The entity which would later be known as the Zaniac was a swarm of demonic, parasitic creatures that originated in the Dark Dimension. The entity would possess a host and cause them to develop an overwhelming bloodlust and desire to kill women.
History
In the late 19th century, Dormammu, the king of the Dark Dimension, sent the entity to Earth to possess an unwitting victim to act as his agent. The creature found and possessed a misanthropic hunchback named Tom Malverne, who was resentful at the world for the way it had treated him. Malverne then went on a murder spree where he killed five women and became known as Jack the Ripper. After Malverne's death, the entity continued to possess people throughout the ages, each one adopting the persona of Jack the Ripper.[1]
In the modern era, the entity possessed actor Brad Wolfe while he filmed a slasher movie at the University of Chicago, the site of early experiments for the Manhattan Project. Wolfe was dressed as the film's villain, the Zaniac, when he was caught in an nuclear explosion caused by a pyrotechnics mishap that ignited residual radiation. The blast gave Wolfe superhuman strength and the ability to create knives out of pure energy. Driven insane by the entity, Wolfe began to act out the film's script and kidnapped Shawna Lynde, a friend of Thor's alter-ego Dr. Donald Blake. Thor managed to rescue Shawna from Wolfe but he escaped, intent on acting out the film's climax: the mass murder of a women's shelter. Thor arrived moments before Wolfe could kill the women. Enraged, Wolfe unleashed a barrage knives at Thor, who used his hammer to deflect them back at Wolfe, knocking him off a rooftop and ultimately subduing him.[2]
Another enemy of Thor’s, mobster Thug Thatcher, broke Zaniac out of the asylum months later by sneaking him a nose-plug, gassing the prison and removing Zaniac by helicopter, and tried to convince Zaniac to kill Thor’s ex-girlfriend, Jane Foster. Instead, Zaniac murdered Thatcher’s associate Ruby, creating a knife with his newly freed hands and was then killed by a gunshot from Thatcher’s henchman, Kellen. Vermin then burst from Wolfe’s body, The two fled, and Kellen tried to fight them off, but one of them attempted to bite Thatcher. He was prevented from being bit by Thor and Justice Peace who traveled back in time to prevent Earth-823019. [3]
Attributes
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Powers
Awakened in its host via mystic means, Zaniac controlled its host body, retaining some of its host’s personality traits or desires but overriding them with the desire to kill beautiful women. Possessing the ability to form energy knives, Zaniac, when killed, released a swarm of vermin that sought out other humans. When bit by one of these vermin, the victim would become the new host for Zaniac. Zaniac is extremely long-lived and possessed superhuman strength and durability.
See Also
- 4 appearance(s) of Zaniac (Earth-616)
- 2 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Zaniac (Earth-616)
- 1 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Zaniac (Earth-616)
- 1 image(s) of Zaniac (Earth-616)
