Everyman (DC Comics)

Everyman (Hannibal Bates) is a fictional supervillain published by DC Comics. He debuted in 52 #17 (August 30, 2006), and was created by Grant Morrison, Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, Keith Giffen and Joe Bennett. His name is a combination of Hannibal Lecter and Norman Bates.

Fictional character biography

Everyman is a shapeshifter, who can physically transform into another person after eating part of their body. He was generally unpopular with his teammates, mostly due to his searching for components of his teammates' living matter (e.g. hair and toenail clippings) to eat. It was later revealed that he had killed his teammate Skyman, and had been masquerading as him for quite some time. During the impersonation, he 'assisted' Natasha Irons in her investigation of Lex Luthor's super-human program. Skyman's ravaged body was shown; Hannibal stated that though he only needs a small portion, he just likes the taste. Natasha, who was romantically involved with Skyman, battled and nearly subdued Everyman, until Lex Luthor saved him.^[1]

When Steel (John Henry Irons) and the Teen Titans came to rescue Natasha Irons, Everyman lured Steel by posing as Natasha, then morphed into a giant crab and tried to crush him, but the heroes easily defeated him.^[2] Fleeing the battle, Everyman was next seen masquerading as Lex Luthor as the former mogul was led to jail. His ruse was discovered by Clark Kent, and the real Luthor was placed into custody.^[3]

One Year Later

Everyman posed as Ted Kord, returned from the grave, until a DNA test proved otherwise, and he was taken into custody.^[4] He was later freed by Circe, who ordered him to disguise himself as Sarge Steel, and investigate the events leading up to the "Amazons Attack" storyline.

In the aftermath, Everyman was captured and arrested by Nemesis. Everyman reappeared, this time impersonating Green Arrow and tried to murder Black Canary on their wedding night. She managed to kill him with an arrow to the neck.^[5] His deception was not discovered until a month later when Batman and Dr. Mid-Nite performed an autopsy.^[6] It was later revealed by Granny Goodness (in the guise of Athena) that the switch was made during the Injustice League's attack on the wedding. Everyman was meant to pose as Green Arrow for a short time, then fake his death. Unfortunately, Everyman suffered from impotency, which forced him to try and kill Black Canary on the wedding night, rather than chance his cover being blown.^[7]

It was later revealed that Everyman had survived Black Canary's attack. The villain woke up, naked in an alley, with amnesia, believing himself to be Oliver Queen. He returned to "his" home, only to be confronted by the real Green Arrow.^[8] Although unsure of who was who at first, Black Canary was able to identify the fake by the stab wound on his neck, and rallied with her husband against him. Everyman managed to get away, only to be captured by the new Big Game, who intended to use him in one of his plots.^[9]

Everyman is later seen teamed up with Cupid, a vigilante obsessed with Green Arrow, and calling himself Dark Arrow. The two lure Green Arrow, Black Canary and Speedy into a trap, setting off explosive charges that seem to kill them. Watching from a distance, Cobalt, one of Big Game's subordinates, activates Nanites in Dark Arrow's bloodstream, compelling them to strangle Cupid. However, the act brings him to remember the night he tried to kill Black Canary, freeing him from the nanites' control. Cupid then injects him with a "love potion", putting him under her thrall again. The group are then attacked by Green Arrow and company, who had escaped the blast.^[10] During the fight, Cupid sets off one of Speedy's quantum arrows, creating an explosion that covers the villainous couple's escape.^[11] Cupid later kills Everyman, declaring their relationship "a rebound thing".^[12]

Everyman was identified as one of the deceased villains entombed below the Hall of Justice.^[13] His body was later revived as part of the Black Lantern Corps.^[14]

Powers and abilities

• Thanks to Luthor's Exo-gene program, Everyman is able to duplicate any organic lifeform, provided he eats a small portion of it first. He loses those powers when his Exo-gene is shut down by Lex Luthor, but they are restored by Circe. His duplication is far more than skin deep. All physical evidence reads as identical to whomever he is impersonating. Even Hal Jordan's Green Lantern ring has been fooled. However, it appears Everyman cannot accurately duplicate non-organic matter, as evidenced when he replicated Sarge Steel, who possesses a metal hand. Nemesis was able to tell who the real Steel was by stabbing the impostor's "metal" hand with a pencil, drawing blood.

In other media

Television

• Hannibal Bates can be seen on Oliver Queen's hitlist in Arrow. It is unknown if this is the same character who appears on The Flash, or if it is a different individual with the same name.
• Hannibal Bates appears on The Flash in the episodes "Who is Harrison Wells?" and "The Trap".^[15] He was one of the many people given powers by the particle accelerator explosion and given the ability to shapeshift into anyone he touches (instead of eating the parts of his victims). Introduced in "Who is Harrison Wells?", Hannibal uses his ability to frame a number of people for crimes they did not commit, and keeps a person's identity in case he needed to turn into anyone on the fly via various disguises (each portrayed by Chris Webb, Barbara Wallace, Laiken Laverock and Maxine Miller) which demonstrate Hannibal's shapeshifting abilities. Hannibal makes the mistake of his impersonation act as Eddie Thawne (Rick Cosnett), Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker), Iris West (Candice Patton) and even Barry Allen/The Flash (Grant Gustin) until a confrontation results in his capture by the Flash as he's only able to replicate someone's appearance rather than another metahuman's powers. Once imprisoned in the Pipeline, the character's 'true form' is revealed to be a featureless figure (portrayed by Martin Novotny) as he cannot remember his original appearance. In "The Trap", Bates impersonates Harrison Wells/Eobard Thawne (Tom Cavanagh) and appears to kill Cisco Ramon for which he is shot dead by Joe West, learning this truth when Bates reverted to his 'natural state' after death.

References