HYPNOTIST
Real Name: Unrevealed (see aliases)
Identity/Class: Human magic user (Pre-B.C. to 1950s)
Occupation:
Sorcerer;
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Criminal organizations, notably Thugs (India), Leopard Men (Africa), Mafia (Italy)
Enemies: Human Torch (Jim Hammond), Toro, Chief Wilson, Betty Wilson
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: Cory Doone, Balaam, Dara
Base of Operations: Mobile internationally
First Appearance: Young Men#27/1 (April, 1954)
Powers/Abilities: The Hypnotist was an accomplished sorcerer who used black magic to prolong his own life. He was also able to telepathically project a green deathly skull-face with glowing hypnotic eyes anywhere in the world and directed only at those he targeted, and was able to compel his victims to act according to his will. He was also a long-term strategist and somewhat vain, collecting relics with his visage. However, he needed young human blood to maintain his powers and youthful body, and he had to be near his blood-draining apparatus to sustain his strength.
History:
(Young Men#27/1 (fb) - BTS) - Several thousand years ago, the man who would become the Hypnotist discovered eternal life through black magic; however, this required him living off young human blood. He took on many identities through the centuries, including Dara, a high priest of the ancient Egyptian "evil" god of night and darkness, as well as Balaam, an Assyrian high priest of the supernatural, plus various other evil personas. He gathered many books of black magic plus artifacts that related to his previous identities, including an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus that bore his image. He eventually took on the name of Cory Doone in the modern 1950s Era and cultivated a globe-spanning criminal empire, establishing contacts with major criminal organizations around the world. He established a destructive plan for February 1, beginning with international government officials in strategic posts falling mysteriously ill after receiving his telepathic commands.
(Young Men#27/1) - The Human Torch and Toro first came across a reference to the Hypnotist when he was named by one of his lackeys after they had rounded up several girls intended for his sustenance. However, the two criminals died from a hypnotic command planted by their nefarious leader before they could reveal anything further. The two flaming heroes later wound up at Chief Wilson's office, just before he was about to burn a police file on Cory Doone, again under a telepathic command. The Human Torch stopped him and was told of a connection between Doone and the Hypnotist. The Human Torch and Toro then rushed off to Doone's country mansion. They chased Doone's shadow down the corridors of the mansion, encountering various ancient artifacts that bore Doone's image that the Human Torch recognized (including Dara and Balaam), as well as objects of black magic. Doone escaped and set a trap for the two, with Toro falling asleep at the Hypnotist's command, but the Human Torch was able to free them both. The two then secretly followed Doone as he quickly flew by helicopter around the world, inciting India's Thugs, Africa's Leopard Men and Italy's Mafia to destroy their governments on the appointed day. As the two fiery heroes fought the criminals, Doone rushed back to the USA and kidnapped Betty Wilson before going back to his mansion. However, Doone had been too long without sustenance and was preparing to drain Betty's blood via his apparatus when the Human Torch and Toro burst in. Weakened and now revealed to be the Hypnotist, Doone could not stop his opponents. His flesh fell from his face, revealing the green face he used for hypnotism, before he entirely crumbled to dust.
(Saga of the Original Human Torch#4/1) - The Human Torch recalled his battle with the Hypnotist.
Comments: Created by uncredited writer and Carl Burgos (art) (see comments).
The Hypnotist has many aspects of a powerful vampire (need for blood, long life, hypnotism, need to return to a base), potentially having become a type of vampire mutate through the black arts instead of the usual vampire bite.
Dara is an archaeological site in Egypt dating back to around 2000 BC. Balaam is the name of a prophet who was a contemporary of Moses and was possibly linked to the Zoroastrian religion. Balaam (also Balam) is also listed in the esoteric manuscript The Goetia: The Lesser Key of Solomon the King as a king-ranked night demon with 3 heads (bull, man, ram) with flaming eyes and a snake's tail. It may be that Dara or Balaam was his original name.
Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Heroes vol.3, which is where the images are from, lists this story's artist as Carl Burgos, while the Grand Comics Database cites Dick Ayers.
It may be that the Hypnotist had some connection to the mutant Apocalypse or maybe to Amenhotep,
who was an ancient Egyptian vampire and a guardian of Rama-Tut's tomb.
A possible theory could be that the Hypnotist was a victim of
Amenhotep who was mutated by Apocalypse before he became a full vampire.
--John Kaminski
Both the Green Terror and the Hypnotist use human blood to maintain their youth. Perhaps they learned this similar method from the same source? Adventures Into Terror#3 (April, 1951) 4th story- "The Living Dead" has a similar character.
--Gammatotem
Profile by Grendel Prime.
CLARIFICATIONS
:
The Hypnotist has no known connections to:
images:
(without ads)
Young Men#27/1, p7, pan4 (main image)
Appearances:
Young Men#27/1 (April, 1954) - uncredited writer, Carl Burgos (art),
uncredited editor
Saga of the Original Human Torch#4/1 (July, 1990) - Script:Roy Thomas
(script), Rich Buckler (pencils), Romeo Tanghal
(inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Last updated: 03/23/14
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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