Mys-Tech
Encyclopedia
Mys-Tech were a shadowy Faust
ian organisation who acted as the main villains in a range of, initially successful but short-lived comics, launched in the US
by Marvel UK
in the 1990s
. Some of these stories also were published in anthology
form in the UK
in the Marvel UK comic Overkill.
They first appeared in Warheads
#1 (June 1992
) and were created by John Freeman
, Nick Vince, Gary Erskine
, and John Beeston.
, were originally seven mages who in 987
sold their soul
s to the demon
Mephisto
in exchange for immortality
. The Mys-Tech board members must provide a steady stream of souls to the demon otherwise they will breach their contract and their own souls will be forfeit. Over the years the board accumulated power and wealth and in the modern age this power and wealth became a business empire.
Antiquities at Canary Wharf
in London
they had constructed a fantastic underground headquarters. These headquarters were used to house the arcane magical technologies the board used to increase their power and keep the supply of souls flowing to Mephisto. Chief amongst these was the Un-Earth, a macabre
microcosm
of the planet used in a similar fashion to a voodoo doll. The headquarters also housed extensive biotech
labs. It was in one of these labs that the genetically engineered assassin named Julius Mullarkey, also known as Killpower
, was created by Mys-Tech scientist Dr. Oonagh Mullarkey
. The headquarters were also the base for the Warheads
, Mys-Tech's mercenaries who travel through wormhole
s collecting sophisticated technology for their masters.
expansion. The characters featured in these titles included Dark Angel
(previously known as Hell's Angel), Death's Head
, the partners Motormouth
and Killpower
, and the Knights of Pendragon
. The Warheads Kether Troop
also later went on to rebel against their masters.
The scarred cyborg Badhand has confronted Mys-Tech forces multiple times. Notably, he has spied on the Warheads, allied himself with Nick Fury
and assisted Cable
with a theft from Mys-Tech's vaults.
Mys-Tech also came up against other Marvel Universe
characters such as the X-Men
, although they never appeared outside of the Marvel UK imprint.
Mys-Tech Wars (1993
), by Dan Abnett
and Bryan Hitch
, their forces fought most of the Marvel Universe's assembled heroes. In the resulting demonic invasion, many of Earth's heroes (including a majority of the Avengers
, Fantastic Four
, and X-Men
, Spider-Man
, Ghost Rider
, and Nick Fury
) were slaughtered. However, due to the surviving heroes' efforts, the entire event was erased from history. As such, only a few, such as Doctor Strange
, Professor X
and Motormouth
, actually remember what had happened.
Faust
Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend; a highly successful scholar, but also dissatisfied with his life, and so makes a deal with the devil, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. Faust's tale is the basis for many literary, artistic, cinematic, and musical...
ian organisation who acted as the main villains in a range of, initially successful but short-lived comics, launched in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by Marvel UK
Marvel UK
Marvel UK was an imprint of Marvel Comics formed in 1972 to reprint US produced stories for the British weekly comic market, though it later did produce original material by British creators such as Alan Moore, John Wagner, Dave Gibbons, Steve Dillon and Grant Morrison.Panini Comics obtained the...
in the 1990s
1990s in comics
See also:1980s in comics,other events of the 1990s,2000s in comics and thelist of years in comicsPublications: 1990 - 1991 - 1992 - 1993 - 1994 - 1995 - 1996 - 1997 - 1998 - 1999-1992:See also: 1992 in comics...
. Some of these stories also were published in anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
form in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in the Marvel UK comic Overkill.
They first appeared in Warheads
Warheads (comics)
Warheads was a Marvel UK comic book series which ran for 14 issues in the early 1990s and was followed by the two-issue mini-series Warheads: Black Dawn. The stories contained in the comic were also serialised in the UK comics anthology Overkill...
#1 (June 1992
1992 in comics
-Year overall:* Image Comics explodes onto the scene, releasing eight ongoing and limited series, starting with Youngblood in April; followed by Spawn in May; Savage Dragon in July; and Brigade, Shadowhawk, and WildC.A.T.S. in August....
) and were created by John Freeman
John Freeman (editor)
John Freeman is a British writer/editor/designer known for his work with Marvel UK, and on Doctor Who Magazine and The Really Heavy Greatcoat.-Biography:...
, Nick Vince, Gary Erskine
Gary Erskine
Gary Erskine is a Scottish comic book artist born in Paisley, near Glasgow in 1968.-Biography:Erskine started drawing work for fanzines while at art college and aspired to be a comic book artist. After sending samples of his work to Marvel UK he was eventually given Knights of Pendragon to draw on...
, and John Beeston.
Fictional origins
The board of Mys-Tech, a multinational corporationMultinational corporation
A multi national corporation or enterprise , is a corporation or an enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. It can also be referred to as an international corporation...
, were originally seven mages who in 987
987
Year 987 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar.-Africa:* The Zirids fail to reconquer the western part of the Maghrib which they have recently lost to the Umayyads....
sold their soul
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
s to the demon
Demons (Marvel Comics)
The Marvel Comics universe hosts a number of demons, many of whom are at times at conflict with gods and angels. All possess varying degrees of mystical power, feed upon souls for self-sustenance, and are inclined towards dark or “black” magic - evil....
Mephisto
Mephisto (comics)
Mephisto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Silver Surfer #3 and was created by Stan Lee and John Buscema, loosely modeled on Mephistopheles - a character from the Faust legend.Debuting in the Silver Age of comic books,...
in exchange for immortality
Immortality
Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
. The Mys-Tech board members must provide a steady stream of souls to the demon otherwise they will breach their contract and their own souls will be forfeit. Over the years the board accumulated power and wealth and in the modern age this power and wealth became a business empire.
Board members
The seven mages who became the board of Mys-Tech were:- Algernon Crowe
- Bronwen Gryffn
- Ranulph Haldane
- Porlock
- Rathcoole
- Gudrun Tyburn
- Ormond Wychwood
Headquarters
Mys-Tech operated as a respectable business but hidden beneath one of their front organisations, The Museum of PaganPaganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
Antiquities at Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf is a major business district located in London, United Kingdom. It is one of London's two main financial centres, alongside the traditional City of London, and contains many of the UK's tallest buildings, including the second-tallest , One Canada Square...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
they had constructed a fantastic underground headquarters. These headquarters were used to house the arcane magical technologies the board used to increase their power and keep the supply of souls flowing to Mephisto. Chief amongst these was the Un-Earth, a macabre
Macabre
In works of art, macabre is the quality of having a grim or ghastly atmosphere. Macabre works emphasize the details and symbols of death....
microcosm
Macrocosm and microcosm
Macrocosm and microcosm is an ancient Greek Neo-Platonic schema of seeing the same patterns reproduced in all levels of the cosmos, from the largest scale all the way down to the smallest scale...
of the planet used in a similar fashion to a voodoo doll. The headquarters also housed extensive biotech
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
labs. It was in one of these labs that the genetically engineered assassin named Julius Mullarkey, also known as Killpower
Killpower
Killpower is a fictional British comic book character from Marvel UK. He is the partner of Motormouth and first appeared in Motormouth #1. Killpower was created by Gary Frank and Graham Mark.-Publication history:...
, was created by Mys-Tech scientist Dr. Oonagh Mullarkey
Oonagh Mullarkey
Doctor Oonagh Mullarkey is a fictional character from the Marvel UK imprint of Marvel Comics. She first appeared in Motormouth #1, and was created by Gary Franks and Graham Marks.-Fictional character biography:...
. The headquarters were also the base for the Warheads
Warheads (comics)
Warheads was a Marvel UK comic book series which ran for 14 issues in the early 1990s and was followed by the two-issue mini-series Warheads: Black Dawn. The stories contained in the comic were also serialised in the UK comics anthology Overkill...
, Mys-Tech's mercenaries who travel through wormhole
Wormhole
In physics, a wormhole is a hypothetical topological feature of spacetime that would be, fundamentally, a "shortcut" through spacetime. For a simple visual explanation of a wormhole, consider spacetime visualized as a two-dimensional surface. If this surface is folded along a third dimension, it...
s collecting sophisticated technology for their masters.
Enemies
Mys-Tech featured as villains in many of the titles launched by Marvel UK in their 1990s USUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
expansion. The characters featured in these titles included Dark Angel
Dark Angel (Marvel Comics)
Dark Angel is the name used by two fictional characters in Marvel UK, though they have no other relation.-Dark Angel :Dark Angel , originally Hell's Angel, is a fictional superheroine from the Marvel Comics imprint Marvel UK...
(previously known as Hell's Angel), Death's Head
Death's Head
Death's Head is a fictional comic book character, a robotic bounty hunter appearing in the books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Simon Furman and artist Geoff Senior for the company's Marvel UK imprint...
, the partners Motormouth
Motormouth (comics)
Motormouth is a fictional character created by Paul Neary and developed by writer Graham Marks with initial designs by Gary Frank as the titular character of her own series Motormouth , was part of a line of original comics released in the early-to-mid 1990s by Marvel UK...
and Killpower
Killpower
Killpower is a fictional British comic book character from Marvel UK. He is the partner of Motormouth and first appeared in Motormouth #1. Killpower was created by Gary Frank and Graham Mark.-Publication history:...
, and the Knights of Pendragon
Knights of Pendragon
The Knights of Pendragon was a superhero team published by the Marvel Comics imprint Marvel UK in a self-titled comic from 1990 to 1993, and in the anthology title Overkill. It was written by Dan Abnett and John Tomlinson with art by Gary Erskine...
. The Warheads Kether Troop
Warheads (comics)
Warheads was a Marvel UK comic book series which ran for 14 issues in the early 1990s and was followed by the two-issue mini-series Warheads: Black Dawn. The stories contained in the comic were also serialised in the UK comics anthology Overkill...
also later went on to rebel against their masters.
The scarred cyborg Badhand has confronted Mys-Tech forces multiple times. Notably, he has spied on the Warheads, allied himself with Nick Fury
Nick Fury
Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional World War II army hero and present-day super-spy in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, Fury first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 , a World War II combat series that portrayed the...
and assisted Cable
Cable (comics)
Cable is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared as an infant in Uncanny X-Men #201...
with a theft from Mys-Tech's vaults.
Mys-Tech also came up against other Marvel Universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
characters such as 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...
, although they never appeared outside of the Marvel UK imprint.
Mys-Tech Wars
In the mini-seriesLimited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
Mys-Tech Wars (1993
1993 in comics
-January:* Doom Patrol #63: " The Empire of Chairs," Grant Morrison's final issue as Doom Patrol writer.-February:* Action Comics, with issue #686, suspends publication following "The Death of Superman."...
), by Dan Abnett
Dan Abnett
Dan Abnett is a British comic book writer and novelist. He is a frequent collaborator with fellow writer Andy Lanning, and is known for his work on books for both Marvel Comics, and their UK imprint, Marvel UK, since the 1990s, including 2000 AD...
and Bryan Hitch
Bryan Hitch
Bryan Hitch is a British comic book artist. Hitch began his career in the United Kingdom for Marvel UK, working on titles such as Action Force and Death's Head, before gaining prominence on American titles such as Wildstorm's Stormwatch and The Authority, DC Comics titles such as JLA, and Marvel...
, their forces fought most of the Marvel Universe's assembled heroes. In the resulting demonic invasion, many of Earth's heroes (including a majority of the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
, 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...
, and 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...
, 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...
, Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider (Daniel Ketch)
Ghost Rider is a comic book character, a supernatural superhero in Marvel Comics' main shared universe. He is the third Marvel character to use the name Ghost Rider, following the Western hero later known as the Phantom Rider, and Johnny Blaze, the first supernatural Ghost Rider.-Publication...
, and Nick Fury
Nick Fury
Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional World War II army hero and present-day super-spy in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, Fury first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 , a World War II combat series that portrayed the...
) were slaughtered. However, due to the surviving heroes' efforts, the entire event was erased from history. As such, only a few, such as 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 ....
, Professor X
Professor X
Professor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
and Motormouth
Motormouth (comics)
Motormouth is a fictional character created by Paul Neary and developed by writer Graham Marks with initial designs by Gary Frank as the titular character of her own series Motormouth , was part of a line of original comics released in the early-to-mid 1990s by Marvel UK...
, actually remember what had happened.