Mole Man
Encyclopedia
The Mole Man is a comic book
supervillain
that exists in Marvel Comics
' main shared
universe
. He first appeared in Fantastic Four
(Volume 1) #1, and was created by Stan Lee
and Jack Kirby
.
regarding a Hollow Earth
. In 1956, while following the group of explorers called the Monster Hunters
, he stumbled upon Monster Island, which was at the time a base of the Deviant
Warlord Kro
(at the time, Monster Island was located near Japan, although other stories place it in the Bermuda Triangle
; some issues of X-Men have portrayed them as two distinct separate locations).
When Elder fell into a massive cave leading deep into the underground realm of Subterranea
, he decided his theories had finally been vindicated. However, he suffered permanent damage to his eyes when he gazed directly upon a highly reflective deposit of diamonds. Partially blind and apparently secluded from the surface world forever, Elder dubbed himself the Mole Man and began exploring his new home. He eventually became the ruler of the branch of Subterraneans now known as the Moloids, and the ruler of much of Subterranea and the caverns of Monster Isle. He used the Deviant-derived creatures and technology that he found in Subterranea to strike back at the outer world in numerous attempts to rule or humble the world that had rejected him.
The Mole Man conducted attacks on the surface world by destroying power plants until he was opposed by the Fantastic Four
in their first adventure on Monster Isle. The Mole Man apparently destroyed Monster Isle in an atomic blast, although it was seen on several other occasions. The Mole Man's Deviant-bred monstrous mutates, collectively known as the "Mole Man's Monsters", include the three-headed Tricephalous, the horned Megataur, and the flying bird-insect creature known only as "Skreeal". The Mole Man also has a group of superhuman
allies called the Outcasts
.
The Mole Man later stole buildings from New York City, but was thwarted by the Fantastic Four and apparently killed. With the Red Ghost
, he next battled the Avengers
and tried to use a machine that caused earthquakes to take over the world, however Giant-Man
shrunk down to ant-size and sabotaged the machine. Mole Man was among the criminals later assembled by Doctor Doom
to attack Reed and Sue's wedding. Mole Man then fought a war against Tyrannus
. Mole Man used the original X-Men
as pawns in his war against Tyrannus. The Mole Man later trapped the Fantastic Four in a house that blinded them. Mole Man continued to fight a war with Tyrannus.
He later teamed with Kala
, the queen of the Subterranean Netherworlders, and fell in love with Kala. He plotted to destroy the surface world, but was betrayed by Kala and Tyrannus. Some time later, Mole Man and Kala were betrothed to be married. Namor, the Atlantean prince, helped out the Moloids when a conquering force was slaughtering many while using them for slave labor.
Much later, Mole Man befriended the Thing
and then plotted to raise a new continent at the cost of sinking California, but was again thwarted by the Fantastic Four. He was captured by Lava Men later. Mole Man then attempted to bring peace to Subterranea, but was attacked by Fantastic Four clones. He contended with Skrull
s, and tried unsuccessfully to capture a Skrull technotroid egg.
Mole Man later allied with Grotesk
and Tyrannus against Deviants led by Brutus. He aided the Hulk
in fighting Brutus's Deviants. Together with his allies, he triumphed over Brutus, and welcomed back Kala as his consort.
Mole Man became involved with the West Coast Avengers
when one of his monsters attacked Los Angeles. His Moloids were caught in the middle of a Skrull
revenge scheme on the Fantastic Four. A replacement Fantastic Four, consisting of Spider-Man
, Ghost Rider
, the Hulk
and Wolverine
were tricked into entering the Mole Man's territory and battling his forces.
He later battled the West Coast Avengers along with the U-Foes
during the Acts of Vengeance
, but their attempts met with failure.
's superhero team, the Infinity Watch
, to use Monster Island (more specifically, a castle located on its grounds) as a base, on the reasoning that they could help protect him from any meddlers, which they did on several occasions. They proved helpful when the United Nations invaded the island. The Watch, primarily Gamora
, drove away the invading force with an absolute minimum of harm. The Avengers
assisted with the United Nations, then recognized the Mole Man's rulership over the island.
Mole Man tended to keep out of the way when the cosmic plans went on. The Watch occupied the Monster Island castle until their dissolution as a team. Following their departure, the Mole Man apparently returned to his solitary, vengeful existence. Aside from occasional fits of hostility, he seems for the most part content to rule his subterranean kingdom, and for the past few years his surface activities have mostly been limited to reacting to threats (real or imagined) to his people.
, who destroyed his remaining monsters, and he was arrested.
Mole Man was also behind a series of Chupacabra
attacks in Puerto Rico
. His motive was to protect the blood-drinking race from extinction.
In Runaways
, the Runaways are fighting a huge tall sky-scraper sized monster. When Victor
suggests Nico
shrink it, Nico mentions she already used that spell on Mole Man.
In Incredible Hulk 605, Mole Man witnessed the return
of the Hulk
, which pleased him. However, when the Hulk was defeated and his stone ship destroyed, various creatures from planet Sakaar were released into the underground. Mole Man trained the alien beasts and lead them to attack New York once more. However, the creatures were really waiting for that arrival of Skaar
, the Hulk's son. However, Tyrannus
rose to challenge Mole Man's claim and used magic to pervert the aliens so that they could destroy the surface. Skaar went into a berserker rage and thus both Tyrannus and Mole Man fled.
, heightened to nearly superhuman levels.
The Mole Man fights with a staff and has developed a fighting style that resembles bōjutsu
; despite his small size and relative weakness he is a highly proficient hand-to-hand combatant when armed with his staff. He also commands an army of monsters and Subterraneans that are absolutely loyal to him.
The Mole Man is extremely near-sighted due to damage his vision suffered years ago, and his eyes are extremely sensitive to bright light
. He is virtually blinded by normal illumination. To counter this, he wears protective glasses (an early version of a nuclear weapons test Range Officer's flash-goggles) that both reduce bright light to levels his weak eyes can tolerate and increase dim light to levels by which he can see. His sense of hearing, smell, and touch are far more sensitive than that of a normal human; these senses are heightened, but not superhuman. He possesses a "radar sense" that supplements his own weak natural vision.
Mole Man has a series of similar-looking staves (6 feet long, made of wood or aluminum), designed by the Mad Thinker
, which contain built-in weapon(s) and additional features. Among such weaponry are an electrical blaster, a flame-thrower, a vibro-charge blaster, and a laser cannon. All of the staffs appear to have a low-energy radar. All staves are booby-trapped with a galvanic response meter that is tuned solely to the Mole Man's skin conductivity; this prevents anyone else from activating his staves.
Mole Man's life has made him an expert on subterranean geography
, spelunking, understanding Deviant weapons systems, and monster training. He has mastered the principles underlying Deviant technology that he discovered in Subterranea and has made radical improvements upon much of it.
This incarnation of the Mole Man looks physically different from his 616 counterpart, with a taller, more muscular build and apparently increased strength, being able to hold up Johnny Storm
with only one hand.
Later, there are hints Mole Man's island is connected to the Inhumans
' city of Attilian.
, these plans are dashed. That same evening, he bumps into May Parker
and becomes instantly smitten with her. He eventually decides to kidnap both May and Mary Jane and takes them to his kingdom. Peter chases after them as Spider-Man but is bested in combat by the Mole Man, forcing him to seek out help from The Fantastic Four
's Thing. The Mole Man and Aunt May begin to bond romanticly, to the point May agrees to marry him. Spider-Man and The Thing arrive and after a short confrontation and conversation, are convinced to honor May's wishes that she spend the rest of her days making a lost soul happy. The wedding, however, is interrupted by May suffering from a physical condition called Spelunker's Lung, which causes her to have severe breathing problems when underground. This condition is what ultimately forces Spider-Man and the Thing to take May back to the surface along with MJ. Mole Man, realizing his new found love can never rule alongside him due to this condition, reluctantly says goodbye to her and returns home to rule alone.
In this continuity, Mole Man's real name is revealed as "Melvin"
universe created by an insane Scarlet Witch
, the Mole Man appears in Fantastic Four: House of M as an enemy of the Fearsome Four, which is composed of Doctor Doom
, the Inhuman Torch
, the Invincible Girl, and the It. This version of the Mole Man is killed by the Fearsome Four during a battle with them.
, the Mole Man, along with several other undead villains, first appears to attack Galactus
; after Galactus is defeated by several heroes, Mole Man gets into an argument with Colonel America over who gets to eat the injured Galactus, and is subsequently blasted apart by the cosmically powered colonel.
The zombie Mole Man also appears in the prequel to Marvel Zombies, Marvel Zombies: Dead Days, appearing to attack Nova
alongside the Wizard
.
According to his history, which he told to the abducted Baxtor students, he left his family after he devolved his younger sister into a lungfish and turned his father over to the government for money. His first bioexperiment went unsuccessfully and he snuck into Europe in the guise of a washerwoman (he adds that he kept the costume and later added sequins to it). He is led to the ruins of the underground civilization by an insane Italian man who was a part of a NATO expedition to find the lost city, the third group to try (the first two groups perished and the rest of the third group either starved to death or killed each other). Though Mole Man found the Italian man's insane antics amusing, he later fed the Italian to an underground monster to gain the monster's trust.
Ultimate Mole Man physically resembled the original character. However, he is bulkier, rarely washes and has an unsightly skin condition. The Ultimate Moloids are fungus-based life-forms engineered by Mole Man himself, though initially simplistic and animalistic, they are more intelligent in their second appearance, even speaking a language which Mole Man understands.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
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...
that exists in 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...
' main shared
Shared universe
A shared universe is a fictional universe to which more than one writer contributes. Work set in a shared universe share characters and other elements with varying degrees of consistency. Shared universes are contrasted with collaborative writing, in which multiple authors work on a single story....
universe
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...
. He first appeared in Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
(Volume 1) #1, and was created by Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
and Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
.
Fictional character biography
The Mole Man was originally Harvey Rupert Elder, an American nuclear engineer and explorer. Elder was socially shunned due to a combination of his abrasive personality and his homely, dwarfish appearance. Furthermore, his fellow explorers ridiculed him for his eccentric, crackpot theoriesPseudoscience
Pseudoscience is a claim, belief, or practice which is presented as scientific, but which does not adhere to a valid scientific method, lacks supporting evidence or plausibility, cannot be reliably tested, or otherwise lacks scientific status...
regarding a Hollow Earth
Hollow Earth
The Hollow Earth hypothesis proposes that the planet Earth is either entirely hollow or otherwise contains a substantial interior space. The hypothesis has been shown to be wrong by observational evidence, as well as by the modern understanding of planet formation; the scientific community has...
. In 1956, while following the group of explorers called the Monster Hunters
Monster Hunters
The Monster Hunters were a fictional group, appearing in comic book series published by Marvel Comics. This group exists in Marvel's shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe....
, he stumbled upon Monster Island, which was at the time a base of the Deviant
Deviant (comics)
The Deviants are a fictional race of superhumans in the Marvel Comics' universe. They are an offshoot of the evolutionary process that created sentient life on Earth instigated by the alien Celestials, and wage war against their counterparts, the Eternals...
Warlord Kro
Kro (comics)
Kro is a Marvel Comics supervillain.-Publication history:Created by Jack Kirby, Kro first appeared in Eternals vol. 1 #1 ....
(at the time, Monster Island was located near Japan, although other stories place it in the Bermuda Triangle
Bermuda Triangle
The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean where a number of aircraft and surface vessels allegedly disappeared under mysterious circumstances....
; some issues of X-Men have portrayed them as two distinct separate locations).
When Elder fell into a massive cave leading deep into the underground realm of Subterranea
Subterranea (comics)
Subterranea is a fictional realm far beneath the Earth's surface in the Marvel Comics universe. Subterranea is a network of massive caves, passages, and tunnels, some large enough to hold cities, that are inhabited by the various races of Subterraneans. The first recorded entrance to Subterranea...
, he decided his theories had finally been vindicated. However, he suffered permanent damage to his eyes when he gazed directly upon a highly reflective deposit of diamonds. Partially blind and apparently secluded from the surface world forever, Elder dubbed himself the Mole Man and began exploring his new home. He eventually became the ruler of the branch of Subterraneans now known as the Moloids, and the ruler of much of Subterranea and the caverns of Monster Isle. He used the Deviant-derived creatures and technology that he found in Subterranea to strike back at the outer world in numerous attempts to rule or humble the world that had rejected him.
The Mole Man conducted attacks on the surface world by destroying power plants until he was opposed by the Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
in their first adventure on Monster Isle. The Mole Man apparently destroyed Monster Isle in an atomic blast, although it was seen on several other occasions. The Mole Man's Deviant-bred monstrous mutates, collectively known as the "Mole Man's Monsters", include the three-headed Tricephalous, the horned Megataur, and the flying bird-insect creature known only as "Skreeal". The Mole Man also has a group of superhuman
Superhuman
Superhuman can mean an improved human, for example, by genetic modification, cybernetic implants, or as what humans might evolve into, in the near or distant future...
allies called the Outcasts
Outcasts (Marvel Comics)
The Outcasts are three unrelated fictional groups of characters from the Marvel Universe.-Outcasts :The Outcasts are a fictional group of characters from the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:...
.
The Mole Man later stole buildings from New York City, but was thwarted by the Fantastic Four and apparently killed. With the Red Ghost
Red Ghost
The Red Ghost and his Super-Apes are a group of Marvel Comics supervillains, who started their career fighting the Fantastic Four, before confronting other Marvel heroes like Iron Man and Spider-Man...
, he next battled the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
and tried to use a machine that caused earthquakes to take over the world, however Giant-Man
Giant-Man
Giant-Man is the alias used by a number of Marvel Comics' fictional characters :* Henry Pym, the original character who has also used other aliases, like Ant-Man and Yellowjacket....
shrunk down to ant-size and sabotaged the machine. Mole Man was among the criminals later assembled by Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom
Victor von Doom is a fictional character who appears in Marvel Comics publications . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 wearing his trademark metal mask and green cloak...
to attack Reed and Sue's wedding. Mole Man then fought a war against Tyrannus
Tyrannus (comics)
Tyrannus is an immortal supervillain in the Marvel Universe. He first appeared in Incredible Hulk vol. 1 #5 , and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Fictional character biography:...
. Mole Man used the original 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...
as pawns in his war against Tyrannus. The Mole Man later trapped the Fantastic Four in a house that blinded them. Mole Man continued to fight a war with Tyrannus.
He later teamed with Kala
Kala (comics)
Kala is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Fictional character biography:Kala is the Queen of the Netherworld, which is another name for the city of Netheria. Netheria was once a city on the continent of Atlantis, which was enclosed in an airtight dome to protect itself from the Deviant...
, the queen of the Subterranean Netherworlders, and fell in love with Kala. He plotted to destroy the surface world, but was betrayed by Kala and Tyrannus. Some time later, Mole Man and Kala were betrothed to be married. Namor, the Atlantean prince, helped out the Moloids when a conquering force was slaughtering many while using them for slave labor.
Much later, Mole Man befriended the Thing
Thing (comics)
The Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...
and then plotted to raise a new continent at the cost of sinking California, but was again thwarted by the Fantastic Four. He was captured by Lava Men later. Mole Man then attempted to bring peace to Subterranea, but was attacked by Fantastic Four clones. He contended with Skrull
Skrull
The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The Skrulls first appeared in Fantastic Four #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
s, and tried unsuccessfully to capture a Skrull technotroid egg.
Mole Man later allied with Grotesk
Grotesk (comics)
Grotesk is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:Grotesk first appeared in X-Men #41-42 , and was created by Roy Thomas and Don Heck.The character subsequently appears in Ms...
and Tyrannus against Deviants led by Brutus. He aided the Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
in fighting Brutus's Deviants. Together with his allies, he triumphed over Brutus, and welcomed back Kala as his consort.
Mole Man became involved with the West Coast Avengers
West Coast Avengers
The West Coast Avengers is a fictional group of superheroes that appear in publications published by Marvel Comics. The team first appear in The West Coast Avengers #1 and was created by Roger Stern and Bob Hall.- Publication history :...
when one of his monsters attacked Los Angeles. His Moloids were caught in the middle of a Skrull
Skrull
The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The Skrulls first appeared in Fantastic Four #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
revenge scheme on the Fantastic Four. A replacement Fantastic Four, consisting of 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...
, Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider (Daniel Ketch)
Ghost Rider is a comic book character, a supernatural superhero in Marvel Comics' main shared universe. He is the third Marvel character to use the name Ghost Rider, following the Western hero later known as the Phantom Rider, and Johnny Blaze, the first supernatural Ghost Rider.-Publication...
, the Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
and Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
were tricked into entering the Mole Man's territory and battling his forces.
He later battled the West Coast Avengers along with the U-Foes
U-Foes
U-Foes are a fictional comic book supervillain team appearing in various series published by Marvel Comics. The group first appeared in Incredible Hulk #254...
during the Acts of Vengeance
Acts of Vengeance
"Acts of Vengeance" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through several titles published by Marvel Comics from December 1989 to February 1990.-Publication history:...
, but their attempts met with failure.
Reformation
Later, he surrendered his desire for conquest and revenge and began assembling a sanctuary for others who had been rejected by the surface world. His two attempts to do so led to the deaths of most of the visitors to his sanctuaries. Briefly, the Mole Man allowed Adam WarlockAdam Warlock
Adam Warlock, originally known as Him, is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Fantastic Four #66 and #67 Adam Warlock, originally known as Him, is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel...
's superhero team, the Infinity Watch
Infinity Watch
The Infinity Watch is a group of fictional characters in Marvel Comics' universe. The Watch was gathered in Warlock and the Infinity Watch #1, and starred in that series until it ended with issue #42...
, to use Monster Island (more specifically, a castle located on its grounds) as a base, on the reasoning that they could help protect him from any meddlers, which they did on several occasions. They proved helpful when the United Nations invaded the island. The Watch, primarily Gamora
Gamora
Gamora is a fictional comic book character in Marvel Comics' shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe. She is the adopted daughter of Thanos and the occasional love interest of Adam Warlock and Nova.-Publication history:...
, drove away the invading force with an absolute minimum of harm. The Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
assisted with the United Nations, then recognized the Mole Man's rulership over the island.
Mole Man tended to keep out of the way when the cosmic plans went on. The Watch occupied the Monster Island castle until their dissolution as a team. Following their departure, the Mole Man apparently returned to his solitary, vengeful existence. Aside from occasional fits of hostility, he seems for the most part content to rule his subterranean kingdom, and for the past few years his surface activities have mostly been limited to reacting to threats (real or imagined) to his people.
Attacking Again
In one incident, he was causing property damage purely to help the Moloids, whose water and food had become polluted. He appeared in The Mighty Avengers having led an attack on New York, claiming retaliation for his underground home, which he says is destroyed. He was humiliated by a female-formed UltronUltron
Ultron is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Avengers #54 , and was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema...
, who destroyed his remaining monsters, and he was arrested.
Mole Man was also behind a series of Chupacabra
Chupacabra
The chupacabras is a legendary cryptid rumored to inhabit parts of the Americas. It is associated more recently with sightings of an allegedly unknown animal in Puerto Rico , Mexico, and the United States, especially in the latter's Latin American communities...
attacks in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. His motive was to protect the blood-drinking race from extinction.
In Runaways
Runaways (comics)
Runaways is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series features a group of teenagers who discover that their parents are part of an evil crime group called the Pride. Created by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona, the series debuted in April of 2003 as part of Marvel Comics'...
, the Runaways are fighting a huge tall sky-scraper sized monster. When Victor
Victor Mancha
Victor Mancha is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics award-winning series, Runaways. He was created by author Brian K. Vaughan and artist Adrian Alphona, and debuted in Runaways vol. 2 #1 . Like the original runaways, Victor has a supervillain for a parent; his father is the robot Ultron...
suggests Nico
Nico Minoru
Nico Minoru , is a fictional comic book character in the Marvel Comics award-winning series, Runaways. Created in 2003 by writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Adrian Alphona, the character first debuted in Runaways vol. 1 #1 with most of the other main characters...
shrink it, Nico mentions she already used that spell on Mole Man.
In Incredible Hulk 605, Mole Man witnessed the return
World War Hulk
"World War Hulk" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self titled limited series and various other titles published by Marvel Comics in 2007, featuring the Hulk....
of the Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
, which pleased him. However, when the Hulk was defeated and his stone ship destroyed, various creatures from planet Sakaar were released into the underground. Mole Man trained the alien beasts and lead them to attack New York once more. However, the creatures were really waiting for that arrival of Skaar
Skaar
Skaar is a fictional comic book character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character to Hulk. He is the son of the Hulk and the extraterrestrial Caiera, who conceived him during the "Planet Hulk" storyline...
, the Hulk's son. However, Tyrannus
Tyrannus (comics)
Tyrannus is an immortal supervillain in the Marvel Universe. He first appeared in Incredible Hulk vol. 1 #5 , and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Fictional character biography:...
rose to challenge Mole Man's claim and used magic to pervert the aliens so that they could destroy the surface. Skaar went into a berserker rage and thus both Tyrannus and Mole Man fled.
Powers and abilities
The Mole Man has no true superhuman abilities. He is an extraordinary genius, with knowledge of technology centuries beyond conventional science. He was able to master alien principles of technology totally foreign to his culture and environment. Due to his poor eyesight, his senses have naturally compensated to the degree that they are, like those of DaredevilDaredevil (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
, heightened to nearly superhuman levels.
The Mole Man fights with a staff and has developed a fighting style that resembles bōjutsu
Bojutsu
, translated from Japanese as "staff technique", is the martial art of using a staff weapon called bō which simply means "staff". Staffs are perhaps one of the earliest weapons used by humankind. They have been in use for thousands of years in Eastern Asia. Some techniques involve slashing,...
; despite his small size and relative weakness he is a highly proficient hand-to-hand combatant when armed with his staff. He also commands an army of monsters and Subterraneans that are absolutely loyal to him.
The Mole Man is extremely near-sighted due to damage his vision suffered years ago, and his eyes are extremely sensitive to bright light
Light
Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye, and is responsible for the sense of sight. Visible light has wavelength in a range from about 380 nanometres to about 740 nm, with a frequency range of about 405 THz to 790 THz...
. He is virtually blinded by normal illumination. To counter this, he wears protective glasses (an early version of a nuclear weapons test Range Officer's flash-goggles) that both reduce bright light to levels his weak eyes can tolerate and increase dim light to levels by which he can see. His sense of hearing, smell, and touch are far more sensitive than that of a normal human; these senses are heightened, but not superhuman. He possesses a "radar sense" that supplements his own weak natural vision.
Mole Man has a series of similar-looking staves (6 feet long, made of wood or aluminum), designed by the Mad Thinker
Mad Thinker
The Mad Thinker is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . He is a genius specializing in evil robotics and usually comes up with very elaborate infallible devious plans that unfold like clockwork....
, which contain built-in weapon(s) and additional features. Among such weaponry are an electrical blaster, a flame-thrower, a vibro-charge blaster, and a laser cannon. All of the staffs appear to have a low-energy radar. All staves are booby-trapped with a galvanic response meter that is tuned solely to the Mole Man's skin conductivity; this prevents anyone else from activating his staves.
Mole Man's life has made him an expert on subterranean geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
, spelunking, understanding Deviant weapons systems, and monster training. He has mastered the principles underlying Deviant technology that he discovered in Subterranea and has made radical improvements upon much of it.
Heroes Reborn
The spaceflight which grants the Fantastic Four their powers ends with them crash-landing on Mole Man's monster-inhabited islands. Mole Man ends up capturing Ben and Sue and takes a power source and potential explosive off the group's ship.This incarnation of the Mole Man looks physically different from his 616 counterpart, with a taller, more muscular build and apparently increased strength, being able to hold up Johnny Storm
Human Torch
The Human Torch is a fictional character and superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, he is a member of the superhero team the Fantastic Four, debuting in The Fantastic Four #1...
with only one hand.
Later, there are hints Mole Man's island is connected to the Inhumans
Inhumans
The Inhumans are a fictional race of superhumans, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. This race appears in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics and exists in that company's shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe....
' city of Attilian.
Spider-Man Newspaper Strip
In the Spider-Man newspaper strip, The Mole Man travels to the surface and attempts to make Mary Jane Parker the queen of his underworld kingdom. When he learns MJ is already married to Peter ParkerSpider-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...
, these plans are dashed. That same evening, he bumps into May Parker
Aunt May
May Reilly Parker-Jameson, commonly known as Aunt May, is a supporting character in Marvel Comics' Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, she first appeared as May Parker in Amazing Fantasy #15...
and becomes instantly smitten with her. He eventually decides to kidnap both May and Mary Jane and takes them to his kingdom. Peter chases after them as Spider-Man but is bested in combat by the Mole Man, forcing him to seek out help from The Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
's Thing. The Mole Man and Aunt May begin to bond romanticly, to the point May agrees to marry him. Spider-Man and The Thing arrive and after a short confrontation and conversation, are convinced to honor May's wishes that she spend the rest of her days making a lost soul happy. The wedding, however, is interrupted by May suffering from a physical condition called Spelunker's Lung, which causes her to have severe breathing problems when underground. This condition is what ultimately forces Spider-Man and the Thing to take May back to the surface along with MJ. Mole Man, realizing his new found love can never rule alongside him due to this condition, reluctantly says goodbye to her and returns home to rule alone.
In this continuity, Mole Man's real name is revealed as "Melvin"
House of M
In the House of MHouse of M
House of M is an eight-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics in 2005. Written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel, its first issue debuted in June 2005 as a follow-up to the events of the Planet X and Avengers Disassembled...
universe created by an insane Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch
The Scarlet Witch is a fictional comic book character that appears in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
, the Mole Man appears in Fantastic Four: House of M as an enemy of the Fearsome Four, which is composed of Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom
Victor von Doom is a fictional character who appears in Marvel Comics publications . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 wearing his trademark metal mask and green cloak...
, the Inhuman Torch
Kristoff Vernard
Kristoff Vernard is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. He has been mainly involved with the Fantastic Four as enemy, ally and even short-term member....
, the Invincible Girl, and the It. This version of the Mole Man is killed by the Fearsome Four during a battle with them.
Marvel Zombies
In Marvel ZombiesMarvel Zombies
Marvel Zombies is a five-issue limited series published from December 2005 to April 2006 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Robert Kirkman with art by Sean Phillips and covers by Arthur Suydam. It was the first series in the Marvel Zombies series of related stories...
, the Mole Man, along with several other undead villains, first appears to attack 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...
; after Galactus is defeated by several heroes, Mole Man gets into an argument with Colonel America over who gets to eat the injured Galactus, and is subsequently blasted apart by the cosmically powered colonel.
The zombie Mole Man also appears in the prequel to Marvel Zombies, Marvel Zombies: Dead Days, appearing to attack Nova
Nova (comics)
Nova is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Upon becoming a member of the galaxy's Nova Corps , the youth gained enhanced strength, flight, injury resistance, and a specialized uniform with life support.In May 2011, Nova placed 98th on IGN's Top 100 Comic...
alongside the Wizard
Wizard (Marvel Comics)
The Wizard , also known as the Wingless Wizard, is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe...
.
Ultimate Mole Man
In the Ultimate Marvel Universe, Mole Man was a Baxter Building scientist named Dr. Arthur Molekevic. Nicknamed Mole Man by the students, he was fired due to his experiments in creating life after being warned off. He claimed the files as his own but was told by the governmental officials firing him, which included Sue and John's father, Dr. Franklin Storm that everything he created was the property of the United States government. He soon disappeared into underground caverns with his Moloids. These caverns contained advanced technology, which Mole Man claimed had been built by an ancient race. Parts of the caverns were also under the Baxter Building itself, which provided Mole Man with links into their security system. His ability to spy on the team fostered the delusion that he was a father figure to them. When the Fantastic Four gain their powers, and were transported across the world, Sue, while unconscious, was kidnapped and transported to his caverns. Mole Man sends one of his created monsters to New York to retrieve the others. The other members of the team manage to defeat it. They follow the hole the monster made and confront Mole Man, eventually rescuing Sue. The Four defeat his forces but the Mole Man escapes. However he returned and kidnapped several Baxter Building students while explaining more details of his life. He was eventually driven off when he left the students behind and went to confront the Fantastic Four, who had arrived to try and rescue them. The students created weaponry from the alien technology and drove off all parties; Mole Man, Fantastic Four and the government, intending to build their own civilization in the ruins of the city.According to his history, which he told to the abducted Baxtor students, he left his family after he devolved his younger sister into a lungfish and turned his father over to the government for money. His first bioexperiment went unsuccessfully and he snuck into Europe in the guise of a washerwoman (he adds that he kept the costume and later added sequins to it). He is led to the ruins of the underground civilization by an insane Italian man who was a part of a NATO expedition to find the lost city, the third group to try (the first two groups perished and the rest of the third group either starved to death or killed each other). Though Mole Man found the Italian man's insane antics amusing, he later fed the Italian to an underground monster to gain the monster's trust.
Ultimate Mole Man physically resembled the original character. However, he is bulkier, rarely washes and has an unsightly skin condition. The Ultimate Moloids are fungus-based life-forms engineered by Mole Man himself, though initially simplistic and animalistic, they are more intelligent in their second appearance, even speaking a language which Mole Man understands.
Television
- Mole Man appeared on the Iron Man segment of 1966's The Marvel Super Heroes.
- Mole Man appeared twice in the 1967 Fantastic FourFantastic Four (1967 TV series)Fantastic Four is an animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and the first animated series based on Marvel's comic book series Fantastic Four. The program, featuring character designs by Alex Toth, aired on ABC from 1967 to 1970. It lasted for 20 episodes, with repeat episodes airing...
TV series. - In the 1967 Spider-Man cartoonSpider-Man (1967 TV series)Spider-Man is an animated television series that ran from September 9, 1967 to June 14, 1970. It was jointly produced in Canada and the United States and was the first animated adaptation of the Spider-Man comic book series, created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko...
, Spider-Man encountered a villain Mugs Riley calling himself The Mole Man and ruling a race of Green, hairy humanoids thousands of feet below Earth; this villain shared only a name and modus operandiModus operandiModus operandi is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as "mode of operation". The term is used to describe someone's habits or manner of working, their method of operating or functioning...
with the Mole Man of the comics. - Mole Man made one appearance on the 1978 Fantastic FourFantastic Four (1978 TV series)Fantastic Four is an animated series produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises and Marvel Comics Animation in the late 1970s.-Premise:It is the second animated series based on Marvel's comic book series Fantastic Four. The 1978 series replaced the character of the Human Torch with a robot named...
television series. - Mole Man appeared in the 1994 Fantastic Four TV seriesFantastic Four (1994 TV series)Fantastic Four is the third animated television series based on Marvel's comic book series of the same name. Airing began on September 24, 1994, until ending on February 24, 1996...
voiced by Gregg BergerGregg BergerGreggory "Gregg" Berger is an American voice actor, who is known for his longtime role as Odie the dog from the Garfield franchise...
. - Mole Man appears in the 2006 Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes series voiced by Paul Dobson. He is introduced in the episode "De-Mole-Ition", which uses the basic plot of Fantastic Four #1, adding elements from later stories.
- Mole Man first appears in the The Super Hero Squad ShowThe Super Hero Squad ShowThe Super Hero Squad Show is an American cartoon series by Marvel Animation. It is based on the Marvel Super Hero Squad action figure line from Hasbro, which portray the characters of the Marvel Universe in a cartoonish super-deformed-style...
episodes "And Lo? A Pilot Shall Come" voiced by Ted Biaselli. This version is shown to have burping and farting problems. He was sent to lead his monsters (consisting of Tricephalous, Manoo, and Megataur) and Fin Fang FoomFin Fang FoomFin Fang Foom is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #89 Fin Fang Foom is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #89 Fin Fang...
into attacking Super Hero City. Mole Man finds the Infinity Fractal and uses its power to gain longer legs (giving him super speed) and mind-control and plotted to take over the Lethal Legion. While the others dealt with Mole Man's monsters and Fin Fang Foom, Iron Man and Falcon fought Mole Man. Thor and Storm baited Mole Man's monsters and Fin Fang Foom with lightning-cooked meat while Falcon rammed the Helicarrier into Fin Fang Foom crushing Mole Man and enabling the Super Hero Squad to claim the Infinity Fractal. While Fin Fang Foom and the other monsters were wrecking Mole Man's lair, Iron Man and Falcon carried Mole Man and the Infinity Fractal to the Vault. However, Doctor Doom uses his powers to withdraw Mole Man and deal with him personally. In "From the Atom...It Rises," he helps Doctor Doom, MODOK, and Abomination in a plot to use an underground area dug up by Mole Man's Moloids in a plot to use an Infinity Fractal to control a black hole to use on Super Hero City. In "Wrath of the Red Skull," Mole Man attempted to burrow into the Vault but ended up burrowing into a garbage dump. Red Skull later had Mole Man excavate the UberSkullbot as part of his Plan USB.
Film
- A sewer-dwelling character named "the Jeweler" duly similar to the Mole Man appeared in the unreleased 1994 Fantastic Four filmThe Fantastic Four (film)The Fantastic Four is an unreleased low-budget feature film completed in 1994. Created to secure copyright to the property, the producers never intended it for release, although the director, actors, and other participants were not informed of this fact...
produced by Roger CormanRoger CormanRoger William Corman is an American film producer, director and actor. He has mostly worked on low-budget B movies. Some of Corman's work has an established critical reputation, such as his cycle of films adapted from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe, and in 2009 he won an Honorary Academy Award for...
, played by Ian Trigger.
Video games
- Mole Man appears in the 2005 Fantastic FourFantastic Four (video game)Fantastic 4 is an beat 'em up action-adventure video game based on the Fantastic Four film. Players play as the characters of the Fantastic Four using combos and special attacks to fight their way through hordes of enemies and bosses....
video game voiced by Barry DennenBarry DennenBarry Dennen is an American actor, singer, and writer.Dennen was born in Chicago, Illinois. In New York City from 1960 to 1963, he had a relationship with Barbra Streisand, including living together for a year, during which time he helped her develop the nightclub act that began her successful...
. In the game, he sent out his creatures to battle the Four rather than fight himself, in the same way as Puppet MasterPuppet Master (comics)The Puppet Master, real name Phillip Masters, is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Fantastic Four comics. His first appearance was in Fantastic Four volume 1 #8...
sent his puppets. After his Monstroid (closely resembling Giganto from his first comics appearance) is destroyed, he escapes, and swears revenge the Fantastic Four. - Mole Man appears in the Marvel Super Hero SquadMarvel Super Hero Squad (video game)Marvel Super Hero Squad is a video game developed by Blue Tongue Entertainment, Mass Media, and Halfbrick and published by THQ. It was released on October 20, 2009 for the Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and Wii...
video game voiced by Ted Biaselli. - Mole Man appears as a villain character in Marvel Super Hero Squad OnlineMarvel Super Hero Squad OnlineMarvel Super Hero Squad Online is a MMOG for younger audiences based on the Marvel Super Hero Squad franchise.The MMOG officially was released as a open beta on April 29, 2011 and a closed beta was released in early 2011. The first debut trailer for Marvel Super Hero Squad Online was released on...
.
Comic strips
- Mole Man makes a guest appearance in the syndicated comic strip Scary Gary, in the strip of November 14, 2008.
Parodies
- Mole Man was parodied by Pixar at the end of the 2004 film The IncrediblesThe IncrediblesThe Incredibles is a 2004 American computer-animated action-comedy superhero film about a family of superheroes who are forced to hide their powers. It was written and directed by Brad Bird, a former director and executive consultant of The Simpsons, and was produced by Pixar and distributed by...
by a man known as the Underminer.
- In the sixth episode of the eleventh seasonThe Simpsons (season 11)The Simpsons 11th season originally aired between September 1999 and May 2000, beginning on Sunday, September 26, 1999, with "Beyond Blunderdome". The show runner for the 11th production season was Mike Scully...
of The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
called Hello Gutter, Hello FadderHello Gutter, Hello Fadder"Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder" is the sixth episode of the eleventh season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 14, 1999. In the episode, Homer becomes a local celebrity after bowling a 300 game, but his fame quickly...
, a reference to the supervillain Mole Man was made when Homer stumbles across Hans MolemanHans MolemanHans Moleman is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta, and first appeared in the episode "Principal Charming". He normally appears in a running gag, where he usually suffers unfortunate, nearly fatal, events...
as the leader of a race of Mole People in an underground fortress complete with earthquake machines ("There is no escape from the fortress of the Moles!").
External links
- Mole Man at Marvel.com