Martian Manhunter

The Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz), alternately known as the Manhunter from Mars, is a comic book superhero appearing in DC Comics. He first appeared in a back-up story in Detective Comics #225 (cover date: November, 1955), written by Joseph Samachson and illustrated by Joe Certa.

J'onzz is a native of the planet Mars who possesses abilities similar to those of Superman, including flight, eye beams similar to Superman's heat vision (sometimes called "Martian Vision"), super strength and super stamina, but also has the powers of invisibilty, telepathy and the shapeshifting. His usual public appearance is of a tall, hairless, green-skinned humanoid with a pronounced brow. He is highly sensitive to fire; in some stories this weakness is a physical weakness, and in others it is psychological.

J'onzz has a mild addiction to Choco brand cookies (originally Oreo).

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").

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.)

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.

Although Superman concedes that the Martian Manhunter is the most powerful being on the planet, 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 the death of Scorch, 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".

Infinite Crisis and One Year Later

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 to 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.

DC Comics announced a new Martian Manhunter limited series that will spin out of the Brave New World one-shot.^* 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 last survivor of Mars besides himself.

DC One Million

In the timeline witnessed in DC One Million, J'onn is still alive, having become one with the planet Mars and now living in the dust of the planet itself. He appears to have grown weaker over time, speaking at a slower rate and apparently unable to leave Mars, but he remains active if need be, even telepathically communicating with the present-day Aquaman as the JLA launch the final attack on Solaris.

Golden age Manhunter from Mars

In 1953, DC Comics published a story in which a green-skinned manhunter from Mars named Roh Kar arrives on Earth and captures an escaped martian convict with the assistance of that era's Batman. This version has devices that allow him to disappear and teleport. (Sole appearance: Batman #78) reference

Powers and abilities

Martian Manhunter has been described as "the Swiss Army knife of superheroes." He possesses many of the powers of Superman -- enhanced strength, durability and speed, flight, and heat vision ("Martian Vision") -- at levels close to those of Superman himself.

He is also able to shapeshift (adopting human form, elongating his limbs, growing to immense size, and so on), turn invisible, and alter his density (increasing it to become tougher and stronger, decreasing it to become incorporeal and thus able to pass through solid objects).

In addition to his vast physical powers, J'onn is also a very powerful telepath, often acting as a "switchboard" for other JLAers in order to coordinate the team's actions. His defeat of Despero in JLI revealed that he is able to use his telepathy to completely submerge another being's mind in a permanent "wish-fulfillment" scenario, but that this is such a strain that he was only able to do it once — in Martian culture, this was a last gift to the dying from their loved ones.

He also possesses 9 different senses, though these are ill-defined and oft forgotten.

For most of his existence, J'onn was shown to have a deep-seated pyrophobia. It was revealed, during the Trial By Fire storyline (JLA nos. 84-89), that this fear was instilled on a genetic level by the Guardians of the Universe 20,000 years ago, when they split the original "Burning" Martians into the Green Martians and White Martians. The Guardians instilled this fear because the psychic suffering of others, combined with the physical conditions of an inferno, allow the barbaric, ruthless, and brilliant "Burning" Martians to asexually reproduce. As a species the Burning Martians existed only "to cause suffering and burn and breed," but if they were too afraid to go near fire, they could not reproduce.

At the end of the Trial by Fire arc, J'onn told Superman of the changes he'd gone through. "The flame and I are again bound, body and soul... but not as before... I can withstand simple fire without pain. Candle flame, or a burning forest, it matters not unless -- they are flames of psychic significance. Flames of suffering, as The Burning created... flames of passion, as an arsonist might create... flames of love. Those... those most of all I cannot bear."

Other media

Television

J'onn J'onzz appears in the 1997 live-action pilot for the Justice League of America television series. He has difficulty shapeshifting, and no mention is made of any other powers. J'onzz is played by David Ogden Stiers.

In the Justice League animated series, J'onzz' history is even more closely tied with that of the League. In the series, the Justice League originates as a temporary uniting of Earth's heroes against an alien invasion; the invaders had previously invaded Mars, wiping out all the inhabitants except J'onn J'onzz, who travels to Earth to warn of the invaders and join the fight against them. When the invaders are defeated, he remains on Earth as a member of the League.

For the animated series, executive producer Bruce Timm revised and altered J'onn's powers slightly; his superstrength was vastly downplayed, his Martian Vision removed altogether and emphasis was placed on his telepathy, shapeshifting and density alteration, specifically his ability to become intangible. J'onzz only increased his density sparodically on the series, usually noticable by a glowing blue aura surrounding his body; he actually became diamond hard once in a single episode, season 1's "A Knight of Shadows".

The character, voiced by Carl Lumbly, is referred to as J'onn J'onzz -- and not Martian Manhunter -- until the series was recreated as Justice League Unlimited, and he is always listed as "J'onn J'onzz" in the show's closing credits.

After the Watchtower is destroyed during a Thanagarian invasion, the League reforms, enlisting more than 50 new members. J'onzz assigns and monitors many of the missions. J'onzz remains on the Watchtower for two years without leaving, and begins to dislike humanity. When Wonder Woman points this out, J'onzz resigns from active duty to live among Earth's citizens and learn more about them. In the series finale, "Destroyer," J'onn, apparently living with a middle-aged human woman in China, joins the fight against Darkseid's forces.

Video Games

The Martian Manhunter will be featured as a playable character in the upcoming video game Justice League Heroes.

Trivia

Mars was known as Ma'aleca'andra, in his native tongue; this is similar to Malacandra, the name used by the inhabitants of Mars in C. S. Lewis's novel Out of the Silent Planet.

J'onn's approximate height, according to DC comics official stats is 6'7" (2.01 meters) and weighs in at 300 lbs.

The post-Zero Hour reboot of Legion of Super-Heroes sometimes hinted that R.J. Brande might actually be J'onn.

In Brazil, Martian Manhunter was known as Ajax. The direct translation to Portuguese (Caçador de Marte) was seldom used. Currently, the translators favour the character's name, J'onn.

J'onn's daughter K'ymm is named for Kim Yale.

In Spain, the character is known as El Detective Marciano, which means The Martian Detective.

External links

Alan Kistler's Profile On: The Martian Manhunter - An in-depth analysis and retrospective on the history of J'onn J'onzz by comic book historian Alan Kistler of www.MonitorDuty.com. Includes explanations of when and why his origin and history were changed, how the character of Jemm, Son of Saturn, was created, and just how important the Martian hero is to the rest of the DC Comics Universe. Contains various art scans.
Index of J'onn's Earth-1 adventures

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