Changes: Rip Hunter (New Earth)

My real name isn't Rip Hunter. As a time traveler, I can't let anyone know what my own past is. What's to stop my enemies from suffocating me in my crib? Or doing the same to my father?

— Rip Hunter ^src

History

Pre-Crisis

Rip Hunter was an ordinary man who used his Time-Sphere to travel through time. Aided by his friend Jeff Smith, girlfriend Bonnie Baxter, and Bonnie's kid brother Corky, they had many adventures in time.

After falling from the public consciousness, Hunter and his team traveled to the dawn of time where they encountered a mysterious yellow pyramid. It aged them many years before returning them to the present. Shortly thereafter, Hunter was recruited by the Immortal Man as part of his team of "Forgotten Heroes." With Superman's help, they were able to destroy the mysterious pyramids and stave off an alien invasion. ^[1]

The Forgotten Heroes stayed together as a group until the Immortal Man was killed during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. During that event, Hunter helped the heroes of the Multiverse again travel to the dawn of time where they faced off against the Anti-Monitor. The battle effectively destroyed the Multiverse, creating the single reality of New Earth.

Hunter reunited with some of his Forgotten Heroes teammates, as well as cosmic heroes Adam Strange and Captain Comet, in a quest to defeat the Anti-Monitor once and for all. With the help of Brainiac, they journeyed to Apokolips, where the tyrant Darkseid used his advanced science to peer into the Anti-Matter universe and aid Alex Luthor, Superman, and Superboy-Prime in the ultimate destruction of the Anti-Monitor. With the Anti-Monitor dead, Luthor, Superman, and Superboy-Prime sealed themselves in a protective "heaven" dimension, and Darkseid sent the heores back to earth. ^[2]

Pre-Crisis Rip Hunter in the Post-Crisis Universe

As the final effects of the Crisis took hold, Hunter discovered that he was now a man out of time without a home. No one remembered that he had existed. Even his old time traveling teammates had no memory of the Pre-Crisis world. Rip himself had been replaced with a new Post-Crisis doppleganger, also a master of time travel (see Post-Crisis Rip Hunter, below).

Determined to find a link to the alternate realities and timelines he had experienced in the Pre-Crisis universe, Hunter began recklessly traveling back and forth through time, seeking a break in the barrier that sealed this universe from all the others. His travels drew the attention of the Linear Men, a team of time cops from the future, charged with the preservation of the integrity of the timestream. ^[3]

Impressed by Hunter, the Linear Men recruited him into their ranks. Now with white hair and bionic implants (to protect him from the stress of time travel), Hunter observed the timestream along with the other Linear Men. He appeared to take up their mission, interfering with outside events only when necessary to prevent changes to the timestream (most notably during the Zero Hour event).

However, Hunter was just biding his time. In the mini-series The Kingdom, Hunter defied the other Linear Men and joined forces with Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, as well as some young heroes from the future, to defeat the time-traveling villain Gog. As a result of the battle, he finally broke down the barrier to Hypertime. ^[4] In Hypertime, all timelines that have ever existed continue to exist, and by breaking the barrier, Hunter was opening the door to infinite possibilities for adventure by traveling between multiple timelines.

However, Hunter wouldn't have much opportunity to explore these possibilities. Shortly thereafter, the Linear Men, including Hunter, were destroyed during the Imperiex onslaught. ^[5] Although their consciousnesses survived and they eventually constructed new bodies for themselves, they had been driven insane by the experience. The Quintessence disbanded the Linear Men and Hunter vanished in a whirlwind. ^[6] Whether or not this is the final fate of the the Pre-Crisis Rip Hunter is unknown.

Whatever his fate, his actions would have far-reaching consequences. As a result of breaking of the Hypertime barrier, Hunter had unwittingly opened the door for Alex Luthor, Superman, and Superboy-Prime to escape from their "heaven" dimension. ^[7]

Post-Crisis

File:Rip Hunter JSA 66.jpg

Rip Hunter comes to the aid of the JSA. Art by Don Kramer

Rip Hunter spent his entire adult life preparing for enemies a time traveler would face. Fearing that someone might try to travel back in time and kill him as a child, he hid his true name, birthplace, and other details from the public. "Rip Hunter" is, in fact, an alias.

As the inventor of time travel technology in the Post-Crisis universe,^[8] Hunter aided heroes Booster Gold and Animal Man in their own time-traveling adventures before taking on the vast Illuminati conspiracy. Hunter was eventually stranded in the prehistoric past. ^[9]

Returning to the present by unknown means, Hunter began protecting earth's heroes from time-traveling villains. In one of his most notable adventures, he took members of the modern day Justice Society back in time to fight the villainous Per Degaton. ^[10]

52 And Booster Gold

Recently, Hunter was one of the witnesses to the birth of the new Multiverse and was instrumental in defeating Mr. Mind and his attempt to destroy the multiple Universes. Mr. Mind had evolved into a nigh-omnipotent hyperfly feeding on universes. Hunter then revealed to Booster Gold and Booster's ancestor Daniel Carter that the Multiverse was restored as 52 individual universes as a result of Alex Luthor's actions after he escaped his "heaven" dimension. Mr. Mind sought to eat them all.

Hunter combined suspendium with Blue Beetle's scarab and Skeets' damaged, discarded shell into a trap to contain Mr. Mind's new form. Booster Gold and Supernova then hurled Skeets into the timestream, sealing the time-rift behind the little droid to trap the worm in a time-loop, saving the 52 universes. ^[11] Hunter warned the others to keep the Multiverse a secret for the time being as he eagerly prepared to explore it.

Two months later, Rip invades Daniel's home, scolding Booster for attempting to win public favor. He asks Booster to help him in repairing damage done to the time stream by Mr. Mind and Superboy-Prime. Initially, Booster refuses, but eventually changes his mind, on the condition that Rip will help him break the rules of time travel and allow him to save the one person who always believed in him, his best friend, Ted Kord, The Blue Beetle. In their first mission, an unknown party was changing the circumstances of the origins of the members of the current Justice League lineup, starting with Green Lantern, then Superman and then The Flash along with Kid Flash. Rip and Booster successfully thwarted the first two plots and then it was revealed that the mystery foe was revealed to be Booster's father Jon Carter wearing Daniel's stolen Supernova suit and former Time Master trainee Jason Goldstein (New Earth), now calling himself "Rex Hunter". Their plan was to eliminate different superheroes and use their knowledge of the future, take the heroes' places and advert every crisis and disaster and become the greatest heroes the world will ever know. They seemed to wipe out Flash and Kid Flash by placing a lightning rod on top of Barry's lab but after a big fight, Booster pulled it down and the Flashes' timelines were restored. The ending result was that Rex was captured and Jon was hit by a bolt of lightning and his suit's chronal energy was damaged, stranding him in an unknown timeline.

Powers and Abilities

Abilities

Temporal Mechanics: Rip Hunter is an expert in the field of temporal mechanics, quantum theory and the relationship between energy and matter as it pertains to the Space/Time continuum.

Hand-to-Hand Combat: Although Rip prefers the solitude of a laboratory, he has also trained himself in the martial combat lessons from societies and cultures from BC to the end of time. Rip demonstrated his ability to hold his own in a fight when he fought against renegade time traveler Rex Hunter. ^[12]

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Rip Hunter's Chalk Board

Transportation

Time Sphere, Time Pack

Notes

Although this character was originally introduced during DC's Earth-One 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 should be considered apocryphal.

Trivia

His favorite color is green.^[13]

External Links

Footnotes

↑ Action Comics #552-554 (1984)
↑ Crisis on Infinite Earths #11
↑ Legends of the DC Universe 80-page Giant #1 (1998)
↑ The Kingdom #2 (1999)
↑ Superman (Volume 2) #165 (2001)
↑ Superman: The Man of Steel #118 (2001)
↑ The Kingdom #2 (1999)
↑ 52 Week Six
↑ Time Masters #1-8 (1990)
↑ JSA #68-72 (2005)
↑ 52 Week Fifty-Two
↑ Booster Gold (Volume 2) #4
↑ Booster Gold (Volume 2) #2

[1] Action Comics #552-554 (1984)

[2] Crisis on Infinite Earths #11

[3] Legends of the DC Universe 80-page Giant #1 (1998)

[4] The Kingdom #2 (1999)

[5] Superman (Volume 2) #165 (2001)

[6] Superman: The Man of Steel #118 (2001)

[7] The Kingdom #2 (1999)

[8] 52 Week Six

[9] Time Masters #1-8 (1990)

[10] JSA #68-72 (2005)

[11] 52 Week Fifty-Two

[12] Booster Gold (Volume 2) #4

[13] Booster Gold (Volume 2) #2

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@@ Line 65: / Line 65: @@
 Recently, Hunter was one of the witnesses to the birth of the new [[Multiverse]] and was instrumental in defeating [[Mister Mind|Mr. Mind]] and his attempt to destroy the multiple Universes. Mr. Mind had evolved into a nigh-omnipotent ''hyperfly'' feeding on universes. Hunter then revealed to [[Booster Gold]] and Booster's ancestor Daniel Carter that the [[Multiverse]] was restored as 52 individual universes as a result of Alex Luthor's actions after he escaped his "heaven" dimension. Mr. Mind sought to eat them all.
-Hunter combined suspendium with [[Blue Beetle]]'s scarab and Skeets' damaged, discarded shell into a trap to contain Mr. Mind's new form. Booster Gold and Supernova then hurled Skeets into the timestream, sealing the time-rift behind the little droid to trap the worm in a time-loop, saving the 52 universes. <ref>''[[52 52|52 Week Fifty-Two]]''</ref>  Hunter warned the others to keep the Multiverse a secret for the time being as he eagerly prepared to explore it.
+Hunter combined suspendium with [[Blue Beetle]]'s scarab and Skeets' damaged, discarded shell into a trap to contain Mr. Mind's new form. Booster Gold and Supernova then hurled Skeets into the timestream, sealing the time-rift behind the little droid to trap the worm in a time-loop, saving the 52 universes. <ref>''[[52 Vol 1 52|52 Week Fifty-Two]]''</ref>  Hunter warned the others to keep the Multiverse a secret for the time being as he eagerly prepared to explore it.
 Two months later, Rip invades [[Supernova (Daniel Carter)|Daniel]]'s home, scolding Booster for attempting to win public favor. He asks Booster to help him in repairing damage done to the time stream by Mr. Mind and [[Superboy-Prime]]. Initially, Booster refuses, but eventually changes his mind, on the condition that Rip will help him break the rules of time travel and allow him to save the one person who always believed in him, his best friend, [[Theodore Kord (New Earth)|Ted Kord, The Blue Beetle]]. In their first mission, an unknown party was changing the circumstances of the origins of the members of the current Justice League lineup, starting with [[Hal Jordan (New Earth)|Green Lantern]], then [[Kal-El (New Earth)|Superman]] and then The [[Barry Allen (New Earth)|Flash]] along with [[Wally West (New Earth)|Kid Flash]]. Rip and Booster successfully thwarted the first two plots and then it was revealed that the mystery foe was revealed to be Booster's father [[Supernova III (New Earth)|Jon Carter]] wearing Daniel's stolen Supernova suit and former Time Master trainee [[Jason Goldstein (New Earth)]], now calling himself "Rex Hunter". Their plan was to eliminate different superheroes and use their knowledge of the future, take the heroes' places and advert every crisis and disaster and become the greatest heroes the world will ever know. They seemed to wipe out Flash and Kid Flash by placing a lightning rod on top of Barry's lab but after a big fight, Booster pulled it down and the Flashes' timelines were restored. The ending result was that Rex was captured and Jon was hit by a bolt of lightning and his suit's chronal energy was damaged, stranding him in an unknown timeline.