The Vile Menagerie: THE MERCURIAN

Alter Ego: Unknown
Occupation: Fugitive
Known Relatives: None
Group Affiliation: Vulture
Base of Operations: Mobile
First Appearance: House of Mystery #163 (December, 1966)
Height: Approx. 6'2"
Build: Athletic
Eyes: Red
Hair: None

History:
A long time before the Martian Manhunter was exiled to Earth, J'onn J'onzz had contact with one-man Mercurian ships. One day, such a vessel landed in France during the period J'onzz was working to smash the international criminal syndicate Vulture. Upon greeting the pilot, J'onzz learned it was a Mercurian renegade wanted by his planet's authorities and set on conquering the Earth. When the Mercurian's pistol proved ineffective against the super-powered Manhunter from Mars, the hero hoped to make short work of the renegade, only to learn Earth's atmosphere also bestowed powers to Mercurians. The renegade distracted J'onzz by nearly causing a train accident and escaped.

J'onn J'onzz attempted to pit the Mercurian against Vulture to weaken both parties, but his plan backfired, and Vulture agents instead recruited the renegade. However, the association was very short lived, as the Manhunter invisibly disarmed all parties. Although the Mercurian pleaded for the return of his ray gun, the Manhunter from Mars ordered him to immediately fly off-world, unarmed and hunted again.

Powers & Weapons:
The Mercurian carried a disintegrator gun that could vaporize objects as large a boxcar in a single shot. A one-man Mercurian ship afforded him interplanetary travel. While in Earth atmosphere, the Mercurian developed extraordinary strength and a level of relative invulnerability comparable to a similarly affected Martian.

Quote: "I don't know how you got here, Martian-- but you're standing in the way of my gaining complete control over this planet!"

Created by Jack Miller and Joe Certa