DARK MESSIAH

Real Name: Mordecai Jones

Identity/Class: Human mutate

Occupation: former agent of destruction; former street performer

Group Membership: "Madame McEvil's Terrible Trio" (Angar the Screamer, Ramrod)

Affiliations: Kerwin J. Broderick, Moondragon (empowered him);
Disciples of Doom (Josiah, Macabee, Uriah)

Enemies: Black Widow (Natasha Romanova), Daredevil

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: San Francisco, California

First Appearance: Daredevil I#97 (March, 1973)

 

Powers/Abilities: The Dark Messiah was infused with an unknown form of energy, which granted him great power. His physical abilities were undetermined, but he laughed off both punches from Daredevil and police gunfire.

He could fire powerful blasts of energy, able to shatter a thick stone and iron wall. He could form virtually impenetrable force fields, able to encase the entire city of San Francisco. He (or one of the Disciples) could teleport himself and others, and he could use some of his energies to grant power to others.

 

Mordecai was under the delusion that he was some sort of holy figure--"a vengeful god-thing."
"Stand ye back, O crowd, or I shalt stride on thee--as easily as I might 'pon water. For holiness resides within this forceful frame! And where I walk, choirs of angels shall sing hymns of it everafter. Yea, back, ye multitudes or face the wrath of--Mordecai Jones--The Dark Messiah! To my kingdom I come--and my will shall be done."
Mordecai was unaware of his true nature: Although he knew his real name, he was completely unable to deal with the knowledge that he was not actually a divine being.

History: (Daredevil I#97-98) - Mordecai Jones made a living as a street performer. One day his actions frightened a dog in the crowd, which broke loose from its master and grabbed his leg. Jones was shocked, lost his balance, and cracked his head on the ground. He was rushed to a hospital, but got lost in the shuffle. A shadowy figure (Kerwin J. Broderick or Moondragon or one of their agents) grabbed Mordecai's gurney-bound body and took it to a secret room and mutated him, using technology from Moondragon, courtesy of the Eternals of Titan.
    Soon, the Dark Messiah strode the streets of San Francisco, proclaiming his holiness. He saw believers within a prison and so blasted a hole in the wall, letting them all run free. Daredevil encountered him and tried to stop him, but was knocked into submission by a single eyeblast. Mordecai then mutated three of the prison escapees to become his Disciples of Doom. Daredevil regrouped and went after Mordecai again, but after showing him that they were no threat, they simply vanished into thin air.
They showed up later, in a different part of San Francisco, and began a "cleansing," which more or less involved destroying everything and attacking everyone they encountered. Daredevil, this time joined by the Black Widow, again challenged them, and had succeeded in dropping Josiah and Macabee with a single punch (or kick), when the Black Widow collapsed in agony, from injuries at the hands of tha Man-Bull. Daredevil, however, rallied and finished off Uriah between illusions.
Again, Daredevil had little luck at the Dark Messiah, who laughed off any physical assaults. However, Daredevil eventually recognized him as the street performer he had seen earlier that same day. When confronted with that knowledge, Mordecai panicked, denied it, and then apparently blew up. The Disciples of Doom reverted to their normal forms.

(Daredevil I#105) - After capturing Daredevil, Moondragon decided to unleash her creations on the city again. Along with reactivating Ramrod and Angar, she caused the Dark Messiah to reform his atoms. However, Kerwin J. Broderick then revealed his true colors, blasted Moondragon from behind, and took control of their agents.

(Daredevil I#106) - Mordecai formed a force-field over the entire city of San Francisco, and then he and Broderick's other agents went on a destructive rampage. Daredevil, after helping Moondragon to recover, was again joined by the Widow and attempted to stop the mayhem. However, the two were soon at the mercy of the Dark Messiah--and he had none. Mordecai pummelled Daredevil and then prepared to exterminate him, but Moondragon arrived in time, and she took control of Mordecai, forcing him back into his human form once again.

Comments: Created by Steve Gerber and Gene "The Dean" Colan.

Moondragon (back then known by the goofy name "Madame MacEvil," believe it or not) initially thought that Earth had already fallen to Thanos and thought to create a bunch of warriors to oppose humanity. However, she trusted Kerwin J. Broderick, who just used her as a way to gain power, ultimately merging with Terrex. Others empowered by Moondragon at this time were Angar the Screamer and the mercenary known as Ramrod.

Angar and Ramrod both made several appearances after this storyline. Not Mordecai, though--and why not?

CLARIFICATIONS:
No known connection to:

The Disciples of Doom have no known connection to:

Ramrod, the steel skulled mercenary, has no known connection to:

Disciples of Doom

They were three escaped convicts, freed by Mordecai and then empowered by him.

Josiah could release powerful sonic vibrations, sufficient to shatter a bus. He blew up a cable car before being punched out by DD.
--Daredevil I#97 (98

Macabee could manipulate the four ancient elements: earth, air, fire, and water. He unleashed some of said elements before the Widow took him out with a flying drop-kick.
--Daredevil I#97 (98

Uriah could project the illusions, which made it appear as if he were altering reality, sending others to a flaming pit or other alien worlds, etc. His major limitation was that he could only generate an illusion for a few seconds, and it took him time to prepare for another--and during that time, DD put the kibosh on him
--Daredevil I#97 (98

 

Appearances:
Daredevil I#97-98 (March-April, 1973) - Gerry Conway & Steve Gerber (writers), Gene Colan (pencils), Ernie Chua (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Daredevil I#105 (November, 1973) - Steve Gerber (writer), Don Heck & Jim Starlin (pencils), Don Perlin (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Daredevil I#106 (December, 1973) - Steve Gerber (writer), Don Heck (pencils), Sal Trapani (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)

First Posted: 09/10/2002
Last updated: 08/24/2013

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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