DEMONS OF LIBERATION

Membership: Ed, Mills, Toby, Vic

Purpose: Publicizing the plight of Vietnam vets

Affiliations: None

Enemies: Man-Thing, Richard Rory, Sybil Mills

Base of Operations: Mobile throughout Florida

First Appearance: Man-Thing I#11 (November, 1974)

History: (Man-Thing I#11 (fb))-Four soldiers named Mills, Ed, Vic and Toby were horribly disfigured by a napalm blast during the Vietnam War. After the war they spent years unemployed because no one wanted them to scare away their customers. They planned to do something drastic and media-worthy that would force people to look at the plights of Vietnam vets. Fashioning masks patterned after their disfigurements, and heavily arming themselves they were reborn as the Demons of Liberation. Mills suggested they kidnap his sister Sybil and hold her for ransom. They ambushed Sybil as she left her dance class, and shoved her in their car. They said she would not be released until their demands were met, and drove off into the night. In Citrusville a fallen tree blocked their progress, and three of the Demons left the car to remove it. Sybil overpowered the Demon left watching her, and ran off into the nearby swamp. Mills was angry she escaped, but also felt overpowering concern for her. He ordered his men to follow her.

(Man-Thing I#11)- After a day of searching, one of the Demons found her, and she was in the company of Richard Rory and the Man-Thing. He grazed Sybil with a gunshot, and announced that both Sybil and Rory were his prisoners. When Man-Thing confronted him, he backed off, repulsed by another creature as deformed as himself. As soon as this Demon ran off, another appeared and lobbed a grenade at Man-Thing. The distance between the two was too close, and a piece of shrapnel struck the Demon, killing him. The three remaining Demons caught up to Sybil and Rory at a motel outside the swamp, and prevented them from calling the authorities. Man-Thing had followed them, drawn to the painful emotions they exuded. The Demons attacked him with their most powerful weapon, a laser-rifle, but Man-Thing destroyed it and was ready to smash one of them when they surrendered. They explained that they never truly meant any harm, and Mills broke down in Sybil's arms.

Comments: Created by Mike Ploog & Steve Gerber.

Mills is the only identifiable member of the Demons, thus the only one to get a sub-profile.

The reference to the Vietnam War is topical.
http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/apppunis.htm#Nam

PROFILE BY FUTURE

Clarifications:

No known connection to

• Demons of Chthon @ Dr. Strange III#90
• Demons of Death Seth allies @ Thor I#387
• Demons of Despair Thor foes @ Thor I#399
• Demons of Shuma-Gorath Dr. Strange foes @ Strange Tales II#13/2
• Demons of Vassilisa @ Red Sonja III#8
• Liberty Legion @ Marvel Premiere#29
• Any other group named "Demon", "Liberty" or "Liberation".

Mills

Apparent leader of the Demons of Liberation, and Sybil Mill's brother. He hoped to explain his actions to Sybil, and believed she would go along with his plan. He never got around to explaining until after the Demons were defeated by Man-Thing.

--Man-Thing I#11

images:

Man-Thing I#11, page 14, panel 3

Man-Thing I#11, page 17, panel 3

First Posted: 01/29/2004
Last updated: 01/29/2004