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Fictional supervillain in the DC comics universe From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Sportsmaster is the name of different supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the character; Lawrence "Crusher" Crock, is usually depicted as a criminal who uses sports-themed weapons and gadgets to commit crimes. He is also the husband of Paula Brooks and the father of Artemis Crock.
| Sportsmaster | |
|---|---|
The Lawrence Crock incarnation of Sportsmaster as depicted in Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #21 (November 1986). | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | All-American Comics #85 (May 1947) |
| Created by | John Broome Irwin Hasen |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Lawrence "Crusher" Crock Victor Gover |
| Species | Human |
| Team affiliations | Injustice Society Legion of Doom |
| Abilities |
|
| Altered in-story information for adaptations to other media | |
| Team affiliations | Secret Society of Super Villains (Justice League Unlimited), League of Shadows (Young Justice) |
Crusher / Sportsmaster appeared in Young Justice, voiced by Nick Chinlund, and Stargirl, portrayed by Neil Hopkins.
The Lawrence Crock incarnation of Sportsmaster first appeared in All-American Comics #85 (May 1947) and was created by writer John Broome and artist Irwin Hasen.[1][2]
The Victor Gover incarnation of Sportsmaster first appeared in Manhunter #17 and was created by John Ostrander, Doug Rice, and Kim Yale.
He was the foe of the original Green Lantern and Wildcat. He was first known as Crusher Crock, a frustrated athlete who turns to a life of crime.[3] He was a member of different incarnations of the Injustice Society.[4] He helped capture the JSA using an exploding ball, after which they were hypnotized and then during the Patriotic Crimes he steals Old Ironside. He teams up with (and later marries) the Golden Age villainess Huntress. Later they have a child named Artemis Crock who became the third Tigress. In his later years he spent time behind bars but at least on one occasion was broken out of prison by his daughter - then a member of Injustice Unlimited.[5]
In Final Crisis, Sportsmaster appears as one of General Immortus' followers.[6]
In The New 52 continuity reboot, Sportsmaster appears as a member of Leviathan.[7][8]
The second Sportsmaster is Victor Gover, an African-American former football player who possessed "photographic reflexes". Blacklisted from the world of professional sports after his metahuman abilities are exposed, Gover becomes a criminal and enemy of Manhunter. He later joins the Suicide Squad for one mission during War of the Gods.[9]
Following Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!, Gover is reimagined as a powerless white athlete and gambling addict. Wildcat later beats Gover, forcing him to retire and attend Gamblers Anonymous.
Sportsman is the name of two characters modeled after the original Sportsmaster.
The Earth-2 version is a telekinetic metahuman whose abilities are derived from an anti-proton globe. However, the globe affects his brain, forcing him into crime.
The Earth-1 version is Martin Mantle, an athlete whose father forced him to undergo unsafe enhancement treatments that will eventually kill him. As the Sportsman, he possesses Olympian-level physical attributes and specialized equipment of his own design.
Crock uses sporting-themed weapons such as exploding baseballs, flying bases, rocket baseball bats, knockout basketballs, lacrosse snare nets, exploding hockey pucks. Their outfits generally included a baseball cap, catcher's mask, padded jersey, catcher's chestguard, football-style pants, and cleats.[3]
Each of the Sportsmasters and Sportsmen had superb physical attributes on par with Olympic athletes in their prime. As noted above, Victor Gover also had "photographic reflexes".
An alternate timeline variant of Sportsmaster appears in Flashpoint. This version was incarcerated in Doom prison. He attempts to escape during a prison break, only to be killed by Eel O'Brian.[10][11]
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