Profiles in Supervillainy: Mahkizmo

What is simply a superhero without a supervillain? Not much. Some supervillains, however, are worthy a batch much than others. I person truthful decided to spotlight immoderate lesser-known villains. Are they underrated gems oregon irredeemable losers who merit to beryllium forgotten? You decide! Today’s subject: Mahkizmo!

Imagine the future. Actually, ideate aggregate futures, arsenic determination are millions, if not billions, of imaginable futures floating astir retired there. In 1 of them, determination is Femizonia, a satellite ruled by women who subjugate men. In another, determination is Machus, a satellite ruled by men who subjugate women. They some suck a lot.

Somehow, these opposing futures are dilatory coming together, and lone 1 volition past the impending merger. So some worlds nonstop 1 representive backmost into the 20th period to effort to steer events successful a mode that volition let their ain civilization (with either men oregon women reigning supreme) to travel to pass. The women nonstop Thundra; the men nonstop Mahkizmo, the Nuclear Man.

Mahkizmo comes each the mode from the satellite Machus, wherever helium rules, to bushed the stuffing retired of the Fantastic Four and resistance Thundra backmost to the aboriginal with him. The FF spell to Machus to rescue her, wherever they observe Mahkizmo uses a “domina-ray” to sap his enemies’ willpower. He besides has the powerfulness to propulsion virtually explosive punches, hence the moniker “nuclear man.” Nothing to bash with Superman IV, convey goodness.

The Fantastic Four, with a large assistance from Thundra, decision Mahkizmo by slugging him conscionable arsenic he’s astir to spell atomic again. The resulting detonation someway provides the vigor indispensable for Machus to merge with Femizonia without destroying either planet. It besides magically fixes each the planets’ problems by making men and women equals. That’s rather a punch.

Determined to extremity sex equality erstwhile and for all, Mahkizmo resolves to usage a super-aging instrumentality to execution each 20th period female. This seems similar it would enactment the kibosh connected Mahkizmo’s full future, a information you’d deliberation the idiosyncratic who invented the weaponry — if not Mahkizmo himself — would beryllium astute capable to recognize.

But there’s a caller wrinkle! There are immoderate Greek gods moving astir making bets astir who they tin marque autumn successful emotion with whom, and Eros shoots Mahkizmo with the proverbial Cupid’s arrow truthful helium starts crushing connected She-Hulk. Don’t worry, Shulkie instantly starts yelling astatine the writer to fto him cognize what she thinks of each that.

I similar that he’s ever drawn with 1 oculus opened wider than the different successful a cheeky callback to the creation successful his archetypal appearance.

Mahkizmo drags She-Hulk backmost to the aboriginal to wed him, and she plays on agelong capable to larn everything I conscionable explained. After a full batch of shenanigans, the Thing and She-Hulk’s fellow travel to her rescue, not that she needs overmuch rescuing. The communicative ends with Eros coming to instrumentality his arrow backmost and Shulkie explaining that small flaw I pointed retired successful Mahkizmo’s villainous plan.

She-Hulk is precisely the close idiosyncratic to springiness what is astir apt the archetypal lawsuit of “the talk” successful a Marvel comic.

He did, evidently, instrumentality She-Hulk’s small speech to heart. Now that helium knows wherever babies travel from, he’s gone afloat Gaston and wants to find a pistillate beardown capable to carnivore him tons of strapping boys similar him. He picks Captain Marvel, who has been done this nonsense earlier and refuses to cooperate.

Nuclear Man traps Cap and a clump of different women successful a dystopia realm, wherever they set unneurotic and combat back. This is simply a batch harder to bash than it mightiness person been previously: helium has intelligibly grown craftier and much intelligent since his past appearance. He adjacent did probe connected Cap to find the champion mode to “break” her. (It doesn’t work, but still, the effort was there.)

This storyline besides introduces america to Nuclear Man’s grown son, Som. That’s an acronym for Son of Mahkizmo, which is 1 measurement supra naming the kid Testosterone oregon Manly McMannington. Unsurprisingly, Som throws his batch successful with the women to assistance halt his father’s schemes.

We larn thing of Som’s parent oregon what benignant of household beingness they had. That would astir apt marque for excessively depressing oregon horrifying of a story, anyway.

In different words, erstwhile they picture 1 satellite successful which women are wholly subjugated by misogynists, they indispensable antagonistic it with a satellite wherever men are wholly subjugated by misandrists. (Their evident disdain for women’s lib besides contributed to this decision, I’m sure.) This blunts the afloat villainy of Mahkizmo’s actions and distracts from the precise existent information posed by the existent men who deliberation similar him. (While determination are surely women who hatred and privation to harm men, they aren’t the ones successful powerfulness passing anti-man laws, systemically trapping men successful abusive relationships, oregon harassing men online for nonsense reasons successful ample numbers.)

Now, of course, things are a batch different. As we saw successful Captain Marvel, Mahkizmo is evil successful a overmuch much grounded and scary way. I’m a small conflicted connected that — I did bask the screaming looney tune mentation of the quality — but successful galore ways, this makes him the cleanable villain for the post-#MeToo era. And since helium escaped astatine the extremity of Captain Marvel #5 alternatively than getting killed oregon captured, I wouldn’t beryllium amazed if Marvel brought him backmost to service that intent again successful the future.

Want to conscionable much overlooked villains? Check retired my profiles connected King Tut, the Matador, Peek-a-Boo, Man-Killer, Mad Mod, Big Wheel, KGBeast, the Living Monolith, and Egg Fu!