JANUS

Real Name: Unrevealed; possibly Janus

Identity/Class: Extradimensional (Earth-93060/Ultraverse) human magic user (18th century to modern era)

Occupation: Sorcerer

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Alexander, Gemini (Erik Johnson & Noel Robinson)

Enemies: Aladdin (Biocons, G.E.N.I.E., Shuriken/Brittany Chien), Rune, unidentified zombie-like creatures

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Mobile

First Appearance: Rune I#6 (December, 1994)

Powers/Abilities: Janus was an over 200-year-old sorcerer with a variety of mystical abilities. He could protect himself from massive explosion or regenerate from deadly injuries, including decapitation. His body and head could function separately if needed. He could read people's auras, track down people through their blood, read minds, communicate telepathically, see the world through other beings eyes and create portals that could lead him to a being he sought.

His familiar was a rat named Alexander, whom Janus not only used to track down people, but also to witness events seen by the rat.

His car was probably imbued with magic. It was a special vehicle that could be used on the road and in the air. It could somehow alter its shape and color.

Height: Unrevealed (5'8"; by approximation)
Weight: Unrevealed (200 lbs.; by approximation)
Eyes: Variable
Hair: Black (balding)

History:
(Curse of Rune#2 (fb) - BTS) - Janus was a sorcerer, who began his search for Rune and his treasures 200 years ago.

(Rune I#6/Giant-Size Rune#1 (fb) - BTS) - Janus became friends with local authorities all over the planet.

(Rune I#6) - In the modern era Janus joined the investigation following a battle between Rune and the heroic Prime and Mantra that left behind an overturned tanker spewing toxic garbage and two dead people. He was allowed to stay around until the chief of police arrived because one of the police officers knew him. Janus was smoking a cigar and burped because he had eaten a Bratwurst for breakfast, which disgusted the police officer that knew him. Janus then determined that the one he had been looking for was part of the battle. The police officer listening to his ramblings about the perpetrator's aura lighting up the sky was confused. Janus then left and told him to stay out of his business for his own good.

(Giant-Size Rune#1 (fb) - BTS) - Janus tried to warn the Mexican Ultra el Gato (Javier Melendez) and the local police about Rune, but they wouldn't listen to him.

(Giant-Size Rune#1) - Janus tracked down el Gato with the help of his familiar, but they were too late to save him from a deadly attack by Rune. Unfortunately for Janus the trail for the vampire was as cold as the corpse he had left behind. He had a smoke and a sip from his flask, which he also gave a little bit to his rat familiar, before he was asked to leave by local law enforcement because the American media had arrived. Janus reminded Jose, the officer that asked him to leave, that he had tried to warn them that this threat was out of their league and that he was the only one that knew what they were up against. Janus left to avoid a scandal due to his reputation. A sound guy stopped him and tried to tell him that he was not allowed to be here, but Alexander just hissed at the guy while Janus kept walking.

(Rune I#8) - Janus' search for Rune led him to a gas station in the middle of nowhere where a man was almost attacked by a vampire when he entered the restroom. Janus mocked the man for peeing his pants while listening to his story about the attack. Janus found blood on the restroom door, which had to be from the vampire because the supposed victim insisted that he didn't lose any blood. Janus licked the blood and found out that it was the blood of a vampire. It was not Rune's blood, but he still considered it a lead. Janus left in his car, leaving behind a surprised man, who was under the impression that Janus was a cop.

   Janus tracked down the other vampire to a cemetery. Gemini, the supposed vampire, blew up the cemetery when Janus approached him, but Janus and his familiar remained unharmed and told him to watch his temper. Janus introduced himself and told Gemini that he was looking for Rune.

(Rune I#9) - Janus offered his help to Gemini while smoking a cigar, which he lighted with his own finger because his lighter didn't work. He took Gemini to the Vampire Hollywood club in Hollywood, California to talk to him about how Gemini became Rune's spawn. Janus read Gemini's hand to learn that there were two beings inside his body. Janus tried to prove to Gemini that he was a vampire by asking him to look at the people in the club, but Gemini didn't admit that he saw the blood running through their veins. Janus then showed him one of Rune's crystals, took a sample of Gemini's blood and then used it to learn where Rune resided. They took off in Janus' flying car to Central America and Gemini only tagged along because Janus mentioned that Markie was probably not in any real danger.

   Janus and Gemini arrived near the temple of the Aztec god of war Huizilopochtli (an alias used by Rune in this reality) high over the Yucatan Peninsula and crashed due to a warding spell preventing them from entering. The car was quickly surrounded by zombie-like creatures.

(Curse of Rune#1) - The creatures pulled Janus and Gemini out of the car and bound Janus to a wooden stretcher before decapitating him and placing his head atop a spear. They dragged Janus and Gemini to the temple while Janus, who was still alive, telepathically communicated with Gemini. He asked Gemini to take out the zombies as soon as they had opened unlocked the warding spell. The plan worked, Janus body picked up his head and it reattached it. Janus then told Gemini that they needed to move on if they were going to find Markie. Janus led Gemini to a door that Gemini could open because he had Rune's blood inside him. Behind the door they found Rune's lair and a glass case with a woman inside, but it wasn't Markie. Janus once again promised to Gemini that following Rune would lead them to Markie and asked Gemini to put on an armor that was inside the lair so he would be a match for Rune.

(Curse of Rune#2) - While Gemini was still baffled by the woman in the glass coffin, Janus was looking for a hidden room in Rune's lair and eventually found it. He led Gemini to a mana pool inside the hidden room, took off his jacket and shirt and then drew a symbol on his forehead. The temple was attacked by Aladdin's forces, which had followed Gemini's energy signature to Central America. Janus used spell to locate Rune and open a portal to him. Janus and Gemini stepped through to arrive on the Isle of Mytos before Aladdin's Biocons and Shuriken could capture them. They arrived on Mytos where Gemini found the corpse of his beloved Markie (actually a replica created by him that was sacrificed by the Acolytes of Argus to summon their god). Gemini was unable to resurrect her, which inadvertently gave away their location to Aladdin once again. Janus felt sorry for Gemini, but knew that he had just made a massive mistake. Gemini walked off with Markie's corpse and got so mad at Argus feigning understanding that he threatened to decapitate him once again with the ax they had found in the temple, but at the last moment Gemini refrained. Janus and Gemini buried Markie.

   Later that night, Janus was asleep while Gemini was visited by Rune's astral form posing as Markie to lure Gemini to Rune's body and remove an Infinity Stone from his forehead.

(Curse of Rune#3) - Janus watched Shuriken arrive on the Isle of Mytos through his familiar Alexander's eyes. He allowed himself to get caught by Shuriken and surprised her when she knew her name. He revealed to her that Gemini was fighting Rune in the sky above them and followed her to the place where Rune and Gemini impacted. Janus watched the battle between Gemini and Rune continue and left after Rune got sucked through a portal to another dimension (actually the Negative Zone). Janus knew that his search now had to begin from anew.

Comments: Created by Barry Windsor-Smith, Chris Ulm & Alex Bialy.

Profile by Markus Raymond.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Janus should not be confused with:

Alexander has no known connection to:

Alexander

Alexander was Janus' pet familiar. The rat could somehow change fur and eye color.

(Rune I#6) - Alexander was sitting on Janus' shoulder during an investigation. It looked like he gave the middle finger to a cop when Janus had to leave the crime scene.

(Giant-Size Rune#1) - Alexander helped Janus track down el Gato, but they were too late to save him from Rune. As a reward Janus gave Alexander a sip from his flask. Alexander was back on Janus' shoulder when they left the crime scene.

(Rune I#8) - Alexander was sitting on Janus' shoulder when they found Gemini in a cemetery. The rat survived a massive energy explosion caused by Gemini alongside Janus.

(Rune I#9) - Alexander was sitting on Janus' shoulder while Janus convinced Gemini to work with them. He sat on the table when Gemini and Janus had a talk in the Vampire Hollywood club in Hollywood, California. He was back on Janus' shoulder when they left in Janus' flying car for Central America.

(Curse of Rune#1) - Alexander was on Janus' shoulder when he was pulled out of the crashed car nearby a temple in Central America. He followed his master to the temple and was picked up by him as soon as Janus had reattached his decapitated head. He was back on Janus' shoulder when Janus led Gemini to a door only Gemini could open and was present when Janus and Gemini discovered Rune's lair.

(Curse of Rune#1) - Alexander was on Janus' shoulder while Janus searched a hidden room inside Rune's lair. He clung to Janus' head when Janus took off his shirt and jacket. He was back on Janus' shoulder when they left the temple through a portal that led them to the Isle of Mytos. On Mytos Alexander jumped off Janus' shoulder when Gemini got into a fight with Janus.

(Curse of Rune#1) - Janus used Alexander to spy on Shuriken on the Isle of Mytos after she had arrived there. Alexander was nearly slain by her because she felt that she was watched. She left Alexander alive when she realized that it was just a rat. Alexander left with Janus after Rune disappeared through a portal during his battle with Gemini.

--Rune I#6 (Rune I#6, Giant-Size Rune#1, Rune I#8-9, Curse of Rune#1-3

car

Janus owned a car that could switch license plates, color and type due to magic. It was seen with the license plate WZD666 and JANUS and switched colors from turquoise to red between scenes. It is unknown if Janus used magic to switch the car's look on the fly or if the car itself had been imbued with magic to do it by itself. It could drive on the road or fly through the air.

(Rune I#8) - Janus arrived in his car at a gas station in the middle of nowhere to follow a lead to Rune, but it turned out that the man he was talking to was attacked by another vampire. Janus quickly took off in his car to find the vampire.

(Rune I#9) - Janus took Gemini with his car to the Vampire Hollywood club and later flew with the turquoise car to Central America. The car had turned red when they arrived at a temple and crashed shortly after. The crashed car was surrounded by zombie-like creatures.

(Curse of Rune#1) - Gemini and Janus were pulled out of the crashed car.

--Rune I#8 (Rune I#8-9, Curse of Rune#1

images (without ads)
Rune I#9, p2, bottom panel (main)
Rune I#8, p14, pan3 (head shot)
Curse of Rune#1, p11, pan3 (inconvenienced by decapitation)
Curse of Rune#1, p14, pan5 (put back together)
Giant-Size Rune#1, p5, pan4 (Alexander, brown)
Curse of Rune#3, p8, pan1-2 (Alexander, gray)
Rune I#8, p14, pan1 (car, turquoise)
Rune I#9, p18, pan2 (car, red)

Appearances:
Rune I#6 (December, 1994) - Barry Windsor-Smith & Chris Ulm (writers), Barry Windsor-Smith (pencils), Alex Bialy (inks), Dan Danko (editor)
Giant-Size Rune#1 (January, 1995) - Chris Ulm (writer), Barry Windsor-Smith (pencils), John Floyd (inks), Dan Danko (editor)
Rune I#8 (February, 1995) - Chris Ulm (writer), Richard Pace (pencils), Alex Bialy (inks), Dan Danko (editor)
Rune I#9 (April, 1995) - Chris Ulm (writer), Keith Conroy (pencils), Alex Bialy (inks), Dan Danko (editor)
Curse of Rune#1-3 (May-July, 1995) - Chris Ulm (writer), Kyle Hotz (artist), Roland Mann (editor)

First Posted: 06/12/2023
Last updated: 06/12/2023

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other 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.!

Back to Characters