Huntress: Bio, Origin & History

Real Name: Helena Wayne (Bertinelli) 

First Appearance: The Huntress #1 (April 1989)

Powers: Possesses no real superhuman attributes. Instead, she is an expert gymnast, skilled in hand-to-hand combat, and is one of the best marksmen in the DC Universe.

Affiliation: Birds of Prey, Justice League of America, Outsider, Batfamily, and Checkmate

Did You Know? Huntress is the daughter of Earth-2’s Batman and Catwoman.

A Little History

The origin of Huntress is pretty straightforward. 

The Huntress first debuted in The Huntress #1 back in April of 1989. She was created by Joe Cavalieri and Joe Staton. 

Helena Bertinelli was born into one of the most important and powerful mafia families in the world. Her life as a child of the mafia left her withdrawn and distant to those around her. At the age of 6, she was kidnapped and raped by a member of a rival family. As a result, she was sent to a boarding school and given a 24-hour bodyguard. 

Just before she turned 20, she helplessly watched as her entire family was murdered. This act caused her to want to do and be more. She later appeared dressed as the costume vigilante The Huntress. Unlike more traditional superheroes, The Huntress prefers to finish her enemies by killing them. This has earned her the reputation as an anti-hero.

Although she has, for a time, been a member of the Batfamily, Batman has a hard time accepting her. This is primarily due to her violent and unpredictable ways. However, this doesn’t mean that he hasn’t helped her. When asked by Commissioner James Gordon about his apprehension towards her, her replied “You know exactly why I don’t approve…You’re not the only one she reminds of Barbara”. This is in reference to his longtime friend and Gordon’s daughter Barbara Gordon, or Batgirl. Batgirl had also been a little bit reckless and her behavior resulted in paralysis. 

And that’s it. The origin of Huntress.