MOTHER INFERIOR

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Human/Mutant

Occupation: Mother (the hardest job on Earth!)

Group Membership: Morlocks

Affiliations: Anna Johnson, Spider-Man (Peter Parker), rats

Enemies: Firebrand (Broxtel), the Marauders

Known Relatives: Ent (son), Pester (daughter or daughter-in-law-- or both), unnamed grandson

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: The sub-basement of the Poseidon Hotel; formerly the Morlock Tunnels

First Appearance: Web of Spider-Man#77 (June, 1991)

Powers/Abilities:Mother Inferior had the ability to control vermin, such as rats and possibly cockroaches (which were shown constantly in her presence, so I’ll add them in). Despite what some people have said, this ability is sonic, not psionic; when she had her mouth blocked she was unable to command to her “hordes”.

Weaknesses: Mother Inferior was morbidly obese, so much so that she was unable to move on her own, needing Ent to carry her from place to place, as Mother Inferior was a Morlock, and lived as they did, presumably having to scavenge to survive, gluttony can almost certainly be ruled out as the cause of her obesity, most likely it was just another facet of her mutation. She is also unable to speak, only able to use rat-like sounds, such as “Skree”, however, just before she died, she did say the name of her son, Ent.

History: (Web Of Spider-Man#77)- Following a trail of mysterious accidents at a fundraiser for the homeless at the Poseidon Hotel, Spider-Man found Mother Inferior, Ent, Pester, Pester’s baby, and Anna in the sub-basement. Thinking that the baby was Anna’s, Spidey attacked the Morlocks trying to “save” him, only to realize he “made a big boo-boo”, when Anna handed Pester her baby. Anna explained that the family was just Morlocks who’d fled to the abandoned hotel following the Mutant Massacre, that they’d moved to the sub-basement when it was converted into a homeless shelter, and that they had carefully staged the accidents to scare everyone away and reclaim their new home, without harming anyone. Just then, the villain Firebrand attacked, and the sub-basement began to collapse around the little group.

(Web Of Spider-Man#78)- As Spider-Man and Ent struggled to hold up the ceiling and give the others time to escape, they realized Mother Inferior was too big to move on her own. Ent and Spider-Man desperately tried to reach her, but Mother Inferior, realizing that there was no time, ordered her rodent hordes to push them back, just as the ceiling collapsed in on her. Before she died, she was seen amidst the falling debris, tearfully waving goodbye to her family. “She s-sacrificed herself…” Anna remarks, “To save her family.” Spidey replied, “After all, Anna, Morlocks are only human.” The rest of the family survived, and were accepted by the local homeless community, despite their obvious mutations.

Comments: Created by Terry Kavanagh, Alex Saviuk, Keith Williams, Bud LaRosa, and Kevin Tinsley.

In Web Of Spider-Man#77, Anna says that Pester is Mother Inferior’s daughter, but in#78, Spider-Man says Ent is Mother Inferior’s son, that’s not impossible, but more than likely Anna just misunderstood Pester’s limited English, as Ent was far more upset at Mother Inferior’s death. Or she could mother of them both--perhaps they were from Alabama before becoming Morlocks? ;)
    Mother Inferior’s grandson’s name is never outright revealed, but as Pester constantly refers to him as “Baby”, I believe that may be his real name. Such a name would not be so unusual among the Morlocks, remember Tar Baby?

Controlled cockroaches, eh? Hmm...another candidate for the Cockroach Conspiracy?

by Darc_Light

CLARIFICATIONS:
Mother Inferior should not be confused with:

• Mother Superior, Sinthea Shmidt, daughter of the Red Skull, @ Captain America I#287
• Mother Superior of the Convent of Living Fire, @ Marvel Presents#7