Cannon Hawke
| Cannon | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Aspen MLT |
| First appearance | Fathom (Volume 1) #1 (1998) |
| Created by | Michael Turner |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Cannon Hawke |
| Team affiliations | The Blue |
| Abilities | Aside from being an above average athlete, Cannon has limited control over water and the ability to breathe underwater. |
Cannon Hawke is a fictional character of Fathom, a comic book series created by Michael Turner. He also starred in his own self-titled miniseries in 2005/2006.
History
Cannon is an agent of the Blue to the above world of humans. Before the Blue Sun incident, Cannon had worked as an emissary for the Japanese and American governments on an underwater research base, the Deep Marine Discovery (short: DMD), 50 miles north of Honolulu, Hawaii. For the Blue he is a Paladin of the Elite Council.
Blue Sun
Cannon and his assistant, Akiko, worked on the DMD to help keep the peace between the Japanese and American researchers, military, and governments involved in the DMD. However his true reasons were to watch the humans discoveries on anything that might allow them to discover his people, the Blue. There he met a young American marine biologist named Aspen Matthews, the long believed dead daughter of a deceased leader of the Blue. Cannon had been aware of her existence for several years, but choose to let her live among Humanity instead of bringing her back. However now was a troubled time. Humanity had unknowingly destroyed a city of the Blue with a hydrogen bomb testing, and had discovered one of their ships as well as one of their people, a man named Killian and built the DMD around the ship.
A torpedo attack on the DMD lead Cannon to save his assistant as he realized Aspen was capable of saving herself. The attack was made by a US fighter pilot who missed his real target, a Blue veicule, and was exploited by Killian, a renegade Blue leader, and his group of dissenters who wanted to wage war upon Humanity. Killian began manipulating Aspen to work for him, as Aspen had a great potential coming from a strong bloodline.
As Cannon scrambled to save Aspen to teach her the truth, Killian initiated his plan to use a weapon known as the Blue Sun. The Blue Sun would burn a hole through the first layer of the Earth's crust, draining the ocean to create catastophic effects on earth to which the full extent are not fully known. By the time Cannon was able to bring Aspen back to his side it was too late and the Blue Sun's ray was burning through the crust.
A fight ensued in the waterless ocean floor around the ray, with Cannon fighting Taras (Killian's 2nd in command), and Aspen fighting Killian. Cannon was able to catch Taras diving towards him, using a rolling kick that flung Taras into the ray, evaporating him for lack of a better term. Aspen then unleashed her full power and not only killed Killian, but somehow stopped the Blue Sun.
Resurrection of Taras
Around a year after the blue sun, Cannon finds himself on his yacht with Lara Croft, an archaeologist and adventurer. While relaxing he is attacked and kidnapped by Biranha, the brother of Taras. Lara, having gone unnoticed, contacts her friend Sara Pezzini, a New York police detective and wielder of the Witchblade, for help.
Cannon awakes in an underwater city in the Atlantic. He is being held hostage by Vana, leader of the Arctic Blue (a splinter group of the Blue living in the freezing cold North and having adapted in abilities to control Ice) and mother of Biranha and Taras. She wanted to avenge herself on Cannon for the near death of her son. It turns out that Taras was not actually killed in the Blue Sun, but rather just evaporated to a large degree. Vana uses a machine to try to place Tara's remains into Cannon so that Taras might live again in Cannon's body.
Meanwhile, Sara and Lara begin searching for clues as to where Cannon might have been taken when they run into Aspen. At the same time Aspen is being targeted by Biranha's men. Aspen and Sara end up working together only to be knocked out and kidnapped. They also awaken in the underwater city below the Atlantic ocean. It turns out Vana also blames Aspen for what has happened to her son and wants her death. Thankfully, Lara is still free and on the way to rescue them, having followed Biranha's team home.
Vana's experiment comes to a saddening end when Cannon absorbs all of Ttaras and turns into a horrible abomination, a mere shadow of a man that can barely speak. Vana intends to kill this haunting image of Cannon, believing her son fully lost, until Taras' mind bleeds through, forcing Cannon to say "I learned to walk before I could crawl". Realizing Taras is still in Cannons body, Vana tries to undo the experiment, hopefully getting things right this time. As this is going on, Lara sneaks in and free's Aspen and Sara. The trio of girls leave the base only to return, realizing they must free Cannon at all costs.
This time Vana's experiment works, bring Cannon back to his normal self as well as recreating Taras' body. However, when Sara and Lara break into the chamber a fight ensues. During this, Sara is off in her own fight where she faces and kills Biranha. Vana and Aspen exchange blasts of ice and water until Vana shoots one directly at Aspen. Rather than dodge, Aspen reflects the blast by turning her arms into some form of hard water. The blast ricochets off Aspen's arms and blows up the capsule Taras was in, killing him. The girls grab Cannon and run as Vana makes a suicidal final move in her depression. It's a race out of the enemies base as Vana explodes her body into hundreds of long, sharp, icicles. The group manages to escape to Cannon's yacht as they happily relax after such a dangerous adventure.
Cannon however did not leave Vana's headquarters without a cost though. As he looks in the mirror he sees Taras smiling back at him, now stuck in the deep recesses of his subconscious.
Dawn of War, Fathom V2, & Cannon Hawke Mini-Series
As things began to finally calm down for Cannon, war started. Admiral Maylander (US Navy) decides to start his own personal secret war with the Blue. At the same time, the Black, an ancient underwater race from which the Blue evolved, reappears. The Black kidnap Aspen as Maylander orders an attack on the shallow water city known as Saba. Cannon, now Elite Commander of Council Defense, requests that the council allow aid to be given to Saba. However the Council declares that since Saba was built in shallow waters outside of the set boundaries by the council, the city must be left to defend itself.
Cannon refuses to accept this, and chooses to help his people rather than watch them die. Cannon orders the council's strike force, made up of Kiani, Siphon, and Brande, to save as many survivors as possible. Using a jump rift in the water to gain quick access to the city, they arrive too late as most of the city has already been destroyed. Cannon and his team as still able to save the city's leader, Thassalar and a few survivors. Cannon's group and the survivors use the rift to jump back to safety just as Maylander orders ships after Cannon's team.
Unfortunately, the return to the capital city was not one of celebration. Cannon is awaited by an armed group of the Council Defense, led by Kreeg, with orders to apprehend Hawke on charges of treason. Cannon surrenders without resistance, aware that he disobeyed the order of the council. However while in captivity, Taras takes over Cannon's mind, defeats the guards, and escapes to the surface.
Cannon, once again in control of himself, meets up with his former assistant, Akiko, and they charter a plane to Japan. There Cannon meets with an old acquaintance, a renegade member of the Blue who defected to human society and lives as a business man dealing with all sides. Cannon finds out that this was the man who told Maylander's people of the location of Saba. While in his penthouse, contemplating his next move, a group of agents working for the renegade break in, to steal vials of Grey matter from Cannon. Grey matter is a previously unknown substance that was somehow produced from the Blue Sun and contains great energy. Some agents manage to escape with Grey matter, and Cannon willingly gives into Taras, allowing the later to kill the remaining agents.
The next day Cannon met with members of the Japanese government who bought the Grey matter from the renegade. They combined it with some Grey matter they had already had to and were examining as a potential power source. Cannon requests his property back but the Japanese refuse. On Cannon's attempt to steal it back, he finds Biranha already there with his own men taking all of the Grey matter. Cannon escaps but the Japanese government is now after him, believing that Cannon was the culprit. Cannon sends Akiko out of Japan to Canada, where he returns to request help from the Blue Council.
Cannon's return is lukewarm at best, as the council had since decided that Saba should have been protected and Cannons actions were right, however were still against the fact that Cannon broke out of imprisonment. Cannon explaines to the council and it's defenders that he was sharing his mind with Taras. Cannon than explains the current situation about Biranha and asks for a strike team to stop him.
Cannon's previous strike team is unfortunately not available, as Kiani is hospitalized from attacks made by the humans and Siphon taking his fathers place on the council, leaving only Brande. However Thassalar and Kreeg both agree to follow him, Kreeg wishing to watch over his previous commander in fear that he could no longer be trusted. The team then goes up north to the new Arctic base of Biranha, entering into a fight with his men quickly. The strike team is eventually outnumbered and forced to surrender. As Biranha prepares to execute Cannon, Tara's conscience takes control. Biranha is surprised with the perspective that his brother is still alive inside of his enemy. During this moment of confusion, Kreeg attackes Biranha. Cannon, still controlled by Taras then starts to fight his own strike team while Biranha's men flee with the Grey matter. As Cannon finally regains control it is too late. He orders his men to leave him, and vows that he will take care of Taras for good.
Cannon goes to Canada to meet with Akiko, where he explaines her the truth about everything, the Blue, the war, and Taras. Akiko was not caught utterly off guard, having guessed much of it, but is happy in the trust Cannon shows in her (Akiko has long since fallen in love with him). Cannon then shows her a special room beneath the house and asks Akiko to lock him in, not letting him out until she is sure it is really Cannon. Cannon tells Akiko that if he fails, she must leave him locked alone in this room forever. Akiko fears the possibility but, ultimately, agrees.
Upon entering the room Cannon calls out Taras, entering his own mind to a familiar place. He is brought to a shrine that he often saw in his mind when talking to Taras, a shrine Taras had created inside Cannons mind. The fight begins as swords are drawn and both realize that this will be their final battle. Meanwhile, Cannon under the control of Taras, pleads and fights with Akiko to let him out, leaving her afraid and crying. Cannon soon realizes that he is unable to win this fight in this place and thus switches to a battlefield of his own choosing, the ocean floor around the ray of the Blue Sun. Once more Taras dives at Cannon, however this time the same move did not work as Taras catches Cannons feet. Cannon then throws Taras in the ray from a different point, making Taras relive his death from another perspective. This was too much for Taras weakened mind and he finally deterriorates.
As Cannon wakes up he is greeted by Akiko and she opens the door. After a few days rest Cannon tells his assistant that he has to go, to help his people. Akiko reminds him that Humanity needs him as well, before kissing him goodbye (something that surprises him greatly).