Nicholas Scratch

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Nicholas Scratch
Four27.jpg
Nicholas Scratch, as he appears in 4 #27. Art by Valentine Delandro.
Publication information
Publisher Marvel Comics
First appearance Fantastic Four #185 (August 1977)
Created by Len Wein (writer), George Pérez (artist)
In-story information
Species Warlock
Partnerships Dormammu
Salem's Seven
AbilitiesVast magical powers

Nicholas Scratch is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The son of Agatha Harkness, he is a warlock and father of the Salem's Seven and predominantly a foe of the Fantastic Four and Patsy Walker.

Contents

The character made his live-action debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe miniseries Agatha All Along , portrayed by Abel Lysenko.

Publication history

Nicholas Scratch first appeared in Fantastic Four #185 (August 1977) and was created by Len Wein (writer) and George Pérez (artist). [1]

The name "Nicholas Scratch" is an amalgam of colloquial and euphemistic names for the Devil: "Old Nick" and "Old Scratch" or "Mr. Scratch" (as used in "The Devil and Daniel Webster").[ citation needed ]

Fictional character biography

The son of Agatha Harkness, Nicholas Scratch originates from New Salem, Colorado, a secret community of magic users. [2] After Agatha leaves Salem, Scratch becomes a warlock and the father of Salem's Seven with several mothers. He turns Salem's residents against Agatha, but is defeated and banished to the Dark Realm after the Fantastic Four confront him. [2] [3]

While in the Dark Realm, Scratch restores the Seven's powers and brainwashes the Fantastic Four to conquer the world, but Agatha thwarts his plans and confines him to the Dark Realm. [4] He also mentally possesses Franklin and has the Seven take over New Salem, but Agatha and Gabriel the Devil Hunter defeat him, after which Agatha removes his powers and disowns him. [5]

Following the destruction of New Salem, [6] Scratch resurfaces in the town of Centerville as "Mayor Nicholas", which, along with its residents, had entered a contract as an amusement park version of "America's Heartland Next-Door." When Patsy Walker returns to visit her hometown, she discovers that its residents have been possessed by demons. A team composed of the Avengers and the Thunderbolts help to clear the town, which was being victimized by a conspiracy composed of the amusement park developers, the Sons of the Serpent, and the Seven. After defeating them, the Avengers and the Thunderbolts depart, but Patsy decides to stay in Centerville. [7]

After discovering that Scratch is the mastermind behind the ongoing haunting of Centerville, Patsy defeats him and accuses him of serving Mephisto. However, Scratch summons his true master, Dormammu, who abducts Hellcat and reveals his plans for domination by conquering Hell and that Scratch will become Sorcerer Supreme. However, the Hell Lords thwart Dormammu's plan, after which he and Scratch flee. [2]

In Marvel Knights 4 , Scratch manipulates the Seven and the Fantastic Four into releasing Shuma-Gorath. However, he is defeated and banished to Hell, where he meets and allies with Mephisto. [2]

Powers and abilities

Nicholas Scratch possesses vast indeterminate power through manipulation of the forces of magic. This gives him various magical powers, including teleportation, energy manipulation, dimensional travel, mind control, telepathy, and illusion generation. Scratch also wields the Satan Staff, a mystical power object that focuses his magic.

In other media

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References

  1. DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019). The Marvel Encyclopedia. DK Publishing. p. 309. ISBN   978-1-4654-7890-0.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Brooks, Nicholas (November 7, 2022). "Agatha Harkness' Worst Enemy is - Her Own Son?!". CBR. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  3. Fantastic Four #185-186 (August- September 1977)
  4. Fantastic Four Annual #14
  5. Fantastic Four #222-223
  6. Vision and the Scarlet Witch vol. 2 #2-3
  7. Avengers Annual 2000
  8. Craig, Richard (April 13, 2024). "10 Best Episodes Of The Avengers: United They Stand". ScreenRant. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  9. Romano, Nick (October 30, 2024). "How Agatha All Along ending sets up more witchy shenanigans in the MCU". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 31, 2024.