The Original Black Nerd Collection

The Original Black Nerd Collection

1974 – Midnight Sun AKA M'Nai

1974 - Midnight Sun debut

Midnight Sun’s origin story is tragic and violent. He was born in a small African village used as a headquarters by Fu Manchu, the infamous leader of the Si-Fan, a secret society bent on world domination. Fu Manchu was also the father of Shang-Chi, who would later become Midnight Sun’s friend and rival. When Midnight Sun was a young child, his village was attacked by British Intelligence, and his parents were killed. The assault also scarred him, and Fu Manchu took him into his home. He gave him the name M’nai and raised him alongside Shang-Chi in his fortress in China. M’nai wore a black mask constantly to conceal his scars and became an expert in martial arts and stealth. He took the codename Midnight as he grew to become one of Fu Manchu’s assassins.

M’nai and Shang-Chi were close friends, but their relationship changed when Shang-Chi rebelled against his father and left. M’nai felt betrayed by his brother and swore to kill him. He followed Shang-Chi to New York, where they fought to the death on top of a winch. M’nai fell from the winch, and his cape caught on its hook, breaking his neck. However, moments before his death, he was taken into the realm of Limbo by Kang the Conqueror, a time-traveling villain who wanted to use him as a pawn in his Legion of the Unliving, a group of resurrected heroes and villains who fought against the Avengers. M’nai was defeated by Mantis, a former ally of Shang-Chi, and returned to his own time by Immortus, the true master of Limbo.

M’nai’s story did not end there. His body was obtained by the Kree, an alien race who were at war with the Skrulls, another alien race. The Kree scientist Kar-Sagg revived his brain and made a physically enhanced clone of him, which retained some of his memories and skills but lost the ability to speak. He also gave him the ability to travel and survive in space. He renamed him Midnight Sun and sent him to fight against the Silver Surfer, a cosmic hero in the Kree-Skrull war. However, Midnight Sun’s sense of honor prevented him from killing the Surfer when he had the chance. Kar-Sagg tried to erase his memories, but Midnight Sun resisted and escaped the Kree.

Midnight Sun traveled to Earth’s moon, where he meditated over his past. He saw the Silver Surfer leaving Earth after an adventure and followed him, hoping to learn more about himself. However, he could not communicate with him, and they fought again. They were stopped by the Inhumans, a race of superhumans who lived on the moon in a city called Attilan. The Inhumans sympathized with Midnight Sun’s plight and welcomed him into their city to help him find a way to speak. His current fate is unknown.

Midnight Sun is a complex and tragic character who has faced many hardships. He is loyal to his friends and enemies and driven by hatred and revenge. He is a formidable fighter who can challenge even the most powerful beings in the universe. He is also a lost soul who seeks to discover his true identity and purpose.

Some interesting facts about Midnight Sun are:

– He first appeared in Marvel Special Edition #16 (Feb 1974), created by Steve Englehart, Jim Starlin, and Al Milgrom.
– He is one of the few characters who has fought both Shang-Chi and the Silver Surfer, two very different heroes with different powers.
– He is unrelated to Marvel’s Midnight Suns, a team of supernatural heroes dealing with occult threats. The team includes characters like Ghost Rider, Morbius, Blade, Doctor Strange, Moon Knight, Scarlet Witch, Magik, Nico Minoru, Robbie Reyes, Wolverine, Iron Man, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Black Bolt, Elsa Bloodstone, Jennifer Kale, Hellstrom, Satana, and Man-Thing.
– He has appeared in some video games and animated shows, such as Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, Marvel Future Fight, Marvel Avengers Academy, and Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers.

From the OBN Collection

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