Darkhawk (Christopher Powell) is a
fictional superhero appearing in
American comic books 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 first appeared in ''Darkhawk'' #1 (March 1991), and was created by writer
Tom DeFalco
Tom DeFalco (born June 26, 1950) is an American comic book writer and editor well known for his association with Marvel Comics, with long runs on ''Amazing Spider-Man'', ''Thor'', and ''Fantastic Four''.
Career
While in college, DeFalco "wrote fo ...
and artist
Mike Manley. The character appeared in a series of self-titled comics from 1991-1995, then recurred in several limited-run series and multi-title events in the years since. The character's origin is based on a link between a human character and an android from another dimension known as Null Space. The character has also appeared in non-speaking roles on television and video games.
Publication history
Darkhawk appeared in a self-titled monthly series for 50 issues that was 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 ...
from March 1991 to March 1995, and included three standalone annuals. Although created by DeFalco and Manley, DeFalco was never credited as a writer of the series. The original writer was
Danny Fingeroth
Daniel Fingeroth (; born September 17) is an American comic book writer and editor, best known for a long stint as group editor of the Spider-Man books at Marvel Comics.
Early life
Fingeroth was born in New York City, New York.
Career As a write ...
.
After his own series ended, Darkhawk co-starred or cameoed in other titles over the following years, such as ''
New Warriors
The New Warriors is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They traditionally consisted of teenage and young adult heroes, and were often seen to serve as a junior counterpart to Avengers (comics), ...
'', ''Avengers/JLA'', and ''Iron Man'', eventually resurfacing in ''Runaways'' (vol. 2) #1–6, followed by ''Marvel Team Up'' (vol. 3) #15 and the short-lived ''
Loners'' series. ''The New Warriors'' writer
Fabian Nicieza
Fabian Nicieza (born December 31, 1961) is an Argentine-American comic book writer and editor who is best known for his work on Marvel titles such as ''X-Men'', '' X-Force'', ''New Warriors'', ''Nomad'', '' Cable'', ''Deadpool'' and ''Thunderbo ...
said in 1992 that "People keep coming up to me and asking, 'Is Darkhawk a member of the New Warriors or not?' Well, yes and no. The New Warriors isn't an official group with a rule book and charter and the like. They're more of a club for super-powered teens. So if Darkhawk wants to hang out on a Friday evening and talk about his powers, then he'll stop by the New Warriors' crash pad."
Darkhawk appeared within the
Secret Invasion
"Secret Invasion" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self-titled eight-issue limited series and several tie-in books published by Marvel Comics from April through December 2008. The story involves a subversive, long-term in ...
tie-in issues of ''Nova'' (vol. 4) (#17–18) and was the focus of the two-issue mini-series ''
War of Kings
"War of Kings" is a comic book crossover storyline written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, published by Marvel Comics, and set in Marvel's main shared universe. The six-issue limited series was published between March : Darkhawk'', written by
C. B. Cebulski,
Dan Abnett
Dan Abnett (born 12 October 1965) is an English comic book writer and novelist. He has been a frequent collaborator with fellow writer Andy Lanning, and is known for his work on books for both Marvel Comics, and their UK imprint, Marvel UK, sinc ...
and
Andy Lanning
Andy Lanning is an English comic book writer and inker, known for his work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics, and for his collaboration with Dan Abnett.
Career
Lanning works primarily at Marvel Comics and DC Comics as an inker. He has also pencill ...
. ''War of Kings: Darkhawk'' brought closure to Chris Powell's earthbound human relationships with his family and fellow
Loners team members, and serves to establish a clean slate for the sequel series, ''War of Kings: Ascension'', written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning.
Darkhawk appeared in ''
Avengers Arena
''Avengers Arena'' is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics that debuted in December 2012 as part of the Marvel NOW! relaunch. The series shows 16 young heroes from the Marvel Universe and pit them against each other in a kill-or-be-kill ...
'', a 2012–13 series by
Dennis Hopeless
Dennis Hallum, known professionally as Dennis Hopeless and Dennis "Hopeless" Hallum, is an American comic book writer from Kansas City, Missouri who has written for Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, Boom! Studios, Arcana Studio and Oni Press.
Hallum h ...
and
Kev Walker
Kevin Walker is a British comics artist and illustrator, based in Leeds, who worked mainly on '' 2000 AD'' and ''Warhammer'' comics and the collectible card game '' Magic: The Gathering''. He is now working for Marvel Comics.
Biography
Walker ...
.
Fictional character biography
Christopher Powell was born in
Queens, New York
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
. While witnessing his policeman father accept a bribe from a crime boss at an abandoned amusement park, teenager Chris Powell discovered a mysterious
amulet. This amulet allowed him to switch places with a powerful android that his mind controlled. Powell vowed to use the amulet as "an edge against crime." In this role, he worked with other superheroes and battled a number of costumed villains.
[''Darkhawk'' #1. Marvel Comics.]
Darkhawk soon encountered his first supervillain, the
Hobgoblin
A hobgoblin is a household spirit, typically appearing in folklore, once considered helpful, but which since the spread of Christianity has often been considered mischievous. Shakespeare identifies the character of Puck in his ''A Midsummer Nig ...
, and battled him alongside
Spider-Man.
He next fought Savage Steel,
[''Darkhawk'' #4. Marvel Comics.] and then
Portal.
[''Darkhawk'' #5. Marvel Comics.] He next battled the
U-Foes
The U-Foes is a supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They are usually depicted as enemies of the Hulk. The group consists of four members: Vector, the group's leader, who can repel matter telekinetica ...
alongside
Captain America.
[''Darkhawk'' #6. Marvel Comics.] He battled the villain Lodestone, who attempted to remove his amulet.
[''Darkhawk'' #8. Marvel Comics.] He battled Savage Steel again, this time alongside the
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 ...
. Darkhawk battled the cyborg
Midnight,
Thunderball, and the
Secret Empire alongside Spider-Man, the Punisher,
Night Thrasher In comics, Night Thrasher may refer to:
* Night Thrasher (Dwayne Taylor), the first Night Thrasher, a fictional superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics
* Donyell Taylor
N'astirh
N'Garai
N'Kantu, the Living Mummy
Naga
Nah ...
,
Nova, and
Moon Knight. Darkhawk then battled assassins from the
Foreigner's 1400 Club. He battled
Tombstone, who successfully removed his amulet from his chest.
[''Darkhawk'' #11. Marvel Comics.]
Darkhawk occasionally worked with the
New Warriors
The New Warriors is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They traditionally consisted of teenage and young adult heroes, and were often seen to serve as a junior counterpart to Avengers (comics), ...
and was a provisional member of the
West Coast Avengers
The West Coast Avengers is a fictional group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in ''The West Coast Avengers'' #1 (Sept. 1984), created by Roger Stern and Bob Hall. It was the fi ...
. Darkhawk also battled a number of costumed villains, including the
Brotherhood of Mutants
The Brotherhood of Mutants (originally called the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, sometimes referred to as BoEM or B.O.E.M) is a fictional team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters are depicted as being devote ...
.
Powell discovered that the android was stored and repaired aboard a starship in a dimension called Null Space. When he used the amulet to access the android body, his human body switched places with it. Five Darkhawk amulets were commissioned by an alien crime lord named
Dargin Bokk. The scientists who created the technology eventually used them to assault Bokk. After Bokk destroyed the other scientists two of the scientists beamed their minds to Earth and merged with two Earth scientists there. Byron/Ned Dobbs and Mondu/John Trane created a sixth amulet which is the one that turned Christopher Powell into Darkhawk.
[''Darkhawk'' #25. Marvel Comics.]
However, the events of ''War of Kings: Ascension'' cast doubt on how much of this—even the existence of Bokk himself—was real.
Later, Powell and Darkhawk were split into two separate beings, each with Powell's memories. The Darkhawk body was then transformed into a new shape when it accidentally downloaded data from the ship, later re-emerging so that Powell could change back and forth between the two without teleporting to Null Space.
Excelsior (the Loners)
Powell later joined a group of former teenage superheroes who were struggling with their current lot in life called the
Loners (formerly known as
Excelsior
Excelsior, a Latin comparative word often translated as "ever upward" or "even higher", may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Literature and poetry
* "Excelsior" (Longfellow), an 1841 poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
* ''Excelsior'' (Macedo ...
). Members of this group included
Phil Urich
Phil may refer to:
* Phil (given name), a shortened version of masculine and feminine names
* Phill, a given name also spelled "Phil"
* Phil, Kentucky, United States
* ''Phil'' (film), a 2019 film
* -phil-, a lexical fragment, used as a root term ...
(a former Green Goblin),
Turbo
In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pr ...
from the
New Warriors
The New Warriors is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They traditionally consisted of teenage and young adult heroes, and were often seen to serve as a junior counterpart to Avengers (comics), ...
,
Lightspeed from
Power Pack
Power Pack is a superhero team consisting of four young siblings appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Louise Simonson and artist June Brigman, they first appeared in their own series in 1984, which last ...
, and
Ricochet
A ricochet ( ; ) is a rebound, bounce, or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. Most ricochets are caused by accident and while the force of the deflection decelerates the projectile, it can still be energetic and almost ...
from the
Slingers. The group was hired by a mysterious benefactor – later revealed to be former Avengers sidekick and
Captain Marvel and
Hulk partner
Rick Jones – to track down the
Runaways in Los Angeles.
Powell displayed trouble controlling his anger in his Darkhawk persona, leading to a short skirmish with Turbo. Dismayed with himself, Powell admits to his teammates that he suffered a nervous breakdown. Powell decided to never turn into Darkhawk again, but this decision did not last long, as shortly thereafter the group battled the notorious
Avengers villain,
Ultron
Ultron () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, and initially made his debut as an unnamed character in '' The Avengers'' #54 (July ...
. Darkhawk delivered the final blow, using a darkforce blast at point blank range to blow Ultron to pieces. Following the battle and the revelation of Jones' involvement, Excelsior opted to remain together and act as a more traditional superhero team.
Excelsior eventually change their minds about being superheroes and instead become a 'superhero support group' due to the events of the superhuman
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
rendering moot their original purpose to dissuade and/or help young superheroes cope with their powers/superhuman identities, as this role was now being officially fulfilled by the U.S. government (though Excelsior's new group mission was also fulfilled by the U.S. government). However, a new addition to the group,
Mattie Franklin convinces Powell to use his powers in order to help her take down the
MGH dealers that moved to Los Angeles. Powell inconsistently displays his rage issues during this time, mostly acting as a peacemaker between Mattie and
Ricochet
A ricochet ( ; ) is a rebound, bounce, or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. Most ricochets are caused by accident and while the force of the deflection decelerates the projectile, it can still be energetic and almost ...
after the three team up to battle crime.
Secret Invasion
Deciding to register with the government, Darkhawk is assigned to the position of Security Chief at
Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. During the
Skrull
The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Skrulls first appeared in ''Fantastic Four'' #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. They originated fro ...
invasion
An invasion is a Offensive (military), military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitics, geopolitical Legal entity, entity aggressively enter territory (country subdivision), territory owned by another such entity, gen ...
, he teams up with his old team-mate
Nova for two issues of that character's own title, but is also seen in the background of several issues thereafter.
''War of Kings''
Darkhawk is involved with the ''
War of Kings
"War of Kings" is a comic book crossover storyline written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, published by Marvel Comics, and set in Marvel's main shared universe. The six-issue limited series was published between March '' event in a four-issue series written by
Dan Abnett
Dan Abnett (born 12 October 1965) is an English comic book writer and novelist. He has been a frequent collaborator with fellow writer Andy Lanning, and is known for his work on books for both Marvel Comics, and their UK imprint, Marvel UK, sinc ...
and
Andy Lanning
Andy Lanning is an English comic book writer and inker, known for his work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics, and for his collaboration with Dan Abnett.
Career
Lanning works primarily at Marvel Comics and DC Comics as an inker. He has also pencill ...
called ''War of Kings: Ascension''. With the Loners series ending with low sales and unlikely to be followed with a sequel series, series writer CB Cebulski was assigned to write a two-issue ''War of Kings: Darkhawk'' series, with Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning co-scripting the second issue to ensure it tied into their own ''Ascension'' series.
A second Darkhawk armor appears near the Powell family home, and the unknown occupant of the armor forces Powell to transform to his own armored form shortly before an explosion rocks the immediate area.
Powell's family survives the blast, but his mother is critically injured. The new Darkhawk introduces himself as Talon and claims to be part of the Fraternity of Raptors, an order created as "the curators of history, and the custodians of the future," of which he and Powell are the last two members. He also explains that Powell's anger issues are a direct result of the amulet not being designed to work with humans. Talon offers to assist Powell with the amulet, and after some deliberation he opts to do so; the two then retreat to the Negative Zone.
The story picks up in ''War of Kings: Ascension''. Powell and Talon are fighting a group of Chitinauts, bug troops that serve Catastrophus, a lieutenant of
Annihilus
Annihilus () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, primarily as an adversary to the Fantastic Four. The character debuted in ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four Annual'' #6, which was published i ...
, but Talon's brutal techniques horrify Powell. Later, Powell reveals that he wanted to be just like his friend
Nova. Talon explains to him that the
Nova Corps
The Nova Corps is a fictional intergalactic military/police force appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Marv Wolfman, the Corps first appeared in '' Fantastic Four'' #205 (April 1979). They have since app ...
are nothing compared to the Fraternity of Raptors, referring to themselves as "architects of fate". Eventually, after being tricked by Talon into fighting just as lethally, Powell manages to connect to the Datasong of the Null Source, which gives him visions of the true past of the Fraternity—a history of kidnappings and assassinations which lead Powell to conclude that the Fraternity are "the bad guys." At this point, Talon attacks him, purging Powell's consciousness from the armor, which manifests a new persona: Razor.
Talon and Razor then recover the Cosmic Control Rod from Catastrophus, Talon stopping briefly to implant a suggestion in the gestating Annihilus, and proceed onward. Powell's personality is revealed not to have been wholly destroyed yet, and a vision of his father tells him that much of what he believed about the armor was false; the prior history, even Evilhawk himself, was a lie made up by his own mind, the other armor a second configuration that took control to cover earlier anger issues. Horrified, Powell's psyche breaks free of the prison it was locked in, only for Powell to find himself on a great tree adorned with thousands of amulets like his own, where he encounters gargoyle-like creatures that urge him to return to the one which he has just emerged from. Meanwhile, in the Negative Zone, Talon and Razor offer
Blastaar the Cosmic Control Rod, in exchange for his assistance influencing the outcome of the War of Kings.
Powell encounters a Skrull on the tree mentioned earlier, who has a relationship with Talon much as Razor has with him. However, the Skrull also confides that humanity, as a newer race, cannot be wholly accounted for or controlled by the Raptors, and that Powell's own outbursts of rage have been growing pains in his own control. With this understanding, Powell is able to reassert control over the Darkhawk armor, but not before Razor shoots several Shi'ar and kills
Lilandra
Lilandra Neramani () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the X-Men. She is the Empress, or Majestrix, of the Shi'ar Empire and shares a lifelong bond with the le ...
.
Powell later confronts Talon, and while he is able to force the other Raptor to release the Skrull temporarily, he is quick to begin asserting control again. The Skrull commits suicide to prevent Talon from manifesting, but not before he charges Powell with destroying the rest of the Raptor amulets before they can bring the Fraternity of Raptors back.
[''War of Kings: Ascension'' #4. Marvel Comics.]
''Realm of Kings''
In ''
Realm of Kings'', the Shi'ar Imperium declares Darkhawk the "Galaxy's Most Wanted," making Powell an intergalactic fugitive. His old friend Nova, not willing to believe Powell could be a murderer, tracks him to the planet Shard, which is in danger of falling into a rift in space known as the Fault. Nova offers to help Powell clear his name, but they are interrupted by an attacking biomass from the Fault, and by the awakening of another Raptor, named Gyre. All three are trapped on the planet as it is disintegrated by the Fault.
Darkhawk finds himself saved, alongside Nova, by Nova's old enemy the
Sphinx
A sphinx ( , grc, σφίγξ , Boeotian: , plural sphinxes or sphinges) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of a falcon.
In Greek tradition, the sphinx has the head of a woman, the haunches of ...
, who seems unaware of Darkhawk's presence. Together, the two heroes join past versions of
Reed Richards
Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards) is a superhero character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member, and the leader, of the Fantastic Four. Richards has a mastery of mechanical, aerospace and ...
,
Black Bolt
Black Bolt (Blackagar Boltagon) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appears in ''Fantastic Four'' #45 (December 1965). Black Bolt is the ...
, and
Namorita
Namorita Prentiss is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is a mutant clone of her mother, Namora, and a member of the New Warriors. She was killed in the explosion in Stamford that started the Superhero ...
in helping the Sphinx combat his younger self. The young Sphinx draws his own warriors, including Gyre, into the battle, and Darkhawk faces and defeats Gyre in single combat, exorcising him from the
Kree
The Kree, briefly known as the Ruul, are a fictional scientifically and technologically advanced militaristic alien race appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They are native to the planet Hala in the Large Magellanic Cl ...
archaeologist he had possessed. During the fight, Gyre reveals that many more Raptors are re-awakening. Ultimately, the elder Sphinx defeats his counterpart, and mentally controls Darkhawk into giving him his younger self's Ka Stone. Nevertheless, the heroes are able to defeat the double-powered Sphinx and return to their proper places in time (except Namorita, who is pulled into Darkhawk and Nova's time).
Darkhawk returns to Earth and Project: Pegasus to help Nova fight the evil
Quasar from the Cancerverse on the other side of the Fault. The evil Quasar damages Darkhawk so badly that his suit shuts down, leaving him alive but unable to accompany Nova as he goes to warn the universe about the threat posed by the Fault. Nova leaves Darkhawk in the care of Project: Pegasus's medical team.
''Avengers Arena''
Darkhawk appears in ''
Avengers Arena
''Avengers Arena'' is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics that debuted in December 2012 as part of the Marvel NOW! relaunch. The series shows 16 young heroes from the Marvel Universe and pit them against each other in a kill-or-be-kill ...
'' as part of the ''
Marvel NOW!
Marvel Now! (stylized as Marvel NOW!) is a comic book branding for the relaunch of several ongoing comic books published by Marvel Comics, that debuted in October 2012 with new #1 issues. The relaunch also included some new titles, including '' U ...
'' event. He is among the young superheroes that are abducted by
Arcade
Arcade most often refers to:
* Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine
** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware
** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board
* Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games
* ...
and sent to Murderworld despite not being a teenager himself. Arcade expects his captives to fight to the death. Darkhawk is later attacked by an unidentified cybernetic creature, which tears his transformation amulet from his chest. The amulet is found by
Chase Stein
Victor Chase Stein (also known as Talkback''Runaways'' #6) is a superhero appearing in media published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by author Brian K. Vaughan and artist Adrian Alphona, and debuted in '' Runaways'' #1 with most o ...
, who transforms into the new Darkhawk. The attacker was later revealed to be
Death Locket
Death Locket (Rebecca Ryker) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Publication history
Death Locket first appeared in issue #1 of the '' Avengers Arena'' series as part of the '' Marvel NOW!'' event ...
(who was in turn controlled by
Apex
The apex is the highest point of something. The word may also refer to:
Arts and media Fictional entities
* Apex (comics), a teenaged super villainess in the Marvel Universe
* Ape-X, a super-intelligent ape in the Squadron Supreme universe
*Apex, ...
). When Death Locket stumbled into an underground facility, she comes across a room where Christopher Powell's body is alongside the others who have died in battle. A few days later, when Death Locket and Apex raid the place, it is revealed Darkhawk is alive and Death Locket releases him. He then attacks and knocks out Arcade. Arcade soon talks Apex into letting the war play out, and she controls Death Locket into shooting Darkhawk in the shoulder. Once the series ended, Darkhawk was taken away to parts unknown, injured but reunited with his amulet.
''Infinity Countdown''
After the events of ''Avengers Arena'' as seen during the "
Infinity Countdown
"Infinity Countdown" is a 2018 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics. The storyline leads into the " Infinity Wars" storyline.
Premise
The story depicts the Ultron/Hank Pym going after the Infinity Gems that were recreated when the Mult ...
" storyline, Powell is shown to have joined the
New York Police Department and is engaged to a woman named Miranda, with whom he has shared his history as Darkhawk. He experiences frequent visions of the Tree of Shadows in Null Space despite the Darkhawk amulet being damaged and no longer allowing him to change form. One day, he is sent out to the Wonderland Amusement Park, the place where he first became Darkhawk, to investigate a disturbance. There, he is accosted by two dirty cops and almost attacked when he refuses their offer to take bribes. The group is soon attacked by two members of the Shi'ar Fraternity of Raptors, with one able to take Powell's amulet and use it to change into a heavily damaged Razor. The Razor personality asserts control, defeats the other Shi'ar, and teleports Powell to the Datasong in a place it calls "The Perch," where all of the android's memories of its time with Powell are stored. Razor, now calling itself Darkhawk, tells Powell that his compassion and dedication to justice have imprinted upon it, with it wants to rejoin with him in order to stop the Shi'ar Raptors from releasing the true Fraternity of Raptor androids from Null Space. Powell accepts and becomes Darkhawk once more, merging in both body and mind with the Darkhawk android and gaining a new, more powerful form. Seeking a means to get to space, Darkhawk soon encounters
Death's Head
Death's Head is the name of several fictional characters appearing in British comics and American comic books both published by Marvel Comics.
The original Death’s Head is a robotic bounty hunter (or rather, as he calls himself, a "freelance ...
, who is on Earth to collect a bounty for Darkhawk's armor. After a brief scuffle, Darkhawk realizes that Death's Head would have a spaceship and moves to strike a deal.
[''Infinity Countdown: Darkhawk'' #1. Marvel Comics.]
Before he goes, Powell says one last goodbye to Miranda, but upon arriving, the Raptors attack Death's Head and swarm Darkhawk to a secret Shi'ar outpost, easily overpowering him in his Darkhawk armor. The Raptors' leader Gyre (who escaped the Null Space along with his fellow Raptors) goes on to reveal to Powell that the amulet is really the key to unleashing the Ratha'kon or Dark Starhawk, which the Shi'ar intended to be a "predator" to the Phoenix Force. However, to bring it to life, two tributes were required, one who's willing and one who's forced. Gyre wanted Powell's amulet because of how special it was, since Powell actually convinced his amulet's persona, Razor, to break free from the Fraternity's stronghold, thus developing sentience. Gyre punches through Powell's chest, leaving him for dead, and then uses his amulet as the forced tribute to fuse with the willing tribute, who turns out to be none other than Robbie Rider, thus allowing Ratha'kon to possess the latter's body. Gyre then takes the Dark Starhawk and the Raptors to Earth — a place where the Phoenix loves to go — for a mysterious mission.
As Powell dragged himself across the ground, he encountered his other half Razor who revealed to him the origins of the Tree of Shadows, a creation of the
Gardner and of the first Raptor who was of primitive Shi'ar/Skrull descent. After some coaxing from Razor, Powell tapped into his hidden strength and emerged with a new Darkhawk body after fully fusing his mind with the armor. Powell then flew after the Raptors to stop them.
[''Infinity Countdown: Darkhawk'' #3. Marvel Comics.]
Powell battled the Raptors with help from Death's Head and Nova Prime. Nova made it difficult to fight Dark Darkhawk as he preferred to reason with his brother Robbie than fight him. Dark Darkhawk then shockingly turned on Gyre and destroyed him while stating that he would bring order to the universe, not Gyre. The Raptors were eventually stopped when Death's Head rigged the power core of the Kree ship the Raptors stole to explode. Only Dark Starhawk survived the explosion, though stunned, allowing Powell to reclaim his Darkhawk Amulet. Dark Starhawk then disappeared in a flash of light after striking his Nega-Bands together. Grieving over the loss of Robbie, Nova angrily told Powell to stay on Earth or he would have him locked up. After Powell returned to Earth, he decided stay out of space for a while. Later that night, he was met by
Sleepwalker while he dreamed, telling him that the influence of the Infinity Stones threatened the Mindscape and that the only way he could protect it was to become a Sleepwalker.
''Guardians of the Galaxy''
Chris would later turn up again at a meeting of great and powerful cosmic players set up by
Starfox, brother to the Mad Titan
Thanos
Thanos is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, and first appeared in '' The Invincible Iron Man'' #55 ( cover date February 1973). An Eternal– Deviant w ...
. While going over the deceased cosmic brigand's last will and testament, this great congruence was attacked by the Cull Obsidian;
The Black Order. Contracted by the death goddess
Hela
HeLa (; also Hela or hela) is an immortalized cell line used in scientific research. It is the oldest and most commonly used human cell line. The line is derived from cervical cancer cells taken on February 8, 1951, named after Henrietta ...
, to retrieve what was left of her former consort from their court. All while leaving the galaxian enclave to be sucked into an artificial black hole in order to cover their tracks. Powell would later find himself stranded in the middle of deep space while being brought into the clutches of the
Universal Church of Truth. They had him in a mental simulation where he believed himself to have been separated from Razor, run through and across time and space; seeing past, present and future iterations of himself while in the black hole, only to finally find release in the care of a ship piloted by the Kree, Shi'ar and Skrulls. Three races whom are known to be the bitterest enemies in the universe, his final hallucination stems to finding himself a child again while adorning his Raptor body. Something, he confirms to his shock and horror when he takes off his helmet only to see his child-like visage staring back at him in the mirror.
Powers and abilities
Darkhawk's body is a Raptor, a techno-organic construct that possesses enhanced physical abilities, including strength, agility and reflexes, powered by the extraterrestrial amulet embedded in the chest, a seed from the Tree of Shadows in Null Space.
The retractable glider wings under his arms initially only allow him to glide on air currents, but Chris later discovers the ability to outright fly at variable speeds that let him soar from New York to California in a matter of hours. Later still, he has the ability to breach planetary orbit and traverse between planets within seconds. Even major injuries to his Darkhawk body can be repaired by switching back to his human form; his Darkhawk body teleports back to its holding space on the Darkhawk ship within Null Space, where it can be repaired almost instantly. This process does not work for his human body, however. In actuality, the Darkhawk ship does not really exist. Instead, the body currently not inhabited rests at the Tree of Shadows in Null Space. Because of Chris' incompatible human physiology, he is able to transform back and forth at will and assume control over the Raptor body when the Raptor's own consciousness, known as Razor, should have taken control, though the information overload originally affects Chris' mind in ways such as creating a fantasy regarding the body's origins and true nature.
[''War of Kings: Ascension'' #1-4. Marvel Comics.] After becoming Darkhawk again during the events of ''Infinity Countdown,'' Chris and Razor become one. Chris discovers that now, whenever he changes into Darkhawk and vice versa, the amulet actually completely deconstructs and rebuilds his body from stored data.
As the Darkhawk body is no longer separate from Chris and does not teleport to Null Space when not in use, it is questionable whether it can be repaired as quickly as it once was.
Darkhawk can project energy from the amulet in his chest as a focal point, either as concussive force blasts, or as a circular energy shield. Chris referred to his force blasts as "darkforce blasts," until he encountered the actual
Darkforce
The Darkforce is a fictional concept appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Description
Darkforce is a powerful, extra-dimensional energy that can be manipulated in slightly different ways by a handful of beings that are ...
Dimension in
New Warriors
The New Warriors is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They traditionally consisted of teenage and young adult heroes, and were often seen to serve as a junior counterpart to Avengers (comics), ...
, but still occasionally uses the term. Darkhawk also has telescopic and infra-red vision, and a grappling hook cable/claw weapon on his right arm, which in later forms manifests on both arms.
For a time, Darkhawk was upgraded to a new body design, which gave him greatly enhanced powers. His amulet could project force bubbles in various shapes and he could combine his force fields and force blasts into a giant, hawk-shaped construct around his body. He could fire variable beams of energy from his eyes, be healed by generating an energy pod around his body, and had a single extendable claw on each wrist. He could also mentally communicate with the Darkhawk ship, and could teleport weapons from the ship when he was on Earth. At one point, he was outfitted with additional body armor on top of his android body. At some point after the cancellation of his own series, Darkhawk reverted to his original form under unrevealed circumstances, although he can still summon his second armored form. These abilities, as well as the Darkhawk body's new form, are later revealed to actually be a component of the Raptor's reconfiguration abilities.
His appearance in ''War of Kings'' is somewhat more reminiscent of his second costume, and he demonstrates the ability to freely reconfigure the armor into a multitude of forms with abilities that can cope with the current situation. His new forms include Strike Suit mode, featuring heavier armor and weaponry, Warflight mode, which allows for more aerial maneuverability, and Rescue mode, featuring enhanced sensors and the ability to ferry passengers. Since fully merging with Razor, Chris' Darkhawk form is far stronger and more versatile, able to more freely shift and reconfigure his armor, such as demonstrating the ability to assume a giant
mecha
In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the meaning in Japanese is ...
-like form that is capable of housing passengers.
A Raptor is techno-mystical in nature, being versed in some forms of arcanum and magic.
They can also create their own Stargates to shorten universal distances as well as access other dimensions like the Negative Zone.
The Raptor android body's most prolific abilities exist within a
hive mind dubbed "The Datasong," a form of radio-telepathic infonet shared between all Raptors which enables vast clairvoyant and techno-psionic abilities, allowing for the absorption, processing, projection, sharing and manipulation of information and memory that is digitized then broadcast directly between their collective cyberminds as well as the mindscape of organic beings. Darkhawk can potentially use this function to control the minds of others as well as divine the myriad of possible future outcomes based upon differing actions. Powell often weaponized this function in order to drive out the normally parasitic android intelligence subverting an amulet hosts mind as the supplicant takes their place within their pod on the Tree of Shadows.
A special place within the Datasong acts as a memory storage space called The Perch, a place where both the android A.I. and the mind of an amulet holder pool their shared experiences and mental engrams together like a backup drive. Every bit of data is conjoin coded bit by bit into one another, splicing the foreign personalities together whenever they change from robot body to pilot and back.
Darkhawk's ability to reconfigure is actually revealed to be conscious self-adaptation rather than an inborn mechanical function. The very first Raptor android showed a spontaneous self-adaptive polymorphous ability gleaned from viewing its surroundings. The avian traits and natural ferocity were gained by imprinting on the early ancestors of the Shi'ar species. The shape-shifting capabilities were inherited by observing the primordial Skrull race.
In his human form, Chris Powell has no superhuman abilities, though he has taken some
karate and
kendo classes.
Enemies
The following are the enemies of Darkhawk:
* Evilhawk - Dargin Bokk is an alien crime lord.
*
Hobgoblin
A hobgoblin is a household spirit, typically appearing in folklore, once considered helpful, but which since the spread of Christianity has often been considered mischievous. Shakespeare identifies the character of Puck in his ''A Midsummer Nig ...
- A goblin-themed villain.
* Lodestone - A magnetic-manipulating supervillain.
* Phillipe Bazin - A crime lord who clashed with Darkhawk.
*
Portal - A villain who can do dimensional teleportation.
* Savage Steel - A villain in powered battle armor.
*
Tombstone - A super-strong albino criminal.
*
U-Foes
The U-Foes is a supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They are usually depicted as enemies of the Hulk. The group consists of four members: Vector, the group's leader, who can repel matter telekinetica ...
- A group of four supervillains.
** Ironclad - A metal-skinned member of the U-Foes.
** X-Ray - A member of the U-Foes who was permanently transformed into a living energy field.
** Vapor - A member of the U-Foes who can alter her form into any known gas.
** Vector - The telekinetic leader of the U-Foes.
Other versions
House of M
Darkhawk appears as a member of Wolfpack.
''U.S. War Machine''
In the mini-series ''U.S. War Machine'', set in an alternate universe, Darkhawk was a psychopathic android, which could only be controlled by running a virtual reality program. The program, a "fiction" within that universe, played out the events where Darkhawk had been a member of the West Coast Avengers within normal Marvel continuity. The program itself also appeared in the final pages of ''US War Machine 2.0'' in which
Tony Stark
Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The charac ...
's damaged body is placed inside the Darkhawk program in order to keep him alive.
''Marvel Zombies''
In ''Marvel Zombies Dead Days'', Darkhawk is seen in the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier as one of the dozens of heroes who survive the initial outbreak zombie plague. They all work to evacuate civilians to another dimension but this plan falls apart.
''Marvel Team-Up: League of Losers''
Darkhawk features in an arc of
Robert Kirkman's ''
Marvel Team-Up
''Marvel Team-Up'' is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series featured two or more Marvel characters in one story. The series was originally published from March 1972 through February 1985, and featured Spider-Man as ...
'' (vol. 3), featuring a group of C-list heroes dubbed "The League of Losers". A group of heroes including Darkhawk,
Dagger
A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or popular-use de ...
,
Araña,
Gravity
In physics, gravity () is a fundamental interaction which causes mutual attraction between all things with mass or energy. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 1038 times weaker than the stro ...
,
X-23
Laura Kinney (born X-23; Pseudonym, codename Wolverine (character), Wolverine) is a fictional superhero appearing in media (communication), media published by Marvel Entertainment, most commonly in association with the X-Men. The character was cr ...
,
Speedball,
Sleepwalker and
Terror (although Araña dies along the way) go to the future to prevent the villain Chronok from stealing
Reed Richards
Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards) is a superhero character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member, and the leader, of the Fantastic Four. Richards has a mastery of mechanical, aerospace and ...
' time machine, Chronok having come to the present and already having killed all of Marvel's major heroes.
It's revealed that Chronok is from the same time period as Kirkman's
Mutant 2099; the group stays with him and his mentor Reed Richards to wait for Chronok. The team defeats Chronok, but at the end of the story, Richards reveals they can't go back to their present, due to time-travel and alternate timelines. The group decides to stay in the future, satisfied with the impact they made, however unnoticed. Mutant 2099 suggests reforming the
Avengers or the "Fantastic Nine". Effectively trapped in the future, Chris begins a romantic relationship with Dagger. This team makes a cameo in ''Deadpool/GLI Summer Fun Spectacular'' (2007) at the end of the issue.
Note that due to the
Marvel Universe's
method for resolving time travel paradoxes, this story occurred in an alternate universe.
Over the course of this adventure, Chris acts as the core of the "League", serving as their leader and training the mostly novice heroes for their encounter with Chronok. Reed Richards remarks that while he had never thought of Darkhawk as leader material in the past, he is impressed by Chris' efforts.
During the various battles with Chronok and his army, Chris did not appear prone to irrational violence or uncontrollable anger while in his Darkhawk form, as he had during Excelsior's encounter with the
Runaways.
Collected editions
In other media
Television
* Darkhawk made non-voiced cameo appearances in the ''
Fantastic Four'' animated series. In the episode "To Battle the Living Planet", he was seen with the New Warriors helping civilians. In the episode "Doomsday", Darkhawk was shown flying with
Justice
Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...
.
* Robotic versions of Darkhawk appeared in the ''
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Guardians of the Galaxy is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
It may more specifically refer to:
Comic book teams
* Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team), the original 31st-century team fr ...
'' animated series.
Video games
*Darkhawk's Blast is a power disc in ''
Disney Infinity 3.0.'' When the power disc is used, Darkhawk will shoot at enemies.
*Darkhawk appears as a playable character in ''
Lego Marvel Superheroes 2.''
* Darkhawk was introduced into the mobile game ''
Marvel: Contest of Champions'' as a playable character.
* Darkhawk is a playable character in ''
Marvel: Future Fight''.
References
External links
Darkhawkat Marvel.com
*
{{Marvel Cosmic
Avengers (comics) characters
Characters created by Tom DeFalco
Comics characters introduced in 1991
Fictional characters from Queens, New York
Fictional karateka
Marvel Comics characters with accelerated healing
Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength
Marvel Comics martial artists
Marvel Comics titles