HLAVAC's DISEASE

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial (apparently) sentient virus

Occupation: Predator

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Mephisto

Enemies: Silver Surfer (Norrin Radd);
    indirectly the Druff and Pheragots;
    presumably the Aedians;

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: "Little One" (from Mephisto)

Base of Operations: "The farthest reaches of space" (outside the Andromeda galaxy;
    formerly active within the Andromeda galaxy (and possibly beyond), notably in the vicinity of the planets Aedi, Arago-7, and Ryas

First Appearance: Silver Surfer III#32 (Mid-December, 1989)

Powers/Abilities: Hlavac's Disease is apparently caused by a sentient virus. It was, at least, able to communicate with the Hell-Lord Mephisto.

    It typically causes dizziness, fever, and hallucinations.

    It apparently infected organisms via entering the oral or nasal passages (at least).

    At least with the aid of Mephisto, the sentience could form a cloud of its organisms, which could not only survive in the void of space, but navigate through space and match the speed of the Silver Surfer.

    Under normal circumstances, it could not penetrate the protective silvery coating of the Silver Surfer, but it could do so with the aid of Mephisto.

    A radioactive ore on the planet Aedi is the only known cure for the disease. However, the amount needed to cure the Silver Surfer apparently would have resulted in the destruction of Aedi.

History:
(Silver Surfer III#32 (fb) - BTS) - The Viroid entities that cause Hlavac's Disease -- or perhaps just other viroid entities similar enough to be considered "my kind" by the sentience of the virus -- encountered beings like the Silver Surfer, with protective coverings over their form, which rejected infection.

(Silver Surfer III#32 (fb) - BTS) - The Pheragots and the Aedians, and presumably other races within their sector of space, knew the symptoms of Hlavac's Disease.

    At some point, a cure was discovered for Hlavac's Disease in the radioactive ore of the planet Aedi.

(Silver Surfer III#32 (fb) - BTS) - Under unrevealed circumstances, the sentience associated with Hlavac's Disease came into contact with Mephisto, one of the demonic Hell-Lords associated with Earth. Mephisto advised the sentience to infect the Power Cosmic-possessing Silver Surfer, whom the Hell-Lord wished to corrupt. The sentience told Mephisto that it could not be done based on past experience.

(Silver Surfer III#32) - After the sentience and Mephisto had reiterated their previous discussion, Mephisto assured the sentience that it would be able to pierce the Surfer's coating with his aid.

    Soon after, as the Surfer exited a great meteor swarm, Mephisto advised the sentience that the time was upon them, and he guided the sentience to envelop the Surfer like a "death shroud of luminescence." The Surfer sensed the cloud of organisms, initially suspecting it to be some form of energy. Although he sensed no sentience from the cloud, he felt that it appeared to be...and he was interrupted as the sentience -- via Mephisto's guidance -- directed the organisms to enter the Surfer's form via the orifices in his head.

    As the sentience subsequently proclaimed how it had breached the Surfer, the Surfer noted a burning in his throat and nostrils that soon spread to his brain, leading to headache and weakness. Fearing he was under attack, he nonetheless only noted a green-hued vapor, which he perceived to be harmless.

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.

.

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Briefly regaining his wits, the Surfer considered that to cure one of his physiology would take all of Aedi's ore, and that such an extraction could start a chain reaction that would rend the world asunder. However, the virus then drove the Surfer to decide that he was far more important to the cosmos than were the Aedians and that he would take the cure and destroy any who defied him.     As the Surfer regained his wits again, a pair of Aedians projected to him, noting their willingness to allow him to take all the energy their world offered even though it meant their own destruction. Rebelling against the idea, the Surfer flew out of the galaxy into the void of space where his death throes could harm no other life.     Thinking of his friends on Earth, the Surfer recalled Dr. Strange and his yoga, and he used it to turn the Power Cosmic  in upon himself, enabling him to focus, identify, isolate, and eject the viroid organisms within him.

.

.     The Surfer then encased the viroid organisms with an amber-like sheath of solid Power Cosmic and then expelled it into he farthest reaches of the void of space where it would never again come into contact with another life form. (Silver Surfer III#32 - BTS) - The Surfer subsequently resolved to attempt to undo the damage he had done to the Pheragot starship, to pay his respects to the Aedians, and to thank Dr. Strange for his friendship, council, and faith.     Mephisto's goal of corrupting the Silver Surfer was thus most thoroughly thwarted.

Comments: Created by Jim Valentino, Ron Frenz, and Joe Sinnott.

    Who or what is Hlavac?

• Usually when a disease has a possessive (with an apostrophe "s") name associated with it, it is named for someone...
• Either someone diagnosed with it (like Lou Gehrig's Disease, which is Amylotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), which causes progressive neuromuscular degeneration; it is also known as Charcot's disease for Jean-Martin Charcot, who connected the symptoms and the neurologic disease and who first used the term ALS; Lou Gehrig was a well known professional baseball player diagnosed with the disease in 1938, which is why it is associated with his name)
  
• Or someone who discovered it (like Cushing's Disease; hyperadrenocorticism, an excessive production of cortisone produced by the adrenal glands, identified by Harvey Cushing)
• As opposed to Lyme Disease (a disease spread by Ixodes ticks infected with Borrelia burgdorferi that causes a whole spectrum of immune-mediated diseases), which is named for Lyme, Connecticut, in which it was first diagnosed.
  
• There is not an apostrophe "s" in Lyme Disease.
  
• It is NOT Lyme's Disease.
  
• Stop the madness!!!
• Beyond the standard, though, we don't know whether Hlavac was the one who diagnosed the disease, a prominent person who had the disease, or whether some other convention was used. Is it only known by that name to the Pheragots, or is it widely known throughout the Andromeda Galaxy (and possibly beyond)?
  

    This profile was completed 04/28/2023, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 25^th anniversary 's celebratory event.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Hlavac's Disease should be distinguished from:

• other diseases, viruses, etc., or "Hlavac" characters, groups, items, events, races, or places...

Appearances:
Silver Surfer III#32 (Mid-December, 1989) - Jim Valentino (writer), Ron Frenz (penciler), Joe Sinnott (inker), Craig Anderson (editor)

First posted: 09/30/2026
Last updated: 04/28/2023

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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