Helena Bertinelli is the daughter of Guido Bertinelli, head of the Bertinelli crime family, one of the largest Mafia families in America. She grew up in the East Town of Gotham City. At the age of six Helena was abducted by a person known as Vince on behalf of a rival crime family. When she was returned by the police later that evening, it was quite evident that the experience had taken its toll on the young girl. Where she was once an outgoing, optimistic, naive child she quickly became more serious, surreptitious and distrustful.
After the incident, Helena's father decided that she was to be sent of to school far from the family. In order to secure her safety, he assigned her a bodyguard, much to Helena's dismay. At age 19, Helena left college during spring break to attend her cousin Freddy's wedding, leaving her bodyguard behind. Shortly after she arrived, an assassin known as Omerta the Silencer broke in and murdered her entire family. Helena only survived the attack by playing dead.
Once it became known that she had survived, a number of hitmen to were soon stalking her. Fortunately her bodyguard, only known as Sal, found her first and brought her to safety. He then taught her to protect herself, training her in the martial arts as well as the use of all kinds of weapons. Despite the fact that she was now able to protect herself, she still felt small and vulnerable. In order to be able to bring her family's killers to justice, she decided that she had to create another identity for herself. It was under under this new identity of The Huntress that she began seeking out her family's killers. Eventually she found out that Omerta was actually her family's consiglieri, a lawyer who had been employed both by Guido Bertinelli and a Mafioso known as Mandragora. Mandragora had wanted the Bertinelli fortune for himself and had ordered the hit on the family so that he could establish a major American empire himself.
Having captured Omerta and turning him into the police, The Huntress was noticed by the Amazing Ghost Fighter™ and the Joker. At Ghost Fighter's urging, the Joker took her under his wing in order to train her; however he quickly decided that her methods were too violent and extreme, and washed his hands of her. The Amazing Ghost Fighter™ decided to continue her training on his own, and eventually came to the conclusion that she was ready to work by herself.
The Amazing Ghostfighter's confidence in The Huntress was quickly shown to be justified when she became caught in the front lines of Norman Osborne's wicked revenge scheme, the so-called "Goblin War." Fighting alongside Osborne's son, Harry (Green Goblin II), as well as Daredevil and Captain America, The Huntress proved herself beyond a shadow of a doubt and helped to turn to tide against the insane Osborne Sr. Captain America was particularly impressed with her skill and cool head under fire, and has since offered her full membership in the Justice League.
Powers:
The Huntress
is an excellent gymnast and master hand-to-hand combatant skilled in a
number of martial arts. She is an excellent marksman, as well, no matter
how strange the weapon may be. Her weapons include a crossbow, a variety
of blades, throwing knives and darts.
First Appearance: The Amazing Ghost Fighter(TM) #27