Clownhunter is a vigilante who emerged during the Joker War.
History
Encounter with the Joker
Bao Pham was the son of pho restaurant owners who owned a shop in the Gotham Narrows. His parents were murdered by the Joker, who patroned their restaurant on the suggestion of Harley Quinn and dosed them with Joker gas after the meal. The crime scene was visited by Batman, who Bao tearfully implored to ensure the Joker could not attack anyone else.[2] Still trusting in superheroes, he believed that Batman would succeed and found comfort in fantasies of Wonder Woman hugging him as reassurance that things will be fine as he continued life alone.
Becoming Clownhunter
The hunt begins
Every time the Joker made a reappearance, Bao hoped that Batman would try something different to stop him for good. He slowly stopped believing with time, though he kept a Batarang on his wall as a reminder of Batman's promise. About five years after his parents' death, the Joker set his goons upon Gotham City for a final war with Batman. On the third day of this Joker War, the goons set fire to an elderly neighbor. Bao took down the batarang, tied it to a baseball bat, and used it to get revenge on the thugs that immolated her.[2]
Deciding to take things into his own hands as the "Clownhunter", he started killing Joker's clown gang wherever he found them, something his neighborhood supported.[3] As his body count grew, the Joker personally sent a gang of four reputed goons - Snap, Krakle, Pop and Big Ed. Clownhunter killed three of them and personally got down to face the leader Big Ed. As the two fought, his mask fell off and Ed realized he was just a kid, before viewing the Batarang and realizing he had idolized Batman. He told him that killing others wasn't for him and Bats didn't kill. Bao however stated that Batman had failed to save everyone from Joker's clowns.[4]
Batman encountered Bao's dead parents that the Joker had turned into zombified versions of himself using the Designer's chemical formula and set them upon the vigilante in the Monarch Theater, in order to mentally manipulate him. Batman however escaped after setting the theater on fire. This infuriated Clownhunter, especially after learning that it wasn't certain Joker had died after his defeat. He was approached by Batman personally, whom he got into an argument with over killing Joker's men. Batman then told him to get professional help, giving him the card of Leslie Thompkins and warning he'll come after him if he continues down his path.[5]
A Change of Heart
Taking on Ghost-Maker
Bao's activity was monitored by the Ghost-Maker, a rival of Batman and a fellow crime-fighter who came to Gotham to give the Dark Knight a lesson. The Ghost-Maker thought Clownhunter was a menace and decided to kill him as a message to Batman.[6] Bao was attempting to finally get his revenge on Harley Quinn by firing a projectile at her apartment when he was confronted by Ghost-Maker. Batman rescued him, and Clownhunter kept on pursuing his mission until he was subdued.[7]
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Fear State
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Powers and Abilities
Abilities
Paraphernalia
Weapons
- Bat-Bat: Clownhunter uses a modified baseball bat with a Batarang attached to it as his main weapon.
- Multiple firearms
Trivia
- As of Batman (Volume 3) #103, Bao was 17 years old.
- Clownhunter has a kill count of at least 27 people.[8]
- Bao's favorite hobby is playing video games, which he enjoys because they are straightforward and reward players for following through on missions.[2]
Related
- 42 Appearances of Bao Pham (Prime Earth)
- 25 Images featuring Bao Pham (Prime Earth)
- 1 Quotations by or about Bao Pham (Prime Earth)
- Character Gallery: Bao Pham (Prime Earth)
Footnotes
  This character is or was an incarnation of or an ally of Batman, and a member of the Batman Family. This template will automatically categorize articles that include it into the "Batman Family members" category. |