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Rose Shaw was the mother of Manhunter (Mark Shaw).

Rose was married to Hugh Fletcher with whom she had a son, Mark. Hugh was a poor businessman who became a costumed burglar named "Outlaw." During one such robbery, Hugh panicked and shot one of his victims. Soon afterwards he was trapped in an alley and got into a shoot-out with police and was killed leaving Rose a widow.[1]

Rose later met and wed Eliot Shaw who legally adopted 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 son, James. Rose does not appear to have a career.[2]

Shortly after Mark's Manhunter career began, James Shaw was contacted by Mr. DeVree with an offer from an anonymous collector to buy Mark's mask. Mark refused which set in motion a plot by Dumas to kill Mark in which the entire Shaw family got involved and were threatened with Rose being held at knifepoint by Dumas.[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.[1]

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.[4] Dumas II takes the Shaw family prisoner but they are rescued by Mark and returned to America.[5]

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.[6]

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