TURNER D. CENTURY

Real Name: Clifford F. Michaels

Identity/Class: Human technology user

Occupation: Reformer, vigilante

Group Membership: The Hood (Parker Robbins)'s army of resurrected Scourge victims aka. Deadly Dozen (Basilisk/Basil Elks, Bird-Man/Achille DiBacco, Black Abbott, Blue Streak/Don Thomas, Cheetah/Esteban Carracus, Cyclone/André Gerard, Death Adder/Roland Burroughs, Firebrand/Gary Gilbert, Hijacker/Howard Mitchell, Human Fly/Richard Deacon, Lascivious/Davida DeVito (formerly Titania), Letha/Helen Feliciano, Megatak/Gregory Nettles, Mind-Wave/Erik Gelden, Miracle Man/Joshua Ayers, Mirage/Desmond Charne, Wraith/Brian DeWolff), Scourge victims

Affiliations: Dormammu (indirectly), Morgan MacNeil Hardy, the Hood

Enemies: Dominic Fortune, Scotty McDowell, Punisher (Frank Castle), Scourge of the Underworld, Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew), Superior Spider-Man (Otto Octavius)

Known Relatives: Elston Michaels (father, deceased)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Mobile in the USA,
     formerly Hardy Estate, Marin, California

First Appearance: Spider-Woman I#33 (December, 1980)

Powers/Abilities: Turner D. Century possesses a bicycle that can fly through the air by unrevealed means, an umbrella that can project powerful flames, and a wax doll he styles as a companion with a head designed to work as a detachable napalm bomb. Century has some mechanical knowledge and designed a Time Horn that could cause temporary unconsciousness.

Height: 6'1"
Weight: 185 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Black

History:
(Spider-Woman I#33 (fb)) - After Morgan MacNeil Hardy's chauffer died, Hardy raised the man's son Clifford as his own, instilling in him a morality to live by the standards of the early 20th century. Over the years, Hardy had retreated to his mansion in Marin, California, where he had a huge replica of turn of the century San Francisco constructed underneath. 

(Spider-Woman I#33 (fb)) - Taking the name of Turner D. Century, a grown Clifford made his presence public, giving speeches around San Francisco espousing the virtues of decency and leading a campaign against modern corruption. Seeing the amount of moral degradation in the city, Turner began to deviate from his and Hardy's plan, and started using more violent methods to clean up the city. At first, it was just handily defeating some muggers, which earned him recognition. However, he soon began a campaign of terror, burning down bars and clubs that he felt did not meet his standards. During his initial wave, at least thirty young people died in the fires and devastation he caused.

(Spider-Woman I#33) - In her civilian guise of Jessica Drew, Spider-Woman staked out a local bar, hoping to stop Century and collect the reward money on him. He arrived and assaulted the place, setting it on fire, but Spider-Woman quickly knocked him out and helped the others escape. During the confusion, Turner escaped as well. Spider-Woman next staked out the local area known for its porno stores. Like clockwork, Century arrived and blasted a theater, destroying it. Spider-Woman attacked him but was distracted when the villain put children in peril to make good his escape. 

    Spider-Woman's friend Scotty McDowell believed Century would strike in Oakland next, and Spider-Woman waited to no avail for him to do so. Instead, he hit Chinatown instead, leveling several buildings with a napalm bomb disguised as the head of his waxwork female companion. By this point, Scotty began to see a pattern to the places Century was targeting: They were all properties formerly owned by Hardy. Spider-Woman found Hardy's mansion in Marin and soon located the faux city beneath it. Century attacked her, but Hardy revealed his presence and begged them to stop. Century attacked Spider-Woman again, revealing to his caretaker that he had strayed from the peaceful plan that they had laid out because civilization was too far gone. However, the fighting started a fire in Hardy's town. While Spider-Woman escaped, Century and Hardy opted to remain so that they would die in the world they knew and understood.

(Marvel Team-Up I#120 - BTS/Captain America I#264 (fb)) - Both Century and Hardy escaped, though both apparently believed the other had perished..

(Marvel Team-Up I#120) - As David Fortunoff, the former Dominic Fortune, watched out his rest home window, he saw Turner D. Century ride by in the sky on his two-seater bicycle. Having researched Century's previous crusade, Fortunoff dusted off his old costume and went after the villain. Century found him instead and offered him sanctuary as an elderly man. Fortune struck Century and the villain responded, knocking Fortune off the side of the building they were atop. Fortune barely grabbed hold of the side, and Century helped him up. Fortune decided to accompany the villain to keep an eye on him, unaware they were being followed by Spider-Man. Century took Fortune to his lair, where he revealed the Time Horn, a device that would unleash ultra-sonic sound waves designed to attack the central nervous systems of those under the age of 65. Fortune confronted Century, and Spider-Man arrived, but Century blasted him with the Time Horn. Unknown to Century, the Time Horn wasn't truly effective, though it did render Spider-Man unconscious briefly. Fortune tried to stop Century, but was knocked aside. Fortune chased after Century, who had already started utilizing the device on the crowds below. Fortune attacked him and was in the process of beating him when Fortune fell over in exhaustion. As Century turned his attention on the crowds below again, a recovered Spider-Man arrived and defeated him. 

(OHotMUDE#16) - Turner D. Century was convicted and institutionalized, but soon escaped.

(Captain America I#319) - Turner was among the super-villains who attended a meeting at the Bar with No Name in Ohio to discuss how to handle the Scourge of the Underworld, who had been targeting known super-criminals. The bartender revealed himself to be Scourge in disguise and murdered (almost) all of those present, including Turner.

(Captain America I#320) - Turner's body was among those found by Water Wizard, who called in Captain America to help. The bodies were turned over to the local authorities.

(Deadpool III#0 - BTS) - Arnim Zola created a proto-husk duplicate of Turner D. Century using his DNA. He supplied this proto-husk with a replica of Century's umbrella, but it was ultimately killed by Deadpool.

(Punisher VII#5 - BTS) - Aided by Dormammu's dark magic, the Hood resurrected Turner D. Century along with several other of Scourge's victims to fight the Punisher.

(Punisher VII#6) - The Hood addressed the assembled resurrected villains (including Turner), warning them that failure to kill the Punisher would leave them dead again after 30 days, but lying to them that it was the Punisher disguised as Scourge who had killed them. Each one resurrected had been augmented, armed and costumed by the Hood.

(Superior Spider-Man II#9) - Still alive and believing he had been resurrected by Dormammu to kill hipsters, Turner targeted San Francisco citizens, but its new guardian, the Superior Spider-Man (Otto Octavius) savagely retaliated and thought Turner a fake imitating the 1800s. Turner used a new "lethal" time horn, but was punched by an angry Octavius (who crushed the weapon), then webbed up by the timely intervention of Spider-Man (Parker).

Comments: Created by J.M. DeMatteis, Steve Leialoha and Bruce Patterson.

Turner D. Century received an entry in the Official Handbook Deluxe Edition. It's incorrectly stated in that entry that Hardy died in the fire from Spider-Woman I#33.

His father's name was revealed in Forever Man's profile in Avengers Assemble Handbook.

He's not shown in the resurrection scene in Punisher VII#5, but is in the next issue where all the resurrectees are seated. Evidently, he survived the 30-day deadline with Daken's brutal slaying of the Punisher.
In the Punisher tpb, author Rick Remender spoke fondly of the character - he gets a one-page sketch with comments at the back of the tpb.
---Grendel Prime

Profile by Madison Carter. Punisher & Superior Spider-Man updates by Grendel Prime.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Turner D. Century has no known connections to

 

Time Horn

A device created by Turner D. Century, intended to destroy the central nervous systems of those under the age of 65, it actually only knocked them unconscious. He later either recreated it or modified it with a brassy box-like appearance, and used it in his short-lived attack on San Francisco, but it was crushed by the angry Superior Spider-Man (Otto Octavius).





--Marvel Team-Up I#120 (Superior Spider-Man II#9

images: (without ads)
OHOTMU:DE#16, Turner D. Century entry
Marvel Team-Up I#120, page 5, panel 4 (on bike)
                                           page 14, panel 5 (Time Horn)

Other Appearances:
Spider-Woman I#33 (December, 1980) - J.M. DeMatteis (writer), Steve Leialoha (penciler), Bruce Patterson (inker), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Marvel Team-Up I#120 (August, 1982) - J.M DeMatteis (writer), Kerry Gammil (penciler), Mike Esposito (inker), Tom DeFalco (editor)
Captain America I#319 (July, 1986) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Neary (penciler), Joe Sinnott (inker), Mike Carlin (editor)
Captain America I#320 (August, 1986) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Paul Neary (penciler), Dennis Janke (inker), Mike Carlin (editor)
Punisher VII#6 (August, 2009) - Rick Remender (writer), Tan Eng Huat (art), Axel Alonso (editor)
Superior Spider-Man II#9 (September 2019) - Christos Gage (writer), Mike Hawthorne (pencils), Wade von Grawbadger (inks), Nick Lowe (editor)

First posted: 08/15/2011
Last updated: 10/05/2019

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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