Kite Man (Charles "Chuck" Brown) 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

comic books A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

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 ...

who uses kite-based weapons to commit crimes. He is commonly depicted as an adversary of

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 ...

. His name is an homage to ''

Peanuts ''Peanuts'' (briefly subtitled ''featuring Good ol' Charlie Brown'') is a print syndication, syndicated daily strip, daily and Sunday strip, Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run ext ...

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

Charlie Brown Charles "Charlie" Brown is the Protagonist, principal character of the comic strip ''Peanuts'', syndicated in daily newspaper, daily and Sunday newspapers in numerous countries all over the world. Depicted as a "lovable loser", Charlie Brown ...

, due to the latter character commonly being shown flying kites into trees. The character has been generally regarded as a joke in comparison with other supervillains due to his dimwitted personality and laughable gimmick. However, with his appearance in the

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 ...

arc "The War of Jokes and Riddles", Kite Man gained a reputation as a cult favorite character among fans, due to his tragic backstory, persistence and motivation to become a better villain, and his catchphrase "Kite Man, hell yeah!". In recent years, Kite Man has been adapted into several forms of media outside of comics, such as the adult animated series ''

Harley Quinn Harley Quinn (Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel, PhD) is a fictional American character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm for ''Batman: The Animated Series'' as a henchwoman for the ...

'', in which he is voiced by Matt Oberg. Oberg reprises his role in the spin-off series '' Kite Man: Hell Yeah!''.

Publication history

Kite Man first appeared in ''

'' #133 (August 1960), and was created by writer

Bill Finger Milton "Bill" Finger (February 8, 1914 – ) was an American comic book writer who co-created the DC Comics character Batman with Bob Kane. Despite making major (sometimes, signature) contributions as an innovative writer, visionary mythos/world ...

and artist

Dick Sprang Richard W. Sprang (July 28, 1915 – May 10, 2000)Richard Sprang
United States

...

. He subsequently appeared in ''Batman'' #315 (September 1979) by

Len Wein Leonard Norman Wein (; June 12, 1948 – September 10, 2017) was an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine (character), Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel sup ...

Tony Isabella Jenny Blake Isabella (born December 22, 1951), who writes under the names Tony Isabella and Jenny Blake, is an Americans, American comic book writer, editor, actor, artist and critic. She is the creator of Marvel Comics superhero Bill Foster (com ...

would use the character in ''

Hawkman Hawkman is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1, published by All-American ...

'' #4 (November 1986), giving him the name Chuck and the catchphrase "Rats!" after

. Following this, he was primarily used as a minor character before being featured in Tom King's

Batman series.

Fictional character biography

Charles "Chuck" Brown is a man who armed himself with kite weapons to be used to commit acts of evil. He flies with a big kite strapped to himself or in a kite plane. He also uses an array of specialty kites to overwhelm his enemies and commit crimes. In his first appearance (which he announces), in ''Batman'' #133, he first drops tear gas from his kite to steal a precious ruby then frees mobster Big Bill Collins, nearly killing Robin along the way and capturing Batman. Leaving mobsters to guard Batman's room, on his return Kite Man is defeated when Robin returns, frees Batman and they use his own amazing Kite weapons against him, leaving a Kite Plane trophy on the

Batcave The Batcave is a subterranean location appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is the headquarters of the superhero Batman, whose secret identity is Bruce Wayne and his partners, consisting of caves beneath his personal r ...

wall. Writer

brought him back in a story about payroll heists.''Batman'' #315 (September 1979)

Hawkgirl Hawkgirl is the name of several superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original Hawkgirl, Shiera Sanders Hall, was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, and first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' ...

, and

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 ...

confront him again, in Hawkman's title. His real name is revealed. Zatanna defeats him in midair, and he falls into a tree and exclaims "Rats!" Kite Man is one of many criminals to take advantage of the supervillain-friendly atmosphere of the country Zandia. He ends up joining its sports team and later becomes involved in a fight against an invading troop of superheroes. In ''

Infinite Crisis "Infinite Crisis" is a 2005–2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, ...

'', Joker reports that Brown was thrown off Wayne Tower without his kite by

Deathstroke Deathstroke is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, the character first appeared in ''The New Teen Titans'' #2 (December 1980) as Deathstroke the Terminator. In his co ...

after refusing to join the

Secret Society of Super Villains Secret Society of Super Villains (SSoSV) is a DC Comics title that debuted in May–June 1976. The series presented a group of DC's supervillains, mostly foes of the Justice League, Justice League of America. The series was cancelled with issue #1 ...

. In '' 52'', Kite Man is revealed to have survived, but is killed by

Bruno Mannheim Bruno "Ugly" Mannheim is a supervillain appearing American comic books published by DC Comics. He is an Intergang crime boss who is the son of Moxie Mannheim and one of Superman's List of Superman enemies, enemies. Chad L. Coleman portrayed Mannhe ...

DC Rebirth

Kite Man appears in the

universe. This version is referred to as Charles, Chuck, and Charlie Brown. He seems to be happier, constantly chanting the catch-phrase "Kite Man, hell yeah!", a reference to his son, Charles Brown Jr.'s reaction to the first time he tried flying a kite. He first appears robbing a luxurious party before being foiled by Gotham Girl. He is then seen in a prison cell in

Arkham Asylum Arkham Asylum () is a fictional psychiatric hospital appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in stories featuring Batman. It first appeared in ''Batman'' #258 (October 1974), written by Dennis O'Neil with art by Irv N ...

as Batman walks down the aisles looking for criminals. At some point, he escapes, as he is later one of the many villains taken down by Batman and Catwoman after he takes her along with him on an average night of his job in Gotham City. Kite Man later sold a kite to a pawn shop, where Headhunter purchased it to use to kill

Swamp Thing Swamp Thing is a superhero and antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several different incarnations throughout his publication. The ch ...

's father. Batman and Swamp Thing interrogated Kite Man later. In a story set during the early years of Batman's career, it is revealed that he studied wind in school. He was a divorced father, became an alcoholic and began a life of criminal activities, eventually being recruited by the Joker to design the Jokermobile. During "The War of Jokes and Riddles", he becomes encircled by Batman, who commands him to get the Joker's phone number and, later, to meet him. Shortly after, the

Riddler The Riddler (Edward Nigma, later Edward Nygma or Edward Nashton) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, and debuted in ''Detective Comics'' #140 in O ...

kidnaps Charles, wanting to know about his future meeting with the Joker. After being freed, he is kidnapped again, this time by the Joker, who tells him about his encounters with Batman and the Riddler. He is then forced to serve as a suicide bomber by the Joker to kill Batman, but realizes that the bomb is fake. Charles Brown Jr., his son, is poisoned by the Riddler and subsequently dies. Wanting to get revenge on the Riddler, Charles Brown creates the persona of Kite Man to join the Joker's side. After Batman joins the Riddler's side on the war he starts to defeat every villain on Joker's side, leaving Kite Man for last. When Kite Man is captured he tells Batman and the Riddler about Joker's last secret hideout on a building and provides them and all the villains on Riddler's side kites so they can infiltrate it. After breaking inside, Riddler and his villains turn against Batman, who tells Kite Man to activate the jet-propelled inverse parachutes in their packs, making the villains ascend to be captured by

Alfred Pennyworth Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth, originally Alfred Beagle and commonly known simply as Alfred, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, most commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Alfred is ...

in the Bat-Blimp. After a scuffle, the Riddler then reveals that the creation of Kite Man, and his own defeat at Kite Man's hands, was part of an unsuccessful plan to solve the Joker's depression and make him laugh again.

Other versions

An alternate timeline variant of Kite Man makes a cameo appearance in '' Flashpoint: Batman Knight of Vengeance'' as one of several supervillains who had been killed by

In other media

Television

* Kite Man appears in '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'', voiced by

Jeffrey Combs Jeffrey Alan Combs (born September 9, 1954) is an American actor. He is best known for starring as Herbert West in the ''Re-Animator'' film series (1985–2003) and portraying multiple characters in the ''Star Trek'' universe, most notably the ...

. 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. As a boy, this version was obsessed with

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

and attempted to recreate his famous

kite experiment The kite experiment is a scientific experiment in which a kite with a pointed conductive wire attached to its apex is flown near thunder clouds to collect static electricity from the air and conduct it down the wet kite string to the ground. Th ...

. However, he failed to take adequate safety precautions and the subsequent electrical shock psychologically traumatized him, forcing him into crime. Throughout his appearances, he battles Batman before being petrified by a theta beam gun he developed to defeat

Plastic Man Plastic Man (Patrick "Eel" O'Brian) is a superhero featured in American comic books first appearing in ''Police Comics'' #1, originally published by Quality Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. Created by cartoonist Jack Cole (artist), Jack Co ...

. ** Additionally, an unnamed, heroic, alternate universe variant of Kite Man makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the episode "Deep Cover for Batman!". * Kite Man appears in ''

'', voiced by Matt Oberg. This version is a dimwitted but usually well-meaning criminal known for his catchphrase "Kite Man, hell yeah!" and for trying to pick up women. Additionally, he is the son of metahuman parents, Darryl and Wendy Brown, who are disappointed with their son for not having powers like them. During the first two seasons, he serves as

Poison Ivy Poison ivy is a type of allergenic plant in the genus '' Toxicodendron'' native to Asia and North America. Formerly considered a single species, '' Toxicodendron radicans'', poison ivies are now generally treated as a complex of three separate s ...

's love interest until he breaks up with her after realizing that Ivy does not truly reciprocate his feelings. As of the third season, he has begun dating

Golden Glider Golden Glider (Lisa Snart) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She is the younger sister of Captain Cold and enemy of the Flash (DC Comics character), Flash. Lisa Snart appeared in the The Flash (season 1) ...

. ** Kite Man appears in the spin-off '' Kite Man: Hell Yeah!'', voiced again by Oberg. * Kite Man makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the ''

DC Super Hero Girls ''DC Super Hero Girls'', also released as ''DC Superhero Girls'', is an American animated superhero web series produced by Warner Bros. Animation for Cartoon Network based on characters from DC Entertainment that launched in the third quarter ...

'' episode "#LeagueOfShadows".

Film

* Kite Man makes a minor appearance in ''

The Lego Batman Movie ''The Lego Batman Movie'' is a 2017 animated superhero comedy film, based on characters created by DC Comics and the Lego Batman toy line. It was directed by Chris McKay (in his feature directorial debut) from a screenplay that is based on a ...

''. *

James Gunn James Francis Gunn Jr. (born August 5, 1966) is an American filmmaker. He began his career as a screenwriter in the mid-1990s, starting at Troma Entertainment with ''Tromeo and Juliet'' (1996). He then began working as a director, starting wi ...

, director of '' The Suicide Squad'', briefly considered adding Kite Man to the titular team, but eventually decided against it, believing it was not "the freshest way to go". However, he remained open to an appearance in a sequel.

Video games

* Kite Man appears as a character summon in '' Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''. * Kite Man appears as a playable character in '' Lego DC Super-Villains'', voiced again by Jeffrey Combs. This version is a member of the

Legion of Doom The Legion of Doom is a group of supervillains who originated in '' Challenge of the Superfriends'', an animated series from Hanna-Barbera based on DC Comics' Justice League. The Legion of Doom has since been incorporated into the main DC Univers ...

. * Kite Man appears as a playable character in ''DC Legends''.

References

External links

DCU Guide: Kite Man
{{Young Justice Batman characters Comics characters introduced in 1960 Characters created by Bill Finger DC Comics male supervillains DC Comics supervillains Fictional aviators Kites