Mister Jip
Encyclopedia
Mister Jip is an evil fictional character belonging to the Marvel Comics
universe, possessing a grotesque appearance and various mystical powers. He almost exclusively appeared as a villain to Cloak and Dagger
, first in Strange Tales
volume 3 and later in their own series with one appearance in an X-Men
annual
.
. Though the city was in ruins, Jip encountered the Ancient One
and became his first apprentice. As his student, Jip was instructed in the arts of benevolent magic, but unknown to his master, he sought out books of dark magic and practiced forbidden rituals to increase his own power. When the Ancient One discovered this, he cast Jip out of his service. Jip began extending his lifespan by usurping the bodies of others. These days Jip likes to think that he still did some good, as it was his example that allowed the Ancient One to recognize the signs of Baron Mordo
's betrayal centuries later.
Out on his own, Jip wanted to increase his knowledge of the dark arts even further. To do so he started to extend his life at the costs of others, but these dark arts twisted and corrupted his own body into a monstrous shape. Despite his desire to dominate the world, Jip stayed hidden over the centuries and rarely revealed himself to others.
He appeared to Cloak
, disguised in the host body of a store clerk. Cloak had become powerless and felt that without his powers his partner Dagger
wouldn't be interested in him anymore. Jip returned his powers in exchange for a price. Jip later battled Cloak and Dagger with his thralls, Night and Day, who had powers similar to Cloak and Dagger. Jip's price for his services would turn out to be Cloak's body as his new host. Dagger was shocked that Cloak would give up his chance at a normal life and left him, but returned in time to stop Jip from taking over Cloak's body and drove him off. Jip then forced Cloak to deliver Dagger into his clutches, then imprisoned him. Jip would fight and manipulate Cloak and Dagger over the next few months, often acting through his minions Day and Night, while at other times he would act to protect them.
Through Night, Jip later fomented battle between the possessed Dagger and members of X-Factor
. The plot was foiled by Cloak, but Dagger was blinded as a result. Jip was revealed as the master of the insane former priest Francis Delgado. Jip was revealed to have restored Brigid O'Reilly
and made her his spy by replacing one of her eyes with one of his own.
Jip also used the X-Men
as his agents once during the events of Atlantis Attacks
. He repulsed an attempt by the members of the Serpent Society
to steal one of his mystical artifacts. He temporarily switched the minds of the captive Dazzler
and Diamondback
into each other's bodies. He fomented a battle between the X-Men and the Serpent Society. However, he failed to prevent the theft of his artifact by Sidewinder
and Diamondback, who turned it over to their clients Ghaur
and Llyra
.
Mister Jip later bargained with Doctor Doom
to trade Dagger for a book of black magic in Doom's possession. Jip murdered Francis Delgado and usurped his body. As Delgado, he murdered Father Michael Bowen, Daggers's uncle, and in disguise accompanied Dagger to Latveria
. Jip's attempt to deliver Dagger to Doctor Doom was foiled by Cloak, Night, Brigid O'Reilly
and "Rusty" Nales. Jip restored Dagger's sight, but was seemingly destroyed by a "bullet of living darkness" formed by Night and fired by Rusty.
and conjure into being mindless minions to perform simple tasks, like a flying creature that he uses as his spy. He uses a large part of these powers to mask his presence to hide himself from more powerful mages like Doctor Strange
.
Jip can grant powers to others, but always asks a price in return.
His most important ability is the ability to take over a host body, adding his victim's life span to his own. To do this, he has to initiate a process where he removes the ties between his victim's body and soul and absorb the body into his own.
This ability has several limitations though:
After the process is completed, Jip can take on the appearance of any of his former hosts, though probably only for a short time.
Jip has a grotesque misshapen humanoid form which appears to be formed of the decaying remains of various previous host bodies.
Mister Jip has a gifted intellect, and has extensive knowledge of black magical lore.
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...
universe, possessing a grotesque appearance and various mystical powers. He almost exclusively appeared as a villain to Cloak and Dagger
Cloak and Dagger (comics)
Cloak and Dagger are a fictional comic book superhero duo in the . They were created by writer William "Bill" Mantlo and designed by artist Edward Hannigan.-Publication history:...
, first in Strange Tales
Strange Tales
Strange Tales is the name of several comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics. It introduced the features "Doctor Strange" and "Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.", and was a showcase for the science fiction/suspense stories of artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, and for the...
volume 3 and later in their own series with one appearance in an X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
annual
Annual publication
An annual publication, more often called simply an annual, is a book or a magazine, comic book or comic strip published yearly. For example, a weekly or monthly publication may produce an Annual featuring similar materials to the regular publication....
.
Fictional character biography
The man, who would become known Mister Jip, was born centuries ago, somewhere in Asia. He roamed the world as a scholar in the pursuit of knowledge and went to Tibet to find the legendary city of Kamar-TajKamar-Taj
Kamar-Taj is a fictional location in the Marvel Universe. It first appeared in Strange Tales #110 and was created by Stan Lee and Dick Ayers...
. Though the city was in ruins, Jip encountered the Ancient One
Ancient One
The Ancient One is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe. He was the mentor of Doctor Strange and preceded him as Sorcerer Supreme.-Fictional character biography:...
and became his first apprentice. As his student, Jip was instructed in the arts of benevolent magic, but unknown to his master, he sought out books of dark magic and practiced forbidden rituals to increase his own power. When the Ancient One discovered this, he cast Jip out of his service. Jip began extending his lifespan by usurping the bodies of others. These days Jip likes to think that he still did some good, as it was his example that allowed the Ancient One to recognize the signs of Baron Mordo
Baron Mordo
Baron Karl Amadeus Mordo is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by Marvel Comics and appearing as an enemy of Doctor Strange...
's betrayal centuries later.
Out on his own, Jip wanted to increase his knowledge of the dark arts even further. To do so he started to extend his life at the costs of others, but these dark arts twisted and corrupted his own body into a monstrous shape. Despite his desire to dominate the world, Jip stayed hidden over the centuries and rarely revealed himself to others.
He appeared to Cloak
Cloak and Dagger (comics)
Cloak and Dagger are a fictional comic book superhero duo in the . They were created by writer William "Bill" Mantlo and designed by artist Edward Hannigan.-Publication history:...
, disguised in the host body of a store clerk. Cloak had become powerless and felt that without his powers his partner Dagger
Cloak and Dagger (comics)
Cloak and Dagger are a fictional comic book superhero duo in the . They were created by writer William "Bill" Mantlo and designed by artist Edward Hannigan.-Publication history:...
wouldn't be interested in him anymore. Jip returned his powers in exchange for a price. Jip later battled Cloak and Dagger with his thralls, Night and Day, who had powers similar to Cloak and Dagger. Jip's price for his services would turn out to be Cloak's body as his new host. Dagger was shocked that Cloak would give up his chance at a normal life and left him, but returned in time to stop Jip from taking over Cloak's body and drove him off. Jip then forced Cloak to deliver Dagger into his clutches, then imprisoned him. Jip would fight and manipulate Cloak and Dagger over the next few months, often acting through his minions Day and Night, while at other times he would act to protect them.
Through Night, Jip later fomented battle between the possessed Dagger and members of X-Factor
X-Factor (comics)
X-Factor is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is a spin-off of the popular X-Men franchise, featuring characters from X-Men stories. The series has been relaunched several times with different team rosters, most recently as X-Factor Investigations.X-Factor launched in...
. The plot was foiled by Cloak, but Dagger was blinded as a result. Jip was revealed as the master of the insane former priest Francis Delgado. Jip was revealed to have restored Brigid O'Reilly
Mayhem (comics)
Mayhem is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:The character of detective Brigid O'Rielly first appeared in Cloak and Dagger #1 , and was created by Bill Mantlo and Rick Leonardi...
and made her his spy by replacing one of her eyes with one of his own.
Jip also used the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
as his agents once during the events of Atlantis Attacks
Atlantis Attacks
Atlantis Attacks was a comic book super-hero crossover storyline which ran through most of the summer annuals published by Marvel Comics in 1989....
. He repulsed an attempt by the members of the Serpent Society
Serpent Society
The Serpent Society is a fictional organization of snake-themed supervillains in the Marvel Comics universe. The group was initially formed from the membership of a previous supervillain team, the Serpent Squad. The group, like its predecessor, has been made up of longtime antagonists of Captain...
to steal one of his mystical artifacts. He temporarily switched the minds of the captive Dazzler
Dazzler
Dazzler is a Marvel Comics superheroine, associated with the X-Men. She first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #130 ....
and Diamondback
Diamondback (comics)
Diamondback is the name of four fictional characters appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:Diamondback first appeared in Captain America #310 , written by Mark Gruenwald and illustrated by Paul Neary.-Willis Stryker:The first Diamondback was a foe of Luke Cage...
into each other's bodies. He fomented a battle between the X-Men and the Serpent Society. However, he failed to prevent the theft of his artifact by Sidewinder
Sidewinder (comics)
Sidewinder is a fictional character, a reformed super villain in the Marvel Comics Universe who first appeared in Marvel Two-in-One #64 and was created by Mark Gruenwald and Ralph Macchio.-Fictional character biography:...
and Diamondback, who turned it over to their clients Ghaur
Ghaur
Ghaur is a Marvel Comics supervillain. Created by Peter B. Gillis and Sal Buscema, he first appeared in Eternals vol. 2, #2 .In the Marvel Universe, he is the head of the Deviant race's priesthood.-Fictional character biography:...
and Llyra
Llyra
Llyra is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics super-villainess. She was created by Roy Thomas and Sal Buscema and first appeared in Sub-Mariner #32 .-Fictional character biography:...
.
Mister Jip later bargained with Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom
Victor von Doom is a fictional character who appears in Marvel Comics publications . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 wearing his trademark metal mask and green cloak...
to trade Dagger for a book of black magic in Doom's possession. Jip murdered Francis Delgado and usurped his body. As Delgado, he murdered Father Michael Bowen, Daggers's uncle, and in disguise accompanied Dagger to Latveria
Latveria
Latveria is a nation in the . It is an isolated European country ruled by the supervillain Doctor Doom, supposedly located in the Banat region. It is surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains, and also borders the Symkaria to the south. Its capital is Doomstadt.-Publication history:Latveria first...
. Jip's attempt to deliver Dagger to Doctor Doom was foiled by Cloak, Night, Brigid O'Reilly
Mayhem (comics)
Mayhem is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:The character of detective Brigid O'Rielly first appeared in Cloak and Dagger #1 , and was created by Bill Mantlo and Rick Leonardi...
and "Rusty" Nales. Jip restored Dagger's sight, but was seemingly destroyed by a "bullet of living darkness" formed by Night and fired by Rusty.
Powers and abilities
Mister Jip has enormous magical abilities, especially in the realm of black magic. He has the ability to manipulate magical forces for a variety of effects, including teleportation, energy projection, physical malleability, the ability to cancel out or tamper with the magic of others, and the tapping of extra-dimensional energy by invoking entities or objects of power existing in dimensions tangential to Earth's through the recitation of spells. He can create illusions, observe other places by scryingScrying
Scrying is a magic practice that involves seeing things psychically in a medium, usually for purposes of obtaining spiritual visions and less often for purposes of divination or fortune-telling. The most common media used are reflective, translucent, or luminescent substances such as crystals,...
and conjure into being mindless minions to perform simple tasks, like a flying creature that he uses as his spy. He uses a large part of these powers to mask his presence to hide himself from more powerful mages like Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
.
Jip can grant powers to others, but always asks a price in return.
His most important ability is the ability to take over a host body, adding his victim's life span to his own. To do this, he has to initiate a process where he removes the ties between his victim's body and soul and absorb the body into his own.
This ability has several limitations though:
- the victim must lack an "inner light" that can repel Jip. This usually means that his victims are evil men, but it can also mean that they have a link to supernatural darkness like Cloak has.
- the victim must be unaware of the existence and intentions of Mister Jip.
- Mister Jip and the victim must be in constant physical contact during the whole process.
After the process is completed, Jip can take on the appearance of any of his former hosts, though probably only for a short time.
Jip has a grotesque misshapen humanoid form which appears to be formed of the decaying remains of various previous host bodies.
Mister Jip has a gifted intellect, and has extensive knowledge of black magical lore.