Mordecai Midas

Mordecai Midas was born in Athens, Greece, and was once a starving child in Europe. He became a billionaire business magnate, determined to become the richest man by any means possible.

Midas rescued Whitney Frost

Madame Masque

Madame Masque is a fictional character that has appeared in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics. She is an occasional love interest, and sometimes enemy of Iron Man within the Marvel Universe...

 from a sinking ship, and gave her a golden mask to hide her scarred features, and she became his assistant. Midas sent Whitney, as Madame Masque, to sabotage Stark Industries, hoping to kill Stark (and his alter ego, 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,...

) and receive the business after Tony's cousin Morgan Stark inherited it. Midas captured Iron Man, but Madam Masque fell in love with Stark and freed him. Iron Man and Midas fought, and in the conflict Midas' chair was damaged, resulting in an explosion that destroyed Midas' base.

Much later, Midas took control of Stark International. He battled Iron Man, Madame Masque, the Guardsman

Guardsman (comics)

Guardsman was the name of a superhero in the Marvel Universe, but was later applied to a small squad of agents. He/they wear suits of power armor while working security at the Vault; the suits were designed by Tony Stark, better known as the superhero Iron Man....

, Jack of Hearts

Jack of Hearts

Jack of Hearts is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:Jack of Hearts first appeared in the black & white magazine Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #22 , and was created by writer Bill Mantlo and illustrator Keith Giffen...

, Eddie March, the Wraith, Jasper Sitwell

Jasper Sitwell

Jasper Sitwell is a fictional, comic book espionage agent in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Strange Tales #144 .-Publication history:...

, and Jean DeWolff

Jean DeWolff

Jean DeWolff is a fictional police detective who functions as a supporting character in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular those featuring Spider-Man...

. Midas learned Iron Man's secret identity, but was reduced to a mindless husk by the mental powers of Marianne Rodgers. He became a patient in a psychiatric hospital on full life support.

Years later, Iron Man returned to Greece to investigate the death of a private investigator who had been hired to find out who had been stealing gold shipments bound for Stark Enterprises. Iron Man came across an undersea base containing Midas' Centurions. Midas joined the battle having been turned into a living being of gold as an after-effect of his powers being turned inward by Marianne Rodger's psi-powers. Midas tried to escape on a vehicle piloted by one of his Centurions after
Iron Man defeated him. His weight and the supply of gold he had proved too much causing him to be accidentally thrown overboard. Iron Man searched the ocean bottoms for him, but couldn't find him. As Midas tried to grab Iron Man, his electrode shorted out causing Midas to sink to the mire.

As Tony Stark announced the formation of Stark Solutions, Midas was among Iron Man's archenemies who vowed revenge.

Malcolm J. Meriwell

Malcolm J. Meriwell became convinced that his wealthy philanthropist brother Harrison was being tricked by charities and tries to persuade him to cease his spending activities. When Harrison refused, Malcolm became insanely determined to halt his brother's activities. Donning the alias of Midas the Golden Man and working out of Harrison's discothèque the Hot Spot, Malcolm started to get some inner circle kids to be addicted to his drugs in a plot to wipe out all blacks in America. This did attract the attention of Sam Wilson

Falcon (comics)

The Falcon is a fictional comic book superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics.Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Gene Colan, and introduced in Captain America #117 , the character is mainstream comics' first African-American superhero...

 and Glory Grant. Glory Grant's cousin and his friends were drugged by Midas' henchmen and they ended up assaulting Glory. Her cries attracted the attention 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...

who subdued them. When the drugs wore off, they remembered a golden man and his plot. When Glory Grant alerted Sam Wilson, he entered the Hot Spot as Falcon at the same time when Spider-Man arrived and they confront Midas and his thugs. They defeated the thugs, but Midas escaped. Heading over to Malcolm's estate, Spider-Man and Falcon are ambushed by Midas' thugs who knocked them out and bounded them in metal straps. Midas traps them in a rapidly-freezing room, but Spider-Man uses his webbing to free himself and Falcon. After being freed by Midas' employees and encountering the brothers, Spider-Man and Falcon identify Malcolm as Midas. Spider-Man and Falcon easily subdue Malcolm by pulling the rug out from underneat him and sending Malcolm out the window.

Powers and abilities

Midas I dresses in the clothing of ancient Greece, and supports his enormous weight by wearing a powered exoskeleton built by Midas's scientists, enabling Midas to walk. He rides a special throne-shaped hovercraft containing various weaponry and devices including two telescoping mechanical arms, a heat-seeking antenna, two small anti-personnel missiles, and a dozen high intensity shock blasters, and whose base delivers an electric shock to anyone touching it; the throne moves on a field of compressed air like a hydrocraft foil. Midas wears powered glove units developed by Abraham Klein, giving him the "golden touch" that allows him the ability to permanently paralyze a person's nervous system while accompanied by a spray of rapidly hardening liquid gold, giving the victim's skin a golden color; the gloves also give him the ability to fire either electrical blasts or the "golden touch" effect from his hands over short distances. Midas also has access to the Flying Fortress, a gigantic hovercraft headquarters resembling an ancient Greek city, and a supersonic aircraft squadron armed with "lightning simulator" weapons which fire powerful electrical bolts. Midas possesses a genius intellect, and is a master strategist and tactician, and a skilled businessman. He is entirely self-educated, equivalent to college level, especially in economics and business administration. After being struck by Marianne Rodger's mindblast, his golden touch power was turned inward, transforming Midas into a being of living gold. In golden form, Midas doesn't need to eat or sleep, but can absorb gold into him.

Midas II carried a special drug spray that he used to get his victims addicted to his drugs.