MUSE
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Human mutate (presumably)
Occupation: Serial killer, self-proclaimed artist
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: None
Enemies: Blindspot (Sam Chung), Daredevil (Matt Murdock), Inhumans (Binka, Marty Mackowitz, Frank McGee, others), Judge Laird, Officer Menendez, Andrea Pearson, Officer Scott, Caroline Stringer, Tenfingers
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: Vincent Van Gore
Base of Operations: New York City, New York
First Appearance: (Behind the scenes) Daredevil V#10 (October, 2016); (seen; as Vincent Van Gore) Daredevil V#11 (November, 2016); (as Muse) Daredevil V#12 (October, 2016)
Powers/Abilities: Muse's powers are difficult to articulate and have never been clearly defined. He seems to defy human senses, including the superhuman senses of Daredevil, existing as an enigma, when Muse chooses, to sight, sound, and smell, allowing him to remain imperceptible to others. Muse appears to demonstrate superhuman strength and resiliency, and perhaps some minor superhuman speed. Muse seems to be able to manipulate blood and/or paint into art forms very swiftly, even over skyscrapers. Bloodthirsty and deadly, Muse swiftly and efficiently kills others using rudimentary tools, like knives or his own hands and fingers. He sees himself as a great artist. Muse has used flash grenades and fireworks to cover his escape.
Height: 5'7" (by approximation)
Weight: 160 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Black
Hair: None
History:
(Daredevil V#14 (fb) - BTS) - The man who would become Muse considered himself an artist with dark impulses, who preferred to consider art made from human flesh and gore. The first time he killed an innocent woman, he turned her into art, and he wondered if he had to keep going but swiftly knew that he must. The artist set up a garret, or attic studio, where he began keeping remnants of his victims. It is unknown how he developed his super-powers, or when, or even what those powers definitively are.
(Daredevil V#14 (fb) - BTS) - The artist spied on the hero Blindspot, who kept a shrine to heroes in Chinatown, and he admired the hero's work.
(Darevevil V#5 - BTS) - The artist attacked Tenfingers, the leader of the Church of the Sheltering Hands, and left the man hanging on the wall with his limbs severed.
(Daredevil V#10 (fb) - BTS) - The artist used the blood of 113 victims to paint a giant war mural.
(Daredevil V#14 (fb) - BTS) - The artist considered his masterpiece and called it "Sanguinity". He left his victims hanging from the ceiling in his basement, many still alive.
(Daredevil V#10 - BTS) - The artist invited Blindspot, with a card, to a "battle" session, but Blindspot found the bloody war mural inside, with a corpse laying in front of it.
(Daredevil V#11 (fb) - BTS) - For weeks, the media began reporting on the blood mural, and police started running the DNA of the victims. The papers began calling the killer "Vincent Van Gore". City Councilwoman Andrea Pearson got word that her niece was among the victims.
(Daredevil V#11 - BTS) - The owner of the building that contained the mural, Freddy Durnin, with his son Patrick, started selling tickets to the public to see the mural after getting an opinion from art professor Cassius Grover.
(Daredevil V#11) - The artist killed a gang of vagrants who had been attacking Inhuman citizen Marty Mackowitz, then he killed Marty as well.
(Daredevil V#11 (fb) - BTS) - The artist killed several other Inhumans, then he arranged their corpses in an artistic form that showed them doing every day activities.
(Daredevil V#12 (fb) - BTS) - Among the artist's victims was Binka.
(Daredevil V#13 (fb) - BTS) - The artist once killed a woman named Caroline Stringer that he considered ugly, but he carved one of her bones into a knife he considered beautiful.
(Daredevil V#11 - BTS) - The artist returned to the mural and washed it away, leaving a written message ("youre only as good as your last performance") with a new address in its place, and it was discovered by Officers Menendez and Scott.
(Daredevil V#11) - Daredevil found the artist standing on a rooftop across the street from the Inhuman art.
(Daredevil V#12) - Using the name Muse out loud for the first time (as he disliked the Van Gore nickname), the artist asked for Daredevil's opinion on his work. The hero attacked, but Muse grabbed Daredevil's billy club out of the air and snapped it in half. Muse then set off a flash grenade and used it to cover his escape.
(Daredevil V#13 (fb) - BTS) - Planning revenge on those who had tried to block access to his mural, Muse kidnapped cops Menendez and Scott and City Councilwoman Andrea Pearson, and he tied them up in the sewers.
(Daredevil V#12) - Later, Muse attacked a courtroom full of civilians, taking Judge Laird hostage.
(Daredevil V#13) - Muse tossed his special knife into the throat of a cop, then he took the judge outside, where armed officers waited. Muse then set off a series of fireworks he had planted around the courthouse as he escaped into the sewers. After laying out his tools, Muse slashed at Menendez, then the hero Blindspot revealed himself, and he managed to avoid Muse's knives. Muse pursued Blindspot into the tunnels, but Blindspot, using his invisibility technology, managed to free the hostages.
(Daredevil V#14 (fb) - BTS) - Muse apprehended Blindspot.
(Daredevil V#14) - Daredevil struggled to track Muse, who had the power to pull in all sensory information into himself, leaving Daredevil's radar nearly useless. Muse took Blindspot to his garret, where Muse bragged about his art and the process behind it. Daredevil attacked and Muse swiftly gouged out Blindspot's eyes, feeling inspired, and then tossed him from the roof to cover his own escape. Daredevil briefly battled Muse before crashing into the basement and finding the victims hanging there. Muse wondered why Daredevil cared about the victims as he felt his art had given their lives meaning. Rushing to the roof to escape, Muse found Frank McGee and the police from New Attilan waiting to arrest him, and they quickly put him in cuffs. Daredevil demanded some sort of punishment for Blindspot's eyes, so Muse broke his own fingers. When Daredevil pulled off Muse's mask, he was horrified at what he saw underneath. As Muse was taken away, Daredevil got over 100 of his living victims to safety.
(Daredevil I#596 (fb) - BTS) - Muse spent weeks in the Inhuman prison being treated humanely, and they provided him with art supplies, television, and food.
(Daredevil I#596) - Muse saw news footage of Daredevil being pursued by police, and thought of his next art piece. He informed the guard that he would be escaping now.
(Daredevil I#597 (fb) - BTS) - Muse escaped New Attilan after killing 12 guards. He then went on to paint another mural in the city, this one of Daredevil spouting a Richard Nixon quote, all along the side of a huge building.
(Daredevil I#598 (fb) - BTS) - Muse blanketed the city with more building-high super hero art pieces, featuring Spider-Man, Luke Cage, Moon Knight, She-Hulk, and Iron Fist.
(Daredevil I#598) - Muse was painting a mural of Punisher when two civilians asked him for a photo. When the police pulled up, he slaughtered six officers quickly.
(Daredevil I#599) - Muse found Blindspot defacing his Daredevil mural and attacked, pushing Blindspot off the building.
(Daredevil I#600) - When Blindspot caught himself, Muse battled the hero, soon breaking his arm, but Blindspot drew upon demonic power (from the Beast of the Hand) to fight Muse, overpowering him but refusing to kill him. Wanting to face defeat at his own hands, Muse ran into the fire nearby and was seemingly killed.
Comments: Created by Charles Soule (writer) & Ron Garney (artist).
Muse is one of the scariest villains to be introduced by Marvel in recent years. Everything about him is frightening. There is a lot left to explore with this character.
Profile by Chadman.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Muse should not be confused with:
Binka (Elizabeth Burnside) has no known connection to:
Cassius Grover should not be confused with:
Andrea Pearson has no known connection to:
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(Daredevil V#12 (fb) - BTS) - Elizabeth Burnside was changed into an Inhuman by the Terrigen Mists and she discovered the ability to hold her breath for over an hour. Taking the name Binka, she moved to New Attilan. Later, Binka was killed by Muse and he used her corpse in an art piece. (Daredevil V#12) - Binka's corpse was seen among the others. (Daredevil V#13) - Investigators identified Binka's corpse. --Daredevil V#12 ([Daredevil V#12 (fb)], 12-13 |
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(Daredevil V#11 (fb) - BTS) - Frederick "Freddy" Durnin got word that the building he owned had a mural in it made by a serial killer that used the blood of 113 victims. Seeing a chance to make a profit, Durnin checked the regulations and laws and determined he could sell tickets to see the mural. With his son Patrick, Durnin contacted Professor Cassius Grover, from Pratt University, to see if the mural had value as an artisitic work. (Daredevil V#11) - As people began to line up around the block to see the mural, Durnin had Grover look at the art, then Patrick informed him that City Councilwoman Andrea Pearson was there. Pearson told Durnin that her niece's blood was among those in the mural and she asked him to stand down, but he opened the doors and began selling tickets for ten dollars each. (Daredevil V#11 - BTS) - As popularity of the mural grew, Durnin raised the price to twenty dollars and started raking in the money. (Daredevil V#11) - Freddy and Patrick were ready to open the gallery when Officers Menendez and Scott showed up with a court order from prosecutor Matt Murdock to shut the gallery down. Freddy was furious, but then he discovered that the mural had been washed away and a message from the killer written in new blood was left in its place. --Daredevil V#11 ([Daredevil V#11 (fb)], 11, [11], 11 |
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(Daredevil V#11) - Patrick Durnin saw his father, Freddy Durnin, make the choice to sell tickets to see a bloody artistic mural that had been found in one of Freddy's buildings, a mural made with the blood of 113 victims. Freddy had art professor Cassius Grover survey the mural, then City Councilwoman Andrea Pearson arrived to report that her niece's blood was among those used in the mural. Freddy chose to proceed with ticket sales anyway. (Daredevil V#11 - BTS) - As popularity of the mural grew, Durnin raised the price to twenty dollars and started raking in the money. (Daredevil V#11) - Freddy and Patrick were ready to open the gallery when Officers Menendez and Scott showed up with a court order from prosecutor Matt Murdock to shut the gallery down. Freddy was furious, but then he discovered that the mural had been washed away and a message from the killer written in new blood was left in its place. --Daredevil V#11 (Daredevil V#11, [11], 11 |
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(Daredevil V#11 (fb) - BTS) - After an artistic mural was discovered, made by a serial killer with the blood of 113 people used in it, the owner of the building where the mural was found, Freddy Durnin, contacted Professor Cassius Grover at Pratt University, asking him to come and survey it. (Daredevil V#11) - After meeting Durnin's son Patrick, Grover surveyed the mural, determining that it had artistic merit, but he was concerned about Durnin's choice to sell tickets to the public, particularly after City Councilwoman Andrea Pearson arrived, saying her niece's blood was among those used. --Daredevil V#11 ([Daredevil V#11 (fb)], 11 |
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(Daredevil V#12) - Muse attacked the courtroom of Judge Laird and held him hostage with a knife to his throat. (Daredevil V#13) - Muse killed a cop with his knife, then he took Laird outside, where he covered his escape from the cops by setting off a series of fireworks. He took Laird into the sewers, where he had previously kidnapped cops Menendez and Scott, and City Councilwoman Andrea Pearson, and he prepared to kill them in an art display. Muse then slashed at Menendez with a knife before the hero Blindspot intervened, luring Muse away and then returning to free the hostages. He let them go to safety before going back to fight Muse. --Daredevil V#12 (Daredevil V#12-13 |
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(Daredevil V#11 (fb) - BTS) - After running an air-conditioning business in Brooklyn, Marty Mackowitz was exposed to the Terrigen Cloud and he discovered he was an Inhuman. He discovered the ability to create small snowflakes of light. (Daredevil V#11) - Marty was chased down by a gang seeking to kill Inhumans, and he was rescued by Muse, who slaughtered the gang. Muse then turned on Marty himself, killing him as well, and using his corpse as part of an art piece. Daredevil and Blindspot later found the corpses and called the police. --Daredevil V#11 ([Daredevil V#11 (fb)], 11 |
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(Daredevil V#11) - Officers Menendez and Scott were sent to deliver a court order to Freddy Durnin and his son Patrick, telling them they could no longer sell tickets to the public to see a bloody mural made by a serial killer. While they were there, they discovered a new mural made by the killer, and they called in for reinforcements. After finding a horrible display of Inhuman corpses, Scott informed the prosecutor's office, and they sent Matt Murdock, who brought Sam Chung, to see. Murdock recommended that Scott reach out to the Inhuman police then he rushed off to make a call. (Daredevil V#12) - Officer Scott saw Frank McGee and the Inhuman police arrive to process evidence and identify victims. (Daredevil V#13 (fb) - BTS) - Muse kidnapped Pearson as well as cops Menendez and Scott and left them tied up in the sewer. (Daredevil V#13) - Muse kidnapped Judge Laird and returned to the others, planning on killing all four of them in an art display. He then slashed at Menendez with a knife before the hero Blindspot intervened, luring Muse away and then returning to free the hostages. He let them go to safety before going back to fight Muse. --Daredevil V#11 (Daredevil V#11-12, [13 (fb)], 13 |
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(Daredevil V#11 (fb) - BTS) - A City Councilwoman in a powerful district in New York City, Andrea Pearson held her own against the mayor when needed. After a mural made of blood was found, police began investigating and realized that around 113 missing people's blood had been used to make it, and Andrea learned that her niece was among the victims. She then learned that Freddy Durnin, owner of the building, planned to sell tickets to the public to see the mural. (Daredevil V#11) - Flanked by police, Pearson confronted Durnin, who was with his son Patrick and art professor Cassius Grover, and asked him not to sell the tickets, but he chose to, even when Pearon promised to make his life hell. (Daredevil V#11 - BTS) - Pearson reached out to Benjamin Hochberg, at the prosecutor's office, and asked him to assign someone to the Durnin case and get the mural shut down. Hochberg assigned Matt Murdock. (Daredevil V#13 (fb) - BTS) - Muse kidnapped Pearson as well as cops Menendez and Scott and left them tied up in the sewer. (Daredevil V#13) - Muse kidnapped Judge Laird and returned to the others, planning on killing all four of them in an art display. He then slashed at Menendez with a knife before the hero Blindspot intervened, luring Muse away and then returning to free the hostages. He let them go to safety before going back to fight Muse. --Daredevil V#11 ([Daredevil V#11 (fb)], 11, [11], [13 (fb)], 13 |
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(Daredevil V#13 (fb) - BTS) - Muse killed a woman named Caroline Stringer that he considered ugly, but he carved one of her bones into a knife he considered beautiful.
(Daredevil V#13 - BTS) - Muse used his knife to kill a cop.
--Daredevil V#13 ([Daredevil V#13 (fb)], [13]
images: (without ads)
Daredevil V#11, p22, pan1 (Muse, main)
Daredevil V#14, p19, pan7 (face)
Daredevil V#10, p17, pan1 (first blood mural)
Daredevil V#11, p15, pan1 (2nd mural)
Daredevil V#11, p18, pan1 (Inhuman corpses)
Daredevil I#597, p22, pan1 (Daredevil mural)
Daredevil V#12, p6, pan1 (Binka)
Daredevil V#11, p6, pan6 (Freddy Durnin)
Daredevil V#11, p6, pan5 (Patrick Durnin)
Daredevil V#11, p8, pan2 (Professor Cassius Grover)
Daredevil V#13, p11, pan1 (Judge Laird)
Daredevil V#11, p2, pan4 (Marty Mackowitz)
Daredevil V#11, p13, pan3 (Officers Menendez and Scott)
Daredevil V#11, p7, pan1 (Andrea Pearson)
Appearances:
Daredevil V#10-14 (October, 2016-February, 2017) - Charles Soule (writer), Ron Garney (artist), Mark Paniccia (editor)
Daredevil I#596 (February, 2018) - Charles Soule (writer), Stefano Landini (artist), Jordan White (editor)
Daredevil I#597-600 (Marchl-May, 2018) - Charles Soule (writer), Ron Garney (artist),
First Posted: 02/20/2020
Last updated: 02/20/2020
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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