Sportsmaster: Difference between revisions

The Sportsmaster is the name used by two DC Comics villains who used their sports skills for criminal purposes. The original Sportsmaster first appeared in All-American Comics #85 (May 1947), and was created by writer John Broome and artist Irwin Hasen.^[1]

He was the foe of the original Green Lantern as well as Wildcat. He was first known as Crusher Crock, a frustrated athlete who turns to a life of crime.^[2] He was a member of different incarnations of the Injustice Society and 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.^[3] Following his death, his body was cloned by a secret organization called The Council for their enforcers (they had previously used Paul Kirk, Manhunter).

In the Elseworlds miniseries The Golden Age, set outside regular DC Comics continuity, Sportsmaster's real name was revealed to be Lawrence Crock. he first appears in issue #2, robbing a jewelry store in the same building as the GBS radio station. He battles Alan Scott in a physical fight. According to the mini-series, he had a daughter he couldn't see and was hoping to earn enough money committing robberies to win her back. Later he joins the forces of Tex Thompson (secretly Ultra-Humanite in Thompson's body). He dies trying to save a little girl from being killed by Dynaman. His death convinces Alan Scott to join the fight.

The Earth-One version of the character (see DC Comics Multiverse) had the same name and origin, but was the foe of Robin and Batgirl. He also married his universe's version of the Huntress. After losing a villains versus heroes baseball game they reformed, and have not been seen since. Since the Crisis on Infinite Earths, this version was apparently wiped from existence or merged with his Earth-2 counterpart.

There was also another Sportsmaster whose identity was Victor Gover, a former football player who possessed "photographic reflexes". He fought against Manhunter and later became a member of the Suicide Squad for one mission during War of the Gods. They are sent on an intellgence-gathering mission against the magic-user circe. The Sportsmaster's allies included, but were not limited to, Black Adam, Javelin and the author avatar of Grant Morrison. Sportsmaster is one of the few members to survive this mission. ^[4] Gover resurfaces later, betting on himself in a fight against Wildcat, which led the latter to uncover a betting parlor based on metahuman fights. Gover then fought against a handicapped JSA, who were taking a dive to ensure the kidnapped Ma Hunkel's safety. After Wildcat freed Ma Hunkel, the JSA quickly routed him. Wildcat then took Gover to the alley where the whole incident began, beat Gover savagely, and forced Gover to retire as a supervillain and attend Gamblers Anonymous.

There were two individuals who modeled their modus operandi after the Sportsmaster, the Sportsman of Earth-2 and Micky Mantle the Sportsman of Earth-1.

The Earth-2 version gained his powers from absorption of an anti-proton globe which enhanced his physical attributes and allowed him to wield seemingly telekinetic control of various sports related implements. This version embarked on a life of crime as a result of the globe's effect on the rational functions of his cerebral cortex. He battled several heroes including the Golden Age Robin and Wildcat.

The Earth-1 version was a frustrated former athlete who subjected himself to his father's enhancement treatment and embarked on a brief life of crime with Olympian level physical attributes and specialized equipment of his own design. His adversary was the Silver Age Batman who allowed him to "win" once he became aware that Mantle's life was nearing its end.

A Sportsmaster appears as one of General Immortus's followers in Final Crisis Aftermath: Run!. His real name, origin, and any connection to Crock have yet to be revealed. His look is modeled on the Earth-One Sportsman. ^[5]

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, pitcher's mask, padded jersey, pitcher's chestguard, football-style pants, and cleats.^[2]

Each of the Sportsmasters and Sportsmen had superb physical attributes on par with Olympic athletes in their prime.

• In the Justice League episode "Legends," the Sportsman (voiced by Michael McKean) is based on the original Sportsmaster. Upon hearing of Music Master's experience with the Justice League, he partakes in a contest where the one who pulls off the most spectacular crime will come up with the plan to destroy the Justice Guild. With crimes revolving around the elements, Sportsman hijacks a truck containing the trophy for the Seaboard City Clay Corps Championship only to run afoul of Catman and Martian Manhunter. Sportsman manages to get away with the trophy. When Dr. Blizzard wins the contest, he partakes in his plot to destroy the Justice Guild. He alongside the other Injustice Guild are defeated in the end.

• In Justice League Unlimited, Sportsmaster made a brief appearance as the first opponent seen being defeated by Wildcat in the secret metahuman tournament Meta-Brawl held by Roulette. He later appears as a member of Gorilla Grodd's Secret Society.

• The Lawrence Crock version of Sportmaster appears in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Invasion of the Secret Santas" voiced by Thomas F. Wilson. He interrupts a holiday bowling tournament by creating human bowling pins out of the participants, only to be defeated by Batman and Blue Beetle. Sportsmaster returns in "Night of the Huntress" as an inmate at Blackgate prison. In "Hail the Tornado Tyrant", he and his gang rob a bank before being defeated by Red Tornado and his son Tornado Champion. He has a small cameo in "Aquaman's Outrageous Adventure" where Aquaman notices Sportsmaster driving near him and then notices that he is also on a road trip with his wife Tigress and daughter Artemis Crock.

• Sportsmaster appeares in the Young Justice episode "Drop Zone" voiced by Nick Chinlund. He is shown in cahoots with Project Cadmus' Board of Directors in having Kobra mass-produced a neo-steroid that is a combination of the Venom Drug and the Blockbuster formula. Though Young Justice manages to stop the shipment, Sportsmaster only recovers one remaining sample and hands it over to Project Cadmus' Board of Directors.

• In The Batman Adventures comic (set in the DC Animated Universe) Sportsmaster appeared as one of Black Mask's lieutenants.