Martian Manhunter

From Smallville Wiki

Martian Manhunter, J'onn J'onzz
Occupation	Homicide Detective (Metropolis Police Department), Intergalactic Bounty Hunter
Powers and Abilities	Telepathy, Shape shifting, Flight, Healing Factor, Super speed, Super strength. Currently de-powered due to Yellow sun radiation.
Played By	Phil Morris
Status	Alive
Appeared In	Static, Labyrinth, Justice and Doom, Phantom, Bizarro, Cure, Odyssey, Prey, Bulletproof

"I'm in your mind as well... trying to help." – Martian Manhunter, to Clark Kent, Labyrinth

The Martian Manhunter is the last surviving member of an alien civilization that once existed on Mars, who once worked for Jor-El, trapping and imprisoning criminals from the 28 known galaxies. ^{[citation needed]} He currently goes under the persona John Jones as a homicide detective. ^{[citation needed]}

His real Martian name is J'onn J'onzz. ^{[citation needed]} He fled his home planet after his civilization and family were destroyed and became a bounty hunter.^[1] He proceeded to work on numerous occasions with Jor-El until he died on his home planet Krypton. He promised to watch over his son Kal-El in order to make sure that he fulfilled his destiny; apparently, he has been watching Clark from a distance since Jonathan and Martha found him. Phantom

J'onn has saved Kal-El on many occasions since making his presence known to him in late 2006 and is there to give him advice and guidance in Jor-El's absence. Since then, he shows up to help Clark whenever a situation gets to much for him to handle. He made the ultimate sacrifice in the fall of 2008 saving Kal-El's life again by flying him into the sun and giving up his own powers to restore Kal-El's and now works as a homicide detective for the Metropolis Police Department due to his powers being taken away by fire radiation. John was nicknamed "Martian Manhunter" twice on the show.^[2]

Before losing his powers, Martian Manhunter was one of the most powerful entities to appear on Smallville.

Contents 1 Physical Appearance 2 Personality 3 Powers and Abilities 4 Vulnerabilities 5 Early Life 6 Season Six 7 Justice and Doom 8 Season Seven 9 Season Eight 10 Appearances 11 In the Comics 12 Trivia 13 Notes 14 Quotes 15 References 16 External Links

[edit] Physical Appearance

Martian Manhunter usually appears when Clark is in need of help defeating a super-powered foe. When he does appear, he is mostly seen wearing a white shirt underneath a long leather jacket as well as trousers. Martian Manhunter mostly appears wearing either a black or blue leather jacket, yellow or red shirt and dark trousers. While on Earth, he doesn't use his native Martian form to appear human as possible, and mostly shifts into a averaged-sized African-American man but his native Martian red eyes still appear in this form.

While Clark was being attacked by the Phantom Zone escapee Aldar, Martian Manhunter's true form is seen briefly but heavily concealed by shadows. His hand-print on Aldar is distinctly alien as well as his different form and face with his native Martian eyes visible at all times. In the on-line comic Smallville Legends: Justice and Doom, Martian Manhunter is seen wearing his leather jacket and shirt before shifting into his native green Martian form as well as changing his clothes to something that closely resembles what he usually wears in the comic book continuity.

[edit] Personality

Martian Manhunter is very determined to fulfill any destiny he believes worthy. He is very loyal to his friend Jor-El after being asked to watch out for his son, Kal-El, and make sure he fulfills his destiny; he even gave up his powers to save Clark to give him the chance to fulfill his destiny. He is also very proud of his alien origins, and repeatedly tells Clark to do the same; however, he still shape-shifts into a human form.(Labyrinth).

Martian Manhunter also has a great admiration for Kryptonians, in particular Jor-El and Kal-El, believing them to be true heroes. ^{[citation needed]} He has a strict stance on truth and justice, and worked for years as a bounty hunter after his civilization was destroyed, helping Jor-El capture criminals.

[edit] Powers and Abilities

See Also: Martian

Martian Manhunter currently has no powers, having been stripped of his powers by Earth's yellow sun.

In the past, he has been shown so far to posses most of the native Martian abilities. He may possess all abilities, but hasn't yet displayed them all.

• Super strength – Martians are incredibly strong. Martian Manhunter has displayed strength near enough to the level of Kryptonians. (Phantom)

• Super Durability - Martian Manhunter does not possess invulnerability, but he has a high degree of durability, surviving for a long time after being punched through the stomach by the last phantom. (Phantom)

• Flight – Martian Manhunter is an adept with this ability and has been seen flying several times. In one circumstance Martian Manhunter used super speed with flight when he flew Clark to the sun in a matter of seconds. (Static, Labyrinth, Phantom, Bizarro, Odyssey)
• Super speed – Martians can move incredibly fast either by running or flying. In some circumstances Martian Manhunter's super speed is shown by a stream of red. He first demonstrated this ability when he ran past Aldar without being noticed, except by Clark Kent, who noticed someone zooming past him. (Phantom, Cure, Static, Odyssey)
• Shapeshifting – Martian Manhunter used this ability to shift from his "John" persona into his native Martian form. (Justice and Doom).
• Heat Blast - Martian Manhunter used this ability on Aldar to save Clark.(Static)
• Healing Factor – Martian Manhunter is not invulnerable to attacks but more resistant as he is punched through the stomach by the last phantom. However, he is able to survive an attack like this and has the ability to heal himself from almost any wound, by leaving Earth's atmosphere. (Phantom, Bizarro)
• Telepathy – Allows Martian Manhunter to communicate with other living beings. He used this ability to save Clark from a phantom that took over his mind. (Labyrinth).
• Super stamina - Martian Manhunter has an enhanced stamina; he was capable of flying Clark into the sun from the Earth without getting tired. (Odyssey)

Martian Manhunter proved to be fluent in many different languages. He demonstrated this ability in Phantom. While he was still depowered, Martian Manhunter under his disguise as Detective John Jones, proved to be a capable hand-to-hand combatant as he took down a criminal with relatively ease and apprehended him before being shot.^[3]

[edit] Vulnerabilities

Martian Manhunter is vulnerable to some physical attacks despite having Super Durability, showing that Martian damage resistance to be lower than a Kryptonian's, such as when Bizarro (possessing a human) ripped a hole in his abdomen. He also cannot heal while in Earth's atmosphere.

Close contact with the yellow sun seems to strip Martian Manhunter of all his powers, although it is unknown if this effect will last; a comment by Clark suggests that he, at least, believes it will not be permanent.

In the comics, one of Martian Manhunter's signature traits is his vulnerability to flame. In Clark's hallucination, Martian Manhunter's persona "John" was frightened by flame of a lighter. When he had to fly Clark into the sun to restore his powers, Martian Manhunter lost his powers, most likely due to his weakness of fire, but decided Clark's destiny was greater than his own; he does not explain why he did not return to his Martian form.

[edit] Early Life

Born on the planet Mars, his Martian name is J'onn J'onzz. He has been referred to as "Martian Manhunter".

After his civilization and family were destroyed, he fled Mars and made earth his home while acting as a bounty hunter and Intergalactic Law Enforcer throughout the 28 known galaxies.

Martian Manhunter was a friend of Jor-El, and was there whenever Jor-El needed him. As a bounty hunter, he helped hunt down and imprison many Zoners, including Bizarro. He was also responsible for forcing Zor-El's family into exile to Kandor from the House of El after Zor-El attempted to assassinate Jor-El.

Before Krypton's destruction, Jor-El asked Martian Manhunter to watch over his son, Kal-El, but from a distance; this means that Martian Manhunter was there all along, ever since Kal-El first landed on Earth.

[edit] Season Six

"Welcome home, Kal-El." – Martian Manhunter, to Clark Kent, Labyrinth

After watching Clark from a distance for the past several years, Martian Manhunter finally made his presence known when he saved Clark from the Zoner Aldar and made a quick escape, leaving behind an Oreo cookie at the scene and later at Clark's loft, indicating that he knew where Clark lived. He later explained that he wasn't to interfere with Clark's tests given to him by Jor-El unless it was absolutely necessary. When Clark was attacked by Dr. Hudson, a Zoner who caused him to hallucinate that he was a patient in a mental asylum, Martian Manhunter telepathically entered Clark's mind to help him fight back against the phantom slowly taking over his body. There, in Clark's dream world, he was a fellow patient known as "John." John informed Clark that he was like him, but that he was from Mars. He later told a downtrodden Clark that Dr. Hudson was really a phantom and not to give into Dr. Hudson's claim that his powers were his imagination; he then told Clark that the only way to return to reality was to kill Dr. Hudson. When Clark attacked Dr. Hudson and broke free from his control, Martian Manhunter, back in reality, used a device (similar to the Crystal of El) to remove the phantom and return it to the Phantom Zone. Shortly afterward, he departed.

Sometime later, Martian Manhunter arrived in Quebec with the intention of trapping the Zoner later known as Bizarro, who was inhabiting the body of an old man. He prepared to do battle with him, but Bizarro punched a hole through his gut and ripped out some internal organs, severely wounding him. After he attempted to punch the Phantom and dealt almost no damage, Martian Manhunter was backhanded through the roof of the house and into the sky. Badly injured and weakened, he was forced to retreat. Martian Manhunter flew off to LuthorCorp to meet Lionel Luthor, Jor-El's emissary, to brief him of the failure. When he arrived, Martian Manhunter stopped Clark from killing Lionel and explained everything, including the significance of defeating Bizarro. He then departed in order to heal from the injuries inflicted upon him by Bizarro.

[edit] Justice and Doom

The multimedia Smallville parallel story Justice and Doom suggests that Dr. Virgil Swann may have also communicated with Martian Manhunter, as the Manhunter used a large orbital Swann Communications satellite as a base. He was also seen wearing a costume similar to the one he currently wears in the comics as well as turn into his Martian form at the end of the web story arc.

[edit] Season Seven

"While humanity is your greatest strength, it is also your greatest vulnerability." – Martian Manhunter, to Clark, Bizarro

The Martian Manhunter managed to heal himself while in space, and spoke to Clark about Bizarro. He told Clark that he could beat his doppelganger by harnessing the energy of the yellow sun. At the end of the battle, Clark uppercut Bizarro towards the sun, where the Martian Manhunter caught him and flew Bizarro to the sunny side of Mars and imprisoned him there. After Bizarro's defeat, the Martian Manhunter came to congratulate Clark and told him that he is every bit as human as he could be on Earth. The Martian Manhunter came back a while later to the Kent Farm, this time instantly grabbing Kara by the neck and warning her to stay away from Kal-El. They struggled until Clark stepped between them, and he told Clark that Kara couldn't be trusted, because her father Zor-El tried to kill Jor-El and was a traitor. The Martian Manhunter was told to deal with Dr. Curtis Knox by Clark and put him in a unknown location, telling him that there was a "don't ask and don't tell" partnership with Jor-El regarding the disposition of prisoners.

[edit] Season Eight

"I promised Jor-El that I would only be a watchful guardian, but I could not stand by and let you die." – Martian Manhunter, to Clark Kent, Odyssey

The Martian Manhunter returned to save Clark's life after he was shot in the heart by the Green Arrow (who was temporarily under the influence of a mind-control serum developed by LuthorCorp). He took Clark and flew into the Earth's yellow sun where Clark was healed and his powers were restored. When Clark woke up in his barn, the Martian Manhunter told him that even though the sun heals Clark, it has the opposite effect on him, taking away his own powers. He tells Clark that he could no longer help him on his odyssey along with Jor-El. However, when Clark later spoke with the Justice League and Dinah Lance asked what had happened to the Martian Manhunter, Clark said that he was sure they'd see him again some day, suggesting that his powers may return at some point.

Later on, the Martian Manhunter returned, now a Metropolis homicide detective with the alias of "John Jones". He tried to help Clark solve the brutal killings that were going on and were connected to Davis Bloome somehow. Clark gave John a list of meteor infected people who could have something to do with the killings, which he had memorized from the signin sheet at Chloe's group therapy sessions at the Isis Foundation. John investigated the list, talking to each of the group members. He then later came to see Clark and told him that he can't save everyone and that if he is to carry on saving people in Metropolis, he should be more careful as there are millions of people in Metropolis and that he isn't in Smallville anymore.

After Kara Kent managed to escape the Phantom Zone, she sought out the Martian Manhunter to get his Martian crystal in order to capture the escapee, Faora who was fighting Clark and inhabited Lois Lane and was using her as a vessel.

When Chloe loses her memory due to Brainiac and goes missing, Clark suggests that he and Jimmy should work together and tells Jimmy to contact John Jones to locate her while he canvasses the streets. Before meeting Clark, John was chasing down an Asian criminal down a street in his squad car, and managed to catch him and brought before some police officers that carried him off. Before he could enter his car, John was being shot at an unknown assailant. As he ducked for cover, a bullet managed to pierce a door and hit him in the chest. Jones was later transferred to the Metropolis Hospital where Clark saw him and he decided to follow up on his case, as he had some help from Oliver Queen and Chloe Sullivan. In a few days, he later recovered, enough to have Clark cleared of charges for impersonating an officer. He admitted that the reason why he had to do things alone on his terms for feeling a bit of pride, which was hard to get past after becoming normal.

[edit] Appearances

• Season 6 - Static, Labyrinth, Phantom, Justice and Doom
• Season 7 - Bizarro, Cure
• Season 8 - Odyssey, Prey, Bulletproof

[edit] In the Comics

Because of the relatively limited appearances of the Martian Manhunter on Smallville, little can be said about the show's interpretation of the character in comparison to the source material.

So far on the show, the Martian Manhunter has shown capabilities similar to most of his comic powers. His origin, however, has yet to be explored in detail. In the comics, the Martian Manhunter is the last surviving citizen of the planet Mars(which creates a special kinship with Superman) due to a war that broke out between two Martian races that laid waste to most of his world, killing the entire civilization. He also shares the obsession for Oreos cookies.

In the show, the Martian Manhunter has had contact with Jor-El prior to Krypton's destruction. While some DC stories established that the Martian civilization had communicated with Krypton, the Martian Manhunter had never actually met a Kryptonian before Superman in the source material.

In his debut story, the Martian Manhunter is accidentally teleported to Earth by scientist Dr. Saul Erdel, who immediately has a heart attack and dies, leaving the Martian stranded. He is able to use his powers to disguise his appearance, adopting the name of deceased Denver police detective John Jones. He joins the Middleton police force, secretly using his powers to help the inhabitants of Earth.

The Martian Manhunter's history is closely linked with that of the Justice League of America. He is a founding member of the team, and served as a member during each of its various incarnations, with the exception of the League's most recent formation one year after the events of Infinite Crisis. Instead of joining the JLA this time, he was recruited by Batman to join the JLA splinter group: The Outsiders. Differences with Batman caused him to leave the group. He was last shown in Salvation Run, giving a status report to an unknown location regarding the villains trapped there. He has secretly taken the identity of Blockbuster, though Lex suspects that Blockbuster is not who he seems. J'onn is outed by Catwoman and is subsequently defeated by the mass of villains. He was executed organized-crime-style by a villain named Libra, his murder was aired on the internet. He was laid to rest on Mars with a funeral attended by many of Earth's superheroes where Superman himself gave the eulogy saying he was always a friend and someone he could confide in. After everyone else has left the crypt containing John's body, Batman leaves a single Oreo on John's coffin.

Jonn will be resurected for the event The Blackest Night as a member of the villainous Black Hand's Black Lanterns.

Jonn has X-ray vision in the comics that has not been shown in Smallville.

[edit] Trivia

• He has an obsession for Oreo cookies ^[4].
• The Martian Manhunter appears to also be the oldest superhero that has appeared on the show.

[edit] Notes

• Although John does not appear, he is first called the "Martian Manhunter" in Crimson by Chloe Sullivan, in reference to the events of the previous episode, Labyrinth.
• In the comics, the Martian Manhunter's real name is J'onn J'onzz, and uses the name "John Jones" as an alias. He calls himself J'onn J'onzz on the show in a deleted scene from Labyrinth on the Season 6 DVD box set.
• In the comics, the Martian Manhunter has the powers of flight, shapeshifting, super-speed, super-stamina, telepathy, super-strength, Martian vision (not heat vision, but a vision that releases pressure instead of heat), superhuman senses (nine of them as opposed to the human five), invulnerability, invisibility, intangibility, and possibly the ability to create heat or some other destructive force through his palm.
• The Martian Manhunter is purportedly the last Martian, just as Clark believed himself to be the last Kryptonian.
• So far, the Martian Manhunter is the only superhero who hasn't at least briefly turned on or attacked Clark when meeting him. He actually did the opposite and saved his life. He is also the superhero with the most knowledge of Clark's secret, even knowing his Kryptonian birth name, Kal-El.
• In the comics, he is both genetically and psychologically vulnerable to fire, as much as Clark is to kryptonite.
• During Season 6, the Martian Manhunter was Clark's ally in his mission to stop the escaped Zoners as Oliver was his ally in stopping 33.1.
• The Martian Manhunter defeated three of the escaped Zoners; he killed Aldar who had been moments away from murdering Clark in Seattle, entered Clark's mind in order to stop the phantom called Dr. Hudson who had invaded the Kryptonian's mind, and helped Clark defeat Bizarro by capturing him and bringing him to the "sunny side of Mars."
• In the comics, one of the Martian Manhunter's signature traits is his vulnerability to flame. However, physical fire and intense heat can still injure and kill a Martian.
• While the Martian Manhunter was completely stripped of his powers while saving Clark, this does not explain how they managed to get back to Earth; Clark is unable to fly just yet, and atmospheric reentry would surely have incinerated the Manhunter, though flying through the atmosphere towards the sun would also have incinerated the then-depowered Clark. A likely explanation is that the Manhunter retained his powers just long enough for himself and Clark to return to Earth and the Kent Farm intact, and immediately lost them afterwards. Also, despite losing his powers, he is still able to remain in his human form.
• The Martian Manhunter has to have been on earth for a while to automaticly know that Clark was Kal-El, and has probably been watching him for a while.
• In Phantom and in the comics Martian Manhunter proved to be capable of speaking many different languages.

[edit] Quotes

Clark: Someone else killed him, someone who can do things I could only dream of.

Season Six, Static

---

Martian Manhunter: We're not that different, Kal-El. Like you, I lost my family, came to Earth when my civilization was destroyed. But I've been on this planet a lot longer than you, and have a better understanding of this race. The humans are terrified of what they don't know, and sadly, you and I happen to fall into that category.

Season Six, Labyrinth, deleted scene

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Chloe: I did some digging into our favorite Martian Manhunter, but it's just coming up empty.

Clark: Yeah, but we have another "man hunter" to worry about. Lois.

Season Six, Crimson

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Martian Manhunter: I had a run-in with the last Phantom... I have to leave Earth's atmosphere to heal.

---

Clark: When you left here, you were hurt pretty badly... How'd you heal so fast?

Martian Manhunter: I just had to leave the Earth's atmosphere.

Season Seven, Bizarro

---

Kara: What is he still doing here? I heard red eyes telling you about my father. He's the one who can't be trusted. Ask him to tell you about what he did to my family.

Martian Manhunter: Your father was a traitor.

Kara: He's lying. Who are you gonna believe, Clark -- your family... ...or this Martian Manhunter? Guess this family reunion is over.

Season Seven, Cure

---

Martian Manhunter: How does it feel to be whole again? (throws football to Clark)

Clark: (Clark smashes the football with his super-strength) I was dying. You saved me. You brought me to some white light.

Martian Manhunter: The healing effect of the sun brought you back from death. I promised Jor-El that I would only be a watchful guardian. But I could not stand by and let you die.

Clark: You shouldn't have had to.

Martian Manhunter: Jor-El knew he was sending you on an impossible odyssey. To be given the power of a god, yet exist among humans.

Clark: Sometimes I feel like I need to be two separate people. Either way, I can't keep expecting you to keep saving me.

Martian Manhunter: Well that was the last time. The burning sun may strengthen you, but it has the opposite effect on me. It stripped me of my powers. We both know, that yours is a greater destiny.

Season Eight, Odyssey

[edit] References

1. ↑ Labyrinth
2. ↑ Labyrinth, by Chloe Sullivan and Cure,by Kara
3. ↑ Bulletproof
4. ↑ He left an Oreo cookie at the scene of the fight with Aldar in Static, and later left another one in Clark's loft.

[edit] External Links

• Martian Manhunter - DC Comics
• Martian Manhunter - Wikipedia
• Martian Manhunter on DC database
• Martian Manhunter on Wikia DC Animated Universe
• Smallville Justice and Doom - Watchtower Reveal
• Deleted scene from Season 6's Labyrinth

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