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History

File:Daniel Berkhart (Earth-616) 0001.jpg

Berkhart as the Jack O'Lantern.

Danny Berkhart was paid by J. Jonah Jameson to make Spider-Man think he was the ghost of the first Mysterio, who was faking his death at the time[1]. After Berkhart was jailed, Jameson abandoned him, leading to Berkhart resenting Jameson.

When Norman Osborn returned, an enigmatic Jack O' Lantern appeared, calling himself Mad Jack. He seemed to have a grudge with Jameson, and saved Spider-Man's life after having him defeated. Mad Jack's cat, Maguire, was very well-trained, obeyed Jack's every command. Jack beat Jameson to a pulp and blackmailed him into selling the Bugle to Osborn. When Osborn attempted to pay him for his services, Jack rejecting payment saying he did it for pleasure.

Mad Jack would eventually turn out to be Daniel Berkhart, working with Maguire Beck (cousin to the original Mysterio), who provided tech support[2]. Both had been tutored by Quentin Beck in his illusionist arts, and both took turns using the Mad Jack. Maguire was rarely in the costume, preferring to stay behind the scenes instead. For the riskiest assignments, they would send an android with Berkhart's face out in the costume.

Berkhart met Conundrum, and it was revealed that they were old acquaintances with a common past[3]. They shared an "old man" as their tutor, who was now dead[4]. While fighting Prodigy (who was actually Spidey at the time), Conundrum mentioned Jack's reflexes getting slower due to his age (indicating Berkhart was the one in costume at that time). Prodigy/Spidey eventually figured out that by closing his eyes and relying on his Spider-Sense, he had better chances against the villains' illusionist attacks. While Peter knocked Conundrum out, Mad Jack was seemingly shot dead by one of Norman's bodyguards.\

Jack's death was actually faked to serve the purposes of both Berkhart and Osborn.

Mad Jack and a new Mysterio, would later torment Spidey, Jameson, Daredevil, and Just A Guy Named Joe[5]. During these transgressions, it was revealed that Maguire had become the solo Jack O' Lantern, while Danny Berkhart assumed Mysterio's legacy and became Quentin Beck's heir, reassuming his position as the second Mysterio. Maguire was captured as Mad Jack, while Berkhart escaped with his cat (also named Maguire). He apparently also sold a spare Mysterio costume to the Kingpin, who in turn sold it to Francis Klum. Berkhart later would battle Klum for the right to be called Mysterio, even though he was the one who sold the costume originally.

At this point, Berkhart stopped calling himself Mad Jack and continued on being only Mysterio.

The most recent man to go by "Jack O'Lantern" claimed that he had liquidated every other holder of the mantle. Whether this included Berkhart is unknown, as he had long since given up that identity.

When Quentin Beck returned to claim Mysterio's identity, one of his assistants was called "Daniel", this possibly meaning that Berkhart survived Jack O'Lantern's killing spree and joined the original Master of Illusion. This, however, has yet to be confirmed.

Attributes

Power Grid[6]
:Category:Power Grid/Fighting Skills/Some Training:Category:Power Grid/Energy Projection/Single Type: Short Range:Category:Power Grid/Durability/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Speed/Superhuman:Category:Power Grid/Strength/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Intelligence/Learned

Abilities

Like the original Mysterio, minimally enhanced speed/agility

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Mysterio Suit: Projectors, Gas Gloves, Invisi-Mask and Image Inducers, plus all the tricks of the original Mysterio

See Also

Links and References

References

  1. Amazing Spider-Man #141142
  2. Shortly after the Clone Saga
  3. Identity Crisis - Prodigy!
  4. This indicates Conundrum was also Mysterio's student
  5. Spider-Man: The Mysterio Manifesto (2001), After the original Mysterio died in Daredevil (Vol. 2) #7 (1999)
  6. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol 1 8
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