Watch Your Back, Michael Phelps

Can YOU

Name This Marvel Villain??

Our mystery villain never did really amount to much, though it wasn't for lack of trying. And in spite of not making great strides in villainy, Dr. Dorcas is as villainous as they come, and has turned up in the company of some considerable Marvel heavyweights. Originally sought out by former Olympic swimmer Todd Arliss to restore his swimming prowess after a back injury derailed a lucrative opportunity to perform in exhibitions, Dorcas has more grand plans for Arliss--especially after the Sub-Mariner falls into their clutches.

Yes, you've probably noticed that Arliss's sister, Diane, is the same Diane Arliss who would later become involved with Dr. Walter Newell, the Stingray, as well as become a close friend of Namor. For now, though, she's too deeply involved in her brother's situation to easily extricate herself--and we soon see the results of Dorcas's treatments, when the deadly Tiger Shark is born!

"...to restore my swimming powers..." Dude, you have powers now--but before that, you only had goggles.  You swam laps back and forth in a 50-meter pool, like any other swimmer. Big difference, buddy.

Tiger Shark was eventually foiled by Namor, though he went on to make a ton of appearances since--so perhaps in a roundabout way, Dorcas came through for him.  At least that's how Dorcas would probably look at it.

As for Dorcas, he mostly allied himself with others in order to continue his schemes and experiments. First, he lays a trap for Namor by teaming up with Diane, of all people, along with Gregson Gilbert, the creator of Dragon Man, and using Dorma as a hostage--all to make an exchange for Tiger Shark at Diane's insistence, though his whereabouts are unknown. Namor nevertheless prevails against Dragon Man, and makes a bargain with Diane to track down Tiger Shark if she'll wash her hands of Dorcas.

Later, Dorcas forms an alliance with the former Atlantean warlord, Krang, and ends up creating the powerful Orka, the so-called Human Killer Whale.

With Namor chained and helpless, the villains gather a herd of killer whales and attack Atlantis, only to be foiled by (again, of all people) Tiger Shark, as well as a now-unchained Namor.

And at a later date, Dorcas again joined Krang, this time hooking up with Namor's long-time nemesis, Byrrah, in a scheme to wrest the throne of Atlantis from Namor through deception, which failed when Namor realized Dorcas's involvement.

Dorcas's star peaks when he joins with Attuma and Tiger Shark to invade Hydrobase and lure Namor into a trap, a scheme that unfortunately draws the attention and intervention of Dr. Doom.

During the resulting battle, Dorcas fatally shoots Namor's long-time friend, Betty Dean Prentiss, earning Namor's wrath--and Namor sees to that debt of blood by using Tiger Shark to bring about his creator's death.

Incredibly, Dorcas survives, to later turn up in an issue of The Thunderbolts where he captures and performs neuro-surgery on Songbird in order to restore her full abilities and use her to attack Namor. Let's just say that, after being crushed by an Octo-Mek, Dorcas has been forced to adapt to a rather hideous appearance.

Dorcas, however, has seen to his own defeat, since Songbird uses her restored powers to deal with him. Whether or not she did so fatally is uncertain--but if not, we apparently shouldn't be so hasty in counting out Dr. Dorcas, whose villainy is as close as the nearest laboratory.