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.

For the Marvel Comics character, see Everyman (Marvel Comics).

Everyman
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	52 #21 (September 2006)
Created by	Grant Morrison (writer) Geoff Johns (writer) Greg Rucka (writer) Mark Waid (writer) Keith Giffen (artist) Joe Bennett (artist)
In-story information
Full name	Hannibal Bates
Species	Metahuman
Team affiliations	Infinity, Inc. Black Lantern Corps
Partnerships	Cupid
Notable aliases	Blue Beetle, Green Arrow, Lex Luthor, Dark Arrow, Skyman, Sarge Steel
Abilities	Shape-shifting

Everyman made his live appearance on the first season of The Flash played by Martin Novotny.

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 superhuman 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

Main article: 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 him 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 power 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

Arrowverse

Hannibal Bates appears on the live-action series The Flash.[15] This version is given powers by S.T.A.R. Labs' particle accelerator explosion (the original font of the metahuman powers in the Arrowverse) and the ability to shapeshift into anyone he touches (instead of eating his victims' flesh in the comics). 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 his shapeshifting abilities. Hannibal makes the mistake of using his impersonation act as Eddie Thawne (Rick Cosnett), Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker), Iris West (Candice Patton) and even Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) until a confrontation with the Flash reveals he's only able to replicate someone's appearance rather than another metahuman's powers. Captured and imprisoned in S.T.A.R. Labs' metahuman prison, the character's 'true form' is revealed to be a featureless individual (portrayed by Martin Novotny) who cannot remember his original appearance. In "The Trap", Bates impersonates Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh) and seemingly attempts 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. In the episode "Liberation" taking place some time after the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Barry informs Cecile Horton about his suspicions of Iris being replaced by an imposter and his first suspect was Everyman who Cisco states is alive.

References

1. 52 Week 39 (January 2007)
2. 52 Week 40 (February 2007)
3. 52 Week 46 (March 2007)
4. Manhunter (vol. 3) #27 (March 2007)
5. Green Arrow/Black Canary: Wedding Special #1 (November 2007)
6. Green Arrow & Black Canary #1 (December 2007)
7. Green Arrow & Black Canary #3 (February 2008)
8. Green Arrow & Black Canary #25 (December 2009)
9. Green Arrow & Black Canary #26 (January 2010)
10. Green Arrow & Black Canary #27 (February 2010)
11. Green Arrow & Black Canary #28 (March 2010)
12. Green Arrow & Black Canary #29 (April 2010)
13. Blackest Night #1 (September 2009)
14. Blackest Night #3 (November 2009)
15. The Flash: Who is Harrison Wells? Episode synopsis released from Comicbook.com, 2 April 2015, retrieved 28 April 2015