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Huntress (Helena Bertinelli)
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The Huntress is a fictional character in the DC Universe. There are several versions of the Huntress. This article focuses on Helena Rosa Bertinelli, who was for a time one of the versions of Batgirl and currently is a member of the Birds of Prey.
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In the 1989 Huntress limited series, Helena Rosa Bertinelli, who was born into one of Gotham City's most prominent Mafia families, is a withdrawn girl. At the age of six, she was kidnapped and raped by an agent of another Gotham crime family. Her parents, Guido and Carmela, sent her to boarding school and assigned a bodyguard for her protection. Helena hides her fear and shame until the age of 19. After she witnesses the mob-ordered murder of her entire family at a wedding, she crusades to put an end to the crime families. She travels, accompanied and trained by her bodyguard Sal, before returning to Gotham to make her debut as the Huntress. This origin story is heavily revised in the 2000 limited series Huntress: Cry for Blood.
Batman rarely accepts the Huntress, and usually claims that this disavowal is due to her unpredictable and violent behaviour. However, when James Gordon questions Batman about his attitude towards the Huntress, Batman replies; "You know exactly why I don't approve...You're not the only one she reminds of Barbara" - in reference to Gordon's crippled daughter who had previously fought crime as Batgirl. Others in the Batman family feel differently; for instance, Tim Drake has a good relationship with her. Early in his career, he worked with the female vigilante, and later clears her name in a murder case.
During the League's restructing following the 'Rock of Ages' crisis, Batman sponsors Huntress' membership in the Justice League,[1] hoping that the influence of other heroes will mellow the Huntress, and for some time, Huntress is a respected member of the League. Under the guidance of heroes such as Superman, Helena grows in confidence, even playing a key role in defeating Solaris during the DC One Million storyline, as well as helping the League defeat foes like Prometheus, as well as encouraging Green Lantern to fight the Queen Bee's hypno-pollen during her invasion of Earth. However, she is later forced to resign after Batman stops her from killing Prometheus.[2]
In the Huntress: Cry for Blood limited series Huntress' origin is revised; a young Helena Rosa Bertinelli believes Franco Bertinelli to be her father, but her father is actually Santo Cassamento, the don of a rival mafia family, who was carrying on an affair with Helena's mother, Maria.
In the four-issue Nightwing/Huntress limited series, Helena partners with Nightwing on a mission against the mafia. The young heroes engage in a brief affair, after which Helena confesses to Nightwing that she seduced him partly because she thought it might help get her into the "boys' club" of Batman's world.
In the No Man's Land storyline, an earthquake levels Gotham City. The United States government declares Gotham City a "No Man's Land," and Batman disappears. To bring order to the city, Huntress assumes the mantle of Batgirl, and she discovers criminals fear her more as Batgirl than they do as Huntress.[3] When Batgirl fails to protect Batman's territory from Two-Face and his gang of more than 200 criminals, leading to an argument between her and Batman. Huntress refuses to follow Batman's exact orders and gives up the batgirl costume. see Legends of the Dark Knight #120
Huntress then ends up with Petit and his men, who had broken off from the group led by former commisoner James Gordon. Petit swiftly went insane and Huntress barely survived an ensuing attack on Petit's compound by the Joker and his men. Petit and most of his group were killed. Huntress was taken care of in a field hospital operated by forces who wanted to rebuild Gotham City.
Huntress is asked to serve to fill in an empty spot of the Outsiders after Arsenal sustains major injuries on a mission.[4]
The Huntress becomes involved with Oracle and Black Canary in the comic series Birds of Prey, establishing a close friendship with Black Canary in the process.
The Huntress also appeared in the "Hush" storyline that took place in the Batman comics. In the storyline, Huntress saves an immobilized Batman's life from a criminal gang when he suffers a fractured skull from a fall after his batrope is cut over Crime Alley. Batman thinks to himself how she is, "so much like I was when I started out," and "she's better than she knows..." In the story, Huntress continues her semi-feud with Jonathan Crane aka the Scarecrow. She eventually returns with a new costume and equipment, the money for which was given by Thomas Elliot. She fights Catwoman thinking her to be her old self and wants to be more like the Dark Knight.
In 2006, the narratives of most DC Comics superhero series skipped one year. In the "One Year" Later" stories Huntress works with other members of Oracle's group: Black Canary, Lady Blackhawk, Lady Shiva, and Gypsy. With Black Canary's departure from the team (issue #99), in issue #100 Huntress and Lady Blackhawk are Oracle's top two agents, with full access to Oracle as needed (along with Black Canary, should she decide to return). Helena is made the team's field commander.
Huntress will star in her own Year One miniseries by Ivory Madison.
The Helena Bertinelli version of the Huntress has appeared in the animated series Justice League Unlimited, primarily as the love interest and partner to The Question. She is voiced by Amy Acker and starred in the episode "Double Date". In this episode, Huntress' thirst for revenge against the murderer of her parents, Steven Mandragora, results in her expulsion from the Justice League by Martian Manhunter. Green Arrow and Black Canary chase Huntress only to find her ready to kill Mandragora, until the Question talks her down and Mandragora's rescued son is revealed.
In the subsequent episode "Question Authority", the Huntress helps the Question uncover a government conspiracy against the League. She later rescues him, with the help of Superman, (whom she contacted by using a communicator stolen from Jimmy Olsen after she had taped up and gagged him on top of the Daily Planet building,) from the Cadmus Project after he has been captured and tortured for information. Huntress also appears in the fifth-season episode "Grudge Match", in which she uncovers a plot to use mind-controlled female Leaguers in metahuman cage matches and her rivalry with Black Canary comes to a boil. She plays a significant role in freeing the other heroes and shutting down the organization behind the brawls. At the end of this episode, Black Canary offers to advocate that Huntress be reinstated as a League member, but Huntress graciously turns her offer down. Instead, the two decide to get the aggression out of their systems by going one last round, by saying "two falls out of three".
The Huntress is an unlockable character in Justice League Heroes. The character is voiced by Vanessa Marshall.
Huntress has appeared in two DC Animated Universe spin-off comic books. She appears in Justice League Unlimited #2, and Batman and Robin Adventures #19.
