Chondu the Mystic, sometimes known as Chondu the Magician, 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 ...

. Chondu the Mystic first appeared in ''Tales of Suspense'' #9 and was created by Doug Wildley and George Evans while his monstrous form was created by

Steve Gerber Stephen Ross Gerber (; September 20, 1947 – February 10, 2008) was an American comic book writer and creator of the satiric Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck. Other works include '' Man-Thing'', '' Omega the Unknown,'' '' Marvel Spotlig ...

and

Sal Buscema Sal Buscema (; ; born Silvio Buscema, January 26, 1936) is an American comics artist, primarily for Marvel Comics, where he enjoyed a ten-year run as artist of '' The Incredible Hulk'' and an eight-year run as artist of ''The Spectacular Spider-M ...

Fictional character biography

Chondu was once a sideshow magician before becoming a professional criminal. In his first appearance, he lectured on yoga and sent an escaped convict to

Limbo In Catholic theology, Limbo (Latin '' limbus'', edge or boundary, referring to the edge of Hell) is the afterlife condition of those who die in original sin without being assigned to the Hell of the Damned. Medieval theologians of Western Euro ...

. Chondu later joins the

Headmen The Headmen is a group of supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Publication history The Headmen first appeared (as a team) in '' The Defenders'' #21 (March 1975) and were created by Steve Gerber, Sal Buscema, ...

. Dr. Arthur Nagan transplants Chondu's brain into Nighthawk's body in a bid to exploit 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 ...

. Doctor Strange defeats him in a fight and mystically places Chondu's consciousness in a fawn's body. Meanwhile, Nagan and Ruby Thursday carry out a series of alterations to Chondu's original body. His altered body is a monstrous, demonic-looking form with eight lampreys for arms, bird-wings, a horn from his skull, fangs, a forked tongue, and eagles' feet. His consciousness is placed in an artificial brain made out of the same material as Ruby's head. Chondu attempts to kidnap a construction worker to use in a brain transplant, but encounters

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: ...

and is arrested by the New York City police. The Headmen later hire

Mysterio Mysterio (Quentin Beck) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #13 (June 1964). He is primarily depicted a ...

to capture the She-Hulk, and place Chondu's head on a clone of her body, which he does not appreciate. She-Hulk and Spider-Man battle the Headmen, and in the course of the fight Chondu's head is knocked free from its new body. He survives thanks to life-support equipment attached to his head. As part of 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 ...

'' branding, Chondu has been seen as a bartender at the Bar with no Doors, a tavern frequented by various mystics.

Powers and abilities

Chondu can perform intermediate magic as he is skilled in the mystic arts. In this

composite Composite or compositing may refer to: Materials * Composite material, a material that is made from several different substances ** Metal matrix composite, composed of metal and other parts ** Cermet, a composite of ceramic and metallic materials ...

form, he has immense physical attributes, winged flight, the ability to constrict people or objects with his tentacle-like arms, and razor-sharp weapons.''Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z'' Vol 1 #2 (May 2008)

References

External links

*
Chondu the Mystic
at Marvel.com
Chondu the Mystic
at Marvel Database
Chondu the Mystic
at Comic Vine {{Steve Gerber Characters created by Sal Buscema Characters created by Steve Gerber Comics characters introduced in 1960 Fictional characters from Rhode Island Fictional characters with absorption or parasitic abilities Fictional characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability Fictional illusionists Fictional monsters Marvel Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds Marvel Comics characters who can teleport Marvel Comics characters who use magic Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength Marvel Comics demons Marvel Comics male supervillains Marvel Comics supervillains Marvel Comics telepaths