Created by: Gerry Conway and Ross Andru
1st appearance: Giant-size Spider-man #4, 1975
Nationality: Ethiopian; formerly Canaan; naturalized Us, Citizen
Team Affiliations: Agents of Apocalypse
Legal Status: Wanted in some countries
Weight: 159 lbs Height: 5’9
Eyes: Brown Hair: Black
Relatives: Unknown
Skills and abilities: Magnum is a talented designer whose creations include the terrordome weapons platforms and armored magnum shell suits.
Powers: Magnum’s body generates seismic force which amplifies his natural strength and attunes him to seismic vibrations. His strength is such that he can go toe to toe with Thor and Wonderman. He can unleash this seismic energy to cause tremors or devastating earthquakes, though he has no control currently.
Prior to his empowerment magnum’s weapons included finger-mounted force blasters and knockout gas.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X92MalkVjEY&feature=related]
Biography
Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Moses was an outstanding intellect from an early age. His fascination with weapons was also apparent early on. As a young man during World War II as Mussolini attacked Ethiopia he realized that those with superior weapons were to be both feared and respected. In that early conflict he defected to the side of the invading Italians to gain access to their technology and weaponry. The connection he made at this early stage helped him over time to become the world’s foremost independent weapons manufacturer. He clashed with Spiderman and Punisher when his Deterrence Research Corporation (DRC) had been hired to develop a toxic biochemical gas. His experimentation on innocent people finds him exposed to his own toxin though he survived. Later he clashed with Powerman as his company had begun mining in the earth’s core for potential energy. At the climax of the fracas he fell into the drill shaft to his “death”. The mutant Apocalypse then saved and recruited him to his cause by granting him seismic powers.
He next tried to conquer Japan using technology to boost his powers. The X-men and Sunfire stopped him though he escaped. Magnum then returned to the life of a businessman re-branding his company as “Magnum Munitions”. Purchasing the classified “Deathlok technology” though it was later stolen and lost in a clash with Deathlok. He next blew up the AIM headquarters while they both bid on a defense contract. The profits allowed him to secure a personal army; with it he conquered Canaan and sought to restructure its economy as independent and a safe haven for those of African descent. The Black Panther’s Wakanda was seen as a threat so mosses attempted to conquer though he was unsuccessful. For his constant failures Apocalypse stripped him of control of his powers and he had to build a floating platform and tried to appease Apocalypse. He was unsuccessful and was defeated by the Avengers and Triathalon. Daken under orders of Norman Osborn apparently killed him though he showed up alive and well in fear itself showing off a new weapon.
