Mister Miracle

Mister Miracle(Scot Free) is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Jack Kirby and first appeared in Mister Miracle #1(1971).

Publication History(1)

Mister Miracle debuted in the first issue of the eponymous series cover dated April 1971 as part of the Fourth World tetralogy. Big Barda, the character's love interest, was introduced in Mister Miracle #4 (October 1971). According to creator Jack Kirby's then-assistant Mark Evanier, Kirby wanted to be a comics creator and creative supervisor at DC Comics, rather than a regular writer-artist: "... we were going to turn Mr. Miracle over to Steve Ditko after a couple of issues and have me write it and Ditko draw it. Carmine Infantino, publisher of DC at the time, vetoed that and said Kirby had to do it all himself." Evanier did unofficially co-plot most issues of the series.

The original title featuring this character was the longest-lasting of the Fourth World titles, lasting 18 issues while the other titles, New Gods and The Forever People, were cancelled after only 11 issues. The most traditionally super-heroesque comic of the various Fourth World titles, the last seven issues as well as later incarnations of the series would downplay the Fourth World mythology in favor of more traditional superhero fare. The character teamed up with Batman three times in The Brave and the Bold. The title was revived in September 1977 by Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers. Steve Gerber and Michael Golden produced three issues ending with #25 (September 1978) with several story lines unresolved. Mister Miracle teamed with Superman in DC Comics Presents #12 (August 1979) and met the Justice League of America and the Justice Society of America in Justice League of America #183–185 (October–December 1980).

When the character was revived as part of the Justice League International lineup in 1987, a one-shot special by writer Mark Evanier and artist Steve Rude was published in 1987. This special was followed by an ongoing series that began in January 1989, written by J. M. DeMatteis and drawn by Ian Gibson. Other writers who contributed to the title include Keith Giffen, Len Wein, and Doug Moench. This run lasted 28 issues before cancellation in 1991. The series was largely humor-driven, per Giffen's reimagining Scott Free, his wife Big Barda, and their friend Oberon, who pretended to be Scott's uncle, as living in suburbia when they were not fighting evil with the Justice League.

In 1996, a series written by Kevin Dooley showed Scott attempting to escape his destiny as a New God by setting up a charitable foundation in New York. This ran for seven issues, before all Fourth World titles were canceled for the launch of Jack Kirby's Fourth World.

In addition, Scott's ally and wife Big Barda was made a member of the revived Justice League and appeared regularly in the Jack Kirby's Fourth World series by John Byrne.

With the launching of Grant Morrison's meta-series Seven Soldiers, Mr. Miracle was revived as a four-issue miniseries. This miniseries focused instead on Scott's sidekick and apprentice Shiloh Norman, who Morrison established as the new Mr. Miracle.

Fictional Character Biography

Pre-New 52(2)

Mister Miracle was Scott Free, the god of escape in the New Gods mythology. Originally, the boy Scott Free was the son of Highfather Izaya, the ruler of New Genesis. However, as part of a diplomatic move to stop a destructive war against the planet Apokolips, Highfather agreed to an exchange of children with his enemy Darkseid. In doing so, he surrendered Scott Free to the care of his enemy while he received his enemy's son, Orion.

For years, Scott Free grew up in the care of Granny Goodness, a sadistic minion of Darkseid who oversaw the training of Darkseid's forces with inhuman intensity. As he matured, Scott learned that he had a natural talent for escaping and overcoming seemingly impossible traps. His talent and his love for freedom were furthered by Himon, a natural troublemaker and the one god whom Darkseid's forces weren't able to capture. Scott refused to be hardened by the planet's cruel abuse and kept his innocence and hope in the midst of such darkness. He fell in love with Big Barda, a warrior who was leader of an elite squad of woman warriors known as the Female Furies; she in turn was won over by his innocence and goodness, and later married him.

Eventually, Scott Free escaped and fled to Earth. Once there, he became the protégé of a circus escape artist, Thaddeus Brown, whose stage name was Mister Miracle. Brown was impressed with Scott's skills (especially as supplemented with various advanced devices he had taken from his previous home). Scott also befriended Brown's assistant, a dwarf named Oberon. When Thaddeus Brown was murdered, Scott Free assumed the identity of Mister Miracle. Barda later followed Scott, and the two used their powers, equipment, and skills in the war against Darkseid, who was still interested in recapturing both of them. Unknown to Darkseid, Scott eventually acquired the complete Anti-Life Equation, Darkseid's ultimate desire. However, his will was strong enough to resist the temptation to use it.

On Earth, the two have often accompanied Orion, and all 3 have served on the Justice League.

For a time Scott retired as an active hero, and a man named Shiloh took his place as Mister Miracle.

Death of the New Gods

Following the murder of Barda, Scott became increasingly unstable. Changing his uniform to a darker version, he flung himself into the investigation conducted by Superman and Orion, briefly considering that Orion was responsible. Discovering the corpses of the Forever People, Scott used the Anti-Life Equation to resurrect their soulless bodies to try to determine their murderer, but they dissolved their bodies rather than tell. Finally, when Superman and Scott confronted Orion, Scott allowed the Anti-Life Equation to take over, trying to kill Orion, only for Orion to reveal that he was attempting to draw the murderer out.

Finally, Superman and Scott traveled to the Source Wall, where they found a second composed of the dead New Gods. Superman revealed that the murderer, posing as Himon, was actually the Infinity-Man. Scott unleashed the equation to try and destroy the Infinity-Man, only for the Infinity Man to reveal that he was an agent of the Source, attempting to reunite with the Anti-Life and create a fifth world. Broken by the knowledge that he had violated every one of his principles to avenge his wife, only to discover that the murderer was the god he had worshiped for so long, Scott Free allowed the Source/Anti-Life entity to kill him.

Resurrection

He was resurrected along with the other New Gods on the Fifth World.

The New 52(3)

Scot is the lost son of Highfather who was raised in Apokolips.

He was traded by Darkseid's son for a promise of peace between Apokolips and New Genesis, but the peace was short lived as both planets soon reengaged war again.

He remained a slave until his escape from the planet, arriving to Earth and adopting the name Mister Miracle while he visited countless worlds until he eventually returned to Apokolips with the hopes of seeding revolution and free the planet from Darkseid's tyranny, finding love with the Fury Barda.

At some point, Scot became the sentient host of the manifestation of Death that was in the possession of Darkseid. Being bonded to it against his will, he was unable to escape until, under unknown circumstances, he was released from it.

Sometime before the war on Earth, Scot and Barda were considered traitors and were dragged into Apokolips' invasion attack as prisoners. However, four years later they managed to escape and the two went into hiding, becoming fugitives for both Steppenwolf and the World Army.

They fled to Gotham looking for the mysterious Batman, but were ambushed by Fury who was behind Miracle. They fought until the Red Tornado arrived the scene.

Miracle was captured and mind controlled by Bedlam with the purpose of creating a planet-sized Boom Tube for Apokolips, bringing Terrific and Sloan for assistance. The Boom Tube completed, they activated it and Earth begun to be absorbed by it, but once they were freed from Bedlam, Miracle destroyed it. Saving Earth, but were ultimately being captured by Bedlam again.

World's End

Miracle was enchained by Bedlam, using him to contact Apokolips under the watch of Fury and Barda, waiting for the right chance to escape which, once presented, used to imprison his captor inside Sloan's mind. Once there, Miracle and Sloan used Bedlam's sins against him, turning him to ashes.

The World Army held him captive with the intention of interrogating him before being forcefully released by Fury and Barda. Once freed he was looking for his Mother Box, so the World Army made a deal with him. Once returned to him by James Olsen, he purified everyone's minds of Bedlam's remaining influence and begun the preparation for the invasion of Apokolips, to which Miracle suggested a subtle approach for the attack, preferring to travel on spaceship rather than Boom-Tube. Right before they could launch to Apokolips, the power of the Fury of Famine was consuming his human allies' life, so he was forced to Boom-Tube them to the assault ship.

Finally arriving to Apokolips' atmosphere, he noticed the planet was starving to death, thus the perfect chance to stop Darkseid. Searching for the Mobius Chamber key, Miracle confronted Paternus and took the key from him, ordering Barda and Fury to distract him while he went to the planet's heart. He confronted Darkseid about himself, asking the evil god answers but got nothing from him, so he used Terrific's Boom Spheres to destroy Darkseid, unintentionally freeing him from his seal.

Betrayed by his father and Barda, Miracle was defeated and Fury surrendered to Darkseid, leaving him alone. To his surprise, Fury double-crossed Darkseid for him, joining him on his battle against the evil God.Teleporting his human allies out of harm's way, Miracle was still wounded by Barda's betrayal, wondering if he can trust anyone again, but was told by Fury that they were both betrayed and they must seek retribution instead of vengeance.

They went to the Slums of Apokolips in order to detonate a powerful explosive on the planet, but they were no means of protection, so Terrific told Miracle and Fury to tap into their transportation devices' power to create a shield to protect them from the blast. Unsure, they both managed to successfully defended themselves and their allies from the explosion, but it wasn't enough to destroy Apokolips.

Boom-Tubing back to Amazonia, Miracle informed Jimmy of the situation, learning from him that Commander Khan's sacrifice gave them a chance to survive. However, the space craft was too far and small, thus they requested Dr. Crane's assistance on the matter. As they launched to the escape craft, Apokolips' Tick Mines destroyed their rocket and nearly killed their human allies if not for their Aero-Discs to take them to safety inside the craft, successfully surviving the vacuum. But the craft's systems could not be accessed, thus their required the help from Terry Sloan.

As Miracle reluctantly followed Sloan's commands, the ship apparently exploded when it was actually a ruse to fool Apokolips into making them believe they were destroyed. It was nearly futile, as not all survivors could fit on the escape crafts, but Terrific told them that they will find a solution when Green Lantern arrived. They all combined their resources to summon multiple crafts throughout the Multiverse to save the remaining survivors, but Apokolips' forces grounded the fleet of Earth, leaving even less survivors.

And after Green Lantern successfully teleported the last survivors and Apokolips devoured Earth, Scot told Fury that they will make a new home somewhere else, but they will do it without him.

Darkseid War

At some point Barda would betray Darkseid and would truly fall in love with Scot, leading to marriage between the two.

Scot returned to Apokolips in order to discover what was Darkseid after now, infiltrating his throne room to access his secret files. He uncovered information about his target when Darkseid discovered him, subsequently attacking and wounding Miracle, forcing him to escape through a Boom-Tube.

Landing on Earth, he found two Apokoliptians who immediately confronted him in battle and nearly killed him until he once again managed to Boom-Tube away, this time he arrived near a woman who offered him to join her in her war against Darkseid. She tried to convince him that the coming war was necessary to kill the Dark God, that the billion human casualties were the price to pay, but Scot didn't agreed with her, so the Amazon tried to slay him before Scot once again escaped through Boom-Tube.

He landed on the Rock of Eternity, finally coming across the Justice League to explain them the situation and request their help, noticing that Batman is above Metron's Mobius Chair. He managed to get the League's assistance to stop Darkseid, but before departing he immobilized Metron because of the latter's treachery.

Once in the battlefield, Scot battled against Kanto until Darkseid finally met his death at the hand of the Anti-Monitor. Confirming the despot's demise, he went to explain the truth behind the Black Racer to it's current host, explaining that escaping from death is beyond even him.

After the Dark God's death, Kanto engaged Scot in battle with Scot nearly being killed again before Barda boom tubed to his location and saved him. Barda would then go on to take care of Kalibak, whilst she did this Scot voiced his reservations about being seen with her as he wondered what the Furies and Granny Goodness would think if they were seen together, but before he could finish Barda interrupted him with a passionate kiss and told him to let them try to do something to get between them. Barda offered Lashina to let bygones be bygones, but Lashina refused her and vowed to continue pursuing her and Scot.

After the dust settled, he and the League would talk about their next plan of action. It was ultimately decided that they would need the Crime Syndicate's help in defeating Mobius, as they were the only ones with experience fighting him. In order to do this they had to break into Belle Reve.

While his wife provided a distraction, Scot was able to confront Ultraman. When Scot asked what Mobius goal was Ultraman, with tears in his eyes, said: "to kill every last one of us." Barda then broke down the door and told him she saw a green explosion down the hall. When they arrived they saw that Power Ring had taken complete control of Jessica Cruz and had hacked into Cyborg, Superwoman then used heat vision to blast Scot and Barda into the hall at which point Owlman blew open a hole in the prison wall and proclaimed that the Crime Syndicate and the Justice League must work together if they wish to defeat Mobius.

Powers and Abilities(4)

Like all the New Gods, Scott Free is functionally immortal; having stopped aging around the age of 30, he has developed an immunity to toxins and diseases. Scott has superhuman strength, agility, speed, coordination and reflexes, along with incredible stamina. Due to his exhausting and rigorous life on Apokolips, Scott Free has tremendous resistance to physical injury and psychic influence, and is capable of extremely rapid recovery.

Scott Free has a genius-level intellect and is knowledgeable about much of the universe. During his life on Apokolips, he was instructed by Himon in the science and use of advanced technology of Fourth World. Scott Free is a genius inventor who has designed most of the equipment in his costume, including his mother box.

He was trained by Granny Goodness as an aero-trooper. Although he despises violence and is often portrayed as a pacifist, he is a master fighter and skilled with weapons. Also Scott is a master escapologist and acrobat. He is considered better at escapes than Batman, and much of his skill is the result of his advanced physiology.

Scott Free is heir of the Alpha Effect, the antithesis of Darkseid's Omega Energy. In the past, Scott used these powers for various purposes. He was able to increase all his physical capabilities, resuscitate the dead (such as Big Barda and other New Gods), shoot energy blasts, fly, and manipulate and absorb vital energy. Darkseid mentions that these powers can reach almost unlimited levels.

Scott possesses greater power as the embodiment of the Anti-Life Equation, which allows him to warp reality on a cosmic level. The ability is fueled by rage and negative emotions which Scott himself usually doesn't have. The Anti-Life Equation can give any being the power to dominate the will of all sentient and sapient races.

Equipment

• Mother box
• Costume: Mister Miracle's costume is magnetically sealed and provides limited protection from damage and fire. It contains numerous hidden pockets. Each glove and boot has a pocket and the slim utility belt contains half a dozen more. A secret pocket on the upper right arm hides his Mother Box.
• Mask: Mister Miracle's mask contains circuitry for his Mother Box and a life support unit. The circuits let Scott use his Mother Box hands free. The life support system lets him survive in hostile environments.
• Gloves: The gloves have wide cuffs that hold Scott's multi-cube and assorted picks. In addition, the gloves can fire concussive blasts and generate enormous electric power, and contain a fingertip laser for fine welding or burning. His hidden circuits have the ability to create fission blasts and mini shock-waves.
• Boots: The soles of his boots contain laser-jets capable of burning almost any surface.
• Cape: Mister Miracle's cape is made of a memory fibroid from New Genesis. Scott's Mother Box can transmute the cape into a cocoon that can withstand a sizable explosion. This can only be done once. The transmutation is not permanent and destroys the cape.
• Aero Discs: Thin metal plates about a foot across. The New Gods use them for personal travel. They can reach speeds of 250 mph. Scott has modified his discs considerably. They are designed to retract into his boots when not in use. He added magnets to let him cling to a metal wall or ceiling and toe knives to let him cut ropes or nets while in flight.
• Assorted picks: An electro pick is a small tool Mister Miracle uses to escape traps. The electro pick opens locks and defeats security systems.

• Multi-Cube: It is a peripheral device for Mister Miracle's Mother Box. The cube was designed by Mister Miracle to use the transmutation power of the Mother Box to create a number of preset mechanisms in its interior. All of these functions are much easier to perform than improvised transmutation. They can be activated in stressful situations. The cube is small enough to be hidden in the palm of the hand. The multi-cube is not sentient but is still capable of interpreting complex commands and recording data. The multi-cube can fly under its own power and follow the mental commands of Mister Miracle. The cube can use the transmuting power of the Mother Box to create several hundred feet of swing line. Besides the cable, the cube can produce a smoke screen or fire suppression foam. The simplest use of the cube is to generate light effects. The cube can create lifelike holograms, a blinding flash or a laser capable of cutting through a steel cable or handcuff links. In hologram mode the cube can record extended scenes or make a complete holographic recording. It can then manipulate the playback to simulate the subject in motion. The cube can emit a powerful sonic beam that can spring locks or shatter a brick wall. The sound blast can stun an unprotected human.

Supporting Characters

Allies

Scot has a number of allies including his wife Big Barda, Batman, Super-man, Wonder Woman, Cyborg and the rest of the Justice League.

Enemies

Scot Free has a number of enemies including Darkseid, Steppenwolf, Kalibak, Granny Goodness, Lashina, Kanto, Myrina Black and many more.

Notable Comics

Sources

1.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mister_Miracle#Publication_history

2.http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Scott_Free_%28New_Earth%29

3.http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Scot_%28Prime_Earth%29

4.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mister_Miracle#Powers_and_abilities