Fan Casting Bird-Man in Joe Carnahan's Daredevil: The Man Without Fear

The man who would become Bird-Man was a noted second-story burglar who was serving a lengthy jail term when he was given the opportunity to be paroled early if he signed up for a series of scientific experiments. (At this point, he was already using the alias "Henry Hawk"; his given name is unknown.) These experiments, performed by scientists in the employ of the Kingpin, involved the injections of various animal DNA into their test subjects using genetic retroviruses . Given his alias, Henry's injections included various species of predatory bird, including hawks, falcons, and condors. The result was that Hawk grew wings underneath his arms while retaining the use of his hands; a secondary aspect was that his entire head changed to become closer to a bird's, including the beak. Calling himself Bird-Man, Hawk joined with four other test subjects in escaping the lab, discovering themselves in the sewers underneath Hell's Kitchen. Bird-Man and his companions – Ape-Man, Cat-Man, Dragonfly, and Frog-Man – named their group the Ani-Men and decided to try and take over one of the gangs in the Kitchen. They were foiled by the costumed vigilante Daredevil in this endeavor and were sent to prison. Some months later, the Ani-Men had either escaped or were freed from prison, and were hired by the criminal businessman Leland Owlsey, alias the Owl. Under the Owl's direction, Bird-Man and the other Ani-Men engaged in attacks on the Kingpin's businesses (the Ani-Men are unaware that the scientists who originally mutated them were in the Kingpin's employ), but were again foiled by Daredevil as well as the Kingpin's newest enforcer, Elektra. The Ani-Men managed to avoid capture by the authorities, and are still at large.