KERWIN J. BRODERICKKERWIN J. BRODERICK
Real Name: Kerwin J. Broderick
Identity/Class: Human mutate
Occupation: Attorney, would-be world conqueror
Group Membership: Broderick, Sloan and Murdock
law firm (Matt Murdock, Jason Sloan);
formerly Broderick, Sloan and
Cranston law firm (Larry
Cranston, Jason Sloan)
Affiliations: Angar
the
Screamer (David Angar), Charles, Dark
Messiah (Mordecai Jones), Disciples
of
Doom (Josiah, Macabee, Uriah), Johns, Kraven
the Hunter (Sergei Kravinoff),
Mr. Fear
(Larry Cranston), Ramrod,
Jason Sloan, Terrex
formerly Daredevil (Matt
Murdock), Moondragon (Heather Douglas)
Enemies: Black Widow (Natasha Romanova), Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell), Daredevil (Matt Murdock), Janis, Moondragon (Heather Douglas), Jann Wenner
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: Kerwin the First, Terrex
Base of Operations: San Francisco, California,
USA
First Appearance: (mentioned): Daredevil I#88
(June, 1972);
(seen in shadow): Daredevil I#101 (August, 1973);
(fully seen): Daredevil I#104 (October, 1973)
Powers/Abilities: Kerwin J. Broderick was a prominent attorney who wielded extraordinary power and influence, manipulating those in government and in the underworld to do his bidding. He used Titanian machines to grant powers and abilities to Ramrod (enhanced cybernetics and strength), Dark Messiah (force shields, eye blasts, strength, teleportation), Angar the Screamer (sonic screams with hallucinations) and the Disciples of Doom (Uriah (illusion-projection), Josiah (sonic vibrations) and Macabee (manipulate the elements)). While merged with Terrex, Broderick wielded enormous destructive power, including the ability to draw the life-force from the planet itself to kill or paralyze others at a whim, to manipulate plant matter and vast strength, size, and durability. Broderick's Terrex form took intense focus to maintain control.
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 140 lbs.
Eyes: Blue; (as Terrex): green
Hair: White; (as Terrex): green
History: (Daredevil
I#101 (fb) – BTS) – Using aggressive methods,
Kerwin J. Broderick built up the biggest law practice in the state of
California.
(Daredevil I#106 (fb) – BTS) – Broderick spent
years gaining
power in the city, working with criminal elements, manipulating his law
partners including Jason Sloan and rigging elections including that of
Johns. He felt he controlled the entire city of San Francisco.
(Daredevil I#88 (fb) – BTS) – Attorney Larry
Cranston joined
up with the men and they called the law firm Broderick, Sloan and
Cranston.
(Daredevil I#89 – BTS) –Cranston offered the newly
relocated
Matt Murdock a position at the firm.
(Daredevil I#90 – BTS) – Sloan also put pressure
on Murdock
to join up with Broderick.
(Daredevil
I#91 – BTS) – Cranston was exposed as the new
Mister Fear and was seemingly killed in battle, seriously impacting Broderick, Sloan and Cranston.
(Daredevil I#95 (fb) – BTS) – Murdock agreed to
join Broderick and Sloan's
law firm, now called Broderick, Sloan and Murdock.
(Daredevil I#106 (fb) – BTS) – Broderick began to
feel like
he was losing control of his city with super heroes like Daredevil and
Black
Widow on the streets and men like Murdock in his firm causing problems.
(Daredevil I#106 (fb)) – Broderick was approached
by
Moondragon, a woman recently arrived on Earth from space, and he
believed her
mad when she told him of her powers and her plans to take down Thanos.
After he
saw her advanced technology and Titanian ship, however, he began to
gain mad
delusions of power, wanting to be king of San Francisco. He realized he
could
manipulate Moondragon to his own aims and he planned to use her
technology to
alter others, giving them super powers and making them loyal to him.
(Daredevil I#97 – BTS) – Broderick took
injured civilian Mordecai Jones from the hospital and transformed him
into the
Dark Messiah. Jones then staged a prison break and three of the
prisoners were
turned into the Disciples of Doom: Josiah, Macabee and Uriah.
(Daredevil I#98 – BTS) – Dark Messiah and the
Disciples of
Doom battled Daredevil until the hero forced Jones to confront who he
really
was. Meanwhile, Kerwin J. Broderick, senior law partner, pushed Jason
Sloan to
pressure Matt Murdock to get a particular verdict in a case, telling
him to have
boys in a case plead guilty although they were innocent.
(Daredevil I#100 – BTS) – Broderick used
Moondragon's
machines to change David Angar, a hippie protester, giving him sonic
scream
powers that induced hallucinations. Angar the Screamer began attacking
the city
in random attacks, causing mass hallucinations. Broderick also tasked
some local kids with
stealing paperwork from Jann Wenner, editor of Rolling Stone magazine.
(Daredevil I#101) – Daredevil thwarted the kids'
attempt to
rob Wenner. Angar returned to his benefactor, Broderick, who
demonstrated his
power over Angar by pushing a button, activating a device implanted
into Angar's head,
causing him pain. Broderick, in shadow, emphasized that Angar would do
as he
was told and that he was in control, just as he had been over Dark
Messiah.
Meanwhile, Murdock told Sloan that he planned to go against Broderick's
edict
to plead guilty for the kids he was representing. Broderick then
ordered Angar
to kidnap Murdock, forcing Angar to battle Daredevil, Black Widow and
the police, several of whom were hurt before Angar fled from the fight.
(Daredevil I#103 (fb)) – Broderick and Moondragon
(using the
alias Madame MacEvil) retrieved a man from the hospital who had most of
his bones
broken in an oil rig accident. They enhanced him, giving him cybernetic
and
metal enhancements, turning him into the criminal Ramrod. Broderick
told Ramrod
he'd been poisoned and he'd give him the antidote if he returned with
papers
from the home of Black Widow, where Daredevil was keeping Wenner's
papers for
safe-keeping.
(Daredevil I#103 – BTS) – Ramrod attacked
Daredevil and
Black Widow and also battled Spider-Man. Ramrod retrieved the papers
Broderick had ordered him to retrieve but he was
ultimately defeated and lost them.
(Daredevil I#104 (fb) – BTS) – Broderick continued
to put
pressure on Matt to push for a guilty verdict but Matt was more
determined
than ever to help the kids be found innocent. He also pressured Sloan
to get
Murdock to delay.
(Daredevil I#106 (fb) – BTS) – Preparing for his
end-game,
Broderick activated Terrex, a doomsday weapon that would draw power
from the
Earth itself. He recognized that Terrex had no soul and would thus need
a
human host to bond with, planning for that to be himself. With a
machine, Broderick
established a mind-meld with Terrex to allow the creature to walk,
move, talk
and use its powers.
(Daredevil I#104) – Broderick sent out an engraved
invitation to Murdock, inviting him to a house party. Later, he met
with Kraven
the Hunter, offering the villain $100,000 to hunt down Daredevil but
Kraven
agreed to do it without money. Kraven's initial ploy failed then Matt
went
ahead with the trial over the following days. Matt and Natasha attended
the
party at Broderick's home, where Broderick promised not to bring up
work.
Kraven attacked the party and when Daredevil and Black Widow fought
back, Kraven seemed to win.
(Daredevil I#105) – Kraven threw Daredevil to his
seeming
death and then was arrested. Daredevil ended up on Moondragon's ship
and helped her realize that she had been committing evil all along.
Before she
could come to her senses, Broderick, also aboard the ship, shot her
with a blast
ray, saying her usefulness was at an end. Terrex then attacked Earth,
panicking Broderick's party guests including Charles.
(Daredevil I#106) – Broderick, holding Daredevil
(with the
prone Moondragon) at gunpoint, showed off his end-game with Terrex
fighting
Black Widow and the police, Dark Messiah containing San Francisco under
a force
field, Ramrod frightening the public and keeping Angar the Screamer
ready. Broderick
used his ray gun's last charge to knock out Daredevil. Among the
civilians whose
life force was given to Terrex was the girlfriend of Angar the
Screamer, Janis.
(Daredevil I#106 – BTS) – Broderick departed,
wrecking most
of Moondragon's base so that Daredevil couldn't use the machines to
stop him.
(Daredevil I#106) – Daredevil and Moondragon used
the one
undamaged part of the base, the teleport chamber, to return to Earth.
Moondragon managed to take away Dark Messiah's powers. Broderick joined
with
Terrex, promising to destroy San Francisco unless he was made king
within an
hour. The heroes closed in around him.
(Daredevil I#107) – As the heroes and cops helplessly watched, Broderick
allowed himself to be absorbed into Terrex, melding them together and
giving him the creature's full powers. He stated that unless he was
proclaimed king of San Francisco, he would destroy the city. When
Daredevil kicked Terrex, Broderick temporarily paralyzed his legs,
showing mercy, then stormed off to wait for his time limit to
pass. Broderick advanced to Golden Gate Park, where Captain Marvel
arrived from space to attack him. Terrex fired at the hero then saw him
defeat Ramrod. Jason Sloan tried shooting Terrex then begged for his
own death but Angar the Screamer arrived and turned his
hallucination powers on Broderick's mind directly. The assembled heroes
(including Daredevil, Black Widow and Moondragon) fought Terrex,
leaving Broderick overwhelmed and unable to focus. Moondragon's
telepathy, together with Angar's hallucinatory powers, caused Broderick to believe
he was being overwhelmed by the force of un-life itself, forcing a
separation from Terrex, which killed Broderick. In the aftermath, the
heroes stood around the corpse of Broderick.
Comments: Created by Gerry Conway, Gene Colan and Tom Palmer.
Profile by Chadman.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Kerwin J. Broderick has no known connections to:
(Daredevil I#105) – Charles attended a party at the home of Kerwin J. Broderick. He witnessed a fight between Kraven the Hunter, Daredevil and Black Widow, refusing to jump in and help when Daredevil was in danger.
(Daredevil I#106 (fb) – BTS) – Johns was among the elected officials manipulated by Kerwin J. Broderick as he worked with criminals across San Francisco.
--Daredevil I#106 (fb)
images: (without ads)
Daredevil I#105, p20, pan1 (Kerwin Broderick with gun, main image)
Marvel Encyclopedia HC Vol. 5: Marvel Knights, p58, Kerwin J. Broderick entry image (Kerwin, headshot)
Daredevil I#106, p5, pan1 (Kerwin the First)
Daredevil I#107, p3, pan1 (Kerwin merged with Terrex)
Daredevil I#105, p3, pan5 (Charles)
Daredevil I#106, p3, pan3 (Johns)
Appearances:
Daredevil I#88-91 (June-September,
1972) – Gerry Conway (writer), Gene Colan (penciler), Tom Palmer
(inker), Stan
Lee (editor)
Daredevil I#95 (January, 1973) –
Gerry Conway (writer), Gene Colan (penciler), Tom Palmer (inker), Stan
Lee
(editor)
Daredevil I#97 (March, 1973) –
Gerry Conway, Steve Gerber (writers), Gene Colan (penciler), Ernie Chua
(inker), Roy Thomas (editor)
Daredevil I#100 (June, 1973) – Steve Gerber (writer), Gene
Colan (penciler), John Tartaglione (inker), Roy Thomas (editor)
Daredevil I#101 (August, 1973) – Steve Gerber (writer), Rich
Buckler (penciler), Frank Giacoia (inker), Roy Thomas (editor)
Daredevil I#103-104 (September-October, 1973) – Steve Gerber
(writer), Don Heck (penciler), Sal Trapani (inker), Roy Thomas (editor)
Daredevil I#105 (November, 1973) – Steve Gerber (writer),
Don Heck, Jim Starlin (pencilers), Don Perlin (inker), Roy Thomas
(editor)
Daredevil I#106 (December, 1973) – Steve Gerber (writer),
Don Heck (penciler), Sal Trapani (inker), Roy Thomas (editor)
Daredevil I#107 (January, 1974) – Steve Gerber (writer), Bob
Brown (penciler), Sal Buscema (inker), Roy Thomas (editor)
First Posted: 06/25/2018
Last updated: 06/25/2018
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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