Lamprey (comics)
Encyclopedia
Lamprey is a fictional character
from Marvel Comics
' original Squadron Supreme
series. He was initially created as a pastiche
of the DC Comics
supervillain
, the Parasite
.
on the Squadron's alternate Earth. He had the power to drain energy from other living beings and duplicate their superhuman powers.
With the Institute of Evil, Lamprey held the Golden Archer
captive, and kidnapped the relatives of the Squadron Supreme
members. The Institute battled the Squadron Supreme, and were defeated.
Lamprey was one of the Institute members captured by the Squadron and subjected to the Behavior Modification process invented by Squadron member Tom Thumb
, altering his personality. He then joined the Squadron and aided them in their efforts to conquer the world in order to turn it into a utopia
.
Lamprey accompanied Tom Thumb to the 41st Century looking for a cancer cure.
Squadron member Nighthawk objected to the extreme methods the Squadron was using to achieve its goals, and left the group. New Squadron recruit (and double agent for Nighthawk) Haywire
tricked Lamprey into undergoing Behavior Modification brainwashing along with several of the former Institute of Evil criminals, using a device created by Master Menace
. Nighthawk used them to form his own group, the America Redeemers
, who fought back against the Squadron's "benevolent" tyranny.
The Redeemers eventually found themselves in an all-out battle against the remaining Squadron members at Squadron City. During this battle, Lamprey tried to absorb the power of Doctor Spectrum
, who was able to overload Lamprey's energy absorbing capacity. Lamprey exploded when he tried to absorb all of the energy of Doctor Spectrum's power prism.
Lamprey had extensive experience at street-fighting.
: Hyperion limited series
, which shows the events of a possible future.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from 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...
' original Squadron Supreme
Squadron Supreme
The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Squadron Supreme first appeared in Avengers #85 - 86 The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Squadron Supreme first...
series. He was initially created as a pastiche
Pastiche
A pastiche is a literary or other artistic genre or technique that is a "hodge-podge" or imitation. The word is also a linguistic term used to describe an early stage in the development of a pidgin language.-Hodge-podge:...
of the DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
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...
, the Parasite
Parasite (comics)
The Parasite is the name of several fictional characters that appears in Superman comic book stories published by DC Comics. A supervillain, Parasite has the ability to temporarily absorb the energy, knowledge and super-powers of another being by touch, making him a formidable foe for the Man of...
.
Fictional character biography
Donald McGuiggin, alias the Lamprey, was a professional criminal and member of the criminal group called the Institute of EvilInstitute of Evil
The Institute of Evil is a fictional organization, owned by Marvel Comics.-Fictional team history:The Institute of Evil existed in the Earth-712 universe and served as the Squadron Supreme’s arch-foes...
on the Squadron's alternate Earth. He had the power to drain energy from other living beings and duplicate their superhuman powers.
With the Institute of Evil, Lamprey held the Golden Archer
Golden Archer
Golden Archer is a fictional superhero that has appeared in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics. A member of the Squadron Supreme, the character exists in the universe of that team, an alternate universe to Marvel's main shared universe, the Marvel Universe.Although he was a...
captive, and kidnapped the relatives of the Squadron Supreme
Squadron Supreme
The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Squadron Supreme first appeared in Avengers #85 - 86 The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Squadron Supreme first...
members. The Institute battled the Squadron Supreme, and were defeated.
Lamprey was one of the Institute members captured by the Squadron and subjected to the Behavior Modification process invented by Squadron member Tom Thumb
Tom Thumb (comics)
Tom Thumb is the name of two fictional characters who are owned by Marvel Comics and appear in the comic books published by that company...
, altering his personality. He then joined the Squadron and aided them in their efforts to conquer the world in order to turn it into a utopia
Utopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
.
Lamprey accompanied Tom Thumb to the 41st Century looking for a cancer cure.
Squadron member Nighthawk objected to the extreme methods the Squadron was using to achieve its goals, and left the group. New Squadron recruit (and double agent for Nighthawk) Haywire
Haywire (comics)
Haywire was a minor character from the original Squadron Supreme series from Marvel Comics. Unlike many of the characters from that continuity, he did not have a DC Comics counterpart, but was an original creation.-Fictional character biography:...
tricked Lamprey into undergoing Behavior Modification brainwashing along with several of the former Institute of Evil criminals, using a device created by Master Menace
Master Menace
Dr. Emil Burbank, also known as Master Menace, is a fictional Marvel Comics character. Two different versions of the character appear in two separate continuities, Squadron Supreme and Supreme Power.-Squadron Supreme:...
. Nighthawk used them to form his own group, the America Redeemers
America Redeemers
The America Redeemers, or Redeemers, as the team is more commonly known, is a fictional organization in the Marvel Universe. The Redeemers existed in the Earth-712 universe, the same place from which the Squadron Supreme originated...
, who fought back against the Squadron's "benevolent" tyranny.
The Redeemers eventually found themselves in an all-out battle against the remaining Squadron members at Squadron City. During this battle, Lamprey tried to absorb the power of Doctor Spectrum
Doctor Spectrum
Doctor Spectrum is the name of several fictional characters that appear in publications published by Marvel Comics. There have been five versions of the character to date - three supervillains from the mainstream Marvel Universe belonging to the team Squadron Sinister and two heroes from different...
, who was able to overload Lamprey's energy absorbing capacity. Lamprey exploded when he tried to absorb all of the energy of Doctor Spectrum's power prism.
Powers and abilities
Lamprey possessed the power to absorb energy from other superhuman beings, and converted said energy to enhance his physical strength and other physical attributes (speed, stamina, durability, and reflexes) potentially to superhuman levels, as well as enabling him to fly. Un-augmented by outside energy, his attributes were peak human and he could not fly. Lamprey leeched energy by physical contact with another being. Every second of contact with another superhuman being imbued him with approximately one hour's worth of augmented powers. Approximately 48 hours worth of energy was the ceiling beyond which he could not absorb further energy without risking grievous bodily injury.Lamprey had extensive experience at street-fighting.
Other versions
A female Lamprey is seen in the Supreme PowerSupreme Power
The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in publications under the mature-audience MAX imprint by Marvel Comics. The team first appears in Supreme Power #1 and was created by writer J...
: Hyperion limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
, which shows the events of a possible future.