MODEBL
Real Name: Modebl
Identity/Class: Demon (Class 2) (Post-Hyborian era to World War II era - possibly longer)
Occupation: Demon, ruler of his own dimension, creator of mummies
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Jameson
Karr, Modebl’s minions;
Enemies: Captain America, possibly the Heliopolitan gods of Egypt
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Unrevealed home dimension
First Appearance: Captain America Comics#25/3 (April, 1943)
Powers/Abilities: The majority of Modebl’s powers and abilities remain unknown. He likely possessed all the standard powers of a Class 2 demon. He was capable in altering his size and more than likely had superhuman strength and endurance. He was also extremely ancient and virtually immortal. His greatest power came in the form of a curse that enabled Modebl to turn others into a form of lycanthropic mummies. Once the hapless victim was transformed, they were mentally enslaved and under his complete control. He created a mystical potion used by his followers to send their souls to his realm and this was placed inside a hollow area within the Laughing Sphinx pendant. He was shown to have a large group of mummies by his side, used as guards in his throne room and probably commanded an unknown number of others.
History:
(Captain America Comics#25/3 (fb) - BTS) – In an unknown period of ancient Egypt, a temple was built in Modebl's name and he was worshiped as a god. Modebl created a magic potion and placed it inside a Laughing Sphinx pendant, and granted it to his temple’s high priest for communal ceremonies. Sometime in the past, his temple disappeared from written records and remained lost in the Egyptian sands until it was rediscovered by the archeologist, Professor Jameson Karr. While digging at the site, the Laughing Sphinx pendant was found the professor and brought to America for further study. In the course of investigation, Professor Karr unlocked a secret compartment within the pendant and partook of the liquid potion contained inside. His soul was immediately transported to Modebl in his throne room. Modebl, needing someone to act as his agent of destruction on the Earthly plane, cursed the unfortunate professor and turned him into a mummy, sending him back to kill and spread the word of Modebl’s power.
(Captain America Comics#25/3) – Captain America discovered the mysterious potion and took a small sip that sent him to Modebl’s presence. Modebl attempted to place the mummy curse on Captain America but was unable to as the hero decided to fight back. He told Captain America that once he was dead, he would claim his soul and force it to become one of his minions, and sent a large force of mummies to attack. The potion wore off and Captain America’s soul returned once again to his body, leaving the angry Modebl and his minions behind.
(Young Allies#18 - BTS) - In 1945, Karr possessed another Egyptologist, Dr. Lammon, and again tried to kill world leaders until being stopped by the Young Allies.
Comments: Created by unknown writer and Syd Shores (?) (art).
Modebl’s main image comes only from the cover as the events portrayed did not actually take place inside the story.
The name, Modebl does not correspond to any demon from history or deity from Egyptian mythology. The name is more likely to be an anagram of some kind. The best one that fits is a two word combination of mob led or led mob. If this is the case his name may be translated as “one who leads the mob.”
He would make a great candidate for a modern appearance and make a great foil for Doctor Strange or any other supernatural hero. Much of his story remains unwritten and can easily be retconned and fleshed out. What connection could he have in the creation of the Living Mummy? What about his ancient cult? Could there be a modern one that still worships him somewhere? What connections does he have with other demons that populate the Marvel Universe? These questions need to be answered because inquiring minds want to know!
Modebl has returned, after a fashion. In Young Allies#18, Bucky and friends also fight a mummy, who drops a translated parchment of the words of Modebl. In point of fact, this story is actually a rewrite of the story from Cap 25, but it *is* a second appearance of Modebl.
--Chris Jarocha-Ernst
Modebl if you move the letters in his name around you get Bedlom, unfortunately none of the early spellings of the word Bedlam (Chaos or Madness) found in the Oxford English Dictionary are spelt Bedlom. Plus I count 8 mummies in the picture provided on this profile (I count the heads and 2 heads seen over Captain America's shield arm).
--Gammatotem
Profile by AvatarWarlord72.
CLARIFICATIONS
:
Modebl has no known connections to:
The Laughing Sphinx was a golden amulet that contained a vial of magical liquid used by Modebl's priests to commune with the demon. Drinking this concoction would allow the imbiber’s soul to travel to Modebl’s realm. The potion was hidden inside a hollow area that could be accessed by manipulating the tongue of Laughing Sphinx. Ancient hieroglyphs were etched into the base of the pendant and vaguely stated that the key was inside. Prof. Karr solved the puzzle and drank from the vial and was sent to Modebl’s realm where he was transformed into a living mummy. Later, Captain America likewise drank from the tiny container and was sent to the demon’s side but was able to fight off his evil influences and mummy minions to return to his own body once the potion's effects wore off.
--Captain America Comics II#25/3
Modebl had a large force of mummies in his throne room that he used as guards. When Captain America was transported to his realm and fought off the demon’s evil influence, they were sent to attack and kill him. The exact number of these mummies that existed within his dimension was not revealed as only six were shown. Presumably, they all had similar powers and abilities to Prof. Karr’s. None were named in the story.
--Captain America Comics II#25/3
images:
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Captain America Comics II#25/3, cover (main image)
Appearances:
Captain America Comics#25 (April, 1943) - Syd Shores (art), Stan Lee (editor)
Young Allies#18 (Winter 1945-1946) - Vince Alascia (art)
Last updated: 05/20/14
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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