Luciphor
| Luciphor aka The Cobra | |
| |
| First appearance: | "The Cobra" |
|---|---|
| Created by: | Lee Falk and Phil Davis |
Luciphor aka The Cobra is a character from the Mandrake the Magician comic strip that first appeared in "The Cobra", the very first Mandrake story.
Fictional Character Biography
The Phil Davis Era
The Cobra was[1] a powerful magician and a fanatical leader of a powerful secret society that sought control of the world. In his hiding place somewhere in Egypt he had enslaved thousands of men and controlled them both mentally and physically. He had erased their faces and forced them to work in his gold and diamond mines. The gold and diamonds he used for his inventions, powerful weapons of mass destruction such as; explosives, deadly gases and death rays.
Mandrake put an end to the Cobra's plans to rule the world when he destroyed his hideout and laboratory and magically transformed the Cobra into a real cobra.
The master in black magic had escaped[2] death in the sands of Egypt and built himself a new hideout and laboratory in the eastern cave-land, where the five red rivers rise. Even though the Cobra was genious in mechanics and chemestry he kidnapped several scientists to help him develop two deadly weapons: production of gold using base metals and a deadly gas. The goal was to become Emperor of the Earth, and as he thought some men could be bought, others had to be forced.
Mandrake managed to find the Cobra in his hiding place and during the fight that followed, the Cobra fell off a high cliff - a fall Mandrake thought no one could survive.
The Fred Fredericks Era
Luciphor was[3] one of the teachers at the College of Magic at the time Mandrake was a student there. One day the brilliant magician robbed the college, fled and turned his vast powers to criminal use and became the Cobra - Mandrake's first and most deadly opponent, who Mandrake thought had died in a fire in his own lab. The Cobra survived and fled to a secret island where he spent several years recovering from his injuries, and managed to build a large organization that took on many criminal missions. He began wearing a silver mask to hide his face, that even after numerous plastic surgeries still was disfigured.
The way the criminal missions were carried out led to the Cobra and Mandrake meeting in a mental battle of wills which the Cobra lost. He managed to escape in a rocket while his hideout was blown up.
The Cobra found[4] a new hiding place in an abandoned castle on a mountaintop in Cockaigne and started building an underground city beneath it. He made evil plans to take over as ruler of Cockaigne, with Narda at his side as queen.
He realized that Mandrake was on his trail and set a trap for him in a cave beneath the castle. A dummy the Cobra spoke through, using a microphone and loudspeaker, lurked Mandrake in a cave beneath the castle. Then the Cobra blew up the castle and the underground city in the hope that Mandrake would perish - and the Cobra once again disappeared without a trace.
When Luciphor left[5] the College of Magic he also tried to steal the Theron's crystal cube. Luciphor almost killed Mandrake in the attempt, but Mandrake and his twin brother Derek managed to prevent the attempted theft.
The Cobra decided to make another attempt to get Theron's cube and sent his men to besiege the College of Magic. Along with the men were also his assistant Udd who sat in a shark-like super sonic helicopter that acted as a signal amplifier, so that the Cobra without leaving the hide out could control the situation using cameras, microphone and speakers.
Mandrake and Lothar appeared at the college and prevented the attempt to get their hands on the cube, and the Cobra's last words to Mandrake were that the next time he and Mandrake met, Mandrake would die.
In his laboratory inside a large cave in a mountain far away, the Cobra had managed[6] to create a replica of a crystal cube. Although this was a pale copy of a real crystal cube, he had used it to find out that Mandrake at Xanadu had a twin cube - identical to the one Theron had at the College of Magic. He realized that Xanadu, with its many obstacles, would be difficult to break into and devised a plan. He had parts sent to the prison so that the Mole could rebuild his laser-beam suit and forced the Mole to join his men. First, he lured Mandrake and Lothar away. Then the Mole took action and made a tunnel from the gates of Xanadu up to the mansion so that he and his assistants could bypass all the obstacles on the way up.
Mandrake and Lothar returned and managed to overpower the burglars. Udd escaped in the shark-like supersonic jet and from his hiding place the Cobra had to realize that he also this time was also unable to get hold of one of the amazing crystal cubes.
In his dark hideout, the Cobra used[7] his replica of a crystal cube to make people have dreams, bad dreams. Then he offered a miracle medicine that cured nightmares - for $100,000. He filled the entire mountain where his hideout was with electronics and worked diligently to fortify his cube. First it amplified his mental power to lift a feather, then a toothpick, then[8] a ton of stone - and then destroy it. He now saw the beginning of his great plan, conquering country after country until there was none left to conquer - and then - His United Nations.
But Mandrake was on his trail and used his cube to completely destroy the Cobra's hideout.
Story References
- ↑ 1934, the daily story no. 1: "The Cobra"
- ↑ 1934, the daily story no. 9: "In the Cobra's Grip"
- ↑ 1965, the Sunday story no. 97: "The Cobra Returns"
- ↑ 1967, the daily story no. 133: "The Return of Evil"
- ↑ 1969, the daily story no. 142: "The Cobra Strikes"
- ↑ 1971, the daily story no. 149: "The Rogues"
- ↑ 1974, the daily story no. 158: "The Cobra and the Cube"
- ↑ 1974, the daily story no. 159: "The Search for the Cobra"
Family
Mandrake learned that The Cobra's true identity was Luciphor, Theron's oldest son — thus making The Cobra Mandrake's half-brother.
Notable appearances
The Cobra has appeared in these stories:
| Year | Daily/Sunday | Title | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Daily | "The Cobra and the Cube" | |
| 1974 | Daily | "The Search for the Cobra" | |
| 1975 | Daily | "The Frame-Up" | just a glimpse at the end |
| 1979 | Daily | "Mandrake's Gangster Gallery" | |
| 1981 | Daily | "Mandrake's Family" | Mandrake's half brother |
| 1984 | Daily | "Behind Death's Door" | without the silver mask |
| 1989 | Daily | "King Kered" | |
| 1992 | Daily | "The Book of Criminals" | |
| 1995 | Daily | "Pursuit of the Cobra" | |
| 1997 | Sunday | "Mandrake Marries Narda" | |
| 1997 | Daily | "Mandrake's Wedding at the College of Magic" | |
| 1998 | Daily | "Mandrake's Wedding at Xanadu" | |
| 1999 | Daily | "Siege at Xanadu" | first time in the strips, Luciphor and Derek meet each other as adults |
| 2007 | Daily | "Dangerous Music" | |
| 2012 | Daily | "Melody of Doom" | |
| 2013 | Phantom Sunday | "Mandrake's Bon Voyage" |
| Characters | |
|---|---|
| Supporting |
Mandrake the Magician • Chief Bradley • Hojo • Jed • Karma • Lothar • Magnon • Narda • Theron |
| Villains |
Aleena • Derek • Luciphor aka The Cobra • The Mole • The Octon • Saki aka The Clay Camel |