Hector Hammond is a DC Universe supervillain who is primarily an enemy of Green Lantern. The character was created by John Broome and Gil Kane, and originally appeared in Green Lantern (vol. 2) #5 (March–April 1961). Unlike many supervillains, Hammond does not use an alias. Peter Sarsgaard played the role of Hammond in the 2011 film Green Lantern.

Biographie

Hammond is a petty criminal on the run from the law when he discovers the fragments of a strange meteor in the woods (later retconned as part of the same meteor that lands in Africa, super-evolving Gorilla Grodd and the other gorillas of Gorilla City). Observing that radiation from the meteor has caused the nearby plants to evolve rapidly, Hammond decides to kidnap four scientists and expose them to the meteor on a remote island. The radiation causes their intellects to evolve, but also has the side effect of sapping their wills. Hammond is able to force the scientists to use their heightened intellect to create amazing new inventions, which Hammond sells for his own profit.

Hammond rapidly becomes a rich celebrity due to the wealth he has acquired. Green Lantern Hal Jordan asks his friend and mechanic, Thomas Kalmaku, to take on the role of the Green Lantern while Jordan investigates Hammond. Jordan creates a duplicate power ring and costume for Kalmaku to fool Hammond, and tells him to fly above Coast City so it would be thought Green Lantern was there. The scientists tried to use a device to bring this Green Lantern to them, but the ring was first pulled off his finger and fell on the island, where Hammond found it. Unaware of the impersonation, Hammond steals his ring and turns Kalmaku into a chimpanzee. Jordan confronts Hammond personally in a battle of power rings that ends only when the charge of Hammond's ring runs out, allowing Jordan to capture him and restore Kalmaku and the scientists. He removed the scientist's memory of their knowledge, and got rid of the inventions as well, feeling humanity should advance more steadily.

Hammond returns in Justice League of America #14 (September 1962), where he has managed to escape from prison and deliberately exposes himself to the meteorite. The radiation causes his brain to grow to enormous size, granting him psionic powers as well as immortality in the process. He captures Green Lantern using a "de-memorizer" invented by Amos Fortune, but he is later captured. Unfortunately, his body becomes immobilized, and he loses the power to speak. Trapped in a motionless state, Hammond is still able to use his psionic powers to control the minds of others. He attempts to steal the Green Lantern's ring, but Jordan manages to command his ring to drain itself of power when it leaves his finger, after which Jordan renders Hammond unconscious.

Hammond is responsible for the creation of the second Royal Flush Gang in Justice League of America #203 (June 1982). Hammond and the Gang are defeated when Dr. Martin Stein, one half of the superhero Firestorm, subdues Hammond on the astral plane.

He was involved with erasing the world's memories of the JLA in Justice Leagues.

In addition to battling Hal Jordan, Hammond has also fought Green Lanterns Alan Scott and Kyle Rayner.




After Green Lantern: Rebirth
Following the 2004-2005 miniseries Green Lantern: Rebirth, in which Hal Jordan was resurrected, vindicated for his past crimes and returned as the star of the Green Lantern core series, Hammond reappeared as one of his adversaries. Recently, after his capture and further experimentation by the Kroloteans the aliens who sent the meteor that gave him his powers, he seems to have recovered the ability to speak without using telepathy.

Hammond appears in Infinite Crisis: Villains United special, in which he is broken out of prison along with several other supervillains and was seen as a member of Alexander Luthor, Jr.'s Secret Society of Super Villains.


"Secret Origin"
Hammond appears in the 2008 storyline Green Lantern: Secret Origin, a re-telling of Hal Jordan's first days as a Green Lantern. In that storyline, Hammond aspires to be Carol Ferris' boyfriend, feelings that are not reciprocated by Ferris, who merely went out to one dinner with him for business purposes, as he is a private consultant for Ferris Aircraft. While inspecting Abin Sur's crashed spacecraft, Hammond is affected by the meteorite fragment used as a power source in its reactor, which results in an increase in his brain size and telepathic abilities, with which he learns Jordan is a Green Lantern. He attempts to use his telepathy to keep Hal from using his ring, but is thwarted by Sinestro. It is revealed that Hammond wants the power of a god in order to gain revenge on Hal Jordan/Green Lantern.


Brightest Day
Hammond's telepathic thoughts are shown from Belle Reve Prison, stating "It has Parallax", after an unknown force pulled Parallax away. Afterwards, Krona helps Hammond get out of prison, to pursue the entity trapped inside Larfleeze's lantern. Hammond attacks Larfleeze and Hal Jordan, and during the fight manages to swallow Larfleeze's battery, allowing the entity, Ophidian, to possess his body just as Parallax possessed Hal's. The battle with Ophidian does not go very well for Hal or Larfleeze. While fleeing Ophidian, Larfleeze admits that he was not entirely honest about his ownership of the orange lantern and that he and Ophidian have a rather antagonistic relationship, however he is quick to blame Ophidian for starting whatever it was that came between them. Ophidian states that Larfleeze was the only being in the universe capable of resisting his temptations thereby allowing Larfleeze to subdue him and become Agent Orange, and now it's Larfleeze's turn to be subdued and used by Ophidian, Ophidian then attempts to devour Larfleeze but he is saved by Hal. After that the desires of Hector begin to override those of Ophidian and he leaves to search for his ultimate desire "Carol Ferris".

Ophidian would later apparently reassert its hold on Hector as he was seen joining Krona, and even helping the renegade Guardian of the Universe discover the location of the Butcher with its disruptive powers, and was last seen returning with Krona to Ryut where he will begin purging the universe of all emotionally unbalanced beings.

Hector's fate afterwards remains unknown as the Orange Battery is seen in the Book of the Black which prompted Larfleeze to try to recover it only to be trapped himself in the Book and Ophidian is seen without its host, launching along with the other entities and Krona an attack on Oa, where it possessed a Guardian of the Universe.


The New 52
In Superman #18 as part of The New 52 (a reboot of the DC Comics universe), a comatose Hector Hammond appears as a prisoner in S.T.A.R Labs, where he suddenly recovers the ability to dream. However, when Orion arrives in the lab looking for Superman, he detects Hammond to be brain dead and leaves.

Hector Hammond is seen in an uneasy alliance with the H.I.V.E.

During the Forever Evil storyline, Hector Hammond is among the villains recruited by the Crime Syndicate of America to join the Secret Society of Super Villains.

Ses meilleurs films