History:

Nothing is known about the early life or origin of the criminal known as Copperhead. He first showed up in Gotham City several years ago where he did a number of rapid-fire thefts before he was eventually apprehended by Batman and Batgirl.

A lot of his time in prison he spent in solitary confinement as he kept getting into fights with the other inmates. During these periods in isolation Copperhead spent days concentrating on various odd yoga-like exercises that helped him gain total control of his body. A month later he used these abilities to escape from prison. However, instead of going back on another crime spree Copperhead seemingly disappeared from the face of the earth.

Copperhead spent the next couple of years mastering his skills and became a master assassin who does whatever he's paid to do by anyone. Eventually Copperhead resurfaced as he came into conflict with Flash and Hawk and Dove.

At some point Copperhead was sent after Rex Leech, Superboy's manager, to "persuade" him to come up some money that he owed a very powerful man by the name of Ira Gambolli. Copperhead caught up with Rex on Hawaii, and instead of killing him, he told him that his daughter would suffer the sins of the father.

Fortunately for Roxy, Superboy was there to protect her. For all Copperhead's amazing skill, he really couldn't do much more to Superboy other than surprise him with some really cool tactics. Due to his incredible agility, he held his own against Superboy's hardest hits, simply by not being there when he delivered, or else just rolling with the punches. Using his tactile telekinesis, Superboy connected a wire around Copperhead and connected it to a live circuit, really putting the hurt on the snake. Superboy finished him off with a nice uppercut. He was then sent to Kulani prison.

During the event known as 'Underworld Unleashed,' Neron broke Copperhead out and offered greater power in exchange for his soul. Copperhead took the offer and now he literally is a kind of snake-man, when before he was just a contortionist in a powerful snake suit.

Copperhead was intent on revenge against Superboy, since he was a master assassin and Superboy was just a rookie, and with the slimy snake's new powers, it seemed like he was going to clean the kid's clock. Still, even though Superboy had basically lost most of his powers and was close to dying from illness at the time, he bested Copperhead by body surfing him off the road they were scrapping on and of the angle of the fall. It looked to the severely weakened Superboy like Copperhead went straight into the ocean, but he was too sick to check for sure.

Copperhead has resurfaced several times since then, growing ever more violent and ever less human. After a particularly brutal attack which was to go unpunished, federal prosecutor Kate Spencer decided that enough was enough. She became the latest Manhunter, tracked Copperhead down and killed him.

Powers and Weapons:

Copperhead was a master contortionist with amazing muscular control. Formerly he wore a costume with a silicon-like coating that aided him in squeezing through small or narrow openings. The costume was woven from experimental metallic and elastic fibres, and was partially bulletproof. An artificial tail that could be stretched, coiled and constricted around opponents was built into the costume, and artificial fangs in his helmet were coated with toxic venom. As a result of his deal with Neron, Copperhead mutated into an actual serpentine form and therefore no longer wore his protective costume. His tail, now part of him, could also perform the feats that his artificial tail could. In his new serpentine form Copperhead could transfer his venom with just a touch.

Chronological Appearances:

Brave and the Bold #78 (June-July 1968): "In the Coils of the Copperhead"
Secret Society of Super-Villains #1 (May-June 1976): "Attend Or Die"
Secret Society of Super-Villains #3 (September-October 1976): "War for Earthdeath"
Secret Society of Super-Villains #6 (March-April 1977): [No Title]
Secret Society of Super-Villains #7 (May-June 1977): "Luthor's League of Super-Villains"
Secret Society of Super-Villains #8 (July-August 1977): "Let the Villain Fit the Crime"
Secret Society of Super-Villains #12 (January 1978): "The Plunder Plan"
Secret Society of Super-Villains #15 (June-July 1978): "The Wizard's War of the Worlds"
Cancelled Comic Cavalcade #2 (Fall 1978): "Murder Times Seven"
Cancelled Comic Cavalcade #2 (Fall 1978): "Death in Silver"
Crisis on Infinite Earths #5 (August 1985): "Worlds in Limbo"
Crisis on Infinite Earths #9 (December 1985): "War Zone"
Superboy Vol. 3 #11 (January 1995): "Reality Bites"
Superboy Vol. 3 #12 (February 1995): "Compound Troubles"
Underworld Unleashed #1 (November 1995): "Underworld Unleashed"
Superboy Vol. 3 #38 (April 1997): "Meltdown: Breakout"
Starman Vol. 2 #31 (June 1997): "Infernal Devices, Part 2"
Starman Vol. 2 #32 (July 1997): "Infernal Devices, Part 3"
Chase #2 (March 1998): "Letdowns"
Chase #3 (April 1998): "Pickups"
Joker: Last Laugh #2 (December 2001): "Siege Mentality"
Birds of Prey #36 (December 2001): "Canary Caged"
Joker: Last Laugh #4 (December 2001): "Everyone Knows This Is Nowhere"
Hawkman Vol. 4 #1 (May 2002): "First Impressions"
Hawkman Vol. 4 #2 (June 2002): "Into the Sky"
Hawkman Vol. 4 #3 (July 2002): "Lost in the Battlelands"
Hawkman Vol. 4 #4 (August 2002): "Beasts of Burden"
Hawkman Vol. 4 #15 (July 2003): "The Thanagarian Part One"
Adventures of Superman #621 (December 2003): "The Mack Minute"
Nightwing Vol. 2 #94 (August 2004): "Road to Nowhere Part One"
Nightwing Vol. 2 #95 (September 2004): "Road to Nowhere Part Two"
Manhunter #1 (October 2004): "Shedding Skin"
Manhunter #2 (November 2004): "Parenthood" [Dead body]
Manhunter #5 (Feburary 2005): "Four Feet Under" [Dead body]



Profile written by: Kim Jensen & Nik Stanosheck
Profile and Appearances found and copied from: DCUGuide.com