COPPERHEAD ("John Doe")	BIOGRAPHY
Created by Bob Haney and Bob Brown

PERSONAL DATA

Real Name: "John Doe"
Identity: Secret
Occupation: Assassin
Status: Deceased
Place of Death: Los Angeles, CA
Group Affiliation(s): Secret Society of Super-Villains; Suicide Squad
Gender: Male
Height: 6' 2"
Weight: 201 lbs.
Eyes: Green
Hair: None
First Appearance: Brave and the Bold #78 (June 1968): "In the Coils of Copperhead!"
Creators: Bob Haney and Bob Brown

HISTORY

Nothing is known about the early life or origin of the criminal known as Copperhead. He first showed up in Gotham City several years ago where he did a number of rapid-fire thefts before he was eventually apprehended by Batman and Batgirl.

A lot of his time in prison he spent in solitary confinement as he kept getting into fights with the other inmates. During these periods in isolation Copperhead spent days concentrating on various odd yoga-like exercises that helped him gain total control of his body. A month later he used these abilities to escape from prison. However, instead of going back on another crime spree Copperhead seemingly disappeared from the face of the earth.

Copperhead spent the next couple of years mastering his skills and became a master assassin who does whatever he's paid to do by anyone. Eventually Copperhead resurfaced as he came into conflict with Flash and Hawk and Dove.

At some point Copperhead was sent after Rex Leech, Superboy's manager, to "persuade" him to come up some money that he owed a very powerful man by the name of Ira Gambolli. Copperhead caught up with Rex on Hawaii, and instead of killing him, he told him that his daughter would suffer the sins of the father.

Fortunately for Roxy, Superboy was there to protect her. For all Copperhead's amazing skill, he really couldn't do much more to Superboy other than surprise him with some really cool tactics. Due to his incredible agility, he held his own against Superboy's hardest hits, simply by not being there when he delivered, or else just rolling with the punches. Using his tactile telekinesis, Superboy connected a wire around Copperhead and connected it to a live circuit, really putting the hurt on the snake. Superboy finished him off with a nice uppercut. He was then sent to Kulani prison.

During the event known as 'Underworld Unleashed,' Neron broke Copperhead out and offered greater power in exchange for his soul. Copperhead took the offer and now he literally is a kind of snake-man, when before he was just a contortionist in a powerful snake suit.

Copperhead was intent on revenge against Superboy, since he was a master assassin and Superboy was just a rookie, and with the slimy snake's new powers, it seemed like he was going to clean the kid's clock. Still, even though Superboy had basically lost most of his powers and was close to dying from illness at the time, he bested Copperhead by body surfing him off the road they were scrapping on and of the angle of the fall. It looked to the severely weakened Superboy like Copperhead went straight into the ocean, but he was too sick to check for sure.

Copperhead has resurfaced several times since then, growing ever more violent and ever less human. After a particularly brutal attack which was to go unpunished, federal prosecutor Kate Spencer decided that enough was enough. She became the latest Manhunter, tracked Copperhead down and killed him. - Manhunter Vol. 3 #1

Copperhead has been succeeded by Nathan Prince a.k.a. Copperhead II of the Terror Titans.

BLACK LANTERN: COPPERHEAD

POWERS AND WEAPONS

Copperhead was a master contortionist with amazing muscular control. Formerly he wore a costume with a silicon-like coating that aided him in squeezing through small or narrow openings. The costume was woven from experimental metallic and elastic fibres, and was partially bulletproof. An artificial tail that could be stretched, coiled and constricted around opponents was built into the costume, and artificial fangs in his helmet were coated with toxic venom. As a result of his deal with Neron, Copperhead mutated into an actual serpentine form and therefore no longer wore his protective costume. His tail, now part of him, could also perform the feats that his artificial tail could. In his new serpentine form Copperhead could transfer his venom with just a touch.

CHRONOLOGY

For a definitive list of appearances of Copperhead in chronological order click here

PROFILE REFERENCES

Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #5 (July 1985)

Who's Who in the DC Universe #6 (January 1991)