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    Jonah Hex

    Character » Jonah Hex appears in 515 issues.

    A Civil War veteran turned bounty hunter, Jonah Hex's disfigured face and boorish personality don't win him many friends, but his code of honor and expert marksmanship skills means he's always willing to fight for and protect the innocent and dispense lethal justice.

    Short summary describing this character.

    Jonah Hex last edited by Belmonte3 on 10/04/22 12:54PM View full history

    Origin

    No Caption Provided

    Jonah was born the only son to Woodson Hex and his wife, Virginia "Ginny" Hex. Growing up in Woodson's small farmhouse was a tumultuous time for young Jonah. Woodson was known for his excessive drinking and his abusive nature, and often took his violent urges out upon Jonah and Ginny. Finally on Jonah's tenth birthday Ginny abandoned her husband and child, after one of Woodson's drunken rages.

    After his wife left, Woodson took Jonah and traveled out to California in the hopes of mining for gold during the California gold rush. In his travels, he came across a tribe of Apache American Indians and entered into a dialogue with the Apache chief. He sold his thirteen-year-old son to the tribe in exchange for some fur pelts. The Apaches raised Jonah and educated him in the ways of their tribe. Through the chief, Jonah learned how to track and to hunt, as well as fighting and survival skills. after saving the chief from a puma, Jonah was granted freedom. Even though he now possessed the ability to come and go as he pleased, Jonah had grown accustomed to life among the American Indians, and preferred to stay in the Apache camp.

    The chief decided to test Noh-Tante and Jonah's worthiness as warriors. He instructed the two boys to sneak into a nearby camp and steal horses from a tribe of Kiowa Indians. Noh-Tante believed this would make an excellent opportunity to claim White Fawn for himself. During the raid, Noh-Tante attacked Jonah, knocking him unconscious. Satisfied that the Kiowa would finish him off, he brought the horses back to his father and told the Apaches that the Kiowa had killed Jonah during the raid.

    While the Apaches believed Jonah dead, a group of bounty hunters conducted their own raid on the Kiowa camp. During the firefight, a stray bullet struck Jonah's body and he was left bleeding on the ground. Shortly thereafter, a trapper discovered Hex's limp form and nursed him back to health. Betrayed by his own family, Jonah swore to never return to the Apache camp. He relied upon their teachings in order to survive however, and eked out a meager existence as a buffalo hunter.

    Major Story Arcs

    Soldier

    As Jonah grew into adulthood, he joined the United States Army as a cavalry scout. By 1861, the country was radically divided on issues of slavery and Southern rights. When war erupted between the Northern states and the South, Jonah shifted his loyalties to the newly formed Confederate army and enlisted as a lieutenant in the 4th cavalry. Ironically, Hex, a former slave, now found himself fighting to preserve the very institution that he had been a victim of. During this time, Jonah met a fellow soldier named Jeb Turnbull and the two became close friends. Jonah started to see that he could no longer support a system that elected to hold his fellow man in bondage. He abandoned his post and marched into the Union camp at Fort Charlotte to surrender. The camp's captain pressured Hex into revealing the location of his Confederate unit, but Jonah refused to yield the information. An orderly at Fort Charlotte examined samples of clay from the iron shoes on Hex's horse, and successfully determined where the Rebels were stationed.

    The Union soldiers tracked the enemy back to their camp, and took them by surprise. As the Rebels were arrested, the Union captain publicly thanked Jonah for his assistance, marking him as a traitor in the eyes of his former unit. All of the soldiers were brought back to Fort Charlotte. The Union camp did not possess enough food in order to adequately feed all of its prisoners, so the captain manipulated Hex into staging a breakout. Jonah found a shaft beneath his cell and used it to access the compound where Jeb Turnbull and the other prisoners were being held. He aided them in trying to escape, but the Union captain was prepared for them. In an event that history will know as the "Fort Charlotte Massacre", the Union soldiers shot down every escapee in cold blood, including Jeb Turnbull. Jonah found himself a victim of a Union bullet as well, but managed to survive long enough to kill the camp's captain. Following the Fort Charlotte Massacre, Jonah patched himself up and moved out towards the Western territories.

    Homecoming

    Hex eventually returned to the Apache camp where he had lived, and discovered that his old rival, Noh-Tante, had since married White Fawn, a mutual love interest. The Apache chief was shocked to learn that Hex was still alive, and now doubted the honesty of his son's tale concerning the Kiowa raiding party. Jonah openly declared that Noh-Tante had betrayed him.

    In order to determine the truth, the Apache chief orchestrated a trial-by-combat between Jonah and Noh-Tante. Noh-Tante feared that Jonah was a more capable fighter, and so he deliberately sabotaged the tomahawk that Jonah was to use during the fight. As the trial commenced, Jonah found himself losing to Noh-Tante's brutal attacks. Unable to rely upon his tomahawk, Jonah used his Bowie knife to bring Noh-Tante down, killing him in the process. By doing so, Jonah broke a sacred law which forbade the murder of an Apache. Jonah appealed to the chief, claiming that he was fighting in self-defense, but the chief would not listen to him. Several braves held Jonah down while the chief ordered him branded with the Mark of the Demon. Jonah's face was hideously burned and he was expelled from the Apache camp never to return.

    Marriage

    In his mid-to-late 30s, Jonah married and settled down with an Asian-American woman, Mei Ling. They lived on a ranch somewhere near the mountains. Mei Ling was adamantly opposed to Jonah bounty-hunting.

    Time Travel Adventures

    Jonah Hex travels to the year 1985 when he picks up a tablet that has been imbued with magic. He places the tablet in between his vest for safe keeping and is transported to 1985. When the tablet is stolen by a demon Jonah Hex is transported back to his own era. He makes reference to hoping he has seen the last of the "weird" place. Hex is transported to the distant future of 2050. He spends some time there before being sent back to his own era.

    Bounty Hunter is born

    Some time later, Jonah wandered into a boom town to drown his sorrows. After drunkenly stumbling out of a saloon, he found an outlaw named "Mad Dog" Lucas McGill in the throes of attacking a young woman. In an inebriated haze, Jonah's mind replaced Mad Dog's image with that of his own father. Mad Dog's words echoed violent sentiments that he had heard visited upon his own mother many, many times. Without thinking, Jonah withdrew his colts and shot Mad Dog down in the middle of the street. A deputy ran out and graciously thanked Jonah for bringing the outlaw down. He told Hex that a man could make a lot of money by tracking down and apprehending wanted felons, and inspired Jonah to pursue the bounty hunting trade.

    Jonah is gunned-down and murdered by George Barrow. from which he would return from the dead and received supernatural powers, he traveled throughout the American West, he also ended up in South America and China.

    New Ongoing Series (2006)

    The 2006 ongoing series
    The 2006 ongoing series

    In his Brand-New ongoing series, Hex's origin seems to have changed; he was a soldier who fought in the southern ranks during the American Civil War and he was scarred for life by a cruel union officer. He was also raised by Native Americans (and was given a tomahawk). Apparently, he quit the tribe and is now earning a living as a bounty-hunter in the wild west of the U.S. Fighting injustice and thugs, Jonah Hex thunders the arid plains with his two companions...one is Death itself...the other, the acrid smell of gun smoke.

    Blackest Night

    During the Blackest Night Numerous Black Power Rings attempted to resurrect Don Hall, Dove (The avatar of Peace). Each ring failed, receiving the message "Don Hall at peace", and becoming inert. With the help of the light weilding super hero The Ray, Simon Stagg captured one of the rings for study. He returns to an underground lab, and meets with Joshua Turnbull, Quentin Turnbulls descendent. Stagg wants Joshua to try and harness the power of the ring to resurrect his own army. As Stagg leaves to his own base to remain safe, he has Josh stay with his coworkers to investigate the ring. As Joshua gets aggrivated in the incompetence of his co-worker, hundreds of Black Lanterns destroy the wall of the base to retrieve the ring (this includes Firehair, Super Chief, Scalphunter and The Trigger Twins, and thousands of deceased native americans). As Joshua's co workers are murdered, Ray is forced to leave the ring with Josh in a light cage. He then unleashes a giant blast of light, blasting away the Black Lanterns. It is unknown if he truly destroyed the Black Lanterns and survived.

    Joshua and his assistant run through the abandoned and bloody hallways, Hearing the sound of cowboy spurs following them. Josh then leaves behind his assistant outside the elevator, hoping to distract the unknown enemy long enough to escape. The assistant stares in horror as the enemy reveals himself to be a newly resurrected Bat Lash.

    Grabbing a rocket launcher, Joshua runs out into the old western town expecting an army of zombies. Instead, he notices he's all alone except a single figure across the street from him. Jonah Hex, resurrected as a Black Lantern, appears to him. Instictively, Josh fires a rocket at Jonah, exclaiming "They're right Hex. Your one ugly son of a bitch". Hex regenerates and shoots out Joshuas knees. As he crawls away, he runs into his ancestor, Quentin Turnbull. Quentin, disgusted that he's now forced to work with Hex, listens to his descendent plead with him, saying they could kill Hex together. Quentin shoots Joshua and retakes the ring, leaving only death. Death, and the acrid smell of gunsmoke.

    New 52 - All-Star Western (v3, 2011)

    Jonah Hex, New 52
    Jonah Hex, New 52

    As part of the new 52 reboot, Dc decided to bring back the title 'All-Star Western', which had two previous volumes, the most recent of which ending in 1972. In this title, the main story-line, by the creative team of Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Norman (Moritat), features Jonah Hex as the main character, with back-up features starring various other Western characters, such as El Diablo and the Barbary Ghost.

    Jonah's origin remains mostly unchanged with very minor differences being introduced to his back-story. Instead of trading his son for fur pelts, Woodson Hex sells his son to the Apache in order to allow him to pass through their land.

    During the Civil War, Jonah is captured by the Northern Army, tortured and later tied to a raft and left to die before he is rescued downstream by a family.

    During the final battle with Noh-Tante, the two were to settle the fight to the death using tomahawks. However, Noh-Tante had sabotaged Jonah's weapon, forcing him to use a hidden knife within his boot. Killing his adopted brother, Jonah is exiled from the tribe instead of facing the usual death sentence as he had saved the tribe-leaders life before. It is then where he received the scar to his face - a burn mark to tell people that he is a man of both good and evil - the mark of a demon.

    Guns and Gotham

    In this first story arc of the DC-wide reboot (set in the 1880's), Jonah Hex is called to Gotham City by Amadeus Arkham in order to assist him in the apprehension of the so-called 'Gotham Butcher' - a serial killer responsible for the murder of five prostitues. As a calling-card, the Gotham Butcher had written the word 'fear' (in various languages) with the victim's blood on the walls of the murder scene.

    Several fights later, Jonah is able to locate one of his acquaintances in Gotham, Belle, a prostitute. Belle had told Jonah of the disappearance of "a friend of her friend", describing that the person responsible for the abduction as wearing a "big silver blue ring shaped like a skull." Later, Jonah is informed by the police that Belle has fallen victim to the Gotham Butcher, and when brought to the murder scene, the words "Jonah Hex leave Gotham" are instead written on the wall, instead of the word 'fear' - to which Hex responds "Seems The Butcher wants to make this personal. I can do that." Amadeus and Hex are able to deduce that this is in fact the work of two men - one man of high intelligence due to their knowledge of languages, and one man for the 'muscle'.

    Following several leads and intuition, Amadeus and Hex attend a charity event hosted by Mayor Cobblepot to be attended by Gotham's richest and most influential, as they are convinced that the killer will be there. After a little while, Jonah and Amadeus leave as they discover that everyone in attendance at the event possess the same skull rings as described by Belle before her death.

    Showdown at House Arkham
    Showdown at House Arkham

    Fearing that Jonah Hex and Amadeus Arkham had discovered their secret, this secret elitist group with members such as Colonel Hammersmith and Doctor Dupree (whom have also abducted Police Inspector Cromwell for his refusal to join their secret society), send out a dozen men to kill Jonah and Amadeus - but they are no match for the gun-slinging Hex. Jonah is able to extract the plans from one of the wounded men that the secret society (The Followers of the Crime Bible) had targeted prostitutes in order to purify Gotham. As Cromwell is being tortured, Jonah and Arkham are able to locate him (thanks to the information extracted by the one of the assailants), but are then attacked by the Gotham Butcher. After a struggle, the 'muscle' is able to get Hex in a deadly headlock, until Arkham is able to kill him using a pistol, and are able to detain the 'brain'.

    Using the information obtained, the police are able to bust this crime ring. As Jonah and Arkham are discussing the events with Detective Lofton and Cromwell, they are ambushed by men with a machine gun. Hex was able to see them moving in before they attacked, and managed to save him and Arkham, but the two lawmen were gunned down. Hex then pursuits the assassins before killing them both.

    Hex then announces his attention to leave Gotham, after making known his hate for the city several times previously. However, before he does, he needs to kill three men, the Trapp brothers, as part of a bounty he took on. No sooner than he has finished the job, is Jonah confronted by Thurston Moody, who approaches Jonah due to his reputation as a bounty hunter in order to locate his son who has gone missing. Initially, Jonah refuses to take the job, citing his hate of Gotham as the main reason for his refusal, but wholeheartedly accepts when he is offered $50,000 (approximately $1.2 million in 2013).

    Jonah first heads to St. Jude's orphanage hoping to find the missing boy, or at least more information regarding missing children in the area. There, he is refused entry by a nun but later is reunited with Amadeus Arkham who is coincidentally at the orphanage to help care for the sick children. Seeing the state of one highly sick child, Jonah and Arkham are able to deduce that due to the nature of his illnesses, he was likely held captive in places of extremely poor hygiene and sunlight. They later discover via the boys parents that several hundred children have gone missing in the past few years, and the reason why the police have done little to help is that these children are of the poorest sections of Gotham society.

    In the Batcave
    In the Batcave

    Going underground, the two discover that the children are being used to work in the sewers under appalling conditions. They are later captured by the overseers whilst trying to free the children, and are thrown into a whirlpool. As the water empties out into a waterfall, Jonah is able to steer them to safety onto a cliff. There, they encounter an ancient Indian tribe hidden in the caves beneath Gotham. First attacking the tribe and then escaping, the two climb up a cliff only to encounter a giant prehistoric Bat. Using fire and his tomahawk, Hex is able to kill the beast, to the pleasure of the hidden tribe, who then point they way out of the cave for Hex and Arkham. The cave leads out to the Wayne Manor of Alan and Catherine Wayne.

    Jonah and Arkham later return to the sewers, now with the police and apprehend the overseers. As the main overseer tries to escape, Jonah catches and tortures him in order to find where the son of Moody is. The man then reveals that he would never have kidnapped Moody's son as the whole sewer operation was Thursten Moody's idea.

    The rescue mission
    The rescue mission

    Jonah later realises that the Moody boy was being kept at the house of the family of the sick boy from the orphanage. Jonah then tells the boy of the evil-doings of his father in the hope that he doesn't end up like him. When Moody's son is brought back home, Jonah and Arkham discover that Moody has fled Gotham, most likely to New Orleans as that is where he owns a lot of property. Jonah, not confined to the jurisdiction of Gotham unlike Amadeus, sets out after him to collect his bounty and bring him to justice. Before leaving happily Gotham, Jonah contacts his associates in New Orleans, Nighthawk and Cinnamon.

    The War of Lords and Owls

    Explosion in New Orleans
    Explosion in New Orleans

    Jonah Hex, accompanied by Amadeus Arkham, arrives in New Orleans in order to track Thurston Moody, the Head of Gotham's Sanitation Department, following the events of 'Guns For Gotham'. No sooner than they arrive is a factory bombed right in front of them. This urges Hex to ride into the fire and save innocent victims from the blaze. As Jonah collapses from inhaling all of the smoke, Nighthawk and Cinnamon arrive at the scene and are able to restore Jonah back to health (with the help of Nighthawk's Indian Necklace which grants the user increased strength and an improved healing factor).

    Back at Nighthawk's repair shop, Nighthawk and Cinnamon offer their assistance to Jonah to help find Moody in return his help in locating those responsible for the attack on the factory and other buildings. Initially, Jonah refuses, saying that they should go to the police for assistance. Nighthawk then informs Hex that it is likely that the police are involved in the bombings as well, before fighting Jonah into changing his mind.

    Scar-Face vs. Z.C. Branke
    Scar-Face vs. Z.C. Branke

    Jonah is able to locate the group of anarchists, a group called the August 7, at an underground fight club, where he is able to gain the trust of one of their members, Miram Coy, a fellow Southerner. Jonah is then able to get a job as one of the fighters under the stage-name 'Scar-Face' and later duels with the beautiful Z.C. Branke, a champion fighter, also a member of the August 7.

    Impressing both Coy and Branke, Hex is subsequently offered a place as a member of Coy's secret group and spends the night with Branke. The morning after, Branke reveals Coy's proposition to Hex. Jonah has been instructed to sink a ship (The Sea Queen) containing immigrants. The motivation being the bitterness suffered as a result of the U.S. Civil War.

    Upon revealing this information to Nighthawk and Cinnamon, Jonah reveals that he must go through with exploding the ship, much to the dismay of the two. Before they are able to stop him, Jonah removes Nighthawk's necklace. Meanwhile, Amadeus has been apprehended during a police raid on an Opium House. As it turns out Amadeus is later released from jail and explains his predicament to the captain of the police force, who happens to be a member of the August 7, resulting in Amadeus' kidnapping.

    As Jonah meets with the supplier of the explosives, he finds Amadeus tied up and the August 7 then apprehend Jonah, sending him and Arkham to the ship intended to be sunk. It is later revealed that this was Hex's plan all along. For Arkham to be captured forcing the members to gather so that Hex (wielding the Indian Necklace), Nighthawk and Cinnamon could assault the group, which proves to be successful.

    Following the apprehension of the August 7, Jonah, as promised, is given information as to the whereabouts of Thurston Moody. Arkham and Hex are able to locate him, but Moody is now in the clutches of a member of The Talons, and is shortly killed by the assassin, before vanishing.

    Reunited with Tallulah Black
    Reunited with Tallulah Black

    Dissatisfied with this, the two head back to Arkham in an attempt to uncover more of the evil doings of 'The Followers of the Crime Bible' - there Jonah is reunited with one of his past flames, Tallulah Black, who is in Gotham to avenge the death of her family at the hands of Lucius Bennet, before she is thrown out of the second story window of Wayne Casino by Bennet's personal bodyguard.

    After nursing Tallulah back to health, Jonah and Tallulah head out to find Bennet to, once again, attempt to avenge Tallulah's family. Here, Jonah finds out that Bennet is wearing a skull ring, signifying his allegiance to The Followers of the Crime Bible. But before they are able to finish the job, the Talon strikes again, capturing Bennet and then killing him.

    As it turns out, Moody had been affiliated with both 'The Followers of the Crime Bible' and the Court of Owls. Moody had been killed as the Court thought that the plan regarding the Gotham sewers was unraveling and could potentially be traced back to the Court. To further hide their society, the Court had also voted to destroy the Followers of the Crime Bible, and conveniently for them Jonah and Amadeus are also bent on seeing them brought down. By sending out a Talon to (somewhat) discretely kill Bennet, it would appear as to the Followers of the Crime Bible that Hex et al. were the responsible parties.

    Talon circa 1880
    Talon circa 1880

    Using their connections to the Gotham Police Department, the Crime Bible Followers issue arrest warrants to Jonah, Tallulah and Amadeus, who are transported to the Crime Bible Follower's headquarters in Slaughter Swamp. The three are later drugged unconscious and are tied up in front of a steam-powered machine gun in the hopes of either extracting information from the three, before the water boils, or by killing them.

    Tallulah manages to break free and is able to kill some of the captors and create a distraction long enough for Alan Wayne to arrive with a new dispatch of policemen to arrest the followers of the crime bible.

    Several days before, Hex had approached Wayne regarding the issue of Bennet (as Tallulah was thrown out of Wayne Casino by Bennet's bodyguard during a private meeting between Bennet and Wayne regarding the development of certain properties in Gotham). During the meeting between Hex and Wayne, they are attacked by two of the Crime Bible's men. Jonah had been able to confirm Arkham's suspicions that the Crime Bible Followers were attempting to remove those with power in Gotham not part of their clan. Jonah suggests that he'll be able to help Wayne with his proposal for developing parks in Gotham by having Bennet killed. Though Wayne is hesitant to condone Hex's action, Hex says that Gotham is a terrible city, but if men like Wayne, those with influence and money use it wisely, Gotham can be a better place. Wayne was able to locate where the Crime Bible Followers were hiding the three by examining the property holdings of Bennet and narrowing it down to the most likely location.

    The followers of the Crime Bible are later publicly hanged, and thanks to his work, Amadeus Arkham's proposal to build Arkham Asylum for the mentally ill are assisted by Wayne. Later, a man by the name of Reginald Frosythe arrives in Gotham, seeking the assistance of Jonah Hex and Amadeus Arkham.

    Weapons/Skills

    Jonah Hex's main weapons are a colt single action revolver with a 7.5 inch barrel, and a tomahawk. Jonah is very cunning and strong-willed. As a trained soldier and Native tribe member, he is a exceptionally skilled combatant. His reflexes are well-honed as he prefers to use his colt in pursuit of a bounty.

    Other media

    Batman: The Animated Series
    Batman: The Animated Series

    Batman: The Animated Series

    An elderly Jonah Hex appeared in the episode "Showdown" voiced by William McKinney. The episode features a flashback tale as Ra's Al Ghul tells Batman the story of meeting Hex sometime in 1883 hunting for his son Arkady Duvall.

    Justice League Unlimited

    Taking place in the same universe as B:TAS, Adam Baldwin voices Jonah Hex in the episode, "The Once and Future Thing Part 1: Weird Western Tales" set in 1879. He teams up with fellow western heroes of the period when the Justice League travel back in time.

    Batman: The Brave and The Bold

    Jonah Hex in Batman: The Brave and the Bold
    Jonah Hex in Batman: The Brave and the Bold

    He appears in eleventh episode of the series: " Return of the Fearsome Fangs! ". He is tied to four horses on his wrists and ankles by the Royal Flush Gang in order to torn him apart, but before get dismembered Batman saved him cutting the ropes. The two heroes captures the gang. He makes fun of Batman´s costume arguing that he "can't be partnering up with someone who parades around in a ridiculous bat getup". He also appears in "Duel of the Double Crossers!". He shown capturing Despero for Mongul's Warworld. He is doing this because Mongul captured him from his time and Hex made a deal with Mongul to capture fighters in return to send him back to his own time. Mongul then wants Hex to capture Batman. He does capture Batman and when Mongul goes back on his deal he helps Batman win in Warworld and frees all the prisoners. In the end Batman goes home but Jonah stays on Warworld and he is shown on his horse with Lashina riding away.

    Film

    Jonah Hex (2010)

    Josh Brolin as Jonah Hex
    Josh Brolin as Jonah Hex

    A live action version of the Jonah Hex character was released on June 18th, 2010. Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men) stars as Jonah Hex. The film also features Megan Fox as a love interest, Will Arnett, and John Malkovich. The movie focuses on the origin of Jonah. It is a heavy action film that focuses on Jonah using his hunting and tracking skills to find the killer of his wife and son and avenge their deaths. The film opened to negative reviews and a poor box office.

    DC Showcase: Jonah Hex

    Long time Jonah Hex fan Thomas Jane voiced the character in the animated short film attached to the animated movie Batman: Under the Red Hood DVD.

    Board Games in Heroclixs

    In 2010 when the movie Jonah Hax was in movie theaters it did not do well at all it was the worst movie ever made When the movie was made they promote the Heroclixs games pieces with only three pieces thet are Jonah Hex and his girlfriend and his arch villian. In the series they have cards with there powers to attack and there movie refference based on the film in 2010.

    Legends of Tomorrow

    Jonah Hex meets Rip Hunter and his group, while hiding out in The Old West of 1861. The team stops Jeb Stillwater and than battle the Hunters who The Time Lords dispatched to kill Rip and his group. Hex met Hunter in 1859 and knows the team is not from The Old West and asks when they came and where is their leader Rip Hunter.

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