History:
Real Name: Simon Longley
Identity/Class: Human mutate technology user
Occupation: Owner/manager of homeless shelter for the purpose of stealing life essences
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Cadaver's thugs, Chicken Hawks (indirect)
Enemies: Cloak, Juan Cordova, Dagger, Power Pack (Energizer, Gee, Lightspeed, Mass Master), Marjorie Rifkin, Safe Refuge
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Chamber beneath the Shelter Society, New York, U.S.A.
First Appearance: Marvel Graphic Novel: Cloak and Dagger and Power Pack: Shelter from the Storm (1989)
Powers/Abilities: Initially, the man who would become Cadaver was a normal human in his 40s, but who was suffering a debilitating fatal disease. He was administered a new "wonder drug" and discovered that, by piercing the skin of others, he could siphon the life-force from healthier people. This parasitic power left his victims weakened, sometimes even killing them, although they seemed drawn to his quasi-hypnotic power. However, while his semi-vampiric abilities sustained him so that he no longer needed food, he suffered from a virtually insatiable hunger for human life-forces and his deteriorating body was still ravaged by the disease. To counter this, Cadaver used a bioharness to help his increasingly massive bulk move and included finger-extensors designed to pierce his victims' flesh for easier feeding; it also supplied him with additional fluids for bodily sustenance. Part of the bioharness included a light gem mounted on his forehead that channeled light to his disease-ravaged cells. In absorbing some of Dagger's living light, he was able to wield and throw her light knives. His gorging on human life-forces severely bloated his body and the disease had turned his skin purple and teeth yellow, as well as enlarging his eyes and turning the orbs pink. After falling through Cloak's cape, Cadaver lost his bulk and, at least temporarily, his insatiable hunger. His abilities increased slightly with the amount of human light he had devoured, although it seemed his intelligence was basically normal, but his strength, speed, stamina, durability, agility and reflexes fluctuated between below normal and normal.
History:
(Marvel Graphic Novel: Cloak and Dagger and Power Pack: Shelter from the Storm (fb)) - Dying in hospital from a rare disease, the man who would become Cadaver was administered a new wonder drug. Although it did not stop the illness, it did imbue Cadaver with the ability to siphon the life-force from those healthier than him. Cadaver initially preyed on society's castoffs, but then opened a shelter for runaways, called the Shelter Society, so that his victims would come to him instead.
(MGN: C&D and P: Shelter from the Storm - BTS) - Cadaver also procured a light gem that enabled Cadaver to feed more easily from others' life light and assembled a bioharness to help him move his bloated, physically ravaged body. He also put together a band of thugs to do his bidding and harvest new victims.
(MGN: C&D and P: Shelter from the Storm) - Cadaver's thugs had infiltrated Safe Refuge, a sanctuary for runaways, and violently kidnapped Juan Cordova, Marjorie Rifkin and a recovering but amnesiac Dagger, and took the three to the Shelter Society in the back of a van. Once there, Juan was beaten while Marjorie was imprisoned. However, a disoriented Dagger was instead thrown before the voluminous Cadaver, who lured her closer, caressing her with his finger-extensors before using them to pierce her flesh, then ravenously drawing her life-light from her.
Meanwhile, Juan rescued Marjorie and they escaped, just as Cloak, searching for Dagger with Power Pack, burst in to the Shelter Society. The young heroes made light work of the thugs and they descended in search of Dagger. The police, alerted by a resident from Safe Refuge, then turned up with a SWAT team and Cadaver's thugs surrendered.
Below, Cadaver was attempting a total transfusion of Dagger's light-imbued life-force in order to cure himself of his debilitating disease. However, a sudden nearby explosion from one of Energizer's powerballs distracted him and Dagger struggled away. But Cadaver had already siphoned some of Dagger's powers away and he felled her with one of her own light-knives. An enraged Cloak then turned to confront Cadaver, who fired several light-knives at him, but with no effect. Cloak then consumed the purple vampiric parasite in his all-enveloping cape of darkness, wherein Cadaver experienced pain and horror, losing his light to Cloak. However, realizing that Dagger was not injured, Cloak released a greatly reduced Cadaver. Begging for light to sustain him, Dagger spared some of her own light, then plucked Cadaver's light gem from his harness and filled it with her living light, which Power Pack then took as an anniversary gift for their parents. Power Pack flew away, while Cloak and Dagger teleported away within the folds of Cloak's cape. A SWAT team then entered the subterranean chamber and found Cadaver by himself, before radioing for medical assistance to aid him.
Comments: Created by Bill Mantlo (writer), Sal Velluto (penciler) & Mark Farmer (inker).
Cadaver could still consume without his light gem, and may have lived secretively on while subtly drawing on the life-force of others. Alternatively, the shock of Cloak's cape might have eventually killed him.
His real name was revealed in Dagger's entry in OHotMU A-Z Hardcover#3.
Clarifications:
Cadaver has no known connections to:
Marjorie Rifkin has no known connection to:
Juan Cordova has no known connection to:
Chicken Hawks have no known connection to:
Safe Refuge has no known connection to:
The Shelter Society has no known connection to:
Raised in Russet Corners, Marjorie Rifkin was a normal female teenager of Caucasian extraction with blond hair and blue eyes. She ran away from home when she realized that her parents were holding her back, preventing her pursuing her dreams of further study. She met up with fellow runaway, Juan Cordova, at the town bus stop, quickly becoming friends, then traveling to New York City, arriving at night time in Times Square, but surprised at the easy drugs and sex on offer, mixed in with poverty. They were jostled and bullied by the Chicken Hawks, but were rescued by Cloak and Dagger. Panicking, one Chicken Hawk lashed out at Dagger and knocked her unconscious. As Cloak pursued the Chicken Hawks, Juan and Marjorie helped Dagger and came to Safe Refuge, where Dagger received medical help. The next day, Juan, Marjorie and Dagger were kidnapped by Cadaver's thugs and taken to the Shelter Society, with Marjorie locked in a small room, until she was rescued by Juan and the two escaped. Marjorie resolved to go back home and confront her parents with Juan at her side as her friend.
Her parents were named Charles and Alice; they deliberately undermined and hid opportunities for moving out of the sleepy town of Russet Corners, including offers for full scholarship from Yale, Columbia and Princeton universities. Her parents lied to her and sought to keep her at home; Marjorie saw them as holding her prisoner.
--Marvel Graphic Novel: Cloak and Dagger and Power Pack: Shelter from the Storm
Originally from the little town of Russet Corners, Juan Cordova was a normal male human teenager of Hispanic background, with black hair and brown eyes. He ran away from home after defending his mother and siblings from the drunken tirade of his father by knocking him unconscious. At the interstate bus stop, he met up with fellow runaway, Marjorie Rifkin, and the two quickly became friends, looking out for each other. Arriving late at night in Times Square in New York City, they were taken aback at the light, drugs, prostitution and poverty, and were accosted by the Chicken Hawks until Cloak and Dagger rescued them. Panicking, one Chicken Hawk lashed out at Dagger and knocked her unconscious. As Cloak pursued the Chicken Hawks, Juan and Marjorie helped Dagger and came to Safe Refuge, where Dagger received medical help. The next day, Juan, Marjorie and Dagger were kidnapped by Cadaver's thugs and taken to the Shelter Society, where Juan was beaten up. He quickly broke free, found Marjorie and escaped, while Cloak and Power Pack dealt with Cadaver and his thugs. With Marjorie, Juan resolved to go back home and confront his father.
His family spoke Spanish at home and he had a younger sister and baby brother, as well as his mother, Esposa, and father, Alvaro, who was a violent alcoholic.
--Marvel Graphic Novel: Cloak and Dagger and Power Pack: Shelter from the Storm
The Chicken Hawks were a group of three young men who preyed on teenagers and children that were lost or runaways. They were probably a gang as they even wore their name on their clothing. None was named. They were not directly affiliated to Cadaver, but preyed on runaways like Cadaver's thugs did.
--Marvel Graphic Novel: Cloak and Dagger and Power Pack: Shelter from the Storm
Julie Power read an article on Safe Refuge and how it was helping runaways find shelter. Located in New York City by the river, it had the motto that "no one seeking shelter at Safe Refuge will be denied". A man called Wilkins was the security guard at the gate of Safe Refuge when the dazed Dagger was brought in by Juan and Marjorie. Inside the Refuge were doctors, nurses, hospital beds, dorms, a cafeteria, laundry room, a school plus a nursery for teenage mothers, all protected by guards. However, it had been infiltrated by Cadaver's thugs, who kidnapped some tenants to take to the Shelter Society to feed Cadaver.
--Marvel Graphic Novel: Cloak and Dagger and Power Pack: Shelter from the Storm
Cadaver's thugs were normal, young (mostly teenaged) humans who gathered young homeless people and runaways and took them to the Shelter Society, which was a front used by Cadaver to collect new victims. Those whom they could not coerce into coming with them were kidnapped, beaten and imprisoned, before being fed to Cadaver, whom the thugs referred to as their Master. All had been abused by parents, by the street and finally by Cadaver. As his victims, the thugs shared a pseudo-symbiotic relationship with Cadaver in that they gave up some of their life-light to feed him, and he would feed them meagerly, so that they would be too weak to escape. However, alerted by Power Pack, a SWAT team raided the Shelter Society and the thugs surrendered quickly. Only males were seen and none was named.
The thugs were likely rounded up by the police and released after being properly fed and removed from Cadaver's parasitic influence.
--Marvel Graphic Novel: Cloak and Dagger and Power Pack: Shelter from the Storm
The Shelter Society was purely a front for Cadaver to gather runaways under the pretense of providing shelter. As a formal shelter, it received minimal governmental funding for each runaway held there. Effectively, it ran in opposition to Safe Refuge and was manned by Cadaver's thugs, who snatched new runaways and took them in an unmarked van to the building. The Shelter was devoid of facilities and was in stark contrast to Safe Refuge, going down into the ground over several floors, whereas Safe Refuge went up. It had small concrete rooms where new victims were separated from others, plus a dark subterranean chamber where Cadaver dwelt. This harsh but dirty chamber had a basic metal stairwell plus a small amphitheatre that focused on Cadaver's concrete throne, which had various stains around it. The chamber also had various leads and tubes running down and connecting to Cadaver's body to sustain basic life support in ways that the life-force stolen from his victims could not, but probably helped store some of the stolen life essences. It was eventually raided by a SWAT team and the people there rounded up. What became of it is unknown.
--Marvel Graphic Novel: Cloak and Dagger and Power Pack: Shelter from the Storm
images:
Marvel Graphic Novel: Cloak and Dagger and Power Pack: Shelter from the Storm, p45 (menacing)
Marvel Graphic Novel: Cloak and Dagger and Power Pack: Shelter from the Storm (1989) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Sal Velluto (pencils), Mark Farmer (inks), Carl Potts (editor)
Last updated: 07/16/06
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