Sportsmaster

The Sportsmaster is the name of different supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC 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 of Paula Brooks and the father of Artemis Crock.

Crusher / Sportsmaster appeared in '' Young Justice'', voiced by Nick Chinlund, and '' Stargirl'', portrayed by Neil Hopkins.

Publication history

The Lawrence Crock incarnation of Sportsmaster first appeared in '' All-American Comics'' #85 (May 1947) and was created by writer John Broome and artist Irwin Hasen.

The Victor Gover incarnation of Sportsmaster first appeared in '' Manhunter'' #17 and was created by John Ostrander, Doug Rice, and Kim Yale.

Fictional character biography

Lawrence "Crusher" Crock

Earth-Two version

He was the foe of the original Green Lantern and Wildcat. He was first known as Crusher Crock, a frustrated athlete who turns to a life of crime. He was a member of different incarnations of the Injustice Society. He helped capture the JSA using an exploding ball, after which they were hypnotized and then during the Patriotic Crimes he steals Old Ironside. He teams up with (and later marries) the Golden Age villainess Huntress. Later they have a child named Artemis 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 of Injustice Unlimited.

In '' Final Crisis'', Sportsmaster appears as one of General Immortus' followers.

In '' The New 52'' continuity reboot, Sportsmaster appears as a member of Leviathan.

Victor Gover

The second Sportsmaster is Victor Gover, an African-American former football player who possessed "photographic reflexes". Blacklisted from the world of professional sports after his metahuman abilities are exposed, Gover becomes a criminal and enemy of Manhunter. He later joins the Suicide Squad for one mission during '' War of the Gods''.

Following '' Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!'', Gover is reimagined as a powerless white athlete and gambling addict. Wildcat later beats Gover, forcing him to retire and attend Gamblers Anonymous.

Sportsmen

Sportsman is the name of two characters modeled after the original Sportsmaster.

The Earth-2 version is a telekinetic metahuman whose abilities are derived from an anti-proton globe. However, the globe affects his brain, forcing him into crime.

The Earth-1 version is Martin Mantle, an athlete whose father forced him to undergo unsafe enhancement treatments that will eventually kill him. As the Sportsman, he possesses Olympian-level physical attributes and specialized equipment of his own design.

Powers and abilities

Crock uses sporting-themed weapons such as exploding baseballs, flying bases, rocket baseball bats, knockout basketballs, lacrosse snare nets, exploding hockey pucks. Their outfits generally included a baseball cap, catcher's mask, padded jersey, catcher's chestguard, football-style pants, and cleats.

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".

Other versions

An alternate timeline variant of Sportsmaster appears in '' Flashpoint''. This version was incarcerated in Doom prison. He attempts to escape during a prison break, only to be killed by Eel O'Brian.

In other media

Television

* A character based on Sportsmaster named Sportsman appears in the '' Justice League'' two-part episode "Legends", voiced by Michael McKean. 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. He is a supervillain from an alternate universe and member of the Injustice Guild.
* An unidentified Sportsmaster makes non-speaking cameo appearances in '' Justice League Unlimited''. This version is a member of Gorilla Grodd's Secret Society.
* The Lawrence "Crusher" Crock incarnation of Sportsmaster appears in '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'', voiced by Thomas F. Wilson. 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 Lawrence "Crusher" Crock incarnation of Sportsmaster appears in '' Young Justice'', voiced by Nick Chinlund. This version is the ex-husband of the Huntress, with whom he has two daughters, Artemis Crock and Cheshire. Additionally, he is a former member of Ra's al Ghul's League of Shadows who became the top assassin and enforcer of Project Cadmus' Board of Directors, the Light. In the first season, Sportsmaster uses his relationship to Artemis to blackmail her into joining the Light, only for her to betray and capture him. Having escaped sometime before the second season, during which he was replaced by Deathstroke, he vows vengeance on Black Manta for Artemis' apparent murder at the hands of Manta's son, Kaldur'ahm, but lays his vendetta to rest when he discovers that Artemis faked her death to infiltrate the Light.
* The Lawrence "Crusher" Crock incarnation of Sportsmaster appears in '' Stargirl'', portrayed by Neil Hopkins. This version is a member of the Injustice Society of America (ISA). In the pilot episode, Sportsmaster partook in the ISA's attack on the Justice Society of America (JSA)'s headquarters. In the two-part episode "Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E.", Sportsmaster assists the ISA in enacting Project: New America, only to be foiled and defeated by Stargirl's JSA. In the episode "Summer School: Chapter Thirteen", Artemis Crock breaks Sportsmaster and Tigress out of prison so that they can help Cindy Burman and the JSA fight Eclipso. Following this, the Crock family move in next door to the Whitmore-Dugan family. In the third season, Sportsmaster and Tigress work with the JSA to investigate Gambler's death and find the person responsible for spying on Blue Valley's citizens until they are killed by Icicle.

Film

* The ''Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' incarnation of Sportsmaster makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in '' Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold''.
* Sportsmaster was considered to appear in '' The Suicide Squad'' as a member of the eponymous team.

Video games

* The Lawrence "Crusher" Crock incarnation of Sportsmaster appears as a character summon in '' Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''.
* The ''Young Justice'' incarnation of Lawrence "Crusher" Crock / Sportsmaster appears as a boss in '' Young Justice: Legacy'', voiced again by Nick Chinlund.

References

{{Earth-Two
Characters created by John Broome
Characters created by John Ostrander
Comics characters introduced in 1947
Comics characters introduced in 1989
Earth-Two
Fictional male sportspeople
Fictional mercenaries in comics
Fictional players of American football
DC Comics male supervillains
DC Comics supervillains
Golden Age supervillains