Creation
Headhunter was created by John Byrne in 1990 and first appeared in Namor The Sub-Mariner # 2.
Character
Headhunter was a Wall Street player with a reputation for ruthlessness. Apparently, some–like the late Desmond Marrs–knew the price for doing business with Headhunter. While her inner sanctum was designed to create the illusion that she had decapitated and mounted the heads of various men who had run afoul of her, in reality, Headhunter would hypnotize them, have them connected to a life support device behind a wall, with their head protruding through a portal on the other side. However, this was all apparently legal, as Headhunter would coerce her “victims” into year-long contracts in exchange for favor. Phoebe Marrs persuaded Namor to rescue her brother after he was forced to honor such a contract. In spite of the legality of what she was doing, when she was confronted by Namor, she fled. Her helicopter crashed in the Atlantic, and Headhunter was presumed dead.
However, some time later, she appeared as the Purple Man‘s major domo behind the scenes in his new “Villains for Hire” venture. When the group was confronted by a team organized by Misty Knight, Headhunter and others were arrested and taken into custody by officers of the New York Police Department.
Her current whereabouts are unlknown.
Powers
Headhunter can mesmerize and control others. She accomplishes this via some energy released from her eyes, which is effective against most others who look into her eyes. Namor and Namorita are two notable exceptions, and possibly either those with Atlantean physiology or whose eyes are different from a mainline human being’s. With effort, she was able to counter the Puppet Master‘s control. Her powers are sufficient to maintain control over others for at least a year.
She is extremely sensitive to light: she prefers to remain in her own offices–using a red light is less painful for her, and even then, she wears special glasses to filter out some of the painful light.
Headhunter was formerly served by Mr. Bonds, Mr. Stocks, and Ticker, names all obviously derived from Wall Street. However, since her original defeat by Namor, none of these subordinates have been seen. When necessary, she is capable of flying her own helicopter.
She sometimes wears a pair of straight razors on her fingers, but they seem to be just part of the illusion of decapitation she attempts to create. The blades have proven to be exceptionally sharp.