Fictional universe DC Universe | ||
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Alter ego (I) John Doe(II) Nathan Prince(III) Sameer Park(IV) Jane Doe Team affiliations (I & IV) Secret Society of Super VillainsSuicide SquadBlack Lantern Corps(II & III) Terror Titans Abilities Supreme contortionistPrehensile serpentine tailSecretes deadly poison First appearance Brave and the Bold #78 (June 1968) Similar Electrocutioner, Firefly, Black Mask, Anarky, Lady Shiva | ||
Copperhead is a DC Comics supervillain.
Contents
Publication history
The first Copperhead first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #78, June (1968) and was created by Bob Haney and Bob Brown.
"John Doe"
The criminal known as Copperhead first appeared in Gotham City in a copperhead costume. He committed numerous thefts before finally being apprehended by Batman and Batgirl. Copperhead then turned to more deadly pursuits as a super-assassin, constricting victims to a suffocating death with his costume's tail. During this time, he would become obsessive about his target and think of nothing until the target was dead, which proved to be a weakness at times as he would ignore anything he did not consider immediately relevant. Copperhead used the travel opportunities his freelance career afforded him to pursue his hobby of collecting transistor radios.
Although a master contortionist, Copperhead was largely powerless without his snake-skin costume.
During the Underworld Unleashed storyline, Copperhead sold his soul to the demon Neron in exchange for more power, being transformed into a deadly anthropomorphic snake man.
He was later killed by Manhunter, Kate Spencer.
During the Blackest Night storyline, Copperhead has been identified as one of the deceased entombed below the Hall of Justice. He is listed as "John Doe", as his real name had never been discovered. He was reanimated as a member of the Black Lantern Corps. Copperhead is destroyed by the combined efforts of seven Lanterns during the Black Lantern Corps' attack on Coast City.
Nathan Prince
Teen Titans #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.
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 family 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. However, Nathan is later forced by Clock King to kill her. 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, who uses 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.
Sameer Park
Copperhead appears in the New 52 (a reboot of the DC Comics universe). He is an criminal named Sameer Park, and is a mutanted anthromorfic, snake man as opposed to being a villain wearing a snake costume. Copperhead as a member of the Secret Society of Super Villains. He is killed by Deathstroke in Forever Evil #5.
Jane Doe
In DC Rebirth, a female Copperhead using the alias "Jane Doe" makes her debut sometime after the death of her predecessor. She is described as a deadly hitwoman and one of the two most toxic individuals on the planet (the other being Cheshire). This version of the character resembles its appearance in Arkham Origins.
Yet another Copperhead appears later as one of the many villains Batman and Catwoman take down when he takes her on a typical night of his job. This version appears again to be inhuman & snake-like.
Powers and abilities
Copperhead's contortionist skills allow him to fit himself into incredibly small spaces (such as chimneys). He originally wore a snake-themed costume. The suit was a weave of metallic and elastic fibers and covered vulnerable points (such as the chest) with Kevlar, making it bulletproof and impenetrable to almost any cutting edged 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.
The Copperhead from "The New 52" has snake-like abilities.
Television
Film
Copperhead appears in the animated movie Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. He is among the villains that attack Batman and Superman.