Mordred the Evil or Modred the Evil is a fictional character 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 ...
. He is based loosely on the
Mordred of
Arthurian
King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain.
In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...
legend.
Publication history
He first appeared in ''
Black Knight
The black knight is a literary stock character who masks his identity and that of his liege by not displaying heraldry. Black knights are usually portrayed as villainous figures who use this anonymity for misdeeds. They are often contrasted with t ...
'' #1 (May 1955).
Fictional character biography
Mordred is the traitorous, illegitimate son of
King Arthur Pendragon of Camelot and his sister Morgause, born somewhere in the
Orkney Isles
Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...
of
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...
. He was one of the Knights of Camelot in Britain of the 6th Century, A.D.
Merlin warned Arthur that Mordred would be responsible for the end of Camelot, but before Arthur could put the baby to death, he was rescued and raised in anonymity. Mordred was an insurrectionist, and his many conspiracies against his father were foiled by his constant foe Sir Percy of Scandia (the original
Black Knight
The black knight is a literary stock character who masks his identity and that of his liege by not displaying heraldry. Black knights are usually portrayed as villainous figures who use this anonymity for misdeeds. They are often contrasted with t ...
) and others until finally Mordred's forces defeated Arthur's on
Salisbury Plain. Arthur and Mordred fatally wounded each other, and before dying, Mordred mortally wounded the Black Knight as well. Mordred was taken to Castle Scandia, where he died.
In modern times, Mordred's spirit has been allowed by the evil Celtic "Nether Gods" he serves to become active on Earth. His first opponent was fittingly the new
Black Knight
The black knight is a literary stock character who masks his identity and that of his liege by not displaying heraldry. Black knights are usually portrayed as villainous figures who use this anonymity for misdeeds. They are often contrasted with t ...
, Dane Whitman. He transformed former knife-thrower Paul Richarde into Le Sabre and sent him against the modern Black Knight, but was defeated. Mordred took human form in 12th Century Europe, where he formed an alliance with Prince John against King Richard the Lion-Hearted. Mordred was opposed by the reincarnated Black Knight. Mordred encountered the
Defenders
Defender(s) or The Defender(s) may refer to:
*Defense (military)
*Defense (sports)
**Defender (association football)
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''The Defender'' (1989 film), a Canadian documentary
* ''The Defender'' (1994 f ...
, and was defeated by the time-traveling
Prester John
Prester John ( la, Presbyter Ioannes) was a legendary Christian patriarch, presbyter, and king. Stories popular in Europe in the 12th to the 17th centuries told of a Nestorian patriarch and king who was said to rule over a Christian nation lost ...
. Mordred again was commanded by the Nethergods Mandrac and Necromon to prevent the arrival of Black Knight and Captain Britain to Otherworld. Mordred was defeated by Merlyn when the heroes finally arrived in Otherworld. Angry with Mordred's failure, Necromon sent him to his deepest dungeon.
Mordred's spirit was drawn into the netherworld by
Morgan le Fay
Morgan le Fay (, meaning 'Morgan the Fairy'), alternatively known as Morgan ''n''a, Morgain ''a/e Morg ''a''ne, Morgant ''e Morge ''i''n, and Morgue ''inamong other names and spellings ( cy, Morgên y Dylwythen Deg, kw, Morgen an Spyrys), is a ...
, and they became lovers. He plotted with her to change the Earth into a realm of black magic. With Morgan, he sent the
Dreadknight
Dreadknight (Bram Velsing) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Publication history
The character first appeared in '' Iron Man'' #101 (Aug. 1977) and was created by writer Bill Mantlo and penciller G ...
against the Black Knight,
Doctor Strange, and Victoria Bentley. With Morgan le Fay, he sent Balor of the Fomor against the Black Knight, Doctor Strange, and
Valkyrie
In Norse mythology, a valkyrie ("chooser of the slain") is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Valhalla. There, the deceased warriors become (Old Norse "single (or once) fighters"Orchard (1997: ...
(Victoria Bentley). With Morgan le Fay, he send the Fomor and "Wicker Man" against the Black Knight, Doctor Strange, and Valkyrie. Mordred was defeated and returned to the netherworld by the Black Knight. Mordred later assisted Morgan in a scheme involving the Twilight Sword, which reunited the
Avengers.
After menacing the Black Knights, Mordred remained dead for some time. During this time, his father King Arthur became a pawn of Merlyn, and a sworn enemy of mutantkind, which he and his allies called "Witchbreed" or "Friends of Mordred". Through this
Excalibur
Excalibur () is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes also attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. It was associated with the Arthurian legend very early on. Excalibur and the Sword in th ...
were able to figure out that Mordred was a mutant.
Once King Arthur confirmed this and that Mordred was prophesied to overthrow him, they returned to Krakoa and convinced the Five to resurrect him, using a vial of Otherworldly water in place of the standard genetic material. The Otherworldly magic involved made for an atypical resurrection, as Mordred immediately disappeared from the egg and found himself in
Otherworld
The concept of an otherworld in historical Indo-European religion is reconstructed in comparative mythology. Its name is a calque of ''orbis alius'' (Latin for "other Earth/world"), a term used by Lucan in his description of the Celtic Otherwor ...
, returned to a young age and unaware of how he got there. Arthur's forces quickly engaged him in combat, but he proved a worthy foe. He eventually found his way to
Captain Britain
Captain Britain is a title used by various superheroes in comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with Excalibur. The moniker was first used in publication by Brian Braddock in ''Captain Britain Weekly'' #1 by writer Ch ...
and her companions, he presented himself and asked for asylum. At that moment,
Roma Regina gave all those present a magical vision, declaring them the Knights of X, and giving them a quest to find the lost Siege Perilous.
His first mission with the team was to Blightspoke, a poisoned land where the remnants of collapsed realities are buried, and while there he fought the Vescora and the team found its only resident Sheriff Gia Whitechapel and her crew imprisoned in a factory the makes solid Brightswill, a mutant depowering substance. After the factory was destroyed by
Rictor
Rapamycin-insensitive companion of mammalian target of rapamycin (RICTOR) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''RICTOR'' gene.
RICTOR and mTOR are components of a protein complex that integrates nutrient- and growth factor-derived s ...
and
Shatterstar
Shatterstar (Gaveedra-Seven) is a fictional mutant superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in '' The New Mutants'' #99 (March 19 ...
with Gia's help, the team headed toward Savalith, an ancient civilization founded by vampire-like beings. After regrouping to save
Mad Jim Jaspers in The Crooked Marked,
Gambit
A gambit (from Italian , the act of tripping someone with the leg to make them fall) is a chess opening in which a player sacrifices with the aim of achieving a subsequent advantage.
The word '' gambit'' is also sometimes used to describe sim ...
sacrificed himself against King Arthur's forces gaining the team access to Mercator, an Otherworld domain created by
Mister M out of the Siege Perilous. There they sank into the quicksand and were psychologically tested by the land, until
Rachel Summers was able to break them out of the illusion. Afterwards Arthur's forces, Merlyn's forces and Roma and Saturnyne riding Shogo all converged to their location.
Powers and abilities
Mordred was an athletic man, and was an expert swordsman and horseman and proficient jouster; skills he had developed at Arthur's court. He typically wore battle armor, and carried a sword, dagger, and lance, as well as a dagger carved from the same meteor fragment as the Black Knight's
Ebony Blade.
The ability to assume an astral form was conferred upon his spirit after his death, by the Celtic "nether gods". In this form, he is able to confer certain powers and abilities upon living beings who serve him. He is also able to take on human form in time periods outside his own lifetime.
Reception
* In 2022, ''
CBR.com
''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion.
History
Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...
'' ranked Mordred the Evil 6th in their "Black Knight's 10 Strongest Villains" list.
In other media
* Mordred appeared in the ''
Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends may refer to the following shows:
* ''Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends'' (1981 TV series), a 1981 cartoon series
* ''Spidey and His Amazing Friends'' (2021 TV series), a 2021 Disney Junior cartoon
{{Disam ...
'' episode "Knights and Demons".
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mordred (Comics)
Arthurian characters
Characters created by Stan Lee
Comics characters introduced in 1955
Fictional knights
Fictional Scottish people
Fictional swordfighters in comics
Marvel Comics supervillains
Marvel Comics male supervillains