Mad Mod is a fictional character 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

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

. The character is known as one of the first recurring villains of the

Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...

Publication history

Mad Mod first appeared in ''

'' #7 and was created by Bob Haney and Nick Cardy.

Fictional character biography

One of the first villains to menace the Teen Titans, Mad Mod (real name Neil Richards) was a

Carnaby Street Carnaby Street is a pedestrianised shopping street in Soho in the City of Westminster, Central London. Close to Oxford Street and Regent Street, it is home to fashion and lifestyle retailers, including many independent fashion boutiques. Stre ...

fashion design Fashion design is the Art (skill), art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction and natural beauty to clothing and its Fashion accessory, accessories. It is influenced by culture and different trends, and has varied over time and plac ...

er with no actual

superpowers A superpower is a state with a dominant position characterized by its extensive ability to exert influence or project power on a global scale. This is done through the combined means of economic, military, technological, political and cultural st ...

of his own. His assumed name is derived from the popular Mod style in England at the time. He used his label as a front to smuggle goods inside his clothing. After being foiled, he later hatched a plot to steal the Queen of Britain's

scepter A sceptre is a staff or wand held in the hand by a ruling monarch as an item of royal or imperial insignia. Figuratively, it means royal or imperial authority or sovereignty. Antiquity Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia The ''Was'' and other ...

, but was stopped as well by the Titans. The character disappeared following the cancellation of the original ''Teen Titans'' and was absent from the 1980–1994 series written by Marv Wolfman. The character resurfaced in the

Dan Jurgens Dan Jurgens (; born June 27, 1959) is an American comic book writer and artist. He is known for his work on the DC comic book storyline "The Death of Superman" and for creating characters such as Doomsday, Hank Henshaw and Booster Gold. Jurgens ...

-written ''Teen Titans'' series of the mid-1990s, as an ally of the Mr. Jupiter-backed version of the Titans. The character was shown having renounced crime and designed the Jurgens Titans team's costumes. The character's clothing lines would later be referenced on occasion in various ''Teen Titans'' books, with the implication that Mod is a popular clothing designer on par with other real world fashion designers in the DC Universe. In 2011, "

The New 52 The New 52 is the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic books. Following the conclusion of the " Flashpoint" crossover storyline, DC canceled all its existing titles and debuted 52 new serie ...

" rebooted the DC Comics universe. Mad Mod was a member of a group known as "Diablo", that seeks to prevent the original Teen Titans from regaining their memories of their original incarnation of the group. Mad Mod is portrayed as a hipster figure as opposed to a "mod" complete with a handlebar mustache, much younger than his pre-''New 52'' incarnation. Mad Mod interrogates the super-heroine

Bumblebee A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct related gener ...

after her husband is kidnapped by Mister Twister who Diablo seeks to stop. When Mad Mod realizes that the Titans have regained their memories of their past activities, Mad Mod orders the team killed in order to stop Mister Twister from using them in an occult ritual.

Powers and abilities

During the Mad Mod's heyday as a villain, he would match his outrageous clothing with a way out approach in his intricate but deadly traps. He would employ a gang of thugs to do most of the handiwork that needed muscle.

Mad Mod term

The term "Mad Mod, Poet God" was used by

Peter Milligan Peter Milligan (born 24 June 1961) is a British comic book writer who has written extensively for both British and American comic book industries. In the UK, Milligan has contributed to numerous anthology titles including '' 2000 AD'', ''Revolv ...

for the unrelated DC character

Shade, the Changing Man Shade, the Changing Man is a comic book character created by Steve Ditko for DC Comics in 1977. The character was Shade, the Changing Man (Vertigo), later adapted by Peter Milligan and Chris Bachalo in one of the first Vertigo Comics, Vertigo ...

. Another unrelated DC character is the

Mad Mod Witch ''The Unexpected'' was a fantasy- horror comics anthology series, a continuation of '' Tales of the Unexpected'', published by DC Comics. ''The Unexpected'' ran 118 issues, from #105 (February–March 1968) to #222 (May 1982). As a result of the ...

from '' The Unexpected'', later revealed to be a resident of the Dreaming known as " the Fashion Thing".

Other versions

In the alternate future seen in "

Titans Tomorrow "Titans Tomorrow" is a storyline of a possible alternate future in the DC Comics Universe, from ''Teen Titans'' vol. 3 #17-19 (2005), by Geoff Johns and Mike McKone. The story arc has been collected as part of the ''Teen Titans: The Future is Now' ...

", the Titans Tomorrow battled Mad Mod's synthetics. They later mentioned that they killed Mad Mod.

In other media

Television

* Mad Mod appears in ''

'', voiced by

Malcolm McDowell Malcolm McDowell (born Malcolm John Taylor; 13 June 1943) is a British actor, producer, and television presenter. He is best known for portraying Alex DeLarge in ''A Clockwork Orange.'' He was born in the Horsforth suburb of Leeds and raised in ...

. This version is an old man,

Anglophile An Anglophile is a person who admires or loves England, its people, its culture, its language, and/or its various accents. Etymology The word is derived from the Latin word ''Anglii'' and Ancient Greek word φίλος ''philos'', meaning "frien ...

, and technological genius known for utilizing robots, hypnotic holographic projectors, death traps, and surreal,

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...

, 1960s-styled landscape-inspired illusions all controlled by his ruby-studded cane, which also allowed him to drain a victim's youth on one occasion, who views the Teen Titans as rebellious "snots". Throughout the series, he frequently attempts to "educate" the Titans in what he sees as proper behavior, only to be foiled by them each time. In the fifth season, Mad Mod joins the

Brotherhood of Evil The Brotherhood of Evil is a group of DC Comics supervillains, archenemies of the original Doom Patrol and the Teen Titans and enemies of the Justice League. The Brotherhood of Evil appears in the third season of the HBO Max series ''Doom Patrol ...

in their plot to rid the world of young heroes, only to be eventually flash-frozen along with them by the Titans. * Mad Mod appears in the "New Teen Titans" segment of ''

DC Nation Shorts ''DC Nation Shorts'' are animated shorts featuring characters from DC Comics that aired in a series on Cartoon Network on Saturdays at 10/9c. Production On March 3, 2012, the shorts premiered as part of the '' DC Nation'' block, produced by Warn ...

''. This version possesses a machine resembling the

TARDIS The TARDIS (; acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension In Space") is a fictional hybrid of the time machine and spacecraft that appears in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its various spin-offs. Its exterior ap ...

capable of manipulating time and his age. * Mad Mod appears in the ''

Teen Titans Go! ''Teen Titans Go!'' is an American animated television series developed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic for Cartoon Network. It premiered on April 23, 2013 and is based on the DC Comics Teen Titans, fictional superhero team. The series was ...

'' episode "Salty Codgers". This version possesses the ability to drain victims' youth.

Film

Mad Mod makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in ''

Teen Titans Go! To the Movies ''Teen Titans Go! To the Movies'' is a 2018 American animated superhero comedy film based on the television series ''Teen Titans Go!'', which is based on the DC Comics superhero team of the same name. This film is directed by Peter Rida Mi ...

''.

Video games

* Mad Mod appears as an unlockable character in the ''

'' video game's "Master of Games" mode, voiced by Greg Ellis. * Mad Mod appears in '' Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''.

Miscellaneous

* Mad Mod appears in issue #8 of the ''

'' tie-in comic book series. * Mad Mod appears in the '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' tie-in comic book series and takes inspiration from the ''Teen Titans'' animated series version.

References

{{Teen Titans Characters created by Bob Haney DC Comics supervillains Comics characters introduced in 1967 DC Comics titles Fictional inventors Fictional people from London Mod (subculture)