Character Spotlight: Martian Manhunter

Welcome to the first Character Spotlight, featuring the Manhunter from Mars, J'onn J'onnz! My hcrealms compatriots might recognize the style of this blog (and the ones to follow) as similar to that of SLVRSR4's "Deep Dish Themes". It's not exactly the same, but similar. Anyway, from time to time I get the itch to talk about a character, and in HeroClix that usually means multiple versions since we've been playing for 10 years now!

J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter has long been one of my favorite members of the JLA. While not in my personal "big three" (which would be Barry Allen - The Flash, Clark Kent - Superman, and Bruce Wayne - Batman), he is definitely in the top 5. With powers similar to Superman and a few thrown in for good measure, J'onn is the last son of his homeworld. His fatal flaw? A vulnerability to fire! My first concrete exposure to the Martian Manhunter was with the Kenner Super Powers Collection figure. In celebration of the 10th Anniversary HeroClix sets, and the fact that I recently acquired the Con

From a HeroClix perspective, which is the nature and purpose of this blog, Martian Manhunter has a long, if not comprehensive history in the game. He is currently sitting on 11 different iterations in the game. Below is a list of each with a description of each figure and recommended theme team usage for them all. Lets get to it!

Martian Manhunter (Cosmic Justice)

The first version of Martian Manhunter we got in HeroClix was in 2003's DC HeroClix: Cosmic Justice. He was (is) a Unique figure, which back then was the highest in-booster rarity. Clocking in at 177pts., he was among the most expensive figures to field in those days. What is notable about Martian Manhunter is that while move and attack powers were powerful, Stealth was an extremely strong strategy in those days. Superman Ally figures were inordinately expensive, yet not very effective. It is safe to say that Stealth and Batman Ally was the overall most popular strategy. A 177 point figure starting with Stealth could potentially wreck the house all day long, right? Well...maybe. Another notable trait unique to this figure at the time was he was the first figure to have 3 printed damage appear along his entire 10 click dial. If he could hit you, he could hurt you. Four straight clicks of Perplex did not hurt him.

For all that, I personally only ever fielded him on Justice League teams of  800-1000 points, because he always felt to risky to pin an entire strategy on. He wasn't quite a tentpole, was more of a secondary attacker (!) and support piece rather than the centerpiece of a team, even in sealed. He had no movement attack powers, as mentioned, his range was a mediocre 6 and his attack topped out at a 10 for almost 200 points. I don't think he was terrible, far from it. But he wasn't a "tentpole". The only way to ones "money's worth" was to put him in a high point force and let him hang back. In that role, he could excel.

In a more modern setting with Feats and Keywords he would still fill the same role, but be much more vulnerable with his money 16 defense with Impervious. He's a figure that doesn't hold up all that well over the long haul, if you ask me.

It would be another 3-4 years before we would see another Martian Manhunter in HeroClix. The next time, he came back x 4!

Martian Manhunter (Origin)

The Rookie

The DC Heroclix: Origin set brought back some old favorites with some first-timers, and Martian Manhunter was among them, getting an REVLE set in this expansion. By this time, the old Cosmic Justice Martian Manhunter was definitely dated. The first iteration in this set gave us some of his old tricks with a new trick thrown in for good measure. A lack of Impervious with a still relatively weak defense of 16 was augmented with starting Stealth and the addition of two clicks of 4 printed damage. He moved into two clicks of Charge, new for Martian Manhunter (but deserved) and got some clicks of Phasing near the end of his dial to perhaps support his team rather than get KO'd. His 4 clicks of Perplex returned, but in the center of his dial rather than at the beginning, perhaps to add some strategy to the strategy. Once again, at 114 points and boasting 9 clicks of life we aren't looking at a bad figure, just not a stellar figure.

The Experienced

Once we reach this version, things start to get more interesting for our favorite Manhunter from Mars. He gains some new powers not seen on his dials to this point, in the form of Leadership (representing is long stint as leader of Leagues America and International), Running Shot, Penetrating / Psychic Blast, Super Senses (which seem to be his "intangible" clicks), Incapacitate and Probability Control. At 167 points, what he gained in "tricks" he did not gain necessarily in effectiveness due to his dial configuration, but at least we are getting a more active version of J'onn at this level.

The Veteran

The most expensive Martian Manhunter figure to date upped the ante on bells and whistles for his time. This version had upgraded to an attack value higher than 10, Outwit, Mind Control and Hypersonic speed. He also continued the tradition of 3 damage all the way down the dial.  He also gained some higher defense values sprinkled throughout. His Outwit/Perplex combo made him a candidate for the Brilliant Tactician feat card (although i never used it with him). While a more "powerful" version of J'onn, he and all his versions in this set were overshadowed by other beatsticks in Origin.

The LE

Detective John Jones seemed like a compromise piece between all three of the booster versions of Martian Manhunter. He added Shape Change and the Police Team ability rather than JLA for extra utility. He had a see-through sculpt. He was another Brilliant Tactician canditate, and one I would more readily reach for than the veteran due to point cost and the fact that the first click of this one was to be pushed or moved off of as soon as possible (which was made easy with the Phone Booth Special Object unique to Origin boosters). One risk of using the BT feat card on him was that he only packs one click of Perplex, which sort of takes him back to his roots as a semi attacking support piece with or without the card.

After this set, the Special Powers era of Heroclix "2.0" arrived, and the first DC set to be released was Justice League. It would seem like a no-brainer to get a Special Powers toting version of J'onn in so titled a set, but it was not to be. In retrospect, I'm glad he didn't as they would have undoubtedly be rife with drawbacks, as Special Powers tended to be in the early going. Unfortunately, we would wait another 3 years for a Martian Manhunter in the 2.0 era, because he was not released again until NECA acquired the HeroClix IP from the old Wizkids Games and brought it back...

Martian Manhunter (Brave and the Bold)

At this point in the game, traits had been introduced, which allowed for more flavorful powers and abilities to further differentiate characters from raw statistics and powers. This time, Martian Manhunter got full dial Shape Change and Phasing/Teleport to go with a pretty competitive package (especially in sealed play). He was also assigned the Telepathic Invisibility Special Power that allowed him to modify his defense by +3 against a specific type of attack (close or ranged) for a turn. What he didn't get were keywords representative of his many tenures with the League, and an attack value higher than 10 at 202 points (it's okay, Superman got similar treatment in this set). We can't fully blame Wizkids for the keywords, as this J'onn is representative of his cookie-madness phase.

This Martian Manhunter qualifies for the excellent Camouflage feat card, which he can use all dial.


Black Lantern Martian Manhunter (Brave and the Bold)

In the comics at the time (or slightly before), the hotness was the Blackest Night...a DC Mega Crossover event that had many heroes and villains returning as zombie-ish monsters in service to Black Hand, the herald of the Black Lantern Corp. In the interim, in the comics, Martian Manhunter was killed off in the opening salvo to DC's also world-shattering Final Crisis, which led to his (very entertaining) return as a Black Lantern as well as inclusion into Brave and the Bold as a Chase figure (which may or may not seem all that entertaining to some).

First off is the Trait, Power Levels Rising, which exemplifies the early strike Black Lanterns used by Nekron (the true threat of the Blackest Night) to fill the Black Power Battery to 100% capacity by sending Black Lanterns after those whom their targets would get the greatest emotional response from. Couple this with the Black Lantern Special Object, whose effect is identical and when Black Lantern Martian Manhunter is involved in a KO, or is merely within 4 squares of an ally's KO, he will heal up to 2 clicks (or 3 if both players have Black Lanterns on the board and within range).

Martian Manhunter also received a Special Power titled "decaying Embrace" that gives him use of Phasing and Plasticity. In addition, it deals one damage to anyone who fails to break away from Martian Manhunter. This power seems okay on paper, but in truth I've never seen it come off. There are probably several reasons for this - (1)This is a Chase Martian Manhunter, so not everybody has one. (2) It is in the middle of his dial, where it might be easier to just get rid of him than (3) only breaking away on a roll of 6, which seems altogether like a waste of time.

Feat wise, Martian Manhunter is a candidate for Vampirism and Automatic Regeneration, and being Indomitable, Protected is a favorite. He has enough slots of Shape Change to roll with Camouflage should you feel the need to protect him a bit more.

Martian Manhunter is fun to play, but for 187 points, he suffers from synergy with the few other Black Lantern Corp figures released to date in terms of point cost...they pretty much all suffer this fate. He is Indomitable, which allows him to use dial-wide Willpower, but this almost always translates into a loss in statistical ability for the points. Kal-L just outdoes him in the effectiveness department, and since a game choice is usually required to play either one, Kal-L just seems to go over better for my money.

Martian Manhunter (Brightest Day)

At the end of the Blackest Night came the Brightest Day, and Wizkids released an "Action Pack", which is a prototype of the Fast Forces packs we get today. In this particular pack was the Brightest Day Martian Manhunter, which has combinations of life and death (somehow still alive, yet part of the Black Lantern Corps). As a dial, this may be my favorite Martian Manhunter up to this point. The figure possesses a trait that is still a very potent one -

Detective of the Dead -  If an opposing character is KO'd during your turn, Martian Manhunter can use Exploit Weakness, Outwit, and Probability Control until the beginning of your next turn.

Setting up attacks to ensure Martian Manhunter's trait goes off "early" enough in the turn is key, and is a great deal of fun to contemplate and execute. Add to that pretty great values and powers and you have a real winner at an economical 158 points.  Martian Manhunter can use Camouflage and Automatic Regeneration.

Martian Manhunter

The convention exclusive Martian Manhunter seems like he is bridging the gap between 52 and Final Crisis, if one is to go by the power names given him. At 140 points and with decent keywords, this Martian Manhunter is affordable and probably worth the points. I will have to let you know when I field him.

Stealth and Shape Change with Impervious is a great combination and incentive to try and keep this one on his top dial as long as possible, but the rest of the dial is good enough it isn't a requirement.


John Jones (DC 10th)

 The DC 10th Anniversary common Martian Manhunter is a throwback version of the Origin LE (like all the figures in 10th Anniversary are throwbacks to some other figure). For what he does, he is in my opinion, one of the best of the entire 10th anniversary lineup. 90 points of Police team and a bunch of keywords with a very competitive dial that might even be able to actually pull off the Battlefield Promotion trait.

As far as golden age play, he can use Brilliant Tactician and later use Camouflage.

Martian Manhunter (DC 10th)

 The "Veteran" version of DC 10th's Martian Manhunter pair is a potent-looking figure. I have to broach with "looking" because I haven't fielded it yet. However, on paper, traited (but situational) Shape Change looks pretty good. Stealth and Charge that ignores blocking terrain look pretty good on a flier as well. When losing Impervious, he gains Super Senses.

All in all, DC HeroClix has given us some hit or miss Martian Manhunter figures, but I think the good outweighs the bad. A character who is like a generic third rate Superman or Wonder Woman (in terms of power level) with a twist has got to be somewhat difficult to nail down. However, I will say many of the later dials do feel like the character, even if they all manage it in different ways. The worst thing about J'onn's interpretations are probably the bizarre keyword assignments or lack thereof over his releases....however, we house rule keywords where we think appropriate. Indeed, any of the blue keywords on the dials above are house ruled keywords.

I hope you've enjoyed this look at a beloved character in Character Spotlight. Next time, I will spotlight a Marvel character who can be found in Marvel 10th Anniversary with a moderate showing in the game. That character is the one and only Storm.