HOTSPUR
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Human-Magic user
Occupation: None known
Group Membership: Lords of Fun (formerly)
Affiliations: Lords of Fun (formerly)
Enemies: Andromeda, (New) Defenders (Beast, Cloud, Gargoyle, Iceman, Valkyrie)
Known Relatives: None known
Aliases: None known
Base of Operations:
Unknown;
(formerly) Manhattan
; (formerly)
London
First Appearance: (New) Defenders I#146 (August, 1985)
Powers/Abilities: Hotspur had the ability to wield Muspel-flame, or Soul-fire, which manifested as fire that did not burn the skin. Muspel-flame allowed Hotspur to create mass hallucinations in groups of people and to affect certain people telepathically. He wielded several different weapons, including a clawed glove, a whip, and a sword. Hotspur also rode a horse frequently.
History:
((New) Defenders I#147 (fb)) - The man who would become Hotspur was born
wealthy into 18th century
London
. He and his high-born friends committed crimes for
years and no one could stop them legally. They called their group the Lords of
Fun. At some point, the man petitioned a demon for power. When the man lay at
death's door, he made a deal with the unnamed demon that he could be summoned back
to life if a mortal was fool enough to summon him.
((New) Defenders I#147 (fb)) - Many years later, a young man fascinated with life regression summoned Hotspur, and Hotspur controlled his body. Hotspur set off immediately to toy with mortals and create his own sense of insane fun. Little of his actions are known until he came into contact with Andromeda.
((New) Defenders I#146) - Hotspur attended parties in Manhattan and developed a reputation for fun. At these parties, he would mind-control socialites and inflict pain on them. At one such party, Andromeda (in disguise as a surface human, Andrea) attended with her boyfriend, Tony. Hotspur entered and put the crowd in a trance, causing them to dance while he moved about the room slashing their faces and clothing with his clawed glove. When Andromeda noticed this, she attacked Hotspur, and they dodged each other's blows until Hotspur broke his glove on Andromeda's Atlantean body. Hotspur fled, but Andromeda chased him to the street and began choking him. Hotspur flashed her with Muspel-flame and retreated on horseback.
Later, the Defenders (Beast, Cloud, Iceman, and Valkyrie) headed to Central Park to investigate an evil Valkyrie had sensed that 'perverted death' and threatened the world. There, they found a large group of people dancing around and through a large bonfire, bleeding. Hotspur, on horseback, was riding through the crowd whipping them. Hotspur repelled Valkyrie's attack with Muspel-flame, stating that he would not die twice. He flashed the other three Defenders, then lopped off one of Valkyrie's pigtails with a sword. Hotspur worked to mentally control the Beast. Then Andromeda arrived in full armor, prepared to attack.
((New) Defenders I#147) - Gargoyle joined the Defenders and Andromeda as they attacked Hotspur. Andromeda put Hotspur in a hold and accidentally broke his arm, which he quickly popped back into place. Hotspur used Muspel-flame to make Valkyrie believe that she was battling Asgardian trolls. Valkyrie destroyed much of the area around her before the Beast shook her out of her hallucination. Hotspur created another mass hallucination, pulling all of the Defenders in this time. He appeared more demonic, with the word 'Hate' emblazoned on his chest, and had an army of demon troops behind him. Hotspur told the Defenders that his demon troops had been destroying the city, and that they would now work to remake the world in his image. The Defenders attacked, but Hotspur maneuvered them all into the grasp of his Hades Engine, which he stated had been specially designed to neutralize their powers. He recounted his origin to the Defenders, then turned his attention to his troops and destruction. A World War 2 Nick Fury freed the Defenders, and his eye patch appeared when the Beast asked about it. Fury handed the de-powered Defenders guns and instructed them to kill the demon troops. The Defenders took aim, until Gargoyle shook them out of it. The Defenders watched the hallucination melt away, and realized that the demon troops, the engine, and Fury were not real, but that the guns had been and that they had almost killed the humans. Gargoyle realized that Hotspur's only motivation was to create fun for himself and that he was manipulating the Defenders into creating it. He realized that Hotspur enjoyed creating pain, but had never felt any pain himself. Gargoyle purposefully caused Cloud to remember the pain Moondragon's betrayal had caused her. Cloud's telepathy filled Hotspur's mind with her pain as Valkyrie and Andromeda held him, forcing him to experience it. Hotspur's powers disappeared in an explosion of Muspel-flame. The man still lived, but his powers were gone and his mentally enslaved captives were released.
Comments: Created by Peter B. Gillis, Luke McDonnell, and Art Nichols.
A hotspur is defined a rash, hot-headed man. Hotspur was a confusing, out-of-the-blue character who's every moment could be explained away in a Scarlet Witch-Disassembled way. Hotspur's origin story and even the loss of his powers may be completely false. And I know of no other characters to wield Muspel-flame (at least by that definition), but Valkyrie sure recognized it!
Just wanted to add to your Hotspur entry that Peter B. Gillis confirmed via email that Hotspur was patterened after Adam Ant.
--Doug Stone (Stone)
Hotspur is the nickname used for Prince Hal in Shakespeare's Henry IV plays. Any
connection? Probably not, but worth knowing.
--Ben Beaver
Profile by Chadman.
Clarifications:
No known connection to:
The Lords of Fun were a group of high-class men in 18th century London who engaged in any crime they saw fit without fear of legal justice because of their status. One of their members went on to become the Defenders foe, Hotspur.
--(New) Defenders I#147
images:
((New) Defenders I#146), cover
((New) Defenders I#147), p9, pan2
((New) Defenders I#147), p14, pan2 (Lords of Fun)
Appearances:
(New) Defenders I#146-147 (August-September, 1985) - Peter Gillis (writer), Luke McDonnell (#146) & Don Perlin (#147) (pencils), Art Nichols (inks), Carl Potts (editor)
Last updated: 01/27/13
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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