List of Miracleman characters
The following is a list of characters from the comic book series Miracleman.
Superhumans
Miracleman
The first of the Miracleman Family, created by Doctor Gargunza in 1954 as a Cold War weapons project based on the orphan Mike Moran. Believed killed in 1963, he returns in 1982 and three years later undertakes a benevolent takeover of Earth with his allies, turning the planet into a utopia.Young Miracleman
The second of the Miracleman Family, based on the orphan Dicky Dauntless. He is killed by the British government in 1963, but resurrected by Miracleman in 2003.Kid Miracleman
The third of the Miracleman Family, based on the orphan Johnny Bates. He escapes destruction in 1963 and spends the next 19 years as the most powerful creature on Earth, becoming corrupted and attempting to kill Miracleman on his return in 1982. After three years trapped inside Bates, Kid Miracleman breaks lose again in 1985 and lays waste to London before being stopped by Miracleman and his allies.Miraclewoman
An unsanctioned experiment undertaken by Gargunza, based on the orphan Avril Lear. She escapes Gargunza's attentions, changes her identity and lays low until Qys agents visit Earth. She then allies with Miracleman and becomes his lover as they create a golden age on Earth.Young Nastyman
Publication history
Young Nastyman was originally created by Mick Anglo in 1954 as a recurring villain in the pages of Young Marvelman, debuting in #57 and reappearing intermittently. In these stories his origin was as Pontag of Victo; the Terence Rebbeck identity and backstory was devised by Alan Moore for the revival.Fictional character biography
Like Mike Moran, Dicky Dauntless and Jonathan Bates, Terence Rebbeck was the orphan of RAF personnel and was kidnapped by Doctor Gargunza. Unlike them, his abduction was unknown to Spookshow and he was instead kept at a private laboratory by Gargunza along with Avril Lear and Pluto. There a superhuman clone was created of him, which Gargunza programmed as the villain Young Nastyman. Young Nastyman was used in dreams as an archenemy of the Miracleman Family, believing himself to be an alien youth named Pontag given a magical elixir by a hermit called Nastyman that turned him into a supervillain. However, Gargunza enjoyed vicariously living the life of a supervillain and - without the oversight of Sir Dennis Archer - his perversions were reflected in Rebbeck being the protagonist of ever-more violent and sexual scenarios. As his creator rapidly worked through his fetishes the continuity of the dreams broke down, causing Young Nastyman to wake up in the real world. Unable to tell it from the consequence-free simulations he promptly went on a violent rampage. To prevent Archer finding out the truth, Gargunza sent Miraclewoman after him. However, she instead found the Project Zarathustra bunker and learned her true nature. Wanting freedom she tracked Young Nastyman to Iceland and tried to tell him what she had learnt in the hope that he would join her. Far beyond reason, he attacked her and the pair fought until Young Nastyman was incinerated in a volcano; as he died both of his bodies appeared and were destroyed.Following Operation Dragonslayer, the grotesquely fused skeleton of Rebbeck and Young Nastyman was found by Spookshow and recovered. They were misidentified however as the remains of Young Miracleman, and stored in the Zarathustra bunker. Following the facility's heavy damage by Miracleman they were left for an uncaring pair of cleaners, who dropped them, causing the double-skull to break off in a final indignity for the hapless Rebbeck.
Big Ben
Publication history
Big Ben was originally devised by Dez Skinn some time before the 1982 incarnation of Warrior came into being. As a planned member of Challenger Force he appeared on the cover of Warrior #4 before debuting in the Marvelman strip in #10, dated April/May 1983. Following his guest appearance in the Marvelman strip, a story written by Skinn and drawn by Ian Gibson was included in the Marvelman Special in 1984, framed as one of the para-reality simulations. This story, "Big Ben versus King Arthur", had been made some years before. "The Man with No Time for Crime" then appeared in Warrior in standalone strips in Warrior again written by Skinn and drawn by Will Simpson. The Big Ben section of the Marvelman Special was omitted from both Eclipse and Marvel's reprint programmes.Fictional character biography
The product of the second iteration of Project Zarathustra, Big Ben was created in 1968, using an unknown subject. While the project resulted in enhanced strength and flight capability without Gargunza's input the result was nowhere near as powerful as the Miracleman Family; due to their crucially poor understanding of the para-reality programming, it drove Big Ben to insanity. Despite these shortcomings, Big Ben was at least controllable and was retained by Spookshow as part of Sir Dennis Archer's hope to recoup some of the project's funding. Big Ben's programming convinced him he was a member of the Bulldog Brigade, a patriotic British superteam that featured the likes of Jack Ketch and Owlwoman. In the para-reality simulations he also allied with Doc Thunderbolt, and fought the likes of Menace!, the Crimson Finger, the Sponge, Dr. Panic and his Phantom Robot and Phineas Fiske, the creature with the cobalt brain.When Miracleman and Cream locate the Project Zarathustra bunker, Archer used Big Ben as a last line of defence, telling him the former was actually a Communist supervillain called Major Molotov. Miracleman is perplexed by the resulting confrontation, instantly recognising his opponent is neither a physical threat or in his right mind, though he eventually bats Big Ben aside out of irritation. Despite his injuries, Big Ben is able to stagger into the bunker and witness the truth of his creation. Big Ben is later recovered by Spookshow, believing that the evidence of his creation was merely a ploy by Molotov and that he was able to fight a successful delaying action, oblivious that he is being returned to an asylum rather than collected by his grateful team-mates.
Big Ben is initially undetected by the Qys as he does not appear to use infra-space, but his mental condition is initially too severe for recovery. However, after Miracleman comes to power he works with the Qys to dovetail Big Ben's perceptions with reality until he is able to return to society. He decides to take on the identity of British Bulldog and joins the other superhumans at Olympus, and becomes a respected hero.
Winter
The first of Miracleman's children, Winter was conceived with Liz on the night of his rebirth. Even while in the womb she exhibits advanced levels of power, being able to keep her mother calm even when she is taken by Gargunza close to birth, and looking straight at the scientist during a scan of her pregnant mother. On later meeting a revived Gargunza she implies that even then she would have been powerful enough to prevent him from taking over her body. Miracleman is able to deliver her successfully on October 29, 1982, though she stuns both her parents by saying "ma-ma" mere moments later. Winter then takes control of Liz's moods as she rapidly develops. She implants her desired name in her mother's mind, swiftly exhausts her supply of breast milk, moves onto solids in a matter of weeks and even develops teeth. When Liz takes a few days to visit her sister in Yarmouth, Winter makes the full scope of her developing intelligence clear to Miracleman. While powerful and kind, Winter has at this point already evolved much further than the adult superhumans and opts to leave Earth to visit Qys.When she returns at the end of 1988 her father has turned Earth into a utopia, something the super-intelligent child is barely impressed by, describing it as a redecoration. Miracleman also begins donating his sperm to anyone who wants superhuman offspring of their own; while Earth soon has many of the advanced babies Winter is still revered as the first. A storybook based on her adventures called Winter's Tale is hugely popular and her birthday becomes Wintersday, an annual festival where children can choose to do anything they want. She continues to visit Earth, including meeting the revived Gargunza in 1993 and being present for the resurrection of Young Miracleman in 2003.