Dontrell "Cockroach" Hamilton is the name of a fictional supervillain appearing in
American comic book
An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...
s published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
. The character is most closely related to
Luke Cage
Lucas "Luke" Cage, born Carl Lucas and also known as Power Man, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in ''Luke Cage, Hero for Hire'' #1 (June 1972) and was created by Archie Go ...
, one of the early black
Marvel
Marvel may refer to:
Business
* Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company
** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment
** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe
** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics
...
superheroes.
Publication history
The character first appears in ''
Luke Cage, Power Man
Lucas "Luke" Cage, born Carl Lucas and also known as Power Man, is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in ''Luke Cage, Hero for Hire'' #1 (June 1972) and was cre ...
'' #28 (December 1975), produced by
Don McGregor
Donald Francis McGregor (born June 15, 1945) is an American comic book writer best known for his work for Marvel Comics; he is the author of one of the first graphic novels.
Early life
Don McGregor was born in Providence, Rhode Island, where he w ...
,
George Tuska
George Tuska (; April 26, 1916 – October 16, 2009),[George Tuska]
at the Social Security Death Index via Fami ...
, and
Vinnie Colletta.
Fictional character biography
Growing up in Harlem, Dontrell was petrified by the night's noise. However, over time, he gradually become accustomed to them, besides the
cockroach
Cockroaches (or roaches) are a paraphyletic group of insects belonging to Blattodea, containing all members of the group except termites. About 30 cockroach species out of 4,600 are associated with human habitats. Some species are well-known as ...
es that infested his home. These early experiences lead to an affinity for cockroaches and "Cheese Snipz".
Later in life, Hamilton turns to a life of crime, becoming a mob enforcer (alias "Cockroach") for
Ray "Piranha" Jones. During an investigation of Dontrell,
Power Man is attacked by Dontrell and Ray's men at the Harlem River docks. Power Man is eventually knocked out and carried back to Ray's penthouse, but breaks free and attacks Ray. Power Man and Ray fall into a pool of piranhas, and Dontrell seals them in and escapes.
Dontrell and Ray escape conviction and move to
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...
. They demand
protection
Protection is any measure taken to guard a thing against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although th ...
money from the locals, who refuse, but are eventually accepted into the community. However, three women Vita Buchetta, Ann Repucci, and Annette Cortese shame the members of the community for accepting Dontrell and Ray, while secretly using them to use them to start their own criminal careers. When
Terror Inc.
''Terror Inc.'' was an American comic-book horror series from Marvel Comics starring the antihero Terror, an eternal entity that absorbs the talents of others through their dismembered limbs. He was created by writers Dan Chichester and Margar ...
is hired by an unknown party to kill Ray, Dontrell cannot defend him because his custom shotgun, "Josh", keeps jamming. Upon examining the information from the cartridges, Terror Inc. realized that Ray had hired them. Terror Inc. saved Ray from the mobsters and the arriving
Punisher
The Punisher (Francis "Frank" Castle, born Castiglione) is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The Punisher made ...
as Dontrell chased after Terror Inc. in their cars as Terror Inc. killed off Ray.
During the ''
Shadowland'' storyline, Dontrell appears as a member of Nightshade's Flashmob and attacks
Victor Alvarez. Dontrell fired on Victor until his gun was compressed by Luke Cage upon his arrival with Iron Fist. The Flashmob was later taken, arrested and taken to Ryker's Island, but Nightshade's solicitor
Big Ben Donovan
Big Ben Donovan is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Donovan was portrayed by Danny Johnson in the Marvel Television series '' Daredevil'' and ''Luke Cage'', set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe ...
secured Dontrell's release.
Hamilton later appears as one criminal, discussing the reward that
Tombstone had offered to anyone who could recover the Supersoul Stone from Luke Cage and Iron Fist. When a group of "
preemptive" vigilantes assault inactive villains, Hamilton joins the relatives of several of the victims in requesting help from the Heroes for Hire. Cage has Hamilton assist with investigating the "Preemptive Strike" by having him consult with criminals like Piranha Jones. After discovering that the Preemptive Strike work for
Alex Wilder
Alex Wilder is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is introduced in the series ''Runaways''.
Alex Wilder was portrayed by Rhenzy Feliz in the Hulu television series ''Runaways'' which ...
, Hamilton betrays the Heroes for Hire and joins Alex Wilder's
New Pride alongside
Black Mariah, Cottonmouth, and
Gamecock
A cockfight is a blood sport, held in a ring called a cockpit. The history of raising fowl for fighting goes back 6,000 years. The first documented use of the ''word'' gamecock, denoting use of the cock as to a "game", a sport, pastime or ente ...
.
Powers and abilities
Dontrell Hamilton has no superpowers but is a skilled marksman, using advanced pieces of artillery. His first weapon was a six-barreled shotgun built by himself and named "Josh".
Other versions
Earth-X
In the ''
Earth-X
''Earth X'' is a 1999 comic book limited series published by American company Marvel Comics. ''Earth X'' was written by Jim Krueger with art by John Paul Leon. Based on Alex Ross' notes, the series features a dystopian version of the Marvel ...
'' reality, Dontrell "Cockroach" Hamilton's history is the same, but in the present he has died.
House of M
In the ''
House of M
"House of M" is a 2005 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, consisting of a core eight-issue comic book limited series written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel and a number of crossover tie-in books. Its fir ...
'' reality, Dontrell "Cockroach" Hamilton is a mutant gangster with a cockroach appearance.
In other media
* Cockroach Hamilton appears in ''
The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes'' episode "To Steal an Ant-Man" as a member of
William Cross' gang.
* Cockroach Hamilton appears in the
second season of ''
Luke Cage
Lucas "Luke" Cage, born Carl Lucas and also known as Power Man, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in ''Luke Cage, Hero for Hire'' #1 (June 1972) and was created by Archie Go ...
'', portrayed by
Dorian Missick
Dorian Crossmond Missick is an American actor known for his role as Damian in the television series ''Six Degrees (TV series), Six Degrees'' (2006) and for voicing List of characters in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories#Victor Vance, Victor Van ...
. This version is a petty criminal who runs an off-the-books casino and was recently released from prison with help from corrupt NYPD Detective
Rafael Scarfe
Sabra
Sabreclaw
Sabreclaw is a character in the MC2 universe who first appeared in '' J2'' #8 (May 1999). He is the half-brother of Wild Thing and the son of Wolverine.
The character has claws (similar to Sabretooth), a healing factor, enh ...
. Additionally, Hamilton is physically abusive towards his girlfriend Andrea "Drea" Powell and her son CJ. After running afoul of
Luke Cage
Lucas "Luke" Cage, born Carl Lucas and also known as Power Man, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in ''Luke Cage, Hero for Hire'' #1 (June 1972) and was created by Archie Go ...
, the latter nearly kills him until one of Hamilton's neighbors intervenes. Hamilton subsequently sues Cage for his injuries and hires
Benjamin Donovan to represent him in court. However, Hamilton is later killed by
Bushmaster.
References
External links
Dontrell Hamiltonat Marvel Wiki
Dontrell Hamiltonat Comic Vine
at Marvel Appendix
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Dontrell
Marvel Comics supervillains
Characters created by George Tuska
Marvel Comics male supervillains
Luke Cage