MISTER E

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Extradimensional symbiote

Occupation: Enemy of humanity

Group Membership: Leader of small army of Shadow Slaves

Affiliations: Knull;
former hosts Alistaire Smythe, Louis Tuttle

Enemies: Black Knight (Dane Whitman), Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau), Ray Coffin, Steve Coffin, Collector (Taneleer Tivan), Cosmo, Kang the Conqueror (Nathaniel Richards) of Other-Earth, Ned Leeds, Rocket Raccoon, Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Uatu the Watcher, Ulicia, Ulik, the Uni-Power (Captain Universe)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: The Shadowverse

First Appearance: Marvel Spotlight II#9 (November, 1980)

Powers/Abilities: Due to his molecular makeup he resembles a living shadow, allowing him to manipulate and elongate his form. He is able to wrap his body around other objects, draining their energies, and create intense cold. He can also create animated "shadow demons," objects and energy barriers that were made of shadows. He can shapeshift into other forms, including perfectly impersonating humans.

He can transform others into Shadow Slaves he was able to command and his Shadow Slaves can transform other via injection of their shadow substance.

He had a major vulnerability to light especially ultraviolet light and was vulnerable against mystic items like the Ebony Blade.

He presumably could be harmed by fire and noise like other symbiotes.

History:
(King in Black Handbook - Mister E) - In his mission to return reality to darkness, the ancient god Knull sent a symbiotic slave to Earth. This warrior was supposed to start the "Shadowverse's" invasion of Earth, but he instead sought control over Earth and worship for himself.

(Marvel Spotlight II#9) - Mister E came to Earth from the Shadowverse, with the intent of destroying the Earth.

(Symbiote Spider-Man: King in Black#1 (fb) - BTS) - The symbiote took NASA employee Louis Tuttle as a host and took the moniker Mister E.

(Marvel Spotlight II#9) - Journeying to Cape Canaveral, he began transforming the staff of the base into Shadow Slaves; these slaves would then transform others, using a chemical injection. Mister E's intention was to specially modify a space shuttle so that it could maintain complete darkness while in space; the shuttle would then be flown to the sun, where it would bombard it with negatron particles, transforming it into a black star. This would result in the death of most life on Earth, and a new Ice Age.

 

   However, Mister E had not counted on opposition, in the form of Steve Coffin, current wielder of the Uni-Power. As Captain Universe, Coffin opposed Mister E's scheme, and boarded his solar shuttle as it flew towards the sun. As the two grappled aboard the shuttle, Mister E ducked one of Captain Universe's lunges, and Captain Universe smashed through the hull and fell into space; there, by turning the torn hull towards the sun, he was able to destroy Mister E, and the solar shuttle as well. With Mister E's death, all of his Shadow Slaves were restored to normal.

(Symbiote Spider-Man: King in Black#1 (fb) - BTS) - Mister E's host Louis Tuttle got incinerated, but Mister E survived.

(Symbiote Spider-Man: King in Black#5 (fb) - BTS) - Knull took some of his power for his failure.

(Symbiote Spider-Man: King in Black#1) - Mister E returned to Earth and posed as Spencer Smythe. He visited Spencer's son Alistaire in the middle of the night in his room at the Ravencroft Institute, woke him up and quickly told Alistaire that he had just chosen this form because it was less intimidating. He then told Alistaire that he was there because his previous host Louis Tuttle had thought very highly of Alistaire and Mister E needed a new host. Mister E promised Alistaire to get him access to the clinic's laboratory and make him walk again. He gave Alistair the specifics for a formula Alistair had to create at the lab, inject himself and introduce it to the ventilation clinic's system. Alistair agreed to the deal and became Mister E's host.

(Symbiote Spider-Man: King in Black#1 - BTS) - Alistair created the formula and introduced it to the ventilation system.

(Symbiote Spider-Man: King in Black#1) - A doctor found Alistaire injecting himself with the formula and wanted to know what he was doing, but it was already too late for her to do anything about it because she had breathed in the formula as well and was turning into one of Mister E's Shadow Slaves. Mister E, in complete control over Alistaire Smythe's body, got up from the wheelchair and watched the darkness caused by Knull in the future cause an eclipse. Everyone at the clinic was turned into Shadow Slaves, including the visiting reporter Ned Leeds. Peter Parker resisted due to his past connection to a symbiote and fought his way through the Shadow Slaves and made it to Alistair Smythe, who transformed into Mister E and believed Spider-Man, due to the black costume, to be another symbiote and hugged him. Spider-Man mocked Mister E's name and attacked him. Mister E was surprised by his "brother's" assault because he still believed they were on the same side, but fought back and knocked him loopy with a headbutt after becoming intangible and trapping Spider-Man in his black form. He asked Spider-Man to surrender, but surprisingly got hit again. Black Knight arrived and stabbed Mister E with the Ebony Blade, which actually took him to his knees. Mister E fled after revealing to Black Knight and Spider-Man that he was not the cause of the eclipse, but that it was caused by events in the future.

(Symbiote Spider-Man: King in Black#2) - Mister E posed as Merlyn and joined Black Knight at the Avengers Mansion. He tried to convince Black Knight to hand over the sword to him because it was the only thing that could kill Knull, but was found out when he was unable to call Black Knight by his real name. Mister E still managed to steal the Ebony Blade and stab Black Knight with it before hiding in the shadows from the arriving Rocket Raccoon and Kang.

(Symbiote Spider-Man: King in Black#3) - Mister E stole Tony Stark's Wayfarer spaceship from Avengers Mansion and flew into outer space. He shook off Spider-Man, who was trying to stop him.

   Mister E took the Ebony Blade to Knowhere where he asked Ulicia the Troll to destroy it, but her brother Ulik interrupted them.

(Symbiote Spider-Man: King in Black#4) - Mister E stabbed Ulik with the Ebony Blade, but Ulicia blocked the Ebony Blade with her hammer before Mister E could decapitate her brother. Mister E disarmed her, but Knowhere's head of security Cosmo knocked him away with a psychic blast. Mister E fled with the Ebony Blade, but Ulik followed him and then Spider-Man, Rocket and Kang arrived on Knowhere as well and joined the fight against Mister E. Though he held his own against his four enemies because he turned intangible whenever they hit him, the situation changed when Captain Marvel (Rambeau) turned into ultraviolet light and merged with Mister E to turn him solid, so Spider-Man, Rocket and Kang could hit him. With Mister E weakened Kang teleported him to the Collector, leaving Alistaire Smythe behind. Though the Collector had no idea where Mister E had come from he kept him in a tank in his showroom.

(Symbiote Spider-Man: King in Black#5) - Mister E begged Knull to restore the power he had taken from him, promising Knull to get rid of the Ebony Blade for him. Knull restored Mister E's power, and E escaped from the Collector's collection and returned to Knowhere. Now able to exist without a host, Mister E took the sword from Uatu, who had taken it to use it against Knull in the future, but he was opposed by the combined powers of Spider-Man, Captain Marvel, Kang, Rocket, Ulicia and Ulik. All attempts to retrieve the Ebony Blade or hit Mister E failed due to him turning intangible at will. Uatu moved against Mister E and despite his oath to never interfere attacked him with an energy blast that disarmed E. Rocket caught the Ebony Blade and stabbed Mister E, but it had no effect on him. With the Ebony Blade back in his possession he nearly killed Spider-Man, but Captain Marvel stopped the Ebony Blade, took it and then channeled her energy through the Ebony Blade to apparently disintegrate Mister E.

Comments: Created by Bill Mantlo and Steve Ditko.

The Shadowverse is also home to Warlord Kaa and the Soul Masters (Marvel Spotlight II#4). But what about the House of Shadows? For that matter, what about the Shadow Man from Tales of Suspense I#7 (also by Steve Ditko-- looks just like Mister E), or the shadow-people from Journey into Mystery I#17?

Mister E is also a master of tongue-twisters. Try repeating this dialogue five times fast: "Shield the solar shuttle in a sheath of shadow!"

Note: For the not-so quick on the uptake: Say it out loud: Mister E = Mystery --Snood

Symbiote Spider-Man: King in Black retconned Mister E from a shadow being to a symbiote. Still pitch black!

Mini set in the past of Spider-Man.

Alistaire Smythe in Symbiote Spider-Man: King in Black poses a slight problem. The story obviously took place after Alistaire was crippled in Amazing Spider-Man Annual I#19, but at that point in time Spider-Man was not wearing the symbiote costume anymore. Alistaire's first appearance was actually during the issues when Spider-Man got separated from the symbiote, so Alistair never faced the symbiote Spider-Man. But it can still work! Spider-Man was wearing a black costume when he next met Alistaire in Amazing Spider-Man I#291-292, so the Symbiote Spider-Man: King in Black mini could've happened after this. I am well aware that Mister E believed Spider-Man, or rather his costume, to be his "brother" but Mister E could've just been mistaken. Maybe he mistook the black costume for a symbiote because he somehow felt Spider-Man's past connection to a symbiote. The black costume was obviously meant to be the symbiote during the Symbiote Spider-Man: King in Black mini-series, but it can't be due to the inclusion of Smythe!
--Markus Raymond

His King in Black Handbook profile noted that the Shadowverse presumably referenced Knull's all-encompassing darkness, rather than a dimension unto itself.

Profile by Prime Eternal. Update by Markus Raymond.

Clarifications: Mister E has no known connection to:

Reality-80119

Mister E successfully darkened the Sun by bombarding it with negatron particles with a redesigned solar shuttle, turning its light to shadow and transforming it into a black star. In the process he created shadow armies that conquered both Earth and his own dimension, spreading his influence across galaxies.

--Marvel Spotlight II#9 (ff) / King in Black Handbook - Mister E

images:
King in Black Handbook - Mister E (main; refurbed version of Symbiote Spider-Man: King in Black#1, Cover)
Marvel Spotlight II#9, p11, pan2 (Mister E summons his Shadow Slaves)
Marvel Spotlight II#9, p17, pan3 (vs. Captain Universe)
Marvel Spotlight II#9, p13, pan1 (full body)
Marvel Spotlight II#9, p12, pan1 (Reality-80119)

Appearances:
Marvel Spotlight II#9 (November, 1980) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Steve Ditko (artist), Al Milgrom (editor)
Symbiote Spider-Man: King in Black#1-5 (January-May, 2021) - Peter David (writer), Greg Land (pencils), Jay Leisten (inks), Devin Lewis (editor)

First Posted: 02/22/2002
Last updated: 10/17/2024

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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