CULT of the HARVESTER of EYES
Membership: Agent
of Fortune, Belathauzer/Balthazar, Vera Gemini,
numerous unidentified demons and humans;
formerly Devil-Slayer
(Eric Simon Payne)
Purpose: To
enact Xenogenesis (the rebirth of the demon race on Earth)
Affiliations: None
Enemies: Deathlok
(Luther Manning), Devil-Slayer, Defenders (Hellcat/Patsy
Walker, Hulk/Robert Bruce Banner, Nighthawk/Kyle
Richmond, Doctor Stephen Strange, Valkyrie/Brunnhilde), Marc, Sharon
Base of Operations: "Dark Retreat" temple in the jungles of Mexico
First Appearance: Marvel Spotlight I#33 (April, 1977)
History:
(Marvel Tarot#1 (fb) - BTS) - The Cult of the Harvester of Eyes was
originally formed to hunt down and kill followers of Agamotto.
(Defenders I#58 (fb) - BTS) - Centuries ago,
the Ancient One (Yao) defeated the Cult of the Harvesters
of Eyes with the Eye of Agamotto.
(Defenders I#59 (fb)) - The Cult was
reformed in order to enact Xenogenesis, the rebirth of
the demon race that once walked the Earth. Human agents
were recruited, and a headquarters was utilized and
shielded from discovery in the jungles of Mexico. Vera
Gemini, half-demon and half-human, possessed the power
to commit human sacrifices and to resurrect one demon at
a time. The resurrected demon then took on a human
form and was integrated into human society, from rulers
of countries to common muggers. Eventually, there would
be enough demons to rule the Earth once again.
(Marvel
Spotlight I#33 (fb) - BTS) - The Cult recruited
Eric Simon Payne, a former soldier and hit-man, to
act as a Reaper of Souls. They helped awaken his
telepathic powers, and equipped him with a
Shadow-Cloak (through which he could teleport to
other dimensions, and draw forth extradimensional
weapons). Calling himself Devil-Slayer, Payne
acted as the Cult's assassin, learned their
tactics, and discovered the location of their dark
retreat.
(Marvel Spotlight I#33 (fb)) - When
Devil-Slayer defected from the Cult after learning
their true purposes, the Cult sent a death squad
of demon assassins (and possibly a demogorge)
to apprehend him. After an unrevealed attempt
to reclaim him in Jamaica, they pursued him to New
York City, where he planned to say goodbye to his
ex-wife Cory
Payne; but the demons arrived first at New
Grace Hospital, where Cory worked, and replaced
the staff with demon duplicates.
(Marvel Spotlight I#33) - At the
hospital, Devil-Slayer did battle with the
futuristic cyborg Deathlok, thinking Deathlok
was a demon. While the two of them continued
their fight in another dimension, the demons
revealed themselves to Cory Payne and planned on
murdering her to get revenge on Devil-Slayer.
But Devil-Slayer and Deathlok came back and
battled the demons, causing the demons to flee
with vows of revenge.
(Defenders I#59 (fb)) - Vera
Gemini conceived a plot to accelerate
Xenogenesis--by using Dr. Strange's Eye of
Agamotto, she could open a portal that would
allow the demons direct access to Earth via
the astral plane.
(Defenders I#58) - The Cult
sent an Agent of Fortune, an operative used
to garner possessions, to retrieve the Eye
of Agamotto from Dr. Strange, and the Agent
was successful. Meanwhile, Vera Gemini met
with Devil-Slayer at a nightclub and tried
to re-recruit him, although he'd been
actively fighting against the Cult.
Devil-Slayer over-reacted and assaulted the
seemingly normal Vera, leading the Valkyrie
and the Hulk to try to stop him, and Vera
escaped.
When two Americans, Marc and
Sharon, approached the Cult's headquarters
in some ruins in the jungles of Mexico, they
were captured and used as sacrifices to
enact another demon resurrection. The Agent
of Fortune returned with the Eye and was
instructed to slay Devil-Slayer.
(Defenders I#59) - Once
Belathauzer was resurrected, he took on
the human form of an Air Force base
commander. Dr. Strange tracked down
the Eye on the astral plane, but Vera had
already used it and demons began
manifesting themselves. Caught up in the
spell, Dr. Strange's form merged with some
of the demons. Meanwhile, Devil-Slayer
arrived at the Cult's headquarters and was
attacked by the Agent of Fortune.
(Defenders I#60) - When
the Cult's human agents exhausted
themselves with a chant of resurrection,
the demons burst forth and killed the
humans. In a game of demonic roulette
with the demon overlords, Vera Gemini
claimed leadership of both demons and
humans. When the Defenders
arrived, they separated Dr. Strange from
his merged form and defeated the Agent
of Fortune. While Hulk, Valkyrie, and
Devil-Slayer battled the demons, Hellcat
defeated Vera Gemini, and Dr. Strange
and Nighthawk successfully retrieved the
Eye of Agamotto. The Xenogenesis plot
was reversed, and the Cult of the
Harvester of Eyes was no more.
(Marvel Tarot#1 - BTS) -
Sorcerer Ian
McNee read about the original
purpose of the Cult of the Harvester
of Eyes.
Comments: Created by David Anthony Kraft, Rich Buckler, Mike Nasser, Arvell Jones & Klaus Janson.
The names
'Vera Gemini' and 'Harvester of Eyes' are songs by Blue
Oyster Cult.
Agent of Fortune is also a reference to Blue
Oyster Cult lyrics, and it is also an album title. Balthazar too
is a reference to BOC lyrics (both are in the song ETI on Agents
of Fortune), there might be more, but I'm pretty sure that's it.
If you care enough, I'd check the
Blue Oyster Cult site, I think they have a page on cameos,
Marvel used stuff from their songs a couple times
--Jacob Bleier
Slayer (Dave Cox) fought Captain America and Nomad
(Monroe) using Devil-Slayer's uniform (including a shadow-cloak)
in Captain America I#293-294. Dave was manipulated and
mind-controlled into wearing it by Baron (Helmut) Zemo and Mother
Superior to strike at Captain America.
--Michael Niosi
New and additional images by Ron Fredricks.
Profile by Chadman.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Cult of the Harvester of Eyes has no known connection to:
|
Marc and Sharon
Marc
(last name unrevealed) was an archaeologist affiliated with
Empire State University; he had not had any recent discoveries,
and so was sent on a trip to the jungles of Mexico. Sharon (last
name unrevealed) accompanied Marc, and chided him for going
at all.
While the two of them argued in the
jungle, they came upon the ruins that acted as the headquarters for
the Cult of the Harvester of Eyes.
The two of them were captured by the Cult
and used as human sacrifices to enact Xenogenesis.
--Defenders
I#58
|
|
images: (without ads)
Defenders I#58, p17, pan1 (Cult members inside temple)
Marvel Spotlight I#33, p16, pan1-2 (demon assassins with captured Cory Payne; Devil-Slayer and Deathlok)
Defenders I#58, p17, pan3 (Cult members prepare to sacrifice Marc and Sharon)
Defenders I#58, p15, pan1-2 (Marc and Sharon)
Defenders I#58, p15, pan5 (Marc and Sharon get captured)
Appearances:
Marvel Spotlight I#33 (April, 1977) - David Anthony Kraft (writer), Rich Buckler, Mike Nasser & Arvell Jones (pencils), Klaus Janson (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Defenders I#58 (April, 1978) - David Kraft (writer), Ed Hannigan (pencils), Klaus Janson & Dan Green (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Defenders I#59 (May, 1978) - David Kraft (writer), Ed Hannigan (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Defenders I#60 (June, 1978) - David Kraft (writer), Ed Hannigan (pencils), Dan Green (pencils/inks), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Marvel Tarot#1 (2007) - David Sexton (writer/designer), Jeff Youngquist (editor)
First Posted: 12/20/2005
Last updated: 07/22/2025
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and © 1941-2099
Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com
Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com
for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!
Back
to Groups