Hellgrammite (comics)
{{Short description|DC Comics supervillain}}
{{About|the comic book character|the insect|Dobsonfly}}
{{Infobox comics character
| image= Action_Comics_673.jpg
| converted= y
| caption = Hellgrammite as depicted in Action Comics #673 (January 1992). Art by Dan Jurgens and Bob McLeod.
| character_name = Hellgrammite
| publisher = DC Comics
| debut = The Brave and the Bold #80 (November 1968)
| creators = Bob Haney, Neal Adams
| alter_ego = Roderik Rose
| full_name =
| species = Metahuman
| homeworld =
| alliances = Intergang
| aliases = Robert Dobson
| supports=
| powers = *Superhuman strength, durability, and leaping
- Wall-crawling
- Cocoon generation
}}
Hellgrammite (Roderik Rose) is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an enemy of Superman, Batman, the Creeper, Green Arrow and Black Canary.
Justice Leak portrays the character in the series Supergirl.
Publication history
Hellgrammite first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #80 (November 1968), and was created by Bob Haney and Neal Adams.{{cite book |last1=Cowsill |first1=Alan |last2=Irvine |first2=Alex |last3=Korte |first3=Steve |last4=Manning |first4=Matt |last5=Wiacek |first5=Win |last6=Wilson |first6=Sven |title=The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe |date=2016 |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=978-1-4654-5357-0 |page=142}} In this issue, he battled Batman and the Creeper.
Fictional character biography
=Pre-''Crisis''=
Roderik Rose is an entomologist who subjects himself to a mutagenic process that transforms him into a hellgrammite, or a grasshopper-like insectoid.{{cite book |last=Rovin |first=Jeff |author-link=Jeff Rovin |title=The Encyclopedia of Super-Villains |date=1987 |publisher=Facts on File |isbn=0-8160-1356-X |location=New York |page=156}} He has superhuman physical abilities and can crawl on walls and generate durable cocoons.{{cite book |last1=Greenberger |first1=Robert |author-link=Robert Greenberger |title=The Essential Batman Encyclopedia |date=2008 |publisher=Del Rey |isbn=9780345501066 |page=180}} A number of his schemes revolve around transforming others into weaker, subordinate versions of himself, leading to clashes with Batman and the Creeper in The Brave and the Bold #80, and with Green Arrow and Black Canary in World's Finest Comics #248-249.
=Post-''Crisis''=
In the post-Crisis DC Universe, Hellgrammite returns as a recurring foe for Superman, first encountering the Man of Steel after being hired (by then-LexCorp board member George Markham) to kill Lex Luthor.{{Cite comic |Date=May 1993 |Title=Newstime |Story= |Issue= |Volume= |Publisher=DC Comics |Writer= |Artist= |Page=10 |Panel= |ID=}} In the Underworld Unleashed crossover, he makes a deal with Neron, trading his soul to gain increased power.
Hellgrammite is presumed dead during the Our Worlds at War event, but it is later revealed that a similar villain, Larvanaut, died instead. Hellgrammite appears alive in the "One Year Later" event as an assassin for Intergang.
After Prometheus destroys Star City, the new Batman leads a newly formed Justice League in a hunt to track down the various villains who helped Prometheus in his plot. The team finds Hellgrammite and several other villains attempting to flee the country and a battle ensues. Hellgrammite is ultimately defeated after Donna Troy ties up a villainess named Harpi with her lasso, and then swings her into the villain, knocking both of them out.Justice League of America (vol. 2) #43 (May 2010)
Powers and abilities
Hellgrammite is super-strong and durable, able to jump long distances, secrete adhesives, and produce cocoons that can transform those imprisoned in them into drone versions of himself. In both forms, he has expertise in entomology.
In other media
=Television=
- Hellgrammite makes a non-speaking appearance in the Justice League Unlimited episode "Alive!" as a member of the Secret Society before being killed by Darkseid.
- Hellgrammite appears in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Time Out for Vengeance!", voiced by John DiMaggio.{{cite web |title=Hellgrammite Voice - Batman: The Brave and the Bold (TV Show) |url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Batman-The-Brave-and-the-Bold/Hellgrammite/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240615124201/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Batman-The-Brave-and-the-Bold/Hellgrammite/ |archive-date=June 15, 2024 |access-date=June 15, 2024 |publisher=Behind The Voice Actors}} A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
- Hellgrammite appears in Supergirl, portrayed by Justice Leak.{{cite web |last=Dornbush |first=Jonathon |date=July 29, 2015 |title=Supergirl casts Justice Leak as Hellgrammite |url=http://www.ew.com/article/2015/08/14/supergirl-hellgrammite-justice-leak?hootPostID=9b2cc3d45d9815941d71a04bba92244c |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150818184010/http://www.ew.com/article/2015/08/14/supergirl-hellgrammite-justice-leak?hootPostID=9b2cc3d45d9815941d71a04bba92244c |archive-date=August 18, 2015 |access-date=October 27, 2015 |publisher=Entertainment Weekly}} This version is an alien who possesses the ability to camouflage himself as a humanoid and generate spikes capable of piercing metal, though he requires DDT sources to survive as it is the closest analogue to his planet's food. Additionally, he was imprisoned in the Phantom Zone prison Fort Rozz before it crash-landed on Earth, allowing the inmates to escape.
=Video games=
Hellgrammite appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.{{Cite web |last=Eisen |first=Andrew |date=October 4, 2013 |title=DC Characters and Objects - Scribblenauts Unmasked Guide |url=https://www.ign.com/wikis/scribblenauts-unmasked/DC_Characters_and_Objects |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131011130702/https://www.ign.com/wikis/scribblenauts-unmasked/DC_Characters_and_Objects |archive-date=October 11, 2013 |access-date=June 15, 2024 |website=IGN}}
=Miscellaneous=
Hellgrammite appears in Adventures in the DC Universe #17.{{Cite web |title=Adventures in the DC Universe #17 - All Hellgrammite Breaks Loose (Issue) |url=https://comicvine.gamespot.com/adventures-in-the-dc-universe-17-all-hellgrammite-/4000-153335/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250123144510/https://comicvine.gamespot.com/adventures-in-the-dc-universe-17-all-hellgrammite-/4000-153335/ |archive-date=January 23, 2025 |access-date=June 15, 2024 |website=Comic Vine |language=en}}
References
{{Birds of Prey}}
{{Green Arrow}}
{{Superman characters}}
Category:Anthropomorphic insects
Category:Characters created by Bob Haney
Category:Characters created by Neal Adams
Category:Comics characters introduced in 1968
Category:DC Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability
Category:DC Comics characters with superhuman strength
Category:DC Comics male supervillains
Category:Fictional entomologists
Category:Fictional geneticists