 of Sandman during "The Wake" story arc, conversing with Batman and Clark Kent about dreams.
Grant Morrison establishes in the JLA series that the Martian Manhunter is the most recognized hero in the Southern Hemisphere, and that he maintains a number of different secret identities, many of them outside the United States; however, following two incidents later in the series in which John Jones separates from the Martian Manhunter, he decides to focus on his original human identity and retire the others.
In Joe Kelly-penned issues of JLA, the Martian Manhunter attempts to conquer his fear of fire and makes a deal with a flame-wielding villainess named Scorch, who wants J'onzz' telepathic help in dealing with her own mental issues. The story reveals that 20,000 years before, an extremely dangerous race of beings called "the Burning", caused large fires to help themselves to reproduce asexually. In order to prevent the Burning from destroying much of the universe, the Guardians of the Universe split the species into the Green Martians and the White Martians, changed their reproductive behavior, and instilled in them a fear of fire. When the Martian Manhunter confronts his fear of fire, he reverts into one of the ancient creatures and changes his name to Fernus. His genetic memory identifies threats such as Vandal Savage, who killed one of the Burning on ancient Earth. This same genetic memory also makes Fernus hate the Green Lantern, due to his association with the Oans.
Fernus increases the strength of the powers he inherits from J'onn: For example, he can phase other beings rather than just himself, and he has access to pyrokinesis. He can breathe fire of such intensity it harms Scorch, who had previously been thought immune to damage from fire. Fernus' tremendous strength also allows him to dominate the Justice League in combat even without his Martian telepathic powers. He can also heal himself from almost total destruction within seconds.
The Justice League eventually defeats Fernus by re-enlisting Plastic Man, who is immune to Fernus' psychic powers and has superior shape-changing abilities. The story implies that Batman recruited Plastic Man to the Justice League as a balance in case the Martian Manhunter ever goes out of control.
After destroying Fernus, J'onn grieves for Scorch, who had fallen into coma, and with whom he had fallen in love. In a later story, J'onn tells Superman that his aversion to fire has changed: he is now invulnerable to flames unless they are "flames of passion" or of some other "psychic significance".
Infinite Crisis and "One Year Later"
The Martian Manhunter in his current form
Although J'onzz is initially thought killed in the explosion of the Justice League Watchtower, Justice League member Manitou Dawn receives a telepathic vision of J'onzz assuring her that he "will reveal himself, in time" but needs her help to keep an eye on a mysterious, newly-powerful telepath - the mind-controlling villain Key - whose abilities he had always managed to dampen before. J'onzz resurfaces (in Infinite Crisis), unconscious and connected to Alexander Luthor, Jr.'s vibrational tower, along with Lady Quark, the Ray, Black Adam, Power Girl, Nightshade, and Breach. Wonder Girl, Superboy, and Nightwing free J'onzz and the others from Alexander's tower. Oracle asks J'onzz to telepathically coordinate the heroes' response to the Society's global jailbreak. He joins the assembled heroes in the defense of Metropolis from the combined might of the world's supervillains and in the battle against Superboy-Prime.
In the following months, J'Onn masqueraded as U.S. Secretary of State Kakalios in an attempt to bring down Checkmate. He was successful in eliminating it as a U.S. government-controlled agency. However, it soon reorganized under the United Nations.
DC Comics announced a new Martian Manhunter limited series that will spin out of the DCU: Brave New World one-shot.[1] It will be written by A.J. Lieberman with art from Al Barrionuevo and Bit. The mini-series will be about J'onn's search for another possible survivor of Mars.
The first issue re-introduced the Golden Age Martian Manhunter Roh'kar, but just as he and J'onn meet, a sniper shoots and kills him. As he dies, he tells J'onn that there are more of them elsewhere.
Characteristics
Height: Variable, normally 6'7"
Weight: Variable, normally 300 Ibs
Eyes: Red
Hair: Bald
Skin: Green
Unusual Features: Although obviously alien in appearance, the form that most Earthlings associate with the J'onn J'onzz (New Earth) is not actually his true form. In his natural state of being, J'onn has a slender body, with sharp, angular features and a tapered cranium. The more muscular "beetle-brow" appearance was inspired by Saul Erdel, who convinced J'onn to assume a form derived from the literary works of science fiction authors such as Edgar Rice Burroughs and Ray Bradbury. [1]
Powers
Known Powers: Martian Manhunter has been described as "the Swiss Army knife of superheroes." He possesses many of the powers of Superman. Note: Many, if not all of the J'onn J'onzz (New Earth)'s powers and abilities are common to members of his race, even if demonstration of such abilities has not been explicitly shown in a canonical resource.
- Malleable Form: J'onn possesses total psionic control over his physical form, even down to the molecular level. As a form of shape-shifting, this power enables the Martian Manhunter to contort his physical structure allowing him to adopt human form, elongate his limbs, grow to immense size, and so on. J'onn can maintain a selected form for an indeterminate amount of time without undue risk or strain.
- Invisibility A byproduct of shape-shifting, J'onn's body can bend waves of light around him, rendering him invisible to most forms of human detection. Through this, he can also alter his body's temperature, enabling him to become invisible to electronic scanning/tracking technology as well.
- Size Increase: A byproduct of shape-shifting, J'onn can increase his size and mass by absorbing external material.
- Alter Density: J'onn can increase his molecular density to become tougher and stronger, as well as decrease it to become incorporeal and thus able to pass through solid objects.
- Invulnerability With the exception of fire, the Martian Manhunter is invulnerable to nearly all physical attacks. This is due primarily to J'onn's shape-shifting talents and his ability to increase the density of his molecular structure.
- Flight: J'onn can defy gravity and fly through sheer force of will. This abiity is psionic in nature, and functions similarly to tactile telekinesis. J'onn's maximum velocity while flying has never been measured.
- Superhuman Strength While the exact magnitude of the Martian Manhunter's strength is unknown, it is generally accepted that his strength level easily surpasses the capacity to lift 100 tons. J'onn's strength is equitable to that of Superman.
- Superhuman Speed Either through flight or natural movement, the Martian Manhunter can maintain speed and reflexes far in excess to that of a standard Earth human. Traditionally, J'onn only uses his superhuman speed while flying.
- Superhuman Endurance J'onn's endurance is just as formidable as his strength or invulnerability. When not in the presence of fire, he can operate under extreme conditions for an indeterminate period of time without showing signs of fatigue. The exact range of this power is unknown. When in the presence of fire, J'onn's endurance diminishes greatly.
- Telepathy: The Martian Manhunter possesses the ability to read the minds of others and project his thoughts to varying extents. J'onn's skill with this ability is so acute, that he can sift through the mind of a selected target, extracting even the most hidden, repressed memories. It is an ability that J'onn has never been comfortable with, and only uses it in the most extreme of circumstances. J'onn can also project his mental essence into a gestalt community known as the "Great Mind". Through this, he can use his telepathy to enhance the telepathic strength of other Martians. [2]
- Mayavana: One of the most prized abilities of the Martians is Mayavana. It is the ability to reach into another mind and create a mental reality as real as any normal reality. The strain of Mayavana is such that it can only be used once in a life time, and so is normally used on the one that a Martian loves the most. J'onn used it on the rampaging Despero so that he thought that he had destroyed the JLI (subsequently he reverted to an embryonic state) and therefore saved his friends.
- Extrasensory Input: J'onn possesses nine different senses.
- Martian Vision: J'onn possesses super-powered eyesight, commonly referred to as "Martian Vision". Martian Vision is similar to Kryptonian heat vision in that it can cause combustible objects to explode; other effects unknown.
- Self-Sustenance: J'onn does not seem to need to eat or drink water, although he has developed a taste for Chocos.
Weakness: Like all Martians, J'onn is weak against fire. The only thing that can harm him is an intense fear of fire (inborn in all Martians, it is the basis of the god H'ronmeer who as well as being the object of fear as a fire god is the God of Death via association). The effect of the fear is to strip any Martian of their super abilities via the psychosomatic effect of their own body control working involuntary against them.
It has also been suggested that something within J'onn's physiology makes him addicted to the chemicals used in the Earth snack, Chocos. Withdrawal symptoms include violent bursts of rage, and loss of intellect. However, these claims have never been accurately substantiated, and may even be false. [3]
Known Abilities: Excellent detective.
Strength Level: By Earth standards, superhuman. By Martian standards, J'onn possesses the strength level of an average adult male Martian in peak physical condition.
Miscellaneous
Equipment: The Martian Manhunter owns one of two Kuru pendants. The pendant acts as a repository of ancient Martian lore and knowledge. The second pendant belonged to the late Martian, Roh'kar. J'onn is also known to carry a bag of Chocos with him for snacking.
Transportation: Self-powered flight
Weapons: No known weapons.
Notes
- The Martian Manhunter was created by writers Joseph Samachson, Jack Miller, and artist Joe Certa.
- As revealed in the pilot episode of the Justice League animated series, the Martian Manhunter's true name is pronounced Zhahn Zhownz. Phonetically, this name is very similar to John Jones, the human alias that he operated under while working for the Middleton police department.
- In Pre-Crisis continuity, J'onn quit the Justice League of America shortly after the team relocated to their satellite headquarters, and did not return until shortly before the disbanding of the first team. In Post-Crisis continuity, J'onn's leave of absence was retroactively altered, establishing that he maintained his membership throughout the entire tenure of the first League.
Other Aliases
This section contains a list of alternate identities that the Martian Manhunter has used during his time on Earth (incomplete).
- Bloodwynd [4]
- Bronze Wraith
- Charley Dimes [5]
- Joan J'onnz [6]
- John Jones [7]
- Marco Xavier
- Secretary of State Kakalios
- William Dyer [8]
- Yuchiro Takata [9]
Trivia
- In his earliest appearances, the Martian Manhunter resembled a normal human, albeit with green skin. He was drawn with standard human eyes and eyebrows. In later years however, creators decided to give J'onn a more alien appearance and provided him with the more modernized beetle-brow look.
Recommended Readings
- Martian Manhunter (Volume 1)
- Martian Manhunter (Volume 2)
- Martian Manhunter: American Secrets
Related Articles
- Martian Manhunter image gallery
- Martian Manhunter cover art gallery
- Martian Manhunter appearances list
- Green Martians
- Mars
- Justice League of America
External Links
- Martian Manhunter article at Wikipedia
- Martian Manhunter article at Toonopedia
- Martian Manhunter profile at the Unofficial Guide to the DC Universe
- Martian Manhunter profile at Monitor Duty
- Martian Manhunter profile at Cosmic Teams
- Martian Manhunter profile at the Oracle Files
References
- ↑ Martian Manhunter (Volume 1) #4
- ↑ Martian Manhunter (Volume 1) #4
- ↑ Martian Manhunter (Volume 2) #24
- ↑ Justice League Spectacular #1
- ↑ Martian Manhunter (Volume 2) #1
- ↑ Justice League Task Force #7
- ↑ Detective Comics #225 (and many other issues)
- ↑ Martian Manhunter (Volume 3) #1
- ↑ Martian Manhunter (Volume 2) #2
This is an in-universe article with out-of-universe material.