Professor Hamilton
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| Ruin | |
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| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | As Professor Hamilton: Adventures of Superman #424 (January, 1987) As Ruin: Adventures of Superman #630 (September, 2004) |
| In story information | |
| Alter ego | Emil Hamilton |
| Team affiliations | S.T.A.R. Labs Society |
| Notable aliases | Ruin |
| Abilities | Genius-Level Intelligence |
Professor Emil Hamilton is a fictional character in DC Comics' Superman titles. He is generally portrayed as a stereotypical absent-minded professor, with a gray beard and thick glasses and, at times, sort of a "Mr. Wizard" type character.
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[edit] Fictional character biography
He first appeared in Adventures of Superman #424, as an apparent villain, using his gadgets to attack Superman in an attempt to gain funding by proving that they worked. A former employee of S.T.A.R. Labs and the US Government, it transpired he had been driven insane when all his research was bought up by Lex Luthor, who took credit for the inventions. He was placed in a mental health facility and responded well to treatment. On his release, he set up a laboratory in Suicide Slum and quickly became Superman's "scientific advisor", eking out a general living as a technical consultant. He was responsible for creating many devices that aided Superman, including the Phantom Zone Projector and early Superman Robots, as well as helping Superman during such problems as the 'Krisis of the Krimson Kryptonite', when Red Kryptonite created by Mister Mxyzptlk shut down Superman's powers; until Superman's powers were restored, Hamilton provided him with various machinery such as a force field belt and an armoured suit to allow him to continue as a hero. He also provided Superboy with the visor that duplicated Superman's vision powers (x-ray and heat vision).
He has also theorised about how Superman's Kryptonian biology works, and deduced the best way to defeat villains based on analysis of their powers. He lost an arm during the Fall of Metropolis storyline, but replaced it with a self-designed cybernetic prosthesis.
Many years later, when John Henry Irons returned to Metropolis, just prior to the B13 Event, Hamilton felt he was being sidelined, as Superman now had access to a scientific genius who was also a fellow superhero. He disappeared during the B13 Event.
He eventually resurfaced as the Overmind, the leader of a cyberpunk gang plotting the return of Brainiac 13. He claimed, however, that the B13-technology in his prosthetic arm was controlling his actions. Presumably this claim held some truth, as he returned to his role as Superman's advisor using his innate understand of the futuristic technology now available to him.
Recently it was revealed that Hamilton was, in fact, the villain named Ruin, who had been targeting Clark Kent's loved ones. Ruin claimed to have discovered that Superman was sucking the sun dry of its solar energy, and that, in 4.5 billion years, it would mean the end of life on Earth. The identity of Ruin had been kept a mystery, until it seemed that Clark's friend, and former President of the United States, Pete Ross was Ruin. Pete Ross claimed innocence, but he became even more suspect when he escaped from custody. It turned out that it had been Hamilton who had framed Ross, and kidnapped him again from prison. Hamilton then confronted and revealed himself to Superman, seemingly killing the 5th dimension imp Mr. Mxyzptlk in the process when he tried to save Superman. Superman defeated the insane Hamilton, and saved Pete, Lana, and their child. Superman later cleared Ross' name and reputation, and Hamilton was apparently imprisoned.
During the recent events chronicled in Infinite Crisis, Ruin was one of many superhuman criminals who joined the villainous Society organized by Alexander Luthor, Jr.
[edit] Powers and abilities
Emil Hamilton is a normal human being and thus, has no inherent super powers, though he is a brilliant scientist and inventor. However, as Ruin he dons a "power suit." The suit allows Ruin to take advantage of his knowledge of Superman's weaknesses. From the suit powerful blasts of Kryptonian red sunlight can be fired, which essentially sap Superman of all his powers. Also, Ruin is able to transport himself to the Phantom Zone (though at a detriment to his health), and reemerge anywhere, effectively allowing him to teleport. If the suit is forcibly removed from Hamilton's body, it self-destructs with a massive force, apparently enough to destroy a small city, although enough time elapsed between the removal and the explosion for Superman to get it to a safe distance.
Emil has designed various prosthetic arms with unusual abilities, including one that acted as a sunscreen dispenser.
[edit] In other media
[edit] Lois & Clark
Dr. Emil Hamilton appeared in two episodes of Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (both in the second season), as a S.T.A.R. Labs scientist. He was played by John Pleshette. The third season introduced Dr. Klein as the recurring S.T.A.R. scientist.
[edit] DC Animated Universe
Professor Hamilton was a regular in Superman: The Animated Series, played by Victor Brandt. The director of S.T.A.R. Labs and a friend of Superman, he had access to the Fortress of Solitude and was the resident scientist, for example constructing Kryptonite-resistant suits from lead and inter-dimensional warps, as well as working a Phantom Zone projector in the episode Blasts from the Past. After Darkseid's brainwashing of Superman in the third season's finale Legacy, Hamilton began to feel a growing distrust of metahumans. In that episode, Kara In-Ze (Supergirl) was critically wounded, and Superman, now a fugitive, takes her to S.T.A.R. Labs only to find Hamilton reluctant to operate on her for fear of being accused of treason. In a flash of angry desperation to save her, Superman forcibly coerced the professor to proceed. Shaken, Hamilton complied, but also secretly took the opportunity to obtain samples of her genetic material despite the fact that Superman immediately apologized for his rash act.
Returning in the later DC Animated Universe show Justice League Unlimited (now played by Robert Foxworth), Hamilton has secretly become a confederate of Amanda Waller, the leader of Project Cadmus. Hamilton uses cloning and other such methods to create metahumans loyal and subservient to Cadmus. Hamilton was their expert on genetics, along with the mental manipulatist Dr. Hugo Strange and splicing scientist Dr. Achilles Milo (later killed by Doomsday, after causing general mayhem through animal/human hybridization in prior DCAU series). It was discovered in the season one episode Fearful Symmetry that he had produced a clone of Supergirl through the genetic samples taken in Legacy. This sociopathic clone, code-named Galatea, would be of primary importance in the Cadmus Project's endeavors against the Justice League.
Superman finally discovers Hamilton's betrayal of trust in Season 2 of JLU. Hamilton is unrepentant of his actions, and makes it clear that he believes Superman can never be fully trusted again. This version of Hamilton has not been seen since the end of the 'Cadmus' story arc, when his chief contribution Galatea was defeated in battle.
[edit] Smallville
In the first season of Smallville, the character of Dr. Steven Hamilton (portrayed by actor Joe Morton) was introduced. He was hired by Lex Luthor to examine the effects of Kryptonite. In the process of discovering the substance's effects, he discovered the Nicodemus flower which caused humans to go insane, slip into a coma, and subsequently die. Clark Kent's adoptive father Jonathan Kent, love interest Lana Lang, and friend Pete Ross were all brought into contact with this deadly flower. Lex Luthor ordered Dr. Hamilton find a cure, bringing an end to the crisis. Hamilton made an additional appearance in the series' second season, wherein he perished due to overexposure to Kryptonite while trying to force Clark to tell him about the ship that brought him to Earth.
