Cavalier (Mortimer Drake) is a

supervillain A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...

appearing in

American comic books An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

published by

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

Publication history

The character first appeared in ''

Detective Comics ''Detective Comics'' (later retitled as ''Batman Detective Comics'') is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is ...

'' #81 (November 1943) and was created by Don Cameron and Bob Kane.

Fictional character biography

Mortimer Drake

Mortimer Drake is a man of exotic and

idiosyncratic An idiosyncrasy is a unique feature of something. The term is often used to express peculiarity. Etymology The term "idiosyncrasy" originates from Greek ', "a peculiar temperament, habit of body" (from ', "one's own", ', "with" and ', "blend ...

taste who turns to crime to obtain exotic valuables for his collection. His code of gallantry was important to him; in one story, he helps an old woman carry groceries while in the middle of making his escape. Drake matched wits against

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

and Robin several times, and escaped them in each encounter, but Batman deduces the Cavalier's identity, leading to Drake's imprisonment. In '' Batman Family'' #10 and #15, Cavalier allies with Killer Moth and temporarily abandons his code of honor to battle

Batgirl Batgirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, depicted as female counterparts and allies to the superhero Batman. The character Bette Kane, Betty Kane was introduced into publica ...

. Before ''

Crisis on Infinite Earths ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' is a 1985 to 1986 American comic book fictional crossover, crossover series published by DC Comics. Written by Marv Wolfman and penciller, pencilled by George Pérez, it was first released as a 12-issue limited ser ...

'', the Cavalier existed on both Earth-One and

Earth-Two Earth-Two (also Earth 2) is a setting for stories (a "fictional universe") appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. First appearing in ''The Flash'' #123 (1961), Earth-Two was created to explain differences between the original ...

. The stories where he harmed women are established as existing on Earth-B, an alternate Earth that includes various non-canon stories. Post-''Crisis'', Cavalier is revealed to be in a closeted gay relationship with Captain Stingaree. In '' Batman: Battle for the Cowl'', Cavalier temporarily becomes Leslie Thompkins' bodyguard. In ''

The New 52 The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero American comic books, comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint (comics), Flashpoint" Fictional crossover, cros ...

'' continuity reboot, Cavalier wields the strength-enhancing drug Venom.

Hudson Pyle

The second incarnation of Cavalier, Hudson Pyle, was created by writer James Robinson and writer Tim Sale, and first appeared in ''Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight'' #32 (June 1992). Pyle is a former Hollywood stuntman who becomes the vigilante Cavalier in search of fame. He battles Batman before being killed by police officers. In '' Blackest Night'', Cavalier returns as a

Black Lantern The Black Lantern Corps is a fictional organization of wikt:corporeal, corporeal revenants (resembling intelligent zombies or jiangshi) appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, related to the emotional spectrum. The group is composed of d ...

''DC Rebirth''

An unidentified Cavalier resembling the Hudson Pyle incarnation appears in ''

DC Rebirth DC Rebirth is a 2016 relaunch by the American comic book publisher DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero comic book titles. Using the end of The New 52 (2011–2016) initiative in May 2016 as its launching point ...

'' as a member of the

Suicide Squad The Suicide Squad is an antihero/supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the Suicide Squad debuted in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #25 (September 1959) and the second and modern version, cre ...

before being killed during his first mission.

Powers and abilities

While he has no superhuman abilities, the Cavalier is a skilled athlete, hand-to-hand combatant, and swordsman who carries a rapier that emits electric blasts. Additionally, the feather plume in his hat is a steel-tipped dart.

In other media

Television

* The Cavalier was considered to appear in ''

The New Batman Adventures ''The New Batman Adventures'' (often shortened as ''TNBA'') is an American animated superhero television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, which aired on Kids' WB from September 13, 1997 to January 16, 1999. Produced by Warner Br ...

''. Regarding the character, producer and writer

Paul Dini Paul McClaran Dini (; born August 7, 1957) is an American writer, animator, and comic book artist. He has served as a producer and writer for several Warner Bros. Animation/DC Comics animated series, most notably ''Batman: The Animated Series' ...

once stated: "We've thought about using the Cavalier, and will probably get around to telling his story sooner or later". Later, Dini stated that the Cavalier's chances for an appearance in the series had become a "long shot". Ultimately, the Cavalier did not appear in the show. * The Mortimer Drake incarnation of the Cavalier appears in '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'', voiced by Greg Ellis. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. * The Mortimer Drake incarnation of the Cavalier appears in the '' DC Super Hero Girls'' episode "#DramaQueen", voiced by Griffin Puatu. This version is a student and stage actor at Metropolis High School who holds a grudge against

Zatanna Zatanna Zatara (), known mononymously as Zatanna, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson, and first appeared in ''Hawkman (comic book), Hawkman'' #4 (N ...

for upstaging him in an elementary school play.

Video games

The Mortimer Drake incarnation of the Cavalier appears as a character summon in '' Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''.

Miscellaneous

* The Cavalier appears in the BBC radio adaptation of '' Batman: Knightfall'', voiced by

Kerry Shale Kerry Shale (born 4 June 1952) is a Canadian actor based in London, England. His BBC Radio 4 comedy-drama ''The Kubrick Test'' was broadcast in 2020. He is the co-host of ''Is It Rolling, Bob? Talking Dylan'', a podcast about Bob Dylan ...

.Archived a
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Wayback Machine
* The Cavalier appears in ''

The Batman Adventures ''The Batman Adventures'' is a DC Comics comic book series featuring Batman, set in the universe of Batman: The Animated Series and its successors. Overview ''The Batman Adventures'' was created to tie-in with the '' Batman: The Animated Series' ...

'' #1.

References

External links

DCU Guide: Cavalier (Mortimer Drake)

DCU Guide: Cavalier (Hudson Pyle)
{{Batman characters Batman characters Characters created by Bob Kane Characters created by James Robinson Comics characters introduced in 1943 Comics characters introduced in 1992 DC Comics LGBTQ supervillains DC Comics male supervillains Fictional gay men Fictional stunt performers Fictional swordfighters in comics Golden Age supervillains Suicide Squad members Vigilante characters in comics