Mad Mod is a
fictional characterA character is the representation of a person in a narrative or dramatic work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr through its Latin transcription character, the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its...
in the
DC UniverseDC Comics is one of the largest and most popular American comic book and related media companies, along with Marvel Comics. It is the publishing division of DC Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary company of Warner Bros. Entertainment...
. He was until recently an enemy of the superhero team, the Teen Titans.
One of the first villains ever to menace the Teen Titans, Mad Mod (real name Neil Richards) was a
Carnaby StreetCarnaby Street is a pedestrianised shopping street in London, United Kingdom, located in the Soho district, near Oxford Street and Regent Street. It consists of twelve pedestrianised streets with numerous fashion and lifesyle retailers, including a large number of independent fashion boutiques...
fashion designFashion design is the applied art dedicated to clothing and lifestyle accessories created within the cultural and social influences of a specific time.It is considered to have a built in obsolescence usually of one to two seasons...
er with no actual
superpowersA superhuman is an entity with intelligence or abilities exceeding normal human standards.Superhuman can mean an improved human, for example, by genetic modification, cybernetic implants, or as what humans might evolve into, in the distant future...
of his own. His assumed name is derived from the Mod style popular in England at the time. He used his label as a
frontA front organization is any entity set up by and controlled by another organization, such as intelligence agencies, organized crime groups, banned organizations, religious or political groups, advocacy groups, or corporations...
to smuggle goods inside his clothing.
Mad Mod is a
fictional characterA character is the representation of a person in a narrative or dramatic work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr through its Latin transcription character, the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its...
in the
DC UniverseDC Comics is one of the largest and most popular American comic book and related media companies, along with Marvel Comics. It is the publishing division of DC Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary company of Warner Bros. Entertainment...
. He was until recently an enemy of the superhero team, the Teen Titans.
History
One of the first villains ever to menace the Teen Titans, Mad Mod (real name Neil Richards) was a
Carnaby StreetCarnaby Street is a pedestrianised shopping street in London, United Kingdom, located in the Soho district, near Oxford Street and Regent Street. It consists of twelve pedestrianised streets with numerous fashion and lifesyle retailers, including a large number of independent fashion boutiques...
fashion designFashion design is the applied art dedicated to clothing and lifestyle accessories created within the cultural and social influences of a specific time.It is considered to have a built in obsolescence usually of one to two seasons...
er with no actual
superpowersA superhuman is an entity with intelligence or abilities exceeding normal human standards.Superhuman can mean an improved human, for example, by genetic modification, cybernetic implants, or as what humans might evolve into, in the distant future...
of his own. His assumed name is derived from the Mod style popular in England at the time. He used his label as a
frontA front organization is any entity set up by and controlled by another organization, such as intelligence agencies, organized crime groups, banned organizations, religious or political groups, advocacy groups, or corporations...
to smuggle goods inside his clothing. After being foiled, he later hatched a plot to steal the
Queen of EnglandThe Monarchy of the United Kingdom is the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories. The present monarch, Elizabeth II, has reigned since 6 February 1952. She and her immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial and representational duties...
's
scepterCrown jewels are jewels or artifacts of the reigning royal family of their respective country. They belong to monarchs and are passed to the next sovereign to symbolize the right to rule. They may include crowns, scepters, orbs, swords, rings, and other objects...
, but was stopped as well.
In later years, he went straight and reappeared in
Teen Titans vol. 2 as an ally of Mr. Jupiter, where he designed the costumes of the new incarnation of the Titans. Mad Mod label "retro" clothing has occasionally been seen in the DCU since.
The term "Mad Mod, Poet God" was used by
Peter MilliganPeter Milligan is a British writer, best known for his comic book, film and television work.-Early career:Milligan started his comic career with short stories for 2000 AD in the early 1980s. By 1986, Milligan had his first ongoing strip in 2000AD called Bad Company, with artists Brett Ewins and...
for the unrelated DC character Shade the Changing Man. Another unrelated DC character is
The Mad Mod WitchThe Mad Mod Witch is a DC Comics character created by Dave Wood and Jack Sparling. She starred as host in the feature "Tales of the Mad Mod Witch" in The Unexpected, beginning in issue #108. She was not allowed to take over the book the way many of DC's other horror hosts had been...
from
The UnexpectedThe Unexpected was a DC Comics horror comic book, a continuation of Tales of the Unexpected. It ran 117 issues, #105-222, from 1968 to 1982.-Publication history:...
, later revealed to be a resident of the Dreaming known as "the Fashion Thing".
Television
Mad Mod appeared in the
Teen TitansTeen Titans is an American animated television series based on the popular DC Comics characters. The show was created by Glen Murakami, developed by David Slack, and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It premiered on Cartoon Network on July 19, 2003...
TV series voiced by
Malcolm McDowellMalcolm McDowell is an English actor. McDowell's career has spanned more than forty years and includes notable roles in if...., A Clockwork Orange, O Lucky Man!, Tank Girl, Star Trek Generations, the TV serial Our Friends in the North, Entourage, Heroes, Metalocalypse, the 2007 remake of Halloween...
. Mad Mod has no superpowers of his own, but he is a master of technological trickery such as robots and holographic projectors, which he controls with a ruby-handled cane. In one circumstance he was able to use such a cane to drain the youth from someone, making them old and him young again. He has an English accent and is utterly anglophilic. Moddie, as he often calls himself, tends to view the Titans as rebellious "snots", and claims that they show no respect for their elders. He has an odd habit of calling the Titans "[his] duckies".
He first appears in "Mad Mod" where he kidnaps the Titans and places them in a
psychedelicThe term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλείν , translating to "mind-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly ordinary fetters...
"school." He attempts to "teach them to behave" through
hypnosisHypnosis is a mental state or set of attitudes usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a series of preliminary instructions and suggestions. Hypnotic suggestions may be delivered by a hypnotist in the presence of the subject, or may be...
, using methods similar to the
Ludovico techniqueThe Ludovico technique is a fictional drug-assisted aversion therapy from the novel and film A Clockwork Orange. It involves the patient being forced to watch violent images for long periods of time, while under the effect of drugs that cause a near death experience...
(used in
A Clockwork OrangeA Clockwork Orange is a dystopian novel by Anthony Burgess.The title is taken from an old Cockney expression, "as queer as a clockwork orange".¹, and alludes to the prevention of the main character's exercise of his free will through the use of a classical conditioning technique...
, which McDowell starred in). When his initial attempts fail, he leads them on a
Scooby-DooScooby-Doo is a long-running American animated series produced for Saturday morning television in several different versions from 1969 to the present. The original series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, was created for Hanna-Barbera Productions by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears, CBS executive Fred...
-like chase through a
Yellow SubmarineYellow Submarine is a 1968 animated feature film based on the music of the Beatles. It is also the title for the soundtrack album to the feature film, released as part of the Beatles' music catalogue. The film was directed by animation producer George Dunning, and produced by United Artists and...
-esqe maze. The Titans escape when
RobinRobin is the name of fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero Batman. The team of Batman and Robin is commonly referred to as the Dynamic Duo or the Caped...
realizes that Mad Mod they are chasing is as fake as the rest of their surroundings; he thus abandons his attempts to capture him in favor of searching for flaws in the illusion. He quickly notices one - Mod's weapons have made an intriguing hole in the backdrop, which leads into the illusion's internal works. This enables him to confront the real Mad Mod in the illusion's control room - a sickly-looking old man using an advanced computer to control the entire school and the holograms of his younger self. Robin has no trouble defeating him.
In his next appearance, "Revolution", Mad Mod remakes the entire city in the image of old
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
by using hypno-screens to control the populace and giant illusions to change the look of the entire city to that of merry old
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
. He also kidnaps Robin and uses his staff to drain his youth, reducing Robin to a decrepit and helpless old man while Mad Mod becomes his young self again. The other Titans are initially prevented from reaching Mad Mod and freeing Robin by various large robots modeled after the
Coldstream GuardsHer Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
and Mad Mod anticipating their plans. Eventually the Titans succeed in knocking the cane out of Mad Mod's hand, which Robin then uses to reverse its aging effects. He then breaks the cane, ending Mad Mod's rule over the city by deactivating his equipment.
He also made a cameo appearance (in his old age) in "The Lost Episode" as one of the audience in the orchestra and last seen fleeing when Punk Rocket strikes.
Mad Mod later has several small appearances as a member of the
Brotherhood of EvilThe Brotherhood of Evil is a group of DC Comics supervillains, arch-enemies of the original Doom Patrol and the Teen Titans.-Origins:The Brotherhood of Evil was founded by the engimatic villain the Brain. In the beginning, the group's motivation was world domination...
where he is somehow young again. He was last seen fighting in "Titans Together" where he was blown off his feet by
Beast BoyGarfield Mark "Gar" Logan, known as Beast Boy or Changeling, is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics...
in
TyrannosaurusTyrannosaurus was a genus of theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex , commonly abbreviated to T. rex, is a fixture in popular culture. It lived throughout what is now western North America, with a much wider range than other tyrannosaurids...
form. He was briefly posessed by Jericho, and then was crushed by Overload. Jericho then left his body. He was then flash-frozen with the rest of the Brotherhood.
The character was bizarre, even by the cartoony Titans series' standards. His ability to produce illusions resulted in surreal, 60's styled landscapes, and allowed "Moddie" to appear in several different forms; even appearing stylized in the manner of
GodGod is a deity in theistic and deistic religions and other belief systems, representing either the sole deity in monotheism, or a principal deity in polytheism....
as he appeared in
Monty Python and the Holy GrailMonty Python and the Holy Grail is a 1975 comedy film written and performed by the comedy group Monty Python , and directed by Gilliam and Jones...
, or becoming a rounded,
Blue Meanie-In fiction:* Blue Meanies , fictional music-hating creatures who invade Pepperland in the film Yellow Submarine. They also make an appearance in the film Across the Universe...
-esque creature.
Others
- In Teen Titans Go, the comic based on the cartoon
Teen Titans is an American animated television series based on the popular DC Comics characters. The show was created by Glen Murakami, developed by David Slack, and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It premiered on Cartoon Network on July 19, 2003...
, Mad Mod tries to rule the world by selling people clothes that control their minds, and soon the civilians plus Beast BoyGarfield Mark "Gar" Logan, known as Beast Boy or Changeling, is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics...
and StarfireStarfire is the name of several fictional comic book characters published by DC Comics. The most prominent Starfire is Koriand'r, the third character to use that name...
are under Mad Mod's control and attack the remaining Titans. CyborgCyborg is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez, and first appears in DC Comics Presents #26...
uses a sonic device to destroy Mad Mod's clothes, which leaves everyone that wore the clothes naked. The Teen Titans then stop Mad Mod.
- Mad Mod appeared in issue 7 of the comic book tie in to Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Batman: The Brave and the Bold is an American animated television series based in part on the DC Comics "team-up" series The Brave and the Bold...
. He captures almost all of Doom PatrolThe Doom Patrol is a superhero team appearing in publications from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in My Greatest Adventure #80...
only to be defeated by the team and BatmanThe Batman, originally referred to as the Bat-Man, is a fictional character, a comic book superhero co-created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger , appearing in publications by DC Comics...
.