Master Man (Marvel Comics)
Encyclopedia
Master Man is the name of three fictional characters that appear in comic book
s published by Marvel Comics
. The original Master Man (Wilhelm Lohmer) first appears in the title Giant-Size Invaders
#1 (June 1975) and was created by Roy Thomas
and Frank Robbins
. The second version (Axl Nacht), first appears in Namor the Sub-Mariner
#11 (Feb. 1991) and was created by John Byrne, and a third version ("Max Lohmer") debuts in "Captain America
" #18 (July, 2006) by Ed Brubaker
and Steve Epting.
. Portrayed as a physically frail American Bundist and Nazi sympathiser, Lohmer agrees to participate in an experiment in which he is subjected to the Nazi version of the Super-Soldier Serum
. Endowed with physical abilities that exceed those of Captain America
, the character is given a costume and the alias Master Man, with Lohmer to be the first of a new Aryan
"master race". As Master Man, Lohmer battles the Allied
superheroes the Invaders, but is defeated when his new abilities prove to be temporary.
The character reappears in a two part story in the title Marvel Two-In-One
, and with Nazi allies Brain Drain
, U-Man
and Skyshark plans to sabotage
New York City
with a new super weapon. The plan, however, is foiled by time travel
ling Fantastic Four
member the Thing
and the Liberty Legion
.
A revitalised Master Man, now possessing even greater abilities, reappears in the title Invaders and ambush
es the superteam while they are flying over Europe
. During the course of a multi-issue storyline involving the Invaders' incarceration and eventual escape from a prison in the German city of Berlin
, Master Man meets Julia Koenig, who courtesy of an accident gains abilities similar to his own and becomes the Nazi heroine Warrior Woman
. At the insistence of Adolf Hitler
, leader of the Third Reich, the two are to be married, his logic being that they are the progenitors of a new race. The ceremony, however, is interrupted when the priest is killed by rubble from a building damaged during a battle between the Invaders and German
troops. Master Man and Warrior Woman retreat when confronted by the Human Torch, who becomes enraged when his ward Toro
is wounded by gunfire.
Master Man continues to be a perennial foe for the Invaders, battling the team while disguised as the hero the Destroyer and as part of a team formed by the Japanese
spy
Lady Lotus
, the Super-Axis
.
It is revealed in flashback
in the title Namor the Sub-Mariner
that near the end of World War II, Nazi Baron Strucker
placed Master Man and Warrior Woman in suspended animation
in a hidden laboratory, thereby "preserving" the Nazi dream for use at a later time. Master Man is revived by scientist Axl Nacht, and at Nacht's direction, the character abducts the original Human Torch and Ann Raymond (Toro
's widow
) - their blood
being necessary to help revive Warrior Woman, who had suffered brain damage
. Nacht betrays Master Man when it is revealed that his father first cared for the two superbeings while in suspended animation, and unknowingly instilled in the younger Nacht an obsession with Warrior Woman. When Namor the Sub-Mariner, former founding member of the Invaders, finds the laboratory, he battles Master Man, until the Nazi loses his abilities and reverts back to Wilhelm Lohmer. Nacht steals Master Man's abilities for himself, and has apparently also won the affections of the revived but unstable Warrior Woman. Namor rescues the prisoners as Lohmer destroys the laboratory, although no bodies are found in the wreckage.
Lohmer reappears in the title Cable
, now an old man living in Switzerland
and wishing to make amends for his past actions. The character dies when shielding Cable from a bullet
fired by a member of the organization the Hellfire Club
.
The nephew of Lohmer, Max Lohmer, appears in the fifth volume of Captain America. Lohmer leads a gang of Neo-Nazis called the Master Men, who are empowered with a weaker version of the Super-Soldier Serum by arch villain the Red Skull
. The gang embark on a rampage in London
until defeated by Captain America and heroes Union Jack
and Spitfire
.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s published by 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...
. The original Master Man (Wilhelm Lohmer) first appears in the title Giant-Size Invaders
Invaders (comics)
The Invaders is the name of two fictional superhero teams in the . The original team was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Sal Buscema in The Avengers #71 . A present-day incarnation was introduced by writer Chuck Austen and artist Scott Kolins in The Avengers vol...
#1 (June 1975) and was created by Roy Thomas
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...
and Frank Robbins
Frank Robbins
Franklin "Frank" Robbins was a notable American comic book and comic strip artist and writer, as well as a prominent painter whose work appeared in museums including the Whitney Museum of American Art, where one of his paintings was featured in the 1955 Whitney Annual Exhibition of American...
. The second version (Axl Nacht), first appears in Namor the Sub-Mariner
Namor the Sub-Mariner
Namor the Sub-Mariner is a fictional comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe, and one of the first superheroes, debuting in Spring 1939. The character was created by writer-artist Bill Everett for Funnies Inc., one of the first "packagers" in the early days of comic books that supplied...
#11 (Feb. 1991) and was created by John Byrne, and a third version ("Max Lohmer") debuts in "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...
" #18 (July, 2006) by Ed Brubaker
Ed Brubaker
Ed Brubaker is an Eisner Award-winning comic book writer and cartoonist. Brubaker first early comics work was primarily in the crime fiction genre with works such as Lowlife, The Fall, Sandman Presents: Dead Boy Detectives and Scene of the Crime...
and Steve Epting.
Publication history
Wilhelm "Willie" Lohmer first appears in the title Giant-Size InvadersInvaders (comics)
The Invaders is the name of two fictional superhero teams in the . The original team was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Sal Buscema in The Avengers #71 . A present-day incarnation was introduced by writer Chuck Austen and artist Scott Kolins in The Avengers vol...
. Portrayed as a physically frail American Bundist and Nazi sympathiser, Lohmer agrees to participate in an experiment in which he is subjected to the Nazi version of the Super-Soldier Serum
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...
. Endowed with physical abilities that exceed those of 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...
, the character is given a costume and the alias Master Man, with Lohmer to be the first of a new Aryan
Aryan
Aryan is an English language loanword derived from Sanskrit ārya and denoting variously*In scholarly usage:**Indo-Iranian languages *in dated usage:**the Indo-European languages more generally and their speakers...
"master race". As Master Man, Lohmer battles the Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
superheroes the Invaders, but is defeated when his new abilities prove to be temporary.
The character reappears in a two part story in the title Marvel Two-In-One
Marvel Two-in-One
Marvel Two-In-One was an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics that featured the Fantastic Four member, the Thing, in a different team-up each issue with a different character. The series continued from the team-up stories starring the Thing in the final two issues of Marvel...
, and with Nazi allies Brain Drain
Brain Drain (comics)
Brain Drain is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Invaders #2 Brain Drain is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Invaders #2 Brain Drain is a fictional...
, U-Man
U-Man
U-Man is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Invaders #3 and was created by Roy Thomas and Frank Robbins.-Publication history:...
and Skyshark plans to sabotage
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with a new super weapon. The plan, however, is foiled by time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
ling Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
member the Thing
Thing (comics)
The Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...
and the Liberty Legion
Liberty Legion
The Liberty Legion is a fictional superhero team in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team was first created in 1976 and set during World War II...
.
A revitalised Master Man, now possessing even greater abilities, reappears in the title Invaders and ambush
Ambush
An ambush is a long-established military tactic, in which the aggressors take advantage of concealment and the element of surprise to attack an unsuspecting enemy from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind hilltops...
es the superteam while they are flying over Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. During the course of a multi-issue storyline involving the Invaders' incarceration and eventual escape from a prison in the German city of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Master Man meets Julia Koenig, who courtesy of an accident gains abilities similar to his own and becomes the Nazi heroine Warrior Woman
Warrior Woman
Warrior Woman is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Invaders #16 and was created by Roy Thomas and Frank Robbins.-Fictional character biography:...
. At the insistence of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
, leader of the Third Reich, the two are to be married, his logic being that they are the progenitors of a new race. The ceremony, however, is interrupted when the priest is killed by rubble from a building damaged during a battle between the Invaders and German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
troops. Master Man and Warrior Woman retreat when confronted by the Human Torch, who becomes enraged when his ward Toro
Toro (comics)
Toro is the name of two characters from Marvel Comics. The first Toro was originally featured in Timely Comics and later as a Marvel Comics superhero who appeared as the partner of the original Human Torch.-Publication history:...
is wounded by gunfire.
Master Man continues to be a perennial foe for the Invaders, battling the team while disguised as the hero the Destroyer and as part of a team formed by the Japanese
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
spy
SPY
SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
Lady Lotus
Lady Lotus
Lady Lotus is a fictional character from Marvel Comics. She first appeared in Invaders #37 .-Fictional character biography:...
, the Super-Axis
Super-Axis
The Super-Axis is a group of fictional characters and supervillains that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters first appear in Invaders #40 and were created by Roy Thomas and Alan Kupperberg.-Fictional team history:...
.
It is revealed in flashback
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
in the title Namor the Sub-Mariner
Namor the Sub-Mariner
Namor the Sub-Mariner is a fictional comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe, and one of the first superheroes, debuting in Spring 1939. The character was created by writer-artist Bill Everett for Funnies Inc., one of the first "packagers" in the early days of comic books that supplied...
that near the end of World War II, Nazi Baron Strucker
Baron Strucker
Baron Wolfgang von Strucker is a fictional character created for Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #5...
placed Master Man and Warrior Woman in suspended animation
Suspended animation
Suspended animation is the slowing of life processes by external means without termination. Breathing, heartbeat, and other involuntary functions may still occur, but they can only be detected by artificial means. Extreme cold can be used to precipitate the slowing of an individual's functions; use...
in a hidden laboratory, thereby "preserving" the Nazi dream for use at a later time. Master Man is revived by scientist Axl Nacht, and at Nacht's direction, the character abducts the original Human Torch and Ann Raymond (Toro
Toro (comics)
Toro is the name of two characters from Marvel Comics. The first Toro was originally featured in Timely Comics and later as a Marvel Comics superhero who appeared as the partner of the original Human Torch.-Publication history:...
's widow
Widow
A widow is a woman whose spouse has died, while a widower is a man whose spouse has died. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood or occasionally viduity. The adjective form is widowed...
) - their blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
being necessary to help revive Warrior Woman, who had suffered brain damage
Brain damage
"Brain damage" or "brain injury" is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors...
. Nacht betrays Master Man when it is revealed that his father first cared for the two superbeings while in suspended animation, and unknowingly instilled in the younger Nacht an obsession with Warrior Woman. When Namor the Sub-Mariner, former founding member of the Invaders, finds the laboratory, he battles Master Man, until the Nazi loses his abilities and reverts back to Wilhelm Lohmer. Nacht steals Master Man's abilities for himself, and has apparently also won the affections of the revived but unstable Warrior Woman. Namor rescues the prisoners as Lohmer destroys the laboratory, although no bodies are found in the wreckage.
Lohmer reappears in the title Cable
Cable (comics)
Cable is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared as an infant in Uncanny X-Men #201...
, now an old man living in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and wishing to make amends for his past actions. The character dies when shielding Cable from a bullet
Bullet
A bullet is a projectile propelled by a firearm, sling, or air gun. Bullets do not normally contain explosives, but damage the intended target by impact and penetration...
fired by a member of the organization the Hellfire Club
Hellfire Club (comics)
The Hellfire Club is a fictional society within the Marvel Comics Universe that often comes into confrontation with the mutant superhero team, the X-Men...
.
The nephew of Lohmer, Max Lohmer, appears in the fifth volume of Captain America. Lohmer leads a gang of Neo-Nazis called the Master Men, who are empowered with a weaker version of the Super-Soldier Serum by arch villain the 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....
. The gang embark on a rampage in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
until defeated by Captain America and heroes 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...
and Spitfire
Spitfire (comics)
Spitfire is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe and was introduced as a member of the World War II era Invaders superhero team.-Fictional character biography:...
.