Nth Man: the Ultimate Ninja
Encyclopedia
Nth Man: The Ultimate Ninja is a comic book
about an American ninja
set in an unspecified near future where World War III
has started. It was written by Larry Hama
between 1989
and 1990
, based largely on his success writing the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
comic, which he wrote concurrently with The Nth Man (and also features a modern ninja as one of the main characters). Nth Man and Alfie O'Meagan first appeared in Marvel Comics Presents
#25 (August 1989). The series was meant to last for 24 issues, but was cancelled after 16. In spite of this, Hama was able to resolve the storyline early.
, with American soldiers parachuting into war-torn Moscow, in an attempt to rescue the Nth Man. Using TV news commentary as a plot exposition
device, it is revealed that the war was caused by Alfie O'Meagan, using his psychic abilities to neutralize all nuclear weapons on the planet, upsetting the balance of power.
During the course of the story, we learn that Alfie has grown up in an orphanage alongside John Doe (the "Nth Man" of the title). Doe was adopted by an elderly Japanese man, who worked for the CIA's
"Black Ops
" division. Doe was raised as a ninja
, taught to kill without regret. While in the orphanage, O'Meagan had visions of possible futures
(the "could-be's"), and over time his powers grew, so that he was able to control matter and produce other effects that were against the physical laws of the universe.
The storyline is complex, following numerous characters through war zones, plague-ridden post-Apocalyptic landscapes, inside a video game, alien worlds, and various points in time and space. Alfie gains vast power, while losing his sanity. When the Soviet Union launches biological weapons
, Alfie's attempt to turn them harmless backfires.
Using a narrative jump of one year (which was forced upon writer Larry Hama in order to wrap up the story, due to the cancellation of the series), we see that the biological weapons were turned into a mutagenic virus, and millions are transformed into psychotic, cannibalistic "moots". The conclusion of the story makes use of a paradox
, and Doe and O'Meagan are shown to be responsible for their own origins.
of the Marvel Universe
and the characters of those series are treated as fictional comic book characters. O'Meagan draws upon those comics as inspiration transforming his size and appearance to resemble that of Galactus
, and that of a female character to resemble the Silver Surfer
.
. The first and last letters of the Greek alphabet were used in the King James translation of the Bible as an identification of the Judeo-Christian God as the beginning and the end. That and the secular English idiom's use of the phrase to denote "the beginning and end" provide a clue to the time-twisting resolution to the Nth Man saga.
abilities including clairvoyance
and precognition
. He calls his visions the "could-be's" and can somehow allow others to see them as well, especially his only childhood friend John Doe. As Alfie grows older, his powers vastly increase, giving him abilities such as mind control
, teleportation
, and telekinesis which can re-arrange molecules on a massive scale.
Alfie is troubled by nightmare
s as a child, and his strange behavior and the odd events which occur around him cause him to be victimized by both orphanage bullies
, and the drunk and abusive man who runs the orphanage. While comic books serve as a means of escape, eventually he realizes that his powers can be used for revenge
against his tormentors.
Alfie eventually uses his psychic powers to stop all the world's nuclear weapons from working. This has the unexpected side-effect of triggering a conventional war between the USSR and the USA, which ultimately becomes World War III.
team of superheroes ran into Alfie O'Meagan in his alternate reality
in Excalibur (vol. 1) #27. Here Alfie had assumed a form and giant stature similar to that of Galactus
, except for the helmet which he only wore on one occasion. After a fight in which Rachel Summers
ferociously unleashed the full power of the Phoenix Force on Alfie in his Galactus form and brought him to his knees, the team was sent back to their native reality, Earth-616
, when Nightcrawler
pushed "Cancel" on the remote control of Alfie's television, which nullified everything that had occurred.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
about an American ninja
Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
set in an unspecified near future where World War III
World War III
World War III denotes a successor to World War II that would be on a global scale, with common speculation that it would be likely nuclear and devastating in nature....
has started. It was written by Larry Hama
Larry Hama
Larry Hama is an American comic book writer, artist, actor and musician who has worked in the fields of entertainment and publishing since the 1960s....
between 1989
1989 in comics
-Year overall:* "Inferno" company-wide Marvel Comics crossover continues, involving the mutant titles The Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor, The New Mutants, and Excalibur, as well as the X-Terminators limited series and various other Marvel titles...
and 1990
1990 in comics
-Year overall:Days of Future Present, the sequel to Days of Future Past, appeared in the annuals of Fantastic Four, New Mutants, X-Factor and X-Men.-January:* Dinosaurs for Hire is cancelled by Eternity Comics with issue #9....
, based largely on his success writing the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (Marvel Comics)
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero is a comic book that was published by Marvel Comics from 1982 to 1994. Based on Hasbro, Inc.'s G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero line of military-themed toys, the series has been credited for making G.I. Joe into a pop-culture phenomenon. G.I...
comic, which he wrote concurrently with The Nth Man (and also features a modern ninja as one of the main characters). Nth Man and Alfie O'Meagan first appeared in Marvel Comics Presents
Marvel Comics Presents
Marvel Comics Presents was an American comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics originally from 1988 to 1995; it returned for a second volume in 2007-2008.-Volume 1:The first volume was released on a biweekly basis and lasted for 175 issues...
#25 (August 1989). The series was meant to last for 24 issues, but was cancelled after 16. In spite of this, Hama was able to resolve the storyline early.
Plot
The series starts in medias resIn medias res
In medias res or medias in res is a Latin phrase denoting the literary and artistic narrative technique wherein the relation of a story begins either at the mid-point or at the conclusion, rather than at the beginning In medias res or medias in res (into the middle of things) is a Latin phrase...
, with American soldiers parachuting into war-torn Moscow, in an attempt to rescue the Nth Man. Using TV news commentary as a plot exposition
Exposition
Exposition may refer to:*Exposition *Exposition *Trade fair*Exposition , the debut album by the band Wax on Radio...
device, it is revealed that the war was caused by Alfie O'Meagan, using his psychic abilities to neutralize all nuclear weapons on the planet, upsetting the balance of power.
During the course of the story, we learn that Alfie has grown up in an orphanage alongside John Doe (the "Nth Man" of the title). Doe was adopted by an elderly Japanese man, who worked for the CIA's
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
"Black Ops
Covert operation
A covert operation is a military, intelligence or law enforcement operation that is carried clandestinely and, often, outside of official channels. Covert operations aim to fulfill their mission objectives without any parties knowing who sponsored or carried out the operation...
" division. Doe was raised as a ninja
Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
, taught to kill without regret. While in the orphanage, O'Meagan had visions of possible futures
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
(the "could-be's"), and over time his powers grew, so that he was able to control matter and produce other effects that were against the physical laws of the universe.
The storyline is complex, following numerous characters through war zones, plague-ridden post-Apocalyptic landscapes, inside a video game, alien worlds, and various points in time and space. Alfie gains vast power, while losing his sanity. When the Soviet Union launches biological weapons
Biological warfare
Biological warfare is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi with intent to kill or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war...
, Alfie's attempt to turn them harmless backfires.
Using a narrative jump of one year (which was forced upon writer Larry Hama in order to wrap up the story, due to the cancellation of the series), we see that the biological weapons were turned into a mutagenic virus, and millions are transformed into psychotic, cannibalistic "moots". The conclusion of the story makes use of a paradox
Paradox
Similar to Circular reasoning, A paradox is a seemingly true statement or group of statements that lead to a contradiction or a situation which seems to defy logic or intuition...
, and Doe and O'Meagan are shown to be responsible for their own origins.
Relationships to other Marvel Comics
The series is not set within the primary settingEarth-616
In the fictional Marvel Comics multiverse, Earth-616 or Earth 616 is the name used to identify the primary continuity in which most Marvel Comics titles take place.-Origin of Earth-616:...
of the 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...
and the characters of those series are treated as fictional comic book characters. O'Meagan draws upon those comics as inspiration transforming his size and appearance to resemble that of Galactus
Galactus
Galactus is a fictional character appearing in comic books and other publications published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character debuted in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue story later known as "The Galactus...
, and that of a female character to resemble the Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue arc that fans call "The Galactus Trilogy"....
.
Alfie O'Meagan
The name "Alfie O'Meagan" can be recognized as a pun on Alpha and OmegaAlpha and Omega (disambiguation)
Alpha and Omega is an appellation of God in the Book of Revelation.Alpha and Omega may also refer to:* Alpha and omega, the first and the last letter in the Classical Greek alphabet* Alpha & Omega , British dub/reggae duo...
. The first and last letters of the Greek alphabet were used in the King James translation of the Bible as an identification of the Judeo-Christian God as the beginning and the end. That and the secular English idiom's use of the phrase to denote "the beginning and end" provide a clue to the time-twisting resolution to the Nth Man saga.
Fictional character biography
Alfie O'Meagan (his adopted name) is first portrayed a child, with various psychicPsychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
abilities including clairvoyance
Clairvoyance
The term clairvoyance is used to refer to the ability to gain information about an object, person, location or physical event through means other than the known human senses, a form of extra-sensory perception...
and precognition
Precognition
In parapsychology, precognition , also called future sight, and second sight, is a type of extrasensory perception that would involve the acquisition or effect of future information that cannot be deduced from presently available and normally acquired sense-based information or laws of physics...
. He calls his visions the "could-be's" and can somehow allow others to see them as well, especially his only childhood friend John Doe. As Alfie grows older, his powers vastly increase, giving him abilities such as mind control
Mind control
Mind control refers to a process in which a group or individual "systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator, often to the detriment of the person being manipulated"...
, teleportation
Teleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
, and telekinesis which can re-arrange molecules on a massive scale.
Alfie is troubled by nightmare
Nightmare
A nightmare is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong negative emotional response from the mind, typically fear or horror, but also despair, anxiety and great sadness. The dream may contain situations of danger, discomfort, psychological or physical terror...
s as a child, and his strange behavior and the odd events which occur around him cause him to be victimized by both orphanage bullies
Bullies
Bullies is a 1986 Canadian action-drama film about a feud between two families in a small town in a similar vein to the story of Romeo and Juliet...
, and the drunk and abusive man who runs the orphanage. While comic books serve as a means of escape, eventually he realizes that his powers can be used for revenge
Revenge
Revenge is a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. It is also called payback, retribution, retaliation or vengeance; it may be characterized, justly or unjustly, as a form of justice.-Function in society:Some societies believe that the...
against his tormentors.
Alfie eventually uses his psychic powers to stop all the world's nuclear weapons from working. This has the unexpected side-effect of triggering a conventional war between the USSR and the USA, which ultimately becomes World War III.
Other appearances
The ExcaliburExcalibur (comics)
Excalibur is a Marvel Comics superhero group, an off-shoot of the X-Men, usually based in the United Kingdom. Conceived by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer Alan Davis, the original Excalibur first appeared in Excalibur Special Edition , also known as Excalibur: The Sword is Drawn.The...
team of superheroes ran into Alfie O'Meagan in his alternate reality
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
in Excalibur (vol. 1) #27. Here Alfie had assumed a form and giant stature similar to that of Galactus
Galactus
Galactus is a fictional character appearing in comic books and other publications published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character debuted in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue story later known as "The Galactus...
, except for the helmet which he only wore on one occasion. After a fight in which Rachel Summers
Rachel Summers
Rachel Anne Summers is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne for Marvel Comics....
ferociously unleashed the full power of the Phoenix Force on Alfie in his Galactus form and brought him to his knees, the team was sent back to their native reality, Earth-616
Earth-616
In the fictional Marvel Comics multiverse, Earth-616 or Earth 616 is the name used to identify the primary continuity in which most Marvel Comics titles take place.-Origin of Earth-616:...
, when Nightcrawler
Nightcrawler (comics)
Nightcrawler is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Universe. He has been associated with both the X-Men and Excalibur, originally appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum, he debuted in Giant-Size X-Men #1...
pushed "Cancel" on the remote control of Alfie's television, which nullified everything that had occurred.