- "I'm Mars' sole survivor... there's a reason for that."
- — John to Icicle, Absolute Justice, Part 2
J'onn J'onzz, also known as the Martian Manhunter, is a superpowered Martian alien and a member of the Justice League, who under the earthly alias John Jones currently works in Metropolis disguised as a Lieutenant Detective of the Metropolis Police Department. Alongside Megan Morse, he is one of the two sole survivor of his home planet Mars.
Before he came to Earth, J'onn worked as an intergalactic bounty hunter and helped the Kryptonian scientist Jor-El trap and imprison criminals from the 28 known galaxies. (Labyrinth) He promised to supervise his friend Jor-El's newborn son Kal-El in order to make sure that he fulfilled his destiny; he had been watching over Kal-El from a distance since he was found and adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent as their son Clark Kent. (Phantom)
J'onn saved Clark 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 showed up to help Clark whenever a situation became too much for him to handle. In the fall of 2008, he made the ultimate sacrifice to save Clark's life yet again by flying him into the sun, giving up his own powers to restore Clark's. (Odyssey)
Following the loss of his powers, J'onn got a job as a homicide detective for the Metropolis Police Department. (Prey) In 2010, his powers were returned to him by Doctor Fate, who transported J'onn to Mars, sacrificing his own life in the process and allowing himself to be killed by the villainous Icicle. (Absolute Justice, Part 2) After regaining his powers, J'onn decided to continue his police work even after he no longer had to stay. (Checkmate)
Physical Appearance[]
J'onn, in his true Martian form, appears as a humanoid creature with dark green skin and red eyes. According to a document written by Sylvester Pemberton, J'onn is 6'7" and weighs 256 pounds.
J'onn usually doesn't use his true form to interact, instead appearing as a black male somewhere in his forties. In this form, he usually wears either a black or blue leather jacket, white, yellow or red shirt, and dark trousers. In recent years, he wore a green shirt with a red "X" on his chest made from the double shoulder holstered guns under the jacket, a brown belt, black trousers and black shoes. (Absolute Justice)
It is known that J'onn has many inhuman organs and organic matter inside him because he is an extraterrestrial. (Bulletproof) When J'onn saved Clark from the escaped Phantom Zone fugitive Aldar, he left an inhuman handprint on the Zoner's back. (Static) When Dr. Emil Hamilton conducted a diagnosis and later a procedure, he found out that J'onn had alien organs. (Bulletproof)
J'onn has been seen in his Martian form in the animated on-screen comic book Justice & Doom when he was by himself, Absolute Justice, Part 2 when Doctor Fate teleported him to Mars and again while fighting Icicle and in the Season 11 comic arc Effigy when he is with Superman before he reverts to his human form when he arrives to Earth. In his Martian form, he wears a costume that primarily consists of purplish blue for the main portions of wardrobe, with red accents, along with a large red belt with a yellow buckle and x-shaped straps across his chest which has a yellow rock on the front and back of his costume.
Personality[]
- "Even when I had the power to leave Earth, I chose not to. For one reason -- hope. Hope for the future. Humanity's capacity for violence is great, but their capacity for hope is greater than any other I've ever encountered."
- — J'onn, Absolute Justice
J'onn is indirectly portrayed as being exceptionally strong-willed, as he was able to watch Clark go through many unpleasant circumstances, and didn't intervene unless it was absolutely needed.[Citation needed] He is a vegetarian and has grown particularly fond of cookies, especially Oreos. When he lost his powers after he saved Clark by flying him into the yellow sun, he became a homicide detective, which made him appreciate the immense power he once wielded, and pride later began to develop inside him, which made him reluctant to ask for help.
J'onn strongly believes in destiny, and is determined to help others fulfill their callings that he sees as worthy. He went as far as risking his own superpowers to preserve Clark's destiny. As one of Jor-El's oldest and closest friends, he admires the House of El, holding a special place for its members in his heart, with which he demonstrates with Clark. However, Kara Kent stated that he forced her and Zor-El from their beds. (Cure)
J'onn is also very wise and often gives Clark advice on certain matters. He also seems to be close with Chloe Sullivan and Oliver Queen.
J'onn believes that humans, while having a great potential for violence and betrayal, have a greater potential for good. He used this belief to convince Hawkman that giving up on humanity was not the answer. (Absolute Justice, Part 2)
J'onn also shows somewhat of a paternal side when talking to his young neighbor Billy.
J'onn regrets his actions during the Martian war and is still filled with guilt however John still shows a more humorous side when working with Batman.
Powers and Abilities[]
As a Martian, J'onn has a wide variety of abilities that resemble those of Kryptonians, such as superhuman strength, speed and stamina, invulnerability, vision powers, flight, super-senses and a regenerative healing factor. On top of that, he also possessed shapeshifting, intangibility, invisibility and telepathy. Clark once said that the Martian Manhunter has powers "he could only dream of".
Unlike Kryptonians, J'onn's power don't seem to require an external power source, but Mars' inner atmosphere can restore his abilities in the event of him losing them. So far, he has been shown to possess most of the native Martian abilities. He may possess all abilities, but hasn't displayed them all yet.
- Superhuman Strength: J'onn is incredibly strong; he can hurt other aliens, easily overpower and kill humans as well as metahumans, and lift extremely heavy objects. His strength is such that he can penetrate a Kryptonian's invulnerability. In the comics, he has effortlessly injured Supergirl with but a few punches, making her bleed severely, and could have killed her with ease. He's also one of very few on Earth who's powerful enough to kill Superman without the aid of kryptonite. The Martian Manhunter can lift well over 100 tons, which is a low estimate since his strength is potentially incalculable. His strength is on par with a fully-powered Kryptonian. (Phantom, Bizarro, Absolute Justice, Part 2)
- Superhuman Speed: J'onn can move and maneuver or react at high hypersonic speeds. He can easily reach Mach 10, and is even capable of much faster velocities if need be, so called "re-entry speeds". While running or flying, J'onn generally leaves behind a stream of red light. J'onn is often quite discreet when he uses this ability, often appearing out of thin air. He first demonstrated this ability when he ran past Aldar without being noticed, except by Clark, who noticed his movement. (Static) J'onn, after extracting Dr. Hudson from Clark's mind, dashed away rather quickly and shot into the sky when he sensed Chloe's presence. (Labyrinth) J'onn, off-screen, was outside Earth's atmosphere when he sensed that Clark was about to kill Lionel Luthor; he almost instantly appeared and stopped him. (Phantom) J'onn ran to the Kents' house to speak with Clark, and got into a heated conversation with Kara. (Cure) After Clark died, J'onn appeared at his side, picked him up, and flew him into the sun's heart instantly. (Odyssey) When he regained his abilities with the help of Doctor Fate, J'onn ran to Watchtower; Chloe at first thought that he was Clark. (Absolute Justice, Part 2) Although he didn't appear in the episode, when Lois Lane said that she finished working on their apartment, Clark referenced the speed of J'onn and Bart Allen, questioning whether she had help unpacking by using their super speed. (Dominion)
- Invulnerability: J'onn possesses a very high durability threshold; as such, he can withstand bullets, but aliens such as Kryptonians can hurt him.
- Flight: J'onn can easily defy the laws of gravity, allowing him to hover, levitate or even maneuver in the air at will, apparently through some type of telekinetic field. Because he rarely super speeds, he is more often seen traveling using this ability. When he flies through the air he leaves a long red aura of light in his wake. (Static, Labyrinth, Phantom, Bizarro, Odyssey, Checkmate, Effigy)
- Shapeshifting: J'onn can alter his mass, density and shape into virtually anything. His alien form is seen when Doctor Fate restores his powers and abilities. (Absolute Justice, Part 2) J'onn morphed into Amanda Waller and tricked a Checkmate agent into releasing him. (Checkmate) J'onn uses this ability to maintain his human form. He can also create a jacket and shirt when he needs to. (Effigy)
- Heat Blast: J'onn can emanate intense heat through his palms, causing them to burn hot. He used this ability on Aldar to save Clark, and seemed to have used it on Icicle in the final battle at Watchtower. (Static, Absolute Justice, Part 2)
- Super-Healing: Despite his resistance towards injury, J'onn is far from being indestructible; as such, he can heal from virtually any wound by leaving Earth's atmosphere, otherwise it won't work. Even when Bizarro punched through his stomach and ripped out a large chunk of tissue, he was rather unaffected by the damage, and remained on Earth for quite some time before leaving its atmosphere to heal (Phantom, Bizarro).
- Telepathy: J'onn is inherently telepathic, and can enter a being's mind mentally and communicate with them. J'onn, upon saving Clark and restoring his powers through the Sun, sensed that Clark wanted to mature and make a change without holding back. (Odyssey) He later sensed that Clark used his X-ray vision on him. (Checkmate)
- Mind Walking: Seeing no alternative, J'onn entered Clark's mind to try to warn him that Dr. Hudson was trying to claim his body so he could use his abilities. (Labyrinth)
- Mental Scan: He was able to enter a guards mind and search through his memories to find Waller’s face and her location. J'onn used his powers to scan Megan Morse’s mind and view her memories, he was also able to feel the emotions she felt. (Effigy)
- Memory Manipulation: Allowed J'onn to wipe Waller's mind of the memory of Clark, Oliver and Chloe's faces. (Checkmate)
- Sleep Inducement: J'onn was able to make a Checkmate agent fall asleep just by touching him. (Checkmate)
- Telepathic Translation: Due to his job as a bounty hunter, J'onn encounters a wide variety of species across the universe and uses his telepathy to learn and communicate with them. J'onn proved to be fluent in many different languages including Kryptonian, English, French and the languages of some Phantom Zone Prisoners. (Phantom)
- Paralysis: While reading his mind, J'onn was able to paralyze Bruce’s body, causing him to fall to his knees, unable to defend himself. (Effigy)
- Superhuman Stamina: J'onn has an elevated stamina; as such, he can maintain constant movement for long periods of time. He was in space, and was able to fly to LuthorCorp Plaza to stop Clark from killing Lionel, and didn't seem tired at all. (Phantom) He later flew Bizarro to Mars and returned unfazed. (Bizarro). He proved this again when he flew Clark into the sun without getting tired. (Odyssey)
- Invisibility: J'onn can turn himself invisible, allowing him to sneak up on people. (Static) He was able to use his invisibility to sneak into the Batcave, and approach Bruce and Alfred. (Effigy)
- Intangibility: J'onn has the ability to phase his body through any object or allow any object to pass through his body. This ability is linked to his willpower. (Absolute Justice, Part 2, Checkmate)
- Martian Vision: J'onn can project heat beams of energy from his eyes, causing damage greater than 1000 lbs of TNT (not demonstrated in the show). J'onn used this to destroy the Kandorian blood sample.
- Self-Sustenance: J'onn can breathe in outer space, or at least hold his his breath for a long period of time (Bizarro).
- Skilled Hand-to-hand combat: J'onn has proved to be highly skilled when it comes to fighting an opponent in hand-to-hand combat, as he took down a criminal with relative ease and apprehended him before being shot. (Bulletproof).
- Detective Skills: J'onn works as Detective John Jones for the Metropolis Police Department. He was able to locate Checkmate's headquarters by himself and later assisted Batman in searching for the White Martian. He was also able to keep up with Batman's thought process.
- Longevity: After J'onn introduced himself to Clark, he mentioned about being on Earth longer than him and understanding the human race. (deleted scene).
Vulnerabilities[]
J'onn is extremely vulnerable to the yellow sun, as it can, as shown when he flew Clark into the sun to heal him, remove his powers and abilities permanently unless he contacts Mars' inner atmosphere somehow, as shown when his abilities are restored when Doctor Fate teleported him to Mars.
Additionally, J'onn is afraid of fire. In Clark's hallucination, J'onn was frightened by the flame of a lighter. Later, Amanda Waller was able to neutralize him by surrounding him within a "fire cage" made from bars of jetted fire.
J'onn's healing factor is slowed down to human-like rate while within Earth's atmosphere, possibly because of the high quantities of oxygen in the air.
J'onn's durability is lower than Kryptonians, but godly compared to humans. Virtually nothing of Earth can hurt or injure him. Also, when Icicle was wearing the Helmet of Nabu and his powers magically enhanced, J'onn had to phase through the attack instead of standing up to it. When Bizarro possessed a human, he was able to rip a hole in J'onn's abdomen.
Early life[]
J'onn was born on Mars, a planet torn asunder by misunderstanding and hate between the Green Martians and the White Ones. As an adult, he married a Martian female, with whom he had a daughter. In an attempt to protect his family during the war and to build a better future for his daughter, he joined the battle against the White Martians, becoming famous as a mass murderer of them despite the guilt he felt in doing these killings. At the end of the war, which became known as "The Martian Holocaust", both the races were entirely destroyed, leaving him the sole survivor of Mars.
After this tragic event, J'onn was approached by Jor-El, who gave him again a purpose in life and asked him his help to hunt down, capturing and imprisoning the criminals of Krypton and the rest of the cosmos, casting them into the Phantom Zone, creating his reputation as an intergalactic bounty hunter.
After a Kryptonian experiment resulted in the creation of Bizarro, John helped Jor-El trap him in the Phantom Zone. He also made trips to Kandor and, according to Kara Kent, he cast her and her father Zor-El from their home, forming a wedge between them.
Before Krypton was fully destroyed, Jor-El asked J'onn to watch over his son Kal-El, and so the Martian, after the tragic explosion of the planet, remembering his vow moves to Earth and watched over Clark as soon after he was found and adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent.
It appeared as if he contacted and communicated with Dr. Virgil Swann through satellite transmissions.
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.
Justice & Doom[]
- "There are few that now know there is justice; that there can be no doom."
- — Martian Manhunter, Smallville Legends: Justice & Doom
The multimedia Smallville parallel story Justice & Doom he is shown helping the Justice League. It also 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.
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 an unknown location, telling him that there was a "don't ask and don't tell" partnership with Jor-El regarding the disposition of prisoners.
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 a criminal down a street in his squad car, and managed to subdue him for officers that carried him off. Before he could enter his car, John was shot at by an unknown assailant. As he ducked for cover behind his car door, a bullet managed to pierce the door and hit him in the chest. Jones was later transferred to Metropolis General, where Clark witnessed his injuries.
Oliver hired Emil Hamilton to treat John's wounds due to the possible revelation of his Martian physiology to the hospital and authorities. John recovered a few days later and helped clear Clark of the false charges against him. He admitted the reason he had operated alone was his sense of pride, which he admitted was hard to get past after losing his Martian abilities.
Later, John tipped Emil off to a Doomsday attack in Granville, and stalled the local authorities while Emil, Clark, and Eva Greer (disguised as Chloe) investigated the attack scene.
Season Nine[]
- "I hope it's not too late to say we come in peace."
- — Martian Manhunter, Absolute Justice, Part 2
Sylvester Pemberton had a page on John in the book about the Justice League. John was contacted by the Justice League when they were investigating a group who knew all of their identities and had once been heroes themselves, the Justice Society of America. John arrived at the League's request, joining them in defending their reasons for fighting crime nowadays and trying to convince the Society that the Earth was still filled with incredible amounts of hope.
The Society members were being murdered by a young man known as Icicle, who needed to recharge his powers with liquid nitrogen. John went with Kent Nelson aka Doctor Fate, a sorcerer member of the Justice Society who could see people's fates, to the nearest nitrogen storing facility in search of Icicle. While investigating, Fate and John shared the mutual pain of losing their wives and family due to their responsibilities as heroes.
Fate realized that John's fate was greater than his own and seemingly attacked him, hitting him with a blast of magic that briefly teleported him to Mars and back, revealing John's true green Martian form which restored his powers. John was knocked unconscious by this just as Icicle arrived, impaling Fate through the chest. Fate was killed but his last act would not go without results. John was brought to the hospital where he went through a metamorphosis.
The League and the Society fought Icicle in the Watchtower and when he was about to murder Courtney Whitmore, John arrived, his powers restored. He phased through an attack from the villain and helped his comrades defeat the villain for good. Later, John explained to Chloe that despite the fact that he was the last Martian, he was not alone and that the League was his family. Oliver arrived, inviting them to eat with him, and John happily went, explaining that he'd grown accustomed to Earth food, especially cookies. When Clark left for vacation with Lois, he asked John to fill in for him as the Blur.
Soon after, John secretly tried to investigate the agency known as Checkmate. Unfortunately his investigation pit him against Clark who found his motives suspicious.
Unwilling to deal with Clark at the moment, John flew off. He then used his powers to read the mind of an agent of Checkmate to find the location of their headquarters in order to retrieve the stolen alien blood sample, Amanda Waller waited for his arrival and sat up a trap that placed John in a cage made of fire. John used his shape-shifting ability to trick a guard, by masquerading as Amanda Waller, to release him from the fiery cage. John then proceeded to destroy the evidence of the blood sample with his Martian vision and before leaving wiped Waller's memory of her knowledge of the secret identities of members of the Justice League.
Later John met Clark at the Kent farm loft to discuss his current actions. It was revealed that John was working for the Red Queen to try to protect Clark from Checkmate and the White Queen (Amanda Waller). Later it was revealed that the Red Queen was Martha Kent.
John was with the other Justice Heroes, that is with Black Canary, Cyborg, Hawkman, and Stargirl to discuss the battle against the Kandorians. He disagreed with Carter's idea to strike first and said they should stay with Clark's plan. When Clark announced his plan to leave with the Kandorians forever, John nodded his head in agreement, and then signed out.
Season Ten[]
After Hawkman sacrificed his life to save Lois Lane from the villainous Slade Wilson, all Justice League members were required to attend a funeral service held in Carter's home country of Egypt, led by Stargirl. All members dressed in their trademark outfits with John walking behind the coffin. He was then left unconscious along with everybody else when a mysterious pyramid rose from the ground emitting a bright light.
He, along with the rest of the heroes, were captured by the government, but would be freed thanks to Chloe Sullivan and the Suicide Squad.
Months later, John was working with Courtney Whitmore to investigate Marionette Ventures, only for Courtney to get herself under their control when they implanted a device on her neck.
John later helped out Tess at Watchtower by putting Watchtower's new space station online.
Season Eleven[]
Later on the moon at the construction site for Queen Industries' new Moon Base, Superman and Martian Manhunter oversee the construction which the S.T.A.R. Labs H.E.D drones help in the process. Clark shares some Double Stuf Oreo cookies with his friend and mentor when he receives an alert about an attack on Metropolis involving a former Project Ares subject. As Superman speeds off to deal with the threat, John decides to return to his apartment in Metropolis.
At an apartment building, a woman struggles to get through the front door with her groceries as her son recounts how Superman saved him from a truck thrown at him by Psimon. As the groceries spill from her bags, John, now in his disguise as the human police detective John Jones, catches a bottle of milk. John helps his neighbor inside to her apartment and takes a moment to talk with her hero-obsessed son about doing his part to help his mother out. Impressed with how good with children he is, the neighbor asks John if he has children of his own. He says no.
In his apartment, John morphs out of his shirt and jacket and removes his dual shoulder holsters. He pulls from a glass case a red Martian stone with primitive drawings of a family: father, mother, and child. John reflects on his lost past when he hears a familiar voice in his head call out his Martian name. Suddenly, he's attacked by images of Green Martians burning. He drops the stone from the pain of the memories, cracking it in half. As he fights the images, he begins to revert to his natural Martian form and comes to a daunting realization.
Meanwhile in Gotham City, members from a street gang races through a sewer on a motorcycle, fleeing from a robbery which causes the Batman and Nightwing to intervene. A voice calls for help from another sewer tunnel and Nightwing alerts Batman. Pulling her charged escrima sticks to investigate, Nightwing finds two dead homeless men and a third being attacked by a gruesome figure in a dark long coat and hat. As she intervenes, the figure turns to reveal itself as a large white creature. Before she can react, the creature brutally slashes her. Batman arrives and quickly throws a flash bomb that stuns and frightens off the creature. He collects and comforts his injured apprentice.
Later, in the Batman's underground headquarters, Bruce's cohort and confidante, Alfred attends to Barbara, sedated in a recovery tank, as Bruce tries to determine what it was that attacked her and what the message it left behind means.Alfred asks about a message the creature left at the scene in the sewer tunnel. Bruce says he run it through the computer but can't find any match for the language, including Kryptonian symbols he's cataloged, leading him to the conclusion that it's an alien language.A voice from behind them informs them that the language is Martian. Bruce and Alfred turn to see John Jones. Alarmed at Jones' presence in the Batcave, Bruce throws Batarangs at the detective. John phase shifts and the Batarangs fly through him and past Alfred. He attempts to reason with Bruce, explaining that this fight with the White Martian is not his. With Barbara hurt and people dying in Gotham, Bruce begs to differ. John puts a hand to Bruce's head and begins to tap his mind, trying to alter his reasoning. Always prepared, Bruce tells Alfred to enact a safety protocol called "Babel Five," based on information he learned of Jones from Checkmate's files.
Alfred retrieves a flamethrower from a weapons locker and fires it in Jones' direction. With his fear of fire, Jones recoils and severs his connection with Bruce. Things returned to relative calm, John apologizes for the mind intrusion and offers a hand to help Bruce off of the floor. Wayne slaps the hand away and gets to his feet on his own. Putting on his Batman cowl, he steps to the Batmobile and tells Jones he has a crime scene to show him.
In the sewer tunnel where Batman and Nightwing encountered the White Martian, the place is crawling with Gotham City police detectives, commanded by police commissioner James Gordon. Stepping from the shadows, Batman tells Gordon he needs the cops out for the time being. Gordon is initially reluctant and Jones tells him this is a bigger problem than what's occurring in the city. Using a portable projector, Batman explains how he ran the Martian glyph through federal databases and revealed multiple locations where it has appeared over the past eighteen months. They identify it as a message and John tells them that the Martian got his attention with it: the symbol for his Martian name. Gordon clears the room of the detectives.
John confronts Batman about Gordon being unaware that his daughter is serving as the Dark Knight's apprentice and says that as a father he has a right to know that she was attacked. Batman explains that the solution she is suspended in at the cave will heal her wounds within hours. Other than some anxiety when she first emerges from the tank, Barbara will be fine, Batman assures John. He mentions John's vision and guesses that White Martian is hunting the Manhunter. When Batman addresses the fact he lives alone with no one to be harmed, it dawns on John that there are those in his building that might be. He flies off quickly.
In Metropolis, in the apartment of John's neighbor, the boy from earlier hears a loud noise from John's apartment. He runs out to check on the detective and finds a cloaked being in the apartment, holding the cracked Martian tablet and watching a TV news report about the art raid by monkeys in Paris and dead bodies caused by "speed storms." The boy asks where Jones is and the cloaked being attacks, revealing itself to be the White Martian. Chasing the boy downstairs toward his mother, the Martian is nearly upon them when John intervenes. At the building's front door, Batman orders mother and child out for their safety.
John fights with the White Martian. The creature identifies him by his Martian name, "J'onn J'onnz," and calls him a "murderer." As John unholsters his guns, the creature jumps on him and tries biting him. John struggles as Batman tosses a flare near them and orders John to roll away from it. The flare goes off, scaring the White Martian. It crashes through a window and escapes into the city. Batman helps John to his feet and asks why the creature accused him of murder. Staring out on the city, John admits to it.
The Martian Manhunter reveals to Batman about "The Martian Holocaust" caused by the misunderstandings and the hate between his people and their twin race: the White Martians. He explains that in order to protect his family he joins the battle and kills many of the White, however at the end of the conflict he remains the sole survivor of Mars. Devastated, John finds a new purpose in his life thanks to Jor-El, who asks his help to hunt down, capturing and imprisoning the criminals of Krypton and the rest of the cosmos, casting them into the Phantom Zone; allows to him of create his reputation as an intergalactic bounty hunter.
Later, after the explosion of Krypton, John follows Clark on Earth and begins to watch over him; when the boy grown up however, the Martian realizes that the planet needs his services more than the Last Son of Krypton, so he choose to became a vigilante.
Shortly after the conversation, Batman calls the Batcave and is informed that Barbara is fully recovered from the White Martian's attack. Later the two detectives connects all of the creature's victims at the Watchtower and finds out that the trail of corpses began in Colorado, where it was situated Checkmate's Headquarters.
Here the duo found a rocket's launch project and discover that the White Martian was kept prisoner in it. While look around Jhon finds the body of an agent who remains locked inside the facility with the creature; as Batman note however, it seem that he died under natural circumstances and, before to did it, he recorded a message on his cellphone where he claims that his name is King Faraday and he begs the person which find his body to take care about his daughter.
While Batman and Martian Manhunter listens to the tape, the White Martian watches them lurking from the shadows. The White Martian attacks them both, but John is able to hold it off while Batman looks around to see what she was protecting. After that he shows her the picture of King Faraday's daughter whom she shapeshifts into. While the White Martian is calmed, John uses his telepathy to peak into her mind and see that she has been sent to Earth by her parents to escape the Martian Holocaust and was found by Checkmate. Their mutual feelings of loss bind them and they realize even though they come from a different race of martians, they are all the family they have left. She introduces herself as M'gann M'orzz. Later John brings her to Metropolis, where he introduces her to his neighbors as his niece. They then proceed to fly into space.
During the "Titans" special, M'Gann says J'onn has recently returned to Mars to begin restoring its shattered ecosystem so that when humans finally do arrive on the planet, they will be able to establish a colony with minimal trouble.
Some time later, John is shown to oversee prisoners of the likes of Curtis Knox and Bruce Wayne's doppelganger in a holding facility on Mars.
Months later, Superman and Lois arrive at Watchtower where Tess, Chloe and Oliver along with Batman, Nightwing Martian Manhunter, Supergirl, Jay Garrick and his team of teenagers. Clark tells Chloe, Tess and Bruce to find out everything from one of the Manhunters he destroyed about the Crisis, because more ships are on their way. As Batman starts to examine the crumpled Manhunter head he wonders where are they going, Clark grimly says everywhere.
The next day, Clark gathers all of the heroes onto his rooftop and gives them the lowdown. They can distract the Manhunters with physical attacks while Watchtower leads an evacuation to the heartland. If the distraction they provide fails everyone will die or be 'rebooted', but if they win everything will stay as it was and how they all remember the world. Clark tells them to say goodbye to their loved ones and suit up ready for war.
Superman delivers a rousing speech to the heroes. The other Earths might have been erased or rebooted but they are determined for their Earth to survive and their continuity to continue. With that Superman, Luthor and all of Earth's heroes attack the incoming Manhunters.
Superman spots the pod approaching Earth, feelings of sheer horror aside, he, Kara and J'onn try to stop the pod from hitting its target. Even with their combined might the pod overcomes them and speeds beyond them breaking the sound barrier.
Wonder Woman leaps in sword swinging while J'onn gets close enough to telepathically attack the Omega Monitor. The feedback sends J'onn hurtling backwards but Diana signals Superman to join the fight.
The League stands in the Fortress standing judgment over the female Monitor. The universe is now back to normal though all that died is still dead. The female Monitor asks to die but J'onn points out that Clark would never kill anyone. The League then decides to send the Monitor to the Phantom Zone.
Three weeks later LexCorp holds a major press conference and Lex introduces the public to a new monument built on the former Watchtower site. In a massive turnout Lex publicly admits that if it weren't for the heroes of earth the universe would be lost. Then Superman makes a speech that is broadcast all over the world. As the tarp falls away it reveals a stunning bronze statue of the Justice League.
After her son's birth, Chloe worries about the dangers in the world and the rise in heroes. Oliver reminds her they all fight for justice and will ensure their new baby will have a safe and healthy upbringing. Chloe laments that family should be here for their big occasion and Ollie smiles as he wheels her into the waiting room to be greeted by their 'family' composed of the Heroes that they met over time.
Appearances[]
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | # | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | 3 | ||
Season 7 | X | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | ||||
Season 8 | X | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | ||
Season 9 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | X | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | X | 4 | ||
Season 10 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | X | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | ||
Total | 13 |
- Season Six:
- Season Seven: Lara (Mentioned only)
- Season Eight: Bloodline (Mentioned only). Abyss (Mentioned only), Injustice (Mentioned only)
- Season Ten: Dominion (Mentioned only), Prophecy (Mentioned only), Finale, Part 1 (Mentioned only)
- Season Eleven: Effigy, Hollow
- Smallville Miniseries: Alien, Continuity
In the Comics[]
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 black and white Choco Cookies (Due to copyright law, DC was unable to call it Oreo).
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.
The Martian Manhunter is one of very few characters who's able to hold his own against Superman, and even fatally harm him, without the aid of kryptonite or other weapons.
He was executed 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 Choco cookie on John's coffin.
In the storyarc titled Blackest Night, the dead have raised in the entire universe and J'onn is one of them. After his resurrection and reclutation to the Black Lantern Corps he went to confront Barry Allen and Hal Jordan, who were talking over Batman's grave being robbed. He approaches them saying that they should be dead and begins to fight the two.
At the end of Blackest Night, Martian Manhunter was among eleven other heroes and villains to be fully resurrected by the power of the White Lantern entity.After his rebirth Jonn feels the need to revive his own race on Mars soon he discovers that his resurrection drew the attention of the last surviving female green Martian D'Kay D'razz an insane murderer now who attempts to be his mate for the sake of bringing back the Martian race Jonn repulsed by her murderous ways refuses. Soon Jonn discovers that due to his return he kills plant life on Earth for it to be grown on Mars and receives a vision from the White Entity to "burn the green", the forest on Mars.
Following the events of Flashpoint, Martian Manhunter becomes a member of the covert Stormwatch organization. Despite now being allied with the militant Stormwatch group, where he says he goes when "I need to be a warrior" instead of being a hero. In Stormwatch #6 there is a mild retcon, stating "with the Justice League" is shorthand for being a public superhero; J'onn says he's never tried to actually join the League, as being a Stormwatch members means he'd have to keep secrets from them and potentially betray them. (This turns out to be a lie, or at least a half-truth, as it's revealed in Justice League, that he almost joined at some point, resulting in a fight between him and the League) He is close with the members of Stormwatch, viewing Harry Tanner as a friend and being dismayed when he's betrayed; he says he was "starting to enjoy" the Projectionist's company "a great deal". During his first appearance with Stormwatch, he accompanies Jack Hawksmoor and the Projectionist on a mission to recruit Apollo, whom J'onn is forced to fight after he attacks the agents. He gets angry and stops fighting when Apollo suggests he's there to kill him, and goes on to attempt diplomacy with Apollo. He later faces down a member of Stormwatch's ruling Shadow Cabinet, cutting him off when he tries to talk about J'onn's history and saying he knows what the Shadow Lord is. Before J'onn spoke, the Shadow Lord had said "he wants humans to think he's the last Martian: a noble, tragic orphan.
Martian Manhunter later arrives on Oa to extract information from Guy Gardner's prisoner before proceeding to erase his memory. When investigating and afterwards helping the Legion Lost the Martian Manhunter explains that he has never actually been a member of the Justice League and that the only team he has joined was Stormwatch. He later quits Stormwatch, erasing his existence from every member minds in the process, in order to deal with a new upcoming threat.
The Martian Manhunter appears as a member of the new team called Justice League of America, which is controlled by Amanda Waller and Steve Trevor. Each member of the newly formed government-ran Justice League of America is intended to have a counterpart in the Justice League, incase they would ever go rogue. Martian Manhunter's counterpart is Superman. Steve Trevor is said to be acquainted with J'onn and that he left the League after a "drag-out fight". During Despero's assault against the Watchtower, Martian Manhunter is mentioned by Firestorm as previously being part of the Justice League during their initial fight with Despero. After Despero incapacitates Firestorm, Element Woman, and The Atom, Martian Manhunter appears and defeats him with a telepathic assault.
Other faces of Martian Manhunter[]
Trivia[]
- Martian Manhunter first appeared in Detective Comics vol. 1 #225 (November 1955).
- He has a passion for cookies, especially Oreos.[4] However due to copyright law, the cookie is often called "Choco" cookies.
- The Martian Manhunter appears to also be the oldest superhero that has appeared on the show. Unless one takes into count that Hawkman has lived several lives then he would be the oldest.
- He never had dessert on Mars. (Absolute Justice, Part 2)
- In Absolute Justice, Part 2, he states "I'm Mars' sole survivor... there's a reason for that." The same quote was said by the Martian Manhunter when fighting Superboy-Prime in the comics.
- Phil Morris father, Greg Morris, starred in a first season episode of Superboy (1988-1992) TV series; titled The Invisible People. He was also in the Wonder Woman (1975-1979) episode Light-fingered Lady.
Notes[]
- He is first called the "Martian Manhunter" in Crimson by Chloe Sullivan, in reference to the events of the previous episode, Labyrinth and by Kara Kent in Cure as well as Lara before officially gained the Martian Manhunter nickname in the Finale, Part 1.
- In the hospital scene at the beginning of Bulletproof, Oliver Queen confirms that Martian Manhunter is now a part of the Justice League, although he is more an honorary member until he gets his powers back. This was revealed when Clark asked Oliver: "Since when did he become one of us?", at which point Oliver explains the times when Martian Manhunter helped him get out of trouble.[5]
- 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".
- 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 was still able to remain in his human form, this probably means he actually morphs instead of just maintaining a camouflage and no longer can morph back.
- Martian Manhunter loosing his powers but still maintaining his human form on the show resembles what happened in comics like Detective Comics#230 and 238. However instead of loosing his powers because of the sun, he lost his powers thanks to the Blazer Comet/"Earth-Mars Comet".Two of the earliest Manhunter Detective stories, "The Sleuth Without a Clue" had J'onn lose his powers when exposed to a specific comet. The plot in Detective #230 had J'onn J'onzz completely lose his martian powers for a period of 24 hours while the "Blazer Comet" was in the night sky and eight short months later in "Earth Detective for a Day" Detective #238, it was the "Earth-Mars Comet" that stripped J'onn of his martian abilities for only two hours this time. Perhaps the writers only meant that these comets had swung Solward from the Kuiper belt but really never got any closer than the Earth but still managed to sweep in closer than the Mars orbit.
- Interestingly, in the comics, years before their time as super-heroes, J'onn posed as an African American farmhand, who befriended a grade school Clark Kent, watching over him during that time. He was forced to quit the Kent's employment due to racial tension from a local Smallville White Supremacy group. [citation needed]
- In Phantom and in the comics Martian Manhunter proved to be capable of speaking many different languages.
- Martian Manhunter is one of the most powerful entities to appear on Smallville, in fact in the comics J'onn is one of a few characters powerful enough to take on Superman at full strength without the aid of kryptonite. Superman himself has stated that the martian is the most powerful person on the planet, being everything Superman is and much more.
- In the DC Universe Original Animated Movie Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, Martian Manhunter can be seen in human form when he is escorting the alternate Earth's President Slade's first daughter Rose as a bodyguard. He chooses the form of an African American, as he always does for his human appearance on the show.
- In the Young Justice cartoon series, John Jones chose an African-American appearance similar to the one on Smallville.
- John Jones has teamed up with two of Clark's parents to protect him. He agreed to look after Clark for Kal-El's biological father Jor-El, and then again later worked with Martha Kent (as the Red Queen) to protect Clark from Checkmate.
- He is one of the most recurring members of the Justice League other then Black Canary. [citation needed]
- He along with Emil, Tess and Chloe are the only Justice League member to have never used an official superhero costume during a live-action scene. He was seen wearing a suit in the online comic, Justice and Doom, however this does not officially count, as there were no superheroics done in the suit. He is later seen in the Justice and Doom suit in the Season 11 comic arc Effigy while he is building the Watchtower outpost.
- The costume that J'onn wears in Justice and Doom as well as Effigy is actually the second costume and physical appearance actually resembles the second costume he wore in the comics. It was also the costume that J'onn died in, early on during the company-wide series Final Crisis (J'onn was brought back to life during the Blackest Night crossover). However the main difference is the blue cape is removed from the costume. However the Martian form in Absolute Justice resembles the iconic Martian Manhunter face more.
- John Jones appeared in 13 episodes (including cameoes), making him the 6th most frequently seen recurring character in the series after Jor-El, Nancy Adams, Brainiac, Emil Hamilton, and Ethan Miller. He also appeared in more episodes than series regular Davis Bloome.
- The Martian spelling of his name (J'onn J'onzz) was not used until Effigy.
- John and Kara Kent are initially distrustful and hostile to each other in Smallville. The very opposite happens in the CW television series Supergirl, where Kara and J'onn/Martian Manhunter develop a father-daughter relationship. The characters usually have no connection in the comics.
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.
- 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
- Martian Manhunter: I had a run-in with the last Phantom... I have to leave Earth's atmosphere to Heal.
- Season Six, Phantom
- 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
- John Jones: 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.
- John Jones: 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.
- John Jones: 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.
- John Jones: 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 Clark Kent's destiny.
- Season Eight, Odyssey
- John Jones: I appreciate the assist.
- Doctor Fate : I'm interested in you. You are not a human, but you are forced to be.
- John Jones: I used to have special abilities like Clark.
- Doctor Fate: But you sacrificed them to save Clark Kent. You see what I see in Clark Kent but without the aid of the helmet of Nabu. Its magic reveals the fates of people around me. I look into the window of the future and witness what might be. But, eventually, it became too much. I saw too much. Before your people were destroyed, did you have a wife, John?
- John Jones: And a daughter.
- Doctor Fate: You miss your family... as I do.
- Season Nine, Absolute Justice, Part 2
- Watchtower: Manhunter has put the new space station online, per your request..
- Tess: Thank God for our favorite Martian.
- Season Ten, Finale, Part 1
- John: (To Chloe) I only say because I care. You and Clark, Oliver, your my family here.
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ Prey
- ↑ Crimson
- ↑ Justice & Doom
- ↑ He left an Oreo cookie at the scene of the fight with Aldar in Static, and later left another one in Clark's loft. He mentioned he had never had desert on Mars but he'd grown fond of cookies in Absolute Justice, Part 2
- ↑ Bulletproof,Absolute Justice .
External links[]
- Martian Manhunter - DC Comics
- Martian Manhunter on Wikipedia
- Martian Manhunter on DC Database
- Martian Manhunter on Wikia DCAU
- Martian Manhunter on Young Justice Wikia
- Martian Manhunter on Super Friends Wikia
- Martian Manhunter on Injustice: Gods Among Us Wikia
- Martian Manhunter on Batman: the Brave and the Bold Wikia
- Smallville: Justice and Doom - Watchtower Reveal
- Deleted scene from Season 6's Labyrinth
- Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz) on Green Lantern Wikia
- Martian Manhunter on comicvine