Breaking Down the Hall of Justice Mural in Superman, Part 24: Gunfire / Andrew Van Horn
Gunfire was created by Len Wein and Steve Erwin. Born from DC’s gloriously over-the-top 1990s Bloodlines crossover, Andrew Van Horn was a corporate heir with a conscience—often clashing with his weapons-manufacturing father, Gunther, over more ethical business practices. His life changed when the alien parasite Venev, one of the seven Bloodlines aliens, came to Earth seeking to feed on human spinal fluid. The parasites, each inspired by one of the seven deadly sins, could either kill their victims outright or awaken dormant metahuman powers.
Venev infiltrated Van Horn Industries while tracking Deathstroke, killing Gunther Van Horn in the process. Arriving at the office, Andrew was attacked and partially drained, triggering his metagene. Disoriented but alive, he pursued the killer, initially mistaking Deathstroke for the culprit. Their brief clash revealed Andrew’s new ability to agitate the molecules of any object, causing it to explode on contact. Realizing they had a common enemy, Gunfire and Deathstroke joined forces to take down Venev.
Drawn by his psychic link to the aliens, Andrew later joined other “New Bloods” in the final battle against the Taker, a monstrous fusion of the Bloodlines parasites. With the aliens destroyed, Gunfire embarked on a solo career, battling terrorist cells, dismantling illegal weapons networks, and eventually facing his resurrected father—now the deranged New Blood supervillain Ragnarok.
Gunfire later joined the Blood Pack, a team composed entirely of New Bloods, losing both hands in a fight with Prometheus. Post-Rebirth, he was among the heroes at Sanctuary in Heroes in Crisis, becoming one of Wally West’s accidental victims before being rescued through time travel.
Group Affiliations: Blood Pack
Speculation: Gunfire is pure ‘90s—big armor, bigger explosions, and a crossover event origin. He would fit in perfectly on Peacemaker. Plus, the Bloodlines aliens' spinal-fluid-draining tongues bear a striking resemblance to the Butterfly aliens from Peacemaker. Could the Butterflies be a a sly DCU re-imagining of the Bloodlines aliens?
First Appearance: Deathstroke the Terminator Annual #2
Recommended Reading:
Deathstroke the Terminator (1991) Annual #2 – Origin story, Bloodlines debut.
Bloodlines (1993) – Event that ran through the Annuals
Showcase ‘94 (1994) #1–2 – Solo missions.
Gunfire (1994) – Ongoing series.
Faces of Evil: Prometheus (2009) #1 – Major injury.
Heroes in Crisis (2019) – Death at Sanctuary.
The Flash (1959) #771, Annual #1, 795–796 – Time travel rescue.
Next up: Part 25: Maxwell Lord
