Mojo (comics)
Encyclopedia
Mojo is a Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...

 supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...

, primarily an enemy of the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...

 and one of its members, Longshot
Longshot
Longshot is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero best known as a member of the X-Men. He was created by writer Ann Nocenti and artist Art Adams.-Publication history:...

. Mojo is one of the "Spineless Ones," an alien
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...

 race that is immobile without advanced technology. He is a slave
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...

r who rules the Mojoverse, a dimension where all beings are addicted to his gladiator
Gladiator
A gladiator was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their legal and social standing and their lives by appearing in the...

-like television programs. The character is an absurdist
Absurdism
In philosophy, "The Absurd" refers to the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life and the human inability to find any...

 parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...

 of network executives.

Publication history

Created by writer Ann Nocenti
Ann Nocenti
Ann "Annie" Nocenti is an American journalist, writer, editor, and filmmaker best known for her work on comic books and magazines. As an editor for Marvel Comics, she edited New Mutants and The Uncanny X-Men...

 and artist Art Adams
Art Adams
Arthur "Art" Adams is an American comic book artist and writer. He first broke into the American comic book industry with the 1985 Marvel Comics miniseries Longshot...

, he first appeared in Longshot #3 (November 1985). Mojo was the main villain of the 1985/86 cult
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...

 mini-series Longshot, the title character of which was one of his genetically engineered action stars. Mojo also appeared in issues #4-6 (December 1985-February 1986) of the series. After Longshot joined the X-Men, Mojo has appeared semi-frequently as an X-Men villain.

The character subsequently appeared in The New Mutants Annual #2 (1986), The Uncanny X-Men Annual #10 (1986), #12 (1988), Excalibur: Mojo Mayhem (December 1989), Marvel Comics Presents #89 (1991), The Uncanny X-Men Annual #15 (1991), Wolverine #52 (March 1992), X-Men #6 (March 1992), Wolverine #53 (April 1992), X-Men #7 (April 1992), #10-11 (July-August 1992), The Uncanny X-Men Annual 16 (Annual 1992), Marvel Comics Presents #119 (1993), What If? #59 (March 1994), X-Men Adventures: Season Two #11 (December 1994), Marvel: Portraits of the Universe #1 (March 1995), X-Men: Mutations #1 (1996), Youngblood/X-Force #1 (July 1996), X-Force/Youngblood #1 (August 1996), X-Force #60-61 (November-December 1996), The Adventures of the X-Men #9-10 (1996-January 1997), X-Babies: Murderama #1 (January 1998), X-Force #76 (April 1998), X-Babies Reborn #1 (January 2000), X-Men Unlimited #32 (September 2001), Exiles #18-19 (December 2002-January 2003), The Uncanny X-Men #460-461 (August 2005), and Exiles #73-74 (February 2006).

Mojo received an entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications...

#8, and in the All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #7 (2006).

Fictional character biography

Most of the denizens of what would come to be called the Mojoverse were slowly driven insane by waves of energy from another space/time continuum. It would take centuries (of their time) for them to discover the origin of these transmissions. Mojo's race did not evolve
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...

 much because of their inability to stand upright, until a scientist named Arize developed exoskeleton
Exoskeleton
An exoskeleton is the external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body, in contrast to the internal skeleton of, for example, a human. In popular usage, some of the larger kinds of exoskeletons are known as "shells". Examples of exoskeleton animals include insects such as grasshoppers...

s that allowed a fast technological revolution. However, some members of the race refused to use them and called themselves the Spineless Ones. Instead, they used motorized platforms to transport their bodies. They also became the rulers and demanded a race of slaves to do all the tasks they could not or would not do. Arize created the slaves, humanoid beings, using genetic engineering and basing their appearance on the "demons" of the Spineless Ones' nightmares - which were actually the characters of TV broadcasts of Earth-616, somehow scattered throughout their time line and perceived by the Spineless Ones. Unknown to the Spineless Ones, Arize secretly planted the seeds in their genetic make-up to eventually turn on their masters and rule Mojo-world justly. Arize was banished by the Spineless Ones when he refused to build weapons for them.

The power structure of this world was based on the television industry and Mojo became their leader by controlling it, along with the slave trade. Mojo named the world after himself; 'Mojo World' and the universe the 'Mojoverse'. His followers, including Warwolves
Warwolves
The Warwolves are fictional characters appearing in the comic books published by Marvel Comics, as part of the shared Marvel Universe.-Characteristics:...

 (vaguely dog-like metallic beings with the ability to kill people and take over the remains of their bodies as skins), became known as Wildways. Mojo also has a Chamberlain
Chamberlain (office)
A chamberlain is an officer in charge of managing a household. In many countries there are ceremonial posts associated with the household of the sovereign....

, an android named Major Domo, who oversees Mojo's financial records and relays Mojo's commands to his servants. Major Domo is completely loyal to Mojo, but often obeys with sarcastic comments towards Mojo. Major Domo's assistant, a near-constant companion, is called Minor Domo, a hysterical young girl prone to imagining worst-case scenarios.

One of the slaves Mojo had ordered, Longshot
Longshot
Longshot is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero best known as a member of the X-Men. He was created by writer Ann Nocenti and artist Art Adams.-Publication history:...

, became one of his best stunt performers. However, Longshot disagreed with the rules and led a rebellion (most likely motivated by the death of Jackson, a fellow stuntman). He was captured and had his memories removed, but managed to escape to Earth, followed by bounty hunters. On Earth Longshot found allies in the form of Dr. Strange and the human stuntwoman Ricochet Rita and they managed to defeat Mojo, driving him back to his own world. Longshot, his friend Quark and Rita returned to the Mojoverse to free their fellow slaves. Longshot's mission failed and they were captured by Mojo. Longshot was brainwashed again, while Rita was tied to the bow of Mojo's worldtravelling ship, serving as a guide. In an alternate future, Mojo had Rita transformed into an insane warrior/mage named Spiral
Spiral (comics)
Spiral is a fictional character, a supervillainess in the Marvel Comics universe. She first appeared in the Longshot miniseries by Ann Nocenti and Art Adams.-Fictional character biography:...

 and she was sent back in time to capture or kill Longshot.

Mojo became interested in Earth and captured Betsy Braddock, the mutant known as Psylocke
Psylocke
Psylocke is a fictional character depicted in comic books published by Marvel Comics, most notably those comics featuring the superhero team the X-Men. The character has also appeared in licensed adaptations. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Herb Trimpe, she first appeared in the UK...

, who had been blinded, and implanted bionic eyes in her original body. Much later it was learned that the eyes Mojo gave her were in fact interdimensional cameras allowing Mojo to record and broadcast all she could see. Psylocke was rescued by the New Mutants
New Mutants
The New Mutants are a group of teenaged mutant superheroes-in-training published by Marvel Comics. They have been the main characters of three successive comic book series, which were spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise....

, and she aided both the New Mutants and the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...

 before officially becoming an X-Man herself. It was later revealed that Betsy's body retained robotic eyes, as her consciousness was switched with the one of a comatose Japanese assassin.

Shortly afterward, Mojo sent Longshot to Earth where he joined the X-Men as well. Mojo had planned on enslaving the X-Men by turning them into children, but the New Mutants managed to free them and together they forced Mojo to flee again. Still Mojo found out that the adventures of the X-Men shot the audience level to top ratings; which increased his political power.

Mojo also manipulated the X-Men member Rachel Summers
Rachel Summers
Rachel Anne Summers is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne for Marvel Comics....

 into working for him, but she soon escaped after realizing she was little more than a prisoner. Further setbacks began as Psylocke's broadcasts stopped when the X-Men were presumedly killed by the Adversary
Adversary (comics)
The Adversary is a fictional character, a demonic supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:The Adversary first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #187-188 , and was created by Chris Claremont and John Romita, Jr....

, but Mojo wanted to have footage of the X-Men to improve his ratings, so one of his assistants came up with a possible solution; create versions that could be controlled. Many different versions of the X-Men appeared before him, but he considered them all failures and ordered their death except the X-Babies
X-Babies
The X-Babies are a group of Mojo-manufactured child clones of the X-Men. They first appeared in Uncanny X-Men Annual #12 and were created by Chris Claremont and Art Adams.-Appearances:...

. The X-babies were an immediate success but they rebelled almost immediately and escaped taking Rita with them.

Mojo reappeared along with an alternate version of Jubilee
Jubilee (comics)
Jubilation "Jubilee" Lee is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superheroine associated with the X-Men.A mutant, Jubilee had the superhuman power to generate "fireworks" of explosive plasma. A teenage "mall rat," she was the X-Men's youngest member in the early 1990s, often playing sidekick to...

. Mojo had kidnapped Jubilee, taking her to the "Big Crunch", the end of time where all matter would collapse. Jubilee agreed to be Mojo's slave if he wouldn't interrupt the Crunch. Older and renamed Abcissa, she kidnapped her younger self and took her to the Crunch. Wolverine appeared with a missile and defeated Mojo. Since Jubilee refused Mojo's offer, Abcissa's existence was nullified.

Eventually, Longshot returned to free the slaves and deposed Mojo, with the help of Mojo's upright, more human looking (although yellow) clone Mojo II: The Sequel. However, Mojo II turned out to be just as bad as his predecessor and Longshot had to defeat him as well. After Mojo II was ousted, Mojo reclaimed his position and became the leader of Mojo World once more.

Mojo never learned from his mistake concerning the X-babies and would create more X-Babies, who also rebelled. Eventually all of the X-Men had X-Baby counterparts on Mojo-world, and they all rebelled against Mojo and fled to an area he could not reach. He also created the Mitey 'Vengers (child versions of the Avengers) to finally stop the X-Babies once and for all. Of course, the Mitey 'Vengers, being essentially of the same moral fabric as their adult counterparts, turned on Mojo and defeated him. Finally, he created toddler versions of the Age of Apocalypse villains. These entities were seemingly more intelligent and broke the control Mojo had on them. According to Dazzler these versions were responsible for the destruction of great part of Mojo-World, but apparently Mojo managed to defeat them and again take control of Mojo-World. He then made a deal with the Exiles: in return for Longshot's help, Mojo receives broadcasts from all over the multiverse through the Exiles' crystal palace; prior to this, Mojo had tried to get his hands on Nocturne using the "Exile Legal Eagles," clones of the Exiles' previous lineup.

Later, Mojo reappeared along with the previously vanished Nocturne and Juggernaut, using a "Jean-Bomb" to turn the X-Men into babies, and after his defeat, a guilt-ridden Juggernaut was tempted with the offer of remaining a child, but ultimately refused. Emma Frost made sure that Mojo would be handled by professionals so that he would never bother the X-Men again and was locked away by the Government. But, he is now free once again.

Mojo was one of the villains Beast
Beast (comics)
Beast , Dr. Henry Philip "Hank" McCoy, is a comic book character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the mutant team of superheroes known as the X-Men...

 offered to "sell his soul to" in order to obtain help in reversing the effects of M-Day
Decimation (comics)
Decimation is the late 2005 Marvel Comics storyline spinning off from the House of M limited series. It focuses on the ramifications of the Scarlet Witch stripping nearly all of the mutant population of their powers, thereby reducing a society of millions to one of scant hundreds.This event, which...

. Spiral later mentions to Beast that Mojo is displeased with the fact that mutants are now an endangered species and how it will affect his television ratings.

Mojo was recently revealed as the villain responsible for Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...

 and Wolverine being sent randomly shifting through time, the time-shifts being virtual creations generated by Mojo as a new idea.

Powers and abilities

Mojo's multi-legged flying platform is armed with various particle beam weapons. It also has a large artificial appendage that can be used as an arm or a slicing weapon and two smaller arms. He is strong enough to hold a human off of the ground with one arm easily. He has several powers derived from magic, including the projection of magical energy blasts. These magical powers are strengthened by the 'worship of his followers' and hence directly linked to the popularity of his TV programs. He cannot be harmed by the touch of Rogue
Rogue (comics)
Rogue was first slated to appear in Ms. Marvel #25 , but the book's abrupt cancellation left her original introduction story unpublished for over a decade, before seeing print in Marvel Super Heroes #11 in 1992. Rogue's first published appearance was in Avengers Annual #10...

, no matter how long she is in contact with him. He has bear hugged Rogue with much ease until she was left unconscious.

Mojo also is a force of death and corruption; his touch can wither plants and age humans. His prolonged presence on Earth could cause storms and other natural disasters according to Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....

.

Other versions

Mojo claims that he and the beings who populate Mojo World are "unique" in the sense that unlike the rest of the Marvel Universe, Mojo World has no parallel counterpart; this was documented in Exiles
Exiles (Marvel Comics)
The Exiles are a group of fictional characters that feature in three Marvel Comics series, Exiles, New Exiles, and Exiles vol. 2. The Exiles consists of characters from different dimensions, or realities, which have been removed from time and space in order to correct problems in various alternate...

 #18-19, though this is possibly incorrect as an alternate version of Longshot exists in the Ultimate continuity, and an Ultimate version of Mojo has been seen. A cartoon version of Mojo exists, although the cartoon is a retelling of the X-Men mythos. An alternate future reality of Mojo World, where the Spineless Ones were mistreated slaves, was featured in the "Shattershot" crossover.

Ultimate Mojo

In the series Ultimate X-Men
Ultimate X-Men
Ultimate X-Men is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2001 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running X-Men comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...

,
set outside the ordinary Marvel continuity
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...

, Mojo is not an alien but an ordinary human being. He is a well-dressed, obese albino television producer. He trapped a young mutant fugitive Longshot
Longshot
Longshot is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero best known as a member of the X-Men. He was created by writer Ann Nocenti and artist Art Adams.-Publication history:...

 on an island where humans hunt him as part of a popular reality show. This Mojo also has a Major Domo, a young, fit, human man with a family of his own. Later on he was seen working with Augustus "Gus" Beezer and hired Deadpool and his Marauders
Marauders (comics)
The Marauders is a team of fictional supervillain characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist John Romita, Jr., the team first appear in Uncanny X-Men #210 The Marauders is a team of fictional supervillain characters in comic books published by...

 to capture the X-Men and bring them back to Krakoa where they were to be executed on live television by the Reavers
Reavers (comics)
In the fictional Marvel Comics universe the Reavers are a team of criminal cyborgs. The most significant team of Reavers were dedicated to the destruction of the mutant X-Men, and a number of them especially wanted to take revenge on one particular X-Man, Wolverine. The name was originally used by...

. He kept Professor X
Professor X
Professor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....

 captive and forced him to watch the entire show a la Clockwork Orange by using some kind of collar to disable Xavier's telepathic powers. His plans however were foiled by the combined efforts of the X-Men
Ultimate X-Men
Ultimate X-Men is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2001 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running X-Men comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...

 and Spider-Man
Ultimate Spider-Man
Ultimate Spider-Man was a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...

, who was also captured during his visit to the X-Mansion
X-Mansion
In the fictional Marvel Comics universe, the X-Mansion is the common name for Professor Xavier's mansion. It is the base of operations and training site of the X-Men and the location of a school for mutant teenagers, the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, formerly Xavier's School for Gifted...

. It is unknown what happened to Mojo after this because Xavier seemed to have taken care of him during his escape. In this series, Mojo's full name is Mojo Adams, a tribute to his creator Art Adams.

Television

  • Mojo appeared in the X-Men
    X-Men (TV series)
    X-Men, also known as X-Men: The Animated Series, is an American animated television series which debuted on October 31, 1992, in the United States on the Fox Network as part of its Fox Kids Saturday morning lineup...

    episodes "Mojovision" and "Longshot" voiced by Peter Wildman
    Peter Wildman
    Peter Wildman is a Canadian actor, voice actor, musician, writer and member of the Frantics comedy troupe. He voiced Buzz Sherwood on The Red Green Show, Mojo on the X-Men Animated Series and Sergeant Murphy in the series The Busy World of Richard Scarry....

    . This version of Mojo had the ability of shooting laser blasts from a cannon installed at the tip of his mechanical tail.

  • Mojo first appears in the Wolverine and the X-Men episode "X-Calibre" voiced by Charlie Adler. He sends Spiral and the Reavers to ships bound to Genosha to pick out the mutants for his program. After Spiral was thwarted by Nightcrawler and seeing the X-Men, Mojo plans to abduct them. In "Hunting Grounds," Mojo abducts Nightcrawler and Scarlet Witch and forces them to fight a mind-controlled Wolverine. Eventually all three X-Men escape the show and attack Mojo himself, but he and Spiral teleport to safety. Mojo declares that "This demands a sequel!", indicating that they will be back.

Video games

  • Mojo also appeared as a boss in the first X-Men game for the Sega Genesis released in 1993. A game where, in order to beat his level known as "Mojo's Crunch", players have to press the "reset" button.

  • He also makes a cameo (in the form big balloon shaped with his face) in the background of the lower lever in Spiral's stage and in both Spiral's and Iceman
    Iceman (comics)
    Iceman is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, he first appeared in X-Men vol. 1 #1, ....

    's ending in Capcom
    Capcom
    is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...

    's X-Men: Children of the Atom
    X-Men: Children of the Atom (arcade game)
    is an arcade game that was produced by Capcom and released on the CPS-2 arcade system in 1994. It is the first fighting game produced by Capcom using characters under license from Marvel Comics, widely praised for its faithfulness in capturing the spirit of its namesake comics, by using colorful...

    game.

  • The third X-Men video game released for the Sega Game Gear was subtitled Mojo's World and features Mojo as its final foe.

  • Mojo is also the antagonist of a pre-created Cartoon on the X-Men Cartoon Maker.

  • Mojo makes a cameo appearance in Viewtiful Joe
    Viewtiful Joe (character)
    is a fictional character in the Viewtiful Joe video game series. While normally a regular person named Joe, he obtains the ability to transform into Viewtiful Joe by entering a movie and gaining the ability from an older superhero named Captain Blue in order to save his girlfriend, Sylvia. He was...

    's ending for Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
    Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds
    is a crossover fighting game developed by Capcom. It features Capcom's own characters and characters from American comic book company Marvel Comics. It is the fifth installment of the Marvel vs...

    , where he and Spiral are shown working as producers on the police procedural
    Police procedural
    The police procedural is a subgenre of detective fiction which attempts to convincingly depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. While traditional detective novels usually concentrate on a single crime, police procedurals frequently depict investigations into several...

     show Joe and Captain Blue are starring in.

Toys

  • In 1994, Toy Biz produced a Mojo action figure for their wave of X-Men: X-Force toys.
  • In 2002, a Unique HeroClix
    HeroClix
    HeroClix is a collectible miniatures game that uses the Clix system. Originally designed and produced by WizKids, it is now owned and marketed by NECA. Players construct teams of comic book heroes, villains, and other characters from popular video games such as Street Fighter, Gears of War, and Halo...

     figure of Mojo was released in the Clobberin' Time set.
  • In 2006, a "Build-A-Figure" Mojo toy was produced by Toy Biz for Wave 14 of their Marvel Legends
    Marvel Legends
    Marvel Legends is an action figure line based on the characters of Marvel Comics, initially produced by Toy Biz, then by Hasbro. This line is in the scale, with spin-off lines in the , , and scale.-History:...

     toyline. This toy required you to buy all the figures in the wave with each figure coming with a piece of the Mojo toy. The pieces would snap together to make the Mojo figure complete. This Build-A-Figure was much smaller than the previous ones (Galactus
    Galactus
    Galactus is a fictional character appearing in comic books and other publications published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character debuted in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue story later known as "The Galactus...

    , a Sentinel
    Sentinel (comics)
    Sentinels are a fictional variety of mutant-hunting robots, appearing in the Marvel Comics Universe. They are usually portrayed as antagonists to the X-Men. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, they first appeared in The X-Men #14 .According to Marvel canon, Sentinels are programmed to locate...

     and Apocalypse
    Apocalypse (comics)
    Apocalypse is a fictional character who is an ancient mutant that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Factor #5 , created by writer Louise Simonson and designed by artist Walter Simonson...

    ).

External links

  • Mojo at the Marvel Universe
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