DARK HUNTER

Real Name: Dark Hunter (aspect of Franklin Richards)

Identity/Class: Subconscious emotion and power of Franklin Richards

Occupation: To make Franklin accept the apparent death of his family

Group Membership: Franklin Richards

Affiliations: Daydreamers (Howard the Duck, Leech, Artie Maddicks, Man-Thing, Franklin Richards, Tana Nile)

Enemies: Formerly Daydreamers

Known Relatives: Franklin Richards (progenitor); extended family through Franklin Richards

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Franklin Richards; formerly the pocket dimensions created by Franklin Richards

First Appearance: Daydreamers#1 (August, 1997)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Powers/Abilities: The Dark Hunter was a shadowy creature, perhaps formed from the darkforce. He was semi-tangible and could reform from physical attacks, and resist most forms of psychic assault. He could project shadowy fragments of himself onto others, which called forth his targets' most deep-set anxieties. He could navigate extradimensional realms via his Ship of Empty Souls

Height: 6' (variable)
Weight: Unrevealed
Eyes: Yellow, red, or orange
Hair: None (his entire form except his eyes was black)

 

 

 

 

 

 

History:
(Generation X#25) - Franklin Richards transported Howard the Duck, Leech, Artie Maddicks, Franklin Richards, Tana Nile, and himself from the Massachusetts Academy into the apparent nexus of realities to escape from "Black" Tom Cassidy. Franklin additionally drew the Man-Thing through this portal.

(Daydreamers#3 (fb) - BTS) - In denial over his family's apparent death during the final battle with Onslaught, Franklin subconsciously formed the Dark Hunter to force him to accept this loss.

(Daydreamers#1) - From within the nexus, Howard the Duck fell through a portal into the realm Nevernevernarniozobia (another pocket realm created by Franklin), and the other "Daydreamers" followed him. The Dark Hunter soon appeared within the nexus aboard his ship of empty souls and followed Franklin's trail into Nevernevernarniozobia, where he appeared dramatically, announcing that he had come for Franklin.

(Daydreamers#2) - Clarifying that he was not a resident of Nevernevernarniozobia, the Dark Hunter explained that he was only for Franklin, and he fired a blast at the others, and his swirling shadows swarmed over them, calling forth their most deep-set anxieties. When Leech tried to neutralize his powers, the Dark Hunter blasted him away, noting that all others were superfluous. The Dark Hunter similarly cast off a psychic assault from Artie, but when he rushed at Franklin, Nevernevernarniozobia's wizard Strange banished the Dark Hunter and his crew from his castle. When the others wondered who the Dark Hunter was, Strange re-directed the question to Franklin. When Franklin wondered how he should know, Strange let it go, noting that he had only shooed him away and that he would be back soon, so they should move on. Unable to send the others back to Earth, Strange instead sent them to another, Seuss-like, realm. There, the Daydreamers allowed themselves to be arrested in hopes that the local police could help protect them. When Artie realized the truth about the Dark Hunter, the Hunter appeared again, but Tana Nile hurled him to splatter against a wall. He reformed and pursued the Daydreamers as they fled; from his ship, he snatched Artie out of the car they were driving, then departed to another pocket realm.
    Attempting to follow the Hunter to recover Artie, the Daydreamers ended up in a Franklin-created Duckworld-replica world.

(Daydreamers#3) - Understanding what the Dark Hunter was and what it was trying to do, Artie agreed to join his cause.

(Daydreamers#3 - BTS) - When  Franklin seemingly obliterated Leech and the Man-Thing for questioning what was going on, they were drawn to the Dark Hunter's side, and they joined his cause as well.

(Daydreamers#3) - After Howard realized that this "Duckworld" wasn't real, Tana and Howard took Franklin to that world's Reed Richards to see if he could figure out what was going on. They met with the Ducklike-Richardses, but Franklin's powers subconsciously transformed them into two-dimensional replicas of his own parents. Franklin rushed to them, happy to be back with his parents, and when Tana tried to convince him they weren't real, he blasted her, and she vanished.

(Daydreamers#3 - BTS) - Tana appeared by  the Dark Hunter and was convinced to join him.

(Daydreamers#3) - After Franklin wandered off into a dark portal with his two-dimensional parent-replicas, Howard entered the portal as well. The Dark Hunter's ship approached him, and the other Daydreamers took him aboard, after which they located Franklin. The Dark Hunter confronted him, forcing him to realize these parents weren't real. The Dark Hunter then revealed that all of the Daydreamers' adventures were a result of Franklin using the Man-Thing as a connection to the Nexus of Realities to mold his dream, and that the strain of containing Franklin's energies had been killing the Man-Thing. The Dark Hunter further explained that, even now, they were all in the landscape of Franklin's mind. Franklin continued to resist, insisting that he could make it real if they'd leave him alone; but the Dark Hunter explained that he, too, was a creation of Franklin's mind, which was trying to force him to accept that which his heart has denied. As Artie and Leech helped contain Franklin's power to cease his attack on the Dark Hunter, the Hunter looked into Franklin's eyes and convinced him to accept the loss of his family. As Franklin did so, he embraced and accepted the Hunter, at which point the Daydreamers returned to Earth, in the Man-Thing's swamp.

Comments: Created by J.M. DeMatteis, Todd Dezago, Martin Egeland, and Howard M. Shum.

    Interestingly enough, despite the whole point of this story being Franklin's need to accept his family's death, they were not dead, as Franklin has subconsciously projected them into others into the Earth of a pocket dimension he had created. But he didn't KNOW this then.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
No KNOWN connections to:

images: (without ads)
Daydreamers#1, p13, panel 4 (aboard ship)
    #2, p1 (holding sword)
        p3, panel 4 (shadowy extensions)

Appearances:
Daydreamers#1 (August, 1997) -  J.M. DeMatteis (plot), Todd Dezago (script), Martin Egeland (penciler), Howard M. Shum (inker), Mark Bernardo (editor)
Daydreamers#2 (September, 1997) -  J.M. DeMatteis (plot), George Broderick Jr. (script), Martin Egeland (penciler), Howard M. Shum (inker), Mark Bernardo (editor)
Daydreamers#3 (October, 1997) -  J.M. DeMatteis (plot), Todd Dezago & Andy Jozefowiez (script), Martin Egeland (penciler), Howard M. Shum (inker), Mark Bernardo (editor)

Last updated: 02/24/09

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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