Mad Dog (DC Comics)
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Mad Dog is the name of several characters appearing in
American comic book 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 ...
s 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 ...
. Two of them are associated with
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 ...
.


Publication history

The third Mad Dog was created by writer Andersen Gabrych and artist Ale Garza. He first appeared as an enemy of
Cassandra Cain Cassandra Cain (also known as Cassandra Wayne and Cassandra Wu-San) is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Created by Kelley Puckett and Damion Scott, Cassandr ...
(then
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 ...
) in ''Batgirl'' (vol. 2) #67 (October 2005).


Fictional character biography


Lucas "Mad Dog" McGill

Lucas "Mad Dog" McGill is a highly dangerous criminal who is wanted in several states for multiple counts of murder and notorious for shooting men in the back. One night while beating a woman in the streets, he met a young
Jonah Hex Jonah Woodson Hex is a fictional antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga. Hex is a surly and cynical bounty hunter whose face is scarred on the r ...
(who was drunk at the time). In his inebriated state, Jonah Hex believed that McGill was his father Woodson Hex abusing his mother Ginny and shot him dead where he stood. He was rewarded with a substantial sum of money by the local
sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...
immediately afterward. This encounter inspired Jonah Hex to become a bounty hunter. Jonah's wife, Tall Bird, later recounted this story to historians documenting Jonah Hex's life story.


Martin "Mad Dog" Hawkins

A serial killer named Martin "Mad Dog" Hawkins was created in ''Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe'' #1 and featured in '' Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth''. Batman reads about him in Amadeus Arkham's diaries. Hawkins comes from a wealthy, prominent family, and from a young age is beaten and sexually abused by his father. He grows up to become a serial killer who rapes, mutilates, and murders women and young girls, removing their faces and sexual organs afterward. He claims to see visions of the
Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...
, who tells him to "stop the dirty sluts from spreading their disease". When he is finally caught, he is institutionalized in the State Psychiatric Hospital in
Metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural area for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big city b ...
, treated by psychiatrist Amadeus Arkham. When Arkham goes back to
Gotham City Gotham City ( ), or simply Gotham, is a fictional city in the Northeastern United States that serves as the primary city appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is best known as the home of the superhero Batman and his List ...
and opens
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 ...
, he finds that Hawkins had broken into his house and killed his wife and daughter. Hawkins is quickly captured again and sentenced to Arkham Asylum, becoming one of its first patients, once again under Amadeus Arkham's care. During their sessions, Hawkins takes great pleasure in describing the murders of Arkham's family. Arkham appears to take this all in his stride and perseveres, earning praise from his colleagues for his dedication to mental health and rehabilitation. On the anniversary of the murder, Arkham performs lethal
electroshock therapy Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a psychiatric treatment that causes a generalized seizure by passing electrical current through the brain. ECT is often used as an intervention for mental disorders when other treatments are inadequate. Condit ...
on Hawkins under the pretense of curing him.


David Cain's son

David Cain, one of the world's premier assassins, was by the nature of his profession a very lonely man and began thinking about what he would leave behind when he died. He wished for a "perfect child" – specifically a "perfect artisan of his craft". Cain, was at this time, a member of
Ra's al Ghul Ra's al Ghul is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman. Created by editor Julius Schwartz, writer Dennis O'Neil, and artist Neal Adams, the character first appeared ...
's
League of Assassins The League of Assassins (sometimes known as the League of Shadows or Society of Shadows in adapted works) is a group of supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The group is depicted as a collective of assassins who ...
. Ra's had created the League to be "the fang that protects his head", but he had grown tired of the uncertain loyalties of its members. When he learned of the theories Cain was developing to train a perfect killer, Ra's was intrigued, and supplied Cain with infant test subjects in the hopes of creating a new generation of assassins. This experiment proved disastrous; those infants that survived eventually turned on one another until only one boy remained. Ra's ordered Ubu to kill the boy "like a mad dog". The guard, however, took pity on the abused child, and secretly set him free in the woods instead. Cain and Ra's al Ghul did not know that the boy still lived, and Cain began a new experiment, raising his own daughter, Cassandra, to replace his earlier failures. Ra's al Ghul's daughter Nyssa Raatko did know that "the Mad Dog" had survived. Years later, after Ra's' death, she sought out the Mad Dog and made him a member of her new League of Assassins. She took him on as a protégé, telling him everything about the experiments, and about who he was intended to be. Cassandra gathered evidence indicating that
Lady Shiva Lady Shiva (real name Sandra Woosan or more recently Sandra Wu-San) is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was co-created by Dennis O'Neil and Ric Estrada, and first appeared in ''Richard Dragon, Ku ...
was her mother, and sought out Shiva to confirm this. At the time Shiva was the
sensei The term "先生", read in Chinese, in Japanese, in Korean, and in Vietnamese, is an honorific used in the Sinosphere. In Japanese, the term literally means "person born before another" or "one who comes before". It is generally used ...
of Nyssa's new League. When Batgirl arrived, she played a key role in the rebirth of
Mr. Freeze Mr. Freeze is the name of two supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Dave Wood and artists Sheldon Moldoff and Bob Kane, the character initially debuted in ''Batman'' #121 (February 1959) as Mr. ...
's wife Nora Fries as Lazara, and several League members died in the resulting chaos. Due to the conflict between their loyalty to Shiva and Nyssa and their near-worship of Batgirl as "the One Who is All" the League split at that point, with several members pledging themselves to Cassandra. Several more members of the League died when the Mad Dog went on a killing spree. The Mad Dog later kills Batgirl, but Shiva quickly resurrects her with a Lazarus Pit.


Rex

In the
New 52 The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic books. Following the conclusion of the " Flashpoint" crossover storyline, DC cancelled all its existing titles and debuted 52 new ser ...
(a
reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...
of DC's continuity), a new character named Mad Dog appeared with only his first name reveled Rex. This version of the character is a bounty hunter for an unnamed organization that "pays his bills", but has ties to the
League of Assassins The League of Assassins (sometimes known as the League of Shadows or Society of Shadows in adapted works) is a group of supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The group is depicted as a collective of assassins who ...
and
Leviathan Leviathan ( ; ; ) is a sea serpent demon noted in theology and mythology. It is referenced in several books of the Hebrew Bible, including Psalms, the Book of Job, the Book of Isaiah, and the pseudepigraphical Book of Enoch. Leviathan is of ...
. He is hired to go after 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 ...
to recover a newborn baby the Squad had kidnapped. Mad Dog knows
Deadshot Deadshot is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer David Vern Reed and artist Lew Sayre Schwartz based on a concept from Bob Kane, the character first appeared in ''Batman (comic book), Batman ...
's secret identity, and is surprised that Deadshot is a member of the Squad and not incarcerated at Belle Reve. While using thermal vision on his mask to see through smoke, Mad Dog shoots Black Spider in the chest and blows up a diner with Black Spider and El Diablo inside. Before he can fire any more shots and steal "the package",
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 ...
releases knockout gas to prevent further gunfire. Mad Dog and his team find Deadshot and Harley at their hideout and chase them inside. Harley has once again turned on the gas to prevent any gunfire from Mad Dog inside the hideout. They evacuate the building, which then explodes. As Mad Dog flees, swearing revenge on Deadshot, he encounters
King Shark King Shark is a supervillain and later antihero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The character, also known as Nanaue, was created by writer Karl Kesel and artist Tom Grummett. King Shark's first key appearance was in ''Superboy (c ...
. When King Shark rejoins his fellow Squad members, he is seen wearing Mad Dog's necklace, implying that he killed him. During
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 ...
, Mad Dog appears on the one-shot special ''Suicide Squad: War Crimes Special'' #1. After being charged with a crime he claims he did not commit, he is forced to join Amanda Waller's Task Force X. Like the other members, he has a bomb implanted in his brain which will detonate and kill him if he fails a mission or is captured. During a mission to retrieve a retired American politician who had been kidnapped and taken to Europe to be tried for war crimes, Mad Dog is injured and asks
Captain Boomerang Captain Boomerang is the name of two supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, who respectively serve as enemies to both the Barry Allen and Wally West versions of the Flash (DC Comics character), Flash. Created by wr ...
to help him get on the escape vehicle. Boomerang betrays him by kicking him off the vehicle, allowing him to be captured. To prevent the mission from being compromised, Waller detonates Mad Dog's implant, killing him.


In other media

An original, African-American incarnation of "Mad Dog" appears in the ''
Batwoman Batwoman is a name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, depicted as female counterparts and allies of Batman similarly to Batgirl. The original version of the character, Kathy Kane (eventually given t ...
'' episode "Off With Her Head", portrayed by Jarett John. This version is a small-time gangster.


References


External links

* Mad Dog (Lucas McGill) at DC Comics Wiki * Mad Dog (Martin Hawkins) at DC Comics Wiki
Mad Dog III
at DC Comics Wiki {{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130222020235/http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Mad_Dog_(New_Earth) , date=2013-02-22 * Mad Dog IV at DC Comics Wiki Comics characters introduced in 1989 Comics characters introduced in 2005 DC Comics martial artists DC Comics male supervillains Fiction about self-harm Fictional assassins in comics Fictional bounty hunters Fictional characters involved in incest Fictional murderers of children Fictional pedophiles Fictional rapists Fictional serial killers Fictional victims of child sexual abuse Suicide Squad members