ELIAS HODGE
Real Name: Elias Hodge
Identity/Class: Human (post-World War II era)
Occupation: Businessman, president of his own company
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Parkinson, Roberts, Nicholas Wilkins
Enemies: The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, Charlie Slade
Known Relatives: Ed Hodge (brother), Alice Hodge (sister), Jane Hodge (sister), Mr. Hodge (father), Mrs. Hodge (mother)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: An unidentified location in the USA
First Appearance: Marvel Tales I#112 (March, 1953)
Powers/Abilities: Elias Hodge was a shrewd investor and businessman who put the acquisition of wealth ahead of any other concern.
Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'10")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 185 lbs.)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Gray (formerly brown)
History:
(Marvel Tales I#112/4 (fb)) - When Elias was eight years old, one
Christmas morning he was given a toy truck. He smashed his own truck
with a hammer then told his father that his brother Ed was responsible
for breaking his toy. Elias' father punished Ed and his mother gave him
the toy train that had been Ed's Christmas present.
(Marvel Tales I#112/4 (fb) - BTS) - Elias grew up to open his own manufacturing business with his associate Charlie Slade. One Christmas when Elias was 45, Elias cheated Slade out of his portion of the business and informed Slade that they weren't partners anymore. Slade died of a broken heart. From then on, Elias was the president of his business and he invested Slade's money to earn millions of dollars. He eventually bought the entire building where he'd originally rented his offices and became a director in fifteen companies.
(Marvel Tales I#112/4) - Ten years after Slade's death, Elias had a reputation as a hard-nosed tyrant at his office. On Christmas Eve, Elias' bookkeeper Nicholas Wilkins was warning his fellow employees that not only were they unlikely to get a Christmas bonus from Elias but Elias would probably made them work on Christmas Day. Elias had placed a hidden microphone in every desk in the office and overheard what Nicholas said. Summoning Nicholas to his office, Elias fired him, calling him a "bad influence" in the office, ignoring the fact that Nicholas had a sick young child to care for.
Returning home that evening, Elias was relaxing in his study when he was confronted by the ghost of Charlie Slade, who reminded Elias of how he'd cut him out of their business. Elias felt no remorse for his actions, noting how successful he'd become thanks to wisely investing Slade's money. Elias wasn't intimidated at all by his ghostly visitor and when Slade told him he'd be visited by three ghosts that evening, Elias asked them not to visit until after he was done watching a wrestling match then flippantly told Slade to visit again in another ten years.
At midnight, Elias was awakened by the Ghost of Christmas Past, who brought Elias back in time to when he was eight and tricked his parents into giving him his brother's toy train. Rewatching the events, Elias reminisced what a happy Christmas it had been and that his parents never did learn how he'd tricked Ed out of his toy train. Elias considered that event as a foundational moment in his life, demonstrating how he'd always gotten what he wanted by cheating others. The Ghost of Christmas Past was crestfallen to see how untroubled Elias was by what he'd done and returned Elias to his bed.
Next, the Ghost of Christmas Present visited Elias and brought him to the home of Nicholas Wilkins. Elias saw the poor conditions Nicholas and his family lived in but he blamed Nicholas for lacking the courage to ask for a raise in salary. The Ghost of Christmas Present gave up on Elias and returned him to his bed.
Finally, the Ghost of Christmas Future visited Elias and brought him five years later into the possible future of Earth-53612, in which Elias was a poor man with a failing business. Then the Ghost of Christmas Future showed him a moment later on into that same future when Elias died. Finally, the Ghost of Christmas Future showed Elias his grave. Elias was upset to see that he'd become poor and die. The Ghost of Christmas Future promised that if Elias changed his ways, he'd tell him how he'd lose his money but warned him that his financial ruin was inevitable.
On Christmas Day, Elias appeared a changed man and gave a huge cash present to Nicholas, promising to give him back his job. He also sent out Christmas bonuses to each of his employees. Impressed by his change, the Ghost of Christmas Future told him his financial ruin would come from business failure, that the products he manufactured would be made cheaper by men who would run him out of business. Upon hearing this, Elias sold all of his holdings and his office building, shutting down his company. The Ghost of Christmas Future complained that Elias had put thousands of people out of work but Elias observed that he'd saved $40 million cash for himself, which he installed in a vault in his mansion to ensure he'd never die a poor man. The three Christmas Ghosts were extremely jaded by their experience haunting Elias.
Comments: Created by Carl Wessler and Larry Woromay.
I shouldn't have to explain it to you but this story was a parody of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. At one point Elias even exclaims "What the Dickens?"
The
Ghost of Christmas Past that Hodge encounters could be the same one
seen in Marvel Comics Presents I#18 and could therefore be the first
appearance of the Ghost in Reality-616. We do get an adaptation of "A
Christmas Carol" in Marvel Classics Comics I#36 but the exact events of
"A Christmas Carol" occurred in the extradimensional Ideaverse (as seen
in the later Deadpool Killustrated mini-series). That's not to say that
similar events did not occur in the Victorian era on Earth-616 though...
Profile by Prime Eternal.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Elias Hodge should not be confused with:
Charlie Slade was Elias Hodge's business partner who helped him establish his business. Elias then betrayed Slade and cut him out of the business on Christmas Eve. Elias' cruelty caused Slade to die of a broken heart. Ten years after his death, Charlie Slade's ghost visited Elias on Christmas Eve to warn him to change his ways. Slade told Elias that he'd be visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future that evening. Elias wasn't intimidated by Slade's ghost.
--Marvel Tales I#112/4
Nicholas Wilkins was a bookkeeper at Elias Hodge's business for 25 years. He had a wife, Emily, and four children including a sick little boy named Tommy. On Christmas Eve, Nicholas warned his fellow employees that not only were they unlikely to get a Christmas bonus but Elias would probably make them work on Christmas Day. Elias heard this through a hidden microphone and summoned Nicholas to his office then fired him. After being visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, Elias gave Nicholas a bonus to help his family and rehired him but soon after, he learned how his company would be run out of business and to prevent becoming poor, Elias dissolved his entire company to pocket the money for himself, meaning Nicholas was once again out of a job.
--Marvel Tales I#112/4
images: (without ads)
Marvel Tales I#112/2, page 1, panel 4 (Elias, main)
Marvel Tales I#112/2, page 5, panel 3 (Elias, face)
Marvel Tales I#112/2, page 2, panel 9 (Slade)
Marvel Tales I#112/2, page 1, panel 1 (Nicholas)
Appearances:
Marvel Tales I#112/4 (March, 1953) - Carl Wessler (writer), Larry Woromay (artist), Stan Lee (editor)
First posted: 12/25/2025
Last updated:
12/25/2025
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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