Hector Hammond
Encyclopedia
Hector Hammond is a DC Universe
supervillain
who is primarily an enemy of Green Lantern
. The character was created by John Broome
and Gil Kane
, and originally appeared in Green Lantern (vol. 2) # 5 (March-April 1961). Unlike many supervillains, Hammond does not use an alias.
in the woods (later retcon
ned as part of the same meteor that lands in Africa, super-evolving Gorilla Grodd
and the other gorillas of Gorilla City
). Observing that radiation from the meteor has caused the nearby plants to evolve rapidly, Hammond decides to kidnap four scientists and expose them to the meteor on a remote Island. The radiation causes their intellects to evolve, but also has the side effect of sapping their wills. Hammond is able to force the scientists to use their heightened intellect to create amazing new inventions, which Hammond sells for his own profit.
Hammond rapidly becomes a rich celebrity due to the wealth he has acquired. Green Lantern
Hal Jordan
asks his friend and mechanic, Thomas Kalmaku
, to take on the role of the Green Lantern while Jordan investigates Hammond. Jordan creates a duplicate power ring and costume for Kalmaku to fool Hammond, and tells him to fly above Coast City so it would be thought Green Lantern was there. The scientists tried to use a device to bring this Green Lantern to them, but the ring was first pulled off his finger and fell on the Island, where Hammond found it. Unaware of the impersonation, Hammond steals his ring and turns Kalmaku into a chimpanzee. Jordan confronts Hammond personally in a battle of power rings that ends only when the charge of Hammond's ring runs out, allowing Jordan to capture him and restore Kalmaku and the scientists. He removed the scientist's memory of their knowledge, and got rid of the inventions as well, feeling humanity should advance more steadily.
Hammond returns in Justice League of America #14 (September 1962), where he has managed to escape from prison and deliberately exposes himself to the meteorite
. The radiation causes his brain to grow to enormous size, granting him psionic powers as well as immortality
in the process. He captures Green Lantern from a De-memoriser invented by Amos Fortune
which he had supplied to various villains, but was later captured. Unfortunately, his body becomes immobilized and he loses the power to speak. Trapped in a motionless state, Hammond is still able to use his psionic powers to control the minds of others. He attempts to steal the Green Lantern's ring, but Jordan manages to command his ring to drain itself of power when it leaves his finger, after which Jordan renders Hammond unconscious.
Hammond is responsible for the creation of the second Royal Flush Gang
in Justice League of America #203 (June 1982). Hammond and the Gang are defeated when Dr. Martin Stein, one half of the superhero Firestorm, subdues Hector on the astral plane.
He was directly responsible for the neglect of the JLA in Justice Leagues
.
In addition to battling Hal Jordan, Hammond has also fought Alan Scott
as well as Kyle Rayner
.
, in which Hal Jordan was resurrected, vindicated for his past crimes and returned as the star of the Green Lantern core series, Hammond reappeared as one of his adversaries. Recently, after his capture and further experimentation by the gremlins, the aliens which sent the meteor that gave him his powers, he seems to have recovered the ability to speak without using telepathy.
Hammond appears in Infinite Crisis
: Villains United special, in which he is broken out of prison along with several other supervillains.
, a re-telling of Hal Jordan's first days as a Green Lantern. In that storyline, Hammond aspires to be Carol Ferris
' boyfriend, feelings that are not reciprocated by Ferris, who merely went out to one dinner with him for business purposes, as he is a private consultant for Ferris Aircraft. While inspecting Abin Sur
's crashed aircraft, Hammond is affected by the meteorite fragment used as a power source in its reactor, which results in an increase in his brain size and telepathic abilities, with which he learns Jordan is a Green Lantern
. He attempts to use his telepathy to keep Hal from using his ring, but is thwarted by Sinestro
. It is revealed that Hammond wants the power of a god in order to gain revenge on Hal Jordan/Green Lantern.
", after an unknown force pulled Parallax away. Afterwards, Krona
helps Hammond get out of prison, to pursue the entity trapped inside Larfleeze
's lantern. Hammond attacks Larfleeze and Hal Jordan, and during the fight manages to swallow Larfleeze's battery, allowing the entity, Ophidian, to possess his body just as Parallax possessed Hal's. The battle with Ophidian does not go very well for Hal or Larfleeze. While fleeing Ophidian, Larfleeze admits that he was not entirely honest about his ownership of the orange lantern and that he and Ophidian have a rather antagonistic relationship, however he is quick to blame Ophidian for starting whatever it was that came between them. Ophidian states that Larfleeze was the only being in the universe capable of resisting his temptations thereby allowing Larfleeze to subdue him and become Agent Orange, and now it's Larfleeze's turn to be subdued and used by Ophidian, Ophidian then attempts to devour Larfleeze but he is saved by Hal. After that the desires of Hector begin to override those of Ophidian and he leaves to search for his ultimate desire "Carol Ferris".
Ophidian would later apparently reassert its hold on Hector as he was seen joining Krona, and even helping the renegade Guardian of the Universe discover the location of the Butcher with its disruptive powers, and was last seen returning with Krona to Ryut where he will begin purging the universe of all emotionally unbalanced beings.
Hector's fate afterwards remains unknown as the Orange Battery is seen in the Book of the Black which prompted Larfleeze to try to recover it only to be trapped himself in the Book and Ophidian is seen without its host, launching along with the other entities and Krona an attack on Oa, where it possessed a Guardian of the Universe.
In some incarnations, his body has atrophied to the point where he cannot walk and he has to strap his head to a chair to support its weight.
As the host of Ophidian, he has access to the powers that an Orange Lantern has, without needing an orange power ring to access them.
event, Hector Hammond did not become a villain from a meteorite fragment. Instead, Hammond works as private consultant of Ferris Aircraft with his test pilots Hal Jordan and Carol Ferris. While inspecting Abin Sur
's crashed aircraft, Hammond did not trust Abin Sur and believes him to be preparing an alien invasion. However, the engineer Thomas Kalmaku
told him to rebuke his statement. Later, Hammond designs the aircraft into the F-35, and it is ready to take off and assigns the pilot Hal Jordan to it.
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
who is primarily an enemy of Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
. The character was created by John Broome
John Broome (writer)
John Broome , who additionally used the pseudonyms John Osgood and Edgar Ray Meritt, was an American comic book writer for DC Comics.-Early life and career:...
and Gil Kane
Gil Kane
Eli Katz who worked under the name Gil Kane and in one instance Scott Edward, was a comic book artist whose career spanned the 1940s to 1990s and every major comics company and character.Kane co-created the modern-day versions of the superheroes Green Lantern and the Atom for DC Comics, and...
, and originally appeared in Green Lantern (vol. 2) # 5 (March-April 1961). Unlike many supervillains, Hammond does not use an alias.
Fictional character biography
Hammond is a petty criminal on the run from the law when he discovers the fragments of a strange meteorMETEOR
METEOR is a metric for the evaluation of machine translation output. The metric is based on the harmonic mean of unigram precision and recall, with recall weighted higher than precision...
in the woods (later retcon
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
ned as part of the same meteor that lands in Africa, super-evolving Gorilla Grodd
Gorilla Grodd
Gorilla Grodd is a supervillain appearing in DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of The Flash. He debuted in Flash v.1 #106 , and was created by writer John Broome and artist Carmine Infantino....
and the other gorillas of Gorilla City
Gorilla City
Gorilla City is a fictional city in the DC Comics Universe. The city, hidden in the jungles of Africa, is home to a race of super-intelligent gorillas, that gained their powers from a meteorite. The supervillain Gorilla Grodd is also from the city. Gorilla City first appears in The Flash vol...
). Observing that radiation from the meteor has caused the nearby plants to evolve rapidly, Hammond decides to kidnap four scientists and expose them to the meteor on a remote Island. The radiation causes their intellects to evolve, but also has the side effect of sapping their wills. Hammond is able to force the scientists to use their heightened intellect to create amazing new inventions, which Hammond sells for his own profit.
Hammond rapidly becomes a rich celebrity due to the wealth he has acquired. Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
Hal Jordan
Hal Jordan
Harold "Hal" Jordan is a DC Comics superhero known as Green Lantern, the first human shown to join the Green Lantern Corps and a founding member of the Justice League of America. Jordan is the second DC Comics character to adopt the Green Lantern moniker...
asks his friend and mechanic, Thomas Kalmaku
Thomas Kalmaku
Thomas Kalmaku is a fictional character, a supporting character associated with Green Lantern in comic books published by DC Comics. He was created by writer John Broome and penciler Gil Kane.-Fictional character biography:...
, to take on the role of the Green Lantern while Jordan investigates Hammond. Jordan creates a duplicate power ring and costume for Kalmaku to fool Hammond, and tells him to fly above Coast City so it would be thought Green Lantern was there. The scientists tried to use a device to bring this Green Lantern to them, but the ring was first pulled off his finger and fell on the Island, where Hammond found it. Unaware of the impersonation, Hammond steals his ring and turns Kalmaku into a chimpanzee. Jordan confronts Hammond personally in a battle of power rings that ends only when the charge of Hammond's ring runs out, allowing Jordan to capture him and restore Kalmaku and the scientists. He removed the scientist's memory of their knowledge, and got rid of the inventions as well, feeling humanity should advance more steadily.
Hammond returns in Justice League of America #14 (September 1962), where he has managed to escape from prison and deliberately exposes himself to the meteorite
Meteorite
A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives impact with the Earth's surface. Meteorites can be big or small. Most meteorites derive from small astronomical objects called meteoroids, but they are also sometimes produced by impacts of asteroids...
. The radiation causes his brain to grow to enormous size, granting him psionic powers as well as immortality
Immortality
Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
in the process. He captures Green Lantern from a De-memoriser invented by Amos Fortune
Amos Fortune (comics)
Amos Fortune is a DC Comics supervillain who first appeared in Justice League of America #6 .-Fictional character biography:...
which he had supplied to various villains, but was later captured. Unfortunately, his body becomes immobilized and he loses the power to speak. Trapped in a motionless state, Hammond is still able to use his psionic powers to control the minds of others. He attempts to steal the Green Lantern's ring, but Jordan manages to command his ring to drain itself of power when it leaves his finger, after which Jordan renders Hammond unconscious.
Hammond is responsible for the creation of the second Royal Flush Gang
Royal Flush Gang
The Royal Flush Gang or RFG are fictional characters in DC Comics. They first appeared in Justice League of America #43 in March 1966 under the leadership of Professor Amos Fortune.-History:...
in Justice League of America #203 (June 1982). Hammond and the Gang are defeated when Dr. Martin Stein, one half of the superhero Firestorm, subdues Hector on the astral plane.
He was directly responsible for the neglect of the JLA in Justice Leagues
Justice Leagues
"Justice Leagues" was a storyline which ran through six one-shot comics published in 2001 by DC Comics, which introduced a revamped Justice League of America....
.
In addition to battling Hal Jordan, Hammond has also fought Alan Scott
Alan Scott
Alan Scott is a fictional character, a superhero in the and the first superhero to bear the name Green Lantern.-Publication history:The original Green Lantern was created by young struggling artist Martin Nodell, who was inspired by the sight of a New York Subway employee waving a red lantern to...
as well as Kyle Rayner
Kyle Rayner
Kyle Rayner is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by DC Comics, usually in those starring the Green Lantern Corps, an extraterrestrial police force of which Rayner is a member. Created by writer Ron Marz and artist Darryl Banks, Rayner first appeared in Green Lantern vol...
.
After Green Lantern: Rebirth
Following the 2004-2005 miniseries Green Lantern: RebirthGreen Lantern: Rebirth
Green Lantern: Rebirth was a six-issue monthly American comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Ethan Van Sciver...
, in which Hal Jordan was resurrected, vindicated for his past crimes and returned as the star of the Green Lantern core series, Hammond reappeared as one of his adversaries. Recently, after his capture and further experimentation by the gremlins, the aliens which sent the meteor that gave him his powers, he seems to have recovered the ability to speak without using telepathy.
Hammond appears in Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
: Villains United special, in which he is broken out of prison along with several other supervillains.
"Secret Origin"
Hammond appears in the 2008 storyline Green Lantern: Secret OriginGreen Lantern: Secret Origin
"Secret Origin" is a comic book story arc published in Green Lantern #29-35 by DC Comics. Written by Geoff Johns and penciled by Ivan Reis, the story retells the origin of Earth's first Green Lantern Corps member Hal Jordan for the New Earth continuity...
, a re-telling of Hal Jordan's first days as a Green Lantern. In that storyline, Hammond aspires to be Carol Ferris
Carol Ferris
Caroline "Carol" Ferris is a character in the . She is one of many characters who has used the name Star Sapphire, and is a long-time love interest of Hal Jordan, the Silver Age Green Lantern. Her original design was based on Elizabeth Taylor...
' boyfriend, feelings that are not reciprocated by Ferris, who merely went out to one dinner with him for business purposes, as he is a private consultant for Ferris Aircraft. While inspecting Abin Sur
Abin Sur
Abin Sur is a fictional character and a superhero from the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Showcase #22 : "SOS Green Lantern". He was a member of the Green Lantern Corps and is best known as the predecessor of Green Lantern Hal Jordan, whom Abin Sur's power ring chose as his replacement...
's crashed aircraft, Hammond is affected by the meteorite fragment used as a power source in its reactor, which results in an increase in his brain size and telepathic abilities, with which he learns Jordan is a Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
. He attempts to use his telepathy to keep Hal from using his ring, but is thwarted by Sinestro
Sinestro
Thaal Sinestro is a fictional character, an alien supervillain in the DC Comics Universe. Created by John Broome and Gil Kane, Sinestro is the former mentor of Hal Jordan and the arch-nemesis of the entire Green Lantern Corps. Sinestro first appears in Green Lantern #7 . In 2009, Sinestro was...
. It is revealed that Hammond wants the power of a god in order to gain revenge on Hal Jordan/Green Lantern.
Brightest Day
Hammond's telepathic thoughts are shown from Belle Reve Prison, stating "It has ParallaxParallax (comics)
Parallax is a fictional comic book supervillain in the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Ron Marz and artist Darryl Banks for Green Lantern vol...
", after an unknown force pulled Parallax away. Afterwards, Krona
Krona (comics)
Krona is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Green Lantern #40 , and was created by writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane.-Fictional character biography:...
helps Hammond get out of prison, to pursue the entity trapped inside Larfleeze
Larfleeze
Agent Orange is a fictional character owned by DC Comics. He is the primary wielder of the Orange light of avarice...
's lantern. Hammond attacks Larfleeze and Hal Jordan, and during the fight manages to swallow Larfleeze's battery, allowing the entity, Ophidian, to possess his body just as Parallax possessed Hal's. The battle with Ophidian does not go very well for Hal or Larfleeze. While fleeing Ophidian, Larfleeze admits that he was not entirely honest about his ownership of the orange lantern and that he and Ophidian have a rather antagonistic relationship, however he is quick to blame Ophidian for starting whatever it was that came between them. Ophidian states that Larfleeze was the only being in the universe capable of resisting his temptations thereby allowing Larfleeze to subdue him and become Agent Orange, and now it's Larfleeze's turn to be subdued and used by Ophidian, Ophidian then attempts to devour Larfleeze but he is saved by Hal. After that the desires of Hector begin to override those of Ophidian and he leaves to search for his ultimate desire "Carol Ferris".
Ophidian would later apparently reassert its hold on Hector as he was seen joining Krona, and even helping the renegade Guardian of the Universe discover the location of the Butcher with its disruptive powers, and was last seen returning with Krona to Ryut where he will begin purging the universe of all emotionally unbalanced beings.
Hector's fate afterwards remains unknown as the Orange Battery is seen in the Book of the Black which prompted Larfleeze to try to recover it only to be trapped himself in the Book and Ophidian is seen without its host, launching along with the other entities and Krona an attack on Oa, where it possessed a Guardian of the Universe.
Powers and abilities
Hammond in his mutated state exhibits genius level intellect, potent telepathic and telekinetic abilities, and on occasion displays the ability to absorb and mentally redirect Green Lantern's emerald plasma.In some incarnations, his body has atrophied to the point where he cannot walk and he has to strap his head to a chair to support its weight.
As the host of Ophidian, he has access to the powers that an Orange Lantern has, without needing an orange power ring to access them.
Flashpoint
In the alternate timeline of the FlashpointFlashpoint (comics)
Flashpoint is an American comic book crossover story arc published by DC Comics. Consisting of an eponymous core limited series and a number of tie-in titles, the storyline premiered in May 2011...
event, Hector Hammond did not become a villain from a meteorite fragment. Instead, Hammond works as private consultant of Ferris Aircraft with his test pilots Hal Jordan and Carol Ferris. While inspecting Abin Sur
Abin Sur
Abin Sur is a fictional character and a superhero from the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Showcase #22 : "SOS Green Lantern". He was a member of the Green Lantern Corps and is best known as the predecessor of Green Lantern Hal Jordan, whom Abin Sur's power ring chose as his replacement...
's crashed aircraft, Hammond did not trust Abin Sur and believes him to be preparing an alien invasion. However, the engineer Thomas Kalmaku
Thomas Kalmaku
Thomas Kalmaku is a fictional character, a supporting character associated with Green Lantern in comic books published by DC Comics. He was created by writer John Broome and penciler Gil Kane.-Fictional character biography:...
told him to rebuke his statement. Later, Hammond designs the aircraft into the F-35, and it is ready to take off and assigns the pilot Hal Jordan to it.
Film
- Peter SarsgaardPeter SarsgaardJohn Peter Sarsgaard is an American film and stage actor. He landed his first feature role in the movie Dead Man Walking in 1995. He then appeared in the 1998 independent films Another Day in Paradise and Desert Blue. That same year, Sarsgaard received a substantial role in The Man in the Iron...
played Hector Hammond in the live-action film, Green LanternGreen Lantern (film)Green Lantern is a 2011 superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. The film stars Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Angela Bassett and Tim Robbins, with Martin Campbell directing a script by Greg Berlanti and comic book writers Michael Green and Marc...
directed by Martin CampbellMartin Campbell-Life and career:Campbell was born in Hastings, New Zealand. He directed two James Bond films, 1995's GoldenEye, starring Pierce Brosnan, and 2006's Casino Royale, starring Daniel Craig, and was the first Bond director since John Glen to direct more than one film, as well as the oldest director in...
. He is the secondary antagonist of the film. Differing from the comic book origins slightly, he was originally an average biology teacher who was an old friend (yet also a rival) of Hal Jordan's along with Carol FerrisCarol FerrisCaroline "Carol" Ferris is a character in the . She is one of many characters who has used the name Star Sapphire, and is a long-time love interest of Hal Jordan, the Silver Age Green Lantern. Her original design was based on Elizabeth Taylor...
, and also the estranged son of United States senator Robert Hammond. He has been in love with Carol since they were children. In the movie he could talk even with his bulbous cranium, unlike the comics. He was summoned by the U.S. Government (mainly by Hammond's father and Amanda WallerAmanda WallerDr. Amanda Blake Waller is a character published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Legends #1 in 1986, and was created by John Ostrander, Len Wein, and John Byrne...
) to conduct an autopsy of Abin SurAbin SurAbin Sur is a fictional character and a superhero from the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Showcase #22 : "SOS Green Lantern". He was a member of the Green Lantern Corps and is best known as the predecessor of Green Lantern Hal Jordan, whom Abin Sur's power ring chose as his replacement...
due to his father's influence. However, his rather estranged relationship with his father (who thinks he wastes his life away with his current job), as well as the influence of ParallaxParallax (comics)Parallax is a fictional comic book supervillain in the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Ron Marz and artist Darryl Banks for Green Lantern vol...
's DNA causing his head to grow larger while also granting him the ability to read minds and move objects with his thoughts, resulted in his being driven insane, eventually killing his father by burning him in a chamber. He later abducts Carol with the intention of infecting her with a DNA sample of Parallax and making her like him. Hal defeats him by pretending to give him the ring in exchange for Carol's freedom, only for Hal to reveal that he retains control of the ring even when it is on Hammond's finger as the ring chose him rather than the other way around. Hammond was subsequently killed by Parallax after he failed to kill Hal Jordan. After his infection by Parallax, Hammond appeared to have difficulty moving, wheezing as he breathed and walking rather slowly, to the point that he was shown using a wheelchair in his final confrontation, referencing the comic incarnation's inability to move.