History[]
Merlyn is either a sixth-century mystic or an extra-dimensional alien depending on whom you ask, or possibly on what day of the week it is. He resides in the extra-dimensional realm of Otherworld (current location of King Arthur's kingdom of Camelot) as does his daughter Roma, known as the Lady of the Northern Skies. Merlyn, sometimes known as Merlin or Myrddin, empowered Brian Braddock to become the superhero Captain Britain and is also the patron of both the Black Knight and Kilgore Slaughter.
Apparently able to exist in many different realities at once (and to take on any appearance he wishes), he was also a member of the Council of High Evolutionaries which included the Time Lord Rassilon, and has been an occasional ally of the renegade Time Lord known as The Doctor. Usually acting at least nominally on the side of order and justice, Merlyn is nonetheless a ruthless and duplicitous individual who is not above manipulating people for his own ends, at one point even faking his own death and leaving his own daughter to grieve for him for years. His origins are unknown as he frequently gives contradictory accounts of them.
Powers and abilities[]
Powers
Breathtaking magical powers including resurrecting the dead, shape-shifting, immortality, remote viewing, generating energy blasts, astral travel, blocking out pain, pyrokinesis, telekinesis, turning arrows into starlings, building giants from whale bones, etc.
Abilities
Manipulating people.
Strength level
Superhuman.
Paraphernalia[]
Equipment
Staff topped by the astrological symbol for Mercury; amulet which is the 'brother' of Captain Britain's.
Transportation
Has been known to ride a gaily caparisoned horse.
Notes[]
This version of Merlyn originated in the Captain Britain strip and later turned up in Doctor Who Magazine, in the Black Knight strip in Hulk Comic and in the Timesmasher strip in Rampage magazine. He has since then also been incorporated into the mainstream, American Marvel Comics universe and revealed to have (possibly) been the same Merlin who has appeared elsewhere in the Marvel Universe since the 1950s. (See also: Merlin and Excalibur Summer Special and Valour). Another version of Merlyn exists in the Slaine mythos.
Trivia[]
The first words Merlyn speaks on his first appearance are a rebuke and a warning, making it clear that if the addressee doesn't pull his socks up he could be in serious trouble. Also, the rebuke is because Brian Braddock has broken a rule that he didn't know existed (the rule about not speaking until he is given leave). This is typical of Merlyn, who plays chess with people who do not know that they are his pieces. Roma's first words, in contrast, function as an invocation (which leaves open the possibility of a refusal), a welcome and a description of the beauty of the universe and her role in it.
Links[]
- Appearances of Merlyn
- Character Gallery: Merlyn
- Images that feature Merlyn
- Fan-Art Gallery: Merlyn
- Merlyn quotations