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166-542: Bloodshot is a superhero created in 1992 by Kevin VanHook , Don Perlin , and Bob Layton , appearing in comic books published by the American publisher Valiant Comics . The Bloodshot character has had different origins and incarnations, but he is consistently a character empowered by experimental nanites (microscopic machines) injected into his bloodstream, a procedure that leaves a red circular scar on his chest, hence

332-496: A mafia hitman named Angelo Mortalli who is experimented on by Project Rising Spirit. After Acclaim Entertainment bought Valiant Comics, writer Len Kaminski with artist Sal Velluto rebooted the character in 1997, now depicting him as a covert operative named Raymond Garrison who uses the cover identity of Angelo Mortalli while infiltrating the mafia. Garrison dies and is then resurrected and empowered by nanites, though this leaves him with amnesia. After Valiant Entertainment bought

498-595: A successful franchise which pioneered the Kyodai Hero subgenre where the superheroes would be as big as giant monsters ( kaiju ) that they fought. The kaiju monster Godzilla , originally a villain, began being portrayed as a radioactive superhero in the Godzilla films , starting with Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964). By the 1970s, Godzilla came to be viewed as a superhero, with

664-705: A book entitled Business Zero to Superhero . In 2014, he received a cease and desist from DC and Marvel who claimed that his use of the term superhero would cause confusion and dilute their brands. He was offered a few thousand dollars in settlement to change the name of his book, but he did not concede. A few days prior to the scheduled hearing at the Intellectual Property Office in London, the companies backed down. A similar scenario occurred when comic book creator Ray Felix attempted to register his comic book series A World Without Superheroes with

830-693: A decorated officer in the United States Air Force who would become a costumed superheroine herself years later. In 1975 Shotaro Ishinomori 's Himitsu Sentai Gorenger debuted on what is now TV Asahi, it brought the concepts of multi-colored teams and supporting vehicles that debuted in Gatchaman into live-action, and began the Super Sentai franchise (later adapted into the American Power Rangers series in

996-497: A difference, he leaves behind his loved ones and battles his way back to the land of the living. He resumes his role as one of Earth's protectors. In the post-apocalyptic 41st century, Gilad (now known to some as the Eternal Emperor) stands guard over an agricultural village atop the ruins of Little Rock, Arkansas. Later leading people into battle against the new incarnation of the death cult of Nergal, he hopes their threat

1162-551: A form of immortality and begins to hear voices he thinks are gods telling him it is his destiny to dominate Earth. When Nin shows concern for him, Mog decides she is jealous of his power and stabs her fatally. To save his mother, Ivar pushes her into the river where the Bloom plant was found. Mog destroys his village in a rage, then continues pursuing murder and conquest over the centuries. Eventually, he gains enough control over his rage to act clandestinely when he must. Nin, transformed by

1328-675: A formidable opponent against those he considers evil or too corrupt to live. Sometimes he works with the speakers of the Earth, the Geomancers (who consider him the "Fist and Steel" of the Earth), as well as alongside other heroes. In 210 BC, Gilad fights General Cheng. Though the villain dies, he reincarnates repeatedly throughout history, having many faces and lives, always recalling past lives, always pursuing evil. This person of many identities becomes Gilad's "Immortal Enemy." In every incarnation,

1494-527: A hitman. Having no desire to remain in New York or return to his old life, Bloodshot goes to Europe and uses his powers to fight corruption. He soon learns that his wife Mary was murdered by a powerful woman named Crago. He goes after Crago but before killing her Crago reveals that she is his wife. He kills her and with the help of Abrams, he creates a new cover identity for himself, "Michael Lazarus," and operates as Bloodshot when he deems it necessary. He battles

1660-537: A larger one. Another important event was the debut of Mazinger Z by Go Nagai, creating the Super Robot genre. Go Nagai also wrote the manga Cutey Honey in 1973; although the Magical Girl genre already existed, Nagai's manga introduced Transformation sequences that would become a staple of Magical Girl media. The 1970s would see more anti-heroes introduced into Superhero fiction such examples included

1826-449: A letter column of the pulp magazine Thrilling Wonder Stories , the word superhero was used to define the title character of the comic strip Zarnak , by Max Plaisted. In the 1930s, the trends converged in some of the earliest superpowered costumed heroes, such as Japan's Ōgon Bat (1931) and Prince of Gamma (early 1930s), who first appeared in kamishibai (a kind of hybrid media combining pictures with live storytelling), Mandrake

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1992-539: A long line of super-soldiers, his nanites are unique compared to others of the Bloodshot program. These nanites grant him an internal database, superhuman strength, and enhanced combat abilities (including a sonic scream), as well as the ability to mentally interface with technology and outside databases. He can deliver a "neuro-psychic pulse emission" if necessary. Bloodshot's normal appearance involves red eyes, near-chalk white skin, and scarring on his chest that resembles

2158-453: A miniseries titled Armor Hunters: Bloodshot ). In 2015, a new ongoing series titled Bloodshot Reborn began under the direction of Jeff Lemire and Mico Suayan, lasting 18 issues and concluding in 2016, and supplemented with a miniseries titled Bloodshot U.S.A. and the one-shot Bloodshot's Day Off . In 2017, the 12-issue series Bloodshot Salvation was done by Lemire and Suayan, along with Lewis LaRosa. From 2018 to 2019, Valiant published

2324-523: A multimedia franchise that used footage from Super Sentai . Internationally, the Japanese comic book character , Sailor Moon , is recognized as one of the most important and popular female superheroes ever created. The first use of the word "super hero" dates back to 1917. At the time, the word was merely used to describe a "public figure of great accomplishments." However, in 1967, Ben Cooper, Inc., an American Halloween costume manufacturer, became

2490-594: A new Unity team alongside Ninjak and Livewire. After reaching an understanding with X-O Manowar, they all become allies. Gilad, Ninjak, and Livewire continue working together as Unity to protect Earth from major threats, including aliens and War-Monger. The Unity team later attempts to stop the villain Master Darque from usurping the power of the Geomancer and becoming master of Earth. Gilad suffers serious physical damage to save an innocent child and help Tama,

2656-474: A new line of comics. Bloodshot (vol. 3) introduced a new take on the Bloodshot character, written by Duane Swierczynski with art by Arturo Lozzi and Manuel Garcia. The series lasted 27 issues, though it was temporarily rebranded as Bloodshot and H.A.R.D. Corps after Valiant's Harbinger Wars crossover in 2013, then regained its original title after the Armor Hunters crossover in 2014 (which included

2822-404: A new series, Bloodshot Unleashed . This is the first mature readers title from Valiant Entertainment. Angelo Mortalli is a living man injected with nanites that control his blood flow, oxygen, and adrenaline levels, and almost immediately rebuild damaged and torn muscle. This gives him augmented reflexes, strength, speed, senses, and advanced healing. The microscopic machines connect his mind to

2988-563: A new test subject for Project Rising Spirit, an illegal and clandestine attempt to turn people into living weapons, headed by the corrupt scientist Hideyoshi Iwatsu. Mortalli's body is injected with microscopic technology called nanites, leaving a blood-red circle scar on his chest. The nanites rebuild his brain and body, making Angelo superhuman but erasing his memory in the process. When Angelo uses his superhuman abilities or his nanites detect combat situations, his skin becomes paler, often turning chalk-white, and his eyes turn red. Escaping from

3154-595: A nomadic experience, more solitary than before, but occasionally makes allies and friends such as Aric of Dacia (now Romania ), a Visigoth living in the Roman Empire in the 5th century. By the Middle Ages, Gilad wonders if his actions and battles have all been meaningless. On a few occasions, Gilad fights Vexana, neither recognizing each other. In 1130 in Iran, Gilad joins forces with his brother Armstrong against

3320-505: A normal life as Ray Garrison. But when a number of shootings are carried out by men who look like Bloodshot, he investigates and returns to the life he left behind. Published in 2017 with creators Jeff Lemire, Mico Suayan and Lewis LaRosa, this series ran for 12 regular issues plus a number of event tie ins. Following directly after Bloodshot Reborn , Bloodshot must now protect his girlfriend Magic and their daughter from Magic's sadistic family. An 8-issue prequel series launched in 2018 under

3486-500: A powerful "Harvest Device" to wipe out all life on the planet while he, the Forever Family, and their allies remain hidden and safe. Then they will emerge and restart society on Earth. Believing this plan is too extreme, Aram defies Gilad and disrupts the operation. The brothers eventually soon work together again against threats such as the corrupt organization Blackworks, whose leader Donald Kelvin discovers Mog. The father of

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3652-424: A pre-programmed database of martial arts styles, combat skills, and weapons information. When Mortalli has to heal from serious wounds, he needs to consume animal tissue and protein (such as raw meat) to replace the lost mass and flesh. Alternatively, he can hold such replacement tissue and protein against the wound that needs repair and let his body absorb it over time. When in a calm state, Angelo's default appearance

3818-456: A prequel 8-issue series titled Bloodshot Rising Spirit written by Kevin Grevioux, Lonnie Nadler, and Zac Thompson, with art by Ken Lashley. A new series set in the present began afterward, simply titled Bloodshot (vol. 4), written by Tim Seeley and illustrated by Brett Booth. Bloodshot Volume 1 Angelo Mortalli is a ruthless and arrogant hitman climbing the mob ranks and about to marry

3984-665: A prisoner of Harada's Harbinger Foundation. Harada subjects him to painful tests, hoping to learn more about his unique technology. Not wishing the Harbinger Foundation to uncover the secrets of their experiments, Project Rising Spirit sends out a superhuman combat team, the Harbinger Active Resistance Division Corps (known more simply as H.A.R.D. Corps ). Despite losses, the team retrieves Bloodshot. In exchange for PRS restoring his health and nanites, Bloodshot accepts membership in

4150-423: A profound effect on Japanese television . 1958 saw the debut of superhero Moonlight Mask on Japanese television. It was the first of numerous televised superhero dramas that would make up the tokusatsu superhero genre. Created by Kōhan Kawauchi , he followed up its success with the tokusatsu superhero shows Seven Color Mask (1959) and Messenger of Allah (1960), both starring a young Sonny Chiba . It

4316-505: A promiscuous manner. Through the overdeveloped bodies of the heroes or the seductive mannerisms of the villains, women in comic books are used as subordinates to their male counterparts, regardless of their strength or power. Wonder Woman has been subject to a long history of suppression as a result of her strength and power, including American culture's undoing of the Lynda Carter television series. In 2017's Wonder Woman , she had

4482-577: A publishing agreement with DC Comics that allowed them to introduce a line of comics that included characters of many ethnic minorities. Milestone's initial run lasted four years, during which it introduced Static , a character adapted into the WB Network animated series Static Shock . In addition to the creation of new minority heroes, publishers have filled the identities and roles of once-Caucasian heroes with new characters from minority backgrounds. The African-American John Stewart appeared in

4648-457: A red circle, but thanks to malleable anatomy and the ability to camouflage his coloring, he can perform a limited form of shape-shifting to blend in as an average looking person or replicate the appearance of a person he remembers. When he has to heal from serious wounds or use his camouflage and mass-shifting ability, he often has to consume animal tissue and protein (such as raw meat) to help the process and replace lost tissue and mass. Generally,

4814-633: A result of his resurrection, and initially believes that his real name was Angelo Mortalli. He investigates his past and the circumstances of his death and transformation, bringing into conflict with the mob and the D.O.A. To fight and retrieve Bloodshot, D.O.A. Director Simon Oreck sends out the Special Circumstances Division (nicknamed "the Chainsaw"), a team of mercenaries equipped with advanced technology. While eliminating evidence that could lead back to them and Project Lazarus,

4980-626: A routine mission in Afghanistan, the modern-day Bloodshot soldier is captured by the Harbinger Foundation. Intending to expose Project Rising Sun to the world, Kuretich forcibly extracts mental records of his missions. The process causes Bloodshot to realize he has repeatedly been given false memories of different lives and identities in order to motivate him and control him. He believed he was Ray Garrison but now sees conflicting memories of other families, lives, and names (such as "Angelo Mortalli"). After escaping from Kuretich, Bloodshot learns P.R.S.

5146-757: A secondary character of the Green Hornet media franchise series since its inception in the 1930s. ). Kitty Pryde , a member of the X-Men, was an openly Jewish superhero in mainstream American comic books as early as 1978. Comic-book companies were in the early stages of cultural expansion and many of these characters played to specific stereotypes ; Cage and many of his contemporaries often employed lingo similar to that of blaxploitation films, Native Americans were often associated with shamanism and wild animals , and Asian Americans were often portrayed as kung fu martial artists . Subsequent minority heroes, such as

Bloodshot (comics) - Misplaced Pages Continue

5312-454: A self-styled "agent of chaos" sparking conflicts around the world. At times she comes into conflict with her brothers but does not recognize them. Gilad Anni-Padda becomes one of the greatest warriors on the planet. Over time, he regularly works with Earth's Geomancers who tell him of threats he must stop. While a Geomancer conveys the voice of the Earth and is "the Seer of Earth and Stone," Gilad

5478-406: A single source." DC and Marvel have continued to expand their commercialization of the "superhero" mark to categories beyond comic books. Now, the two publishers jointly own numerous trademarks for figurines (see Spider-Man, Batman), movies, TV shows, magazines, merchandise, cardboard stand-up figures, playing cards , erasers , pencils , notebooks , cartoons , and many more. For instance,

5644-513: A skull-faced creature with superpowers to fight evil; she debuted in Fiction House 's Jungle Comic #2 (Feb. 1940), credited to the pseudonymous "Barclay Flagg". The Invisible Scarlet O'Neil , a non-costumed character who fought crime and wartime saboteurs using the superpower of invisibility created by Russell Stamm, would debut in the eponymous syndicated newspaper comic strip a few months later on June 3, 1940. In 1940, Maximo

5810-541: A story by Wadlow, the film also stars Eiza González , Sam Heughan , Toby Kebbell , and Guy Pearce . Bloodshot appears in Ninjak vs. the Valiant Universe , portrayed by Jason David Frank . Superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses superpowers or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits

5976-406: A suit not unlike the swimsuits in the T.V. show Baywatch . The sexualization of women in comic books can be explained mainly by the fact that the majority of writers are male. Not only are the writers mostly male, but the audience is mostly male as well. Therefore, writers are designing characters to appeal to a mostly male audience. The super hero characters illustrate a sociological idea called

6142-401: A variety of villains and criminals, some of who are "psiots" or "harbingers" (people born with superhuman powers). One of his enemies include Ax, a psiot obsessed with attaining advanced technology such as Bloodshot's nanites and the alien armor of X-O Manowar . Readers learn that in the future, the heroic line of Rai warriors adopt a similar appearance to Bloodshot to remember his heroism in

6308-476: A wide array of different backgrounds and origins. Some superheroes (such as Spider-Man and Superman ) possess non-human or superhuman biology or use and practice magic to achieve their abilities (such as Doctor Strange and Captain Marvel ) while others (for example, Iron Man and Batman ) derive their status from advanced technology they create and use. The Dictionary.com definition of "superhero"

6474-515: A young man named Geoff. He makes an enemy of mob assassin Angelo Mortalli but then helps the man after Angelo loses his memory and is transformed into the warrior Bloodshot. Gilad decides not to hold a grudge, saying that Mortalli metaphorically "died" when Bloodshot was "born." During the Unity crisis, Gilad meets a version of himself who lives in the 41st century and battles evil alongside

6640-841: Is Nick Fury , who is reinterpreted as African-American both in the Ultimate Marvel as well as the Marvel Cinematic Universe continuities. Eternal Warrior The character is sometimes described as "the Fist and Steel of the Earth," a warrior chosen by the planet itself. He is sometimes guided by the Geomancers , a long line of sorcerers in the Valiant Universe who are guided by the voice and will of Earth itself. In each version of his continuity, Gilad has two immortal brothers: Aram (who later takes

6806-512: Is "a figure, especially in a comic strip or cartoon , endowed with superhuman powers and usually portrayed as fighting evil or crime", and the Merriam-Webster dictionary gives the definition as "a fictional hero having extraordinary or superhuman powers; also: an exceptionally skillful or successful person." Terms such as masked crime fighters, costumed adventurers or masked vigilantes are sometimes used to refer to characters such as

Bloodshot (comics) - Misplaced Pages Continue

6972-421: Is a motorcycle-riding hero in an insect-like costume, who shouts Henshin (Metamorphosis) to don his costume and gain superhuman powers. The ideas of second-wave feminism , which spread through the 1960s into the 1970s, greatly influenced the way comic book companies would depict as well as market their female characters: Wonder Woman was for a time revamped as a mod-dressing martial artist directly inspired by

7138-544: Is a website satirizing the sexualized portrayal of women in comics by recreating the same poses using male superheroes, especially Marvel's Hawkeye . In 1966, Marvel introduced the Black Panther , an African monarch who became the first non- caricatured black superhero. The first African-American superhero, the Falcon , followed in 1969, and three years later, Luke Cage , a self-styled "hero-for-hire" , became

7304-666: Is ageless, invulnerable to disease and poison. He has superhuman strength, is more resistant to injury than an average human, has enhanced reflexes and speed, and his body heals from injury and damage. His millennia of life has also made him a master of all combat and weaponry known to humanity. In the Acclaim Entertainment Comics continuity, the powers and abilities of Gilad are pretty much the same. However, immortals can still be killed by catastrophic injury, such as having most of their flesh and muscle destroyed, having their heads destroyed, or being bisected across

7470-443: Is also said to eventually be "black of heart" or "psychopathic," often leading Gilad to later kill them. Deciding this must be an inherent curse of his genetics, Gilad decides by the late 17th century to avoid fathering children again. Through many battles over thousands of years, he becomes a master at combat, military tactics, and stealth. This, combined with his enhanced strength, speed, reflexes, resiliency, and healing, all make him

7636-532: Is arguable that the Marvel Comics teams of the early 1960s brought the biggest assortment of superheroes ever at one time into permanent publication, the likes of Spider-Man (1962), The Hulk , Iron Man , Daredevil , Nick Fury , The Mighty Thor , The Avengers (featuring a rebooted Captain America , Thor, Hulk, Ant-Man , Quicksilver ), and many others were given their own monthly titles. Typically

7802-457: Is born in a village of Anatolia in 3268 BC. He is the son of a warrior named Vandal, along with his older brother Ivar and younger brother Aram . After the death of their mother during Aram's birth, Ivar leaves the village in grief. Another tribe attacks the same day, forcing Vandal to flee with Gilad and Aram while the other villagers are killed. Adopting a new home, Gilad and Aram learn they are immortals with enhanced physical abilities (the same

7968-399: Is finally ended and wants to live in peace with his community and granddaughter Caroline. But seeing Caroline and others showing interest in lost technology and weapons, he fears people will repeat the same mistakes that led to humanity's destruction. In 4001 CE, a Rai warrior finds Gilad and recruits him in his efforts to free the current Geomancer from New Japan. Like his siblings, Gilad

8134-400: Is identical to how he appeared before his nanite injection. When he uses his superhuman abilities or when his nanites detect a combat situation, his skin becomes paler until it is chalk-white and his eyes turn red. Unlike previous test subjects of the same science, Angelo develops technopathy, allowing him to read information from computers and certain other electronic equipment (he cannot read

8300-512: Is sent to infiltrate the Canelli crime family by using the cover identity "Angelo Mortalli." While living as Mortalli, Garrison begins a romantic relationship with Gina DeCarlo. When the mobsters realize "Angelo" is a traitor, they kill him. The D.O.A. brings his remains to its secret experiment known as Project Lazarus, where Dr. Stroheim resurrects him with nanites, turning him into a superhuman "angel of death." Garrison suffers partial amnesia as

8466-512: Is spared. Learning Kalam has been adopted by Mesopotamians, Gilad decides to let the mortal boy live his own life. He travels along a Geomancer sorcerer for a time, fighting threats when he must, while Aram spends his immortal life preferring to seek pleasure, adventure and drink. Gilad leads many lives, usually keeping his first name whenever he adopts a new identity. Occasionally he fathers children, each of whom possesses great strength and better than average resiliency to injury, but each of whom

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8632-541: Is specially trained to fight people born with superhuman powers (known as "psiots" or "harbingers" in the Valiant Universe). He learns his superiors have regularly manipulated him by altering his memories, some of which are the recovered memories of dead soldiers, including two named Raymond Garrison and Angelo Mortalli. No longer sure if he was ever Ray Garrison and not wishing to be a living weapon, Bloodshot goes rogue, hoping to find his own life outside of PRS and

8798-471: Is the Immortal Enemy , a mortal who repeatedly reincarnates, recalls his past lives, and attempts evil again, always having one green eye and one brown eye. Originally, Eternal Warrior Volume 1 #1 introduces Gilad with only one immortal brother, Aram . The crossover story of Eternal Warrior Volume 1 #8 and Archer & Armstrong Volume 1 #8 then retroactively introduced Ivar as a third brother,

8964-450: Is the "Fist and Steel of the Earth" and together they serve the planet. The Geomancers insist that without Gilad's help, Earth will fall out of balance. At times, Gilad seemingly dies and has visions of the Earth speaking to him through avatars, telling him he cannot rest yet even if he wishes and must return to life. In Ancient Mesopotamia, Gilad leads his forces against cult followers of the death god Nergal. Gilad's daughter Xaran joins

9130-521: Is true of Ivar, who learns he can also walk through time). In 3257 BC, at the age of eleven, Gilad emerges victorious from his first battle. One of the bravest of a warrior tribe, his aggression in battle leads some to say he possesses the "Leopard Spirit." In 3219 BC, Gilad and Aram's adopted tribe battles the superior weaponry of the Mesopotamians . All of the tribe is killed with the exception of Gilad, Aram, and Gilad's first son Kalam, whose life

9296-506: Is uncommon, the USPTO will grant joint ownership in a mark. For example, in the case Arrow Trading Co., Inc. v. Victorinox A.G. and Wegner S.A. , Opposition No. 103315 (TTAB June 27, 2003), the TTAB held that when "two entities have a long-standing relationship and rely on each other for quality control, it may be found, in appropriate circumstances, that the parties, as joint owners, do represent

9462-570: Is willing to destroy him if necessary and evades them too, realizing all his memories may be lies. Bloodshot later finds a P.R.S. facility known as the Nursery, built to house captured psiot children. Freeing the captives, he confronts the Nursery's sadistic jailer Gamma as well as an "outdated" cyborg hit squad called Chainsaw. His actions at the Nursery help lead to the Harbinger Wars crossover. Several free psiots join together to oppose both

9628-668: The Black Canary , introduced in Flash Comics #86 (Aug. 1947) as a supporting character. The most iconic comic book superheroine, who debuted during the Golden Age, is Wonder Woman . Modeled from the myth of the Amazons of Greek mythology , she was created by psychologist William Moulton Marston , with help and inspiration from his wife Elizabeth and their mutual lover Olive Byrne. Wonder Woman's first appearance

9794-535: The Emma Peel character from the British television series The Avengers (no relation to the superhero team of the same name), but later reverted to Marston's original concept after the editors of Ms. magazine publicly disapproved of the character being depowered and without her traditional costume; Supergirl was moved from being a secondary feature on Action Comics to headline Adventure Comics in 1969;

9960-485: The Forever Family , and together they and mortal allies work in secret to fight evil and influence humanity for the better. Many of the Forever Family leave their old names behind, renaming themselves after weapons or items of significance. The three Eternal Warriors also earn individual titles among the Forever Family. Ivar, who discovers how to fold time and travel through the sub-dimension of "netherspace," earns

10126-527: The Lady Liberators appeared in an issue of The Avengers as a group of mind-controlled superheroines led by Valkyrie (actually a disguised supervillainess ) and were meant to be a caricatured parody of feminist activists; and Jean Grey became the embodiment of a cosmic being known as the Phoenix Force with seemingly unlimited power in the late 1970s, a stark contrast from her depiction as

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10292-706: The New York Times and The Colbert Report , and embraced by anti- Islamophobia campaigners in San Francisco who plastered over anti-Muslim bus adverts with Kamala stickers. Other such successor-heroes of color include James "Rhodey" Rhodes as Iron Man and to a lesser extent Riri "Ironheart" Williams , Ryan Choi as the Atom , Jaime Reyes as Blue Beetle and Amadeus Cho as Hulk . Certain established characters have had their ethnicity changed when adapted to another continuity or media. A notable example

10458-595: The Timewalker and Aram later adopting the name Armstrong . Vexana is also killed by the blast but then resurrected by dark spirits that grant her immortality and the ability to warp emotions. Seeing her home destroyed, Vexana worries her survival means she might be responsible for the Great Cataclysm. She leaves, her grief blocking out much of her memory and warping her mind. She becomes the War-Monger,

10624-467: The Valiant Universe such as Bloodshot , Master Darque , and the team of Archer & Armstrong . Issues often involved flashback scenes to different adventures Gilad experienced through history, later also showing his life centuries in the future. Throughout history, Gilad is often seen working alongside Geomancers , a long-line of sorcerers connected to Earth itself and who sometimes recruited others to help against great threats. His one recurring foe

10790-488: The Valiant Universe , such as the Eternal Warrior and the H.A.R.D. Corps . Bloodshot is one of the best selling Valiant characters with total sales in all languages approaching seven million comics. Shortly before the debut of the Bloodshot series the title character made two introductory appearances in popular titles Rai and Eternal Warrior . Based on these appearances there was a groundswell of demand for

10956-411: The Valiant Universe . The new series Bloodshot (vol. 2), written by Len Kaminski with art by Sal Velluto, introduced a slightly altered version of the character and lasted 16 issues, ending in 1998. When Acclaim went out of business in 2004, Valiant Comics was rebranded as Valiant Entertainment and bought the rights to Bloodshot. In 2012, Valiant Entertainment rebooted the Valiant Universe again with

11122-671: The X-Men 's Storm and the Teen Titans ' Cyborg avoided such conventions; they were both part of ensemble teams, which became increasingly diverse in subsequent years. The X-Men, in particular, were revived in 1975 with a line-up of characters drawn from several nations, including the Kenyan Storm, German Nightcrawler , Soviet / Russian Colossus , Irish Banshee , and Japanese Sunfire . In 1993, Milestone Comics , an African-American-owned media/publishing company entered into

11288-399: The " male gaze " which is media created from the viewpoint of a normative heterosexual male. The female characters in comic books are used to satisfy male desire for the "ideal" woman (small waist, large breasts, toned, athletic body). These characters have god-like power, but the most easily identifiable feature is their hyper sexualized bodies: they are designed to be sexually pleasing to

11454-494: The "Forever Family." The series started with the 1997 graphic novel Eternal Warriors: Time and Treachery by writer Art Holcomb and artists Doug Wheatley and John Floyd. The series ended in 1998 after five more graphic novels. In chronological order, they were: Eternal Warriors: Digital Alchemy, Eternal Warriors: Archer & Armstong, Eternal Warriors: Blackworks, Eternal Warriors: Mog, and Eternal Warriors: The Immortal Enemy. Acclaim Entertainment declared bankruptcy in 2007 and

11620-586: The "Unity" team, and there is another group later called "United." Gilad continues fighting evil, working for MI-6 for a time to protect Alan Turing, and later attempting to protect JFK from assassination. When his brother Armstrong and the young warrior Obadiah Archer stop an evil cult called the Sect from reactivating the Boon, a Geomancer is killed in the process. Sensing the death, Gilad attempts to take vengeance on Archer and Armstrong before being convinced to stop by

11786-568: The 1970s as an alternate for Earth's Green Lantern Hal Jordan , and would become a regular member of the Green Lantern Corps from the 1980s onward. The creators of the 2000s-era Justice League animated series selected Stewart as the show's Green Lantern. In the Ultimate Marvel universe, Miles Morales , a youth of Puerto Rican and African-American ancestry who was also bitten by a genetically-altered spider, debuted as

11952-458: The 1980s, superhero fiction centered on cultural, ethnic, national, racial and language minority groups (from the perspective of US demographics ) began to be produced. This began with depiction of black superheroes in the 1960s, followed in the 1970s with a number of other ethnic-minority superheroes. In keeping with the political mood of the time, cultural diversity and inclusivism would be an important part of superhero groups starting from

12118-409: The 1980s. In the 1990s, this was further augmented by the first depictions of superheroes as homosexual. In 2017, Sign Gene emerged, the first group of deaf superheroes with superpowers through the use of sign language . Female super heroes—and villains—have been around since the early years of comic books dating back to the 1940s. The representation of women in comic books has been questioned in

12284-561: The 1990s). In 1978, Toei adapted Spider-Man into a live-action Japanese television series . In this continuity, Spider-Man had a vehicle called Marveller that could transform into a giant and powerful robot called Leopardon, this idea would be carried over to Toei's Battle Fever J (also co-produced with Marvel) and now multi-colored teams not only had support vehicles but giant robots to fight giant monsters with. In subsequent decades, popular characters like Dazzler , She-Hulk , Elektra , Catwoman , Witchblade , Spider-Girl , Batgirl and

12450-606: The 2012 Valiant Entertainment relaunch, the Project Rising Spirit Program (PRS) is said to have regularly created different super-soldiers since the days of World War II. The Bloodshot super-soldiers, later collectively known as the "Bloodshot Squad," are distinguished by nicknames: Tank Man (Winston Grover) first served in World War II, described as an "animated Frankenstein"; the science greatly improved for Viet Man (Sergeant Dell Palmer), who served in

12616-489: The 20th century. The 43rd Rai , as well as the 44th Rai, even inherits Mortalli's nanites. Bloodshot Volume 2 This incarnation of Bloodshot permanently has alabaster skin and red eyes, whether he actively uses his powers or not. Instead of a mobster who was captured and experimented on while alive, he is Raymond Garrison, a secret operative for the Domestic Operations Authority (D.O.A.). He

12782-476: The Acclaim Entertainment reboot canon or in the 2012 relaunched Valiant Universe. In continuity launched by Valiant Entertainment in 2012, Bloodshot was made not only to perform covert ops and assassinations but also to capture "psiots" or "harbingers", the primary form of superhumans in the current Valiant Universe. This has forced him into contact and conflict with various superhumans throughout

12948-660: The Amazing Superman debut in Big Little Book series , by Russell R. Winterbotham (text), Henry E. Vallely and Erwin L. Hess (art). Captain America also appeared for the first time in print in December 1940, a year prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese government, when America was still in isolationism . Created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby , the superhero was the physical embodiment of

13114-800: The American spirit during World War II. One superpowered character was portrayed as an antiheroine , a rarity for its time: the Black Widow , a costumed emissary of Satan who killed evildoers in order to send them to Hell —debuted in Mystic Comics #4 (Aug. 1940), from Timely Comics , the 1940s predecessor of Marvel Comics . Most of the other female costumed crime fighters during this era lacked superpowers. Notable characters include The Woman in Red , introduced in Standard Comics ' Thrilling Comics #2 (March 1940); Lady Luck , debuting in

13280-478: The Avengers) with her brother, Quicksilver. In 1963, Astro Boy was adapted into a highly influential anime television series. Phantom Agents in 1964 focused on ninjas working for the Japanese government and would be the foundation for Sentai -type series. 1966 saw the debut of the sci-fi/horror series Ultra Q created by Eiji Tsuburaya this would eventually lead to the sequel Ultraman , spawning

13446-639: The Birds of Prey became stars of long-running eponymous titles. Female characters began assuming leadership roles in many ensemble superhero teams; the Uncanny X-Men series and its related spin-off titles in particular have included many female characters in pivotal roles since the 1970s. Volume 4 of the X-Men comic book series featured an all-female team as part of the Marvel NOW! branding initiative in 2013. Superpowered female characters like Buffy

13612-476: The Bloom, repeatedly confronts Mog, becoming his Immortal Enemy. Reaching adulthood, Mog's sons realize they are ageless and nearly invulnerable. Working against threats to humanity, they become known as the Eternal Warriors. As the centuries go on, the three Eternal Warriors occasionally choose those they deem worthy to become immortal as well, sharing the Bloom with them. Those chosen become known as

13778-426: The D.O.A. kills Garrison's former lover Gina DeCarlo. Bloodshot finally learns he was once D.O.A. operative Raymond Garrison. Dr. Stroheim reveals Garrison was his first true success and the process cannot be replicated unless a "prime assembler" unit implanted in Bloodshot is removed. Rather than allow others to be transformed into undead soldiers as he was, Bloodshot destroys Stroheim's lab and leaves. Starting with

13944-510: The Earth again in two thousand years to stop the final followers of Nergal. Gilad teams with his long-estranged brother Armstrong to stop the nihilistic cult called the Null. Later on, Gilad reluctantly joins forces with Toyo Harada to stop Aric of Dacia, now known as the armored warrior X-O Manowar , who has returned to Earth after being abducted and enslaved by aliens centuries ago. After a superhuman task force called Unity fails Aric, Gilad forms

14110-404: The Eternal Warriors uses Blackworks resources to wage war, demanding leadership of the Forever Family and domination of Earth. To fight Mog, Ivar frees his imprisoned mother Nin. After several battles, Mog is defeated and the Eternal Warriors decide their efforts to help humanity have caused as much harm as good. They disband the Forever Family and go their separate ways. Six thousand years ago in

14276-481: The Gulf War, the Bloodshot project uses nanites to transfer memories from dead soldiers, providing the super-soldier with emotional restraint as well as motivation factors that can be manipulated to ensure control. One Bloodshot cyborg who has multiple false identities implanted over time eventually becomes insane, forcing the program to destroy him in 2010. The techniques and technology used on him are improved on for

14442-465: The H.A.R.D. Corps and joins the team on various global missions, including retrieving a former Project Rising Spirit test subject codenamed Prodigal, and fighting the duo of Archer & Armstrong in the crossover story "Mission Improbable." During this time, Bloodshot (Volume 3) is temporarily retitled Bloodshot and H.A.R.D. Corps . Bloodshot pretends to become a loyal soldier and H.A.R.D Corps member in order to regain his health, as well as access to

14608-458: The Harbinger Foundation and P.R.S., calling themselves the Renegades, including a hacker activist named @x (pronounced "Ax"). When Bloodshot later meets Toyo Harada, his free will is overridden by the "Harada Protocol", a hidden Rising Spirit program compelling him to terminate the man. A vicious battle leaves Harada seriously wounded and Bloodshot with a depleted nanite count. Bloodshot becomes

14774-649: The Immortal Enemy's eyes remain the same: one green and one brown. In 1695, Gilad fights alongside William III against the Immortal Enemy, who at this time is known as Victor II . Gilad kills him on the battlefield (although historically, Victor II died in bed in 1730) but the villain's soul then inhabits Gilad's own baby son who is born the next day. Over two decades later, Gilad kills his adult son, recognizing him as his foe, "the Reincarnator." Gilad occasionally reunites with his brothers Aram and Ivar, and

14940-581: The Keepers of the Timeless Word, an order that safeguards a machine known as the Boon which sustains life in the Faraway, keeping it a timeless place without death. They take the machine but Gilad is fatally wounded. Ivar and Aram return to Ur and Vexana is grief-stricken, leaving Gilad's deathbed and fleeing the city. Ivar believes the Boon can restore Gilad and activates it with Aram. The Boom drains

15106-529: The Magician (1934), Olga Mesmer (1937) and then Superman (1938) and Captain Marvel (1939) at the beginning of the Golden Age of Comic Books , whose span, though disputed, is generally agreed to have started with Superman's launch. Superman has remained one of the most recognizable superheroes, and his success spawned a new archetype of characters with secret identities and superhuman powers. At

15272-491: The Null, a cult that worships entropy and nothingness. Along with many warriors and agents, the Null has a living algorithm ("an ancient artificial intelligence") that infects the mind of a person, destroying their personality and using the host body to become a deadly agent. This entity that constantly infects new host bodies is called "the Immortal Enemy" by the story, though Gilad refers to it as "the Last Enemy." Throughout

15438-581: The Palazzo base in Rome that includes the Forever Family, several human allies, and the Neo-Vals, the last surviving descendants of the original Vikings. One of their own betrays the other immortals, destroying their bodies so catastrophically they do not survive. This betrayal and the recent rise of superhumans and alien invaders lead Gilad to consider taking drastic action to protect humanity. He considers using

15604-489: The Project's resources. As a reward for his cooperation and sign of good faith, Project Rising Spirit gives Bloodshot a file that seems to reveal his true identity is indeed Raymond "Ray" Garrison (though this could be another false life created by PRS). Once Bloodshot is sure he can survive without their aid, he breaks free of PRS and H.A.R.D. Corps, determined to be his own person rather than anyone's weapon. The series resumes

15770-514: The Spirit , who may not be explicitly referred to as superheroes but nevertheless share similar traits. Some superheroes use their powers to help fight daily crime while also combating threats against humanity from supervillains , who are their criminal counterparts. Often at least one of these supervillains will be the superhero's archenemy or nemesis . Some popular supervillains become recurring characters in their own right. Antecedents of

15936-827: The Sunday- newspaper comic-book insert The Spirit Section June 2, 1940; the comedic character Red Tornado , debuting in All-American Comics #20 (Nov 1940); Miss Fury , debuting in the eponymous comic strip by female cartoonist Tarpé Mills on April 6, 1941; the Phantom Lady , introduced in Quality Comics Police Comics #1 (Aug. 1941); the Black Cat , introduced in Harvey Comics ' Pocket Comics #1 (also Aug. 1941); and

16102-408: The USPTO. Felix is one of many who argue that the term "superhero" has become generic (see discussion below). Felix's mark is currently abandoned, but he has stated that he intends to fight against DC and Marvel for use of the term. In 2024, Superbabies Limited managed to obtain a default judgement and cancel the "super heroes" trademarks as genericized, except for the animation pictures mark. This

16268-540: The Vampire Slayer and Darna have a tremendous influence on popular culture in their respective countries of origin. With more and more anime , manga and tokusatsu being translated or adapted, Western audiences were beginning to experience the Japanese styles of superhero fiction more than they were able to before. Saban 's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers , an adaptation of Zyuranger , created

16434-545: The Vietnam War and was "fully repairable and adaptable to his environment"; Cold Man was an operative who could adopt a more human appearance and blend in, helping him act as a covert agent during the Cold War. At some point, there was also a dog test subject nicknamed Bloodhound. All of these subjects were near-mindless weapons with little restraint against causing civilian casualties. Starting with Quiet Man, who served in

16600-529: The West as Astro Boy , was published. The series focused upon a robot boy built by a scientist to replace his deceased son. Being built from an incomplete robot originally intended for military purposes, Astro Boy possessed amazing powers such as flight through thrusters in his feet and the incredible mechanical strength of his limbs. The 1950s saw the Silver Age of Comics . During this era DC introduced

16766-412: The ancient Mesopotamian city-state of Ur, Gilad Anni-Prada is a normal man with two older brothers, Ivar the engineer and Aram "the strong," and a younger sister Vexana . A fearsome warrior, Gilad spends time with wild beasts in order to learn their ways of hunting and killing. One day, the three brothers journey into the strange realm of Utnapishtim, also called "the Faraway." During their quest, they meet

16932-512: The archetype include mythological characters such as Gilgamesh , Hanuman , Perseus , Odysseus , David , and demigods like Heracles , all of whom were blessed with extraordinary abilities, which later inspired the superpowers that became a fundamental aspect of modern-day superheroes. The distinct clothing and costumes of individuals from English folklore , like Robin Hood and Spring-Heeled Jack , also became inspirations. The dark costume of

17098-482: The archetypical hero stock character in 1930s American comics, superheroes are predominantly depicted as White American middle- or upper-class young adult males and females who are typically tall, athletic, educated, physically attractive and in perfect health. Beginning in the 1960s with the civil rights movement in the United States, and increasingly with the rising concern over political correctness in

17264-443: The battle. Against her father's wishes, and arguing that it is a weakness to not use the methods of their enemies, Xaran not only kills soldiers but also targets the cult's women and children as well. When her brother Mitu tries to stop her, Xaran kills him and then battles Gilad next, who seemingly kills her instead. Following this, Gilad continues to fight for the Earth alongside the Geomancers, but now has grave misgivings. He lives

17430-562: The centuries, Gilad battles it many times, in many forms. When a Geomancer tells Gilad to kill a woman and her child because their lives will lead to a rise in evil, he refuses. Abdicating his post as the Fist and Steel of Earth, he decides he will choose his battles on his own terms. During World War I, Gilad becomes the leader of "Unit Y," a task force made of British and American fighters that took on special missions deemed too risky or dangerous for standard military units. The other members of Unit Y included: Dell, Alpha, and Breaker. During

17596-638: The character rights in 2004, Bloodshot was rebooted again in 2012 under the direction of Duane Swierczynski , Arturo Lozzi and Manuel Garcia. This version of the character remains in publication. The current Bloodshot (nicknamed Every Man ) is a man who dies in battle and is then resurrected by nanites, making him the latest in a long line of resurrected super-soldiers the Project Rising Spirit (PRS) has been creating since World War II . Believing himself to be military officer named Raymond "Ray" Garrison, Bloodshot regularly goes on covert missions and

17762-407: The character to return and high anticipation for the premier issue. Bloodshot (vol. 1) #1 (February 1993) was a much anticipated comic that became a best selling issue and has gone on to sell approximately one million copies. The original series was written by Kevin VanHook and drawn by Don Perlin. The premiere issue featured the first "Chromium" comic book cover. Bloodshot (vol. 3) #1 (July 2012)

17928-557: The characters published by Valiant inhabit a shared universe/continuity . In the original canon from Valiant Comics, the Angelo Mortalli incarnation of Bloodshot is connected to the future-era hero Takao Konishi, the last Rai . In this continuity, the entire line of Rai warriors is created by Grandmother in the image of Bloodshot to honor his heroism. It is revealed that the 43rd and 44th Rais has Mortalli's nanite powered blood in their veins, granting them some of Bloodshot's memories and all of his powers. This connection to Rai does not exist in

18094-413: The comic-strip characters Patoruzú (1928) and Popeye (1929) and novelist Philip Wylie 's character Hugo Danner (1930). Another early example was Sarutobi Sasuke , a Japanese superhero ninja from children's novels in the 1910s; by 1914, he had a number of superhuman powers and abilities. The French character L'Oiselle , created in 1909, can be classed as a superheroine. In August 1937, in

18260-534: The companies filed a trademark application as joint owners for the mark "SUPER HEROES" for a series of animated motion pictures in 2009 (Reg. No. 5613972). Both DC and Marvel also individually owned trademarks involving the "super hero" mark. Notably, DC owns the mark " Legion of Super-Heroes " for comic magazines and Marvel owns the mark "Marvel Super Hero Island" for story books, fiction books, and children’s activity books. DC and Marvel have become known for aggressively protecting their registered marks. In 2019,

18426-552: The companies pursued a British law student named Graham Jules who was attempting to publish a self-help book titled Business Zero to Superhero . Much academic debate exists about whether the "super hero" mark has become generic and whether DC and Marvel have created a duopoly over the "super hero" mark. Conversely, DC and Marvel hold that they are merely exercising their right and duty to protect their registered marks. The following trademarks were or are registered jointly with MARVEL CHARACTERS, INC. and DC COMICS: As mentioned,

18592-479: The crossover mini-series Book of Death by Robert Venditti and Robert Gill, with art by Doug Braithwaite. The mini-series concluded with Gilad sacrificing his life to protect a child and the new Geomancer, with the Earth releasing him from his role and allowing him to rest. This was followed by Wrath of the Eternal Warrior in 2014, where Gilad leaves the afterlife and fights to return to Earth. The series

18758-435: The daughter of mobster Gino Canelli, head of one of New York City's major crime families. When it is discovered Mortalli is having an affair, Canelli takes revenge by framing him for murder. Mortalli offers evidence in exchange for federal witness protection rather than prison. But Canelli learns about this further betrayal and buys off an FBI agent to kidnap Mortalli. Rather than kill the former hitman, Canelli delivers him to be

18924-477: The debut of Shotaro Ishinomori 's Skull Man (the basis for his later Kamen Rider ) in 1970, Go Nagai's Devilman in 1972 and Gerry Conway and John Romita's Punisher in 1974. The dark Skull Man manga would later get a television adaptation and underwent drastic changes. The character was redesigned to resemble a grasshopper, becoming the renowned first masked hero of the Kamen Rider series. Kamen Rider

19090-545: The eldest, before he went on to star in his own series Timewalker, which then established that the father of the three men was a warrior called Vandal, who may have had unique qualities himself. Some fans have wondered if the immortal DC Comics villain Vandal Savage was an inspiration for Gilad, both due to the name being used for his father and because, like Gilad, Savage also has an enemy who repeatedly reincarnates in new bodies and retains knowledge of his past lives,

19256-401: The end of the decade, in 1939, Batman was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger . During the 1940s there were many superheroes: The Flash , Green Lantern and Blue Beetle debuted in this era. This era saw the debut of one of the earliest female superheroes, writer-artist Fletcher Hanks 's character Fantomah , an ageless ancient Egyptian woman in the modern day who could transform into

19422-515: The first black superhero to star in his own series . In 1989, the Monica Rambeau incarnation of Captain Marvel was the first female black superhero from a major publisher to get her own title in a special one-shot issue. In 1971, Red Wolf became the first Native American in the superheroic tradition to headline a series. In 1973, Shang-Chi became the first prominent Asian superhero to star in an American comic book ( Kato had been

19588-454: The first entity to commercialize the phrase "super hero" when it registered the mark in connection with Halloween costumes. In 1972, Mego Corporation , an American toy company, attempted to register the mark "World's Greatest Superheroes" in connection with its line of action figures. Mego Corporation’s attempted registration led Ben Cooper, Inc. to sue Mego Corporation for trademark infringement. Due to its financial struggles, Mego Corporation

19754-473: The hero Immortal Man . Acclaim Entertainment bought Valiant comics in 1994, leading to the first reboot of the Valiant characters. In 1997, the graphic novel series Eternal Warriors reintroduced Gilad, now also called "Warmaster." He and his two brothers, the sons of Vikings named Mog and Nin, are collectively called the "Eternal Warriors" and share immortality with others over the centuries, creating

19920-479: The hypothetical heteronormative male audience. Villains, such as Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy , use their sexuality to take advantage of their male victims. In the film versions of these characters, their sexuality and seductive methods are highlighted. Poison Ivy uses seduction through poison to take over the minds of her victims as seen in the 1997 film Batman and Robin . Harley Quinn in 2016's Suicide Squad uses her sexuality to her advantage, acting in

20086-470: The idea of a masked avenger and the superhero trope of a secret identity . Over the next few decades, masked and costumed pulp fiction characters such as Jimmie Dale/The Grey Seal (1914), Zorro (1919), Buck Rogers (1928), The Shadow (1930), and Flash Gordon (1934), and comic strip heroes such as the Phantom (1936), began appearing, as did non-costumed characters with super strength , including

20252-421: The information directly from a disc or CD by touching it but he can if he places it within any kind of electronic reader and touches it, regardless of encryption or password protection). When encountering assassins who are empowered by similar nanites, Mortalli's technopathy allows him to control their technology and kill them. The Acclaim Entertainment reboot version of Bloodshot, named Raymond Garrison, possesses

20418-446: The lab, Mortalli takes the name "Bloodshot" and determines to learn who he was and how he was altered. While fighting and killing many members of the New York mob, Mortalli joins forces with the "Eternal Warrior" called Gilad . They had been enemies before but Abrams does not hold a grudge because he believes Mortalli metaphorically "died" the night Bloodshot was born. Mortalli is later disillusioned after learning about his past actions as

20584-480: The last Rai warrior and Magnus, Robot Fighter . Long ago, the Viking warrior Mog has a wife Nin (a woman with one green eye and one brown eye ) and three sons: Gilad, Ivar and Aram . Mog discovers a special herb he believes is connected to the gods. Calling it the Bloom , Mog shares it with their young sons, who begin growing rapidly and show increased physical abilities. Consuming the plant regularly, Mog gains

20750-467: The latter, complete with a domino mask and a cape, became influential for the myriad of masked rogues in penny dreadfuls and dime novels . The vigilantes of the American Old West also became an influence to the superhero. Several vigilantes during this time period hid their identities using masks. In frontier communities where de jure law was not yet matured, people sometimes took

20916-606: The law into their own hands with makeshift masks made out of sacks . Vigilante mobs and gangs like the San Diego Vigilantes and the Bald Knobbers became infamous throughout that Old West era. Such masked vigilantism later inspired fictional masked crimefighters in American story-telling, beginning with the character Deadwood Dick in 1877. The word superhero dates back to 1899. The 1903 British play The Scarlet Pimpernel and its spinoffs popularized

21082-459: The life force from the thousands who inhabit Ur and a massive explosion occurs, the Great Cataclysm. All those in Ur and the surrounding areas are killed, the city now in ruins. As a result, Gilad is not only resurrected, he and his two brothers are now immortals with enhanced bodies and minds (though the scars on Gilad's face remain). The three brothers eventually go their separate ways, with Ivar becoming

21248-478: The likes of Batwoman in 1956, Supergirl , Miss Arrowette , and Bat-Girl ; all female derivatives of established male superheroes. In 1957 Japan, Shintoho produced the first film serial featuring the superhero character Super Giant , signaling a shift in Japanese popular culture towards tokusatsu masked superheroes over kaiju giant monsters. Along with Astro Boy , the Super Giant serials had

21414-764: The magazine King of the Monsters in 1977 describing Godzilla as "Superhero of the '70s." In 1971, Kamen Rider launched the "Henshin Boom" on Japanese television in the early 1970s, greatly impacting the tokusatsu superhero genre in Japan. In 1972, the Science Ninja Team Gatchaman anime debuted, which built upon the superhero team idea of the live-action Phantom Agents as well as introducing different colors for team members and special vehicles to support them, said vehicles could also combine into

21580-470: The mark in connection with comic books, and were granted the mark by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in 1981. In the years leading up to the assignment of the mark, both DC and Marvel battled to register various trademarks involving the phrase “superhero.” However, DC and Marvel quickly discovered that they could only register marks involving the phrase "superhero" if

21746-441: The mid-section. Since 2012, the comics have said that a mysterious machine known as the Boon not only made Gilad and his brothers immortal and enhanced their bodies but also enhanced their mind. The three brothers now have minds with unlimited storage and analytical capacity, as well as perfect recall when necessary. Even if the brain is destroyed and must later regenerate, all memories and knowledge are retained. The Boon also equips

21912-741: The military. Bloodshot was created by Kevin VanHook , Don Perlin , and Bob Layton during a wave of popularity for Valiant Comics . The character's name was suggested by artist David Chlystek. The character first appeared in three panels on the last page of Eternal Warrior #4 (November 1992), before making his first full appearance in Rai Zero . (November 1992) a week later. The character got enough fan interest to earn his own series Bloodshot (Volume 1) in 1993, initially written by VanHook with artwork by Don Perlin. The series lasted 52 issues, concluding in 1996 just as Acclaim Entertainment bought Valiant Comics. In 1997, Acclaim Entertainment rebooted

22078-440: The mind with a unique form of apathy, so that emotions do not play a prominent role in their thought processes (although they do still feel them). This makes them immune to depression and other forms of mental illness, allowing them to experience eternity without losing their sanity over time. Eternal Warrior appears in the web series Ninjak vs. the Valiant Universe portrayed by John Morrison . In August 2017, Dave Bautista

22244-540: The name Armstrong ) and Ivar the Timewalker . Since the 2012 Valiant Universe reboot, Gilad also has an immortal sister: Vexana the War-Monger . In each version of his continuity, Gilad fights a perpetually reincarnating villain called the Immortal Enemy or the Last Enemy. In both the original continuity and the 2012 Valiant Entertainment reboot continuity, it is indicated that any children Gilad has may be fated to be psychopathic or remorseless killers. Gilad

22410-402: The name. This gives Bloodshot enhanced physical traits, the ability to repair damage to his body, an internal database of weapons and hand-to-hand combat training, and a mental connection to computers (technopathy). A side effect of the use of his powers is that his skin becomes chalk-white and his eyes become red. Other powers vary with each incarnation. The original Valiant Comics character was

22576-423: The new Geomancer. Darque is defeated and Tama tells Gilad the Earth releases him and he can rest now and not return if he wishes. Gilad dies. Gilad finds himself in an afterlife where he is united with his lost children from different ages, as well as a lost love of his. But after deciding that he cannot rest when he knows there are heroes still fighting to protect Earth, and once again believing his actions do make

22742-511: The new Geomancer. The group then joins forces against the Null and once again Gilad faces the Last Enemy. After helping thwart the Null's plans, Gilad is visited by Xaran, still alive due to inheriting his immortality, and learns she serves the Earth in her own way. The two join forces against his son Mitu, who has become an immortal champion of Nergal. As a consequence of his abandoning the fight against evil, Gilad learns he will be forced to serve

22908-432: The new Spider-Man after the apparent death of the original Spider-Man, Peter Parker . Kamala Khan , a Pakistani-American Muslim teenager who is revealed to have Inhuman lineage after her shapeshifting powers manifested, takes on the identity of Ms. Marvel in 2014 after Carol Danvers had become Captain Marvel. Her self-titled comic book series became a cultural phenomenon, with extensive media coverage by CNN ,

23074-686: The newly created Valiant Entertainment, Inc. bought the rights to many characters including Gilad. This resulted in a second relaunch/reboot of the Valiant Universe . After a successful relaunch of Valiant Comics in 2012, Valiant Entertainment teased a new Eternal Warrior series at the Baltimore Comic-Con in September 2012. Eternal Warrior (Volume 2) by writer Greg Pak and artist Trevor Hairsine debuted in September 2013, running for 8 issues. The series said Gilad and his brothers were given immortality by an advanced device, and that Gilad

23240-687: The next Bloodshot, who is nicknamed Every Man and serves in many Special Ops missions, including in Syria and Afghanistan. Bloodshot (Volume 3) follows the life of Every Man, who at the start of the series believes he is Raymond "Ray" Garrison, a soldier with a wife and son back home. In 2007, Dr. Emmanuel Kuretich discovers P.R.S. Director Simon Oreck is using Bloodshot super-soldiers to capture "psiots" or "harbingers", rare people born with superhuman abilities (particularly children psiots). Alarmed, Kuretich leaves and joins Toyo Harada's Harbinger Foundation, secretly making plans to stop P.R.S. Years later, while on

23406-623: The pages of several popular superhero titles from the late 1950s onward: Hal Jordan 's love interest Carol Ferris was introduced as the Vice-President of Ferris Aircraft and later took over the company from her father; Medusa , who was first introduced in the Fantastic Four series, is a member of the Inhuman Royal Family and a prominent statesperson within her people's quasi-feudal society; and Carol Danvers ,

23572-420: The past decade following the rise of comic book characters in the film industry (Marvel/DC movies). Women are presented differently than their male counterparts, typically wearing revealing clothing that showcases their curves and cleavage and showing a lot of skin in some cases. Heroes like Power Girl and Wonder Woman are portrayed wearing little clothing and showing cleavage. Power Girl is portrayed as wearing

23738-406: The phrase referenced their own company or a character associated with their company. As a result, DC and Marvel decided to become joint owners of the "superhero" trademark. Although many consumers likely see DC and Marvel as competitors, the two comic book publishing giants are allies when it comes to protecting the trademark "superhero" and variants thereof. Although joint ownership in a trademark

23904-419: The power of a god, but was still drawn to a much weaker, mortal male character. This can be explained by the sociological concept "feminine apologetic," which reinforces a woman's femininity to account for her masculine attributes (strength, individualism, toughness, aggressiveness, bravery). Women in comic books are considered to be misrepresented due to being created by men, for men. The Hawkeye Initiative

24070-520: The public, and policing unauthorized uses. However, misuse by the public alone does not necessarily cause a trademark to become generic if the primary significance of the term is still to indicate a particular source. Some legal experts argue that, like the once-trademarked terms "aspirin" and "yo-yo," the term "superhero" now primarily refers to a general type of character with extraordinary abilities, rather than characters originating from specific publishers. In keeping with their origins as representing

24236-625: The role of the hero ; typically using their powers to help the world become a better place , or dedicating themselves to protecting the public and fighting crime . Superhero fiction is the genre of fiction that is centered on such characters, especially, since the 1930s, in American comic books (and later in Hollywood films , film serials, television and video games ), as well as in Japanese media (including kamishibai , tokusatsu , manga , anime and video games). Superheroes come from

24402-410: The same powers but has the appearance of chalk-white skin and red eyes at all times. He differs from the previous incarnation by the fact that he died and was resurrected by nanite technology to become Bloodshot. The modern-day Bloodshot, known as Every Man and Ray Garrison, is a soldier who died and then was resurrected when a billion nanites were shot into his bloodstream and rebuilt him. The latest in

24568-478: The same side-effect of insanity. This cyborg has no official name and is often referred to by fans simply as "Bloodshot Rising Spirit." The cyborg is seen by many as an immediate "prototype" to the modern day Bloodshot. In 2019, writer Tim Seeley and artist Brett Booth launched a new ongoing Bloodshot series, which ended in March 2021 after 13 issues. In 2022, writer Deniz Camp and artist Jon Davis-Hunt launched

24734-612: The superhero supergroups featured at least one (and often the only) female member, much like DC's flagship superhero team the Justice League of America (whose initial roster included Wonder Woman as the token female ); examples include the Fantastic Four 's Invisible Girl , the X-Men 's Jean Grey (originally known as Marvel Girl ), the Avengers ' Wasp , and the Brotherhood of Mutants ' Scarlet Witch (who later joined

24900-410: The term "SUPER HERO" trademark is at risk of becoming generic. Courts have noted that determining whether a term has become generic is a highly factual inquiry not suitable for resolution without considering evidence like dictionary definitions, media usage, and consumer surveys. Trademark owners can take steps to prevent genericide , such as using the trademark with the generic product name, educating

25066-403: The three of them even inspire the story of The Three Musketeers . Over time, Aram finds Gilad too coldhearted and ruthless, worrying the man considers his own judgment to have greater authority than others. Eventually, Aram takes on the name Armstrong, later becoming the guardian and assistant of a young man named Obadiah Archer. In the 20th century, Gilad becomes friends with the new Geomancer,

25232-478: The title Bloodshot for its final issues, #24 and 25. Deciding to retire from violence, Bloodshot disappears. Published in 2015 with creators Jeff Lemire and Mico Suayan, this series ran for 19 regular issues and had an annual issue, as well as the Bloodshot USA 4-issue miniseries and the one-shot Bloodshot's Day Off . After having his nanites removed by Kay McHenry ( Geomancer ), Bloodshot tries to live

25398-549: The title Timewalker. Aram, also nicknamed "the Mighty Arm-Strong," becomes an Earth-based sorcerer known as a Geomancer. Gilad becomes known as Warmaster. Ivar later implies he was also the man called Judas Iscariot in the New Testament , and that he kept only one of the 30 pieces of silver as a reminder of the betrayal of Jesus of Nazareth. In the modern-day, the Eternal Warriors have a hidden community in

25564-421: The two companies also own a variety of other superhero-related marks. For instance, DC owns "Legion of Super-Heroes" and " DC Super Hero Girls " and Marvel owns “Marvel Super Hero Island" and "Marvel Super Hero Adventures." DC and Marvel have garnered a reputation for zealously protecting their superhero marks. As noted above, one of these instances included a man by the name of Graham Jules, who sought to publish

25730-467: The war, they fought War-Monger, imprisoning her in a sealed tomb (though an earthquake freed her twenty years later). With the exception of Gilad, the entire team lost their lives towards the end of the war, sacrificing themselves to stop a mustard gas weapon. After returning home, Gilad suggested that the Unit Y program not be abandoned and might be needed in the future. Later similar groups are known simply as

25896-611: The weakest member of her team a decade ago. Both major American publishers began introducing new superheroines with a more distinct feminist theme as part of their origin stories or character development. Examples include Big Barda , Power Girl , and the Huntress by DC comics; and from Marvel, the second Black Widow , Shanna the She-Devil , and The Cat . Female supporting characters who were successful professionals or hold positions of authority in their own right also debuted in

26062-737: The writing trio of Kevin Grevioux, Lonnie Nadler and Zac Thompson, with artist Ken Lashley. The story takes place in 2010, two years before the Every Man Bloodshot learns his memories have been tampered with, leading him to go rogue. The prequel series focuses on a cyborg Bloodshot super-soldier who is regularly given new memories and identities, including one named "Angelo Mortalli." The imperfect memory alteration process eventually drives him insane and he turns on his handlers, forcing Project Rising Spirit to destroy him. By studying him, PRS ensures that their next Bloodshot soldier (the one who believes himself to be Raymond Garrison) will not suffer

26228-485: Was announced to be in talks to play the Gilad the Eternal Warrior in a solo movie. The 2020 Bloodshot movie was meant to be the first of several films taking place in a shared Valiant Comics Cinematic Universe that would include characters such as Gilad. After largely poor reception to the film, and with many studio projects on hold or rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the status of an Eternal Warrior movie

26394-532: Was awarded "Best Comic" by Diamond Comic Distributors (the American comics industry's leading distributor) and "Best Innovation" for its chromium cover. Bloodshot was named one of the Top Ten Comic-Book Series of 2012 by Nerdage. Bloodshot , a film based on the character starring Vin Diesel , had a theatrical release in the United States on March 13, 2020, by Sony Pictures Releasing . It

26560-426: Was chosen directly by the Earth to be a warrior serving alongside the Geomancers; if he refused this role, it would upset the balance of Earth and lead to suffering for humanity. The series also puts him in conflict with two of his own children. Afterward, the 2014 mini-series Eternal Warrior: Days of Steel ran for 3 issues, written by Peter Milligan with art by Cary Nord and Brian Reber. In 2015, Valiant published

26726-416: Was done by the creative team of Robert Venditti, Raul Allen, and Patricia Martin, ending after 14 issues in 2015. In 2017, Gilad appeared in the 25th anniversary one-shot comic Eternal Warrior: Awakening by Robert Venditti, Renato Guedes, and Ulisses Arreola. In 2019, Gilad appeared in the 4-issue mini-series Incursion written by Andy Diggle and Alex Paknadel with art by Doug Braithwaite Gilad Anni-Padda

26892-609: Was in All Star Comics #8 (Dec. 1941), published by All-American Publications , one of two companies that would merge to form DC Comics in 1944. Pérák was an urban legend originating from the city of Prague during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in the midst of World War II . In the decades following the war, Pérák has also been portrayed as the only Czech superhero in film and comics. In 1952, Osamu Tezuka 's manga Tetsuwan Atom , more popularly known in

27058-444: Was intended to be the first installment in a series of films set within a Valiant Comics shared cinematic universe . A version of the Valiant character Ax (who was an enemy of Bloodshot in his original incarnation) appeared in the film, while Project Rising Sun was altered to be a company called Rising Spirit Tech. Directed by David S. F. Wilson (in his feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by Jeff Wadlow and Eric Heisserer and

27224-505: Was introduced in Eternal Warrior , a 50-issue series published by Valiant Comics from 1992 to 1996. During this time, there were also two issues published of the supplementary mini-series Eternal Warrior Yearbook . The original creative team was co-creator Jim Shooter with artist John Dixon , followed by writers Kevin VanHook , Barry Windsor-Smith , Mark Moretti , and John Ostrander . The series followed Gilad's adventures, often having him encounter other Valiant heroes and villains in

27390-404: Was unexpected as Marvel and DC had filed a motion to extend time to answer. There is an ongoing debate among legal scholars and in the courts about whether the term "superhero" has become genericized due to its widespread use in popular culture, similar to terms like "aspirin" or "escalator" which lost their trademark protection and became generic terms for their respective products. Some argue

27556-467: Was unwilling to defend itself against Ben Cooper Inc.'s suit. As a result, in 1977, Mego Corporation jointly assigned its interest in the trademark to DC Comics , Inc. ("DC") and Marvel Comics ("Marvel"). Due to the financial prowess of DC and Marvel, Ben Cooper, Inc. decided to withdraw its trademark opposition and jointly assigned its interest in the "World's Greatest Super Heroes" mark to DC and Marvel. Two years later in 1979, DC and Marvel applied for

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