Bullseye (character)
Bullseye is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Marv Wolfman and John Romita Sr. Depicted as a psychopathic assassin, Bullseye uses the opportunities afforded by his line of work to exercise his homicidal tendencies and to work out his own personal vendetta against Daredevil.[2] He is also an enemy of the Punisher. Although he possesses no superpowers, Bullseye is able to use almost any object as a lethal projectile, be it weapons like shuriken and sai or seemingly harmless objects like playing cards and pencils. His marksmanship is uncanny, at a nearly supernatural level.
For the animated character in Toy Story, see List of Toy Story characters § Bullseye.Bullseye
As Bullseye:
Daredevil #131 (March 1976)[1]
As Daredevil:
Daredevil #285 (October 1990)
As Hawkeye:
Dark Avengers #1 (March 2009)
Marv Wolfman (writer)
John Romita Sr. (artist)
Lester (last name unknown)
- Master marksman
- Expert martial artist and hand-to-hand combatant
- Peak human physical and mental condition
- Use of edged/throwing weapons and conventional firearms
- Spinal column and various other bones laced with adamantium
- Innate ability to turn any object he can throw into a deadly weapon
Bullseye has been adapted into various forms of media relating to Daredevil, such as the latter's self-titled film in which he was portrayed by Colin Farrell, and the third season of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) self-titled television series portrayed by Wilson Bethel under the name Benjamin "Dex" Poindexter that was previously used by the Ultimate Marvel incarnation of the character which would later be integrated into the mainstream comics.
Publication history[edit]
The character's first appearance is in Daredevil #131 (March 1976).[3] Although created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist John Romita Sr., the book features art by Bob Brown[4] and Klaus Janson.
Bullseye's real name and origins are unknown. He has used the name "Benjamin Poindexter" on several occasions, first mentioned on Daredevil #159 (1979) where he goes by the name "Mr. Poindexter" which he later claimed that it is "just one of the many names he used" (Daredevil #181, 1982).[5] However, there are also instances where his name is given as “Lester". The miniseries Bullseye: Greatest Hits (2004) developed the character's backstory, but also revealed that some or all of it has been fabricated, probably by Bullseye himself. In this series, Bullseye's name was Leonard and had a brother named Nate (whose real name was later revealed as Lester by Leonard).
Following "Civil War", Warren Ellis took over writing Thunderbolts and Bullseye became one of the core members of the new team line-up.[6]
In the Secret Invasion aftermath storyline Dark Reign, Bullseye becomes a member of the Dark Avengers under the alias Hawkeye[7] and features in a five-issue limited series Dark Reign: Hawkeye, written by Andy Diggle, with art by Tom Raney.[8] As a member of the Dark Avengers, he has a major role in the crossover Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia, written by Matt Fraction.[9] He appeared as a regular character in Dark Avengers #1-16 (March 2009-June 2010).
Bullseye is killed by Daredevil in Shadowland #1, but is later confirmed alive in Daredevil vol. 3 #26.
Fictional character biography[edit]
Early life and backstory[edit]
Bullseye was raised in The Bronx, New York City, New York, residing with his brother and their abusive father. His brother's main form of recreation was playing with rifles, leading him to become an expert shot. When he was 10 years old, his brother started a fire in their home in an unsuccessful attempt to kill their father. Shortly thereafter, Bullseye was placed in a foster home, and became a baseball player in high school. He was an extremely talented pitcher, and was offered a college athletic scholarship, but he opted to enter the minor leagues. After three games, he was called up to play a sold-out Major League game. He had surrendered no hits the entire game, and in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, he became bored and requested the coach pull him from the game. The coach refused and insisted that he finish the game. The opposing team's batter mocked him, accusing him of cowardice. Bullseye threw the ball at his head, killing him. As the ball struck, he said only one word: "Bullseye". He was barred from professional baseball and convicted of manslaughter.
This is a retcon of a previous origin story, which depicts Bullseye growing up as a below average student in a trailer park with an alcoholic, physically abusive father. In this version of events, Bullseye fakes his father's suicide using a handgun set off by a toy arrow.[10] It is unclear how many elements of this version are actually true.
Bullseye's cold demeanor and unique skills subsequently led to recruitment by the National Security Agency as an assassin. He was soon assigned to train Contras in Nicaragua. By the time he arrived, however, he claimed to have already been planning to leave the NSA. He had planned on robbing the Contras and fleeing, but he discovered they were desperately poor. Bullseye made the best of the situation: within seven hours of being informed of their poverty, he had led the Contras in seizing a landing strip that Colombian cocaine smugglers were using as a staging area before transporting the drugs to the US. Without use of the airfield, the smugglers were unable to send new shipments. Bullseye set up his hapless Nicaraguan translator Paolo as the leader of the new force controlling the airfield, and let the word spread around; however, Paolo was nothing but a patsy. Bullseye planned to invite several organized crime heads to the airfield to broker a new deal with him as Paolo's supposed right-hand man. He would take their money and disappear, presumably leaving Paolo to suffer the wrath of the Mafia, Russian mafia, yakuza, and various other criminal elements. However, before the deal could be finalized, the Punisher (Frank Castle) arrived.
Castle killed all the organized crime leaders in a fiery explosion from which Bullseye barely escaped. The two engaged in a fierce battle in which Bullseye was able to wound the Punisher and evade or disable several of his weapons. Bullseye then used some blood-reddened mud to paint a bull's-eye on his forehead, mocking Castle's inability to hit him. The fight concluded when Drug Enforcement Administration agents arrived, and the Punisher fled. Bullseye turned himself in to the D.E.A. agents and soon was assigned to infiltrate the Kingpin's criminal empire. He obtained a costume, fled yet again, and became one of the most dangerous hitmen in the world.
All of the above information is given by Bullseye during a subsequent interrogation by US intelligence. Just prior to escaping from custody, Bullseye confesses he made up some or all of his story to amuse himself; for example, he claims that he was really the one who started the fire which burned down his childhood home. The whole capture was a plan by the assassin to gain access to the prison where his father is being held. Bullseye finally gets revenge on his father, leaving him to burn as the prison's security systems torch everything inside.
Costumed criminal career[edit]
Bullseye battles (and defeats) Daredevil at a circus to establish his reputation as an extortionist.[11] Shortly after, Daredevil by chance overhears him in the midst of an extortion attempt and captures him.[12] Bullseye is later hired by Maxwell Glenn to kill Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson, and Daredevil interferes. Although Bullseye wins again, Daredevil escapes death,[13] and Bullseye's professional reputation is damaged as a result. Seeking to regain his credibility, he challenges Daredevil on live television, but is soundly defeated.[14]
Smarting from this even harsher blow to his reputation, Bullseye hires Eric Slaughter's gang and kidnaps the Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff) to bait Daredevil into a revenge bout.[15] Daredevil defeats him again, and the despair of this repeated humiliation drives him to a mental breakdown.[16] It is later revealed that this breakdown was in part caused by a brain tumor, which begins causing migraines, paranoia and hallucinations that everyone he meets is Daredevil.[17] He escapes from prison, but is recaptured by Daredevil, and the tumor is successfully removed.[17] The tumor's symptoms quickly disappear, and defense lawyers are able to have him freed on the argument that his criminal behavior was caused solely by the brain tumor. He is hired to assassinate the Kingpin, but meets with repeated failure.[18] Inexplicably, this convinces the Kingpin to employ him as a chief assassin, but he is fired the same day he witnesses the Kingpin's humiliating defeat at Daredevil's hands.[19] Bullseye's repeated failed attempts to regain this briefly-held position became a running joke of the Daredevil series.
While in prison, he learns that the Kingpin has employed Elektra (Daredevil's former lover) as a new chief assassin. After escaping prison, Bullseye attacks and impales Elektra on her own sai. This fails to convince the Kingpin, who says he will only be rehired if Bullseye kills Daredevil.[20] Bullseye attempts to ambush Daredevil, but their battle ends with his arch-foe dropping him from atop a telephone wire. The multi-story fall breaks Bullseye's back, paralyzing him.[20]
During Bullseye's extended hospital stay following the fall, Daredevil breaks into his hospital room and forces him to participate in a two-man variation on Russian roulette. The revolver used in the game is secretly unloaded, but Daredevil has Bullseye take the even-numbered turns so that he would feel sure that the last shot is going to kill him.[21] Bullseye has repeatedly cited this incident as his greatest grudge against Daredevil.[22][23]
Japanese scientist Lord Dark Wind liberates Bullseye and has him brought to Japan, lacing his bones with adamantium and thus restoring his mobility. Lord Dark Wind did this so that Bullseye would work as an assassin in return, but in spite of this favor being done for him, Bullseye refuses to work for free.[24] He instead makes another play to regain the position of the Kingpin's chief assassin once again if he kills Daredevil, knowing he would fail.[22] Bullseye is imprisoned for several years.
Bullseye eventually escapes prison,[25] and then battles Captain America.[26] He battles Crossbones in an attempt to assassinate the Red Skull to regain his old position with the Kingpin.[27]
After encountering the amnesiac Daredevil,[28] he takes advantage of this by committing robberies while impersonating Daredevil in an attempt to destroy his nemesis's image.[29] In one of his early heists, he is caught by his mark's disillusioned trophy wife. He becomes enamored of the wife who pleads with him to be taken away by him, but he keeps the wife in his derelict hideout as his lover, attempting to flatter her by showering her with stolen money and jewelry. However, the woman realizes that he is mentally fragile and, frightened by one of his psychotic outbursts, leaves him.[30] Gradually, Bullseye becomes so immersed in his Daredevil impersonation that he believes himself to truly be Daredevil, a confusion which the real hero takes advantage of to defeat him.[31]
Bullseye later has another run-in with the Punisher when he is part of Frank's frame-up scheme that ends with Bullseye getting both of his hands shot and losing a finger to the Punisher's brutality. Bullseye encounters Deadpool[32] and Gambit[33] during another long interval in which the character was seldom used.
Bullseye is hired by the villain Mysterio to attack and confuse Daredevil. In the course of their battle, Bullseye kills Karen Page (Daredevil's long-time love interest) with one of Daredevil's own billy clubs.[34]
Bullseye is recruited to steal the Identity Disc, purported to be in possession of AIM and have vital information on the world's superheroes, along with Deadpool, Sabretooth, Vulture, and Juggernaut.[35]
Bullseye again offers to kill Daredevil for Kingpin, later entering Daredevil's apartment and attempting to kill Milla Donovan (Daredevil's new girlfriend). Enraged and already near the breaking point, Daredevil attacks Bullseye and throws him out the window. During the fight, the hero reveals to Bullseye that he knows his real name Lester, his mother was a prostitute, and that he never knew his father.[36] He mocks the assassin's new 'Bullseye' tattoo and carves a new one over it with a rock.[37]
Bullseye seeks purported documents confirming Daredevil's secret identity. After a brutal fight with Daredevil and Elektra, Bullseye flees into open traffic where he is hit by a truck, sustaining severe injuries.[38]
Powers and abilities[edit]
Bullseye has an innate ability to throw virtually any object as a projectile with incredible accuracy and with enough force to be lethal. Some of his accomplishments include lacerating a person's throat with a thrown playing card or with a drinking straw, spitting his own tooth through a human skull,[73] tossing a paper airplane to a distant rooftop, cutting a person's throat, killing people with screws,[74] and killing a person with a toothpick thrown through a window from a hundred yards away.[75] Aside from his ability to throw projectiles with lethal accuracy, Bullseye is also a skilled hand-to-hand combatant and has been trained in karate.[76] He is also extremely talented in the use of edged/throwing weapons and conventional firearms. Bullseye has exceptional physical conditioning, with the agility, reflexes, stamina, and speed of a professional athlete. Bullseye also has a high pain tolerance.
After falling from a building, many of Bullseye's bones were reinforced with strips of adamantium.[77] This has increased his resistance to injury in unarmed combat and allows him to perform acrobatic maneuvers that would fracture ordinary human bones. Unlike Wolverine, whose adamantium was implanted using stolen and incomplete notes on the bonding process[78] and who survived only because of his mutant healing factor, Bullseye's surgery was performed properly by Lord Dark Wind himself, and thus included the special herb treatment which prevents the body from being destroyed by the implantation.[77]
Bullseye has a compulsive need to study his targets' histories, abilities, and relationships before engaging them. He employs this information to attempt to anticipate his opponents' movements in combat. This compulsion often crosses from the professional into the personal, such as Bullseye's obsession with Elektra. Due to a mutual head injury, Bullseye was able to sense Daredevil's presence psychically for a brief time.[79]