Jason Faust (Dracula foe)

JASON FAUST

Real Name: Jason Faust

Identity/Class: Human, technology and magic user

Occupation: Unrevealed

Affiliations: Former employer of Lucas Brand and his gang; Former business associate of Oliver Gordon, Quincy Harker, and Henry Laswell;

Enemies: Dracula, Oliver Gordon, Quincy Harker, Henry Laswell, and Molodowi the Hexman

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Confined to an iron lung in a mansion in England; formerly Haiti

Appearances: Tomb of Dracula I#11 (August, 1973); (11(fb3, fb2, [fb1]), 11

Powers: Faust was confined to an iron lung, giving him no physical abilities or mobility. His lung did contain prosthetic limbs, which could manipulate with good dexterity. He most likely manipulated the limbs with levers operated with his chin or tongue, although it is possible that he utilized mental command.

Faust also was skilled in sympathetic magic, or the use of voodoo dolls. By piercing a likeness of one of his enemies with a needle, he could cause real physical pain, and possibly permanent injury in their actual body.

Faust briefly possessed the powers of a vampire, but was destroyed before he could use them.

History: Faust's past is only partially described. His original career is unrevealed, although he was originally quite wealthy. At some point in modern years, he requested business advice from Quincy Harker. Harker recommended that Faust relocate to Haiti, which he did, alongside his partner Henry Laswell. However, Faust's guides and Laswell fled when, while exploring, they were came upon a tribe of voodoo practitioners. The Chieftain, Molodowi the Hexman, claimed that Faust had entered sacred ground and insulted his gods, necessitating punishment. Faust was tortured by that tribe for 3 months, during which time Molodowi used voodoo to immobilize his legs, his arms, and then finally destroyed part of his autonomic nervous system.

Eventually government troops found Faust, who pleaded with them to kill him, but instead they took him to their hospital where he was placed in an iron lung to keep him alive. Faust was returned to his home in England, but the costs of keeping him alive exhausted his fortunes. He attempted to cash in some bonds to banker Oliver Gordon, but because they were not yet due, they were refused. Faust believed there was no operation that could allow him to survive without the iron lung, but lacked the funds to pay for it. Instead, he was forced to sell all of his possessions except his own house merely to stay alive, trapped inside the iron lung. However, he realized that during his long period of torture, he had learned the art of sympathetic magic himself.

Faust then employed the criminal Lucas Brand and his gang to bring cameras to each of those he sought revenge upon, so that he could watch them suffer when he used his magic on them. Gordon and Laswell became his victims in this fashion. However, when they approached Harker, they were confronted by Dracula. Days before, while nearly dead from injuries and lack of blood, Dracula had been badly beaten and left for dead by Brand's gang, who were unaware of his identity. now revitalized, Dracula sought revenge. He slew each of the gang members, and then turned Brand into a vampire. Dracula sent Brand to kill Faust, who had anticipated possible treachery and fashioned a voodoo of Brand as well. Brand drained the life from Faust, but then fell victim to a needle through the heart of his voodoo doll, still acting under the last directions of Faust. Faust was reborn as a vampire, but as he was trapped in the iron lung, he could not escape the rays of daylight when the sun came up, and he was incinerated by them.

Comments: Created by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan.

Brand was later revived as a pawn of Doctor Sun.

Clarifications: Jason Faust has no connection to:

FAUST, the Fully Automated Unit of Structural Technology, @ Marvel Team-Up I#18.

Last updated: September 6, 2001.