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| “ | I am Mars' Sole Survivor. There is a reason for that. | „ |
| ~ Martian Manhunter. |
| “ | The League leads. When there is a crisis, the other heroes—and the world—look to us first to deal with it, to rally others. We set the example. | „ |
| ~ Martian Manhunter about the Justice League. |
| “ | When I found you… you took me in, as you have again now. And since then I have seen it as my purpose to connect you to each other. But I see now… that maybe I have something more to offer. | „ |
| ~ Prime Earth Martian Manhunter to the Justice League. |
The Martian Manhunter (real name: J'onn J'onzz) is one of the protagonists of the DC Universe, and a regular member of the Justice League.
He is the older twin brother of Ma'alefa'ak, Martians and has taken on the role as a hero on Earth due to his affinity for the planet, disguising himself as a human due to knowing that humans will fear his alien appearance. He is one of the most powerful heroes in the Justice League and has displayed a vast array of powers such as shapeshifting, superhuman strength, telepathy, and flight.
He was created by the late Joseph Samachson and Joe Certa, and first appeared in Detective Comics #225 in November of 1955.
History[]
Silver Age Origin[]
Martian J'onn J'onzz was pulled from his homeworld, and time, to Earth in an experiment with alien technology. Scientist, Saul Erdel, had been experimenting with alien technology, possibly Martian, to try to perfect teleportation. His experiments eventually paid-off, though not in the way he intended and his first successful teleportation had randomly locked onto J'onn J'onzz and transported him from Mars to Earth.
Witnessing the sudden appearance of the large green humanoid caused Erdel to have a heart attack and stranded J'onn on the planet. J'onn, confused as to what had just occurred, decided to assume the form of the strange alien species native to the planet that he had been transported to.
After going undercover as a human, reading minds and finding out all he could about Dr. Erdel's research, J'onn eventually put together what had happened and realized he was on a different planet, Earth, one he had thought to be devoid of life. J'onn began working on a way to communicate and return to his home planet but also plied himself to helping the humans as dangers arose for them, as they were severely limited with an inability to do basic things like fly, read minds or alter their shape.
J'onn would eventually find that he was not just pulled through space but time and his people had died off years ago. With no other planet to call his home J'onn decided to dedicate himself full time to protect his new home and use his powers to help ensure the safety of the Earthlings. In his pursuits he would come to join the Justice League of America as one of their core members.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
J'onn J'onzz was born on the planet Ma'aleca'andra (known today as Mars) to M'yrnn and Sha'sheen j'onzz, and is the twin brother to Ma'alefa'ak. Since the birth of twins was uncommon to Martian culture, the children were given special names, but Ma'alefa'ak was given his name due to being a mutant since he couldn't speak telepathically. J'onn grew up and became a police officer and married a woman named M'yri'ah, whom would have his daughter K'hym.
Ma'alefa'ak would come to despise Martian culture, and created the H'ronmeer's Curse to commit genocide to his fellow Martians who had telepathic abilities. When learning that a Martian's would suffer from their great fear of fire from getting the virus and causing them to engulf into flames, J'onn attempted to prevent his wife and daughter from contracting the curse. J'onn failed to prevent his wife and daughter from contracting the virus, and witnessed them burn to death, which nearly drove him mad.
Becoming Martian Manhunter[]
He was taken to Earth when Dr. Saul Erdel sent a beam from the planet, and due to his fractured psyche, was given a new backstory by Erdel to restore his mind. Erdel placed the idea that J'onn should become a champion, and took on the title of "Martian Manhunter" before shapeshifting into a human-like form. Erdel died of shock from seeing this, and begged for forgiveness for keeping J'onn prisoner on Earth. The Martian would continue to take on a human form to fit into Earth's society, becoming a police detective in Middleton under the alias "John Jones". He would become the partner of Diane Meade and took a alien named Zook as his pet, and the three would solve cases in Middleton. Eventually, the Martian's true form was discovered the public, and J'onzz decided to allow the public to see his true form while keeping his "Jones" identity a secret.
The Manhunter would become a founding member of the Justice League of America alongside Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, and Aquaman. Though a recurring member, he would become the leader of Justice League Detroit when the league disbanded, but left the Detroit division when it was disbanded as well. He would return to the League when it was reformed, and attempted to get over his fear of fire by seeking the aid of the villainous Scorch. When confronting his fear, the Manhunter turned into a ancient creature of his species and took on the name Fernus, but was returned to normal after the Justice League brought Plastic Man.
During the "Final Crisis" storyline, J'onzz volunteered to keep an eye on Checkmate by disguising himself as the supervillain Blockbuster. Catwoman discovered this, and outed J'onzz to save her own skin, and was tortured by the group before being left in a cage to die. The supervillain Libra captured him and returned J'onzz back to Earth to kill him with a spear that held the Human Flame, which wanted to kill the Manhunter due to the superhero foiling one of the Flame's crimes years ago. In his final moments, J'onzz telepathically spoke to his allies to say his name and tell his backstory before dying. He was buried in a Egyptian pyramid that was placed on Mars, and his allies mourned his passing and Superman gave the eulogy at the funeral.
He was one of the many who were revived by Nekron and became a Black Lantern during the "Blackest Night", and confronted the Flash and Green Lantern at Batman's grave. He was restored by the Entity along with a few other heroes and villains, and returned to as a prominent member of the Justice League.
Prime Earth[]
On Prime Earth, J'onnz was empowered by his brother and was thrown to Earth by a monster that attempted to save Mars, but seeing that they were unworthy, allowed the Martians to become extinct. He became a member of the Justice League, but left due to not knowing much of his past, leading to distrust from several members. Left cynical from his experience with the league, the Manhunter joined Stormwatch until he mind-wiped his teammates when he decided to leave, as the others saw him leaving as a threat to the team's secrecy. J'onnz was then contacted by Amanda Waller to join her government based Justice League, and was considered the foil to Superman. After helping Stargirl, the two founded Justice League United, a group that would help superheroes come together.
Powers and Abilities[]
| “ | I can count on one hand the number of beings in the known universe that I would be afraid to face in open combat. J'onn J'onzz is at the top of that list. He is The Most Powerful Being on The Face of the Earth. | „ |
| ~ Superman, JLA: Trial by Fire. |
- Martian Physiology: 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 Martian Manhunter'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. His powers come from his alien physiology. Born on Mars over a millenium ago, from a super advanced civilization, boasting advanced technology and genetic modifications over its people, the Martian Manhunter would appear to be a genetically modified being with incredible powers stemming from the changes made in his body. Whether this is their natural state or an advanced state given to only a few individuals is unknown. The Martian's physiology would seem to be composed of a complex molecular chain that resembles polymer bonds but with the ability to be altered at will. The Martian Manhunter can change his mass, color, relative shape, imitating even clothing if desired. The biopolymer is extremely flexible, durable, incredibly strong for a biological material and apparently self-sustaining. It is unknown if the Martian Manhunter actually needs to eat or not, but he has been seen consuming food, particularly "Chocos," a brand of cookies.
- Superhuman Strength: The Manhunter is one of the strongest beings on the planet. His superhuman strength comes from his plasmorphic structure formed from immensely long and complex moleculer chains, augmented with his psionic and telekinetic abilities allowing him to lift incredble weights without without these weights crumbling under the stress. The Martian has been seen lifting tankers out of the ocean for vast distances, stalemating powerhouses like Superman, and he has even helped tow the moon and objects as large as the Earth itself together with Superman.
- Nigh-Invulnerability: The bio-morphic structure of the Manhunter's body allows him to absorb almost all kinetic energies such as high-caliber bullets, shrapnel, or flying debris easily. He can harden his bio-polymers by rebinding them and increase his durability to the point where he is nearly on par with Superman.
- Superhuman Stamina: J'onn's endurance is just as formidable as his strength and invulnerability. 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.
- Regeneration: The Manhunter's regenerative abilities are so great that he has been able to completely regenerate from nothing but his severed hand, regenerate in moments from nothing more than a puddle of green liquid, and in another instance, survived beheading.
- Flight: The Martian Manhunter flies by manipulation of gravitons (a subatomic particle associated with the force of gravity), manipulation of magnetic fields and control of his moleculer movement (a telekinetic effect). These combined gives him the abilty to fly great distances with little fatigue and at great speed.
- Superhuman Speed: Either through flight or natural movement, the Manhunter can maintain speed and reflexes far in excess to that of even most superhumans. Like the power of flight, this is accomplished by manipulating the magnetic fields of energy surrounding his body, as well as ambient gravitational particles. Traditionally, J'onn only uses his superhuman speed while flying. He has demonstrated to be nearly as fast as Superman.
- Superhuman Breath: The inner valves and chambers inside the Martian Manhunter's air canals are very dense and greatly enhanced, allowing him to, much like Superman, create strong hurricane force winds just by exhaling pressurized air from his lungs in an incredibly strong burst.
- Enhanced Senses: J'onn possesses nine different senses. One of these senses could account for instances of the Manhunter's precognitive abilities.
- Martian Vision: The actual nature of this power seems to vary depending on the reports. It has been seen to be a bolt of force, directed by the Manhunter's eyes causing considerable damage. It has also been seen to cause flammable objects to catch fire. It also grants J'onn the ability to see into other spectrums of light. J'onn can use his martian vision to see people and objects that are invisible to others. For example, upon their first meeting, J'onn's power allowed him to see past Gypsy's meta-human camouflage ability; other effects are, at present, unknown.
- Shapeshifting: Arguably one of the most incredible powers possessed by the Manhunter is the ability to shape-shift. He is able to literally control the molecular structure of his body's biopolymers and manipulate them into any construct he desires, in addition to and including his own body. He can form clothing and weapons with non-moving or non-functioning parts. There does not seem to be any limit to the number of people the Manhunter can imitate and has stood in as a double for many famous people. His ability to imitate people and their mannerisms has stood him in good stead for his disguises. He has recently been seen to shape-shift into the size and shape of a common house fly and to enormous sizes comparable to skyscrapers. He is also able to change colors and turn himself into objects. J'onn is also capable of copying another person's powers, as he was once able to mimic Superman's appearance and all his powers (and became temporarily invulnerable to fire) - but an exposure to Gold Kryptonite eliminated those powers.
- Density Manipulation: To be added
- Intangibility: The Manhunter can phase through solid matter. No explanation of this power has been given, but it might possibly be an aspect of his psionic powers, perhaps shifting his mass into another dimension or out of vibrational phase with other objects in this dimension. Since it is known that he can alter the density of his biopolymers, it may be that he can simply become less substantial than solid matter, thereby decreasing the molecular density of his body by loosening the bonds within the biopolymers, due to - and further demonstrating - the absolute control he has over them.
- Invisibility: The Manhunter can cause the biopolymers in his body to lose their ability to reflect light, rendering him invisible to normal light and human sight. With more increased concentration, he can render himself completely invisible along the electromagnetic spectrum, including the infrared and the ultraviolet ranges of the spectrum. This invisibily does not affect every other sense and he could still be detected by touch.
- Density Manipulation: To be added
- Telepathy: The Manhunter is the most powerful telepath on the planet. He is able to read the mind of any human with no difficulties, and the only minds that can cause him trouble are insane minds. He can even read their subconscious mind as well. He can scan the mind of every person on Earth within a matter of moments. He can also read minds over great distances.
- Mind Control: The Martian Manhunter can also control other mind's. Insane minds seem to be the only minds he has some trouble controlling.
- Telepathic Relay: Otherwise known as a telepathic link. As a Class 3 telepath, the Manhunter is able to use his telepathic prowess as a relay station for a group of minds, who can then "speak" to each other through him. This relaying ability seems to be limited to the same range as the Manhunter's normal telepathic range.
- Telepathic Assault: The Martian Manhunter can also use his telepathic abilities in an offensive manner. He has the ability to cause mental shutdown in a target using his psionic powers. The Manhunter does not use this power often due to the invasive nature and harshness of such a telepathic attack.
- Thought Sensing: The Manhunter can use the mental signature of a being to track it, and can detect life forms by their empathic as well as telepathic signatures. He can detect whether a being is intelligent or not, and can communicate with it empathically if it does not have a communicating-driven frame of reference with which normal telepathy may function. He can also detect various states of minds from anywhere in the world.
Abilities[]
- Genius Level Intellect: The Martian Manhunter possesses highly advanced reasoning and logic capabilities, and uses them to great effect. Despero once claimed that Ted Kord's mind (IQ 192) was second only to that of J'onn J'onzz. The Martian Manhunter's particularly astute reasoning capabilities and long-term assocation with Earth's global population gives him an edge in dealing with humans of diverse governments, cultures and religions. As a result, in the northern hemisphere of Earth, the Manhunter is one of many costumed adventurers battling against entropy, yet in the southern hemisphere, he is more well-known than even Superman.
Portrayals[]
Films[]
- In Justice League: The New Frontier, he was voiced by the late Miguel Ferrer.
- In Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, he was voiced by Jonathan Adams.
- In Lego Batman: The Movie - DC Super Heroes Unite, he was voiced by Cam Clarke.
- Clarke reprised his voice for the character in Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes.
- In Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Attack of the Legion of Doom, he was voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.
- In The Death of Superman and Reign of the Supermen, he was voiced by Nyambi Nyambi.
- Martian Manhunter is set to appear in Zack Snyder's Justice League, where he will be portrayed by Harry Lennix. Harry Lennix previously portrayed the character, Calvin Swanwick, in Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. In the original cut of Justice League, it was planned that Swanwick would be revealed to be Martian Manhunter in disguise. in Zack Snyder's Justice League, Swanwick is revealed to be a guise of the Martian Manhunter.
Television[]
- In the Justice League of America TV movie, he was played by the late David Ogden Stiers.
- In three tv-series, Justice League: Doom, and the Injustice games, Carl Lumbly voices him.
- In Smallville, he was portrayed by Phil Morris.
- In The Batman, he was voiced by Dorian Harewood.
- In Young Justice, he was voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson.
- In Batman: The Brave and the Bold, he was voiced by Nicholas Guest.
- Guest reprised his voice for the character in Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
- In Justice League Action, he was voiced by Crispin Freeman.
- In the Arrowverse, he was portrayed by David Harewood, who also voiced Usef Omar in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare..
Video Games[]
- In Justice League Heroes, he was voiced by Daniel Riordan.
- In DC Universe Online, he was voiced by Dwight Schultz.
- In Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, and Lego DC Super-Villains, he was voiced by Ike Amadi.
Quotes[]
| “ | It's beautiful isn't it? Almost reminds me of home. I don't think the human race understands just precious this planet is. That's why I wanted you in the Justice League, Animal Man. | „ |
| ~ Martian Manhunter |
| “ | Who could have done something like this? Many of them are but children. | „ |
| ~ Martin Manhunter |
| “ | The future is worth it. All the pain the tears. The future is worth fighting for. | „ |
| ~ Martian Manhunter |
| “ | Your ego betrays you | „ |
| ~ Martin Manhunter in Injustice |
Trivia[]
- Ranked 43rd on IGN's greatest comic book hero list.
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