Mahkizmo

Mahkizmo
Mahkizmo as depicted in Captain Marvel (vol. 10) #1 (January 2019). Art by Carmen Carnero (penciler/inker) and Tamra Bonvillain (colorist).
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Fantastic Four #151 (October 1974)
Created by	Gerry Conway Rich Buckler
In-story information
Alter ego	Mahkizmo
Team affiliations	Men of Machus
Notable aliases	The Nuclear Man
Abilities	Superhuman strength and durability Energy projection

Mahkizmo, also known as the Nuclear Man, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. As his name suggests, he is an extreme male chauvinist.

Mahkizmo first appeared in Fantastic Four #151 (October 1974), and was created by writer Gerry Conway and artist Rich Buckler. He is the enemy of Thundra, herself a character meant to symbolize extreme feminism.^[1]

The character subsequently appears in The Sensational She-Hulk #34 (December 1991), #38-39 (April–May 1992), Fantastic Four: Foes #1 (March 2005), #5-6 (July–August 2005).

Mahkizmo received an entry in the Marvel Legacy: The 1970s Handbook #1 (2006).

Mahkizmo is the ruler of Earth-74101 in the 23rd century, where men enslaved women. His timeline is the thematic opposite of Thundra's universe, where the women subjected the men. The two come into conflict when Thundra travels to the 20th century of Earth-616 to change the past and prevent Machus from existing. Mahkizmo sentenced Thundra and the Fantastic Four to gladiatorial combat before being killed in an energy explosion when Thundra and the Thing punch him at the same time.^[2] This also merges his and Thundra's universes of Machus and Femizonia.^{[volume & issue needed]}

Mahkizmo survives the implosion as an intangible and invisible entity, and is angered that the people of the merged world were living peacefully. He travels in time to prevent the universes from merging before being defeated by the Thing and She-Hulk.^[3]

Mahkizmo was originally depicted as a straightforward villain. During his appearance in The Sensational She-Hulk, writer/artist John Byrne treated Mahkizmo as a comedy character by accentuating the character's oafishness to grotesque proportions. Part of the story's humor was based on the character's limited intelligence. In issue #39, it was revealed that Mahkizmo did not know how babies were conceived, and hence had not realized that his plan to kill all women would prevent future generations from being born.

Mahkizmo is among the Fantastic Four enemies who meet with the Puppet Master to form an alliance. They are captured and transferred to the Vault in the Negative Zone before being temporarily freed by the sorceress Threska.^[4]

Mahkizmo later battles Captain Marvel when she is transported to an apocalyptic version of Roosevelt Island.^[5][6]

• Mahkizmo at The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe