fictional character
In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...
appearing in
American comic book
An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...
s published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
. Working for the island nation of
Genosha
Genosha ( or ) is a fictional country appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is an island nation that exists in Marvel's main shared universe, known as "Earth 616" in the Marvel Universe and a prominent place in the X-M ...
, he developed a
mind control
Brainwashing (also known as mind control, menticide, coercive persuasion, thought control, thought reform, and forced re-education) is the concept that the human mind can be altered or controlled by certain psychological techniques. Brainwashin ...
device which made
mutant
In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It ...
slavery possible.
Fictional character biography
Little is known about David Moreau's early childhood. He became a scientist and a patriot who wanted to strengthen his nation of Genosha. The
Sugar Man
Sabra
Sabreclaw
Sabreclaw is a character in the MC2 universe who first appeared in '' J2'' #8 (May 1999). He is the half-brother of Wild Thing and the son of Wolverine.
The character has claws (similar to Sabretooth), a healing factor, enh ...
offered him an opportunity to do so: The Sugar Man had come from an
alternate timeline
Alternate history (also alternative history, althist, AH) is a genre of speculative fiction of stories in which one or more historical events occur and are resolved differently than in real life. As conjecture based upon historical fact, altern ...
, known as the
Age of Apocalypse
"Age of Apocalypse" is a 1995 comic book crossover storyline mostly published in the X-Men franchise of books by Marvel Comics. The ''Age of Apocalypse'' briefly replaced the universe of Earth-616 and had ramifications in the main Marvel Comic ...
and had obtained technology invented by his reality's
Mister Sinister
Mister Sinister (Nathaniel Essex) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Chris Claremont, the character was first mentioned as the employer behind the team of assassins known as the Maraud ...
. Using this technology, David Moreau created the ''mutate-process'': all inhabitants of Genosha were tested at their 13th birthday for any presence of the '' X-factor gene''. If they tested positive, they were turned into ''mutates'': their memories were erased and their personality changed to become completely obedient, they were sealed in special suits and their powers were genetically changed to serve the needs of their country. At this time, Moreau became known as the Genegineer (a
portmanteau
A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words
Dr. Moreau was even willing to turn his son's girlfriend, Jennifer Ransome, into a mutate when she tested positive. Philip Moreau fled the country with Jennifer and would oppose Genosha's policies from abroad. The Genoshan enforcers known as the Magistrates and the privileged mutants known as the Press Gang were sent after them. They captured Jennifer and her friend
Madelyne Pryor
Madelyne Jennifer Pryor is a Character (arts), fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Paul Smith (comics), Paul Smith, the character first appeared in ''Uncann ...
, not knowing that Madelyne's friends were the
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...
. Moreau turned Jennifer into a mutate, altering her latent mutant power of cellular manipulation, and investigated Madelyne, who turned out to be not quite human, but not a mutant either. Madelyne's latent powers killed all the Magistrates investigating her and mentally attacked a representation of David Moreau himself. Shortly afterwards, Madelyne and Jennifer were saved by the X-Men and Phillip Moreau and they left Genosha. This was only the beginning of many conflicts between the X-Men and the Genoshan government, who felt that they also had jurisdiction outside Genosha's borders.
In their war with the X-Men and their allies, the Genoshans allied themselves with
Cameron Hodge
Cameron Hodge is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as an opponent of the X-Men. Created by writer Bob Layton and artist Jackson Guice, he first appeared as a s ...
and his
RIGHT
Rights are law, legal, social, or ethics, ethical principles of Liberty, freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal system, social convent ...
organisation, an anti-mutant hate group. The insane Hodge kidnapped
Storm
A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere
An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmos ...
and several
New Mutants
The New Mutants are a group of fictional mutant superheroes
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically us ...
and wanted Moreau to help him absorb the techno-organic virus from the New Mutant
Warlock
A warlock is a male practitioner of witchcraft.
Etymology and terminology
The most commonly accepted etymology derives ''warlock'' from the Old English '' wǣrloga'', which meant "breaker of oaths" or "deceiver" and was given special applicatio ...
so he could change his monstrous
cybernetic
Cybernetics is a wide-ranging field concerned with circular causality, such as feedback, in regulatory and purposive systems. Cybernetics is named after an example of circular causal feedback, that of steering a ship, where the helmsperson ma ...
form into a more human form. Moreau despised Hodge, who wanted Genosha to conquer the world and wipe out all mutants, while Moreau only was interested in Genosha's safety. Moreau assisted the X-Men in defeating Hodge, but he was killed by Hodge, who broke his neck.
Dr. Sasha Ryan would take his place as Genegineer, but by then the Genoshan government had been overthrown and the practice of turning mutants into mutates abolished.
Commentary
Christian Davenport remarked that the atrocities committed by David Moreau are repeatedly related to the
Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
and
American slavery
The legal institution of human chattel slavery, comprising the enslavement primarily of Africans and African Americans, was prevalent in the United States of America from its founding in 1776 until 1865, predominantly in the South. Slave ...
in the Genosha series of comics.
Background
* The character's name is an
homage
Homage (Old English) or Hommage (French) may refer to:
History
*Homage (feudal) /ˈhɒmɪdʒ/, the medieval oath of allegiance
*Commendation ceremony, medieval homage ceremony Arts
*Homage (arts) /oʊˈmɑʒ/, an allusion or imitation by one arti ...
to the title character of H.G. Wells' science-fiction novel ''
The Island of Doctor Moreau
''The Island of Doctor Moreau'' is an 1896 science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells (1866–1946). The text of the novel is the narration of Edward Prendick who is a shipwrecked man rescued by a passing boat. He is left on the islan ...