NORTON DUNLAP
Real Name: Norton Dunlap
Identity/Class: Human (cyclops) (1950s era)
Occupation: Unrevealed
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Dr. Konda
Enemies: None
Known Relatives: Unnamed father (deceased)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Unnamed town
First Appearance: Marvel Tales I#126 (August, 1954)
Powers/Abilities: As a cyclopean human, Dunlap had only one eye. However, the gaze from this eye could kill with a gaze in only a few seconds. Norton also had a very weak memory.
History:
(Marvel Tales I#126 (fb) - BTS) - Norton Dunlap was born with only one, big eye: the left one. He inherited this feature from his father, who had a single eye and was a cyclops. However, Norton's memory was very defective and he easily forgot that his gaze could kill a person, so when he met somebody who befriended him, he eventually took off his dark eyeglasses, unwittingly letting his fatal gaze strike the person. The total lack of a friend led Norton to become more and more sad, secluded, depressed, slovenly and alone. He started begging for friendship, making him appear to be a freak or a mad man, which instead made people avoid and ill-treat him.
(Marvel Tales I#126) - One night, Norton was so depressed that he entered a cemetery and lay on the ground. He met the grounds keeper and eventually showed him his eye, killing him.
The night after, forgetful of the previous night, Norton was again begging for friendship in the streets. Dr. Konda, a psychoanalyst, observed him and asked if he could study his problem. Norton was happy to have a new friend and underwent all the psychological tests that Konda needed.
After few days, Konda guessed that the cause of Norton's problems could be due to his father. Norton showed him a picture of his father: a cyclops! And then immediately after, he took off his eyeglasses. Konda wasn't able to stop him on time. Norton's lethal gaze struck him and Konda died. Norton was again in the streets, begging for a friend.
Comments: Created by Stan Lee (writer) and Al Eadeh (pencils and inks).
It is unknown if what kills is the cyclops' gaze or looking at the cyclops' single eye. In the second case, it could be enough to be blindfolded or not to look at Norton so as to avoid being killed. In the first case, it would be necessary to have Dunlap wear dark eyeglasses.
So who took the picture of Norton's father? The photographer may well have died shortly after. Or does looking at the cyclops' eye through a lens stop its killing effect? Maybe it was another cyclops, and maybe they are immune to each other's gaze. Perhaps it was a relative or Norton himself; a parallel is Alex/Havok being immune to his brother's Scott/Cyclops' power and vice versa.
Norton seemed old, about 60, in the story, and looking at the fashion, buildings and cars, it could be any USA town from the 1950s, possibly even before. I suppose that Norton would be dead by now and that he didn't have any heirs, but, who knows, maybe he was a mutant and his young great grandson went to study in a special school for gifted people in Westchester, NY (hint, hint).
Profile by Spidermay.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Norton Dunlap name has no known connections to
Dr. Konda name has no known connections to
Norton's father was also a cyclops. His gaze could kill a person in a matter of seconds.
--Marvel Tales I#126
Dr. Konda was a psychoanalyst. Konda was attracted to Norton's behavior and wanted to study it. He questioned and tested Norton in several ways. He also tried to wrench out a violent side by putting Norton into a hypnotic state, but Dunlap seemed mild and calm. Konda thought that Norton had a block of some kind that had been caused by, or derived from, Norton's father. Norton let him see a picture of his father, then took off his sunglasses and killed Konda.
--Marvel Tales I#126
images:
(without ads)
Marvel Tales I#126, p1, pan1 (main image)
Marvel Tales I#126, p4, pan3 (head shot)
Marvel Tales I#126, p4, pan2 (father)
Marvel Tales I#126, p3, pan4 (Dr. Konda)
Appearances:
Marvel Tales I#126 (August, 1954) - Stan Lee (writer and editor), Al
Eadeh (pencils and inks),
Last updated: 08/04/08
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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