BRESBRES
Real Name: Bres
Identity/Class: Extra-dimensional God/Demon
Occupation: Trickster God; would-be world conqueror
Group Membership: Fomor
Affiliations: Fomor
Enemies: Amergin, Avengers, Captain Hero, Celtic Gods (Tuatha da Danaan), Dr. Druid, Falcon, Guardsman (Michael O'Brien), Iron Fist, Project: PEGASUS staff, Solarr
Known Relatives: Elathan (father), Eriu
(Celtic Goddess),
Dagda, Leir, Amaethon, Gwydion (half-brothers),
Arianrhod, Penardun (half-sisters),
Banbha, Fodhla (maternal aunts),
Delbaeth (paternal
grandfather),
Aliases: Bres the Beautiful
Base of Operations: Project: PEGASUS; formerly the Dark Realm (a branch of Otherworld), formerly Torach (the ancient name of Tory Island) off Ireland
First Appearance: Avengers I#225 (November, 1982)
Powers:
Bres is a magical being of impressive power. He has been shown to
simultaneously hold off Thor, keep his hammer, Mjolnir, encased
within a forcefield (overriding Odin's enchantment that causes it
to return to where it was thrown), and fire destructive energy
blasts at another foe. He possesses at least Class 25-75 strength
and durability. He can alter his shape, fly, and has limited
precognitive abilities. He can call forth the "dark
side" of individuals, forcing them to relive their darkest
memories, which either simply demoralizes them, or brings them
under his control. He can either cast illusions, or manipulate
the environment around him to some degree.
He is susceptible to magic, and has a weakness for the metal
iron, which can disrupt his magical powers.
History: (Celtic Myth) The Fomor (Fomore) are the original spirits of Ireland, and they withheld mortal colonization of the land for millenia.
Realizing she needed a force for good among the Fomore, he goddess Danu (Gaea to the Greeks) mated with Elathan, the son of Delbaeth. She gave birth to the first of the Danaans: Dagda and Leir, Amaethon and Gwydion and Arianrhod and Penardun and hid them away from their father until the time came that they could overthrow the Fomore.
Elathan, however, raped the Danaan goddess Eriu, and she gave birth to Bres. He was accepted among the Danaans and they never knew his actual parentage. After the leader of the Danaans, Nuadhu, lost his hand in battle, the Danaans chose Bres from among their own to lead them. Bres, however, soon ended up turning over Ancient Ireland and Avalon back to his father's relatives, the Fomore. Nuadhu had his hand restored for one of silver by Dian Cecht the leech (healer) and led the Danaans into battle once more. This time, they completely eradicated the Fomore from Earth and exiled them and Bres to the Dark Realm, a dimension beyond Otherworld/Avalon.
(Avengers I#225-226) - Around the twelfth
Century A. D., as the realm of Avalon began to fall, the Fomor
made plans to overwhelm the defenses of Amergin, the last
defender of Avalon, and to gain access to Earth. Amergin, via his
descendent, Dr. Druid, summoned the Avengers to the past to
assist himself and his ally the Black Knight. Bres prophesized to
the Fomor that the outcome would be advantageous, but he did not
tell them that he meant only for himself. As the Fomor attacked
the Avengers, Bres slipped past them, assaulted the Black Knight,
and accessed the portal to the modern era, via Amergin. Bres
arrived in Avengers mansion to find the inert forms of Dr. Druid
and Iron Man, whom he prepared to slay. 
Fortunately, at the same time (if you consider the
amount of time that had passed since Bres left Avalon), Balor of
the Fomor sent Thor and She-Hulk back to the modern era. Bres
proved able to hold the two of them off, hoping to immobilize
Thor until the 60 seconds without his hammer elapsed, but
She-Hulk recalled his weakness to iron, and smashed him in the
back with Iron Man. Thor used the opening and clocked Bres at the
same time, dropping him like a sack of potatoes.
BTS - Bres was detained in Project: PEGASUS (Potential Energy Groups, Alternate Sources, United States), where a machine was used to infuse him with ferrous (or ferric, I don't know which--it's iron, either way) ions, that effectively eliminated his powers and kept him helpless.
(Power Man and Iron
Fist#113) - A rash of power failures at Project: PEGASUS
momentarily halted the flow of ion particles to Bres, and allowed
him to stop them permanently, unbenknonst to his technicians.
Bres sensed the power within the youth, Bobby Wright, aka Captain
Hero (see comments), and wished to possess his power, as well as
seduce his innocence. Still posing as a prisoner, Bres called to
Bobby, convincing him to join forces within him in return for
promising to find Bobby's real mother (who had died years
before).
Bres began to manipulate the environment within Project: PEGASUS,
slaying a few of the guards, as well as the supervillain Solarr,
who was an inmate at the facility. He was opposed by Iron Fist
and the Falcon, who had come to visit the facility, and the
Guardsman, who was the security chief. Bres' powers seduced the
Guardsman, who then beat up the Falcon. Iron Fist defeated the
Guardsman, and Bres found that there was no "dark side"
within Iron Fist that he could call forth. Instead, Bres bound
Iron Fist with magic shackles, gave Bobby Wright a flaming sword,
and instructed him to slay Danny. Bobby rebelled, and as Captain
Hero attacked Bres. Bres easily overpowered the novice hero, but
the distraction allowed Iron Fist to get free. Danny flattened
Bres with his (surprise) Iron Fist, and Bres was returned to his
manacles.
Comments: Adapted by Steven Grant and Greg LaRocque.
Bres (and the rest of the Fomor) are great characters and we should see more of them. There's no reason Bres should not be able to escape his confinement and seek revenge or something.
In mythology, Bres can be compared with the Asgardian Loki and the Native American Coyote.
The Black Knight in this story was Dane Whitman, the hero of the modern era, who had been cast back into the body of his ancestor, Eobar Garrington, @ the Crusades (it during the first Avengers/Defenders battle-go read it...it's excellent). The Avengers story mentioned above featured the return of Dane to the modern era and the death of Eobar.
Captain Hero...he started out as a kid with cancer that could transform into an adult, Superman type hero. John Byrne later revealed that he had been the Super-Skrull all along. I usually really like Byrne, but I think this was a load of ret-con horse-shite.
Jim Owlsey wrote the PM/IF story. I'm told that
that's a pseudonym for Christopher Priest. Interesting, huh.
Anyway, if you're not reading Black Panther, what's wrong with
you? Go read it! Now!!!
Thanks to William Uchtman for all of the background mythological info on Bres and the Fomor.
Clarifications:
Appearances:
Avengers I#225-226 (November-December, 1982) - Steven Grant (writer),
Greg LaRocque (pencils), Chic Stone (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Power Man and Iron Fist#113 (January, 1985) - Jim Owsley (writer), Greg
LaRocque (pencils), Jerry Acerno (inks), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Last updated: 08/02/02
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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