Mister M (comics)

Mister M (Absolom Zebardyn Mercator) is a comic book character created for Marvel Comics by David Hine and David Yardin. He debuted in District X #2.

Early life
Not much is known about the enigmatic man called Mr. M. From what can be gleaned of his past, he was originally from Belgium, but after his powers manifested, he left for the United States, and after much wandering, settled in Mutant Town. Once there, he mostly stayed to himself, only leaving his apartment at night to get drunk.

Mutant Town
From time to time he would intervene in the lives of the other citizens of Mutant Town, but most of it was unwelcomed. For instance, he once rescued a young boy called Toad Boy from rivaling gang lords and returned him to his mother, curing him of his mutant abilities to produce hallucinogenic fumes and drug-like secretions. His mother was furious at Mr. M because she, like many other residents in Mutant Town, had become addicted to "Toad Juice"—the mind altering secretions he produced. Another time, he attempted to stop Jazz from pursuing a man who stole his drugs. Also, when he was trying to liberate Toad Boy, Mr. M killed one of the guards by phasing his hand inside of his body and squeezing his heart.

After seeing a painting (by an artist who painted his premonitions) of himself as a destroyer, Mr. M made up his mind that the only way he could help Mutant Town was by destroying all of the sickness and corruption. He decided to go through with it (although Bishop and Ishmael tried to stop him) leveling the city with huge displays of energy manipulation. When he had finished, his friend and neighbor Hanna Levy asked him if he would want to take it back. He agreed that if he could he would, and then Lara the Illusionist dropped her show to reveal that the destruction had been an illusion, as Ishmael had recruited her last minute to avert the disaster and Bishop had absorbed all of the energy output.

Mr. M also did good things with his powers: He regularly fixed people's electronics, and once saved Officer Ishmael Ortega's daughter by removing a bullet from her body and sealing the wound.

Mr. M had made several enemies in his lifetime, and one of the dangling plotlines of the series involved a hit put out on his life. The individual actually came very close to succeeding, shooting him three times in the head at point-blank range, however his mutant abilities saved him.

Decimation/The 198
After the events of M-Day, Mr. M was one of the few individuals unaffected. He visited his hospitalized friend Hanna, who was growing insane due to all of the bugs that had begun to attack her when she lost her mutant power, and helped to heal her mind. On her suggestion, he decided to head to the Xavier Institute on foot.

When he arrived at the encampment around the Institute, he seemed to be in greater commune with nature. As he passed through the walls surrounding the school, and the Sentinels went to attack him, he effortlessly brushed them off, stating that the giant robot almost stepped on a species of very rare caterpillar. Other displays of his power in the 198 camp were: creating and evolving a mini-pterodactyl, restoring the hair of Lorelei that had been cut off by angry Purity members, and creating force fields to stop the fighting between Fever Pitch, Sack, Erg and the Sentinels. The members of the X-Men are very leery about the intentions of Mr. M and the concern over his god-like abilities. It is suggested by an agent of O.N.E. that he is an Omega-level mutant. He then begins a relationship with the girl Lorelei and when the true purpose of the "tracking" chips is revealed he promptly removes them from all the mutants that they were implanted in, he then declares he is leaving for a new sanctuary and any are welcome to follow. The face in Johnny Dee's chest quietly declares him a threat that must be eliminated. Mr. M leads his followers to an island which they reach by walking across the water, when the X-Men show up to try and talk them into returning, Cyclops is promptly attacked by a mind controlled Erg and when he retaliates Mr. M declares he shall protect his followers.

Death
However, Johnny Dee, under the command of General Demetrius Lazer, uses his "voodoo dolls" to make Leech depower Absalom and then uses Magma to annihilate Mr. M. That night, as Lorelei and Leech watch over Absolom's coffin, they fall asleep. In a way paralleling the rising of Christ, the pair wake to an empty casket. The story cuts to Lorelei and Leech, surrounded by butterflies, telling the 198 about their experience: "I can't tell you what we saw.  I don't have the words.  Absolom never appeared to anyone else, but he did not want them to grieve for him, so he sent them a message.  'Some things do not die... THEY EVOLVE!'"

It is unknown whether Mister M truly died, or if he simply lost his human form.

Powers and abilities
Mister M is an Omega-level mutant. Similar to Owen Reece, Mr. M has complete control over the atomic and subatomic structure of matter, and energy. Thus far, M has displayed: repair of machinery, intangibility, super strength, healing injuries either in himself or others, removal or augmentation of mutant abilities, creation of force fields, telekinesis and creation and evolution of lesser life forms, as well as Energy manipulation and generation including lightning, fire and explosions.

House of M
In the House of M alternate timeline, Mr. M is the head of a facility named the Centre for Transformation and Illumination, a center that focuses on unleashing the mutant potential in a child through the Rite of Transformation.