LAZARUS
LAZARUS
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Human (mutate)
Occupation: former policeman
Affiliations: (formerly) his partner in the San Francisco Police Department
Enemies: Shang-Chi, Leiko Wu
Known Relatives: parents (unnamed)
Aliases: Midnight Slasher
Base of Operations: currently unknown; formerly an abandoned church in Hong Kong; San Francisco, California
First Appearance: (as Midnight Slasher)
Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu#8 (January, 1974);
(as Lazarus) Marvel Comics Presents#156 (early June, 1994)
Powers: The Midnight Slasher didn't seem
to have any superhuman powers, he was just very big, very strong,
and chock full of murderous rage. His anger and insanity made him
highly resistant to pain. He carried a big knife which he usually
used to lethal effect.
Lazarus demonstrated complete immunity to pain as well as certain
telekinetic abilities. He was skilled in forms of the martial
arts, such as the use of the Bo.
History: (DHoKF#8(fb)) - The man who would become the Midnight Slasher was raised by a father that physically abused with he and his mother. He went through several jobs, but his anger and temper kept causing him to get fired. Eventually he found satisfaction as a police officer, and he also found his first close friend in his partner in the force. However, while off duty he and his partner spotted a man robbing a bar. They tried to stop him, but the pre-Midnight Slasher was shot and taken out of the struggle. His partner managed to overpower the criminal, but other police officers saw his un-uniformed partner punching out the criminal, mistook him for the aggressor, and shot and killed him. The man didn't handle it well...
(DHoKF#8-BTS) - The man sank into a violent, psychotic depression, and began going on a series of eight killing sprees in the darkness of night, earning him the title "The Midnight Slasher."
(DHoKF#8) - As the Midnight Slasher continued his rampage, he became active in broad daylight. A wealthy older woman chastised him for his unkempt appearance and foul body odor and he pulled his knife and killed her on the spot. Shang-Chi came across her body, learned of the Midnight Slasher's activities, and set out to locate him by presenting himself as a target. Eventually, Shang-Came across the Slasher, but found that the man able to resist his attacks. Their struggle brought them into a gymnasium, and Shang succeeded in knocking him into a pool. Shang was able to keep the man from getting out of the pool and finally succeeded in communicating with the man, and temporarily calming him. Shang promised to get the man help, let him out of the pool, and accompanied him outside...where he was recognized by the police and shot dead on the spot...or so it would seem...
BTS - But he didn't die--He survived to heal and plan and grow smart and more bitter. He trained in some form of martial arts and brought out certain psychic abilities which had been only subconscious before. He was reborn--as Lazarus--and he sought revenge on the man who had seemingly betrayed his trust.
(MCP#156/2-158/2) - Years later, Lazarus tracked Shang-Chi to Hong Kong, and he set up a base in an old, abandoned church). He ambushed and savagely beat Leiko Wu, then kidnapped her, all in hopes of drawing Shang to him. He hired several mercenaries and even bought a few corrupt cops to further challenge Shang-Chi as he attempted to find Leiko. As Shang approached his base, Lazarus confronted and battled him, before falling into a pit and leading him into his base. Shang found the unconscious Leiko and tried to escape with her, but Lazarus nailed him with a drugged dart. Shang used his control of his autonomic functions to slow his heart beat and breathing such that he appeared dead, so as to get the drop on Lazarus. Then Shang incapacitated Lazarus with "The Silent Shout", some heretofore unseen ability that generated some massive concussive force from his larynx. Shang took Leiko and left Lazarus unconscious in the church.
Comments: Created by Doug Moench and
Mike Vosburg.
Lazarus by Karl Bollers and Cary Nord.
I am all in favor of bringing back characters from the death of limbo and reusing or even reworking them to some degree to give them more depth, etc. However, I can't see any reason to have brought back the Midnight Slasher as Lazarus. This is akin (to a much lesser degree) to having the Burglar who killed Ben Parker turning up as a crimelord or some ninja master, or having Ozymandias (from Alan Moore's Watchmen) returning as a foe of Superman. The story was told in DHoKF and there was really nothing more to say for the character. Lazarus mentions his past as the Midnight Slasher, but is otherwise unrecognizable as a remotely similar character.
CLARIFICATIONS:
No known connection to:
Lazarus, the Biblical figure raised from the
dead by Jesus, and the namesake for subsequent Lazari, no
appearance in the MU
Lazarus, Todd Hunter, who
returned from death as a mutate to exact vengeance on his
treacherous wife and partner, @ Incredible Hulk Annual#19
Brian Lazarus, who mentally created his own
attackers, @ Man-Thing I#12
Lazarus Ganglion, a mutant able to recover from
seemingly fatal wounds, @ Cable II#107
any other Midnight-somethings or Slashers...
Jack Squat, which is exactly what the characters
Midnight Slasher and Lazarus have in common...(see comments)
Last updated: 08/02/02
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
All 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.!