MOP MAN
MOP MANReal Name: Joseph "Joe" Trinity
Identity/Class: Human possessed/empowered by extradimensional entity (Mrinha)
Occupation: Homeless;
former
vice-president of a bank
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Dr. Alcazar
(physician), Lt. Harris (Miami police), Poison (Cecilia Cardinale), Sharona (friend);
unidentified dog;
formerly Mrinha (see comments), Mr. Youngman
Enemies: Ferdinand "Foxy" Pertierra, Dallas Kerr, Slug (Ulysses X. Luggman)
Known Relatives: Sally (ex-wife)
Aliases: "Old man with a mop"
Base of Operations: Miami, Florida
First Appearance: Marvel Comics Presents I#60/2 (October, 1990)
Powers: Joe Trinity initially used a mop inhabited
by Mrinha as a weapon. Within a mop, Mrinha could charge the cloth portion such that
it striking a human body could rend human flesh, causing both
lacerations and burns (reminiscent of radiation burns, but lacking in
radiation). Further the mop could be used as blunt weapon, readily
penetrating an adult male's thoracic cavity and fatally damaging the
target's heart, or swiftly melting metal (such as the end of a gun) or
melting the hand off of on an adult male.
While Mrinha was merged with his mop, she and Trinity could communicate telepathically, via which earn his confidence and influence his actions. After some time and influence over a Joe, Mrinha could track and communicate with him across an unspecified distance, at least several miles. She apparently could only sense Joe when he was conscious.
When merged with Mrinha, Trinity had superhuman
powers, including flight, projection of Mrinha's destructive energies
(able to sever an adult man's arms), enhanced durability (bulletproof),
strength (enhanced human, at least), and healing. However, as he
committed violent acts with her powers, he progressively fell under her
influence until he could no longer resist her control.Although he was originally presumably highly experienced and educated in finance, he was somewhat addled after losing his job, lover, and his life.
Verbally, he liked to say, "You read?", presumably meaning "do you understand what I'm saying?"...but he sometimes led with that after saying hello.
Height:
Unrevealed (he seems shorter than the 5'6" Poison when walking
side-by-side, but he is slouching badly and she is wearing WAY-high
heels; perhaps 5'6" to 5'8")
Weight: Unrevealed (perhaps 140-160 lbs.)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Light blond
History: 
(Marvel Comics Presents I#62/2 (fb)) - Joe Trinity's problems began
when he finally made the big time. He was promoted to
vice-president of his bank, receiving a large raise and the
accompanying benefits, including passion and love from his wife, Sally. Soon after starting his new job, he came
across the account of the Miami crimelord known as the Slug. Seeing that
the bank was knowingly filtering dirty money for the Slug,
Trinity asked to be removed from the account. He was fired on the
spot, and his old assistant, Dallas Kerr, got his job. After a
few months of unemployment, Sally, left him, and
she soon wound up in a relationship with Kerr. The fact that
Kerr, who was willing to the dirty work, got everything that was
once his caused him to lose his grip on sanity. He lost his
apartment and began living as a homeless man.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#61/2 (fb) - BTS) - Joe and Sally's divorce was finalized.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#60 - BTS) - Trinity carried around a mop, the last thing that had not been taken away from him.
(Marvel
Comics Presents I#67/2 (fb) - BTS) - An extradimensional energy
creature known as Mrinha confronted Joe Trinity, and her energies
inhabited the mop that he held.
(Marvel
Comics Presents I#60/2 - BTS) - Trinity misunderstood her name to be "Myrna." Mrinha spoke to Trinity telepathically and apparently sent him on missions to
"clean-up" the criminal element around him. 
(Marvel Comics Presents I#60/2) - Encountering a trio of men assaulting a small dog, Joe Trinity warned them that if they hurt the dog, they would die. Waving the mop over his head, Trinity noted that the dog was over the brink and so was he, and that he had nothing to lose but suffering. The men all laughed at him until Trinity swung his mop - charged with Mrinha's energies -- across the assailants faces, burning them and knocking them all to the ground. After sending the dog away and telling it to find a home, he told the three men "Never hurt a dog...never snigger on a sad man." He then slew two of them via shoving the mop into their chests, "heart pop," but he left the third alive, telling him to stay in the world, as he deserved it.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#61/2 (fb) - BTS) - The two dead men had quarter-sized holes punched into their chests.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#60/2) - Trinity, still feeling some connection for Sally, sought out his friend, prostitute Sharona, asking her for a quarter as Myrna had to call home. Although telling Joe that Myrna was a mop, not a girl, Sharona gave him the quarter after he promised not to spend it on wine and after he promised not to tell her pimp, Leon. He told Sharona that Myrna said thanks.
Joe then called Sally and reported his actions as the Mop Man, but she told him she didn't care what he did, as long as it had nothing to do with her. He told her he could not help it and that he didn't want to break, but she had broken him and now "it makes me kill like him." Sally told him he lost his mind, and after telling him that if he called her again she would tell Dallas, she hung up on him.
Having observed from above, the vigilante Poison (Cecilia Cardinale, who had been mutated by an extradimensional energy creature similar to Mrinha) then confronted Trinity, asking him about Sally. He shared how she was his ex-wife and noted she had left him when he no longer had money. When Poison asked about Dallas, Trinity told her to poke her face elsewhere, as this was the business of him and "Myrna" and that Dallas would be taken care of.
(Marvel
Comics Presents I#60/2 - BTS) - Poison considered that Trinity had been broken and that he
had bonded to an extradimensional entity similar to Ylandris, with whom
she had previously bonded. She further considered that if
she could have found Joe earlier, perhaps she could have helped him.
(Marvel
Comics Presents I#61/2 - BTS) - Unaware Joe's
new powers, Sally complained to Dallas about his
continuing to call. Dallas later met with Miami druglord the Slug, who
agreed to have some pressure put on Trinity to make him leave Sally
alone. 
(Marvel
Comics Presents I#61/2 (fb) - BTS) - The survivor of the encounter with
Trinity told Dr. Alcazar at "Memorial Hospital" that he had been attacked by an old man with a
mop.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#61/2 - BTS) - Dr. Alcazar told Lt. Harris
the only thing he had learned from the the injured man. He further
noted that it looked like someone had jammed he man's head into a bag
of red-hot razor blades and then shaken the bag; both men agreed that
to be unlikely.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#61/2) - Standing outside of the hospital, as Lt. Harris departed, Trinity thought to himself, "Cop. Always tell 'em by their beef. Gonna get good now. Keep weavin'"
(Marvel Comics Presents I#62/2) - Joe Trinity told "Myrna" that he didn't care much for killing, even when the target deserved it, but he noted that she was different, as she shivered when she spotted a "hot one," one she could talk him into doing. He was then surprised by a bullet fired by the Slug's man, who warned to leave Sally alone. Having been observing Trinity, Poison took down the gunman and then told Joe that she was the enemy of one of his enemies, and she asked him to come with her and tell her his story.
After Trinity shared his professional and personal misfortune, Poison assured Trinity that she could take the pain away.
(Marvel
Comics Presents I#63/2 - BTS) - The Slug sent professional assassin and
enforcer, "Foxy" Pertierra after Trinity
(Marvel Comics Presents I#63/2) - Trinity spoke to Mrinha, noting that it was strange that Poison had not asked why he spoke to a mop, as that was usually everybody's first question. He asked "Myrna" if she thought Poison understood the situation, and he further noted that "Myrna" did not like Poison and wondered if "Myrna" was jealous or something. The discussion was interrupted by Sharona, who warned him that people were asking about him. He told her he knew that these people worked for the Slug and assured her that he had protection. When Sharona insisted that he needed to find a place to hide, Joe told her that he had one...his life.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#63/2 - BTS) - Foxy subsequently beat Sharona for information on Trinity, having learned that she knew him from her pimp, Leon.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#64/2) - Holding his mop over his shoulder as he sat in a junkyard, Joe rambled about trashing being swept off the street and dumped in the ocean. He was interrupted when Foxy told him he had a message for him from the Slug and then shot him repeatedly with his machine gun.(Marvel Comics Presents I#64/2 (fb) - BTS) - Animating the mop, Myrna leapt out of Trinity's hands, melted the end of Foxy's gun and then melted his right hand.
Trinity was taken to the hospital and taken to surgery, where the bullets were removed.
Trinity was eventually brought into the same room as the survivor of the trio Trinity had previously assaulted. Seeing Trinity, the man sat upright, screamed, and then died.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#64/2 - BTS) - Dr. Alcazar subsequently told Lt. Harris that the man whose presence had terrified the survivor of the previous assault had been found sitting in his own blood and clutching a mop...
(Marvel Comics Presents I#64/2 - BTS) - At the Slug's estate, Foxy told the Slug how the mop had leapt out of Trinity's hands like it was alive and that he had never felt such pain. Doubting Foxy's story and concerned that he hadn't walked into a flame-thrower while pursuing a side account, the Slug had Dr. Krislov examine him.
(Marvel
Comics Presents I#64/2) - Standing over the sedated Trinity, Lt. Harris asked about the mop, as
it was apparently a murder weapon, and Dr. Alcazar suggested that it
had likely been left in junkyard where Trinity had been found. 
Watching Trinity from outside the hospital room, Poison sensed that the thing Trinity called Myrna was searching for him, just as he was searching for it.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#64/2 - BTS) - Poison considered that the bond between them could not be severed by distance, and she was further intrigued by the danger this "Myrna" presented. Poison subsequently traveled to the apartment of Dallas Kerr and Sally.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#65/2) - Calling to Joe Trinity and locating him as he awakened, Mrinha and the mop traveled to him.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#65/2 - BTS) - Sensing this, Poison considered that the butcher hid its killing frenzy while it seduced, using a gentle voice and a soft and loving touch.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#65/2) - Mrinha asked Joe if he would trust her, noting she could mend his wounds if he allowed her to enter his form; trusting her and figuring there was nothing else within him, Joe readily accepted. As her energy form bonded with him, Mrinha noted that they would never be closer than at this moment of joining. As Joe noted that he was a lucky guy to have a friend like her, Mrinha clarified her real name.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#65/2 - BTS) - Considering that Trinity would not be able to control Mrinha, Poison appreciated that Mrinha would first heal Trinity, after which she would have to confront the creature.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#66/2 (fb) - BTS) - Overnight, Trinity not only healed from his wounds, but his body gained an appearance and physiology of a man half of his age.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#66/2) - Lt. Harris questioned Trinity, who refused to divulge further information, but -- in an odd voice -- he told them he believed they would be brought to judgment. He further noted that hope was like a flower that bloomed in the soul with roots that bored into the heart and sucked it dry.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#66/2 - BTS) - Foxy Pertierra later burst into Trinity's room and peppered his bed with his automatic weapon.
(Marvel Comics
Presents I#66/2 (fb) - BTS) - Mrinha's powers severed both of Foxy's
arms, whose anguished flight was observed by Lt. Harris. 
(Marvel Comics Presents I#66/2) - Punching his way past Harris, Trinity pursued the fleeing Foxy, who got in a car with Dallas Kerr, who followed Foxy's stuttered instructions to go to the Slug's place. Glowing with energy, Trinity shattered the glass doors of Memorial Hospital and closely followed the speeding car on foot.
Observing this, Poison appreciated that Mrinha was more clever than she had thought, as by not seizing control of her host all at once and allowing to choose the first victims, it gained his trust. She considered that Mrinha would assert itself a little more progressively, meeting no resistance until it devoured him whole.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#66/2 - BTS) - Arriving at the Slug's estate, Dallas or Foxy warned the security agents of the glowing man pursuing them and told them not to ask questions but to just fire on him.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#66/2) - Mrinha's power allowed Trinity to rush into the Slug's estate, resisting the Slug's men's weapons, and he told her that they were aiming right at the heart of the problem.
Observing this, Poison considered that she would break the vandals who swarmed around
and inside of Trinity, and that she would trample their spirits as they did
to his.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#67/2) - As Joe Trinity confronted the Slug, tossing him high into the air, he shared Mrinha's words about him: "Gelatinous parasite, scarcely able to breathe without assistance...a monument to overindulgence...fit only for deathing, Joe...kill it!"
However, Trinity instead attacked his personal enemy, Dallas, until Poison stopped him, leading the frenzied Trinity to turn on her instead. Poison explained that while she knew he did not actually want to punish her, the thing inside him did. Poison further explained that Mrinha wanted to punish everything that lived and that each time he helped it, it devoured a little bit of him.
Following a distraction by the Slug's men, Trinity went after the fleeing Dallas, threatening to kill him. When Poison told Trinity to show Dallas and Sally no mercy, which meant making them live with the truth of what they now were, Mrinha told Joe that this was a lie, as death was never mercy. Although Trinity believed Poison, he was unable to stop Mrinha from forcing him to attack her.
Catching Trinity by the neck in mid-air, Poison instructed Mrinha to abandon Trinity or die with him, as she would not let him live as its slave. Accepting this, Mrinha exited Trinity but then tried to possess Poison instead; however, Poison's experiences (and presumably physical and mental changes) from her time with Ylandris enabled Poison to resist Mrinha, and she cast out the creature, seemingly dispelling it.
Poison subsequently told Trinity that when he awakened, he would find that his nightmare had ended.(Civil War: Battle Damage Report) - Tony Stark considered Mop Man as a potential Initiative recruit.
Comments: Created by Steve Gerber (who else) and Cindy Martin.
Poison retained some powers after Ylandris left
her, why shouldn't Trinity keep some?
The fact that Tony Stark considered the Mop Man as a potential recruit
is supportive evidence that he did indeed retain some powers (and
continued to use the mop as a weapon).
His full name as Joseph was revealed in Civil War: Battle Damage Report.
Mrinha is composed of energy. It could either have been banished back to its own form, or dissipated, in which case it should be able to reform.
I'm not aware of any name for the extradimensional race of which Ylandris and Mrinha are members.
I would consider Joe Trinity a great candidate for the Legion of Night. Maybe both he and Poison's son, Carlos Cardinale, joined.
The entity who bonded with Trinity is technically named/spelled Mrinhä, but it gives my html editor program problems to use symbols like that, so it is spelled Mrinha throughout this profile.
All of the characters in the sub-profiles can get their own profiles someday...
Clarifications:
Joe Trinity, a.k.a. Mop Man, has no known connection to:
Dr. Alcazar was the physician who cared for both the Mop Man's victims and the Mop Man himself after his injuries--Marvel Comics Presents I#61/2 (66/2
Lt. Harris was a member of the Miami Police Department, investigating the attacks of the Mop Man. He was on hand when the Mop Man blew off Foxy's arms, but was unable to stop Trinity from pursuing Foxy further.--Marvel Comics Presents I#61/2 (66/2
Dallas Kerr-served as the banker for the Slug. It was he who brought the Slug and his hitmen into the conflict. When things turned poorly for him, he turned on Sally. --[Marvel Comics Presents I#60/2], 61/2 ([62/2(fb)] 61/2-67/2
Ferdinand "Foxy" Pertierra was a sadistic killer employed by the Slug. He nearly killed Trinity, but was burnt and forced to flee by Mrinha. When he returned to try to finish the job, Trinity, now possessed by Mrinha blew his arms off. The wounds were cauterized, and it is uncertain if her survived this attack--Marvel Comics Presents I#63/2 (64/2-66/2
Sally-former girlfriend to Joe Trinity and Dallas Kerr. She left Trinity shortly after he lost his job, and she left Dallas after he turned abusive. The Mop Man referred to her as "Good Legs."--Marvel Comics Presents I#60/2 (62/2(fb), 60/2-67/2
Sharona was a prostitute who had befriended Trinity. Sharona's own pimp, Leon, led Foxy to her because of this connection, in exchange for a small payment. Foxy beat her savagely, forcing her to reveal Trinity's location. --Marvel Comics Presents I#60/2 (63/2
images:
Marvel Comics Presents I#60/2, pg. 4, panel 2 (glasses);
panel 5 (Mop Man attacks, unleashing energy from mop);
pg. 5, panel 5 (holding mop over potential victim);
panel 6 (posterior view);
pg. 7, panel 3 (full);
#62/2, pg. 6, panel 3 (previous desk job);
#63/2, pg. 4, panel 3 (face) - panel 2 also good);
#65/2, pg. 6, panel 6 (merging with Mrinha);
#66/2, pg. 8, panel 3 (bulletproof);
#67/2, pg. 1, panel 3 (glowing with energy, storming party);
#66/2, pg. 5, panel 3 (Dr. Alcazar & Lt. Harris);
#62/2, pg. 4, panel 3 (Dallas Kerr)
#63/2, pg. 2, panel 1 (Foxy Pertierra)
#62/2, pg. 4, panel 4 (Sally)
#63/2, pg. 5, panel 3 (Sharona)
Appearances:
Marvel Comics Presents I#60-67 (October-December, 1990) - Steve Gerber
(writer), Cynthia Martin (artist), Terry Kavanagh (editor)
Civil War: Battle Damage Report#1: Civil War
Files Appendix (2007) - Ronald Byrd (writer), Anthony Flamini (head
writer/coordinator), Michael Short (assistant editor), Jennifer Grunwald & Mark
Beazley (editors, special projects), Jeff Youngquist (editor)
First Posted: 09/08/2001 (?)
Last updated: 08/28/2022
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
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.!