This is an in-universe article with out-of-universe material.
The Invisible Man, Hawley Griffin, was a member of the Murray Group.
History
The Invisible Man ends with Griffin being surrounded and beaten to death by a mob after going insane and attempting to start an "epoch of the Invisible Man" with himself as ruler of the world. In the plotline of the League, Griffin escaped the mob, who actually killed an innocent albino who Griffin had made invisible as means of a decoy. He then escaped to a girls' school run by Miss Rosa Coote, having his way with the students and resulting in a number of "immaculate conceptions".
In issue 2 of the first volume, after acquiring Dr. Jekyll, Campion Bond dispatched Mina Murray, Allan Quatermain, and Captain Nemo. The three stay the night, and Miss Murray manages to capture him while he rapes Polly "Pollyanna" Whittier. They return him to the League headquarters at the Secret Annexe of the British Museum, where in exchange for a pardon for his crimes, a search for a cure to his invisibility, and a large sum of money, Griffin agrees to join the League.
Throughout the rest of Volume I, Griffin participated in the fight against the Devil Doctor and Professor Moriarty; it was by his shadowing of Bond back to MI5 that he learned that Moriarty was M. Throughout the adventure, he often stated his low view of the rest of humanity (even murdering an innocent police officer because he was cold and wanted the man's clothing) and nearly abandoned the rest of the team by trying to take the Victoria when Moriarty's airship began to fall, but remained a member of the team.
That changed starting in Volume II, issue 2. After witnessing the Horsell Offensive at the start of the Martian invasion and listening to Nemo's statements concerning their weaponry, Griffin came to the conclusion that mankind was doomed, and made an alliance with the Martians: he would help them conquer the world, and in return he would rule it alongside them. To this end, he stole plans for the defence of London from the Annexe, assaulting and humiliating Mina Murray in the process. He also advises the Martians on the nature of the Nautilus, suggesting they infest the Thames with the red weed to impede it.
In Volume II, issue 5 Griffin returns to the Annexe, where Hyde was waiting for him. The first volume had established that Hyde could see Griffin via infrared vision, as well as smell him; Hyde had formed an attraction to Murray, and in revenge for how Griffin treated her, Hyde raped him to death. As in the original novel, upon his death he becomes visible again; however, the reader is only shown the omnipresent blood stains caused by Hyde's assault.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Invisibility: Through a chemical process, Hawley Griffin's skin, nails and hair have been rendered completely invisible. However, his internal organs, including his blood are still visible to normal human eyesight.
Abilities
- Chemistry: Hawley Griffin's development of the invisibility serum demonstrates an acute knowledge of chemistry.
- Stealth: Hawley's inability to be perceived by normal human vision enables him to function with great stealth.
Weaknesses
- Power Limitation: For missions which require stealth, Hawley must discard all of his clothing, for even though his body is invisible, any materials that are on his person, including clothing, are unaffected.
Notes
- A popular misconception is that Hawley Griffin is the same character featured in H.G. Wells' 1897 novella The Invisible Man. However, League overseer Campion Bond remarks that although Hawley may have been the one to develop the invisibility serum, it was actually another man who made use of it and terrorized the village of Iping as revealed in Wells' story. Writer Alan Moore derived Griffin's name from the 19th century murderer Hawley Crippen.
- It has been demonstrated that his colleague Mister Hyde has beyond normal human vision and can actually perceived Hawley's heat signature.
Appearances in Other Media
Tony Curran as Rodney Skinner in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
The Invisible Man was featured as one of the League members in the eponymous 2003 film The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. The film version of the Invisible Man differed slightly from Moore and O'Neill's version. In the film, the Invisible Man is actually named a thief named Rodney Skinner, portrayed by Tony Curran, whole stole the invisibility formula from Doctor Griffin (who is dead, as in the original novel) and proves to be more mischievous and less antagonistic than his comic book counterpart. The League could not determine exactly what his ulterior motives were, and he was almost universally suspected of being a traitor. Later, when the real traitor is revealed, Skinner proved himself no less a hero than the rest of the League. He placed himself in profound danger by providing directions for the rest of the League to the villains' headquarters. Once the League reconvened, he took on one of the most difficult aspects of their plan, moving throughout the headquarters to plant the bombs that would destroy their enemy's armory. He nearly died while saving teammate Tom Sawyer from a horrible death, receiving some horrific injuries as a result.
Related
- 10 Appearances of Hawley Griffin (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen)
- 4 Images featuring Hawley Griffin (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen)
- Quotations by or about Hawley Griffin (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen)
- Character Gallery: Hawley Griffin (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen)
Footnotes
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