SILVER SURFER duplicate

silversurferduplicate-xmachine-face-handblast

silversurferduplicate-xmachine-confrontsurfspaceReal Name: None

Identity/Class: Artificial creation

Occupation: Warrior

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Ludwig von Frankenstein (creator);
    Borgo assisted Ludwig and had some role in the duplicate's creation

Enemies: Silver Surfer (Norrin Radd), villagers outside Castle Frankenstein and humanity in general

Known Relatives: None;
    as his creator, Ludwig von Frankenstein may be considered his father;
    Borgo was empowered by and the Silver Monster was created using the X-Machine, and they may be considered brethren on some level

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
    apparently perished on the rooftop of some skyscraper in an American city (perhaps Manhattan, New York);
    created in Castle Frankenstein, the Alps, Geneva, Switzerland

First Appearance: Silver Surfer I#7 (August, 1969)

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silversurferduplicate-xmachine-blastvillager

Powers/Abilities: The Silver Surfer duplicate approximated the strength, speed, durability and energy powers of the true Silver Surfer, including having its own silvery surfboard under its control. However, when the Silver Surfer used his powers at the fullest, the duplicate was unable to withstand the energies unleashed, and it melted.

silversurferduplicate-xmachine-face-energyeyes

    While desiring a life of its own, the duplicate did not value or respect the lives of others, willingly harming or even potentially slaying others as needed.

     While initially following Ludwig von Frankenstein's orders to terrorize the villagers to make them serve Ludwig, his focus changed to destroying the Silver Surfer by any means necessary.


Height: 6'4"
Weight: Presumably 225 lbs.
Eyes: Silver (sometimes glowed red)
Hair: None

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silversurferduplicate-xmachine-clay1silversurferduplicate-xmachine-clayformHistory:
(Silver Surfer I#7 (fb) - BTS) - Having developed the means to replicate another being, Ludwig apparently vowed never to attempt it for unrevealed reasons.

(Silver Surfer I#7 - BTS) - After Ludwig failed in his efforts to reanimate a corpse as his ancestor had done, the villagers assaulted and set fire to Castle Frankenstein. Ludwig then resolved that he had no choice but to complete Experiment X and use its results to destroy the villagers; he considered it worth breaking his vow to prevent all of the knowledge of the Frankensteins from dying with him. 

(Silver Surfer I#7 - BTS) - When the Silver Surfer happened by and drove off the attackers, Ludwig convinced him that he was a benevolent scientist who was attacked by those who did not understand him.

(Silver Surfer I#7 - BTS) - After some preparations, Ludwig summoned the Surfer back to Castle Frankenstein, where he convinced him to be the test subject of a process designed to drive evil from men's minds. Not trusting Ludwig, the Surfer surrounded himself with an aura of cosmic force to prevent any weapon from harming him.

    Ludwig sent Borgo to prepare the X-Machine and, with the Surfer sealed inside the device and unable to hear him, Ludwig discussed how his device allowed him to duplicate one living being's power in another. He would thusly create a synthetic duplicate of the Silver Surfer under his control; as there was no weapon to harm the Surfer, his cosmic protection would not prevent this. Considering that while his ancestors had brought a body back to life, he was creating new life on a blob of lifeless clay, as he was the greatest Frankenstein of all.

    Sensing there was evil afoot but desiring to learn its nature, the Surfer allowed the process to continue, naively feeling that his power would protect him from whatever occurred.

(Silver Surfer I#7) - The X-Machine's energies soon began to transform the pile of clay into a more human form, eventually replicating the Silver Surfer's form and much of his power. Appreciating the danger too late, the Surfer broke free from Ludwig's device but was then shocked when Ludwig revealed his creation, which he commanded to slay the true Surfer. Although the Surfer was only stunned, Ludwig considered that there was not anyone who could now oppose him, and he sent his creation to teach the villagers to fear and respect him. The Surfer duplicate indeed flew to the villagers, blasting one of them and telling the others to remain motionless as he related a message from his master, Frankenstein, that his will was now theirs, that escape was impossible, and that any who refused to serve Frankenstein would perish.

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silversurferduplicate-xmachine-boardapproach
(Silver Surfer I#7 - BTS) - After the Surfer revived, Borgo revealed the Surfer duplicates whereabouts and activities, and the Surfer departed to confront the duplicate. Ludwig subsequently physically assaulted Borgo for betraying him. 

(Silver Surfer I#7) - As the Surfer flew through the village, the villagers mistook him for the duplicate and cowered, after which the duplicate ambushed him. Driven back by the blast, the Surfer bore additional blasts while shielding villagers but then used his surfboard to briefly knock the duplicate away.
silversurferduplicate-xmachine-vssurfspace
     To spare innocents from their conflict, the Surfer led the duplicate into space where they violently crashed into each other.

(Silver Surfer I#7 - BTS) - The energies of their clash were detected and reported to Dr. Hartford. As their oscillograph's needle went wild, Hartford considered that only some sort of calamity in space could cause a reaction like that. As they monitored the site that was the source of the energies they had detected, a blinding flash overwhelmed them, and one of them commented that it was like a thousand suns exploding.

(Silver Surfer I#7) - The two Surfers then dueled in space, flying around and blasting each other; the Surfer noted that while the duplicate may match his speed, he still had skills that were a lifetime in the learning.

(Silver Surfer I#7 - BTS) - Russian and American forces detected the energies and each suspected that the others were testing new space weapons.
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silversurferduplicate-xmachine-finalbattle

(Silver Surfer I#7) - Announcing that the duplicate had been given the gift of life, which he could have used to illume a universe, but had instead made a mockery of this, the Surfer unleashed a powerful blast into the duplicate. Weathering this, the duplicate resolved that as their powers were equal and that they could not slay each other, it would instead use the Surfer's pity against him, and it flew back to Earth and assaulted an American city (perhaps Manhattan).silversurferduplicate-xmachine-destruction

(Silver Surfer I#7 - BTS) - Believing this to be the real Surfer committing an unprovoked assault, the US Air Force sent a number of jets to intercept him.

(Silver Surfer I#7) - Having followed the duplicate and witnessed the threat it posed to humanity, the Surfer assaulted the duplicate, warning that this was the end. The "cosmic crackle" blinded the Air Force jets, preventing them from attacking the Surfer, and so they circled, waiting until they could find their target.

    Grabbing the duplicate's hand, the Surfer channeled his power against the duplicate. When the duplicate argued that it wanted to live, the Surfer told it that so did those it wished to destroy. Fearing death, the duplicate panicked and lost control/focus of its energies, and the Surfer then began to drain the duplicate's power into himself. Realizing what was happening, the duplicate insisted that it had been created to be his equal even as melted and was consumed by the energies, leaving only the scorched surface of the building on which they had fought.

(Silver Surfer I#7 - BTS) - As the energies cleared, the Air Force jets fired on the Surfer, who elected to fly into space rather than fight back. The Surfer considered that the duplicate's lack of compassion and willingness to sacrifice itself for others was what caused it to become afraid and lose control, facilitating its downfall.

(Silver Surfer I#7 - BTS) - Stopping Ludwig from attacking the villagers, Borgo seemingly caused his and Ludwig's deaths

Comments: Stan Lee, John Buscema, and Sal Buscema.

    Of course, both Ludwig and Borgo survived and each went on to use the X-Machine again. You can see their own profiles and the Silver Monster profile for further detail

    Ludwig's machine was called the X-Ray in its initially appearance, but was identified as the X-Machine (although Ludwig presumably called what the X-Machine fired "X-Rays"). Presumably Ludwig was not familiar with the Wilhelm Roentgen, who discovered the more commonly known x-rays in 1895 A.D.?

    It was apparently normal clay that Ludwig transformed into the duplicate via his X-Machine, but -- especially since the duplicate seemed to have its own mind/thoughts -- it does make we wonder just how far Castle Frankenstein in Geneva, Switzerland was to Mount Wundagore in Transia. Especially since the Puppet Master once used such clay to create another Silver Surfer duplicate.

    This profile was completed 10/01/2023, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 25th anniversary event.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Silver Surfer duplicate should be distinguished from:


images: (without ads)
 Silver Surfer I#7, pg. 20, panel 3 (initial clay);
        pg. 21, panel 2 (clay taking silvery form);
        pg. 22, panel 3 (face, hand-blast);
        pg. 24, panel 1 (blasting villager);
          panel 3 (eyes glowing);
        pg. 30, panel 1 (blasting Surfer as Surfer's board approaches from behind)
        pg. 33, panel 2 (challenging Surfer in space; main);
          panel 4 (high-speed space battle);
       pg. 40, panel 2 (Surfer grabs hand);
          panel 3 (anguished face, wants to live);
          panel 4-7 (Surfer drains power and destroys)silversurferduplicate-xmachine-face-wantlife

Appearances:
 Silver Surfer I#7 (August, 1969) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), John Buscema (pencils), Sal Buscema (inks)

First posted: 09/01/2026
Last updated: 10/01/2023

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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