| Sportsmaster | |
|---|---|
 The Lawrence Crock incarnation of Sportsmaster as depicted inWho's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #21 (November 1986). | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | All-American Comics #85 (May 1947) |
| Created by | John Broome Irwin Hasen |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | I: Lawrence "Crusher" Crock II: Victor Gover III: Victor (last name unknown) |
| Species | Human |
| Team affiliations | Injustice Society Legion of Doom |
| Abilities |
|
| Altered in-story information for adaptations to other media | |
| Team affiliations | Secret Society of Super Villains (Justice League Unlimited), League of Shadows (Young Justice) |
TheSportsmaster is the name of severalsupervillains appearing inAmerican comic books published byDC Comics. The first version of the character;Lawrence "Crusher" Crock, is usually depicted as a criminal who uses sports-themed weapons and gadgets to commit crimes. He is also the husband ofThe Huntress and the father ofArtemis Crock.
Crusher / Sportsmaster appeared inYoung Justice, voiced byNick Chinlund, andStargirl, portrayed byNeil Hopkins.
Lawrence Crock, the original Sportsmaster, first appeared inAll-American Comics #85 (May 1947) and was created by writerJohn Broome and artistIrwin Hasen.[1][2]
The Victor Gover incarnation of Sportsmaster first appeared inManhunter #17 (September 1989) and was created byJohn Ostrander,Kim Yale, andGrant Miehm.
A third Sportsmaster, also named Victor, appeared inJSA Classified #26 (July 2007) and #27 (August 2007) and was created byFrank Tieri andMatt Haley.
Sportsmaster is a foe of the originalGreen Lantern as well asWildcat. He was first known asCrusher Crock, a frustrated athlete who turns to a life of crime.[3] He was a member of different incarnations of theInjustice Society.[4] He teams up with (and later marries) theGolden Age villainessHuntress. They have a child namedArtemis Crock, who became the third Tigress. In his later years he spent time behind bars but at least on one occasion was broken out of prison by his daughter - then a member ofInjustice Unlimited.[5]
InFinal Crisis, Sportsmaster appears as one ofGeneral Immortus' followers. Immortus' latest recruit, theHuman Flame, betrays him and kills Sportsmaster.[6] Following his death, his body is cloned by a secret organization called the Council to act as enforcers.[7]
InThe New 52 continuity reboot, Sportsmaster appears as a member ofLeviathan.[8][9]
The second Sportsmaster isVictor Gover, an African-American former football player who possessed "photographic reflexes". Blacklisted from the world of professional sports after hismetahuman abilities are exposed, Gover becomes a criminal and enemy ofManhunter.[10] He later joins theSuicide Squad for one mission duringWar of the Gods.[11]
The third Sportsmaster isVictor, a blonde-haired athlete with a gambling problem. Wildcat later beats him, forcing him to retire and attendGamblers Anonymous.[12]
Sportsman is the name of two characters modeled after the original Sportsmaster.
The Earth-2 version,Marty Baxter, gained his powers from absorbing an anti-proton globe, which enhanced his physical attributes and allowed him to telekinetically manipulate various sports related implements. However, he turns to crime as a result of the globe's effect on the rational functions of his brain. The Smashing Sportsman battles several heroes, including the Golden AgeRobin andWildcat.[13]
The Earth-1 version isMartin Mantle Jr., an athlete whose father forced him to undergo unsafe enhancement treatments. As an adult, Mantle becomes a champion athlete, only to learn his father's procedure altered his body in a way that would eventually kill him. As the Sportsman, he briefly becomes a criminal with Olympian-level physical attributes and specialized equipment of his own design. The Sportsman battlesBatman, who allows him to "win" once he becomes aware that Mantle's life was nearing its end.[14]
Crock uses sporting-themed weapons such as explodingbaseballs, flyingbases, rocketbaseball bats, knockoutbasketballs,lacrosse snare nets, explodinghockey pucks. Their outfits generally included a baseball cap, catcher's mask, paddedjersey,catcher's chestguard,football-style pants, and cleats.[3]
Each of the Sportsmasters and Sportsmen had superb physical attributes on par with Olympic athletes in their prime. As noted above, Victor Gover also had "photographic reflexes".
An alternate timeline variant of Sportsmaster appears inFlashpoint. This version was incarcerated in Doom prison. He attempts to escape during a prison break, only to be killed byEel O'Brian.[15][16]
