MICHEL SOURIS

Real Name: Michel "Mickey" Souris

Identity/Class: Human magic-user

Occupation: Vice-President of Carlton Industries (Carlton Co.), former owner of Damage Control

Group Membership: Damage Control

Affiliations: Anung-Ite, Carlton Beatrice, Kingpin, Ray Lippert

Enemies: Albert Cleary, She-Hulk, S.H.I.E.L.D.

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Carlton Industries, Manhattan, New York

First Appearance: She-Hulk: Ceremony#1 (1989)

Powers/Abilities: Michel Souris possesses the normal human strength level of a man of his height, weight and build who engages in extensive regular exercises. At least as an apprentice to Carlton Beatrice, he had minor mystical powers, such as calling upon Anung-Ite, but he had very limited power compared in scope to Beatrice.

History: (She Hulk: Ceremony#1) - Michel Souris started out as Vice-President of Carlton Industries, a powerful multi-national company, under its creator, Carlton Beatrice. His jealous competitors called him "Mickey," but never to his face. Second-in-command in all but title to Beatrice, he knew he was a rising star and the fair-haired boy of the company, but he wanted something more. Beatrice had created his company using mystical spells and totems stolen from the Oklahoma Keewazi Indians; Souris acted as his apprentice and often called upon the Native Indian spirit known as Anung-Ite for Beatrice to control. Beatrice wanted the land of the Keewazi Indians in Oklahoma -- because he wanted to exploit anything and everything of material value that he possibly could -- as well the sacred/mystic basket of Roberta Elk Step, which would make Beatrice virtually all-powerful; the basket had been spirited off to the She Hulk, the girlfriend of Wyatt Wingfoot, who was the grandson of the tribal chief.

    Seeking to show Beatrice that he could take the initiative, Souris conjured up an Anunge-ite and sent it to kill She-Hulk and bring the basket back to him. Souris, however, did not know that the She-Hulk had to give the basket willingly to Beatrice for him to control it and was reprimanded by Beatrice for that error. Using his own powers, Beatrice took Souris' life force in the form of a wafer and placed him under his direct control.

(She Hulk: Ceremony#2) - Beatrice added the wafer to a jar containing the souls of everyone he controlled. She-Hulk dumped the wafers into the Robert Elk Step's basket and restored all those trapped souls, including Michel Souris, but not that of Wyatt Wingfoot. Blackmailing She-Hulk over Wyatt's soul, Beatrice received the basket but was defeated by the united spirits of the She-Hulk and Wyatt Wingfoot.

(Damage Control II#4 (fb)) - Souris attempted to purchase the company Damage Control, but had to borrow 1/3 of the cost from Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin of crime. Needing to pay Fisk back quickly, Souris planned to cut down on operating expenses.

(Damage Control II#1) - Michel Souris attended a press conference for the employees of Damage Control to inform them of the change of ownership, casually tossing aside the stuffed bulldog that served as the company's mascot. Souris had Damage Control move into a new office building, one with a giant "D.C." on the roof.

(Damage Control II#2) - Souris introduced Robin Chapel, John Porter and Albert Cleary to Ray Lippert, his assistant, now assigned to Damage Control. While Porter and Chapel met with Lippert, Cleary discussed the company's reorganization with Souris, but Souris dismissed Cleary's concern about reorganizing the business while the so-called "Acts of Vengeance" were transpiring. Souris also implied that Cleary had only received his job because of affirmative action. Souris' reorganization led to swift lay-offs, including Gene Strausser. When the company's construction teams learned that Souris did not intend to live up to their contract from last spring, they threatened to strike. When Souris called the foreman Lenny Ballinger a "grub," Lenny responded by putting the entire crew on strike.

(Damage Control II#3) - When Bart Rozum attempted to bring in other construction companies to continue their work, Souris dismissed the notion as a flagrant waste of his company's money. Souris then placed Lippert in charge of helping to move the Avengers Mansion, which had been sunk by Dr. Doom's Killer Robots.

(Damage Control II#4) - Souris was contacted by Wilson Fisk, who demanded that Souris make good on the money he had borrowed. Souris assured him that he would. Lippert suspected that Souris was out to strip Damage Control of its money to pay off Fisk, and when he confronted him, he was fired.

Souris was confronted by Nick Fury and Alexander Goodwin Pierce of S.H.I.E.L.D., who had been aided by Albert Cleary in identifying Souris' illegal activities. Confronting him with their evidence, they forced him to sell back his control of Damage Control, or they would contact the exchange commission and Fisk. When Souris protested that it was blackmail, Cleary replied, "I prefer to call it affirmative action." Souris complied with their demands, and his Damage Control building was sold off to a comic book company.

Comments: Created by Dwayne McDuffie, Robin D. Chaplik and June Brigman.

    "Souris" is the French word for mouse. So, if you take Michel's nickname and combine it with the English translation of his surname, then you would get Mickey Mouse!
    Further, the combination of Michel's nickname and the English translation of his surname ties in to the fact that he was the apprentice to Beatrice, a powerful sorcerer. There's even a page in She-Hulk: Ceremony#1 where the omniscient narrative states, "And Mickey is The Sorcerer's Apprentice." This was clearly a reference to the short of that name starring Mickey Mouse that was part of the Disney animated film Fantasia.
--Donald Campbell.

by Will U and Prime Eternal

CLARIFICATIONS:
Michel Souris should not be confused with:

• sorry, can't think of any

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