Merlyn (Marvel)
Merlyn is a male comic character who features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origins
Merlyn
Merlyn was born on an alternate earth as a member of a race of immortal, powerful beings. He became the student of Necrom, his world's Sorcerer Supreme. Necrom asked Merlyn and his fellow-student Feron to assist him in a magical ritual. Feron would contact the cosmic Phoenix Force on Earth-616 and using the Phoenix an alignment would be created between parallel universes. This alignment would be marked with a tower in the same place on every Earth in the Omniverse. According to magical principles, such an alignment would create a matrix of nearly endless magical energy. Necrom desired the power of the Phoenix for himself though and he attacked Feron. Feron, his powers enhanced by the Phoenix, battled his master and Merlyn used the opportunity to jump into the Matrix, taking its power for his own. Necrom wounded the Phoenix and escaped with a small part of it. The Phoenix left Feron and Feron stayed behind on Earth-616, dedicating his life to asking the Phoenix for forgiveness.
According to Coven Akkaba, Merlyn's origin is told in Hanes Taliesin, in which before becoming Merlyn he was a bard called Taliesin, and before even that a Welsh boy named Gwion Bach. Gwion Bach was a servant of the sorcerer Ceridwen, from whom he stole the gift of magic by drinking the potion meant for Ceridwen's son. He then fled from the sorcerer by taking the form of a bird. (Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain v1 #2)
Merlyn travelled to Otherworld and established himself as Omniversal Guardian, safeguarding the total of all universes in existence. With the powers of the Matrix, Merlyn dedicated himself to protecting the universe and finding Necrom. Necrom hid and planned for the next few centuries, changing the part of the Phoenix Force that he had stolen into the Anti-Phoenix. Merlyn founded the Captain Britain Corps, a group of matrix-powered superheroes based on each Earth in the omniverse. Merlyn sent his best agent, Sir James Braddock, to Earth-616 to father a hero. James' first son, Jamie Braddock, was unsuitable for Merlyn's purposes, but the twins Elizabeth and Brian both were. Merlyn chose Brian to become Earth-616's Captain Britain and he would be pivotal to Merlyn's plans.
One day, Brian Braddock was forced to flee from the Reaver Joshua Stragg and his men resulting in him crashing the motorbike he was riding in the middle of some standing stones on Darkmoor. Injured and dazed, he was confronted by a vision of an bearded man and a beautiful woman. The man informed him that he was in the middle of a circle of power, the Siege Perilous, and was here to be judged on peril of his immortal soul. The vision told the skeptical scientist that he must choose between an amulet and a sword that had materialised on the stones, and that the choice was life or death for him. (Captain Britain v1 #1) With Stragg and his men closing in, Braddock decided he was no slayer of men, and chose the amulet, symbol of life. He was transformed into Captain Britain. Battling a similarly transformed Stragg the newly created hero triumphed, and promised the apparitions that he would be their champion. (Captain Britain v1 #2)
While Captain Britain's injured body was lying on an operating table at S.T.R.I.K.E. headquarters, his spirit was summoned through the void to another reality, where he was confronted by a monstrous creature. As battle commenced, the hero was unaware he was being observed by the man and lady who granted him the medallion which gives him his powers, and that he was in the middle of test. (Captain Britain v1 #33) With Captain Britain trapped by the monster, the lady pleaded with Merlin to save their champion. But Merlin insisted the hero must survive this final test unaided. As the battle continued to go against him, the lady again pleaded for her sire to end the hero's torment. Again Merlin insisted that Captain Britain must prove his inability to accept defeat, his willingness to battle to the death should need be. However he decided that the hero had shown sufficient worth to have his staff weapon returned to him. Using the staff's force field, Captain Britain held back his opponent, and Merlin finally felt the hero had passed the test. He summoned Braddock to their side, but the hero was outraged to think that the ordeal he had just gone through had been choreographed. Merlin did not take well to the harsh words, pointing out that if he had the power to summon Captain Britain across the void then he likewise had the power to restrain him. Faced with a show of Merlin's power, Captain Britain calmed down. Merlin admitted that he was sorry for putting the hero through his paces, but stated that it was for a noble cause, and, having warned Braddock that time was limited if he was to return to Earth before his body perished, the magician created an image of the Court of King Arthur. (Captain Britain v1 #34)
Overview
Personality and attributes
Powers and abilities
He later came to serve as the regent of his own province in Otherworld called the Holy Republic of Fae. The once-lush and wild land of the fae was turned into one that embodied his concept of law and order. The Great Hierophant imposed his magical order on the fae in order to turn them from hedonism but this simply led to them rebelling against him. In response, he became every stricter and more autocratic where he turned troubadours and hunters into factory workers as well as solders. In time, the kingdom became filled with iron towers, cogs, black smoke and smog-choked cities as fae magic was channelled into machines. (X-Factor v4 #4)
Notes
- Merlyn was created by Dan Barry where he made his first appearance in Young Allies v1 #11 (March, 1944).
Alternate Versions
Appearances
- Young Allies v1: (1944)
- Captain Britain v1:
- Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain v1:
External Links
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