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Mister Fear is the name of foursupervillains appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. The character is often depicted as an antagonist to the heroDaredevil.
Mister Fear is the identity of multiple supervillains who use a special 'fear gas' fired from a gas pellet gun; the original version (Zoltan Drago) first appeared inDaredevil #6 (February 1965) and was created byStan Lee andWally Wood.[1]
Starr Saxon first appeared as the second version inDaredevil #54 (July 1969).[1]
The third version (Larry Cranston) first appeared inDaredevil #88 (June 1972) and was created byGerry Conway andGene Colan.[1]
The fourth version (Alan Fagan) first appeared inMarvel Team-Up #92 (April 1980) and was created bySteven Grant andCarmine Infantino.[1]
| Mister Fear I | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Daredevil #6 (February 1965) |
| Created by | Stan Lee Wally Wood |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Zoltan Drago |
| Team affiliations | Fellowship of Fear |
| Partnerships | Lucia von Bardas |
| Abilities | Accomplished wax sculptor Talented amateur chemist Gifted intellect Fear pheromone administered primarily by gas pellets, occasionally by syringe, most recently by an aerosol sprayer |
Zoltan Drago was the proprietor of a financially ailingwax museum who attempted to use his knowledge of chemistry to create an elixir which would turn his wax statues into living creatures, with which he would create a private army. The chemical failed to create life in wax, but Drago discovered that it could evoke fear when inhaled. He designed a frightening costume for himself as the Mister Fear persona.
As the original Mister Fear, Drago used his fear-gas to make terrified slaves of the brutishOx of the Enforcers and theEel. Naming his triumvirate as theFellowship of Fear, he ran afoul in New York City and was soundly defeated byDaredevil and imprisoned.[2] Drago was later killed byStarr Saxon for his Mister Fear equipment,[3] and later Larry Cranston decided to take on the Mister Fear gear.[4]
Criminal engineer Samuel "Starr" Saxon desired the means to confront Daredevil directly. Despite his knowledge with robots, he gunned down Zolton Drago and stole the Mister Fear gear. As the second Mister Fear, Saxon humiliated Daredevil in televised battles, casting himself as the hero in a series of charity-funding battles against the superhero. In the final battle with Daredevil, Saxon was unmasked, and plunged to his death. Saxon's robots would use his mind as the template for the Machinesmith's central consciousness.[5]
| Mister Fear III | |
|---|---|
 Larry Cranston as Mister Fear III, art byMichael Lark | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Daredevil #88 (June 1972) Daredevil #91 (September 1972; as Mister Fear) |
| Created by | Gerry Conway Gene Colan |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Lawrence "Larry" Cranston |
| Partnerships | Lucia von Bardas |
| Abilities | Skilled lawyer Extensively trained hand to hand combatant Fear pheromone administered primarily by gas pellets, occasionally by syringe, most recently by an aerosol sprayer Use of a perfume that made him able to influence other people |
Lawrence "Larry" Cranston was a law school classmate of Matt Murdock who also became an employer for a while.[6] Cranston was staying in a hotel room across the hall from Zoltan Drago. He happened to overhear Starr Saxon killing Drago, and after learning that Saxon himself had died, Cranston decided to take on the Mister Fear guise himself.[4]
As the third Mister Fear, Cranston went mad during his first effort against Daredevil in San Francisco, jumping off a building, assuming that he was wearing a rocket pack which he had previously worn in battle with the hero, and seemingly died due to injuries sustained in a fall.[7]
Cranston survived the fall and returned years later.[8] He masterminded a series of campaigns meant to discredit Daredevil with the aid of theEnforcers, the Eel, and the sleepless woman Insomnia. Daredevil defeated them and Cranston abandoned the Mister Fear identity.[9]
Cranston later resurfaced, along with the Enforcers at his side, providing the criminals of Hell's Kitchen a drug that causes the user to become psychotic and completely unafraid of death, in the "Without Fear" storyline. He also made an attempt to overthrow theHood, as New York's main crime boss. In an attempt to make Daredevil's life miserable, Cranston also secretly gave an overdose of the drug toMilla Donovan (Daredevil's wife); the result led to an innocent man's murder by Milla. The two fought, but Cranston, having murdered the drug's creator and destroyed all of the antidote's known samples, forced Daredevil to spare his life due to the fact that he was the only one whose testimony could save Milla from being sentenced to death for the murder committed earlier. But before he was sent to prison, Cranston had one of his henchmen provide him with a new chemical compound he had created: one that made everyone worship him. With this new power, Cranston entered jail as a prison "king", surrounded by bodyguards, saluted by prison guards, and entering a lavish cell with a female officer waiting to greet him.[10]
During the "King in Black" storyline, Mister Fear is among the villains recruited by MayorWilson Fisk to be part of theThunderbolts at the time ofKnull's invasion.[11]
| Mister Fear IV | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Marvel Team-Up #92 (April 1980) |
| Created by | Steven Grant Carmine Infantino |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Alan Fagan |
| Partnerships | Lucia von Bardas |
| Abilities | Highly adept businessman Fear pheromone administered primarily by gas pellets, occasionally by syringe, most recently by an aerosol sprayer |
Alan Fagan was born inMadison, Wisconsin. He is Larry Cranston's nephew and Ariel Tremmore's father. When Larry seemingly died, he came into possession of the fear gas and other equipment.[12] Unlike the other versions, Fagan's primary adversary wasSpider-Man, not Daredevil.[13][14]
As the fourth Mister Fear, Fagan attempted to use his fear-gas in blackmail schemes which were stymied by Spider-Man, with the aid ofHawkeye.[12] Fagan was brutally attacked in prison, much of the skin carved from his face by men in the employ of Ariel, who used the skin to draw out the fear-gas residue his daughter used to turn herself into the villainShock.[15]
Fagan recovered from these injuries and received improved weaponry fromLatveria's interim rulerLucia von Bardas, including a suit of armor resembling a metallic version of the traditional Mister Fear costume. The weaponry was destroyed at the climax of theSecret War miniseries.[16]
Fagan was one of the many criminals to escape from the Raft prison facility, being a thrall of the villainCrossfire. During his efforts in Crossfire's service, Fagan was again defeated by Spider-Man.[17]
As opposed to Cranston, Fagan has been hired by theHood to take advantage of the superhero community split caused by theSuperhuman Registration Act.[18]
During theFear Itself storyline, Fagan discovers that theSerpent and the Worthy are outdoing his talents of inducing fear in people.[19]
Mister Fear employs a compound based on the flight scentpheromone—chemicals produced by most animals, used to communicate a variety of simple messages over distances. This flight-scent pheromone stimulates fear reactions in herd animals. The drug is tailored for human beings, whose reactions to pheromones are not completely understood. It induces severe anxiety, fear, and panic, and sometimes nightmarish hallucinations in his victims, rendering them incapable of fighting or resisting his will. The drug is most commonly used in the form of gas pellets shot from a gun. The pellets rupture on contact, releasing the flight scent, which is inhaled by the victim. The dosage contained in one pellet is enough to incapacitate a normal adult male for about 15 minutes, or an exceptionally fit male, such as Daredevil, for about five minutes. The side effects of anxiety, edginess, and mild nausea can persist for several days.
Zoltan Drago had a gifted intellect and was an accomplished sculptor of wax figures. He was also a talented amateur chemist, and invented the fear pellets that he and the others used as Mister Fear.
Larry Cranston had a law degree, and a fair amount of legal expertise. He sometimes employed one-man jet devices, as Mister Fear. When Larry came after Matt Murdock in an attempt to ruin the man's life, he displayed the ability to influence the minds of other people into doing whatever he wanted them to do. Using a drug he created, he also made himself fearless. He also trained extensively in hand-to-hand combat for his confrontation with Daredevil.
Alan Fagan discovered that the flight scent can be administered in other ways: he has used a miniature hypodermic needle mounted on his ring to inject a large dose of the liquid directly into his victim's bloodstream. He has also used a hand-held weapon that fires capsules of the fear gas. Small but effective doses of the flight scent can be absorbed through the pores in the skin within an enclosed space, but the length of time it takes limits its usefulness. Working with an unidentified chemist, Fagan has also adapted other pheromones to his use, including one that makes a man sexually irresistible to women.[20] Alan is a highly adept businessman. He briefly wore a suit of armor, which presumably at least provided protection from injury. Chronic exposure to his various chemicals has resulted in accumulation of his fear drug within Fagan's skin. Though he has not proven able to utilize this himself, samples of his skin were used by Ariel Tremmore to gain superhuman powers as Shock.
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