Lawrence "Crusher" Crock, alias Sportsmaster, was a disgruntled athlete who turned to a life of crime.
History
Early career
Crock was a very competitive sportsman, who excelled in many sports, but not fair play. He went to great lengths to win, but found his future shattered when he deliberately injured an opponent in a football match. He was banned from playing any sport on a professional level.
Crock decided to turn to crime. Donning a mask, he led a gang to rob a polo match, but was foiled by Green Lantern. He seemingly fell to his death, but resurfaced later, now as the costumed villain Sportsmaster. He squared off with Green Lantern several times more, always staging raids on sports-related events. He usually got away by faking his death.
Teaming Up
After his limited success as a solo criminal, Sportsmaster joined the Injustice Society. The team had already battled the Justice Society several times before Crusher joined, along with Huntress, Icicle, Fiddler and Harlequin. They committed a series of "Patriotic Crimes", but the Justice Society stopped them. Sportsmaster was arrested and sent to prison.
After coming out of prison, he teamed up with his former teammate Huntress, and the two also married. The husband and wife team had multiple run-ins with Justice Society-members. Huntress also gave birth to their daughter, Artemis Crock, who joined in the family business.
Death
Following the Final Crisis, Sportsmaster teamed up with General Immortus, who had formed a cult consisting of several c-list supervillains. He fed them, in return for worship and enhanced powers. Their latest recruit, the Human Flame, doublecrossed him, and in his escape, he killed Sportsmaster.[1]
Sportsmaster Clones
After the Council lost control of the Manhunter, organizational leader Doctor Anatol Mykros used his expertise in cloning technology to clone the Sportsmaster. The Clones served as the Council's elite assassins for many years. Decades later, they came into conflict with the Justice Society of America.[2] The cloning banks were destroyed when the JSA raided Council's base.[3]
Powers and Abilities
Abilities
- Athletics: An ace in various sports, but not a fair player.
- Cheating Death: His first few encounters with Green Lantern were marked by appearing to die at the end of a battle, only to return intact later on. In the first instance he'd been declared dead and was buried, but recovered and dug his way out of the grave.[4]
- Equestrianism
- Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced)
- Weaponry: expert in swordmanship, missile weapons and more.
- Fishing
- Gadgetry: Sportsmaster relied on sport-themed gadgets.
Other Characteristics
- Obsession: Crock is obsessed with commiting sports-themed crimes and sportive motifs.
Paraphernalia
Equipment
- Sports Equipment: Lacrosse snare nets, catcher chestguard, fishing rod, etcetera.
Transportation
- Sports-themed Vehicles: flying base from baseball, flying golf putting green, motorboat, flying skis.
Weapons
- Sports Weapons: Baseball bat, exploding baseballs, exploding hockey pucks, exploding pole vault, exploding beanny.
Notes
- "Crusher" Crock first appeared in All-American Comics #85 by John Broome and Irwin Hasen, but he did not adopt the Sportsmaster identity until his second appearance in Green Lantern #28 by Alex Toth and an unknown writer.
- Although this character was originally introduced during DC's Earth-Two era of publication, their existence following the events of the 1985–86 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths remains intact. However, some elements of the character's Pre-Crisis history may have been altered or removed for Post-Crisis New Earth continuity, and no longer apply.
Related
- 40 Appearances of Lawrence Crock (New Earth)
- 6 Images featuring Lawrence Crock (New Earth)
- 1 Quotations by or about Lawrence Crock (New Earth)
- Character Gallery: Lawrence Crock (New Earth)
Footnotes
Green Lantern Villain(s) This character is or was primarily an enemy of the Green Lantern of Earth, or the Green Lantern Corps as a whole. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Green Lantern Villains." |
Justice Society Villain(s) This character, team or organization is or was primarily an enemy of the Justice Society, in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Justice Society Villains" category. |