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NIGHTCREEPER

Real Name: Eric Cross

Identity/Class: Human technology user

Occupation: Research engineer

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Prowler (Hobie Brown)

Enemies: Prowler (Hobie Brown), Vulture (Adrian Toomes)

Known Relatives: Unnamed daughter

Aliases: Eric Horst

Base of Operations: New York City

First Appearance: Prowler#1 (November, 1994)

Powers/Abilities: Nightcreeper's' boots feature a retractable blade in the toe of the boot and pneumatic boot jets.  His spiked wall-climbing gloves can launch pneumatic flechette darts, gas, flares, and grappling hooks.  His cape allows him to glide.  In addition to his equipment, Cross is an athletic 37-year-old man with some skill in hand-to-hand combat.

 

History: (Prowler#2 (fb) ) - Eric Cross' young daughter was accidentally shot in a drive-by shooting, permanently crippling her.

(Prowler#2 (fb) ) - Cross stole designs from his employer, Bestman Electronics, to create weapons in his one-man war on crime.  He was unaware that the designs were from Hobie Brown's Prowler suit, having never heard of the Prowler.

(Prowler#1) - On his first outing as the Nightcreeper, Cross brutally massacred the occupants of a crack house - a massacre which the police blamed the similarly-garbed Prowler for.  Later that night, the Nightcreeper broke into Bestman Electronics to steal more designs, but instead witnessed the murder of Bestman's president by "Holden Tooks", secretly the newly-rejuvenated Vulture.  Arriving too late the catch or identify the killer, the Nightcreeper was found standing over his body by the Prowler.  The Prowler tried to apprehend his murderous doppelganger, who threw a filing cabinet at him and tried to escape.  Dragged back with a grappling hook, the Nightcreeper threw the Prowler out a window, only for him to soar right back in.  Nightcreeper countered with a slash across the Prowler's chest.  With his foe in agony and trapped in debris, the Nightcreeper moved in for the kill...

(Prowler#2) - The Prowler fired his grappling hook into the Nightcreeper's hand, embedding it in the wall, and blinded him with flares.  The two battled for some time before the presence of a passing night watchman convinced them to take their fight outside.  The Nightcreeper escaped, and told the Prowler to meet him at the crack house at eight the following night to catch the real killer.  The next day, Cross was introduced to Bestman's new CEO, Holden Tooks.  That evening, the Nightcreeper met with the Prowler, as promised.  Prowler suggested a thorough investigation, which the Nightcreeper scoffed at.  Before they could come to an agreement, they witnessed a break-in across the street.  The Nightcreeper began brutally beating the criminal, only to come under fire from his comrades.  Dodging the bullets, he exposed innocent bystanders to the gunfire.  Reeling from memories of his daughter's injuries, the Nightcreeper had to be pulled to safety by the Prowler.  When the Prowler tried to talk some sense into him, the Nightcreeper punched him and fled.

(Prowler#3) - After work the next day, the Nightcreeper met the Prowler again, who told him that he had until the next day to turn himself into the police for his crimes.  Still conflicted over the last night's battle, the Nightcreeper left their meeting and blundered right into the villainous Vulture - who was secretly new Bestman CEO Holden Tooks!  Recognizing that the Nightcreeper had stolen his designs from Bestman, the Vulture knocked the Nightcreeper out of midair, sending him plummeting to the ground below.  Partially paralyzed, Cross was taken to hospital by the police.

(Prowler#4) - The Nightcreeper escaped from hospital, reclaimed his ruined costume, and tracked the Prowler and the Vulture to Bestman Electronics.  As he moved in to kill the monetarily-helpless Vulture, the Prowler restrained him, allowing the Vulture to escape.  The Nightcreeper collapsed, and the Prowler took him back to the hospital.

Comments: Created by Carl Potts & Bill Reinhold.

Nightcreeper is, perhaps, the epitome of the '90s trend towards creating a badass-ier foil for a hero/anti-hero - Ghost Rider had Vengeance, Venom had Carnage, Cable had Stryfe, Cardiac had...er, Cardiaxe...

Nightcreeper is the second of three different guys to steal Hobie's Prowler-stuff and assume a costumed identity.  He's really got to be more careful.

So what's this guy's real name?  In Prowler #2, he's introduced as Eric Horst, but the news report and Hobie himself identify him as Eric Cross in #3.  The Prowler entry in the All-New OHotMU calls him Eric Cross, though, so that's what I'm going with.  Maybe he's Eric Horst Cross?

The Cross surname, of course, means that he could be a relative of Darren Agonistes Cross, evil CEO of Cross Technological Enterprises, and his even-eviler cousin William "Crossfire" Cross.

Sure sucks to be the Nightcreeper.  Dude tries to avenge his daughter's grievous injuries, and he ends up grievously injured himself.  Still, hey, maybe the Initiative could use him - maybe fix him up with one of those Adamantium spines...

Profile by Minor Irritant.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Eric Cross, alias the Nightcreeper, has no known connections to:

 

 

 

Eric Cross' daughter

(Prowler#2 (fb) ) - While playing with her father, Eric Cross' daughter was caught in the crossfire of a drive-by shooting, crippling her for life

--Prowler#2

 

images: (without ads)
Prowler#2, p1, pan1 (main image)
Prowler#3, p13, pan1 (Eric Cross)
Prowler#2, p20, pan2 (Cross' daughter)

Appearances:
Prowler#1-4 (November, 1994-February, 1995) - Carl Potts (writer), Bill Reinhold (artist), Mark Powers (editor)

Last updated: 02/04/08

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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