Shroud (comics)

Last updated • 7 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Shroud
The shroud.jpg
The Shroud as depicted in Solo Avengers #3 (February 1988). Art by Mark D. Bright.
Publication information
Publisher Marvel Comics
First appearance Super-Villain Team-Up #5 (April 1976)
Created by Steve Englehart (writer)
Herb Trimpe (artist)
In-story information
Alter egoMaximillian Quincy Coleridge
Species Human
Team affiliationsCult of Kali
Heroes for Hire
Night Shift
Notable aliasesMaster of Darkness
Michael Wyatt
Moon Knight
AbilitiesOlympic-level athlete
Adept acrobat and infiltrator
Trained martial artist
Carries explosive "bombarangs"
Use of one-man aircraft
Flight at walking speed
Ability to transform Darkforce dimension energy into anything imaginable and "see" through walls and darkness

The Shroud (Maximillian Quincy Coleridge) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Contents

Publication history

The Shroud first appeared in Super-Villain Team-Up #5 (April 1976) and was created by Steve Englehart and Herb Trimpe. [1]

Englehart has acknowledged that the character was intended as a "mashup" of DC Comics' Batman and The Shadow. "As a Marvel writer, I thought I'd never get to write the Batman, so I took some Bat-traits and mixed them with some Shadow-traits so as not to get sued and made my own homage to those dark night characters." [2]

Fictional character biography

At the age of 10, Maximillian Coleridge saw his parents gunned down right before his eyes. He decided to dedicate his life to fighting crime. Upon graduation from college, he joined the mysterious temple called the "Cult of Kali", where he studied various styles of martial arts. After seven years of intense training, he graduated from that temple. During the celebration ceremony, he was branded with the "Kiss of Kali", a red-hot iron. He had the image of the goddess Kali imprinted in livid scar tissue on his face from nose to hairline and from cheek to cheek. Following a period of intense pain and hospitalization, he realized that his eyesight had been replaced by a mystic extrasensory perception. Traveling back to the United States, he adopted the masked identity of the "Shroud". [lower-alpha 1] . In his first appearance as a hero, he encountered the Human Torch. [3] He later invaded Latveria, intending to kill Doctor Doom for his crimes against humanity. The Shroud recounted his origin to Namor the Sub-Mariner, and the two secretly entered Latveria disguised as members of the Ringmaster's Circus of Crime. Shroud joined Prince Rudolfo's revolution against Doctor Doom, and came close to his revenge. [4] However, the Shroud shifted gears in order to help Doctor Doom and Captain America oppose someone else with a longer track record of crimes against humanity: the Red Skull. In outer space, the Shroud was shot by a ray built by the Red Skull while Doctor Doom battled the Red Skull on the moon. The Shroud was rescued by Captain America, while the Red Skull was left defeated on the moon (but was later rescued by the Hate Monger). Captain America brought the Shroud back to Earth, but because of his time in space, the Shroud became insane and it took him quite a while to recover. [5] After this recovery, the Shroud discovered that he was able to tap into the Darkforce dimension.[ volume & issue needed ]

The Shroud later recruits Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew) to infiltrate a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility so that they can access the files. Alongside Spider-Woman, the Shroud battled the Cult of Kali. [6] The Shroud then took on Cat and Mouse as his aides. [7] He then teamed with Spider-Man against Dansen Macabre. [8] The Shroud aided the Avengers and Doctor Strange against Morgan le Fay. He helped restore the former Spider-Woman's astral self to her body. [9] He later refused Hawkeye's offer to join the West Coast Avengers. [10] The Shroud assisted the depowered Jessica Drew against some crooks. [11] He assisted the West Coast Avengers against Graviton and the Blank. [12]

The Shroud went undercover in Los Angeles and by operating as a crime-fighter masquerading as a criminal, he built a reputation as a criminal so he could destroy their world from within. This led him to create the group known as the Night Shift. [13] With the Night Shift, he teamed with Captain America against the Power Broker and his augmented mutates. [14] He tested Moon Knight to see if he could take over as leader of the Night Shift. [15] He refused Taurus's offer to join the new Zodiac. [16] He teamed with Hawkeye against the gang leader Speedo. [17] Behind the scenes, the Shroud made a deal with the West Coast Avengers not to interfere with his activities underground, but during a battle, the Shroud went missing and the Night Shift battled the Avengers, causing a strain between the groups when the Shroud stopped the battle. [18] When the Shroud returned to action, it was revealed that he had spent some time with his family, though no actual names of that family have ever been revealed.[ volume & issue needed ] The Shroud made few appearances in the years following.

When the Superhero Registration Act was proposed by the United States during the Civil War storyline, the Shroud refused to accept the proposal to give up his secret identity, and sided against heroes such as Ms. Marvel and Iron Man. He is also in a romantic relationship with Julia Carpenter (aka Arachne). With Julia's help, the Shroud managed to escape from Ryker's Island, injuring a number of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in the process. The two of them planned to flee to Canada with Rachel Carpenter (Julia's daughter), but Wonder Man and Ms. Marvel captured the Shroud, [19] and Julia the following issue. He is then broken out, [20] in order to join Captain America's anti-registration army and takes part in the final battle. [21]

During the Shadowland storyline, Shroud is paired with Silver Sable, Misty Knight, and Paladin when Daredevil's Hand ninjas target members of the mafia. [22]

Following the death of Marc Spector, Coleridge takes on the Moon Knight moniker before coming into conflict with his predecessor's allies and having his identity exposed. [23] [24]

During the "Blood Hunt" storyline, the Shroud and other Darkforce users lose control of their abilities and release a large amount of Darkforce energy, blocking out the Sun and facilitating the vampires' attack on Earth. [25]

Powers and abilities

Exposure to bombardment of the Red Skull's hypno-ray triggered a latent power over darkness in the Shroud. Shroud possesses the mystical ability to create an aperture into Darkforce Dimension and to project the thick, inky gas-like substance of the Darkforce Dimension into Earth's dimension for his own use. This darkness is not simply the absence of light, but the negation of it. No illumination can penetrate it. It is unknown how much of this darkness Shroud can summon at once. He can blanket a small auditorium in darkness within several seconds. The darkness he projects does not fill a volume instantly: it is possible to see its hazy boundary move like thick, black smoke in the air. There appears to be no limit to the length of time Shroud can maintain the darkness. However, loss of concentration can disrupt his power to summon and control darkness, and if Shroud is rendered unconscious the darkness seems to be naturally drawn through the portal from which it came.

The Shroud has control over the darkness so as to create hazy-edged, featureless black shapes with it, the complexity of which is limited only by his imagination. For example, he once created two discs that covered Captain America's eyes, preventing him from seeing anything or becoming hypnotized, yet so small that they were indistinguishable from the pupils of his eyes. [13] He frequently forms the darkness into his own shadow in order to serve as a decoy. Unlike Darkstar's Darkforce, the darkness possesses no mass, and unlike Cloak, Shroud is unable to travel into and out of the dimension from which he draws his darkness. He eventually learned to give his darkness enough mass to serve as a low-level thruster. Together, with the properties of his cape, this allows him to fly at least at walking speed. [22]

The Shroud was blinded in a mystic ceremony by the Cult of Kali. As a result of this ceremony, he possesses a mystical sense of extrasensory perception enabling him to "see" through walls and even through his own mantle of darkness. This mystical sense gives him psychic impressions of his environment within a radius of about 100 feet (30 m). Not unlike Daredevil, Shroud can receive non-visual sensory impressions through solid objects. Thus, he can perceive people and objects in the room next to him with the ease that he can perceive the contents of the room he is in.[ citation needed ] His mystic senses can even enable him to detect the internal hardware components of a computer. [26]

The Shroud is an Olympic-level athlete with extensive training in several fields of East Asian martial arts, and is adept at acrobatics and infiltration. He possesses a college degree in law and criminology. Shroud carries explosive "bombarangs" as weapons, and flies in a personal one-man aircraft.

Other versions

The Ultimate Marvel universe's equivalent of the Shroud is an alter ego of Kitty Pryde . [27]

In other media

The Shroud appears in Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 . [28] He appears in the "Cloak and Dagger" DLC.

Notes

  1. Origin revealed in Super-Villain Team-Up #7

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doctor Doom</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Doctor Doom is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Fantastic Four #5. In his comic book appearances, Doctor Doom is the monarch of the fictional European country of Latveria whose goal is to bring order to humanity through world conquest. He serves as the archenemy of Mister Fantastic and the Fantastic Four, though he has also come into conflict with other superheroes in the Marvel Universe, including Spider-Man, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, the Black Panther, the X-Men, and the Avengers. While usually portrayed as a villain, Doom has also been an antihero at times, working with heroes if their goals align and only if it benefits him. Doctor Doom was ranked #4 by Wizard on its list of the 101 Greatest Villains of All Time and #3 on IGN's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time. In a later article, IGN would declare Doom as Marvel's greatest villain.

<i>Secret Wars</i> 1984–1985 Marvel Comics limited series

Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars, commonly known as Secret Wars, is a 12-issue American comic book crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Shooter, with art by Mike Zeck and Bob Layton. It was tied in with a similarly-named toy line from Mattel and a role-playing game of the same name from TSR, Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Skull</span> Fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics

The Red Skull is the alias of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by France Herron, Jack Kirby, and Joe Simon, the character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1, in which his secret identity is revealed to be George Maxon. It would later be retroactively established that Maxon was merely a decoy who was working for the real Red Skull, Johann Shmidt. Other individuals, including Albert Malik and Shmidt's own dauhgter Sinthea, have also adopted the Red Skull persona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avengers (comics)</span> Comic book superhero team

The Avengers are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1. Labeled "Earth's Mightiest Heroes", the original Avengers consisted of Iron Man, Ant-Man, Hulk, Thor and the Wasp. Captain America was discovered trapped in ice in issue #4, and joined the group after they revived him. The Avengers are an all-star ensemble cast of established superhero characters from the Marvel Comics portfolio. Diegetically, these superheroes usually operate independently but occasionally assemble as a team to tackle especially formidable villains. This in contrast to certain other superhero teams such as the X-Men, whose characters were created specifically to be part of their team, with the team being central to their identity. The Avengers were created to create a new line of books to sell and to cross-promote Marvel Comics characters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masters of Evil</span> Marvel Comics fictional team

The Masters of Evil is a supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first version of the team appeared in The Avengers #6, with the lineup continually changing over the years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dormammu</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Dormammu is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in Strange Tales #126. He is the extra and inter-dimensional demonic entity and deity brother of Umar and the uncle of superheroine Clea who rules over the Dark Dimension. The character has endured as a recurring antagonist of the superhero Doctor Strange.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Coast Avengers</span> Comic book superhero team

The West Coast Avengers is a fictional group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in The West Coast Avengers #1, created by Roger Stern and Bob Hall. It was the first spin-off publication for the Avengers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baron Mordo</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Baron Karl Amadeus Mordo is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly as an adversary of Doctor Strange. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #111. Baron Mordo is a gifted magician, especially adept in the black arts of magic, including summoning demons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackout (Marcus Daniels)</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Blackout is the name of a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the first character to use the name within the Marvel Universe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cloak and Dagger (characters)</span> Marvel Comics characters

Cloak and Dagger are a superhero duo appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Bill Mantlo and artist Ed Hannigan, the characters first appeared in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #64.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acts of Vengeance</span> Marvel Comics storyline

"Acts of Vengeance" is a comic book crossover storyline running through several titles published by Marvel Comics from December 1989 to February 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ringmaster (comics)</span> Fictional Marvel comics supervillain

The Ringmaster is the name of two characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first incarnation of Ringmaster, Fritz Tiboldt, first appeared in Captain America Comics #5. The second incarnation, Maynard Tiboldt, debuted in Incredible Hulk #3.

The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several noteworthy concepts besides its fictional characters, such as unique places and artifacts. There follows a list of those features.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dreadknight</span> Fictional character appearing in American comic books

Dreadknight is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morgan le Fay (Marvel Comics)</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Morgan le Fay is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character, created by Stan Lee and Joe Maneely, is based on the Morgan le Fay of Arthurian legend. In this version of the character, Morgan le Fay belongs to the species of humanoid magical beings called fairies, who are born with supernatural powers, and is the half-faerie half-sister of the mythic King Arthur. Her elven heritage granted her immortality, and she used this time to master the mystic arts. She occasionally tries to take over the world. She has been an opponent of The Avengers, and in the 1970s, she appeared in the original Spider-Woman comic acting as a foe of Jessica Drew, while opposed by a reincarnation of her "ancient foe" Magnus. She is a former lover of Doctor Doom, and was a member of the Darkholders for a time.

The Lethal Legion is the name of seven teams of fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

The Night Shift is a fictional group of criminals appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters first appeared in Captain America #330.

<i>Super-Villain Team-Up</i>

Super-Villain Team-Up is the name of two American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. Both series featured supervillains as the protagonists.

"Blood Hunt" is an American comic book crossover event, written by Jed MacKay with art by Pepe Larraz and Marte Gracia, published in 2024 by Marvel Comics. The event involves the rise of the Vampire Nation, which is united by a single vision for the first time in millennia.

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. 328. ISBN   978-1-4654-7890-0.
  2. ""I Liked Superheroes the Best": An Interview with Steve Englehart". 21 September 2020.
  3. Super-Villain Team-Up #5. Marvel Comics.
  4. Super-Villain Team-Up #6-10. Marvel Comics.
  5. Super-Villain Team-Up #11-12. Marvel Comics.
  6. Spider-Woman #13-15. Marvel Comics.
  7. Marvel Preview #21
  8. Marvel Team-Up #94
  9. The Avengers #240-241
  10. West Coast Avengers #1
  11. Doctor Strange (vol. 2) #67
  12. West Coast Avengers #3-4
  13. 1 2 Captain America #330
  14. Captain America #330-331
  15. Solo Avengers #3
  16. West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #29
  17. Solo Avengers #9
  18. West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #40
  19. Ms. Marvel (vol. 2) #7 (Marvel Comics, November 2006).
  20. Civil War #6 (Marvel Comics, December 2006).
  21. Civil War #7 (Marvel Comics, January 2007).
  22. 1 2 Shadowland - Blood on the Streets #1
  23. MacKay, Jed (2024). Vengeance of the Moon Knight.
  24. Vengeance of the Moon Knight Vol. 2 #4. Marvel Comics.
  25. Vengeance of the Moon Knight #5. Marvel Comics.
  26. Spider-Woman #15
  27. Richards, David (2009-08-11). "Bendis Talks "Ultimate Comics Spider-Man"". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2009-08-13.
  28. "Cloak & Dagger Join LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2". CBR. 20 March 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2018.