"Hunters in Darkness" pack"Hunters in Darkness" pack
Classification: Terrestrial semi-humanoid "Hidden race";
18th century and modern era
Location/Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
last seen in the wilderness in the proximity of a Canadian Arctic Research Station;
formerly the wilderness around a Siksika tribe in the 18th century;
Known Members: Hunter in Darkness;
all others unidentified
Affiliations: The Hunter in Darkness is/was an ally of Wolverine (James Howlett/Logan);
the rest of the pack stopped fighting him at the
Hunter in Darkness' direction, but they would otherwise not be allies
of Wolverine
Enemies: DeLong, Guardian (James Hudson), Simpson, Sverdup, Harry Tabeshaw, Vindicator (Heather Hudson);
(possibly formerly) Wolverine (James Howlett/Logan)
First Appearance: (Hunter in Darkness as a solitary entity)
(as a pack)
Wolverine II#83 (July, 1994)
Powers/Abilities:
The younger creatures in the pack were at least faster t(and likely
more savage) than the being specifically known as the Hunter in Darkness
They are some sort of lupine (or other carnivorous mammal)-human hybrid.
They possess enhanced strength (lifting approximately 1000 lbs.), speed, senses, and possibly healing.
They can run swiftly on two or four legs.
Their sharp claws can score steel, and they also have sharp teeth, especially their elongated canines.
The Hunter in Darkness' pack possesses enhanced olfactory (smell), auditory (hearing), and gustatory (taste) senses of smell, enabling it to track and identify prey in the darkness by their scent and sounds; their eyesight is poor, however, and bright light blinds them.
Though animals, they are capable of reasoning out problems given time, and they have a good memory.
Traits: Pack hunters, they follow a hierarchy with one ultimate leader, and they cooperate as a group.
They are savage, carnivorous, man-eating creatures.
Type: Bilaterally symmetric semi-humanoid-lupine bipeds
Eyes: Two (on head; solid red color seen; possibly a reflection of the tapetum lucidum)
Fingers: Four (plus opposing thumb)
Toes: Five
Skin color: Gray
Average height: Approximately 8'
History: The origins of the pack led by the Hunter in Darkness are unrevealed (see comments).
(Wolverine II#83 (fb)) - Having traveled back in time to the 18th
century the Hunter in Darkness, the Wolverine robot known as Albert,
and Elsie-Dee (a robot mimicking a young girl) futilely sought a
missing Wolverine. As the robots reached the point they would
need to turn back and put themselves into system sleep, the Hunter
found a whole pack of Hunter in
Darkness-like creatures, and the Hunter left with them.
(Wolverine II#83 (fb) - BTS)
- The elderly Hunter and his pack were apparently frozen within ice.
(Wolverine II#83 (fb) - BTS)
- Increased heat due to an increase in ultra-violet energy penetrating
the atmosphere due to damage in the atmosphere's ozone layer released
the Hunter's pack from cryogenic hibernation, and it wandered off, leaving
an ice mold recovered by a nearby Canadian Arctic Research Station.
(Wolverine II#83 (fb) - BTS)
- The Hunter or members of his pack scored the massive steel door of the
arctic research station in the process of trying to get in.
(Wolverine II#83 - BTS) - The visiting Wolverine (who had recently had his Adamantium forcibly removed by Magneto/Max Eisenhardt)
and Harry Tabeshaw both recognized the mold and claw marks as being
associated with the Hunter in Darkness; As team biologist DeLong
prepared his rifle, Tabeshaw warned him that the creature was a hungry
spirit, and it was going to eat him for breakfast, big gun and all.
(Wolverine II#83) - Mocking warnings as superstition, geologist Simpson
opened the base door to collect seismic probes, after which one of the
Hunter's pack slashed open her side and rushed into the base. DeLong
instructed the others of it having headed down the "A" corridor, noting
that he had never seen anything move that quickly. After Guardian
(James Hudson) sent Wolverine to accompany DeLong around the long way
while Vindicator (Heather Hudson)
and he drove it ahead of them; however, the Hunter creature instead slipped into
a dark utility recess and waited, ambushing the armored heroes as they
approached. Wolverine stopped DeLong from firing while his friends were
in the line of fire and then jumped into the fray, slashing at the
creature as his senses informed him that this was not the same Hunter
in Darkness he had previously encountered. Physicist Sverdup then assaulted the
Hunter creature in armored freight-loader suit, but despite his analysis of his
clear advantages, Sverdup was swiftly slain. 
When Wolverine, Guardian, and Vindicator assaulted
the Hunter creature in unison, it tore a hole in the ceiling, leapt up through
it, and escaped. The rest of the others then worked to fortify a
section of station so that whoever worked on Simpson would be safe from
the Hunter creature. As the others debated hunting the Hunter creature vs. hiding out in
the station, Tabeshaw sensed as the creature began howling to others of
its kind...and the others answered.
(Wolverine II#84) - A quintet of "Hunters" in
the main lab who were apparently feeding on Sverdup engaged Wolverine
and Guardian, who traveled there to retrieve the satellite bounce
transmitter in hopes of summoning a medi-vac to help Simpson. The
heroes swiftly dropped the creatures, and Guardian retrieved the
transmitter, but then a large group of Hunters dropped down from the
ceiling. Appreciating that there were too many for them to deal with, Wolverine instructed
Harry Tabeshaw to lay down some covering fire while he and Guardian
came in low. Tabeshaw instructed DeLong to help with the covering fire,
and the two heroes ordered the doors closed as soon as they were back
in; one of the Hunters got its right hand in through the door, only to
have it severed by the powerful doors.
As the Hunters howled outside their door in a fierce
snowstorm, Simpson died while Guardian worked on the transmitter. As
DeLong discussed how, as pack hunters they may be led by the most
aggressive male, one of the Hunters cut the base's generator line
(possibly sacrificing itself in the process); DeLong subsequently
concluded they may defer judgment to their oldest and wisest member, to
accumulate lore and strategy.
Wearing Simpson's thermal suit to help dispel his
own heat signature and limit detection by the Hunters' infra-red
vision, Wolverine had Guardian pop some thermal flares to confuse the
Hunters while he rushed for the loading suit, counting on his enhanced
reflexes to be more effective in the suit than Sverdup. Despite the
flares, a number of Hunters assaulted Wolverine, who fought them claw
for claw and reached and then donned the Sverdup's loading suit.
(Wolverine II#84) - Donning the armored suit, Wolverine
tore into the Hunters, causing their leader, the Hunter in Darkness, to confront him. As Wolverine and the Hunter
prepared to battle, however, both recognized each other as previous
allies, although Wolverine wondered how the Hunter in Darkness had
gotten so old so quickly.
(Wolverine II#84 - BTS) -
The Hunter in Darkness led the pack to depart. When DeLong leveled his
rifle to shoot the Hunter in the back, Wolverine punched him out.
(Wolverine II#84 (fb) - BTS) - The Hunter covered his and his pack's
trail sufficiently that even the Wolverine robot known as Albert was
unable to track him.
Comments: The Hunter in Darkness was created by Larry Hama, Marc Silvestri, and Dan Green.
The Hunters as a race were created by Larry Hama (writer), John Nadeau
(penciler), Bud LaRosa & Keith Champagne.
So, apparently the Hunter in Darkness was part of
a race of lupine-humanoid creatures. I'd guess that when the rest of
the pack was frozen in ice <at some point, under unrevealed
circumstances>, that he was the sole member of his pack left, hence the
legend of the solitary creature. When he traveled back in time, I'd
have thought that he was frozen with the rest of the pack, while his
younger self escaped that fate to continue the loop.
I don't know how long ago they were frozen, but it
had to be long enough ago that he could have gotten so much older
("ancient") than the last time Wolverine had seen him. If he wasn't
frozen, then both he and his younger self would have been active in the
woods at the same time, which is a little more odd.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Hunters in Darkness should be distinguished from:
images: (without ads)
Wolverine II#84, pg. 4 (Wolverine and Guardian battling pack)
panel 3 (more pack dropping down);
pg. 7, panel 3 (pack, close-up);
Appearances:
Wolverine II#34 (December, 1990) - Larry Hama (writer), Marc Silvestri (penciler), Dan Green (inker), Bob Harras (editor)
Wolverine II#43 (Early August, 1991) - Larry Hama (writer), Marc Silvestri (penciler), Dan Green (inker), Bob Harras (editor)
Wolverine II#45 (Early September, 1991) - Larry Hama (writer), Marc Silvestri (penciler), Dan Green (inker), Bob Harras (editor)
Wolverine II#46 (Late September, 1991) - Larry Hama (writer), Marc Silvestri (penciler), Dan Green (inker), Bob Harras (editor)
Wolverine II#51 (February, 1992) - Larry Hama (writer), Andy Kubert (penciler), Dan Green (inker), Bob Harras (editor)
Wolverine II#52-53 (March-April, 1992) - Larry Hama (writer), Marc Silvestri (penciler), Dan Green (inker), Bob Harras (editor)
Wolverine II#83 (July, 1994) - Larry Hama (writer), John Nadeau
(penciler), Bud LaRosa & Keith Champagne (inkers), Bob Harras
(editor)
Wolverine II#84 (August, 1994) - Larry Hama (writer), Ron Wagner
(penciler), Reinhold, Younger, Palmer, Younger (inkers), Bob Harras
(editor)
Wolverine II#86 (October, 1994) - Larry Hama (writer), Ron Garney
(penciler), Bud LaRosa & Al Vey (inkers), Bob Harras
(editor)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Update#1: Hunter in
Darkness entry (March, 2007) - Stuart Vandal, Jeff Christiansen, et al
(writers), Marc Silvestri (penciler), Dan Green inker
updated/revised in the
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z hardcover #5 and softcover entry
First posted: 06/16/2019
Last updated: 06/16/2019
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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