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Eliot Shaw is the father of James and Eleanor Shaw and the adoptive father of Mark Shaw, the Manhunter.

After fighting in World War II, Eliot was transferred to Japan as legal advisor to Colonel Kades, Assistant Chief of the Government Section of the Occupational Forces. While driving around he responded to a woman's scream discovering that she was being beaten by several Chinese men including a Mr. Chin. Though it endangered the U.S.'s and China's political agendas, Shaw had the Chinese men arrested. He also continually checked on the beaten woman ultimately convincing her to testify. Despite Kades protests, Shaw prosecuted Chin and won. Chin was sent to prison where he died. Shaw was sent home for his actions but before he could leave, he was met by Eiji Hasagawa. The woman he protected was Eiji's wife who was pregnant. Eiji pledged to one day repay his debt to Eliot.[1]

Eliot later met Rose Fletcher, a single mother of one, whose husband had been a masked criminal called Outlaw who died during a robbery. Eliot married Rose and legally adopted her son, Mark. Together they had two additional children, son James and daughter Eleanor.[2]

Eliot and Rose live in Connecticut and Eliot works at a law firm in New York City with his son, James. When Mark was convicted for his crimes as Star-Tsar and Privateer, many of Eliot's clients pulled their business. Later after his sentence was commuted and Mark became the bounty-hunter, Manhunter, the firm was again beseiged with reporters and press, which greatly disturbed James. Eliot, however, saw Mark's profession as "useful and marginally legal" and offered him his full support.[2]

Shortly after Mark's Manhunter career began, Eliot received an assignment from a client to deliver a subpoena to a person in Japan. Because it required getting the subject (possibly forcefully) to an American Embassy in order for the subpoena to be legally binding, he contracted the assignment to Mark. This assignment, however, was part of a plot by Dumas to kill Mark and collect his mask in which the entire Shaw family got involved and were threatened.[3]

Soon after Sylvia Kandrey joins Mark's family for a dinner to celebrate Mark's birthday. When he fails to show, Sylvia leads the family in detective work tracking down Mark's location and rescuing him from supervillain Mirage. They take Mark to the hospital where they learn his condition has stabilized, but the family begins to wonder whether Mark's career is worth the suffering.[4]

When Kazuo Hasegawa learns that there is a new Dumas, he flies to America to warn Mark and the Shaw family. As fulfillment of his Giri-Ninjo he promises to take the Shaw family to Japan for protection while Mark deals with Dumas II. However, Dumas II is at his home waiting for him and having just killed Kazou's father, Eiji.[5] Dumas II takes the Shaw family prisoner but they are rescued by Mark and returned to America.[6]

When Mark returns from his encounter with Dumas II and his soul-searching at the Manhunter Temple, Mark discusses his feelings with each of his family members in turn. Each of them accept Mark for who he is and he realizes that he's been forcing himself to live up to a standard that no one but himself holds him to. He also realizes that "wearing a mask" is a choice and he chooses to try living a normal life with his loving family.[7]

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