Marvel’s new Darkhawk is baffled over why his physique changes whenever he turns into the alter ego, calling back to a comic mystery from the ’90s.
Marvel’s new Darkhawk series not only revives the classic ’90s hero for a new generation, but also throws Connor Young, the latest wearer of the Raptor Armor, for a loop as he desperately tries to figure out who and what he’s transforming into.
A preview for Darkhawk #3 shows Connor texting his friend Derek, who discovered his secret in Issue #2 and was revealed to be committing crimes for money. Connor, who has multiple sclerosis, then learns from his doctor that several new lesions have appeared in his brain. Flustered and worried that his nocturnal activities as Darkhawk might be causing these lesions, Connor retires to his room and studies his armor, which manifests whenever he holds the extraterrestrial Raptor Amulet that he found in Issue #1. Baffled over the fact that he seems to change into another person in the armor, Connor comments that he has a different physique as Darkhawk, and is noticeably shorter.
Connor’s confusion mirrors the struggles faced by the first Darkhawk, Chris Powell, who was created in 1991 by Tom DeFalco and Mike Manley. Chris, who starred in a solo series that spanned 50 issues and cameoed in both New Warriors and West Coast Avengers, was similarly flummoxed by the changes in his body that occurred whenever he morphed into the armor. Darkhawk Issues #4 and #5 also saw Chris removing his helmet while wearing the armor and becoming horrified by what he saw in the mirror — to the point of destroying his entire room. Upon questioning the vagrant St. Johnny, who supposedly knew other wearers of the Raptor Armor, Chris learns that “under the mask is the face we all deserve.”
The secrets of the Raptor Armor remained mysterious for years, and in 1993, a series of Marvel trading cards produced by the now defunct-company Skybox 1993 classified “The Face of Darkhawk” under their Unsolved Mysteries of the Marvel Universe banner. “Is the face that of a grotesque creature, or a hideous alien from another world?” the card’s text asked. “Or is it the manifestation of the worst fears of each person who beholds it, so that it looks horrifyingly different to each individual? At this point, any theory is valid!”
The 2009 War of Kings: Darkhawk and War of Kings: Ascension books revealed major details, pointing out that the Raptor Armors were essentially sentient androids belonging to a nefarious sect created by the Sh’iar race. Anyone wielding the Raptor Amulet would temporarily call forth one of these android bodies from another dimension and shape them to their well, hence the differences in physique. Each body also possessed a hideous face underneath its helmet that could potentially be used to deter enemies.
The preview and solicitation for Darkhawk #3 can be found below.
DARKHAWK #3 (OF 5)
- MARVEL COMICS
- (W) Kyle Higgins (A) Juanan Ramirez (CA) Iban Coello
- Someone very close to Darkhawk is dead!
- But who is it? And is it Darkhawk’s fault?
- More importantly, will the new Darkhawk cross the line that no hero should ever cross?
- RATED T+
- In Shops: 11/03/2021
- SRP: $3.99
Darkhawk #3 is written by Kyle Higgins and penciled by Juanan Ramírez, with colors by Erick Arciniega, letters by VC’s Travis Lanham and cover art by Iban Coello and Jesus Aburtov. A variant cover was created by Ron Lim and Israel Silva, another done by Philip Tan and Alejandro Sánchez. The issue releases on Nov. 2 from Marvel Comics.
Source: Marvel
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