Madcap is a fictional
supervillain appearing in
American comic books 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 ...
.
Publication history
Madcap first appeared in ''
Captain America'' #307 (July 1985), and was created by
Mark Gruenwald
Mark Eugene Gruenwald (; June 18, 1953 – August 12, 1996) was an American comic book writer, editor, and occasional penciler known for his long association with Marvel Comics.
Biography
Early career
Gruenwald got his start in comics fa ...
and
Paul Neary
Paul Neary (born 1949) is a British comic book artist, writer and editor.
His first work was for Warren Publishing in the 1970s before working with Dez Skinn at Marvel UK as well as work for '' 2000 AD''. He later became editor-in-chief of Ma ...
.
Most of the villains Gruenwald introduced ''Captain America'' in were created to symbolize aspects of contemporary American culture and the world political situation. Gruenwald stated, "Madcap represents purposelessness, the disaffected youth of today who thinks 'What's the reason for doing anything?' The ultimate dropout generation."
Fictional character biography
Madcap (true name unknown) was originally a deeply religious young man. On the way to a picnic with his family and church community, their bus collides with a tanker truck full of Compound X07 (an experimental nerve agent developed by
A.I.M.). Everyone aboard the bus, including his parents and sister Katy, are killed, leaving him as the only survivor, his body mixing with the Compound. When being told of the deaths of all his friends and family, his mind shatters, his belief in a
rational universe swept away.
Leaving the hospital, he attempts
suicide by throwing himself in front of traffic. He is injured but the wounds heal almost instantly. This pushes him further over the edge. After purchasing a toy
soap bubble pistol from a dime store and donning a garish clown costume stolen from the Ace Costume Shop, the newly christened Madcap sets out to convince others that life is entirely without reason. Spewing absurdist
philosophy, he runs rampant through the streets of
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, causing mass chaos and a riot.
Nomad
A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the po ...
tries to stop him, but Madcap uses his madness-inducing powers on him as well. Nomad recovers, tracks Madcap to a shack in an old fairground at
Coney Island, and defeats him there.
Madcap is confined to a mental hospital but escapes. He gets back into costume and breaks up a shipment of illegal arms organized by the
Rose
A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...
. In the course of the fight he meets Dollar Bill, who runs a Manhattan
public-access television
Public-access television is traditionally a form of non-commercial mass media where the general public can create content television programming which is narrowcast through cable television specialty channels. Public-access television was creat ...
cable TV show. The two film ''A Day in the Life of a Superhero'', which is interrupted when Rose's underlings abduct Madcap. Taken to a warehouse, Madcap is tied up, beaten, and assaulted with an axe.
Daredevil intervenes, but in the subsequent fight the warehouse is burned down, and Madcap ignores Daredevil's repeated appeals to get out of the fire. When his body is found, Madcap is declared legally dead but slowly returns to life while in the
morgue
A morgue or mortuary (in a hospital or elsewhere) is a place used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification (ID), removal for autopsy, respectful burial, cremation or other methods of disposal. In modern times, corpses have cu ...
. He returns to Dollar Bill's show.
While watching an episode of the show, a bored
Katie Power and
Franklin Richards of
Power Pack
Power Pack is a superhero team consisting of four young siblings appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Louise Simonson and artist June Brigman, they first appeared in their own series in 1984, which last ...
decide that Madcap would be someone with whom they could go on an "adventure". Madcap agrees, but his idea of adventure is to cause chaos and confusion all over town and even go head-on to confront armed bank robbers. Katie and Franklin disapprove of his irreverent attitude, but it teaches the two pre-adolescents a lesson in responsibility.
Madcap encounters
She-Hulk, and she defeats him on a day when she is trying to have a quiet walk in the park. Madcap is later captured by Vice and Triphammer of the
Power Tools
A power tool is a tool that is actuated by an additional power source and mechanism other than the solely manual labor used with hand tools. The most common types of power tools use electric motors. Internal combustion engines and compressed a ...
on the order of Dr.
Karl Malus
Dr. Karl Malus () is a fictional mad scientist and criminal appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He played a part in the origins of Armadillo, Hornet, Falcon II, and many other characters.
Dr. Karl Malus appeared in t ...
and is rescued by
Hawkeye.
The
Impossible Woman asks Madcap to teach her daughter Impia how to have fun. As part of his demonstration, Madcap uses his powers on
Quasar.
Madcap exercises his power at
Grand Central Station
Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Grand Central is the southern terminus ...
. By the time
Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider is the name of multiple antiheroes and superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Phantom Rider.
The first s ...
arrives, the entire station is rampant with people murdering each other and killing themselves. Ghost Rider saves whomever he can, then beats Madcap and subjects him to the Penance Stare. Madcap feels all the pain he has caused his victims and likes it: it is the first real sensation he has felt in some time, and he vows to continue, in order to experience the Stare again. He later tries to escape from the
Vault
Vault may refer to:
* Jumping, the act of propelling oneself upwards
Architecture
* Vault (architecture), an arched form above an enclosed space
* Bank vault, a reinforced room or compartment where valuables are stored
* Burial vault (enclosure ...
, a prison for superhumans and is stopped by
Citizen V
Citizen Vee is the codename of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Publication history
The original incarnation (John Watkins) first appeared in ''Daring Mystery Comics'' (Jan 1942), during the Golden ...
.
Silver Sable
Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical cond ...
, leader of the country of
Symkaria
The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several noteworthy concepts besides its fictional characters, such as unique places and artifacts. There follows a list of those features.
Places
Certain places fe ...
, hires a team of super-powered heroes to help protect a mad scientist from capture by the group
Heroes for Hire
Heroes for Hire are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in '' Power Man and Iron Fist'' #54 (December 1978), and was created by Ed Hannigan and Lee Elias. The team continued to ap ...
. Sable believes one of her employees is the aforementioned Nomad but soon discovers she hired Madcap instead. The teams confront each other in the monastery of St. Eboar's, deep in Symkaria.
Deadpool
Deadpool is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist/writer Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in ''New Mutants'' #98 (cover-dated Feb. 1991). Initially, Deadp ...
and Madcap each learn the other is hard to injure and, delighted, fight on that basis. Deadpool is overwhelmed and teleports out. Madcap, despite his chaotic nature, obeys orders, guarding
Misty Knight
Mercedes "Misty" Knight is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Tony Isabella and Arvell Jones, Knight was first mentioned (by name) in ''Marvel Premiere'' #20 (Jan. 1975) and appeared in ...
and
Colleen Wing
Colleen Wing is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Descended from a family of samurai, Wing is a Japanese martial artist who avenged her grandfather's death with the help of the superhero Iron Fis ...
. His bad
Monty Python routines are interrupted by Deadpool, who temporarily defeats him with a blow that seemingly snaps Madcap's neck. Madcap returns minutes later to battle Deadpool once again. The entire incident, plus more, turns out to have been engineered by the villain
Master of the World.
Madcap is among those considered by
Blackout and the
Deacon
A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...
to help them assassinate
Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider is the name of multiple antiheroes and superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Phantom Rider.
The first s ...
. He then works on a mission to kill Ghost Rider.
Madcap later appears as a member of the
Shadow Council
The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several fictional teams and organizations and this page lists them.
0–9 198
A A-Force
A-Next
A.I. Army
Because of his revelation that he is now a simulated A ...
's incarnation of the
Masters of Evil
The Masters of Evil is a supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first version of the team appeared in '' The Avengers'' #6 (July 1964), with the lineup continually changing over the years.
Publication ...
, at the time when the
Secret Avengers
''Secret Avengers'' is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics featuring a fictional black ops superhero team of the same name. The series started with Ed Brubaker on writing duties, depicting a black-ops sect of Marvel's premie ...
raid Bagalia to recruit
Taskmaster to their side.
Prior to the
Secret Invasion
"Secret Invasion" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self-titled eight-issue limited series and several tie-in books published by Marvel Comics from April through December 2008. The story involves a subversive, long-term in ...
, Madcap once again encounters Deadpool, and in the midst of an altercation with Daredevil and
Thor
Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, an ...
, Thor's lightning reduces the two to a large pile of ash. Though it initially seems that only Deadpool regenerates and survives, he eventually realizes the two actually regenerated as one being, with Madcap becoming one of the "voices" within Deadpool's head (explaining the appearance of a new, "extra" voice in Deadpool's appearances in ''
Wolverine: Origins'' and ''Deadpool'' vol. 2). After Madcap's personality asserts itself sufficiently to use his own powers in a later altercation with Thor and
Luke Cage
Lucas "Luke" Cage, born Carl Lucas and also known as Power Man, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in ''Luke Cage, Hero for Hire'' #1 (June 1972) and was created by Archie Go ...
, Deadpool convinces Madcap to manipulate the two affected heroes into tearing Deadpool's body in half, with one half regenerating fully as Deadpool, and the other as Madcap.
[''Deadpool'' Annual #1]
Eight months after the events of ''
Secret Wars
''Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars'', commonly known as ''Secret Wars'' for short, is a twelve-issue American comic book crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Shooter, with ...
'', Madcap was revealed to have been psychologically damaged even further by his fusion with and separation from Deadpool. When Deadpool founded the
Mercs for Money, Madcap infiltrated the team, feigning benevolence and incompetence. Madcap afterward began impersonating Deadpool, attacking the anti-hero's allies and using his powers to incite violence throughout New York City in Deadpool's name. Upon discovering that Madcap was responsible for the chaos, Deadpool lured him out by using his own daughter, Ellie, as bait, and confronted Madcap alongside
Masacre, the Deadpool of Mexico. Madcap gained the upper hand in the brawl, which ended with him using Deadpool's own
Chitauri
The Chitauri () are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, specifically in Ultimate Marvel. They were created by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch for the Ultimate universe franc ...
an molecular disintegrator on himself. Afterward, Deadpool found himself being "haunted" by vivid hallucinations of Madcap.
Madcap resurfaces during ''
Civil War II
"Civil War II" is a 2016 comic book crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in June of that year, it is the sequel to 2006's "Civil War" and consists of a nine-issue eponymous core limited series, by writer Brian Michael Bendis ...
'' as a parasitic entity that is forcing its human host to act against Deadpool. After luring Deadpool to the
Central Park Zoo, Madcap and his host infect him with a stolen virus that Deadpool begins unknowingly spreading to the people of New York City. Deadpool acquires a cure to the virus and locates Madcap, whose host is revealed to be
Bob, Agent of Hydra
Bob, Agent of Hydra (Robert Dobalina), is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as an antihero and a sidekick of Deadpool. A former member of the terrorist agency Hydra, he d ...
. When Deadpool infers that everything that Madcap remembers about his past is a lie, an enraged Madcap detaches from Bob to attack him, and proceeds to escape under the cover of an explosion while swearing further revenge on Deadpool.
After Madcap nearly ruins his Valentine's Day, Deadpool ventures into space in search of a weapon that can permanently kill the villain, and while there he strikes a bargain with the
Collector, who agrees to imprison Madcap in his museum. When Madcap seeks him out, Deadpool successfully ensnares "the indestructible clown" for the Collector. As Madcap is hauled away, Deadpool realizes that the victory is a hollow one after Madcap gloats that he no longer cares about ruining Deadpool's life, as Deadpool's recent dealings with
Stryfe
Stryfe is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequen ...
and
Hydra have already accomplished that for him.
Powers and abilities
Madcap possesses two superpowers, as a result of the mutagenic effects of his exposure to Compound X07.
* He heals from any physical injury instantly, and even if he sustains enough damage to kill him (such as being flattened or having his neck snapped) or destroy him (such as being incinerated), he will immediately
resurrect. Somehow linked to this is a total inability to perceive
pain. The only time he ever felt pain was when
Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider is the name of multiple antiheroes and superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Phantom Rider.
The first s ...
used his "penance stare" on him, and the period in which he was trapped in Deadpool's head. He can mentally control his severed limbs. His rapid healing ability also gives him phenomenal endurance, as his body both eliminates fatigue poisons and heals muscle damage caused by overexertion almost instantaneously.
* Madcap has a specialized form of insanity-inducement that immediately affects those he makes eye contact with. He wears a garish purple-and-yellow costume and uses a distracting toy soap bubble-gun, called a "fun-gun", to draw the attention of others towards him, so they can meet his gaze. The gun itself is a simple toy, having no offensive abilities. He has the ability to stimulate the inhibition centers in other people's brains. People affected by his power act in a
euphoric, outlandish, uninhibited manner that verges on or becomes insanity and can end up killing themselves. Madcap cannot control how the person acts. The duration of the state seems to be approximately 15–30 minutes, though Madcap risks making a person "pleasantly loony" permanently if he makes additional eye contact with them. This power can interact unpredictably with individuals already affected with mental instability; for example, exposure initially seemed to have no effect on Deadpool, but then resulted in his experiencing a brief period of clarity and sanity.
Later, his power's effect on normal humans seems to show that he can influence their behavior to some extent.
In other media
Video games
* The "white dialogue box" version of Madcap from the 2008 ''Deadpool'' comic book series appears in the 2013 ''
Deadpool
Deadpool is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist/writer Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in ''New Mutants'' #98 (cover-dated Feb. 1991). Initially, Deadp ...
'' video game, fulfilling the same role as an additional "voice" in Deadpool's head.
References
External links
Madcapat Marvel.com
*
{{Ghost Rider
Characters created by Mark Gruenwald
Characters created by Paul Neary
Comics characters introduced in 1985
Fictional empaths
Marvel Comics characters with accelerated healing
Marvel Comics mutates
Marvel Comics supervillains