GIDEON MACE
GIDEON MACE
Real Name: Colonel Gideon Mace
Identity/Class: Human mutate; former technology user
Occupation: Agent of Beyond Corporation; former militia leader, retired US Army colonel
Group Membership: Beyond Corporation; former leader of American Policy Research Initiative, several militias, including Operation: Overpower, Security City, Project: Alpha (aka Operation: Cage), X-Squad, Operations: Baker and Fox
Affiliations: Kenneth Krask, Kevin Krask;
former members of his militia Burgundy, Kenny Driscoll, Owen Ridgely, Robert Toole;
former soldier serving under him Jaime;
funders Cortex Inc. (specifically Jason Quantrell), Halwani Freedom Front, Maggia;
formerly (while mutated by Beyond Corporation) Kaluu, She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters), White Tiger (Ava Ayala), Power Man (Vic Alvarez), Quickfire (Barbara McDevitt);
former extra protection (from White Tiger) Luke Cage, Falcon (Sam Wilson), She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters), Spectrum (Monica Rambeau)
Enemies: Awilda Ayala, Maria Ayala, Nestor Ayala (victims), Blackbyrd, D. W. Griffith, Mighty Avengers (Luke Cage, Captain America/Sam Wilson, Jessica Jones, Kaluu, Power Man/Vic Alvarez, She-Hulk/Jennifer Walters, White Tiger/Ava Ayala), Power Man (Luke Cage), Owen Ridgely, Spider-Man (Peter Parker), White Tiger (Hector Ayala)
Known Relatives: Unidentified family (from whom he inherited significant wealth)
Aliases: Mace, A01372712
Place of Birth: Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Base of Operations: New York City;
formerly the Eastside National Guard Armory in Manhattan, New York;
formerly Mace Headquarters in Chicago, Illinois;
formerly Security City (American Midwest);
formerly a large mansion in New Jersey
Education: Unrevealed; presumably includes extensive military training
First Appearance: Luke Cage, Hero for Hire#3 (October, 1972)
Powers/Abilities: Gideon Mace is highly trained in
military strategy, leadership, and both armed and unarmed combat.
He's ruthless and willing to sacrifice anything or anyone,
including himself, to accomplish his goals.
Mace usually has a small army of disgruntled ex-soldiers, like
himself. They are trained by him to become skilled combatants,
and armed with a variety of conventional and unconventional
weaponry, helicopters, and explosives.
...Oh yeah, and he's got a great big spiked titanium steel mace
attached to his right wrist, in place of his hand. In addition to
being used as a shield or a blunt weapon, it can spray chemical
mace at an opponent. In his final appearance, he had augmented
his prosthesis so that the mace could be fired with cannon-like
force from its attachment on his hand.
Height: 6' 2"
Weight: 170 lbs.; (with mace) 407 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Gray
History:
(Power Man#44 (fb) ) - In 1968, during the Tet Offensive of the Viet
Nam war/conflict, Mace led his troops in an unauthorized assault
on a village. One of his soldiers, Jaime, stepped on a landmine,
and was killed. Mace was nearby, and his right hand was destroyed
by the explosion. Mace was discharged from the army for his
actions, his discharge papers citing insubordination, mental
incompetence, and suspicion of combat activity independent of
orders. He was outraged at what he felt was unjust treatment. He
had his hand fitted for a prosthetic, a mace, after his own name,
and began to recruit soldiers into his own personal army, to gain
revenge on the nation that had mistreated him.
(Luke Cage, Hero for Hire#3 (fb) ) - Gideon Mace organized and trained a group of ex-soldiers as part of Operation: Overpower, which was to be a violent act of protest that would shake the conscience of America, awakening it to the shame of its treatment of its former soldiers. Mace exhausted his family fortune purchasing helicopters, explosives, and ammunition.
(Luke Cage, Hero for Hire#3) - One of
Mace's soldiers, Owen Ridgely, had a change of heart
and decided to try to prevent Mace's violent plans. Having
befriended the other soldiers, Ridgely did not want to turn them
in to the police, and so he instead hired Luke Cage. Mace,
however, learned of his plans, and sent some other, more loyal
soldiers to stop this. The soldiers succeeded in killing Ridgely,
but Cage stopped them.
Mace and one of his most trusted aides discussed the plan to bomb
every bridge and power station in Manhattan, and then sending in
his troops to vent the frustrations amidst the chaos. However,
while his younger troops were doing this, he and his older
friends and allies would then strike by helicopter and loot the
banks. He planned to sacrifice the young men in order to gain the
wealth to build a more powerful army.
Cage followed Ridgely's directions and assaulted Mace's mansion.
Mace was able to fight Cage off and get into his helicopter to
escape. Cage managed to grab hold of the helicopter before it
could take off, and he smashed its propellers in mid-flight,
causing it to crash into the Hudson. Mace, weighed down by his
heavy mace, was quickly pulled
to the bottom of the waters.
(Power Man#23 (fb) ) - Mace unscrewed his mace and swam to safety.
(Power Man#23) - Luke Cage's bus trip across the
country en route to Los Angeles was interrupted when agents for
Mace's Security City assaulted it, for coming too close to their
city limits. The bus driver was killed in the process, but Cage
defeated the guards, and he and his friend D. W. Griffith made
their way to the nearby City.
Upon entering the City, they were soon recognized as
strangers and fired upon by
the armed residents. They escaped to learn more about the town,
but were captured by Mace and his men. D. W. turned on the City's
overhead loudspeaker system as Mace ranted about his plans for
the city. The residents were furious to learn they were being
manipulated, and soon formed a mob and stormed Mace's building.
Cage broke free, and he and D. W. made their getaway during the
chaos, leaving Mace and his men to the outraged citizens of
Security City.
(Power Man#43-45, [46]) - Mace made his next base in
Chicago. He happened to be on the same train that Cage was taking
to flee from government agents investigating his past. Assuming
Cage was after him, Mace attacked him, and knocked him out of the
train. Cage caught a ride with a woman named Burgundy, who
brought him back to her place. However, she was an agent of Mace,
and she reported Cage to him. Mace and his soldiers captured Cage
and attempted to recruit him into his plan for Project: Alpha, aka
Operation: Cage. This apparently was a plan to use a fake cobalt
bomb to blackmail the government into granting him control of the
city. It also consisted of a fake plot to detonate the bomb,
which would kill anyone present and render the area
uninhabitable, while not causing any shockwave and leaving the
city's infra-structure intact. His forces, equipped with
radiation suits would secure the area as his fortress. Cage's
involvement, unbeknownst to him, apparently was to consist of
escaping and confirming the existence of the bomb to the
authorities, thus enhancing the illusion of a real bomb.
Cage escaped, but went to Burgundy for help, and she secretly
contacted Mace. Mace had Cage strapped to the "bomb,"
while Burgundy learned of the true details of her husband's
death, and went to the authorities . Cage escaped and assaulted
Mace Headquarters. Aided by Burgundy, Cage knocked Mace into an
elevator shaft, where he seemingly fell to his death. No impact
was heard, but Cage left him to locate the "bomb,"
after which it was revealed to be a fake.
([Spectacular Spider-Man II#49/2], 50/2, 51/2,
52) - Mace embarked on a plan to kill off New York's super-heroes
to end their interference with his plans. A large number of
illicit organizations were more than willing to fund his new army
in this endeavor. To start, his men killed the family of the
White Tiger (though Ava was shot as well according to Mighty Avengers II#5 she survived), whose secret identity had been publicly revealed
some time before. The White Tiger tracked Mace down, as Mace had
planned, and was captured by the troops that ambushed him. The
White Tiger broke free, but was duped by a picture of a window,
trapped in a corner, and shot down by Mace. Mace's men dumped the
White Tiger's body out of their car on the streets of Manhattan,
attached to a note: "This is the First". They
unwittingly did this right in front of Peter Parker, who attached
a Spider Tracer to their car, and brought the White Tiger's body
to a hospital where his life was saved.
As Mace and his men then set their sites on Power Man, Spider-Man
followed his Tracer to the agents who had killed the White Tiger.
Mace was alerted to Spider-Man's involvement, and was more than
willing to reveal his location, to bring a future target to him
earlier. Despite a series of traps and troops prepared to stop
him, Spider-Man broke into their base. Mace confronted him, but
was overpowered and outmaneuvered. Mace's troops had recovered,
and they targeted Spider-Man, who was holding Mace in front of
them. Screaming that the good soldier is always prepared to
suffer the occasional sacrifice, Mace ordered his troops to fire.
Mace was struck down in a hail of bullets, while Spider-Man
ducked out of the way, and then subdued the troops. Mace was
rushed to Bellevue, and into the operating room, as Hector Ayala
was wheeled out.
(Mighty Avengers II#7 (fb) - BTS) - Mace was left confined to a wheelchair after the incident and ended up in a psych ward.
During the superhuman Civil War concerning the Superhuman Registration Act Mace's extreme anti-hero sentiments became popular. Shady businessmen worked hard to get him declard sane, but no lawyer would take the case.
After his release he started the political advocacy group American Policy Research Initiative, which ran a militia on the side.
The group bought what used to be Josie's Bar in Hell's Kitchen.
(Mighty Avengers II#6 - BTS) - Kenny Driscoll, a crazed right-winged extremist, worked for Mace. He set fire to a bookstore he considered too left-winged, but thankfully there were no casualties. He was caught and interrogated by Falcon, who left him in an ally for the police to pick up. Falcon called Luke Cage, unaware White Tiger had his Mighty Avengers signal device, to tell him Driscoll had been working for Gideon Mace, who had murdered White Tiger's family years ago.
(Mighty Avengers II#7 BTS) - Knowing White Tiger was out for Mace's blood the Mighty Avengers Iron Fist and Power Man stopped her from slaying Driscoll, who had just been released from prison. Meanwhile Cage, Falcon, She-Hulk and Spectrum were at the American Policy Research Initiative's HQ to protect Mace. Spectrum altered her lightform to pose as Mace. Jen Walters tried to talk Mace's lawyer Kevin Krask into convincing Mace to turn himself in for Driscoll's crime for his own protection, but Kevin was sure Mace was safe. White Tiger overpowered the Mighty Avengers and assaulted Mace, who turned to her surprise into her teammate Spectrum, who knocked her out with an energy blast. She was arrested for her attack on Mace.
(Mighty Avengers II#7) - On the building's second floor Mace and Kevin's brother Kenneth watched the police arrive to arrest White Tiger. Mace was impressed for the quick response and also that Kenneth had called the news, which arrived almost at the same time as the police. Mace thanked Kenneth and their mutual benefactor for caring about America, but Kenneth made it clear he was only there for the money, which Mace considered American as well. Mace considered the problems Driscoll caused a shame, but Driscoll assured him Cortex Inc. had taken care of Driscoll (he got killed by them).
(Mighty Avengers II#8 - BTS) - Mace sued White Tiger for her attack. The Krask Brothers served as his lawyers.
(Mighty Avengers II#11 - BTS) - On MTN Luke Cage and his Mighty Avengers were criticised for terrorizing Mace's community action group in Hell's Kitchen.
(Captain America & the Mighty Avengers#1 - BTS) - The board of Cortex Incorporated board criticised Quantrell's recent investments like funnelling money into Mace's extremist group. Quantrell told his board that he considered Mace's people the good guys because they had buying power and mobilized costumers to buy into other brands.
(Captain America & the Mighty Avengers#2 - BTS) - She-Hulk got into an argument with Luke Cage over his involvement with Quantrell because she was 99% sure he was backing Gideon Mace (which was in fact the case).
(Captain America & the Mighty Avengers#3) - Pushed around by militia member Robert Toole Mace talked about recent superhuman battle ("World War Hate") and how people actually liked it. Passing a dark alley Robert was teleported into outer space by Quantrell. Robert was gone when Mace asked him to take a shortcut down the alley on the left. Jason Quantrell appeared took Mace up on his request and pushed him into the alley. Mace didn't understand what had happened to Robert and how Quantrell could suddenly appear out of nowhere. Quantrell thanked Mace for pushing things where Quantrell wanted them to be, but that everything needed to move faster now. Mace pulled a knife on Quantrell, who used superhuman speed to disarm him. Mace threatened to kill Quantrell, who after telling Mace that even though the world had left Mace behind he wouldn't. Quantrell teleported away, leaving Mace for the monstrous McDevitt to be taken care of.
(Captain America & the Mighty Avengers#3 - BTS) - McDevitt ripped out Mace's heart...
(Captain America & the Mighty Avengers#3) - ...and left his corpse, still sitting in his wheelchair, in the alley.
(Captain America & the Mighty Avengers#4 - BTS) - Power Man and White Tiger, who wanted to be sure Mace was dead, went to see the crime scene where they met with Detectives Lowe and Carver. White Tiger investigated the blood on the ground while Power Man used his powers to see the chi of the deceased Robert Toole and Gideon Mace entering the alley and somebody new appearing, who smelled like sour-milk to White Tiger. They followed the energy trail.
Mace's heart was mutated by the Beyond Corporation and put inside a tank.
(Captain America & the Mighty Avengers#4) - The monstrous McDevitt watched Mace's heart and its new body forming.
(Captain America & the Mighty Avengers#5) - Power Man and White Tiger followed the energy trail to the Double Six Sugar Refinery and were immediately attacked by Gideon Mace, in his new monster body, smashing through a door. Despite his new form White Tiger recognized him as Mace, remembering how he killed her family and nearly her, and ripped through him. Mace started to bleed blue blood until McDevitt slowed down time around White Tiger. Mace started beating on the distracted Power Man while White Tiger was infected by McDevitt's Beyond-based DNA. Power Man called the other Mighty Avengers for help when he saw White Tiger mutate into a being similar to McDevitt. When Captain America (Wilson), Kaluu and She-Hulk arrived they were faced by Mace and the mutated McDevitt, White Tiger and Power Man.
(Captain America & the Mighty Avengers#6) - Mace, McDevitt and the former Mighty Avengers White Tiger and Power Man, who were soon recognized by She-Hulk as her former teammates due to their powers, attacked the three Mighty Avengers. During the battle She-Hulk and Kaluu were mutated as well by the contagious DNA leaving Captain America alone in the battle.
(Captain America & the Mighty Avengers#7) - Mace, McDevitt and the mutated Mighty Avengers fought Captain America (Wilson) on his own. He was eventually joined in battle by Luke Cage and Jessica Jones. The mutated Mighty Avengers and McDevitt were returned to their human forms when Spectrum and Kevin Brashear defeated Beyond Corporation's emissary Jason Quantrell. Mace returned to his human form as well, or at least what was left of his human form, when his bodiless heart dropped to the ground.
Comments: Created by Archie Goodwin and George Tuska.
I thought I remembered Mace as actually dying in that last Spider-Man issue, but there's no mention of it. You'd think he'd be back to get revenge on Spidey or Cage by now. C'Mon!
There were a few vague faces posted on Mace's board who were obviously planned targets for assassination during his war on heroes. The only other one I could make out is Hawkeye.
1968...Viet Nam war...topical
Clarifications: Gideon Mace has no known
connection to:
She was the widow of Jaime, the man killed in Viet Nam on Mace's unauthorized mission. Not realizing that Mace had brought about her husbands death with his actions, she aided him to honor her husband's memory. She was genuinely interested in Luke Cage, but twice turned him in to Mace. However, after leanring Cage's experience with Mace, she managed to read Mace's army records, and learned the truth. When she learned of his "plan" to detonate the bomb, she fled and alerted the authorities, exactly as he had planned. However, she joined Cage's assault on Mace Headquarters, acting both as a distraction to, and then a hostage for Mace, during the final battle. After Mace' s defeat, Cage left her behind to locate the "bomb."
--Power Man#43 (44-46
He was one of Mace's soldiers, who had a change of heart and decided to try to prevent Mace's violent plans. Having befriended the other soldiers, Ridgely did not want to turn them in to the police, and so he instead hired Luke Cage. Mace, however, learned of his plans, and sent some other, more loyal soldiers to stop this. The soldiers succeeded in killing Ridgely, but Cage stopped them.
--Luke Cage, Hero for Hire#3
It was an armed compound under martial law. There was no crime in the city, as anyone found committing a crime lost any rights and was subject to the whims of the guards (and Mace himself). Bus companies were warned to change their routes to stay outside its city limits, and any that failed to obey were assaulted, and the driver and passengers killed and looted. The residents, made up mostly of the ultra-conservative, chose it for the feeling of safety it gave them, allowing them to return to what they saw as a wholesome lifestyle, akin to "Leave it to Beaver." However, the citizens of the town were actually deliberately recruited by Mace and his agents, who believed them to be sheep they could mold: arming and conditioning them to become his personal army. When the people learned that they were being manipulated, they rebelled and ousted Mace and his men. (also pictured above)
--Power Man#23
images: (without ads)
All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z HC#6 - Gideon Mace profile (main image; original source Luke Cage, Hero for Hire#3, p9, pan1)
Power Man#23, p16, pan4 (head shot)
Power Man#23, p6, pan3 (Security City soldiers)
Power Man#23, p9, pan5 (Security City citizens)
Captain America & the Mighty Avengers#3, p3, pan5 (in wheelchair)
Captain America & the Mighty Avengers#5, p9, pan3 (mutated)
Power Man#44, p10, pan6 (Burgundy)
Luke Cage, Hero for Hire#3, p7, pan5 (Owen Ridgely)
Power Man#23, p8, pan4 (Security City)
Appearances:
Luke Cage, Hero for Hire#3 (October, 1972) - Archie Goodwin (writer), George Tuska (pencils), Billy Graham (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Power Man#23 (February, 1975) - Tony Isabella (writer), Ron Wilson (pencils), Dave Hunt (inks), Len Wein (editor)
Power Man#43 (May, 1977) - Marv Wolfman (writer/editor), Lee Alias (pencils), Alex Nino (inks)
Power Man#44 (June, 1977) - Marv Wolfman & Ed Hannigan (writers), Lee Elias (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Power Man#45 (Juley, 1977) - Marv Wolfman (writer/editor), Lee Alias (artist)
Spectacular Spider-Man II#50-51 (Janaury-February, 1981) - Roger Stern (writer), Denys Cowan (pencils), Dave Humphrys & Joe Rubinstein (#50) (inks), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Spectacular Spider-Man II#52 (March, 1981) - Roger Stern (writer), Rick Leonardi (pencils), Jim Mooney (inks), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Mighty Avengers II#6-7 (April, 2014) - Al Ewing (writer), Valerio Schiti (artist), Tom Brevoort & Wil Moss (editors)
Mighty Avengers II#8 (May, 2014) - Al Ewing (writer), Valerio Schiti (artist), Tom Brevoort & Wil Moss (editors)
Mighty Avengers II#11 (August, 2014) - Al Ewing (writer), Greg Land (pencils), Jay Leisten (inks), Tom Brevoort & Wil Moss (editors)
Captain America & the Mighty Avengers#1 (January, 2015) - Al Ewing (writer), Luke Ross (artist), Tom Brevoort & Wil Moss (editors)
Captain America & the Mighty Avengers#2 (January, 2015) - Al Ewing (writer), Luke Ross & Iban Coello (artists), Tom Brevoort & Wil Moss (editors)
Captain America & the Mighty Avengers#3-4 (February-March, 2015) - Al Ewing (writer), Luke Ross & Iban Coello (artists), Tom Brevoort & Wil Moss (editors)
Captain America & the Mighty Avengers#5 (April, 2015) - Al Ewing (writer), Iban Coello (artist), Tom Brevoort & Wil Moss (editors)
Captain America & the Mighty Avengers#6 (May, 2015) - Al Ewing (writer), Luke Ross (artist), Tom Brevoort & Wil Moss (editors)
Captain America & the Mighty Avengers#7 (June, 2015) - Al Ewing (writer), Iban Coello (artist), Tom Brevoort & Wil Moss (editors)
First Posted: 10/19/2001
Last updated: 10/30/2016
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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