Jack O'Lantern (Marvel Comics)
Encyclopedia
Jack O'Lantern is the name of four fiction
al supervillain
s in the Marvel Comics
universe
. Later incarnations of the character were also referred to as Mad Jack.
When Hobgoblin endangered Jack O'Lantern's life to pursue Spider-Man in battle, the two former allies had a bitter falling out. Macendale vowed revenge and hired the services of the assassin Foreigner to kill Ned Leeds and deliver the Hobgoblin costume and weaponry to Macendale. Macendale then became Hobgoblin, though with little luck and spent most of his tenure as Hobgoblin mentally ill after a deal with a demon disfigured him and drove him to madness, and with the rest of the super-villain community shunning him for his failure to live up to the legacy of his murdered predecessor. In the end, Macendale was killed by Kingsley, who came out of retirement to kill Macendale when he outed Ned Leeds as "Hobgoblin".
During the fourth Secret Wars mini-series, a man claiming to be Jason Macendale was arrested while committing crimes under the alias of Jack O'Lantern. This version of Macendale, not showing any signs of the extensive cybernetic replacement limbs the real Macendale had, was arrested by SHIELD agents. During interrogation, "Macendale" claimed to have led a "double life" as far as keeping the Jack O'Lantern persona alive while he was active as Hobgoblin, going so far as to claiming to be Mad Jack as well. Despite the fact that these claims were refuted as lies (indeed Macendale was mentally ill for the bulk of his time as Hobgoblin), SHIELD granted "Macendale" his freedom when he offered to give up the name of the much sought after financial backers of the criminal super-scientist "The Tinkerer", who supplies a good number of the super-villains in the Marvel Universe with weapons and costumes.
and Spider-Man
as Jack O'Lantern under the employ of the Red Skull.
This version of the character was subjected to much controversy, due to the fact that several years after his introduction he was rebranded "Mad Jack" and was heavily featured in the pages of Spectacular Spider-Man during the late 1990s. Mad Jack was ultimately revealed to be the duo of ex-Mysterio Daniel Berkhart and Mysterio's cousin, Maguire Beck.
It was not until the one-shot New Avengers Most Wanted, a character compendium, that the second Jack O'Lantern was confirmed as a separate entity from Mad Jack. The character was given the name Steven Mark Levins in said special. However, the character's name would not be used in-story until Ghost Rider vol. 5 #10 (2007).
This incarnation of Jack O'Lantern was a professional criminal, and a partner of Blackwing
. Alongside Blackwing, he searched Skullhouse and first battled Captain America
. With Blackwing, he was then admitted as a provisional member of the loosely-knit band of Red Skull
operatives called the Skeleton Crew
.
Soon after that, Jack O'Lantern fought Crossbones
and Diamondback
, and captured Diamondback. Diamondback tried to escape, and Jack O'Lantern fought her in mid-air. He was ultimately defeated in combat by the Falcon
, and taken to the Vault
.
He also worked as an enforcer of the gangster the Golem
and in this capacity, fought the villain the Hood
when he interfered in Golem's machinations.
The Levins Jack O'Lantern later fought Union Jack
alongside Shockwave
and Jackhammer
to attack the Thames Tunnel.
Following his defeat, Levins was recruited to serve as part of the Thunderbolts
hero-hunting squad during the Civil War storyline. While pursuing Spider-Man' through Manhattan sewers alongside the Jester
in Civil War #5, Levins was killed by the Punisher
, who shot Levins in the head killing him instantly. However, death would not be the end of Levins's story. His headless corpse was reanimated in Ghost Rider
vol. 5, #8, having been possessed by a fragment of Lucifer
's soul, and now exhibits the ability to detach, levitate, and explode his head (now replaced with a real life pumpkin), among other powers. However, the Ghost Rider is able to exorcise
him by ripping his heart from his chest, setting it aflame, and putting it back in his chest causing it to explode inside.
The character was returned to the afterlife, where he was among the dead characters seen in Erebus by Hercules.
Berkhart's working relationship with Osborn ended when the Green Goblin participated in a magical ritual that rendered him completely insane. Berkhart was then approached by Maguire Beck, the female cousin of Quentin Beck, the original Mysterio. Maguire convinced Berkhart to re-assume the identity of Mysterio following her cousin Quentin's suicide and the "Mad Jack" costumed identity was retired. However, when the two sought to eliminate Spider-Man, Daredevil, J. Jonah Jameson, and several other mutual enemies, the two revived the "Mad Jack" persona, with Maguire using holograms and lifelike robotic versions of Mad Jack and Berkhart himself, to serve as proxies for herself while she laid in secret. In the end, Maguire was caught and exposed, though due to her usage of Berkhart androids, Daredevil and Spider-Man were left unsure as to whether or not Berkhart was truly involved. However Berkhart did ultimately escape with a Mysterio costume, in the confusion at the end.
In the miniseries Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do, Francis Klum (who would later become Mysterio
) purchased Mysterio's weapons and gimmick in order to become yet another new Mysterio. The seller, the Kingpin
, said he had acquired the arsenal "from Jack-O-Lantern".
After Osborn's fall, he is revealed as a hired mercenary, working for Crime Master. One of his jobs brings him into conflict with the government operative Venom
. During this conflict Flash threw a live grenade into his mouthpiece and it dislocated his jaw. Even after the explosion he was still able to run and retreat. Later, Crime Master is able to use contacts to discover Venom's true identity, and has Jack O'Lantern kidnap Flash's girlfriend, Betty Brandt, in exchange for Venom letting Crime Master get his shipment of Antarctic Vibranium. When Venom leaves to rescue Betty, he is distracted by Spider-Man's appearance, which drives the symbiote into an uncontrollable rage. Eventually Betty is rescued at the last second by Spider-Man, with Venom then trying to recapture Crime Master. However, Venom is attacked by Jack O'Lantern, who proclaims Flash as his first real arch-nemesis, and desiring revenge for the disfiguring grenade explosion, also mockingly calling Flash by his first name, "Eugene".
Levins is armed with wrist-blasters which can deliver an electrical shock within a range of 35 feet (10.7 m). He also used various types of grenades, including anesthetic, lachrymatory (tear gas), hallucinogenic, and regurgitant gas grenades, smoke grenades, and concussion grenades. The grenades are shaped like spheres or pumpkins. He can fire small grenades from wrist devices. He can also release "ghost-grabbers," which are thick, semi-transparent films which adhere to a victim.
Levins rides atop a one-man hovercraft with an electric motor powered by a high density lithium rechargeable battery.
Berkhart used the same weapons as the previous incarnations of Jack O'Lantern, along with chemical weapons that cause psychedelic and mind-bending hallucinations. His accomplice Maguire was an expert designer of special effects devices and stage illusions, a master hypnotist, and skilled in chemistry and robotics, including a life-like robotic black cat. She has used her advanced knowledge of computer imaging and virtual reality to improve upon Mysterio's techniques, allowing for her to pretend to be Mad Jack via proxies while safely hidden in her secret lair.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
s in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
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...
. Later incarnations of the character were also referred to as Mad Jack.
Jason Macendale
The original Jack O'Lantern was disgraced ex-CIA Agent Jason Macendale, who assumed the identity after several years working as a freelance mercenary. Macendale was primarily a foe of Spider-Man and during his time under the alias, formed a working relationship with Hobgoblin. However, the man Macendale ultimately learned was Hobgoblin (Ned Leeds) turned out that a brainwashed pawn of the real Hobgoblin, Roderick Kingsley.When Hobgoblin endangered Jack O'Lantern's life to pursue Spider-Man in battle, the two former allies had a bitter falling out. Macendale vowed revenge and hired the services of the assassin Foreigner to kill Ned Leeds and deliver the Hobgoblin costume and weaponry to Macendale. Macendale then became Hobgoblin, though with little luck and spent most of his tenure as Hobgoblin mentally ill after a deal with a demon disfigured him and drove him to madness, and with the rest of the super-villain community shunning him for his failure to live up to the legacy of his murdered predecessor. In the end, Macendale was killed by Kingsley, who came out of retirement to kill Macendale when he outed Ned Leeds as "Hobgoblin".
During the fourth Secret Wars mini-series, a man claiming to be Jason Macendale was arrested while committing crimes under the alias of Jack O'Lantern. This version of Macendale, not showing any signs of the extensive cybernetic replacement limbs the real Macendale had, was arrested by SHIELD agents. During interrogation, "Macendale" claimed to have led a "double life" as far as keeping the Jack O'Lantern persona alive while he was active as Hobgoblin, going so far as to claiming to be Mad Jack as well. Despite the fact that these claims were refuted as lies (indeed Macendale was mentally ill for the bulk of his time as Hobgoblin), SHIELD granted "Macendale" his freedom when he offered to give up the name of the much sought after financial backers of the criminal super-scientist "The Tinkerer", who supplies a good number of the super-villains in the Marvel Universe with weapons and costumes.
Steven Mark Levins
A second Jack O'Lantern was introduced in Captain America v2 #396, who fought Captain AmericaCaptain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
and Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
as Jack O'Lantern under the employ of the Red Skull.
This version of the character was subjected to much controversy, due to the fact that several years after his introduction he was rebranded "Mad Jack" and was heavily featured in the pages of Spectacular Spider-Man during the late 1990s. Mad Jack was ultimately revealed to be the duo of ex-Mysterio Daniel Berkhart and Mysterio's cousin, Maguire Beck.
It was not until the one-shot New Avengers Most Wanted, a character compendium, that the second Jack O'Lantern was confirmed as a separate entity from Mad Jack. The character was given the name Steven Mark Levins in said special. However, the character's name would not be used in-story until Ghost Rider vol. 5 #10 (2007).
This incarnation of Jack O'Lantern was a professional criminal, and a partner of Blackwing
Blackwing
Blackwing is the name of two fictional Marvel Comics supervillains and one hero.-Joseph Manfredi:Joseph Manfredi was born in Orlando, Florida, and is the son of the crime lord Silvermane. When he debuted, he was a costumed animal trainer for the Ringmaster's Circus of Crime...
. Alongside Blackwing, he searched Skullhouse and first battled Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
. With Blackwing, he was then admitted as a provisional member of the loosely-knit band of Red Skull
Red Skull
The Red Skull is a name shared by several fictional characters, all supervillains from the Marvel Comics universe. All incarnations of the character are enemies of Captain America, other superheroes, and the United States in general....
operatives called the Skeleton Crew
Skeleton Crew (comics)
The Skeleton Crew is a fictional organization in the Marvel Universe.-Fictional team history:The Skeleton Crew was an organization built by the Red Skull from his operatives. The original lineup was headed by Crossbones, and consisted of Mother Night , Machinesmith, the Voice, and the fourth Sleeper...
.
Soon after that, Jack O'Lantern fought Crossbones
Crossbones (comics)
Crossbones is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by writer Mark Gruenwald and artist Kieron Dwyer in Captain America #359-360 . Crossbones usually appears as a henchman of the Red Skull...
and Diamondback
Diamondback (comics)
Diamondback is the name of four fictional characters appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:Diamondback first appeared in Captain America #310 , written by Mark Gruenwald and illustrated by Paul Neary.-Willis Stryker:The first Diamondback was a foe of Luke Cage...
, and captured Diamondback. Diamondback tried to escape, and Jack O'Lantern fought her in mid-air. He was ultimately defeated in combat by the Falcon
Falcon (comics)
The Falcon is a fictional comic book superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics.Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Gene Colan, and introduced in Captain America #117 , the character is mainstream comics' first African-American superhero...
, and taken to the Vault
Vault (comics)
The Vault is the widely used nickname of a fictional defunct prison facility for technological-based superhuman criminals in Marvel Comics' Marvel Universe. The prison's full official name is the United States Maximum Security Installation for the Incarceration of Superhuman Criminals.It first...
.
He also worked as an enforcer of the gangster the Golem
Golem (comics)
In the Marvel Universe, there have been a number of fictional characters known as Golem. These include:-Monster:-Publication history:The Golem first appeared in Strange Tales vol...
and in this capacity, fought the villain the Hood
Hood (comics)
The Hood is a fictional character, a supervillain, and a crime boss in the . Created by writer Brian K. Vaughan and artists Kyle Hotz and Eric Powell, the character first appeared in The Hood #1 .-Publication history:...
when he interfered in Golem's machinations.
The Levins Jack O'Lantern later fought Union Jack
Union Jack (Joseph Chapman)
Union Jack is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe and the third person to take on the role of Union Jack...
alongside Shockwave
Shockwave (comics)
Shockwave is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe whose first appearance was in Master of Kung Fu vol. 1 #42.-Fictional character biography:...
and Jackhammer
Jackhammer (comics)
Jackhammer is a fictional character from the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:Jackhammer was first mentioned as a HYDRA leader in Daredevil #121; he first appeared in Daredevil #123 and was created by Tony Isabella and Bob Brown.The character subsequently appears in Captain America...
to attack the Thames Tunnel.
Following his defeat, Levins was recruited to serve as part of the Thunderbolts
Thunderbolts (comics)
The Thunderbolts are a Marvel Comics superhero team, which consists mostly of former supervillains. The group first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #449 , and was created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley.-Publication history:...
hero-hunting squad during the Civil War storyline. While pursuing Spider-Man' through Manhattan sewers alongside the Jester
Jester (Marvel Comics)
Jester is the name of several Marvel Comics supervillains.-Jonathan Powers:Jonathan Powers was the first of several costumed criminals to use the identity of the Jester. He was primarily an enemy of Daredevil.-Fictional character biography:...
in Civil War #5, Levins was killed by the Punisher
Punisher
The Punisher is a fictional character, an anti-hero appearing in comic books based in the . Created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita, Sr., and Ross Andru, the character made its first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 .The Punisher is a vigilante who employs murder,...
, who shot Levins in the head killing him instantly. However, death would not be the end of Levins's story. His headless corpse was reanimated in Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider (comics)
Ghost Rider is the name of several fictional supernatural antiheroes appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Night Rider and subsequently to Phantom Rider.The first supernatural Ghost Rider is...
vol. 5, #8, having been possessed by a fragment of Lucifer
Lucifer
Traditionally, Lucifer is a name that in English generally refers to the devil or Satan before being cast from Heaven, although this is not the original meaning of the term. In Latin, from which the English word is derived, Lucifer means "light-bearer"...
's soul, and now exhibits the ability to detach, levitate, and explode his head (now replaced with a real life pumpkin), among other powers. However, the Ghost Rider is able to exorcise
Exorcism
Exorcism is the religious practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed...
him by ripping his heart from his chest, setting it aflame, and putting it back in his chest causing it to explode inside.
The character was returned to the afterlife, where he was among the dead characters seen in Erebus by Hercules.
Mad Jack
Former Mysterio Daniel Berkhart was approached by Norman Osborn, who provided him a version of the Jack O'Lantern costume, under the alias "Mad Jack". Under Osborn's orders, Berkhart kidnapped John Jameson and exposed him to mind altering chemicals that turned him into a mind controlled pawn, turning him into his super-powered wolf alter-ego persona "Man-Wolf". Jameson was then sent to attack his father J. Jonah Jameson, to terrorize him and cow him into being subservient towards Osborn's scheme to buy the Daily Bugle. During this time, he also stalked Jameson's wife, Marla, implying that the two had a past relationship that Berkhart sought to rekindle.Berkhart's working relationship with Osborn ended when the Green Goblin participated in a magical ritual that rendered him completely insane. Berkhart was then approached by Maguire Beck, the female cousin of Quentin Beck, the original Mysterio. Maguire convinced Berkhart to re-assume the identity of Mysterio following her cousin Quentin's suicide and the "Mad Jack" costumed identity was retired. However, when the two sought to eliminate Spider-Man, Daredevil, J. Jonah Jameson, and several other mutual enemies, the two revived the "Mad Jack" persona, with Maguire using holograms and lifelike robotic versions of Mad Jack and Berkhart himself, to serve as proxies for herself while she laid in secret. In the end, Maguire was caught and exposed, though due to her usage of Berkhart androids, Daredevil and Spider-Man were left unsure as to whether or not Berkhart was truly involved. However Berkhart did ultimately escape with a Mysterio costume, in the confusion at the end.
In the miniseries Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do, Francis Klum (who would later become Mysterio
Mysterio
Mysterio is the name of three fictional characters, all of which are supervillains and enemies of Spider-Man in the . The original Mysterio was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appears in Amazing Spider-Man #13, although it was later retconned that the aliens seen in Amazing...
) purchased Mysterio's weapons and gimmick in order to become yet another new Mysterio. The seller, the Kingpin
Kingpin (comics)
The Kingpin is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . Kingpin is one of the most feared and powerful crime lords in the Marvel Universe. The character is a major adversary of Daredevil, the Punisher, and Spider-Man...
, said he had acquired the arsenal "from Jack-O-Lantern".
Levins's brother
An unnamed man who claimed to be Steve Levins's brother has since been caught by the police. This man was shown to be able to transform into a Jack O'Lantern-headed villain using the powers of a mystical demon. The police interrogated the man, but he was later released by Norman Osborn who wanted this Jack O'Lantern in his army.After Osborn's fall, he is revealed as a hired mercenary, working for Crime Master. One of his jobs brings him into conflict with the government operative Venom
Flash Thompson
Eugene "Flash" Thompson is a supporting character in Marvel Comics’s Spider-Man series. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15 ....
. During this conflict Flash threw a live grenade into his mouthpiece and it dislocated his jaw. Even after the explosion he was still able to run and retreat. Later, Crime Master is able to use contacts to discover Venom's true identity, and has Jack O'Lantern kidnap Flash's girlfriend, Betty Brandt, in exchange for Venom letting Crime Master get his shipment of Antarctic Vibranium. When Venom leaves to rescue Betty, he is distracted by Spider-Man's appearance, which drives the symbiote into an uncontrollable rage. Eventually Betty is rescued at the last second by Spider-Man, with Venom then trying to recapture Crime Master. However, Venom is attacked by Jack O'Lantern, who proclaims Flash as his first real arch-nemesis, and desiring revenge for the disfiguring grenade explosion, also mockingly calling Flash by his first name, "Eugene".
Powers and abilities
Levins modeled his costume and equipment after those created by Jason Philip Macendale, Jr.—the first Jack O'Lantern. Levins wore a complete body armor made of metal-mesh covered in multi-segmented Kevlar panels, incorporating a rigid, articulated shell which can resist a 7-pound bazooka anti-tank warhead. He wore a bulletproof helmet with an internal three hour, compressed air supply. The helmet is equipped with a telescopic infrared image-intensifier for seeing in the dark and 360 degree scanning device for seeing all around himself. The base of the helmet is equipped with a fine network of pinholes which maintain a low temperature, low density flame ("stage-fire") that rings the helmet at all times. The air supply cools the helmet's interior. The helmet is padded to protect his head from injury.Levins is armed with wrist-blasters which can deliver an electrical shock within a range of 35 feet (10.7 m). He also used various types of grenades, including anesthetic, lachrymatory (tear gas), hallucinogenic, and regurgitant gas grenades, smoke grenades, and concussion grenades. The grenades are shaped like spheres or pumpkins. He can fire small grenades from wrist devices. He can also release "ghost-grabbers," which are thick, semi-transparent films which adhere to a victim.
Levins rides atop a one-man hovercraft with an electric motor powered by a high density lithium rechargeable battery.
Berkhart used the same weapons as the previous incarnations of Jack O'Lantern, along with chemical weapons that cause psychedelic and mind-bending hallucinations. His accomplice Maguire was an expert designer of special effects devices and stage illusions, a master hypnotist, and skilled in chemistry and robotics, including a life-like robotic black cat. She has used her advanced knowledge of computer imaging and virtual reality to improve upon Mysterio's techniques, allowing for her to pretend to be Mad Jack via proxies while safely hidden in her secret lair.
Video games
- Jack O'Lantern appeared in the Spider-Man: The Animated SeriesSpider-Man (1994 TV series)Spider-Man, also known as Spider-Man: The Animated Series, is an American animated series starring the Marvel Comics superhero, Spider-Man. The show ran on Fox Kids from November 19, 1994, to January 31, 1998. The producer/story editor was John Semper, Jr. and production company was Marvel Films...
video games as a mini-boss in The Ravencroft Prison for the Insane level in the SNESSuper Nintendo Entertainment SystemThe Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
/Sega Genesis version. - Jack O'Lantern appears in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2. He appears in the background of in-game videos as one of the supervillains controlled by the S.H.I.E.L.D. Control Nanites. He also is detailed in unlockable art, but does not appear in the game.
External links
- Jack O'Lantern (Levins) at Marvel.com
- Jack O'Lantern (Maguire Beck) at Marvel.com
- Grand Comics Database
- Profile of Jack O'Lantern (Macendale) at Spiderfan.org
- Profile of Jack O'Lantern (Levins) at Spiderfan.org
- Profile of Jack O'Lantern (Berkhart) at Spiderfan.org
- Profile of Jack O'Lantern (Beck) at Spiderfan.org