Friday, July 20, 2018

Beware My Deadly '62 Plymouth!


Can YOU


Name This Marvel Villain??



Of all the potentially great villain names to fade into obscurity, it's almost a shame to see that of Madam Macabre be retired following its debut in 1965. You probably couldn't say the same for the character herself, though she had all the traits you'd expect in a villain who could go the distance--arrogance, ambition, a sense of superiority and entitlement, as well as a dismissive attitude toward those she considered little more than her lackeys (which was just about everyone). But her power really has too many constraints on it for her to be a player in the big leagues. (Though try telling her that.)



So basically, Madam Macabre can, in fact, shrink objects, but only if (a) they're inorganic, and (b) if they're objects made by her servant from a special plastic. That may qualify her for a sideshow act, but little else. In addition, if she wants those objects to be workable, her trusty servant is going to have to be an engineer who can fashion functional parts on a miniature scale--and as talented as our friend Gogo is, he's no Tony Stark.

Regardless, Madam Macabre has made it clear that she wants to pilfer Giant-Man's secret of changing the size of living objects, either with or without his consent. Let's see how that initial meeting works out, as well as get an idea of her origin.



Since it's the Mandarin who's opened the door for her ascent, that should give her enough cred to further her goals; but there's that pesky restriction to her power that won't allow her to shrink and enlarge just any nonliving object she chooses, which means she has to carry around a bag of "toys" to use in her schemes. (Clearly those old books of the Mandarin's were missing a few pages.)  Obviously Giant-Man isn't too concerned about her threat potential, and we probably shouldn't be, either; after all, if Gogo doesn't know how to build a working carburetor, all that car is going to do is sit there and be a conversation piece in Hank Pym's home.

But apparently Gogo's plastic can be incorporated into steel (maybe the guy has been hanging around Stark's labs, picking up trade tips)--so before you know it, Giant-Man is lured into a trap that can hold even him, if executed properly.



And if you've been keeping count of all the times the Wasp has been corked up in a container, here's one more for you:



But when the Wasp escapes her trap due to an oversight on Macabre's part, she pretty much saves the day for Giant-Man. It may be the end for Madam Macabre--but from the looks of these completely operational toys of hers, to say nothing of the circuitry the Wasp uncovers, we can assume that Gogo is on his way to a cushy position at Stark Enterprises.



Darn, Madam--if you'd actually pulled out a tank like you said, instead of a tractor, you might have come out on top here! You were this close.

Naturally, Madam Macabre has to close with a standard "just wait until next time" threat:


...but Marvel readers are still tapping their toes waiting for her comeback.


BONUS:
Or maybe she just decided to throw her wig hat into the social media ring?


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Being an old Keeper of the Flame, Quite 'Nuff Sayer and a Real Frantic One, in other words an old comic-reading fart, I rarely get stumped on these deals of naming the villain, but I never heard of this one before.
You're plumbing the depths, C.F.
Being able to create classic cars like that would be a nice superpower to have! It give one food for thought...I could use a Chrysler Cordoba. like Ricardo Montalban had. To start with.

M.P.

George Chambers said...

I'd just like to point out that the Wasp's Sting was utterly ineffective against a human woman with no physical powers. REALLY, Hank?

Comicsfan said...

Before ordering... er, requesting that new car from Madam Macabre, M.P., you might want to get it in writing that it comes with a working engine!