Nefarius
Encyclopedia
Nefarius previously known as Moonstone, is a fictional character
, a supervillain
in the Marvel Comics
universe
. He first appeared in Captain America #169 (1974) and was created by Steve Englehart
, Mike Friedrich
and Sal Buscema
.
and its front organization, the Committee to Regain America's Principles (C.R.A.P.), set up by them to discredit Captain America
and take his place as America's "symbolic" hero. The Empire had previously damaged Cap's reputation by accusing him of vigilantism and framing him for the death of small-time criminal the Tumbler
. Moonstone was empowered by a stone found in the Moon's surface, hence his codename, and he posed as a new American costumed crime-fighter. During the Secret Empire's "attack" on the White House, he claimed that he could not defeat their plans, intending to discourage resistance from the public. Moonstone was subsequently exposed, and attacked and defeated by Captain America while the Falcon
, Cyclops
, and Marvel Girl
took out the rest of the Empire's soldiers. After the Secret Empire's defeat he was arrested. His alien gem was stolen from him by his psychiatrist, Dr. Karla Sofen
, who psychologically manipulated him to convince him that it was turning him into a monster and reject it, thereby losing his superhuman powers. Sofen took the gem and became the second Moonstone.
Bloch later resurfaced with ionic powers similar to those of Wonder Man
, bearing the new codename "Nefarius" and claiming to be the son of Count Nefaria
. He captured Sofen and planned to kill her in revenge. He battled Captain America and Quasar
. He was defeated by Sofen and sent to the Vault
. Bloch was apparently killed by Nefaria, when he drained the ionic energy from him.
As Nefarius, Bloch gained his superhuman powers through a mutagenic process originally devised by Dr. Kenneth Sturdy. He possessed superhuman strength, speed, stamina, durability, agility, and reflexes. Nefarius possesses superhuman leaping ability, enabling him to cover vast distances. He can also generate intense heat beams from his eyes without harm to himself.
Bloch is a formidable hand-to-hand combatant, and received extensive unarmed combat training from the second Secret Empire.
' sojourn on Counter-Earth
, Sofen encountered Bloch's counterpart who went by the codename Phantom Eagle. The alternate Bloch became obsessed with Moonstone and began experiencing psychotic episodes and was exposed as a serial killer
. Sofen proceeded to steal his equivalent stone too.
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...
, a 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...
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...
. He first appeared in Captain America #169 (1974) and was created by Steve Englehart
Steve Englehart
Steve Englehart is an American novelist. In his earlier career he was a comic book writer best known for his work at Marvel Comics and DC Comics, particularly in the 1970s...
, Mike Friedrich
Mike Friedrich
Mike Friedrich is an American comic book writer and publisher best known for his work at Marvel and DC Comics, and for publishing the anthology series Star*Reach, one of the first independent comics...
and Sal Buscema
Sal Buscema
Silvio "Sal" Buscema is an American comic book artist, primarily for Marvel Comics, where he enjoyed a ten-year run as artist of The Incredible Hulk...
.
Fictional character biography
As Moonstone, Lloyd Bloch was an agent of the second Secret EmpireSecret Empire
-Fictional organization history:This subversive organization has been headed by a number of different leaders, always known as “Number One,” with each iteration's goals following the desires of its current leader. The Secret Empire was originally founded by a scientist who felt like an anonymous...
and its front organization, the Committee to Regain America's Principles (C.R.A.P.), set up by them to discredit 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...
and take his place as America's "symbolic" hero. The Empire had previously damaged Cap's reputation by accusing him of vigilantism and framing him for the death of small-time criminal the Tumbler
Tumbler (comics)
Tumbler is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. He first appeared in Tales of Suspense #83 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Fictional character biography:...
. Moonstone was empowered by a stone found in the Moon's surface, hence his codename, and he posed as a new American costumed crime-fighter. During the Secret Empire's "attack" on the White House, he claimed that he could not defeat their plans, intending to discourage resistance from the public. Moonstone was subsequently exposed, and attacked and defeated by Captain America while 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...
, Cyclops
Cyclops (comics)
Cyclops is a fictional character, the leader of the X-Men superhero team in the . A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes...
, and Marvel Girl
Jean Grey
Jean Grey-Summers is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She has been known under the aliases Marvel Girl, Phoenix, and Dark Phoenix and is best known as one of five original members of the X-Men, for her relationship with Cyclops, and for her...
took out the rest of the Empire's soldiers. After the Secret Empire's defeat he was arrested. His alien gem was stolen from him by his psychiatrist, Dr. Karla Sofen
Moonstone (comics)
Moonstone is a fictional character, both a supervillain and superheroine in Marvel Comics' Marvel Universe.-Publication history:...
, who psychologically manipulated him to convince him that it was turning him into a monster and reject it, thereby losing his superhuman powers. Sofen took the gem and became the second Moonstone.
Bloch later resurfaced with ionic powers similar to those of Wonder Man
Wonder Man
Wonder Man is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in The Avengers #9 .-Publication history:Wonder Man debuted in the superhero-team title The Avengers #9 Wonder...
, bearing the new codename "Nefarius" and claiming to be the son of Count Nefaria
Count Nefaria
Count Nefaria is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Avengers #13 and was created by Stan Lee and Don Heck.- Fictional character biography :...
. He captured Sofen and planned to kill her in revenge. He battled Captain America and Quasar
Quasar (comics)
Quasar is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the . He is one of Marvel's cosmic heroes, a character whose adventures frequently take him into outer space or other dimensions...
. He was defeated by Sofen and sent 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...
. Bloch was apparently killed by Nefaria, when he drained the ionic energy from him.
Powers and abilities
As Moonstone, Bloch's superhuman powers were derived from an alien "moonstone," a rock taken from the Blue Area of the Moon and charged with unknown energy. He possessed superhuman strength, stamina, and reflexes. Bloch later suffered psychological instability as a result of the trauma of rejecting the "moonstone" from his body, which rendered him psychotic for a time.As Nefarius, Bloch gained his superhuman powers through a mutagenic process originally devised by Dr. Kenneth Sturdy. He possessed superhuman strength, speed, stamina, durability, agility, and reflexes. Nefarius possesses superhuman leaping ability, enabling him to cover vast distances. He can also generate intense heat beams from his eyes without harm to himself.
Bloch is a formidable hand-to-hand combatant, and received extensive unarmed combat training from the second Secret Empire.
Counter-Earth
During the ThunderboltsThunderbolts (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:...
' sojourn on Counter-Earth
Counter-Earth (comics)
In the fictional Marvel Universe, there have been three versions of the hypothetical planet known as Counter-Earth, each one a near-duplicate of Earth.-Publication history:...
, Sofen encountered Bloch's counterpart who went by the codename Phantom Eagle. The alternate Bloch became obsessed with Moonstone and began experiencing psychotic episodes and was exposed as a serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
. Sofen proceeded to steal his equivalent stone too.