HEADHUNTER
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Human (Taiwan)
Occupation: Combatant; Presumably Headhunter (not the Corporate kind...)
Group Membership: Puyuma aborigines
Affiliations: Participant in the Madripoor Bloodsport Competition
Enemies: Oddball, Mr. X
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Taiwan
First Appearance: Wolverine II#167 (October, 2001)
Powers: Headhunter apparently possesses no superhuman powers. He is a skilled combatant and uses swords to battle. He chants "Aieeee" when in battle, which must be a war-cry of sorts.
History: (Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z Hardcover#3: Crossfire) - The Headhunter was a member of the Puyuma aborigines in Taiwan that still practice headhunting.
(Wolverine II#167) - The Headhunter participated in the "annual" Madripoor bloodsport competition. His first round competition was Oddball, the Hawkeye nemesis. Headhunter promptly dispatched him (His sword went down and blood was seen spurting.) In the second round Headhunter faced the Champion of the previous competition, Mr. X, in a curtain match. The fight took place behind a curtain and Headhunter was quickly decapitated by Mr. X.
Comments: Created by Frank Tieri and Dan Fraga
Despite the Madripoor bloodsport competition being described as annual, Wolverine#167 is the 1st we've heard of it. This seems odd, as Wolverine/Patch spent a great deal of time there and never encountered it before. (Wolverine II #1-33ish)
Wolverine#167 featured the death of no less than 7 characters: Oddball, Gamecock, Forearm, Razor-Fist, Eel, Anaconda, and Headhunter. They were all B-grade villains, but could easily be brought back (if a later writer wanted to) as their deaths either occurred off-panel or were not conclusive. (Except Headhunter's...)
Justin Timberlake and Chris Kirkpatrick, members of N'SYNC (shudder), were depicted in Wolverine #167 watching Puma fight Gamecock. Entertainment Weekly made a big deal of it, displaying the panel and interviewing Dan Fraga about it.
The practice of collecting enemies' heads as trophies dates back to pre-history and has been practiced in varying degrees around the world. Attila the Hun fashioned a goblet from the skull of one of his enemies, while shrunken heads still sometimes turn up in rainforest villages. I listed Headhunter as possibly being from Africa as his mask strongly resembles other masks from sub-Saharan Africa which I have seen in books and because the African continent is what is usually thought of when headhunters (not the corporate kind) are mentioned..
Headhunter's heritage was revealed in Crossfire's entry in OHotMU A-Z#3.
by The Squid
Clarifications:
Headhunter should not be confused with:
images: (without ads)
Wolverine II#167, p11, pan1 (Headhunter main image)
p10, pan1 (Headhunter VS Oddball)
p11, pan2 (Headhunter the Winner)
Appearances:
Wolverine II#167 (October, 2001) - Frank Tieri (writer), Dan Fraga (pencils), Norm Rapmund (inks), Mike Marts (editor)
Last updated: 08/02/02
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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