| Major Force | |
|---|---|
.png) Major Force, from the cover ofCheckmate #16 (March 1989), art byGil Kane. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Captain Atom (vol. 2) #12 (February 1988) |
| Created by | Cary Bates andGreg Weisman (writers) Pat Broderick (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Clifford Zmeck |
| Species | Metahuman |
| Place of origin | Earth |
| Team affiliations | Injustice League S.H.A.D.E. Suicide Squad |
| Notable aliases | Boltan, Black Jack |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength, speed, endurance and stamina Invulnerability Healing factor Can project and control dark matter and dark quantum energy Dark matter transmutation Retroactive immortality Flight Vuldarian shapeshifting Restoration empowerment (Black Jack) See:New 52/Rebirth |
Major Force (Clifford Zmeck) is asupervillain appearing incomic books published byDC Comics. Major Force is the evil foil personality of thesuperheroCaptain Atom.[1] In later appearances, he also serves as an enemy toGreen Lantern (Kyle Rayner,Guy Gardner, andHal Jordan).
Major Force first appeared inCaptain Atom (vol. 3) #12 (February 1988) and was created byCary Bates,Greg Weisman, andPat Broderick.[2]
Major Force is a product of the same U.S. Federal project which createdCaptain Atom during theVietnam War. The government, in a project headed byWade Eiling and the scientist Megala, experiments with the effects of atomic energy on an alien metal to determine its full protective abilities; such as protecting a human being from a nuclear blast. After Nathaniel Adam's disappearance and the perceived failure of the Captain Atom Project, the government restarts the project with a new subject, Clifford Zmeck and increased the amount of metal used. While in theAir Force, Zmeck is imprisoned on charges of rape and murder and sentenced to life in prison.[3] However, he is offered a pardon in exchange for participation in the high-risk governmental experiment. Zmeck disappears into the Quantum Field, emerging one year after the return of Nathaniel Adam with abilities similar to his.
InGreen Lantern (vol. 3) #54 (August 1994), Major Force killsAlexandra DeWitt, girlfriend ofGreen LanternKyle Rayner, and stuffs her remains in a refrigerator for Kyle to find. Kyle tortures Major Force after their fight, but is stopped by theLos Angeles Police Department. In an issue ofGuy Gardner: Warrior, Major Force seemingly killsGuy Gardner's mother in the same manner as Alex. Gardner, who has awakened hisVuldarian abilities, kills Major Force with a shifted weapon's edge.[4] The Quorum, who previously hired Major Force to harass Rayner and Gardner, resurrect him and enhance him with Vuldarian DNA. Major Force killsArisia Rrab, a Green Lantern and friend of Gardner, as a declaration of war against him.[5]
InSuperman/Batman, Major Force appears as part of a government task force led by Captain Atom, in addition toPower Girl,Starfire,Katana, andBlack Lightning. PresidentLex Luthor tasks the group with capturingSuperman as aKryptonite asteroid is headed for Earth. Superman andBatman escape the group inWashington, D.C., but meet up with them again inTokyo. When Captain Atom and his squad pursue them to Japan, Power Girl and Katana reveal they are double agents working with Superman and Batman. Power Girl strikes at Major Force; when he returns fire, Katana chops his hands off, releasing the atomic energy he harbors. Batman convinces Captain Atom to absorb the energy leaking from Major Force, which threatens to decimate the city. Captain Atom absorbs all the energy and disappears, traveling several years into the future.[6]
Major Force reappears inBattle forBlüdhaven, a series set a year after the events ofInfinite Crisis, as the leader of projectS.H.A.D.E. In issue #5, Major Force brutally beatsOutsiders memberMajor Victory and rips off his right arm.[7] He also picks a fight withHal Jordan, having vowed to kill Green Lanterns on sight after his last encounter with Kyle Rayner. Captain Atom drains Major Force of his energy, leaving him a deflated husk.[8]
Major Force is later seen reconstituted and a part of a new regiment of S.H.A.D.E. soldiers.[9] A battle ensues withUncle Sam and theFreedom Fighters for the soul of America, wherein Major Force is quickly dispatched byMiss America.[10] Major Force later appears as a member of theSecret Society during the wedding ofGreen Arrow andBlack Canary.[11]
InThe New 52 continuity reboot, Major Force is a government agent working underGeneral Wade Eiling, with a special rank that allows him to represent all branches of the military. He seeks to protectFirestorm from villains and convince him to work for the government. However, Major Force comes to view Firestorm as a threat to national security and becomes his enemy.[12] Major Force is implied to be the same character as Black Jack, an agent of the Black Razors who was introduced inVoodoo.[13]
Major Force is coated with the same Dilustel alien alloy that coversCaptain Atom.[14] This enables him to access the Quantum Field and use its energies for a variety of powers. He possesses superhuman physical abilities and is virtually immortal.[6][15][16][17] Cracking or rupturing his skin causes Major Force to leak radiation at an uncontrollable rate, to which he runs the risk of atomic detonation.
Major Force's energy manipulation enables him to generatedark matter, which he uses to propel himself due to initially lacking the ability to fly.[18][5]
Clifford Zmeck is a military-trainedUnited States Air Force operative. He has vast military connections with the government,Checkmate,Task Force X, and Quorum.
Q-Ranger, a heroic, alternate universe version of Major Force from theantimatter universe, appears inJLA Secret Files as a member of theJustice Underground.[19]
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