Edo Marvel: Men

Male heroes and villains for 1640s Asia and beyond.

Top Row, Left to Right:

Ureshii:
Counterpart of Kallark the Gladiator
Biography: The tengu are a race of humanoid demons with bird-like features stemming from Japan; the most prominent tengu kingdom lies within the Hitachi Province, ruled over proudly by Daitengu Sharra. The young tengu Ureshii was a promising cadet of a proud bloodline of tengu warriors; he was able to surpass 9 other candidates of the tengu’s Imperial Guard and become their leader. In the final ceremony, Ureshii became mentally bound to the Daitengu, so that he may ably protect whomever that may be from the kingdom’s enemies. However, at the end of the ritual, Ureshii was flooded with great pain as an assassin’s arrow struck down Sharra. The pain of this ravaged the warrior until his son Tsukuba was officially pronounced the new Daitengu. The assassin was captured, revealing him to be a human from a nearby villiage; Tsukuba declared war on the human settlers of the Hitachi Province, whom they had tolerated for decades. The war between the humans and the tengu of the province was noted for spawning human heroes with bird-based identities, such as Hawkeye, Mockingbird, and Falcon. The heroes called the Men of Tendai learned of this civil war from Hawkeye, now a member of the heroic Regalia, was able to end the bloodshed on peaceful terms. However Tsukuba refused to end the fighting, so his sister Natsumi had to strike him down and assume the title of Daitengu. Ureshii attended the signing of the peace accord between the humans and the tengu, where he learned of a deadly conspiracy about to come to fruition! Natsumi and two guards wandered into the chamber of the tengu’s most sacred treasure, the Basan Crystal, where her brother’s former advisor, Tawa Shunichu, was about to steal the Crystal’s power using her half-sister, Yami Hiaro of the Men of Tendai, as a medium. Tawa killed the guards, but was caught by Ureshii (who has a mental connection to the Daitengu Natsumi) before she could attack Natsumi. Tawa used her magic to summon a horde of goblins to attack the Imperial Guard and the Men of Tendai. In the end, Tawa was denied the power she craved and Yami, now the vessel of the Fire Spirit Basan, defeated her. Some time later, Ukalos, Ureshii’s uncle and notorious war criminal, staged a massive riot in a tengu prison complex. It was there that he first met his cousin Chokujou, who conceived and raised in the prison, who could be a possible successor to leadership of the Imperial Guard.
Powers: Superhuman strength/speed/agility/stamina/durability/senses/reflexes; bird-like features such as retractable wings for flight and claw-like feet; mastery of tengu-style martial arts; a psychic connection to whoever the current Daitengu is.

Living Lightning:
Real Name: Miguel Santos
Biography: Ribung Linti is the god of lightning and thunder, worshiped by the ancient Visayan people of the islands now collectively known as the Philipines. When the Philipines were colonized by Spaniard explorers in the 1560s, many of the worships were made extinct and replaced with Christianity, but sects among the differing groups of ethnic people still practice their deity worship in secrecy. Some 80 years after the settlement by the Spanish, a secret group of Ribung Linti’s worshipers sought to end Spanish influence on their islands, calling themselves the Legion of Living Lightning. Miguel Santos’ father Carlos was the leader of the Legion, but when their ritual to gain control of lightning failed, they were slaughtered by Spanish soldiers. Miguel and his friend Arturo Aparcar were the only survivors, and when they tried the ritual again, they succeeded and gained the power to become living lightning! However, when they battled the Spanish soldiers again, Arturo reveled in the bloodshed and began attacking innocents as well. Miguel tried to stop him, but he injected himself into a storm cloud and vanished. The storm traveled West and Miguel followed it, traveling to Vietnam. He lost Arturo’s trail, but helped defeat a stone monster, cementing his status as a hero and inspired him to take the alias Living Lightning. LL picked up Arturo’s trail in Japan, where the villain used his lightning powers to take control of the battle armors used by the superhero Armored Man, a member of the Regalia. Living Lightning defeated Arturo, trapping him in a dismembered chest piece. Armored Man thanked Living Lightning and offered him a position within the Regalia.
Powers: Transformation into living electricity, which allows him to fly and fire electric blasts.

Morbius:
Biography: When the Earth was first created, the Eternals who created the world turned the most powerful of their followers into spirits and angels to drive the abominable demons to Hell. But there was one spirit who fell from the Eternals’ graces when he decided to take control of Heaven himself: Mor, the Consumer. Mor is now deceased but, since his conversion of the Eternal Iehova’s first humans to darkness, he has spawned a long lineage of demons with the power to drain the life force from mortals and spirits alike. His most recent progeny are the twin brothers Morbius and Morlun, the sons of the Baron Mordo, who is the son of Morrigan. Morlun tried to take the power of the Spider Demon Kyouka from the hero Spider-Man promising to cure him of the eventual transformation into a monster, but Morbius wanted no more life as a horrible beast. He and other heroes managed to free Spider-Man from the Spider Demon’s influence, but Morlun was killed by his beastly form, called Venom, before that. With Morlun’s threat gone, Morbius wished to resign himself to aiding others plagued by supernatural forces. But then, his ability to drain the life from others became a craving, one that caused him great pain and madness when it is not satisfied. Blacking out, he woke up to see himself in a room full of corpses, the life drained from their bodies. Stricken with grief, Morbius sequestered himself into the wilderness, feeding on simple wildlife when the craze returned. Blade, the ninja vampire hunter, believes that, whether or not he is a true vampire, Morbius is a threat and must be killed, while Spider-Man tried to stop him, thinking that his former ally can be helped. Turns out that Spider-Man was right, that Morbius was possessed by the spirit of his evil brother Morlun, which causes him to black out and go on feeding rampages. Figuring that Morlun still craves the Spider Demon’s power, he lured Mujina Guu, the new host for the power of Venom, into a trap for both him and Morbius. That is when the heroic sorceress called The Stranger used her magic powers to drain Morlun’s spirit and Venom’s power from both bodies, spiriting them away to a mystic realm where they can do no more damage.
Powers: Longevity; the ability to drain the lifeforce and powers from spirits and demons and other beings; superhuman strength/speed/durability/stamina/regeneration/senses/reflexes; claws and fangs.

Adam the Warlock:
Counterpart of Adam Warlock
Real Name: Adam El-Hashim
Biography: Thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt, the high priest En Sabah Nur feared the fall of the kingdom to a mighty army of invaders, so he used a forbidden ritual to summon to our world a plague of demons known as the Phalanx, a series of hive-minds that control thousands upon hundreds of thousands of parasitic organisms that transform their human hosts into beings made of living metal under their thrall. The most powerful of the Phalanx, their god and template, was known as Apocalypse. The Phalanx decimated the invaders, but then turned their ravenous appetites on the innocents of the kingdom. Pharaoh Rama-Tut, king of Egypt and a member of the lineage of heroic sorcerers called the Strangers, used his powerful magics to destroy the parasites and entomb them beneath the Temple of Set. For his punishment, En Sabah Nur and his descendants were forced to guard the Temple of Set forever more. The last of these guardians, trained in the magical arts passed down from father to son, was Adam El-Hashim. Adam was magically bound to the Temple of Set, entombed in a force field around the temple that only affected him. This changed the day that a group of explorers from China, led by an Egyptian man, came to the temple. Adam was compelled to stand his guard, but the Egyptian, Menes Sutekh, knew of his cursed and offered to lift it. The magic jewel he placed upon Adam’s forehead, which he claims fell from the heavens after a civil war between the Egyptian Gods, gave Adam his freedom. Adam began traveling the world, unknown of the importance of his curse; the Phalanx were resurrected and Apocalypse was reborn, all at the hand of his new avatar Menes Sutekh, aka Sinister. Thankfully, Apocalypse, Sinister, and the Phalanx were defeated by the Men of Tendai. The Japanese demon known as Mikaboshi attacked Adam later and stole his gem, revealing it to be one of the mighty Infinity Gems, but with the Phalanx’s threat crushed, Adam was freed from the curse by default. The spirit of Mikaboshi’s repented minion, the Destroyer, used his power to unite Adam with his daughter Moondragon, along with Pip the Troll, Gamora, Maxam, and Kismet. Calling themselves the Infinity Guard, they defeated Mikaboshi by separating the Gems from the Infinity Gauntlet he wielded. Mikaboshi had since been returned to his celestial prison and the Infinity Items to their proper godly owners. The Infinity Guard has sworn to reunite whenever the power of infinity is on the verge of being used for evil.
Powers: Magical powers, which were enhanced by the green Infinity Gem upon his forehead. Manifests his magic as a golden energy shaped like the exoskeletons of insects.

Bottom Row, Left to Right:

The Monkey King:
Counterpart of Red Ghost
Real Name: Sun Wukong
Biography: Sun Wukong, an ape-like being, was born from a stone in Ancient China, and became the leader of a troop of monkeys after finding a new home for them in a cave behind a waterfall. Seeking immortality, he traveled to the human lands where he learned their language and manners through observation. The immortal Bhodi taught Sun various magical martial arts techniques, such as shape-shifting, cloud-riding, and the ability to transform his hairs into whatever he thought of; his main weapon became a pole that change to any length he wished. Sun Wukong became proud of his abilities, and began boasting to the other disciples. Bodhi was not happy with this, and cast him out of his temple. Upon his triumphant return, Sun traveled to the Chinese underworld to erase his name and the names of his monkey followers from the book of life and death. As punishment, the Jade Emperor, king of the Chinese Gods, imprisoned himself within a mountain marked with a paper talisman with a enchantment written on it in gold. Many centuries later, a Buddhist monk named Xuanzang accidentally freed Sun Wukong from his prison and the Monkey King returned to his disciples. He decided to leave China until he gained the power to over-throw the Jade Emperor, and his apes followed him to Japan. In his quest for power, the mischievous Monkey King and his followers became interested in harassing the members of the heroic Suteki Four for entertainment. Xuanzang met the Suteki Four and told them he had a way to control Sun Wukong; they decided that in order to pacify him long enough to do this, they would have to fight fire with fire. The young tanuki known as Muri, another shape-shifter who harrasses the Suteki Four for the heck of it, was manipulated into meeting the Monkey King, who claimed he was a better trickster than he. Muri challenged Sun to a pranking contest, and the latter agreed. The prank war lasted for a week, with many civilians, heroes, and villains suffering from it. In the end, Muri won, and the Monkey King was humbled. He returned to the monk Xuanzang, who fitted him with an enchanted necklace to control his recklessness. It was on their journey to the west that the Monkey King finally learned humility.
Powers: Beyond-human strength/agility/stamina/senses/reflexes; shape-changing; martial arts mastery, riding on a cloud for flight; transforming his hairs into whatever he can think of, including clones of himself; able to command the loyalty of apes; use of a length-changing pole as a weapon.

Demon-Eye:
Counterpart of The Orb
Real Name: Kotaiga Ryu
Biography: Kotaiga Ryu has lead a comparatively normal life, one that somehow lead to a criminal career. He gained the nickname Demon-Eye for the demonic eyeball he had tattooed to his right temple. He and his gang of 12 other goons were trolling the streets of Hiroshima when they came across a young girl named Kaitsuiki Honoo, who they struck down, raped, and left for dead. When the girl’s older brother Houtei confronted the hooligans, they knocked him out cold and then killed him by chaining him to a bicycle and burning him alive. Houtei’s soul made a bargain with the death goddess Izanami, and he was sent back to Earth as an Onryo, a spirit of vengeance. As this spectral avenger, Houtei took the name Wanyudo. During the nights, which is the only time he maintained his new material form (as a flaming skeleton), Wanyudo hunted down the 13 gang members, using a cursed stare to send their souls to Yomi, the underworld, for their sins. Using his powers, Wanyudo also protected his sister, battled super-criminals, and served as one of the heroic Sons of Midnight. In the end, he had eliminated all of the gang members who raped Kaitsuiki, except one: Demon-Eye himself. He cornered the villain in a dark alley in the city of Edo (now Tokyo), proclaiming that he was returned to Earth to send him and his goons to Hell at the cost of his own imprisonment with them. But before he would finish the deal, he took his time in torturing Kotaiga. Severely burned along his face and upper body, Kotaiga was about to be damned when Izanami appared before them both! Apparently, she made a deal with Demon-Eye to destroy Wanyudo, explaining that it didn’t violate her deal with Houtei. Kotaiga was also changed into a flaming skeleton, but with greater size, spikes along his bones, and a real demonic eye in place of his tattoo. With his greater power, Kotaiga was rejuvenated and succeeded in killing Wanyudo. But due to a loophole that was set in place when Izanami made the deal, one that even she didn’t realize, Houtei wasn’t sent to hell, but to heaven! The angelic Tadashii then descended and purged Houtei of his demonic corruption, right before destroying Demon-Eye and sending him to hell. Lifted to heaven, Houtei was absolved of his sins and now enjoys his eternal existence in the heavens. Years later, his sister Kaitsuiki and her husband named their first son Houtei, in his uncle’s honor.
Powers: As a human, Demon-Eye had no extraordinary powers, but was a competent swordsman with above-average athleticism. In his demonic form, he possessed superhuman strength/stamina/durability, flaming flesh that he could project, bladed wheels and chains he could command, transformation into a demonic bicycle, and the ability to project lasers from his demonic eye.

Grandmaster:
Real Name: En Dwi Gast
Biography: En Dwi Gast, a native of Vietnam, is a powerful magic-user. He and his many siblings and cousins are the descendants of the first Stranger, and have thus inherited their powers and collection of magical items. They call themselves the Elders of the Earth, believing that they have every right to take control of the Earth for themselves. Using their magics for their most favorite subjects of earth culture, they have pitted heroes and villains against each other in gambling challenges: if the chosen heroes and villains sould fail any of these challenges, the Elders become the rulers of Earth! In the Elders’ first appearance, En Dwi Gast, also called the Grandmaster, pitted the Regalia against his champions, the Supremes: Greek demi-god Hyperion, Japanese ninja Nighthawk, South American gladiatrix Power Princess, African speedster Blur, and Apache shaman Redstone. The Supremes were nearly victorious over the Regalia, and as the Grandmaster stood over the fallen heroes, ordering Hyperion to execute the heroine Concordia, Nighthawk drew a magic blade and struck his teammates, disabling their powers. Grandmaster tried to kill Nighthawk for his betrayal, but the superior martial combat skills of Nighthawk defeated him. With the Supremes returned to their native homes and Gast banished to a magic prison, Nighthawk revealed that he was a double agent recruited by current Stranger, Mishiranu. The other Elders, including the Champion, the Gardener, and the Runner, would face off against the heroes, but one-by-one, they would fall. The final Elder, the Obliterator, pitted every hero on Earth against every villain in an event called the Secret Wars; the villains were all defeated, and the Obliterator was imprisoned, ending the Elders’ threat to Earth.

Kyuketsuki:
Counterpart of: Dracula
Biography: Many, many decades ago, a fearsome feudal lord and his samurai conquered large swafts of territories in Eastern Japan, ruling diligently and brutally. Learning of all those who spoke out against his rule, he had them all kidnapped, tortured, and forced to give up any conspirators to overthrow him. He would then have them executed, with their heads impaled on spikes and displaed all around the towns as a reminder to all those who oppose him that it will only end in death. For years he was feared, until one stood up and spoke out, one who was able to escape the tyrant’s reach and enlist the ninja mercenaries of The Hand. The Hand ninjas from the six ninja clans battled the tyrant’s samurai and defeated them, but the tyrant’s sorcerers fused their master to the essence of a bat demon, making him into the first vampire. Now called Kyuketsuki, the villain decimated the ninja until the Drakness Clan summoned their own demon, Satannish, to defeat and imprison him in the caverns beneath the capital city of his empire (Satannish would then attack the other Hand ninja until he was banished, leading to the Darkness Clan’s slaughter). For years Kyuketsuki was trapped in the caves, his power dwindeling until, when he finally freed himself, he could not exist in sunlight without great pain and then death. By feeding on the blood of other humans, he could turn them into more vampires and his minions; he did this until he established himself as the leader of the Great Vampire Heirarchy. A vampire on one of the lowest rungs of the Heirarchy, Bokushi Toukan, was responsible for draining the blood of a woman in labor, resulting in the half-vampire son born of that incident becoming the vampire hunter Blade. Blade and his allies found the Darkhold, the scroll of dark magic that the wizards used to transform Kyuketsuki into a vampire, and used a reversal spell to remove the bat demon essence from the vampire king; the other vampires he created and the vampires they created were all drained of their vampiric atributes and most of them, including Kyuketsuki, were killed due to old age. As for Blade, being a half-vampire, he succumbed to the spell as well and was put in a coma. We now await the day that we would need the power of Blade once again…
Powers: Superhuman strength/speed/agility/stamina/durability/reflexes/senses; claws; fangs for draining blood and converting others into vampires; elasticity; shape-shifting into a giant bat monster.

Mentioned Characters:
Tengu: Shi’ar
Sharra: Shalla, God of the Shi’ar
Daitengu: Majestor/Majestrix (King/Queen) of the Shi’ar
Tsukuba: D’Ken
Men of Tendai: X-Men
The Regalia: The Avengers
Natsumi: Lilandra
Basan Crystal: M’Krann Crystal
Tawa Shunichu: Madelyn Pryor
Yami Hiaro: Jean Grey/Phoenix
Fire Spirit Basan: Phoenix Force
Chokujou: Xenith

Arturo Aparcar: Arthur Parks/Living Laser
Armored Man: Iron Man
Morrigan: Morgan Le Fay
Mujina Guu: Eddie Brock
The Strangers: Sorcerers Supreme

Mikaboshi: Thanos
The Destroyer: Drax
Infinity Guard: Infinity Watch

Suteki Four: Fantastic Four
Tanukis: Skrulls
Muri: Impossible Man

Kaitsuiki Honoo: Barbara Ketch
Izanami: Mephisto
Wanyudo: Ghost Rider
Sons of Midnight: Midnight Sons
Demon-Eye’s hellish form: Vengeance
Tadashii: Zadikel

Elders of the Earth: Elders of the Universe
Supremes: Squadron Supreme
Concordia: Scarlet Witch
Mishiranu: Dr. Stephen Strange
Bokushi Toukan: Deacon Frost