MISTER FEAR

Real Name: Alan Fagan

Identity/Class: Human mutate/technology user;
    dual identity is publicly known;
    U.S. citizen with a criminal record

Occupation: Professional criminal; former businessman

Group Membership: Formerly Crossfire's Crew, inner circle of the New Enforcers

Affiliations: Blitz, Boomerang, Constrictor, Controller, Corruptor, Crimson Dynamo (unidentified), Crossfire, Daredevil, Dragon Man, Dreadnought, Eel (Edward Lavell), Fixer (Norbert Ebersol), Foreigner, Goldbug, Grim Reaper, Hobgoblin (unidentified), the Hood, King Cobra, Lady Octopus, Madame Menace, Mandrill, Mentallo, Plantman, Scorcher, Scorpion (Mac Gargan), Spider-Slayer Mark 20, Super-Adaptoid, Tangle, Thermite, Trapster, Vanisher, Wizard (formerly Bentley Wittman);
    possibly the Tinkerer and/or Lucia von Bardas;
    Electro and other prisoners at the Raft;
    occasionally employs costumed henchmen;
    formerly Cora Tremmore

Enemies: (New) Avengers, Blood Rose (Richard Fisk), Betty Brant Leeds, Cage, Captain America (Steve Rogers), Controller, Corruptor, Cross Technological Enterprises, Crossfire, Fantastic Four, Force, Nick Fury LMD, Hawkeye (Clint Barton), Iron Man (Tony Stark), Daisy Johnson, Mandrill, Shock, Slash and a number of prison inmates, Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew), Cora Tremmore, White Fang; Charley and another prison guard;

Known Relatives: Ariel Tremmore (Shock, daughter), unnamed father, Larry Cranston (uncle)

Aliases: "Ally-Cat" (mock nickname in prison);
    S.H.I.E.L.D. filename HMN-0000016894-004

Education: Expelled from various colleges

Base of Operations: Presumably the Raft, close to Ryker's Island, New York;
    formerly the Vault, Rocky Mountains, Colorado;
    formerly Larry Cranston's former house on Gibson Drive in New Jersey Palisades, New York City;
    formerly a penthouse in Manhattan, overlooking the East River

Place of Birth: Madison, Wisconsin

First Appearance: Marvel Team-Up I#92 (April, 1980)

Powers/Abilities: Chronic exposure to his various chemicals has resulted in accumulation of his fear drug within his skin. Though he has not proven able to utilize this himself, samples of his skin were used by Ariel Tremmore to gain superhuman powers as Shock.

    Mister Fear uses compounds based on pheromones, chemicals produced by most animals, used to communicate a variety of simple messages over distances. The particular pheromone he uses is the flight-scent pheromone, which stimulates fear reactions in herd animals. This drug, tailored for human beings, whose reactions to pheromones are not completely understood, induces severe anxiety, fear, and panic in his victims, rendering them incapable of fighting or resisting his will.
          The drug is most commonly used in the form of gas pellets shot from a gun. The pellets rupture on contact, releasing the flight scent, which is inhaled by the victim. The dosage contained in one pellet is enough to incapacitate a normal adult male for about 15 minutes, or an exceptionally fit male, such as Daredevil, for about five minutes. The side effects of anxiety, edginess, and mild nausea can persist for several days.
          The flight scent can be administered in other ways: Fagan has used a miniature hypodermic needle mounted on his ring to inject a large dose of the liquid directly into his victim's bloodstream. He has also used a hand-held weapon that fires capsules of the fear gas. Small but effective doses of the flight scent can be absorbed through the pores in the skin within an enclosed space, but the length of time it takes limits its usefulness.
    Fagan has also adapted other pheromones to his use, including one that makes a man sexually irresistible to women.
    He briefly wore a suit of armor, which presumably at least provided protection from injury.

    Fagan is an experienced businessman. He has some experience as a fighter.

Height: 5'11"
Weight: 165 lbs.
Eyes: Hazel
Hair: Brown (sometimes dyed silver)

History:
(Daredevil I#315 (fb)) - Alan Fagan used "Cora" Tremmore for a good time and then left her behind, refusing to accept responsibility for her care, or for the care of their daughter, Ariel, born soon after. Ariel's mother trained her from an early age to hate her father and to be better than him.

(Marvel Team-Up I#92 (fb) - BTS) - Fagan was thrown out of various schools, and he squandered his father's fortune.

(Marvel Team-Up I#92 (fb) - BTS) - After the apparent death of Mister Fear (Larry Cranston), his equipment fell into the hands of his nephew, Alan Fagan.

(Marvel Team-Up I#92 (fb) - BTS) - Fagan plotted to build a nuclear bomb to bring New York City to its knees.

(Marvel Team-Up I#92 (fb)) - Mister Fear led his henchmen to bomb an armored car from Cross Technological Enterprises (CTE), which carried a radioactive isotope. CTE's security chief, Hawkeye, confronted them, but exposure to the fear gas caused him to flee, and Mister Fear and his men escaped with the cargo. However, Hawkeye had had the foresight to place a tracer within the cargo.

(Marvel Team-Up I#92) - Musing over his plans, Fagan discovered and destroyed Hawkeye's tracer just as Hawkeye, joined by Spider-Man, approached his building. Nonetheless, Spider-Man scaled the apartment building and happened across Fagan's open window. Fagan sent his men against Spider-Man, to no avail, but when Spider-Man confronted Mister Fear, he challenged Spider-Man's courage, accusing him of hiding behind his webbing. Spider-Man allowed Mister Fear to take his best shot at him, and Fagan punched him in the face. Though the force of the blow did almost nothing, it allowed Mister Fear to inject Spider-Man with a concentrated fear chemical from his ring, and soon Spider-Man was at his mercy. Mister Fear planned to inject Spider-Man repeatedly to cause him to die of fear, but Hawkeye arrived to distract him. An arrow shattered Mister Fear's ring, and Hawkeye finished off Fear's men. Escaping the room, Mister Fear pumped it full of fear gas, but Hawkeye held his breath. Still cutaneous absorption was beginning to affect them, and Mister Fear was able to punch Hawkeye over the balcony. Hawkeye saved himself with a flare arrow's rocket, but his apparent death allowed Spider-Man to rally his wits and go after Mister Fear. With Hawkeye's return, Mister Fear was quickly defeated, and he was taken away by the police. Hawkeye told the cops to check Mister Fear's apartment for loot from other robberies.

(Web of Spider-Man#63 (fb) - BTS) - Working with a chemist, Fagan developed a variant pheromone that made him irresistible to women. He made his base in his uncle Larry's former house.

(Web of Spider-Man#63) - Visiting his uncle grave, Alan Fagan happened across Betty Brant, who was visiting the grave of her husband, Ned Leeds. Fagan used his ring to inject Betty with his love potion, making her susceptible to his wishes.

(Web of Spider-Man#63 - BTS) - Fagan took Betty back to his base, where he added in his fear chemical, making Betty terrified of Spider-Man.

(Web of Spider-Man#63) - Mister Fear forced Betty to contact Peter Parker to get him to send Spider-Man to Larry's former house. Mister Fear pretended to be Betty's protector, using the fear and love chemicals to convince her that Spider-Man must be destroyed. Upon arrival, Spider-Man dodged a pendulum blade, but landed on a boobytrapped section of floor, which doused him in fear gas. Mister Fear then confronted him, but his appearance allowed Spider-Man to realize what was going on and to fight back against him. Mister Fear pushed Betty to kill Spider-Man with a gun he had given her, but Spider-Man was able to convince her that he wasn't her enemy. She shot through floor supporting Mister Fear, and he fell into the water below the building.

(Web of Spider-Man#99 (fb)) - The New Enforcers formed in the aftermath of the fall of the Kingpin in order to attempt to obtain the leadership of the criminal underworld that was once his. Mister Fear was one of the group's inner circle, including the Controller, Fixer (Norbert Ebersol), Madame Menace, and Mentallo.

(Web of Spider-Man#98 - BTS)) - The New Enforcers paid the Foreigner to assassinate Blood Rose, one of their competitors in claiming the Kingpin's power.

(Web of Spider-Man#98) - The Foreigner sent a video message to the New Enforcers informing them that his assassins were in the middle of dealing with Blood Rose and that everything was proceeding smoothly. The New Enforcers responded, "Then the New Enforcers can finally emerge from the shadows--to assume the mantle of the Kingpin's empire."

(Web of Spider-Man#99) - After the Foreigner failed to assassinate Blood Rose, the Inner Circle of the New Enforcers sent Blitz and Eel to the Foreigner's office to destroy all evidence implicating the New Enforcers. At the same time, Spider-Man came searching for his own evidence, and he defeated Blitz and Eel. Before he could get any answers, the Vanisher appeared to aid his allies, along with Dragon Man, Dreadnought, and the Super-Adaptoid.

(Web of Spider-Man#100) - Vanisher teleported away with Eel and Blitz, leaving the three super powerful robots to destroy the evidence implicating the New Enforcers and to fight off Spider-Man.
    Later, Blood Rose traced the New Enforcers to their base and, with Spider-Man's aid, defeated the field agents, Dragon Man, the Adaptoid, Dreadnought, Thermite, Blitz, Eel, Vanisher, Plantman, and Tangle. The police soon showed up and arrested all members of the New Enforcer's outer circle, still completely unaware of the inner circle's existence. Mr. Graycrest, the man on whose property this all took place, professed not to have known what was going on, and the police believed him and left. The Inner Circle, consisting of  Controller, Fixer, Madame Menace, Mentallo, and Mr. Fear were ecstatic that the outer circle took the fall completely and they were still free to seize the underworld for themselves, although this did set them slightly behind schedule.

(Daredevil I#314 (fb) - BTS) - Eventually arrested under unrevealed circumstances, Fagan wanted to be sent back to the Vault, but he was judged to be powerless without his costume and weapons and was instead sent to a regular prison.

(Daredevil I#314 (fb) - BTS / Daredevil I#314 (fb) - BTS) - Fagan's daughter, Ariel, paid off Charley and other prison guard, as well as the inmate Slash to assault Fagan, specifically to cut off some of his skin.

(Daredevil I#314) - Charley and another prison guard turned a blind eye as a group of prisoners cornered and brutally assaulted Fagan, skinning parts of him. Shortly thereafter, Ariel visited Slash in prison, and he gave her the skin samples he had collected. After receiving her father's skin, Ariel had a chemist examine it and synthesize and rework the fear chemical which had impregnated it. Ariel then used the variant fear chemical to transform into Shock, Mistress of Fear.

(Daredevil I#315) - Covered in bandages within a hospital, Fagan overheard doctors talking about Ariel's involvement, and he opened his eyes, promising revenge.

Fagan's face was apparently restored at some point.

(Spider-Man: Breakout#3 (fb)) - Imprisoned at the Vault, Fagan was considered a poseur, but was nonetheless taken in by William Cross (Crossfire) as part of his crew of mind-control specialists, including the Controller, the Corruptor, and the Mandrill.

(Spider-Man: Breakout#1 (fb) / Spider-Man: Breakout#1 (fb)) - Fagan was part of the U-Foes and Crossfire's Crew's planned escape, when Rozalyn Backus foiled their attempts and framed Crossfire to gain vengeance on Crossfire.

 

(Secret War#5 (fb) - BTS) - Fagan was given a suit of armor by the Tinkerer, bankrolled by Latverian Prime Minister Lucia von Bardas.

(Secret War#1 (fb) - BTS) - S.H.I.E.L.D. found and shut down a site that had a formula for Mister Fear's fear gas.

(Secret War#3) - Mr. Fear was among a group of super-villains--including Boomerang, Constrictor, Crimson Dynamo, Crossfire, Eel, Goldbug, Grim Reaper, Hobgoblin, King Cobra, Lady Octopus, Mentallo, Scorcher, Scorpion, a Spider-Slayer, Trapster, Wizard--who ambushed Nick Fury, Captain America, Daredevil, and Spider-Man--all of whom had been involved in Nick Fury's secret war on Latveria.

(Secret War#4) - The above battle continued, even after the Fantastic Four arrived to assist the heroes. Eventually some armored chick (von Bardas) showed up and caused all of the villains' armors' energies to join together in a chain reaction that would've caused a massive explosion.

(Secret War#5) - The chain reaction was broken up by S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Daisy Johnson when she killed Lucia von Bardas by blowing her up from the inside. Mister Fear and all the other villains survived and were taken to hospitals.

 

 

 

 

(New Avengers#1 (fb) - BTS) - Mister Fear was imprisoned within the Raft section of Ryker's Island.

(New Avengers#1) - Mister Fear was among the Raft inmates gathered before Electro during the impending breakout.

(New Avengers#2-3 - BTS?) - Mister Fear was among the Raft inmates fighting to escape as the pre-"New Avengers" attempted to contain them.

(Spider-Man: Breakout#1) - Crossfire's Crew escaped the Raft via submarine from an underwater portal.

(New Avengers#4- BTS) - Mister Fear was pictured amongst the Raft escapees on the S.H.I.E.L.D. files sent to the Avengers.

(Spider-Man: Breakout#1) - Sometime later, Mister Fear and the Controller watched the U-Foes while the Controller sent his agents to try to kill them. Mister Fear and the Controller were discovered by Spider-Man.

(Spider-Man: Breakout#2) - Mr. Fear fired fear pellets at Spider-Man, who redirected them via his webbing into the Controller's face. Dodging further assaults, Spider-Man ripped off part of Mister Fear's mask, and then exposed him to some of his own fear capsules, incapacitating him. Spider-Man managed to learn about Crossfire and the Vault from the hallucinating Fagan.

Abandoned by his allies, he turned evidence against them to reduce his sentence...

(New Avengers#35) - Mr. Fear was one of a large number of super-villains who met with the Hood, hearing and apparently accepting his position as the new Kingpin of super-villain crime. For his attendance, he was given $25,000.

Comments: Created by Steven Grant, Carmine Infantino, and Pablo Marcos.

    The New Enforcers are working for HYDRA in the Sega 32X game Spider-Man: Web Of Fire. I wouldn't bother mentioning established characters' appearances in video games, but I thought it was an interesting place for a second Thermite-616, Blitz and Tangle appearance.
It's a pretty awful game, though.--Graham Weaver

Mr. Fear is listed as Daredevil's 8th deadliest villain in Daredevil Annual I#8/2.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Alan Fagan should be distinguished from:

images:
Marvel Team-Up I#92, p7, panel 2 (Fagan)
Web of Spider-Man#63, p16, panel 4 (Mr. Fear face)
Spider-Man: Breakout#2, p2 (full)
Secret War#4: Mr. Fear mini-profile

Marvel Team-Up I#92 (April, 1980) - Steven Grant (writer), Carmine Infantino (pencils), Pablo Marcos (inks), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Web of Spider-Man#63 (April, 1990) - by Gerry Conway (writer), Alex Saviuk (pencils), Keith Williams (ink), and Jim Salicrup (Editor)
Web of Spider-Man#99-10 (April-May, 1990) - by Terry Kavanaugh (writer), Alex Saviuk (pencils), Joe Rubinstein (ink), and Rob Tokar (editor)
Daredevil I#314-315 (March-April, 1993) - by D.G. Chichester (writer), Scott McDaniel (Shock creator, plus pencils), Bud Larosa (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Secret War#1 (April, 2004) - Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Gabrielle Dell'Otto (artist), Andy Schmidt (editor)
Secret War#3 (October, 2004) - Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Gabrielle Dell'Otto (artist), Andy Schmidt (editor)
Secret War#4 (May, 2005) - Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Gabrielle Dell'Otto (artist), Andy Schmidt (editor)
Secret War#5 (December, 2005) - Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Gabrielle Dell'Otto (artist), Andy Schmidt (editor)
New Avengers#1-4 (January-April, 2005) - Brian Michael Bendis (writer), David Finch (pencils), Danny Miki, Mark Morales (#2), Allen Martinez (#3) & Victor Olazaba (#3) (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Spider-Man: Breakout#1-2 (June-July, 2005) - Tony Bedard (writer), Manuel Garcia (pencils), Raul Fernández (inks), Warren Simons (editor)
New Avengers#35 (December, 2007) - Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Leinil Yu (artist), Molly Lazer  (assistant editors), Tom Brevoort (editor)

First Posted: 09/17/2005
Last updated: 02/11/2008

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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