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
The Mortimer Norris version of Mr. Fish first appeared in ''Luke Cage, Power Man'' #29 and was created by
Bill Mantlo
William Timothy Mantlo (born November 9, 1951) is an American comic book writer, primarily at Marvel Comics. He is best known for his work on two licensed toy properties whose adventures occurred in the Marvel Universe: ''Micronauts'' and ''Ro ...
. Initially, ''Luke Cage, Power Man'' #29 was intended to continue a storyline from the 28th issue. The continuation of that story was running late. Because of these deadline considerations, the splash page admits, this fill-in story, "No One Laughs at Mr. Fish", was created to ensure #29 hit the stands on schedule.
The Bill Morris version of Mr. Fish first appeared in '' Daughters of the Dragon'' #4 and was created by
Justin Gray
Justin Gray is an American comic book writer working mostly for DC Comics.
Career
Gray has often collaborated with fellow writer Jimmy Palmiotti on series such as ''Hawkman'', '' Jonah Hex'', '' Power Girl'', ''21 Down'', ''Uncle Sam and the F ...
,
Jimmy Palmiotti
James Palmiotti (born August 14, 1961) is an American writer and inker of comic books, who also does writing for games, television and film.
Early life
Palmiotti attended the High School of Art and Design in New York City.
Career
Palmiotti sta ...
, and
Khari Evans
Khari is a village development committee in Dhading District in the Bagmati Zone of central Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census
The 1991 Nepal census was a widespread national census conducted by the Nepal Central Bureau of Statistics.
...
.
Fictional character biography
Mortimer Norris
Mr. Fish was once an ordinary human being, a petty crook named Mortimer George Norris who stumbled upon some stolen
radioactive
Radioactive decay (also known as nuclear decay, radioactivity, radioactive disintegration, or nuclear disintegration) is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation. A material containing unstable nuclei is consi ...
material while on a job. The exposure made him dizzy and caused him to fall into the
East River
The East River is a saltwater tidal estuary in New York City. The waterway, which is actually not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates the borough of Quee ...
. When he emerged, he had been mutated into an amphibious fish-man with enhanced strength. He used these powers to establish a Maggia branch in his area, aided by a group of thugs and his second-in-command, a
dwarf
Dwarf or dwarves may refer to:
Common uses
*Dwarf (folklore), a being from Germanic mythology and folklore
* Dwarf, a person or animal with dwarfism
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities
* Dwarf (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a humanoid ...
named "Shrike". This attempt was cut short by a battle with Luke Cage. Mr. Fish initially seemed to have the upper hand: his men overpowered Cage and Fish himself used a mysterious
concussive
A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, ...
ray gun
A raygun is a science-fiction directed-energy weapon that releases energy, usually with destructive effect.Jeff Prucher, '' Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction,'' Oxford University Press, 2007, page 162 They have variou ...
to knock Cage out, taking him to a deserted construction site. However, and despite Shrike's advice to finish Cage off before he awoke, Mr. Fish waited until Cage awoke so that he could recount his origin and master plan. Cage got his second wind and made short work of Fish's men. In a desperate move, Fish rushed towards Cage with a steel girder, but Cage dodged and Fish fell off the building, seemingly dying on impact.
Mr. Fish turns up alive during the ''
All-New, All-Different Marvel
All-New, All-Different Marvel (ANADM) is a 2015–2019 branding for Marvel Comics' entire main line of comics. Taking place after the crossover storyline " Secret Wars", it details the new Marvel Universe, with nearly 60–65 titles relaunched w ...
'' relaunch to warn Tombstone that the Black Cat will be targeting him and his criminal empire during an upcoming gang war for control of Harlem. Burgeoning crime lord Alex Wilder later crashes one of Tombstone and Mr. Fish's meetings, beating the former and magically banishing the latter to Hell. After recovering from the attack, Tombstone rescues Mr. Fish from Hell with the help of
Black Talon
Black Talon is a brand of hollow-point pistol and rifle ammunition introduced in 1991 by Winchester, primarily intended for law enforcement and personal defense use. Black Talon rounds were known for the unique construction of the bullet and it ...
.
During the ''
Devil's Reign
"Devil's Reign" is an American comic book event written by Chip Zdarsky with art by Marco Checchetto, published from 2021 to 2022 by Marvel Comics.
Premise
In a ploy to increase his power, Mayor Wilson Fisk has outlawed superheroes in New York C ...
'' storyline, Mr. Fish was seen as an inmate of the Myrmidon. Moon Knight fought him in one of the prison matches and defeated him.
Bill Norris
Bill Norris, the first Mr. Fish's similarly-mutated brother, was introduced visiting an exotic nightclub with the
Walrus
The walrus (''Odobenus rosmarus'') is a large flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The walrus is the only living species in the fami ...
.
He subsequently joined the Flashmob, a group of former opponents of Luke Cage, during '' Shadowland''. The assemblage of villains confront the new Power Man, and are remanded to Ryker's Island after being defeated by him and Iron Fist. A few members of the Flashmob, including Mr. Fish, are eventually bailed out by Big Ben Donovan.
When a virus begins giving people spider-powers similar to Spider-Man's during the ''
Spider-Island
"Spider-Island" is a 2011 comic book storyline starting in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' and crossing over into other comic books published by Marvel Comics, most of which were limited series or one-shots specifically for this storyline. The main ...
'' storyline, Mr. Fish and the rest of the Flashmob are among those infected, prompting them to try and escape from the quarantined Manhattan. They are prevented from doing so by the
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 ...
.
Powers and abilities
Mr. Fish has enhanced strength, a fish-like appearance.
Equipment
Mr. Fish wielded a gun.
Other versions
Marvel Adventures
This version of Mr. Fish was about to enact his master plan only for him and his henchmen to encounter the Fantastic Four.
Human Torch
The Human Torch (Jonathan "Johnny" Storm) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four. He is writer Stan Lee's and artist Jack Kirby's reinvention of a si ...
used his flames to dehydrate Mr. Fish, enough for a police officer to knock him out and arrest him.
In other media
The Mortimer Norris incarnation of Mr. Fish appears in the ''
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 ...
'' episode "Wig Out", portrayed by Hakim Callender. This version is a human crime lord with no superhuman abilities.