1st appearance: Special Marvel Edition #16 (February 1974)
Real Name: M’Nai
Aliases: Midnight; The Dark Destroyer
Nationality: African
Team Affiliations: Si Fan; Legion of the Unliving
Legal Status: legally dead; criminal of the Kree Empire
Height: 6’2” Weight: 210lbs
Eyes: Brown Hair: Black
Relatives: unnamed parents (deceased)
Skills and abilities: master combatant, equal to Shang Chi, ability to vanish into shadows
Powers: as Midnight- none; as Midnight Sun- clone body of original body genetically engineered by Kree to have superhuman strength, durability, reflexes, stamina, and also retains all combat skills; outfitted with disc attachments to his hands and feet to allow space travel, and he can exist in space indefinitely
Weapons: Midnight is armed with various daggers, throwing stars, and nunchucks.
Biography
Tragic Origins
M’Nai was born in a village located in Africa to parents who were agents of Fu Manchu, who operated a base from there. When the base was assaulted by Sir Denis Nayland Smith, M’Nai’s parents were killed in the raid and M’Nai was orphaned as an infant. An aide of Fu Manchu found M’Nai in the wreckage and saw the scars on his face from the fire. The aide wanted to put the crying infant out of his misery, but Fu Manchu stopped him. Fu Manchu realized that the child was not crying from pain, but from hatred towards those who caused the death of his parents. Fu Manchu took the child back to his fortress and raised him like a son alongside his other son; Shang Chi. M’Nai wore a mask to cover his scars. At the age of seven, Shang Chi ask M’Nai to remove the mask. M’Nai refused and the boys dueled. The fight was a stalemate, and the two became good friends (Special Marvel Edition #16).
When M’Nai was 15 he was accused of stealing from Fu Manchu. M’Nai’s accuser was on of Fu Manchu’s trusted aides and told Shang Chi and on of Fu Manchu’s other aides his accusation. M’Nai and Shang Chi fought when M’Nai approached Shang Chi about what he had been told. The two were able to put aside their difference and find the real thief. They tried to tell the other aide but was not believed. Shang Chi felt that Fu Manchu set the whole thing up to see if the boys would turn on each other. (Master of Kung Fu #41; June 1976) M’Nai’s first assignment was to go extend an invitation to the villain known as Half-Face to join Fu Manchu’s Si Fan. After fighting his way into Half Face’s home, M’Nai; now as Midnight; extended the offer, but was refused. Midnight felt sympathy towards Half Face because they both were disfigured. (Iron Man Annual #4; 1077) Shang Chi was sent by his father to assassinate an individual, in which Shang Chi refused. This act was the end of both his relationship with his father and M’Nai, who he felt was his brother. Shang Chi left and was located by Fu Manchu in New York.
Death
Fu Manchu sent Midnight after Shang Chi. When they first faced each other, he could not bring himself to fight Shang Chi, who he still considered a friend. When Midnight told Fu Manchu about this, Fu Manchu told him Shang Chi was a traitor and no longer his friend. Midnight found him again and tried to kill him. During the course of the fight, Midnight attempted to kick Shang Chi while they were on a winch and Shang Chi evaded the kick. Midnight’s momentum carried him over the edge and to his death. Midnight’s cape was snagged on the winch’s hook and snapped his neck (Special Marvel Edition #16).
Right before his death, Midnight was grabbed by Kang into the time stream. Kang employed him in his Legion of the Unliving, which attacked the Avengers. Midnight fought Mantis to a standstill, and Mantis was able to flee. Midnight caught up with Mantis, but was defeated and sent back to his proper place in time by Immortus (Avengers #132-132; January-February 1975; Giant Size Avengers #3; February 1975).
Agent of the Kree
After being returned to his time, Midnight’s body was taken by the Kree and placed in storage. 20 years passed, and the Kree found themselves in battle with the Silver Surfer. One of the Kree doctors reanimated Midnight’s brain and placed it in an augmented cloned body. The body was designed to be able to battle the Surfer. Now known as Midnight Sun, he was able to hold his own at first, using a shadow cloud the Kree released to attack. The Surfer was able to locate Midnight Sun in one of the clouds and defeat him. As the Surfer approaches the Kree planet, Midnight Sun was able to escape and was defeated, and was rescued by a Kree tractor beam. He was sent to defend the planet, and initially hesitated, but attacked the Surfer again after being goaded by the Surfer, and is once again defeated. (Silver Surfer #29-30; October-November 1989) Midnight Sun was turned over to the Kree for reprogramming. It was felt that his old memories were responsible for him hesitating in battle, and they needed to be purged. Midnight Sun broke free and escaped fighting off an entire battalion of Kree soldiers before being allowed to leave. Midnight Sun flew to the Earth’s moon to contemplate who he really was. (Silver Surfer Annual #4 1991)
Reunion
While on the moon, Midnight Sun saw the Silver Surfer flying towards Earth and flew into his path to see if the Surfer knew who he was. They two fought as Midnight Sun attempted to make the Surfer talk to him. The battle was seen by the Inhumans, midnight Sun was injured in the fight and had to remove his mask. The Surfer was horrified by Midnight Sun’s appearance. As Midnight Sun fought to hide his face, the Inhumans appeared. The Surfer informed them that he did not know who Midnight Sun was, but they departed as friends. Midnight Sun went with the Inhumans, who treated his wounds. (Silver Surfer #60; December 1991) Midnight Sun returned to Earth, and his earliest memory was of fighting Shang Chi. He located Shang Chi and started fighting him. Shang Chi realized what Midnight Sun wanted, and told him he was M’Nai, his brother. (Shang Chi. Master of Kung Fu One-Shot #1; NOVEMBER 2009)
