FATHER MICHAEL JANES
Real Name: Michael Janes
Identity/Class: Human
Occupation: Priest, board member of Taylor Foundation; former soldier
Group Membership: Taylor Foundation Board of Directors; formerly US Army
Affiliations: Sherman Ashley, Samuel Birulin, Carl Brasel, Andrew Chord, Joshua Cooper, Firestar (Angelica Jones), Chin Fong, Ms. Hancock, Kelly Hitchuk, Jennifer, Justice (Vance Astrovik), Keeyana Tribe (J'Bada, others), Willie Lincoln, Night Thrasher (Dwayne Taylor), Gai No Don, Punisher (Frank Castle), James Rhodes, Walter Rosen, Silhouette, Sprocket, William Talltrees
Enemies: Air Force (Cardinal/Don Clendenon, Oriole, Sparrow, Tanager), Bengal (Duc No Tranh)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: New York City, New York
First Appearance: Daredevil I#258 (September, 1988)
Powers/Abilities: Michael Janes is a priest with vast experience. As a board member on the Taylor Foundation, he possessed connections to big business and focused on humanitarian aid around the world. As a soldier, he wielded machine guns cruelly in combat, threatening and slaughtering civilians.
Height: 6' (by approximation)
Weight: 220 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Brown
History:
(Daredevil I#258 (fb) ) - A group of American soldiers were stationed together in Vietnam, including Corporal Michael Janes, Willie Lincoln, Carl Brasel, Chin Fong, Joshua Cooper, William Talltrees, and Samuel Birulin. The soldiers panicked when they thought they were in danger and started killing several innocents in a village. Janes, who was known for going mad in combat, nearly killed a helpless old man, but a tossed grenade was thrown into the midst, causing chaos. Lincoln was wounded by the explosion, which eventually resulted in him going blind. The soldiers fought their way to the evacuation unit, where James Rhodes got them out, but a small boy followed them, holding on to the helicopter. A stray shot hit the boy's leg, but the boy clung on for dear life.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#15 (fb)/Daredevil I#258 (fb) ) - As the others tried to stop him, Janes kicked the boy free, knocking him to his seeming death.
(New Warriors I#8 (fb) - BTS) - Janes was found guilty for his actions in Vietnam, and he was court-martialed and sentenced to 25 years in prison. He found God in jail, studying with devotion. 15 years later, he was paroled and he became a priest, dedicating himself to serving those in need in the poorest communities, giving to the downtrodden and underprivileged.
(New Warriors I#7 (fb) - BTS) - Janes was based in a church in New York City, and he became acquainted with young super-heroine Silhouette.
(New Warriors I#7) - Janes was speaking with Silhouette, who was there to worship, when Bengal broke in, attacking Janes. Silhouette took the battle with Bengal out of the church. Bengal attacked again later, but Night Thrasher protected Janes. Silhouette returned, then the Punisher showed up, after her.
(New Warriors I#8) - Janes saw Bengal flee as Night Thrasher battled Punisher, who soon fled also. Janes and Silhouette helped the wounded Night Thrasher inside, where he demanded answers from both of them. Janes confessed the truth about his past, and he told them he believed Bengal was the little boy he'd once kicked off the helicopter. He feared that his soul was eternally damned. Then the Punisher attacked again.
(New Warriors I#9) - Night Thrasher and Silhouette made peace with the Punisher, then Janes admitted his sins against Bengal. Later, Bengal attacked Janes at home, and Thrasher barely saved Janes' life. After a brief battle, the heroes made peace, and Janes hugged the Bengal, apologizing for his past sins.
(Night Thrasher: Four Control#1 (fb) - BTS) - Janes spent months trying to help Bengal heal from his old emotional wounds, but made little progress. When Bengal left to go after war criminal Li Pan, a Vietnamese man who was now decades older after the war, Janes decided to go for help.
(Night Thrasher: Four Control#1) - At the company owned by Night Thrasher, Janes was shown in by Jeffrey. He asked Night Thrasher and Silhouette for help with Bengal and showed them a photo of Li Pan; they recognized him as Thrasher's business associate, Gai No Don. They rushed to stop Bengal.
(Night Thrasher: Four Control#4) - Wanting to gain better control of his company, Dwayne Taylor had his assistant Jennifer show in Janes and Walter Rosen of Genetech. He asked the men to join his Taylor Foundation Board of Directors after the resignations of former board members; Taylor wanted help achieving a more benevolent vision of the company's future. Taylor asked Janes to keep the board honest while working with those who represented business, wanting to keep the Foundation from going corrupt. He announced himself as the third member, then Andrew Chord, and Gai No Don.
(Night Thrasher I#3 (fb) - BTS) - Janes became involved on the Taylor Foundation board, making hard decisions.
(Night Thrasher I#3) - The board heard a petition from Ms. Hancock, of Hancock Transport Airlines, to use Taylor fields in Bosnia to deliver goods, but they rejected her, and Janes reminded her that her company was under investigation.
(Night Thrasher I#5) - The board accompanied a plane on relief efforts in Bosnia, and Sprocket acted as the pilot. Janes was saying he wished they could do more when the villainous Air Force attacked the ship. Cardinal kept the board hostage and threatened Janes when Janes called him cowardly, but both men realized that they had served separate tours in Vietnam. In the end, Taylor manipulated the Air Force into working with his Foundation in Bosnia.
(Night Thrasher I#7) - The board met in Taylor's penthouse, though Don was out recovering from wounds. As Sherman Ashley brought in breakfast, Janes and the others discussed business in Madripoor, Bosnia, and Africa, including humanitarian efforts.
(Night Thrasher I#9) - Janes went to the country of Nadua to investigate a plasma dam that Stark International was building. Hiking through the jungle, Janes vowed to himself to exercise more as he contemplated his time in Vietnam years before. His guide J'Bada led him to the dam, where he was horrified at how it was affecting the local way of life. He vowed to see it stopped.
(Night Thrasher I#10) - J'Bada and the Keeyana Tribe reported how a conflict between Iron Man and the New Warriors had destroyed the dam they'd been so concerned about.
(Justice: Four Balance#1) - Janes teamed up with Kelly Hitchuk, of the Childwatch Organization, to recruit Justice, wanting help investigating the murders of local runaway Alison Gaulthing.
(Justice: Four Balance#2) - When Justice failed to show up for an investigation trip, Janes and Hitchuk went to the Warriors' headquarters, the Crash Pad, to ask Firestar if she'd heard from him.
Comments: Created by Fabian Nicieza, Ron Lim, and Jim Sanders.
Profile by Chadman.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Michael Janes has no known connection to:
images: (without ads)
Night Thrasher I#10, p8, pan2 (main)
Night Thrasher: Four Control#4, p12, pan4 (face)
Daredevil I#258, p1, pan1 (in Viet Nam)
Appearances:
Daredevil I#258 (September, 1988) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Ron Lim (penciler), Jim Sanders (inker), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Marvel Comics Presents I#15/4 (March, 1989) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Javier Saltares (penciler), Mark McKenna (inker), Terry Kavanagh (editor)
New Warriors I#7-9 (January-March, 1991) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Mark Bagley (penciler), Larry Mahlstedt (inker), Danny Fingeroth (editor)
Night Thrasher: Four Control#1 (October, 1992) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Dave Hoover (artist), Danny Fingeroth (editor)
Night Thrasher: Four Control#4 (January, 1993) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Dave Hoover (penciler), Ian Akin (inker), Rob Tokar (editor)
Night Thrasher I#3 (October, 1993) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Ken Lashley, Fred Haynes (artists), Rob Tokar (editor)
Night Thrasher I#5 (December, 1993) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Javier SAltares (artist), Rob Tokar (editor)
Night Thrasher I#7 (February, 1994) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), David Boller (penciler), Jeff Albrecht, Jim Amash, Frank Turner, Ariane Lenshoek (inkers), Rob Tokar (editor)
Night Thrasher I#9 (April, 1994) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), David Boller (penciler), Frank Turner (inker), Rob Tokar (editor)
Night Thrasher I#10 (May, 1994) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), David Boller, Frank Turner (pencilers), Danny Bulanadi (inker), Rob Tokar (editor)
Justice: Four Balance#1 (September-October, 1994) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Craig Brasfield (penciler), Frank Turner (inker), Rob Tokar (editor)
First Posted: 04/20/2019
Last updated: 04/20/2019
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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