Hellgrammite | |
---|---|
Publication information | |
Publisher | DC Comics |
First appearance | The Brave and the Bold #80 (November 1968) |
Created by | Bob Haney, Neal Adams |
In-story information | |
Alter ego | Roderick Rose |
Species | Metahuman |
Team affiliations | Intergang |
Notable aliases | Robert Dobson |
Abilities |
|
Hellgrammite (Roderick Rose) is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an enemy of Superman, Batman, the Creeper, Green Arrow and Black Canary.
In the series Supergirl, the Hellgrammite is portrayed by Justice Leak.
Hellgrammite made his debut in The Brave and the Bold #80 (November 1968) created by Bob Haney and Neal Adams. [1] In this issue, he battled Batman and the Creeper.
An entomologist named Roderick Rose, the Hellgrammite subjects himself to a mutagenic process that transforms him into a grasshopper-like insectoid. [2] He has superhuman strength and leaping abilities, the power to crawl upon walls, weave transformative or imprisoning cocoons, and a durable exoskeleton. [3] A number of his schemes revolve around transforming others into weaker, subordinate versions of himself, leading to clashes with Batman and the Creeper in The Brave and the Bold #80, and with Green Arrow and the Black Canary in World's Finest Comics #248-249.
In the Post-Crisis DC Universe, the Hellgrammite returns as a recurring foe for Superman, first encountering the Man of Steel after being hired (by then-LexCorp board member George Markham) [4] to kill Lex Luthor. During the Underworld Unleashed crossover, he makes a deal with Neron, trading his soul in return for increased physical powers and an improved ability to transform others into his drones. In a one-shot issue, Underworld Unleashed: Patterns of Fear #1, it was stated that he had once used the alias Robert Dobson.
Although there were rumors of Hellgrammite's death as a member of the Suicide Squad during the Imperiex crisis, it was instead a similar villain named the Larvanaut who died. He has been seen alive One Year Later, still a member of Superman's rogues' gallery, acting as an assassin for Intergang.
Following the destruction of Star City at the hands of Prometheus, the new Batman leads a newly formed Justice League in a hunt to track down the various villains who helped Prometheus in his plot. The team finds Hellgrammite and several other villains attempting to flee the country and a battle ensues. Hellgrammite is ultimately defeated after Donna Troy ties up a villainess named Harpi with her lasso, and then swings her into the villain, knocking both of them out. [5]
Hellgrammite is super-strong and durable, able to jump long distances, secrete adhesives, and produce cocoons for imprisoning his foes or transforming them into drone versions of himself. In both forms, he has expertise in entomology.
Hellgrammite appears in Adventures in the DC Universe #17. [7]