IAN FATEIAN FATE
Real Name: Ian Fate
Identity/Class: Human magic-user
Occupation: Unrevealed;
former vengeance-seeker;
former
reporter
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Unidentified extradimensional race, J. Jonah Jameson, Man-Thing (Ted Sallis; former pawn), unidentified mystic (former mentor)
Enemies: Beast (Hank McCoy) , Carlo Boccino, Defenders, Devil-Slayer (Eric Simon Payne),
Dr. Strange (Stephen Strange), Ira "Sunshine" Gross, Cory Payne,
Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Wonder Man (Simon Williams)
Known Relatives: Gloria and Brian Fate (wife and son, deceased)
Aliases: None
Base
of Operations: Currently unrevealed;
formerly the
"Man-Thing's swamp" outside of Citrusville, Florida;
formerly an
unidentified extradimensional realm;
formerly worked out of an unspecified portion of California
First Appearance: Defenders I#104 (February, 1982)
Powers: Ian Fate had a number of magical
powers. According to Dr. Strange, his raw power was of par with
Baron Mordo. His training was sufficient to allow him to
accomplish a number of feats, such as interdimensional transport,
projection of energy bolts, etc.
He could also call on the
standard mystical principalities for further power, ie. the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak (to bind others), the Images of Ikonn (to cast
illusions), the Shields of Seraphim (formation of force fields),
Tendrils of Taaru (magical bolts), etc.
In addition, he at least formerly had an army of demon-creatures to serve him. These guys were good for delivering messages, serving as expendable warrior grunts; that sort of thing.
He's not really a bad guy. He was just disillusioned and angry about what happened to him.
History: (Marvel Team-Up
I#122 (fb) / Defenders I#104 (fb)) - Ian Fate was born in England, but came to
America as a child and was raised by his cousins after his parents died. He took journalism as his trade. He was highly
dedicated to his career, but he was also happily married and had
a son.
However, his wonderful life came crashing to a halt when
he began doing a series of crime exposes. Crime syndicate boss
Carlo Boccino sent assassin Eric Simon Payne to silence him. Payne believed he
was to be assassinating a rival crimelord, which he had no
problem doing. Payne planted a bomb in Fate's car, not
anticipating that Fate's wife and daughter would be the next ones
to use the car. Gloria and Brian Fate were instantly killed.
(Defenders I#104 (fb)) - Fate was emotionally broken by
the death of his wife and son. The only thing that kept him going
was the thought of finding Payne and getting revenge. After
accidentally killing the innocent woman and child, Payne retired
from his career as an assassin. Instead, he got involved with the
mystic cult of Vera Gemini, the Harvesters of
Eyes, were he became Devil-Slayer.
After tracking him down using his reporter's skills, Fate realized that in order to best Payne, he would realize to surpass his mystical knowledge. Fate traveled the world and found an exiled Tibetan seer who took him as his disciple. The seer revealed many ageless secret to Fate before learning that his intent was less than spiritual. The seer balked at training him for his intended purpose, but Fate struck him down, and set out to get his vengeance.
BTS - Traveling through the dimensions, Fate encountered a pocket realm that was home to a bunch of demon-like green-skinned semi-humanoids. Fate persuaded these beings to assist him in his revenge. Fate then kidnapped Corey Payne, the estranged wife of Eric Simon Payne.
(Defenders I#104) - Fate sent Devil-Slayer a message
telling him he had his wife and requesting a meeting. Fate
revealed his plans to kill Corey (now a prisoner in the
demon-realm) and challenged Payne to stop him. Payne went to Dr.
Strange for assistance in finding Corey, and ended up with the
help of Wonder Man and the Beast, as well. This group of
Defenders traveled to Fate's pocket realm. Fate engaged Strange,
attempting to prove his superiority. 
After a brief struggle, Strange cast aside Fate's attacks and imprisoned him. Payne, meanwhile, savagely fought his way through the army of demon-creatures, trying to get to Corey before they could shatter the shield surrounding her. He did manage to reach Corey, but as he continued to fight off the demon-creatures, one he had previously wounded attempted to stab him in the back. Corey leapt in the way, taking a mortal wound to protect Payne.
However, upon dying "Corey's" illusion faded. Fate,
despite his hatred for Payne, was not able to kill an innocent
woman. He had sent her home, and then abducted
"Sunshine" Gross, a heroin addict Payne had been
helping. Fate had no problems with the death of Sunshine, who he
saw as worthless, and certainly not innocent. Fate had cast an
illusion over Sunshine, making him appear to be Corey. Payne
attacked Fate, attempting to kill him. Wonder Man stopped Payne,
telling him that these events, Fate's insanity, and Sunshine's
death were all on his shoulders, for his murders years ago.
BTS - Strange sent Fate to an old associate, a psychiatrist with some knowledge of the occult. This man thought Fate an unthinking catatonic, and for a few weeks he played the part to the hilt (I don't think he was pretending the whole time). Then, when the proper mystic forces were in balance, Fate cast a dimension spanning spell and made good his escape. He'd hoped to return to the dimension where his loyal demon servants dwelled, but he...made a wrong turn somewhere.
(Marvel Team-Up I#122) - Fate,
disoriented, ended up in the Man-Thing's swamp, which was Earth's
Nexus of All-Realities . He sensed that the Man-thing had
suffered much pain, and felt it to be a kindred spirit. Fate
brought the Man-Thing (cleverly disguised, of course) to
Manhattan, where he sought out his old associate from his career
as a journalist: J. J. Jameson. Peter Parker gave Fate directions
on how to get to the Bugle, but the green trail of slime left by
his friend made him a little suspect.
Fate talked to Jameson, telling him his desire to use the
newspaper to stop all the pain in the world. Jonah told him that
he wished that he could that, too, but that it wasn't possible.
Fate flipped out and decked Jonah, prompting a timely
intervention from Spider-Man, who'd been observing the situation
from a window sill. Fate began firing off mystic bolts in an
effort to destroy Spidey, but the Man-Thing sensed the hurtful
emotions coming from Fate, and grabbed him in an effort to make
the emotional pain stop. This terrified Fate, and "Whatever knows fear...burns at the
touch of the Man-Thing."
Neither Fate nor Spidey were able
to pully Manny away, but the terror coming from Jameson was sufficient to gain the Man-Thing's attention. As
soon as the Man-Thing released Fate, Spidey tackled him,
inadvertently knocking him through the wall. Spidey made a web
and swung to safety, but Manny went splat on the streets of
Manhattan.
However, even this wasn't enough to stop the Man-Thing, and the
terror caused by his sudden appearance made him go beserk. While
Spidey fought the Man-Thing, Jameson talked down Fate, finally
asking him how Gloria and Brian would have felt about his
actions.
Meanwhile, Spidey had pulled out all the stops and was
using all of his power to bring down the Man-thing. Deprived of
the swamp which gave it life, the Man-Thing crumbled into a
trembling heap of slop. Fate came to the Man-Thing's rescue,
teleporting it and himself back to the swamp, where the Man-Thing was
instantly restored.
Fate decided to stay be the Man-Thing's side, and the two of them would save the world with their kindness.
Comments: Created by J. M. DeMatteis and Don Perlin.
The death of Fate's family is said to have been in 1973. While that's topical, it does probably mean that it was meant to have taken place nine years before the Defenders story.
Fate, Payne, Strange...enough, already! I guess it could be worse, that could have brought in Dominic Fortune or Paul Destine'.
So what happened to Ian Fate? Maybe he got spooked by something in the swamp and the Man-Thing torched him?
Clarifications: Ian Fate has no known
connection to:
images: (without ads)
Marvel Team-Up I#122, p2, pan7 (Ian Fate returns to Earth);
Marvel Team-Up I#122, p3, pan2 (Ian Fate head shot);
Defenders I#104, pg. 9, panel 3 (Tibetan mentor);
p17, pan2 (demon creatures);
Defenders I#104, p17, pan1 (Ian Fate vs. Dr. Strange);
Marvel Team-Up I#122, p8, pan5 (Ian Fate and Man-Thing in NYC)
Appearances:
Defenders I#104 (February, 1982) -
J.M. DeMatteis (writer), Don Perlin (pencils), Joe Sinnott & Al
Milgrom (inks), Al Milgrom (editor)
Marvel Team-Up I#122 (October, 1982) - J.M. DeMatteis (writer), Kerry
Gammill (pencils), Mike Esposito (inks), Tom DeFalco (editor)
First posted: 01/11/2002
Last updated: 06/30/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and
� 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you
like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com
Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!