List of Marvel 1602 characters

Cover to 1602 #8 (April 2004), featuring from left to right: Matthew Murdoch, Virginia Dare, Rojhaz, Sir Nicholas Fury, and "John" Grey. The scene was based on a famous sketch of the men involved in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 against King James.

Marvel 1602 is an eight-issue comic book limited series published in 2003 by Marvel Comics. The limited series was written by Neil Gaiman, penciled by Andy Kubert, and digitally painted by Richard Isanove; Scott McKowen illustrated the distinctive scratchboard covers.

The eight-part series takes place in a timeline where Marvel superheroes are members of Elizabethan society. The characters featured are mainly from the Silver Age of Comic Books and include Nick Fury, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Doctor Doom, and Magneto.

Other popular characters, such as Wolverine and Storm, were not added, because of Gaiman's vision to address the heroes of the 1960s. "The territory doesn't go much further than 1969 in terms of the characters that I picked to use," Gaiman noted. "I couldn't get everybody in because there are an awful lot of Marvel characters." ^[2]

Historical figures

• Elizabeth I – Her history is essentially unchanged from the real-world version. She is assassinated by Count Otto von Doom (see below), a year before she should have died of natural causes.
• James VI and I – His history is also largely unchanged. He keeps his firm belief in the Divine Right of Kings and his loathing of the witchbreed mirrors the real-life James' view of Catholics. James later took the throne of Elizabeth following her death and conspired with the Grand Inquisitor to eliminate the Witchbreed. ^[3] James is later killed by the Hulk, as revealed in Hulk: Broken Worlds #2.
• Virginia Dare – The first English child born in the Americas. She is depicted as having the ability to transform into animals, which is inspired by her transformation into a deer in the book The White Doe: The Fate of Virginia Dare. Later in the series, Dare is killed by Norman Osborne.^{[ citation needed ]}
• William Shakespeare – A playwright who served the court of Elizabeth and James. While writing Macbeth , he is kidnapped by the Vulture-Fliers and forced to chronicle Otto Von Doom's journey to the city of Bensaylum.

Heroes

• Nicholas Fury – A spymaster who serves Elizabeth, taking the place of Francis Walsingham.
• Doctor Stephen Strange – An alchemist and magician who serves as Elizabeth's physician. He is based in the town of Greenwich, a play on the main universe's Doctor Strange being based in Greenwich Village, New York City. ^[4]
• Peter Parquagh – Sir Nicholas' apprentice. He becomes Spider-Man after being bitten by a spider that was exposed to mystical energy. Peter is later killed during the Spider-Verse storyline, but is resurrected during End of the Spider-Verse . ^{[5] [6]}
• Matthew Murdoch – A blind Irish minstrel and freelance agent who occasionally works for Sir Nicholas. He acquired heightened senses from a mysterious substance he encountered as a child.
• Clea Strange – Doctor Strange's wife and assistant. She is a sorceress who originates from another dimension and was formerly its queen.
• Rojhaz – A Native American who is Virginia's bodyguard. He is later revealed to be a time-displaced version of Captain America from Earth-460. ^[7]
• Carlos Javier – A Spaniard who runs the College for the Sons of Gentlefolk. He is a witchbreed, a being born with special powers, but believes in promoting peace between them and humans.
• Carlos Javier's students – This world's version of the original X-Men. They are:
  • Roberto Trefusis – A nephew of Sir Francis Drake.
  • Scotius Summerisle – He wears a visor made of rubies, and has a branded X on his shoulder which was put there when he was found to be a witchbreed in Scotland.
  • Hal McCoy – A student with a grotesque appearance. He also escaped from Scotland.
  • "John" Grey – "John" Grey is in fact a young woman (a reference to Shakespeare's plays in which young men often dress up women: As You Like It and Twelfth Night ).
  • Werner – He was rescued from the Inquisition. His friendship with "Master John" causes jealous resentment on the part of Scotius Summerisle, though Werner is unaware of John's identity.
• Uatu the Watcher – He knows that all the heroes and villains are not intended to exist for another 350 years and is tempted to break the rules of the Watchers and interfere. The other Watchers see his actions as being for the greater good since the destruction of this universe could result in that of others, leaving them with nothing to watch. Thus, they interfere as minimally as possible and Uatu is allowed to preserve the 1602 universe rather than have it destroyed by Captain America's return to the future.
• The Four from the Fantastick – A famous group of heroes who feature in Murdoch's favourite ballad (which Gaiman has written a full version of, although only snippets appear in the comic).^{[ original research? ]} They were all transformed when their sailing ship, the Fantastick, encountered a wave of energy from the Sargasso Sea. Trapped under the castle of Count Otto von Doom, they remain in imprisonment until rescued by Sir Nicholas Fury and Carlos Javier. According to Neil Gaiman, the Four's powers reflect the four elements that alchemists believed made up all things. They consist of:
  • Benjamin Grimm – The captain of the Fantastick, who possesses a powerful, earth-like body.
  • Sir Richard Reed – The explorer and genius who convinced the others to go on the voyage. His body is elastic like water.
  • Susan Storm – Reed's fiancé. Unlike her 616 counterpart, she is permanently invisible, possessing a weightless, air-like body.
  • Jonathan Storm – He retains his hot-headed and sarcastic personality, as well as his rivalry with Ben Grimm, but appears to be several years older than in the 616 continuity. He possesses the ability to create fire.
• Donal – A Knight Templar who is entrusted with taking the "Templar Treasure" to Stephen Strange. This proves to be the hammer Mjolnir, which is disguised as a walking stick. Donal is forced to use the hammer to become the avatar of Thor.
• Henri Le Pym – Henri Le Pym is a philosopher who Victor Octavius blackmailed into helping to find a cure for him at the time he was trying to cure his shrunken wife. When his wife was covered in a spilled elixir he was working on, he licked it off her resulting in him becoming a giant. He is this reality's version of Hank Pym.
• Janette Le Pym – Janette is Henri's wife who was shrunken by accident. After being hit by a spilled elixir, she became a human/wasp hybrid.

Supporting characters

• Captain Nelson – A seaman who regularly takes Matthew Murdoch across the English Channel.
• Dougan – The second-in-command of Fury's armies. He is very loyal to Fury and goes with him to Otto Von Doom's castle and the New World, where he stays and becomes the head of the police force.
• Jonah Jameson – An Irish-accented newspaper owner in the New World.
• Rhodes – Lord Iron's Moorish engineer.
• Captain Ross – The captain of the vessel that transports Lord Iron to the New World.
• Numenor – The ruler of Bensaylum.
• Rita – Numenor's cousin.
• Wyatt Wingfoot – A lord who is a rival to the Human Torch for the affection of Doris Evans.
• Steve Rogers – An ill man who was given a super-soldier serum derived from the Spider's blood.
• Marioac – A Native American leader.
• Governor Dare – He is the governor of the colony and a wise and heroic man, although not based on a Marvel character.

Villains

• "Brotherhood Of Those Who Will Inherit The Earth" – A secret society formed by Enrique, the Spanish Inquisitor who is actually one of the so-called Witchbreeds that the Inquisition has sworn to destroy.
  • Grand Inquisitor Enrique – Born a Jew, he was taken in by a Christian priest who refused to return him to his family. As an adult, he leads the Spanish Inquisition which he oversees from Domdaniel.
  • Sister Wanda and Petros – The Inquisitor's assistants. They are also his children, a fact he has kept from them.
  • Toad – Enrique's spy in the Vatican. He possesses frog-like abilities that he hides to blend in.
• David Banner – An advisor to King James, who replaces Nicholas Fury when James takes the throne. He is then sent to Roanoke with orders to kill Fury. Towards the end of the story, he is caught in the energies of the Anomaly and becomes a brutish monster.
• Natasha – A freelance spy and "the most dangerous woman in Europe". She is partnered with Murdoch by Sir Nicholas, but betrays him and Donal to Count Otto.
• Otto von Doom – The ruler of Latveria, known as Otto the Handsome. A long-time enemy of Sir Richard Reed, he is responsible for the Four from the Fantastick's disappearance.
• Norman Osborne – He wants to trick the Native Americans into selling the island of Roanoke. However, they have been educated in English and see the flaw in his contract. Norman seeks to turn the colony against the natives, because he believes that they are hiding something of great value.
• Lord Iron – A Spaniard weaponeer who was famous for his inventions. Lord Iron was captured during the war against England, during which David Banner forced him to produce weapons. He has since built a suit of armor powered by electricity and harbors a grudge against Banner.
• The Vulture-Fliers – They are Otto von Doom's flying warriors, based on the Vulture.
• The Assassins are sent by Otto von Doom to murder Nicholas Fury, Virginia Dare, and Queen Elizabeth:
  • The first assassin does not appear to have a definitive counterpart in the regular Marvel Universe.
  • The second is a Vulture-Flier.
  • The third is a booby-trapped musical machine.
• Baron Victor Octavius – An Italian nobleman and brilliant scientist living in exile in France who transformed himself into an octopus hybrid while attempting to cure the bubonic plague.
• Curtis Connors – A philosopher who was infected with the bubonic plague. He created an elixir that transformed him into a reptilian creature that resembled a Velociraptor , but retained his mind.
• Four Who Are Frightful – Four Jacobeans who are hired by Otto Von Doom to find the Lost City of Bensaylum. They are this reality's version of the Frightful Four. Among its members are:
  • Wizard – A magic-user who is the leader of the Four Who Are Frightful.
  • Medusa – Medusa is the lover of the Wizard. She is based on her namesake and possesses a petrifying gaze and snakes for hair.
  • Marko – An albino man who can conjure dreams and nightmares.
  • Trapster – A skilled huntsman. He is this reality's version of Trapster.
• King's Pin – A pirate captain of the H.M.S. Vanessa.
• Bull's Eye – He is an assassin and the second mate to Wilson Fiske.
• The future President-For-Life – He assumes power in a 20th or 21st century America and rounds up and jails many aging heroes. He is not identified, but is implied to be the Purple Man.

In other media

Main article: What If... the Avengers Assembled in 1602?

• Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) – A Super Soldier stranded on Earth-1602 on being pulled into the divergent reality by Wanda Merlin. ^{[8] [9]}
• Nicholas Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) – The captain of King Thor's guards.
• Wanda Merlin (Elizabeth Olsen) – A sorceress and head witch of Thor's cabinet.
• Thor (Chris Hemsworth) – The king of Midgard and brother of Hela and Loki.
• Hela (Cate Blanchett) – The queen of Midgard and sister of Thor and Loki.
• Loki (Tom Hiddleston) – An Asgardian Shakespearean actor and brother of Hela and Thor.
• Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) – A self-imprisoned "hulk".
• Happy Hogan / Freak (Jon Favreau) – The leader of Thor's army of Yellowjackets.
• Tony Stark (Mick Wingert) – A disgraced mad scientist and inventor.
• Steve Rogers / Rogers Hood (Josh Keaton) – An adventurer and leader of the Merry Men.
• Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) – A follower of Rogers Hood.
• Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan)

References

1. McKowen, Scott. "Cover Process", from Marvel 1602: page 3.
2. Weiland, Jonah (2003-06-27). "Marvel's '1602' Press Conference". Comic Book Resources . Archived from the original on 2007-08-14. Retrieved 2008-02-18.
3. Somerset, Anne (1997). Unnatural Murder: Poison at the Court of James I . London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN   0297813102.
4. Gaiman, Neil (30 June 2004). "Afterword", from Marvel 1602 : p.1.
5. Free Comic Book Day 2014 (July 2014)
6. Spider-Man (vol. 4) #6 (May 2023)
7. Barbour, Chad (22 April 2015). "When Captain America Was an Indian: Heroic Masculinity, National Identity, and Appropriation". Popular Culture. 48 (2): 269–284. doi:10.1111/jpcu.12256.
8. Amin, Arezou (December 29, 2023). "'What If...?' Season 2 Episode 8 Recap: Whither Art Thou, Peggy Carter?". Collider . Archived from the original on December 29, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
9. Schreur, Brandon (December 22, 2023). "Disney Confirms Which MCU Stars Are Returning to Voice Characters in What If? Season 2". SuperHeroHype . Archived from the original on December 23, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023.

External links

• 1602: Fantastick Four on Marvel.com
• 1602 Timeline entry on Uncannyxmen.net