PETER MALUM

Real Name: Peter Malum

Identity/Class: Human (mad scientist type)

Occupation:

Affiliations: Cassady;
    formerly Project: Pluto

Enemies: Black Widow (Romanoff), FBI, Punisher (Castle), SHIELD II (esp. Nick Fury)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Doc

Base of Operations:
    formerly an unknown prison facility;
    formerly Project: Pluto (beneath the American desert)

First Appearance: Marvel Graphic Novel: Punisher/Black Widow: Spinning Doomsday's Web (1992)

Powers/Abilities: While Malum has no superhuman powers, he is a strong and savage combatant, able to take out the Black Widow on one occasion. He is a genius in nuclear physics and was capable of building a weapon able to destroy the world. He is also a genocidal maniac.

    Malum designed the S.L.A.M., the Supersonic Low Altitude Missile, a first generation cruise, nuclear reactor powered ramjet. It carried a dozen hydrogen bombs in its bay, with a virtually unlimited range. In addition, due to being irradiated during its test firing, the SLAM could be lethal even without its cargo of thermonuclear devices. Simply circling it around enemy territory would spread radioactive doom. Shooting it down would also result in a crash site of inconceivable irradiation over a large area.
    Malum also designed the Orion spaceship, a similar weapon.

History:
(Marvel Graphic Novel: Punisher/Black Widow: Spinning Doomsday's Web (fb) - BTS) - Malum worked as director of Project: Pluto, in which he designed the original prototype for the SLAM. Test firing it irradiated its entire infra-structure, such that it would not be safe to dismantle for about 2000 years.
    The SLAM was ruled as too dangerous to continue its development, and Project: Pluto was cancelled. Malum, already crazy to being with, went on a killing spree that landed him in prison.
    American soldiers were stationed in the otherwise abandoned Project: Pluto, getting combat and special duty pay, as well as orders to shoot to kill any unauthorized approach.

(Marvel Graphic Novel: Punisher/Black Widow: Spinning Doomsday's Web (fb) - BTS) - Malum escaped custody.

(Marvel Graphic Novel: Punisher/Black Widow: Spinning Doomsday's Web (fb) - BTS) - Malum began work an a replica of the SLAM. His involvement in the creation of the Orion spaceship was kept covert, but it came under question when all the want ads were for pilots "past child-bearing age."

(Marvel Graphic Novel: Punisher/Black Widow: Spinning Doomsday's Web (fb) - BTS) - Twenty years later, Malum was apprehended by agents of the FBI and set to face trial.

(Marvel Graphic Novel: Punisher/Black Widow: Spinning Doomsday's Web) - Malum was freed from Custody by Cassady and some of his other agents. SHIELD, who was present to supervise Malum's custody transfer, prepared to go after the fleeing criminals. The Black Widow, who had been present along with SHIELD, took off after Malum and his allies before a SHIELD squadron could be assembled. The Widow easily took out Malum's allies, but underestimated Malum's strength, savagery, and ability to take punishment. Malum beat her into unconsciousness, spitting on her face in disdain, but was pulled away by his allies before he could kill her, so that they could escape before SHIELD arrived.

    Malum and his men escaped to continue work on the Orion. While Cassady and his men sought to use the weapon to extort millions for themselves and to gain a  pardon, Malum himself hinted at aspiring to world domination, though his real goal was mass destruction. Meanwhile, both the Widow (backed by SHIELD) and the Punisher--drawn in by the slaughter during Malum's escape--tracked Malum to a Naval port in San Francisco, where he sought a new power source for the Orion. The Widow attacked Malum, but the Punisher's interference drew her away from the fight, allowing Malum to escape, along with the nuclear device.

    Malum took the device out to his base in Anchorage, Alaska, where they loaded it into the Orion and tried to take off in a commercial jet. Castle and the Widow fired into a wall, causing all flights to be grounded due to suspicion of terrorist activity. Malum took off anyway, but not before the Widow and Castle could board his plane. Malum then began preparing to make the device operational, and he killed Cassady when he opposed the thought of it being used as more than just a threat. Widow confronted Malum and slew him with a hunk of jagged shrapnel, then let his body be pulled out into the slipstream. The Widow managed to deactivate the second SLAM, and it was taken to the old Project: Pluto base, set next to its precursor, and twice the guard was set up to watch over it.

Comments: Created by D. G. Chichester and Larry Stroman.

The use of various dates of activity in this story is topical. For example, Malum's escape in 1972 should be meant to refer to twenty years before the story in the main text.

CLARIFICATIONS:
No known connection to:

 

Last updated: 08/13/03

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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