Huntress (Helena Bertinelli)
| The Huntress | |
|---|---|
Helena Bertinelli as depicted in Nightwing (2016) #26. Art by Javi Fernandez and Chris Sotomayor. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | As Huntress: The Huntress #1 (April 1989) As Batgirl: Batman: Shadow of the Bat #83 (March 1999) As Matron: Nightwing (vol. 3) #30 (July 2014) |
| Created by | |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Helena Rosa Bertinelli |
| Species | Human |
| Team affiliations |
|
| Partnerships | Barbara Gordon Black Canary Dick Grayson The Question (various) |
| Notable aliases | Batgirl Matron Helena Janice Bertinelli The Crossbow Killer |
| Abilities |
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The Huntress (Helena BertinellI) is an antiheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The third character to use the Huntress codename and once a claimant to Batgirl, she was introduced as a new interpretation of Helena Wayne as part of DC's post-Crisis on Infinite Earths relaunch. She was later established to be the modern-day equivalent, namesake, and predecessor of Helena Wayne. Originally sharing a similar design to Wayne, the character's look was later updated in 2014 to give her a darker skin tone to differentiate the two characters.
The character's alter-ego is Helena Rosa Bertinelli, a Sicilian-descended teacher and vigilante whose origins mirrors those of Batman but utilizes lethal force; the daughter of an infamous Mafia boss in Gotham City, her parents and brothers are gunned down by a rival family with her as the sole survivor. She is then trained in martial arts and archery by other relatives and allies in Sicily. As an adult and desiring revenge, she begins her career as a vigilante first targeting mafia mobsters and then super-villains, clashing with Batman and various allies due to her lethal methods. While a reluctant ally of the Batman Family, the character has also served in several teams such as the Justice League International, Outsiders, and serves as a reoccurring member of the Birds of Prey. After the New 52, the character also once served as the high-ranking super-spy codenamed Matron, a field operative, partner to Agent 37 (Dick Grayson), and instructor in Spyral until Minos' corrupt leadership became apparent, leading her to take command of the organization for a time until she parted ways and returned to her vigilante life.
Huntress has been adapted into numerous media outside comics, including television series and films. Tara Strong and Amy Acker voice the character in Batman: The Brave and the Bold and Justice League Unlimited respectively, while Jessica De Gouw and Mary Elizabeth Winstead portray Huntress in Arrow and Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) respectively.