Ma'alefa'ak (also known as Malefic and Malefic Jones) is a

supervillain A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...

appearing in

American comic books An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

published by

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

, usually depicted as the

archenemy In literature, an archenemy, (sometimes spelled as arch-enemy) or nemesis is the main enemy of the protagonist — or sometimes, one of the other main characters — appearing as the most prominent and most-known enemy of the hero. Etymolog ...

of his twin brother, the superhero

Martian Manhunter The Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz) is a superhero in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in the story "The Manhunter from Mars" in ''Detective Comics ...

. Created by writer

John Ostrander John Ostrander (born April 20, 1949) is an American writer of comic books, including ''Suicide Squad'', '' Grimjack'' and '' Star Wars: Legacy''. He co-created the Oracle persona for Barbara Gordon and created the second and modern version of t ...

and artist

Tom Mandrake Tom Mandrake (born 1956) is an American comics artist, perhaps best known for his collaborations with writer John Ostrander on several series, including ''Grimjack'' (from First Comics) and ''Firestorm (comics), Firestorm'', ''The Spectre (DC Comi ...

, the character first appeared in ''

'' (vol. 2) #0 (October 1998). The character has appeared in various media outside comics. He appeared in the animated film '' Justice League: Doom'', voiced by

Carl Lumbly Carl Winston Lumbly (born August 14, 1951) is an American actor. He is best known for '' M.A.N.T.I.S.'' (1994–1997) and has also had television roles on '' Cagney & Lacey'' (1982–1988) and '' Alias'' (2001–2006). He has also had roles in v ...

; the live-action series ''

Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. Th ...

'', portrayed by

Phil LaMarr Phil LaMarr is an American actor and comedian. He was one of the original featured cast members on the sketch comedy television series '' Mad TV'', where he stayed for five seasons. His voice acting roles in animated series include the Sam B of ' ...

; and the animated series ''

Young Justice Young Justice is a fictional DC Comics superhero team consisting of teenaged heroes. The team was formed in 1998 when DC's usual teen hero group, the Teen Titans, had become adults and changed their name to the Titans. Like the original ''Teen T ...

'', where he is voiced by

Benjamin Diskin Benjamin Diskin (born August 25, 1982) is an American actor. Early life Diskin was born on August 25, 1982 in Los Angeles County, California to a Jewish family. Career In 1991, Diskin won the "Outstanding Young Ensemble Cast in a Motion Pictur ...

and depicted as a

White Martian The White Martians are one of four fictional extraterrestrial races native to Mars in the DC Comics' shared universe. White Martians, also known as Pale Martians, appear in the comics of the DC Universe, chiefly '' JLA'', ''Martian Manhunter'', a ...

Publication history

The character first appears in a flashback sequence in ''

'' (vol. 2) #0 (October 1998) and in a storyline in the same title in issues #3–6 (February–May 1999) by writer

and artist

Fictional character biography

Ma'alefa'ak is a native of the planet

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

, and his parents were influential in Martian society: his mother, J'ahrl J'onzz, and his father,

M'yrnn J'onzz J.A.K.E. 1 J.A.K.E. 2 J'onn J'onzz M'yrnn J'onzz M'yrnn J'onzz is the father of the twin brothers J'onn J'onzz/Martian Manhunter and Ma'alefa'ak. His first appearance was in ''Martian Manhunter'' (vol. 2) #3 (August 2001). M'yrnn J'onzz ...

. He is the younger twin brother and was already prophesied to be his brother's arch-nemesis, J'onn J'onzz, also known as the Martian Manhunter. Twins are rare on Mars, and Martian society believed that twins were meant to be one amalgam, divided between light and darkness.''Martian Manhunter'' (vol. 2) #7 (June 1999) His mother, a precognitive mystic, had a vision before their birth, in which she saw that one of her sons would betray their people, while the other would become the champion of their race. As a result, she named one of her sons J'onn J'onzz, which means 'Light to the Light', and the other Ma'alefa'ak, meaning 'darkness in the heart'. Ma'alefa'ak grew up feeling like an outcast among his people, with only his twin's love, the only one who did not reject him. While J'onn grew up to become a Manhunter, a police officer, Ma'alefa'ak turned to science, becoming a scientist and sorcerer. He turned against his people and despised his culture, even his own relatives, especially his mother, whom he blamed for what he became. Following a failed attempt to find the

Anti-Life Equation The Anti-Life Equation is a fictional concept appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Various comics have defined the equation in different ways, but a common interpretation is that the equation may be seen as a mathematical proof ...

, Ma'alefa'ak's memories,

pyrophobia Pyrophobia is a fear of fire, which can be considered irrational if beyond what is considered normal. This phobia is ancient and primordial, perhaps since humanity's discovery of fire. Usually pertaining to humans' comprehensible reaction to fi ...

, and telepathy are removed and he is made to believe that he was born lacking the latter. Ma'alefa'ak later kills the

Martians Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, has appeared as a setting in works of fiction since at least the mid-1600s. Trends in the planet's portrayal have largely been influenced by advances in planetary science. It became the most popular celestia ...

with a psychic curse, which J'onn survives by temporarily sealing his telepathy. With his race destroyed and Martian Manhunter on Earth, Ma'alefa'ak lives alone on Mars for centuries. After learning that J'onn is alive, Ma'alefa'ak follows him to Earth and attempts to kill him. However, J'onn erases Ma'alefa'ak's telepathic block, leading him to be consumed by the sun. In ''

The New 52 The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero American comic books, comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint (comics), Flashpoint" Fictional crossover, cros ...

'' continuity reboot, Ma'alefa'ak is reintroduced in a 2015 storyline in which the Earth-born survivors of the Martian extinction build a weapon to infiltrate and enslave Earth.

Powers and abilities

Ma'alefa'ak possesses abilities similar to the

and all other Green Martians. The character has superhuman levels of strength, stamina speed and durability. Other base abilities include "Martian vision" (projecting energy beams from his eyes). Complete control of his molecular structure also allows Ma'alefa'ak to

shapeshift In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shapeshifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through unnatural means. The idea of shapeshifting is found in the oldest forms of totemism and shamanism, as well as the oldest exist ...

, regenerate, and utilize

invisibility Invisibility is the state of an object that cannot be seen. An object in this state is said to be ''invisible'' (literally, "not visible"). The phenomenon is studied by physics and perceptual psychology. Since objects can be seen by light fr ...

and intangibility. Ma'alefa'ak also possesses

telekinesis Telekinesis () (alternatively called psychokinesis) is a purported psychic ability allowing an individual to influence a physical system without physical interaction. Experiments to prove the existence of telekinesis have historically been cri ...

, and originally possessed

telepathy Telepathy () is the purported vicarious transmission of information from one person's mind to another's without using any known human sensory channels or physical interaction. The term was first coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Frederic ...

, although this ability was removed by the Council of Mars. Although Martians can be weakened by fire and suffer from pyrophobia ("H'ronmeer's Curse"), Ma'alefa'ak did not share this weakness due to the removal of his telepathic abilities. When Martian Manhunter removed the telepathic block instilled by the Council, Ma'alefa'ak regained his telepathic abilities but was also once again susceptible to fire, his vulnerability stronger than the standard Green Martian due to his lack of experience at resisting the flames.

In other media

Television

* Ma'alefa'ak appears in ''

'', voiced by

. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. This version is a

named M'comm M'orzz, the younger brother of M'gann, and the son of a White Martian father and Green Martian mother who feels that White Martians are oppressed by the Green and Red Martians, describing the former as "a superstitious, cowardly lot" and taking his codename from a Martian creature to strike terror in them. In the fourth season, Ma'alefa'ak allies with

Darkseid Darkseid () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer-artist Jack Kirby, the character first made a cameo appearance in ''Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen'' #134 (December 1970), before being fully in ...

and is given the planet Durla to establish a White Martian community. * Malefic J'onzz appears in ''

'', portrayed by

as an adult, Marcello Guedes as a boy, and Domonique Robinson as a teenager. This version, amidst a civil war between the Green and White Martians, betrayed the former to help the latter. Subsequently, he was imprisoned in the

Phantom Zone The Phantom Zone is a prison-like parallel dimension appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is mainly associated with stories featuring Superman. It first appeared in ''Adventure Comics'' #283 (April 1961), and was created b ...

and all memory of him was erased from the Martians' collective consciousness. In the fourth season finale "The Quest for Peace", the

Monitor Monitor or monitor may refer to: Places * Monitor, Alberta * Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States * Monitor, Kentucky * Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States * Monitor, Washington * Monitor, Logan County, Wes ...

frees Malefic from the Phantom Zone and releases him on

Earth-38 The DC Multiverse is a fictional continuity construct used in numerous DC Comics publications. The Multiverse has undergone numerous changes since its introduction and has included various universes, listed below between the original Multiverse a ...

to seek vengeance on his brother J'onn J'onzz. Throughout the fifth season, Malefic battles

and J'onn until he is captured by

Lena Luthor Lena Luthor is the name of two fictional comic book characters in DC Comics. The first one, introduced in 1961, is the sister of Superman's nemesis Lex Luthor, while the second one, introduced in 2000, is Lex Luthor's daughter who is named after h ...

, who seeks to exploit his psionic powers, before he is rescued by and reconciles with J'onn. After helping the

Department of Extranormal Operations Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military * Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

foil Luthor's plans, Malefic returns to Mars, where he brings peace between the Green and White Martians.

Film

Ma'alefa'ak appears in '' Justice League: Doom'', voiced by

. This version is a member of

Vandal Savage Vandal Savage (Vandar Adg) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is said to be a Cro-Magnon warrior who gained immortality and advanced healing abilities after encountering a strange meteorite during prehis ...

Legion of Doom The Legion of Doom is a group of supervillains who originated in '' Challenge of the Superfriends'', an animated series from Hanna-Barbera based on DC Comics' Justice League. The Legion of Doom has since been incorporated into the main DC Univers ...

Video games

Ma'alefa'ak appears as a character summon in '' Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''.

Miscellaneous

A White Martian variation of Ma'alefa'ak appears in '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' #18.'' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'' #18 (August 2010)

References

External links

Ma'alefa'ak Ma'alefa'ak (also known as Malefic and Malefic Jones) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, usually depicted as the archenemy of his twin brother, the superhero Martian Manhunter. Created by writer John Ostran ...

at DC Comics Wiki
Ma'alefa'ak
at Comic Vine

at The Idol-Head of Diabolu {{Justice League characters Characters created by John Ostrander Comics characters introduced in 1998 DC Comics aliens DC Comics supervillains DC Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds DC Comics characters with accelerated healing DC Comics characters with superhuman senses DC Comics characters with superhuman strength DC Comics extraterrestrial supervillains DC Comics psychics DC Comics shapeshifters DC Comics telepaths DC Comics telekinetics Fictional characters who can stretch themselves Fictional characters who can turn intangible Fictional characters who can turn invisible Fictional characters with energy-manipulation abilities Fictional characters with fire or heat abilities Fictional characters with X-ray vision Fictional Martians Twin characters in comics