History[]
Mordred is a villain from The Black Knight. The illegitimate son of King Arthur Pendragon and Morgana Le Fay, he is a sorcerer of considerable power who also uses advanced twentieth-century technology. His hobbies include standing atop crumbling castles by the Cornish coast as his cloak flaps dramatically in the wind and he receives updates from a hobbling minion.
When Vortigen was sent to escort the Black Knight and Captain Britain to Otherworld, Mordred — a sworn foe of all allies of Merlyn — summoned a horde of trolls to try and stop him. Then the witch Old Sarah Mumford threw an axe at him, which made him so angry that he turned her into a tree. Why he doesn't do this to all his enemies, instead of beating about the bush by attacking them with random monsters, isn't clear. Perhaps there was already something inherently tree-like about Sarah. She could have been descended from a dryad.
Mordred's later attempts at defeating the Black Knight and his allies included making some harmless villagers go psychotic and attack them with farming implements, and setting fire to Merlyn's body while his astral form was travelling in the void. Neither of these gambits was successful.
Mordred was the servant of Necromon and, much earlier, of Mandrac. He was responsible for Captain Britain's first death. However, Merlyn then resurrected the hero. Mordred tried to halt the resurrection by hurling all of his magical energy at Captain Britain, but the Black Knight deflected the energy with Excalibur. The magic returned to Mordred, who was "consumed in a minor holocaust" and reduced to the form of a frail and helpless old man. Necromon, who was something of a martinet when it came to discipline, was so infuriated by his servant's failure that he ordered him to be imprisoned beneath the Hall of Silence and slowly eaten alive by vermin (see quotes).
Powers and abilities[]
Powers
Magic, including but not limited to flight; summoning rock monsters; summoning trolls; breaking down doors; turning people into trees; making the entire population of a village turn into enraged killing machines; extinguishing fires; hurling energy bolts and bringing stone gargoyles to life and giving them the power of flight.
Abilities
He says that the elements are his to command, but that might just be boasting.
Strength level
He is Superhuman.
Weaknesses
He can be harmed by his own magic.
Paraphernalia[]
Equipment
'Hellravens' with acidic blood (look a bit like huge feathered pterodactyls); radio equipment; visual scanners; wizard's staff.
Weapons
Dagger made from a long-fallen meteor.
Notes[]
- If Mordred tries to pick up Excalibur, which for a while was the sword of the Black Knight, it will make his entire body feel as if it is on fire, because he is not worthy.
- A separate version of Mordred appears in 2000 AD's long running saga Slaine; this Mordred murders his father for converting to Christinaity, but is then killed by Excalibur.
Trivia[]
The Black Baron has also demonstrated the ability to bring stone gargoyles to life, which suggests that he may have been a pawn of Mordred and the Nether Gods all along.
Links[]
- Appearances of Mordred
- Character Gallery: Mordred
- Images that feature Mordred
- Fan-Art Gallery: Mordred
- Mordred quotations