Henry Conrad (Journey Into Mystery character)

HENRY CONRAD

Real Name: Henry Conrad

Identity/Class: Human, citizen of the United States of America (Pre-Modern era)

Occupation: Writer

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Morrison and Linster, Satan

Enemies: None

Known Relatives: Frances Conrad (wife), Agatha (aunt), Branders Conrad (ancestor)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unrevealed

First Appearance: Journey Into Mystery I#2/2 (August, 1952)

Powers/Abilities: Henry Conrad possessed no superhuman powers. He demonstrated academic discipline and historical research abilities, having studied colonial witchcraft using materials borrowed from a state university.

Height: Unrevealed
Weight: Unrevealed
Eyes: Black
Hair: Brown

History:

(Journey Into Mystery I#2/2 (fb) - BTS) - Henry Conrad was a young writer commissioned by his publishers, Morrison and Linster, to write a book about witchcraft in colonial America. Their interest stemmed from the fact that his ancestor, Branders Conrad, had once been accused of practicing witchcraft. At the time, most people believed that only women could be witches, making the case of a male accused all the more unusual and compelling, which is why the publishers encouraged Henry to explore the topic.

(Journey Into Mystery I#2/2 (fb) - BTS) - Henry's Aunt Agatha invited him and his wife, Frances, to spend the summer at her old colonial house while she traveled to Europe, the very house where Branders Conrad had once been accused of practicing witchcraft. Henry accepted the offer, and the Conrads settled in for the summer, giving him the perfect setting to work on his book.

(Journey Into Mystery I#2/2) - While staying in the old colonial house, Henry attempted to complete his final chapter, which dealt with a rumored pact between his ancestor and the devil. Late one rainy night, after being visited by his wife Frances and left alone to work, Henry encountered a mysterious elderly man calling himself the "Uninvited Guest." The man claimed many names and identities, most significantly, Satan himself.

Rather than debate the claim, Henry listened as the stranger invited him to witness events from the past. The Uninvited Guest guided Henry through a vision of Branders Conrad summoning the devil in 1693 and requesting the power of second sight. In the vision, the devil granted the request through a symbolic blood ritual and instructed Branders to repeat a phrase "Estea, mortia, futuro" in order to access visions of the future.

Henry then watched as Branders used the phrase to request visions of wealth, marriage, and his own death. The devil warned of the true cost of such power and vanished. Henry awoke the next morning slumped in his chair, having seemingly written the final chapter of his book overnight. Still shaken, Henry walked outside and discovered cloven hoofprints next to a human shoeprint, evidence that the visit may not have been a dream after all.

Comments: Created by unrevealed creative team.

Henry's story blurs the line between historical investigation and supernatural encounter. The tale raises the possibility that supernatural entities may still walk among modern men, or at least haunt the most sensitive minds. His encounter, real or imagined, gave him the conclusion he needed for his book, but left him visibly shaken by its implications.

The Uninvited Guest was both called the devil and Satan, he could indeed have been Satan (Marduk Kurios), Mephisto or one of the many lower level demons tricking people into believing him to be Satan.

The Pact was reprinted in Amazing Adventures I#4/2 (September, 1961), which also showed a new image depicting the uninvited guest.

Profile by MarvellousLuke

CLARIFICATIONS:
Henry Conrad has no known connections to

Conrad - Nazi agent posing as an assistant to the president of the Ajax Ammunition Company, working to kill the Human Torch--Human Torch Comics I#11
Conrad - commodities broker, regular at Three Strikes Bar, not a super-villain, pays bar tabs of others--Cable & Deadpool#37
Conrad Jeavons - assistant to Hodiah Twist--Vampire Tales I#2/6
Conrad Strathdee - Red Bishop of the London branche of the Hellfire Club--Excalibur I#97
Lewis Conrad - pre-modern era, encountered Taboo, convinced world powers to help him to escape Earth, but they destroyed him when he proved traitorous--Strange Tales I#75
Stu Conrad - chief of staff for POTUS (GW Bush), enlisted Tony Stark for Department of Defense--Iron Man III#73
or any other "Henry" or "Conrad" characters

Frances Conrad

Henry's wife. She supported his work and brought him food while he worked through the night. She warned him not to work past 3 A.M. and was asleep during the supernatural visitation.