Vulture (DC Comics)

Infobox comics organization
name=VULTURE


imagesize=
caption=
publisher=DC Comics
debut="House of Mystery" #160
(July 1966)
creators=Jack Miller (writer)
Joe Certa (artist)
type=Organized crime
business=
organisation=
organization=y
base=
owners=
employees=Faceless
Marco Xavier
fullroster=
cat=organized crime groups
subcat=DC Comics
sortkey=Vulture

VULTURE is the name of a fictional international crime cartel in the DC Comics universe. VULTURE first appears in "House of Mystery" #160 (July 1966), and was created by Jack Miller and Joe Certa.

History

VULTURE first appeared in House of Mystery #160 July (1966), created by Jack Miller and Joe Certa. The organization known as VULTURE was a vast international crime cartel that was infiltrated, thwarted and eventually completely destroyed by J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter. Their secretive leader had a number of aliases: Mister Vulture, Mister V, and Faceless (a.k.a. Marco Xavier).

Shortly after retiring his John Jones persona, J'onn came into conflict with cartel operatives when he travels to the French Riviera. While in the Riviera he investigates Marco Xavier, an international playboy with supposed links to organized crime. He uses his shape-shifting powers to follow Xavier as he leaves his villa in a high powered sports car. But then Xavier loses control of his vehicle and it plunges off a mountain road, and apparently killed, his body quickly consumed by the blazing crash. J'onn takes advantage of this accident by quickly transforming himself into a Xavier lookalike, and then dangles himself from the branch of a cliffside tree before the police arrive. The disguised "Marco Xavier" is taken to his villa to recover. [http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/oddball/index.cgi?date=2003-09-12]

Slowly but surely using his disguise as Marco Xavier the Martian Manhunter worked his way up through the cartel, while maintaining the original Marco's role as an outside contractor uninterested in joining Vulture, he is eventually able to smash the group from the inside.

J'onn took over the Xavier identity in order to infiltrate VULTURE and they became his main adversaries for the thirteen issues spanning House of Mystery #160 through 173. After a string of adventures it was revealed that Faceless, the head of VULTURE was actually the real Marco Xavier. [http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/oddball/index.cgi?date=2003-09-12]

VULTURE Membership

* Marco Xavier - Secretly "Faceless" leader of the Vulture cartel.
* Marco Xavier II - The Martian Manhunter in disguise.

Other versions

*A man calling himself the Vulture is an enemy of the Golden Age Hawkman.
*The second man calling himself Vulture is a member of the Terrible Trio a team of Batman foes.

External links

* [http://www.dcuguide.com/who.php?name=vulture DCU Guide entry on Vulture I]
* [http://www.dcuguide.com/who.php?name=vulture2 DCU Guide entry on Vulture II]
* [http://www.dcuguide.com/who.php?name=vulture3 DCU Guide entry on VULTURE]
* [http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/oddball/index.cgi?date=2003-09-12 CBR review of House of Mystery #160]