Merlin The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) is an interferometer array of radio telescopes spread across England. The array is run from Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire by the University of Manchester on behalf of UK Re ...

is a legendary character who has appeared multiple times throughout comic books especially in

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 ...

and

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

DC Comics

The first adaptation of Merlin appeared in '' New Comics'' #3 (February 1936), by Rafael Astarita. The modern version of Merlin is the half-brother of

Etrigan the Demon Etrigan the Demon is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, Etrigan is a demon from Hell who, despite his violent tendencies, usually finds himself allied with the forces of good, mainly beca ...

and bound him to the human Jason Blood. 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, Merlin is the founder of Stormwatch under the alias Adam One.

Other versions

* An alternate version of Merlin appears in ''

Camelot 3000 ''Camelot 3000'' is an American twelve-issue comic book limited series written by Mike W. Barr and penciled by Brian Bolland. It was published by DC Comics from 1982 to 1985 as one of its first direct market projects, and as its first maxi-s ...

'', where characters from Arthurian myth have no contact with DC superheroes in present day. This Merlin is an immortal who calls King Arthur from

Glastonbury Tor Glastonbury Tor is a hill near Glastonbury in the English county of Somerset, topped by the roofless tower of St Michael's Church, a Grade I Listed building (United Kingdom), listed building. The site is managed by the National Trust and has be ...

in the year 3000 to battle Morgaine le Fay's invasion. * In the

Elseworlds Elseworlds is the publication imprint (trade name), imprint for American comic books produced by DC Comics for stories that take place outside the DC Universe Canon (fictional), canon. Elseworlds publications are set in alternate realities that ...

story ''Batman: Dark Knight of the Round Table'', Merlin counsels a

Round Table The Round Table (; ; ; ) is King Arthur's famed table (furniture), table in the Arthurian legend, around which he and his knights congregate. As its name suggests, it has no head, implying that everyone who sits there has equal status, unlike co ...

consisting of analogs of the

Justice League of America The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in '' The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived t ...

. * An alternate timeline variant of Merlin appears in ''

Future State "Future State" is a comic book storyline published by DC Comics in January and February 2021, consisting of multiple limited series released in place of DC's regular ongoing series during those months. The event is set in the aftermath of the " ...

''. This version is a conqueror who seeks to claim the world's magic. To this end, he separates Jason Blood from Etrigan and manipulates the former into serving him.

Merlin (DC Comics) in other media

* Merlin appears in ''

The Adventures of Superboy ''The Adventures of Superboy'' is a proposed TV series that was put into production in 1961. It was meant to capitalize on the success of '' Adventures of Superman'', which went out of production in 1958. Only a pilot episode ("Rajah's Ransom") ...

'' episode "The Black Knight". * Merlin appears in '' The Freedom Force'', voiced by Michael Bell. This version is a member of the titular team. * Merlin appears in a flashback in the ''

Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...

'' episode "A Knight of Shadows", voiced by W. Morgan Sheppard. 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 bound Jason Blood and Etrigan as punishment for the former betraying

Camelot Camelot is a legendary castle and Royal court, court associated with King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described ...

to his secret lover Morgaine le Fey. * Merlin appears in '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'', voiced by

David McCallum David Keith McCallum (19 September 1933 – 25 September 2023) was a Scottish actor and musician, based in the United States. He gained wide recognition in the 1960s for playing secret agent Illya Kuryakin in the television series '' The Man fr ...

. This version was previously Etrigan's master and worked with him to seal

Astaroth Astaroth (also Ashtaroth, Astarot and Astetoth), in demonology, is considered to be the Great Duke of Hell. He is described as a male figure, most likely named after the unrelated Near Eastern goddess Astarte. Background The name ''Ast ...

in the underworld. * Merlin appears in ''

Justice League Action ''Justice League Action'' is an American superhero animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero team Justice League. The series is produced by Jim Krieg, Butch Lukic, and Alan Burnett. The show debuted on Cartoon Network UK on N ...

'', voiced by Dan Donohue in "Speed Demon" and by

Patrick Seitz David Patrick Seitz (born March 17, 1978) is an American voice actor, ADR director and script writer best known for portraying Dio Brando in ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure''. He has provided voices for English versions of Japanese anime and video ...

in "Hat Trick". * Merlin appears in ''

Legends of Tomorrow ''DC's Legends of Tomorrow'', or simply ''Legends of Tomorrow'', is an American Time travel in fiction, time travel superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, and Phil Klemmer, ...

'' as a disguise used by a time-travelling

Courtney Whitmore Courtney Elizabeth Whitmore, known as Stargirl and formerly as the second Star-Spangled Kid, is a superhero created by Geoff Johns and Lee Moder who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character's name, appearance, and pers ...

(portrayed by

Sarah Grey Sarah Grey (born May 19, 1996) is a Canadian actress. She may be best known for her portrayal of Alyssa, the female lead on the two season run (2019–2020) of the Netflix horror-drama series '' The Order''. Life and career Grey was born in ...

). * Merlin appears in ''

Justice League Dark Justice League Dark, or JLD, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team made their debut in ''Justice League Dark'' #1 (September 2011). The team features some of the more supernatural characters in t ...

'', voiced by

JB Blanc Jean-Benoît "JB" Blanc is a French-British actor of film and television who has worked on animations and video games in Los Angeles, coming from a drama education at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art

Marvel Comics

Merlin is the name of multiple fictional characters appearing in

American comic book 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 ...

s published by

Original Merlin

The first Merlin of the Marvel Universe is apparently the figure of

Arthurian legend The Matter of Britain (; ; ; ) is the body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and Brittany and the legendary kings and heroes associated with it, particularly King Arthur. The 12th-century writer Geoffr ...

, hailing from 6th century A.D. Britain. He was born in Carmarthen, Wales. He was a powerful sorcerer who acted as teacher, advisor, and defender of King Arthur Pendragon of

. Merlin warned King Arthur that his son,

Mordred Mordred or Modred ( or ; Welsh: ''Medraut'' or ''Medrawt'') is a major figure in the legend of King Arthur. The earliest known mention of a possibly historical Medraut is in the Welsh chronicle ''Annales Cambriae'', wherein he and Arthur are a ...

, would be responsible for the end of Camelot, but before Arthur could put the baby to death, he was rescued and raised in anonymity. Merlin was responsible for teaching magic to

Morgan le Fay Morgan le Fay (; Welsh language, Welsh and Cornish language, Cornish: Morgen; with ''le Fay'' being garbled French language, French ''la Fée'', thus meaning 'Morgan the Fairy'), alternatively known as Morgan , Morgain /e Morgant Mor ...

, though she turned against him and became one of King Arthur's greatest foes. Knowing that Britain would need a champion to face the likes of Morgan and Mordred, he sought a boy to become the first

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 ...

. He had this boy, Percy, trained in all known forms of combat, and when he grew up, Percy was presented with the Ebony Blade. When Percy died, Merlin cast a spell that ensured he would have successors in future centuries. Merlyn appears in ''

Excalibur Excalibur is the mythical sword of King Arthur that may possess magical powers or be associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. Its first reliably datable appearance is found in Geoffrey of Monmouth's ''Historia Regum Britanniae''. E ...

'', now calling himself the Great Hierophant as the ruler of the Holy Republic of Fae, part of the Foul Courts of

Otherworld In historical Indo-European religion, the concept of an otherworld, also known as an otherside, is reconstructed in comparative mythology. Its name is a calque of ''orbis alius'' (Latin for "other world/side"), a term used by Lucan in his desc ...

. He is later revealed to be an ally of Morgan le Fey and Clan Akkaba and shares their hatred of mutants.

Other characters named Merlin

Other beings have also claimed the name Merlin, besides the Merlin of Arthurian legend:

Impostor Merlin

This being was apparently 10,000 years old, and apparently was a savage that came to possess some portion of the same Bloodgem that

Ulysses Bloodstone Ulysses Bloodstone is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is an immortal monster-hunter. Ulysses Bloodstone appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe / Disney+ television special ''Werewolf by ...

would later possess, which gave him immortality and eternal youth. The false Merlin was revived in modern times after his coffin was found. Merlin claims to be a mutant and had the ability to control the minds of others, create illusions, project force bolts, levitate objects, teleport himself, create force fields, and alter his own appearance.''

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963). Although initial ...

'' #30 (March 1967)

Dire Wraith version

Another being posing as Merlin was sent by

Immortus Immortus (; Nathaniel Richards) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the future self of Pharaoh Rama-Tut, Scarlet Centurion, Kang the Conqueror, and Iron Lad, Iron Lad / Kid Immortus, and a ...

to fight the

Avengers Avenger(s) or The Avenger(s) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes **Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of "The Infinity Sag ...

. This being was revealed to be a

Dire Wraith The Dire Wraiths are a fictional extraterrestrial species appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and IDW Publishing. The Dire Wraiths are the main opponents of Rom the Space Knight. Publication history The Dire Wraiths firs ...

with no connection to the real Merlin.

Merlyn

The being Merlyn also claims to be the real Merlin and appears to be a gestalt of the various other Merlins within the Marvel Comics

multiverse The multiverse is the hypothetical set of all universes. Together, these universes are presumed to comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describ ...

Perter Hunter

Peter Hunter, the British costumed champion known as Albion, a member of the

Knights of Pendragon The Knights of Pendragon are a fictional team of heroes featuring in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters appeared in two series published by Imprint (trade name), imprint Marvel UK between 1990 in comics, 1990 and 1993 in comics ...

, is alleged to be the current reincarnation of Merlin.

Marvel UK version

Merlin also appeared in the

Marvel UK Marvel UK was an imprint (trade name), imprint of Marvel Comics formed in 1972 to reprint United States of America, US-produced stories for the United Kingdom, British weekly comic market. Marvel UK later produced original material by British cr ...

''Doctor Who'' comic appearing first in "The Neutron Knights" story and later in the longer "The Tides of Time". This Merlin was one of the High Evolutionaries of the Cosmos, a group that also includes

Rassilon Rassilon is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. In the backstory of the programme, he was the founder of Time Lord society on the planet Gallifrey and its first leader, as Lord High President. A ...

, the founder of the Time Lords.

Merlin (Marvel Comics) in other media

* An alternate reality variant of Merlin appears in the ''

Ultimate Spider-Man ''Ultimate Spider-Man'' is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2011. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of the company's Ultimate Ma ...

'' episode "The Spider-Verse", voiced by

Tom Kenny Thomas James Kenny (born July 13, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He has been voicing SpongeBob SquarePants (character), the titular character in ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and associated media since its debut in 1999. Kenny has voice ...

. 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. * Merlin appears in the ''

Marvel Future Avengers is a Japanese superhero anime television series produced by Madhouse and Walt Disney Japan, based on the Marvel Comics universe. The series follows a group of teenagers with special powers, who are trained by the Avengers to become superh ...

'' episode "Out of Time", voiced by Shozo Sasaki in the Japanese version and by Mick Wingert in the English dub. * Merlin appears as an unlockable playable character in '' Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2''.

Other notable appearances

* Merlin is a major character in

Matt Wagner Matt Wagner (born October 9, 1961) is an American comics artist and writer who is best known as the creator of the series ''Mage (comics), Mage'' and ''Grendel (comics), Grendel''. Early life, family and education Matt Wagner's childhood was spe ...

's ''

Mage Mage most commonly refers to: * Mage (paranormal) or magician, a practitioner of magic derived from supernatural or occult sources * Mage (fantasy) or magician, a type of character in mythology, folklore, and fiction * Mage, a character class in ...

'' series, which features a reincarnated

King Arthur According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...

as the character Kevin Matchstick. He is presented as the World Mage and is a paraplegic in the first series ''Mage: The Hero Discovered''. He is depicted as an old man named Wally Ut, who Kevin thinks of as a crackpot until he reveals himself in ''Mage: The Hero Defined''. * Merlin is the title-character in ''Merlin'', a comic book by Robin Wood and Enrique Alcatena. *

is a member of the titular knights in '' The Seven Deadly Sins'', representing the sin of Gluttony.

References

{{Reflist, 30em

comics a Media (communication), medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of Panel (comics), panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, Glo ...

* Comics characters introduced in 1936 Comics characters introduced in 1943 Comics characters introduced in 1972 Fictional half-demons DC Comics characters who use magic DC Comics demons DC Comics fantasy characters DC Comics hybrids Mythology in DC Comics Marvel Comics characters who use magic Marvel Comics demons Marvel Comics fantasy characters Marvel Comics hybrids Mythology in Marvel Comics