| Captain Stingaree | |
|---|---|
 Captain Stingaree fromDetective Comics #460, artistErnie Chan. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Detective Comics #460 (June 1976) |
| Created by | Bob Rozakis (writer) Michael Uslan (writer) Ernie Chan (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Karl Courtney |
| Team affiliations | Secret Society of Super-Villains |
| Notable aliases | Karl Crossman |
| Abilities | Skilled swordsman |
Captain Stingaree (Karl Courtney) is asupervillain in theDC Comics universe, and a minor foe ofBatman. He first appeared inDetective Comics #460 (June 1976), and was created byBob Rozakis,Michael Uslan, andErnie Chan.[1]
In his memoirThe Boy Who Loved Batman, Uslan says that he and Rozakis were excited to create a pirate-themed villain for Batman, but disappointed by the name that editorJulius Schwartz gave the character: "Bob said it was the name of some old movie about a notorious highwayman played byRichard Dix orFort Dix or some old actor. I hated the name Stingaree. Bob hated the name Stingaree. But Julie liked it, and so it came to pass".[2]
Born one of a set ofquadruplets, Karl Courtney was always the black sheep of the family. Donning a cutlass and pirate outfit, Karl becomes Captain Stingaree. In his first outing, Stingaree attempts to uncoverBatman's secret identity and becomes convinced that his brothers are collectively acting as Batman. Batman approaches the Courtney brothers, asking them to pose as Batman and act as bait for Stingaree. This allows the real Batman and theFlash to capture Stingaree.[1]
InSecret Society of Super-Villains #6 (1977), Captain Stingaree joins the eponymous Society.[3] He,Captain Cold, andCaptain Boomerang embark on a crime spree kidnapping other captains to show supremacy over air, land and sea, before they are defeated byCaptain Comet andBlack Canary II.[4][5]
InDetective Comics #526, Captain Stingaree meets at an old theater with other Batman villains.Talia al Ghul is branded a traitor. While Talia escapes, Stingaree is accidentally frozen byMr. Freeze. This is his last pre-Crisis appearance.[6]
In post-Crisis continuity, it is revealed that Captain Stingaree isgay and in a relationship with theCavalier (Mortimer Drake).[1]Black Lightning uses this fact to leverage information out of Cavalier. Both Stingaree and Cavalier are killed during a fight with theSecret Six.[7]
Captain Stingaree is resurrected followingThe New 52 andDC Rebirth relaunches. He is portrayed as a man who assumes the identity of Stingaree when not under the influence of hismedication. Stingaree attempts to murder several people who clearly know him and are dressed as Batman. They plead with him to go back on his medication, but he says that they will not "deceive him again". He is stopped by the real Batman and "Gotham Girl" before anyone is seriously injured.[8]
Captain Stingaree has no superpowers but is a skilled swordsman.
Captain Stingaree appears as a character summon inScribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.[9]
