WANTED: Earth-Two's Most Dangerous Super-Villains
The Mineral Master
Personal information
Name:Carl Moag
Residence: Washington, DC
Occupation: Scientist, Terrorist
First Appearance: Steel the Indestructible Man #2 (April 1978)
Character History
Details of the early life of the scientist who would become the Mineral Master are largely lacking. It is known he was a participant in the America First Movement, a quasi nationalist-patriotic isolationist movement that believed America's interest in foreign wars had much less value that protecting American sovereignty at home. His Nobel Prize- winning work in physical geology focused on the nature of inorganic matter and he was prominent in his field in the late 1930's, when his work began to attract the attention of German nationals claiming to seek scientific discovery as a platform for mutual exchange and peace. An isolationist, Moag was vigorously opposed to weapons research but deeply believed in the development of technology as a platform of amity between nations.
In the Fall of 1939. Moag attracted the attention of German industrialist Baron Toten, who had learned of Moag's development of a Transmutation Machine. Secretly the Baron was an agent of Nazi Germany but flattered Moag's pacifism to get a access to his work. Deceived, Moag provided a demonstration of his device by tossing in a simple stone that, when verbally commanded, grew legs and began to walk around. Astounded, Toten inquired as the to the basis of this technology to which Moag admitted he did not know - the "Omega Field" as he termed that was causing these effects had arisen by accident. Realizing that there was only such device that could not be duplicated, Toten quietly instructed his henchman Bruno to dispose of Moag so that the could steal the device for Germany. Stepping in behind the scientist, Bruno attempting to grab him but Moag twisted away, losing his balance and falling into the machine. Untested on organic matter, the field produced an heretofore unseen transformation on Moag, rendering him larger, smoldering with powers and with the composition of molten rock. Proclaiming himself the Mineral Master, he set forth to thrash the Germans who fled for their lives.
The Mineral Master's first act was to act on his anti-war
tendencies and attack a nearby military base with hangars of experiment
aircraft. As it happened, recently emerged adventurer Steel, the
so-called indestructible man, was conducting exercises for the US Army
at that base and when the planes began to explode, he was drawn to
investigate. Encountering the Mineral Master, he found his leg in a
suddenly created bear trap. Freeing himself, he engaged his foe
directly but the Mineral Master used his powers to levitate a piece of
the earth as a mechanism of flight. Steel leaped onto the earthen
platform and battled Moag directly, until the radicalized terrorist
simply dissolved the ground beneath Steel's feet and sent him plummeting
below. While Steel extracted himself from the vehicle he had crash
landed into, the Mineral Master made his escape.
The following
day, the Mineral Master decides a different tactic rather than sabotage
and switches to propagandizing, attacking a radio station and blasting
his anti-war message over the air wave. Not satisfied with simple
pacifism, the Mineral Master exhorted the listeners to insurrection and
murder of pro-war leaders in the US. Hank Heywood was listening to the
broadcast and quickly assumes his guise as Steel. He reaches the
station in mid-broadcast and directly engages the Mineral Master,
crashing the through a wall forty stories up. Moag quickly summons an
concrete hand to save himself while Steel barely managed to stop his
downward flight digging into the wall of the building. When Mpag
creates an arrow from a lamp post to impale Steel, the hero diverts it
back at him and begins to ridicule the aspiring insurgent. Correctly
guessing that the Mineral Master's sensitive ego could be goaded into
foolish risk, the two again engage in direct battle, falling the
remaining ten stories to the ground. As Mineral Master begins to gain
the upper hand, Steel reasons that his powers are greatest when in
contact with inorganic material and if he can isolate him, his powers
will fade. Seizing the villain when is momentarily stunned, he hoists
him above his head, holding him there for over 12 hours until the Omega
Field fades and Mineral Master appears defeated. Exhausted, Steel
leaves the his foe for the authorities and heads home (Steel the
Indestructible Man #2).
What became of the Mineral Master on Earth-Two is unknown.
Powers and Abilities
By contact with the Omega Field, a transformative energy of unknown nature, the Mineral Master became a living battery for its forces. He was physically transformed by it, become larger, stronger and significantly more resistant to injury. He could project the field as destructive bolts and manipulate it to transform the shape and consistency of inorganic matter. The full range of his abilities has not been defined.
Weaknesses and Limitations
While the limits of the Mineral Master's abilities have not been carefully examined, it is known he could be countered and ultimately overwhelmed with sufficient force. At least part of his abilities required or were enhanced by contact with inorganic matter, the greatest expression of which was contact with the Earth itself. Finally, a vain and arrogant man, the Mineral Master was exceedingly serious and sensitive about his credibility, such that he could be provoked by ridicule of things in which he was most proud into acting rashly and to his detriment.
Multiversity
No version of the Mineral Master is known to exist in any timeline other than Earth-Two.
Appearances
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Issue |
Comment |
Reprinted in |
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Steel the Indestructible Man #2 |
1st appearance and origin, vs. Steel |
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