History Characters / Vigilante

The son of a well respected lawman who chose to go into music making for his own career. His career of choice was put on the back burner when his father was murdered and the desolate nature of Wyoming at the time forced him to deal with the killers himself.

The Gregory Sanders version of the Vigilante has made appearances in other media, including ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Unlimited'', WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold and in his own live action adventure serial, ''The Vigilante: Fighting Hero of the West'' in 1947 where he was played by Ralph Byrd.

* BadassNormal: He has no powers other than being a crack shot with his guns, experienced with a lasso, impressive overall skill, amazing tenacity and sheer bravery.
* BreakoutCharacter: His animated debut in ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Unlimited'' would turn him into a quite the popular character.
* {{Cowboy}}: Greg's whole theme is being a cowboy superhero. In some versions he's an actual cowboy from the Old West, while others have him be a modern day vigilante with a fondness for them.

* TheGunslinger: He carries both of his father's revolvers and he's a crack shot when using both of them. He once threw six silver dollars in the air and shoot a hole through each of them before they hit the ground.

* PrimaryColorChampion: Greg's bright blue jacket, red bandanna and white cowboy hat stand out the most from his design, showing off his role as a protagonist and hero. This is especially notable compared to his darker-colored counterparts.
* RevolversAreJustBetter: Like any gunslinger from the west, he greatly favors the use of six-shooters as his ranged weapon.

** Later, despite several attempts to retire from gun slinging and his apparent death after trying to reform the ComicBook/SevenSoldiersOfVictory Greg is found acting as the sheriff of a formerly lawless villain filled town, having seemingly given up entirely on his attempts to leave the life.
* FishOutOfTemporalWater: While getting taken from the 1940s back to the American West during the 1800s by Nebula Man was a bit of a shock, he adjusted to the cowboy justice acceptable in the era well enough. It was when he was "rescued" only to find he was a several decades into what would have been his own "future" that he felt out of place, which lead to his (temporary) retirement from the superhero community.
* RetiredBadass: After Greg was rescued from being stranded in the 1800s by Nebula Man, only to find he'd skipped several decades of what would have been his own life, was much younger than those who were once his contemporaries and had gotten a bit too comfortable with the cowboy justice of the old west he put away his mask, retired from the teams he was on and gave up the superhero life. Despite this he never lost his skill in marksmanship, donned to old costume to protect civilians and help other heroes out on occasion and eventually became a sheriff.

* ThouShaltNotKill: He carries a pair of revolvers but he doesn't use them to kill. He's an old school hero, who was operating during WWII and he abides by the rules where such costumed heroes don't kill unless they're on the field of battle in an official capacity. This is part of why, despite being an insanely good shot, he uses his lariat so often.
* UnexplainedRecovery : In ComicBook/SevenSoldiersOfVictory2005 he's killed off but shows up alive and looking decades younger in an Jimmy Olsen one-shot a few years later. The narration mentions he died and came back but the specifics aren't given.

* ATeamFiring: He can't hit the broadside of the barn if the show needs him to be. Shayera lampshades this.

* HeterosexualLifePartners: Him and Shining Knight have quite the bromance going on.
* OddFriendship: Has this with Shining Knight, one's a modern-day [[VigilanteMan vigilante]] with a fondness for {{Cowboy}}s, the other is an Arthurian knight FishOutOfTemporalWater who still clings to his culture even if he's not in the right era. How they managed to strike a {{Bromance}} is anybody's guess, the only out-of-universe explenation is the both of them being ComicBook/SevenSoldiersOfVictory members in the comics.
* ThoseTwoGuys: Him and Shining Knight are almost always seen together whether in missions (barring "Hunter's Moon") or out of it (such as hanging out in the cafeteria or watching ''Creator/ClintEastwood'' films in Vigilante's room).

* DeathlyUnmasking: In a way, the Peacemaker unmasking and revealing his identity would eventually lead to Adrian's death. Because with Adrian no longer having a secret identity, he was forced to become Vigilante full-time and causing severe mental issues that lead him to take his own life.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: Over a decade after his suicide, Adrian got the chance to help save the world from the Spectre poshumously, earning an appeal into Heaven in the process.

* HeelRealization: Adrian stops himself from killing Stryker after he realizes he shot at Cyborg, a teenaged hero, to get to him. Forcing Adrian to realize he's become ''really'' [[FallenHero fallen]] from his role as a VigilanteMan.

** Adrian monologues about how those who avoid the lawful repercussions of their crimes need to be killed while breaking about every traffic law in existence while fleeing the police, and while shooting Titans who have been been called in as backup by law enforcement in order to escort prisoners, all while yelling that he can't allow them to take him in.
** Some of Adrian's most frequent foes are other vigilantes, including other people who took up his own moniker, highlighting just why random individuals playing JudgeJuryAndExecutioner just makes those individuals murderers.

* RevolversAreJustBetter: One of the few things in common he has with the previous Vigilante (Greg) is their love for six shooters.

* VigilanteMan: Provides the page image. Adrian Chase hunted down and killed crooks who got off, or whom he though had got off too lightly. Chase eventually became a {{Deconstruction}} of vigilante justice, and ended up committing suicide due to his guilt over the increasing violence of his methods and actions.
* VillainProtagonist: While he starts out in a slightly more grey area than a straight up villain, by the end of the series he's willing to kill cops, even other heroes, unarmed villains and his targets' victims to get to his prey or escape. Although he would finally reach a HeelRealization and end up taking his own ife.

A good judge and friend of Adrian's who suffered a mental breakdown. After Adrian retried as Vigilante, Alan adopted the name and costume in issue 20, but his methods and irrationality lead to Adrian killing him for the protection of others by issue 27.

A former policewoman from Gotham City who grew frustrated with the corruption on the force and criminals getting away scott-free.

* BroughtToYouByTheLetterS: Unlike those before him, instead of having a white and blue decals that look like V's on his costume, his chest has a huge blood red V on it.

Greg Sanders first sidekick as the Vigilante was Billy Gunn, a former stage performer known as "The Times Square Cowboy". Billy learned about the WildWest through books and never traveled there himself. Billy parted company with the Vigilante around the same time Vig acquired a younger sidekick: Stuff, the Chinatown. Billy apparently kept crime fighting in a small way, and would later be murdered while attempting to deliver a warning to the ComicBook/SevenSoldiersOfVictory about their [[TheMole supposed ally]] the Spider.

* OlderSidekick: Billy is a grey-haired old man who aids the twenty-something Vigilante in his crime fighting.

* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: When Adrian's reaction to J.J. murder is to go on an ill conceived rampage Terry decides it's time for her and her son to cut ties with him for their own safety.

->'''First Appearance''': ''ComicBook/TheNewTeenTitans'' Vol 1 #23, 1982

->'''Universes:''' [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Earth-Two]], [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Earth-One]], [[ComicBook/PostCrisis New Earth]], Prime Earth, [[ComicBook/DCTheNewFrontier Earth-21]], Franchise/{{DCAU}}

* TheHeroDies: His HeelRealization, SanitySlippage, Peacemaker outing his identity, and the deaths of various friends, either by taking up his mantle or being associated with him would end up driving Adrian to end his own life.

* CoolHat: Like any self-respecting cowboy, he wears a white Stetson cowboy hat.

* OddFriendship: Has this with Shining Knight, one's a modern-day [[VigilanteMan vigilante]] with a fondness for [[{{Cowboy cowboys]], the other is an Arthurian knight FishOutOfTemporalWater who still clings to his culture even if he's not in the right era. How they managed to strike a {{Bromance}} is anybody's guess, the only out-of-universe explenation is the both of them being ComicBook/SevenSoldiersOfVictory members in the comics.

* {{Foil}}: He is his predecessor Adrian's perfect equal and opposite. Whereas Adrian was meticulous in his work and was terrified by the chance he'd harm an innocent, Alan kills anyone in his way no matter who they are, even while saying that he would never hurt an innocent. While Adrian was always worried about if he was doing the right thing while genuinely trying his best, Alan is confident in his goals in spite of the carnage he leaves behind. Finally, while both end up dead, the source highlights their differences - Adrian finally sees how far he's fallen and kills himself out of guilt, while Alan is killed by Adrian himself when he becomes too dangerous to keep alive.

* VillainProtagonist: When your first outing as a "hero" has you desperately trying to kill ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} it's pretty clear what side you're really on. His mental instability only made things worse as he also gunned down police officers and innocents.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: As insane and dangerous as he is, what makes Alan such a threat is that he genuinely believes that he's doing the right thing for the people. As a result, there are very few lines he's unwilling to cross for the sake of his goal.

* DoomMagnet: By the end of the series, Adrian's actions have either killed or ruined the lives of everyone he comes across, with J.J., Alan, and Dave dead, Theresa fleeing, Marcia driven insane, countless dead and traumatized citizens left in his wake, inspiring plenty of unprepared people to take up vigilante justice and suffer for it, and ultimately Adrian himself committing suicide.

** He's utterly disgusted by the second Vigilante's casual murder of police officers.

* CopKiller: Adrian kills a police officer for the first time in issue #38. It's the largest sign that he's finally beginning to lose what remaining bits of heroism he still has left.

* AntiHeroSubstitute: Adrian was already pretty anti-heroic, but Alan removes what few scruples he had, leaving only a dangerous lunatic who kills anyone in his way.

* {{Hypocrite}}: He goes on and on about how he's defending the innocent and respects police officers, but he'll kill both of them without any hesitation or regret even if there's literally no reason to do it.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: As insane and dangerous as he is, what makes Alan so dangerous is that he genuinely believes that he's doing the right thing for the people. As a result, there are very few lines he's unwilling to cross for the sake of his goal.