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Count Nefaria

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Count Nefaria
Count Nefaria battles the Avengers on the cover of Avengers #166 (Jan. 1978). Art by George Perez.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceAvengers #13 (Feb. 1965)
Created byStan Lee
Jack Kirby
In-story information
Alter egoLuchino Nefaria
Team affiliationsMaggia
Legion of the Unliving
Death Squad
Lethal Legion
Ani-Men
Notable aliasesThe Dream Master
AbilitiesSuperhuman strength, speed, stamina, agility, reflexes, durability, healing and longevity
Optic blasts
Flight

Count Nefaria is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Avengers #13 (Feb. 1965) and was created by Stan Lee and Don Heck.

Fictional character biography

Luchino Nefaria is a wealthy Italian aristocrat, who while a traditionalist also desires greater wealth and power, driving him to join the criminal organization the Maggia. The recently formed superhero team the Avengers, however, thwart many of his plans and force a direct conflict, which Nefaria loses. [1] In retaliation, Nefaria then unsuccessfully attempts to destroy Iron Man [2] and then suffers yet another defeat when stopped by the mutant X-Men. [3] Nefaria reappears several years later and attempts to take control of the United States base NORAD, but is stopped by the X-Men once again. Nefaria attempts to escape in a plane which is attacked by the X-Man Thunderbird. The plane then explodes, killing Thunderbird and injuring Nefaria. [4]

Now virtually destitute and discredited, Nefaria hires the supervillains the Living Laser; Power Man and Whirlwind to form the second Lethal Legion. The group rob several banks, and unwittingly finance an experiment Nefaria has created in a bid to become superhuman. Employing the former scientific adviser to Baron Heinrich Zemo, Nefaria devises a means of temporarily amplifying the abilities of the Lethal Legion, and then sends them into combat against the Avengers. The effect, however, is temporary and once defeated their combined abilities are drained by Nefaria, who possesses them magnified a hundredfold. After a long and protracted battle, Nefaria is finally defeated. [5]

Nefaria is then kept in isolation and under observation by the Avengers, and it is discovered that the process to empower him makes Nefaria immortal but vulnerable as his body reconfigures itself. Whitney Frost, also known as Madame Masque and the daughter of Nefaria, attempts to find a cure for what she believes to be his deteriorating condition. She hires the group the Ani-Men to attack Avengers Mansion and free her father. While battling Iron Man, Nefaria's life-support system is severed and his weakened form is crushed by a stored Jupiter Landing Vehicle. [6] Nefaria briefly reappears some time later as a corpse reanimated by the villain the Grim Reaper. The Reaper directs Nefaria to attack the Avengers, but loses control soon afterwards and Nefaria dies once again. [7]

Nefaria eventually reappears, but in an ionic humanoid form, and constantly requires ionic energy to sustain his existence. He battles Iron Man [8] and later Captain America and Ka-Zar in the Savage Land as he attempts to find sources of energy. [9] Nefaria then plans to dentonate an ionic bomb, which will transform millions of people into an ionic state which he can then feed off. Nefaria gains control of the ionic heroes Wonder Man and Atlas who he intends to use to kill the Avengers, but he is stopped by the combined efforts of the Avengers, fellow superhero team the Thunderbolts and Madame Masque. [10] He is next seen as an inmate of The Raft, a prison for supervillains, and escapes when Electro stages a mass breakout. [11]

Powers and abilities

Nefaria was a normal human until subjected to a process perfected by one of the original Baron Zemo's scientists, which granted him the combined powers of the villains the Living Laser (energy projection), Power Man (strength) and Whirlwind (speed), amplified a hundredfold. Nefaria then aged until his body evolved, and eventually shifted to an ionic form. This not only meant that Nefaria was able to retain his original superhuman strength level (which is said to surpass the strength levels of the likes of Thor and The Hulk), but it also made him functionally immortal, much like Wonder Man. Nefaria can now create ionic constructs and manipulate other ionic beings.

Other media

Television

References

  1. ^ Avengers #13 (Feb. 1965)
  2. ^ Tales of Suspense #67 (July 1965)
  3. ^ Uncanny X-Men #22 - 23 (July - Aug. 1966)
  4. ^ Uncanny X-Men #94 - #95 (Aug. - Oct 1975)
  5. ^ Avengers #164 - 166 (Nov. 1977 - Jan. 1978)
  6. ^ Iron Man #115 - 116 (Oct. - Nov. 1978)
  7. ^ Avengers #353 - 354 (Early-Late Sept. 1992)
  8. ^ Iron Man Annual 99
  9. ^ Captain America #29 - 31 (vol. 3, June 2000)
  10. ^ Avengers #32 - 34 (vol. 2, Sept. - Nov. 2000) and Thunderbolts #42 - 43 (Sept. - Oct 2000)
  11. ^ New Avengers #1 (Jan. 2005)


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