CARLTON BEATRICE

Real Name: Carlton Beatrice

Identity/Class: Human mystic

Occupation: Owner and CEO of Carlton Industries

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Anung-Ite, Michael “Mickey” Souris

Enemies: The Keewazi tribe, She-Hulk, Wyatt Wingfoot

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Carlton Industries, New York City

First Appearance: She-Hulk: Ceremony#1 (1989)

Powers/Abilities: Carlton Beatrice possessed several skills mystical in nature but limited to his use in totems and his habit of consuming souls. Within his power was the ability to take the souls of animals and human beings, manifest them as wafers or crackers and then consume them for their astral energies. He could conjure weapons of mystical force, appear on the astral and dream planes and teleport living beings into those realms. He could mentally enslave anyone whose soul he had removed as well as control and command Anung-Ite, a being from the cosmology of the Native American gods. Powered by a mystical object such as a sacred Keewazi basket could enable him to spread his power and influence across the planet.

History: (She-Hulk: Ceremony#1 (fb, BTS))- Carlton Beatrice was once a young opportunistic businessman who tried to purchase land from the Keewazi Indian Reservation in Oklahoma. Unable to budge Chief William Wingfoot into the sale, he just happened to glance upon Wingfoot’s wife, Roberta, and her sister, Miriam, in a religious and mystical ceremony. He studied the arts to perfect and practice them as well as they could and even applied another obscure mystical art of stealing souls in his mastery of mysticism. Totally lacking in beneficent energy, that which Miriam called “female energies,” he clashed with Miriam and killed her for her psychic energies. Fleeing the reservation, he headed to New York where he used what power he had in the mystic arts to build his own company.

(She-Hulk: Ceremony#1-2)- Beatrice soon learned he needed a mystical basket that the Keewazi possessed to expand his power, but Roberta had sent it as a gift to her son Wyatt’s then fiancée, Jennifer Walters, the She Hulk. He had the Indian spirit Anung-Ite sent to procure the basket, but then he soon learned it could not be taken by force. It had to be given to him willingly.

Beatrice eventually ransomed Wyatt’s soul for possession of the basket in order to possess it. He used its power to force the Keewazi Indians to see their land for its mineral rights and then started stealing power from all the souls on Earth. Jennifer and Wyatt attacked in on the astral plane by merging their psychic energies as one and breaking Carlton’s hold on his power. With the basket’s energy redirected through them, they were able to restore the souls Beatrice had stolen his power on them. His body destroyed in the process, his soul took the form of a harmless butterfly as it departed.

Comments: Created by Dwayne McDuffie, Robin D. Chaplik and June Brigman.

Interesting villain, Carlton Beatrice seems to be part J.R. Ewing and part Doctor Doom. One would have to wonder he was such a nasty character because he was terrorized in school for having a girl’s name.

The concept of souls as butterflies has occurred more than once in the Marvel Universe. The cosmic Akhenaton when he was destroyed by Thanos became one and Satana Hellstrom swallowed them after drawing them from her victims.

Although Carlton Beatrice has a certain control over mystical energies, he does not seem to be a true sorcerer in the sense of Doctor Strange or Jennifer Kale. In fact, the entry for Doctor Druid in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe#3 remarks that because Druid does not manipulate ambient and extra-dimensional magical energy, that Druid cannot be counted as a sorcerer, his use of ritualistic Celtic Earth magic qualifies him as a mystic. Likewise, since Beatrice seems to manipulate Native American mystical energies without earning the right or discipline to do so, he can only be called a mystic rather than a true sorcerer.

In fact, considering the threat that Beatrice poses, one would have to wonder why Dr. Strange wouldn’t get involved in challenging him.

Possibly, Carlton Beatrice’s company has location offices in Tulsa, Oklahoma near the Keewazi Indian Reservation.

The name of Wyatt Wingfoot’s father is not mentioned in the issue, just his role in defying Beatrice. His name comes from the entry for Wyatt Wingfoot in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe#15. -Actually, it comes from Fantastic Four I#51, Wyatt's second appearance. --Prime Eternal

This entry was initially going to cover Mickey Souris in a smaller entry, but given his connection to Damage Control, he will be getting his own entry in the far future.

by Will U

CLARIFICATIONS:
Carlton Beatrice should not be confused with:

• Carlton Blanchard, obnoxious old man from the TV series “Wings,” NBC-TV
• Anyone else named “Carlton” or “Beatrice”

Non-Marvel Copyright info
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