Magma (Jonathan Darque)
Encyclopedia
Magma is a fictional character
, a supervillain
from Marvel Comics
. He first appeared in Marvel Team-Up
vol. 1 #110, as an enemy of Spider-Man
and Iron Man
.
of a mining company investigating new and cheap sources of energy. His investigations were opposed by environmental activists
, who held demonstrations at his trial bore sites. His wife died in a car crash when attempting to evade the activists' blockade. Darque used his engineering skills to design a battle suit allowing him to become Magma. He then developed an underground crime organization.
Darque/Magma created a device he called the Long Range Sonic Stata Scanner (LRSSS), which enabled him to discover the epicentres of earthquake
s before they erupted. He also used the machine to generate waves causing earthquakes; this enabled him to blackmail the Mayor of New York City. (At the publication time of this story, the historical Mayor was Ed Koch
). Magma held a press conference to reveal his plans. Spider-Man
and Iron Man
joined forces to drill down vertically to reach the source of the earthquake, where they discovered his hidden base. After Magma was defeated by Spider-Man and Iron Man in a battle on the surface, he escaped in a pod into the middle of the Atlantic Ocean
. Spider-Man aimed the LRSSS at this location and Magma was engulfed by the resultant waves and he disappeared into the depths of the ocean.
Magma was eventually arrested after several attempts to take over Stark Industries and some battles on the surface with Jim Rhodes
in the Iron Man armor.
Subsequently Darque was paid by Roxxon Oil Company and offered a job to lead a secret research laboratory located in the middle of a mountain, part of the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians
in Virginia
. With the unwilling assistance of "idiot savant"
Seth Hanks, a local boy, Darque attempted to develop a new electron projector that would allow powerful beams to be directed at Earth
from a satellite. Spider-Man saved his colleague, the child and his mother from Magma's base and, accidentally, caused the collapse of the cave destroying the laboratory.
His final fight was with the Human Torch
in Brooklyn
, where the Fantastic Four
member's fire proved to be greater than the fire resistance of Magma's metal body. The fire melted Magma's equipment, and the asphalt under his feet, meaning that he was unable to continue the fight.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
from Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. He first appeared in Marvel Team-Up
Marvel Team-Up
Marvel Team-Up is the name of several American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series featured two or more Marvel characters in one story...
vol. 1 #110, as an enemy of Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
and Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
.
Fictional character biography
Jonathan Darque was the chief executive officerChief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of a mining company investigating new and cheap sources of energy. His investigations were opposed by environmental activists
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
, who held demonstrations at his trial bore sites. His wife died in a car crash when attempting to evade the activists' blockade. Darque used his engineering skills to design a battle suit allowing him to become Magma. He then developed an underground crime organization.
Darque/Magma created a device he called the Long Range Sonic Stata Scanner (LRSSS), which enabled him to discover the epicentres of earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
s before they erupted. He also used the machine to generate waves causing earthquakes; this enabled him to blackmail the Mayor of New York City. (At the publication time of this story, the historical Mayor was Ed Koch
Ed Koch
Edward Irving "Ed" Koch is an American lawyer, politician, and political commentator. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and three terms as mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989...
). Magma held a press conference to reveal his plans. Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
and Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
joined forces to drill down vertically to reach the source of the earthquake, where they discovered his hidden base. After Magma was defeated by Spider-Man and Iron Man in a battle on the surface, he escaped in a pod into the middle of the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. Spider-Man aimed the LRSSS at this location and Magma was engulfed by the resultant waves and he disappeared into the depths of the ocean.
Magma was eventually arrested after several attempts to take over Stark Industries and some battles on the surface with Jim Rhodes
War Machine
War Machine is a fictional character, a comic book superhero appearing in comic books set in the Marvel Comics universe. The character of James Rhodes first appeared in Iron Man #118 by David Michelinie, John Byrne and Bob Layton...
in the Iron Man armor.
Subsequently Darque was paid by Roxxon Oil Company and offered a job to lead a secret research laboratory located in the middle of a mountain, part of the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians
Ridge-and-valley Appalachians
The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, also called the Ridge and Valley Province or the Valley and Ridge Appalachians, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division and are also a belt within the Appalachian Mountains extending from southeastern New York through northwestern New...
in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. With the unwilling assistance of "idiot savant"
Savant syndrome
Savant syndrome , sometimes referred to as savantism, is a rare condition in which people with developmental disorders have one or more areas of expertise, ability, or brilliance that are in contrast with the individual's overall limitations...
Seth Hanks, a local boy, Darque attempted to develop a new electron projector that would allow powerful beams to be directed at Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
from a satellite. Spider-Man saved his colleague, the child and his mother from Magma's base and, accidentally, caused the collapse of the cave destroying the laboratory.
His final fight was with the Human Torch
Human Torch
The Human Torch is a fictional character and superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, he is a member of the superhero team the Fantastic Four, debuting in The Fantastic Four #1...
in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, where the Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
member's fire proved to be greater than the fire resistance of Magma's metal body. The fire melted Magma's equipment, and the asphalt under his feet, meaning that he was unable to continue the fight.