Niccolai Tepes (New Earth)
From DC Database
| This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Monk (comics). The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with DC Database, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License. |
Contents |
History
Earth-One and Earth-Two
The Monk first appeared in Detective Comics #31. He is one of Batman's earliest significant villains, his battle with Batman being one of the Dark Knight's first multi-part adventures. The Monk is a vampire who wears a red, monk-like outfit, with a hood that bears a skull and crossbones. He has an assistant named Dala who lures Batman to his lair using Bruce Wayne's fiancee, Julie Madison, as bait.
The Monk places Julie in a hypnotic trance. After rescuing Julie, Batman kills the Monk and Dala by shooting them with silver bullets as they lay in their coffins.
The Monk would returned several decades later on Earth-One in Detective Comics #515. The Monk's appearance is preceded by Dala's return in Detective Comics #511, during which she romances Dick Grayson (a.k.a. Robin) as part of her master's plan.
The Monk is established as a post-Civil War plantation owner from New Orleans named Louis DuBois. He and his sister Dala are attacked by their vengeful ex-slaves and subjected to a voodoo ritual which transforms them into the undead.
During the course of the story, Batman himself is transformed into a vampire by the Monk but is eventually cured by a serum administered by a priest/exorcist named Father Green. At the conclusion of the tale, Green departed with the captive Monk and Dala, hinting that he had been pursuing them for a very long time indeed.
Although later events have called this story into question, the Monk's continued existence Post-Crisis is confirmed by the presence of a familiar red hood displayed as a trophy in the Batcave.
Batman and the Mad Monk
The "Batman and the Mad Monk" storyline deals with the Mad Monk Post-Crisis. In this version, the Monk is referred to as "Niccolai" and is the vampiric leader of a cult called "The Brotherhood", based in an abandoned castle/manor house on the outskirts of Gotham City. His followers, among whom is the gothic Dala, feed upon the blood of captured victims. Only the most devoted acolytes are transformed into true creatures of the night however. Julie Madison is once again turned into the Monk's pawn, she is lured to the castle by Dala under the guise of the Monk being some sort of self-help guru. At present, the current origin of the character has not been revealed. It should be noted that Dala is not a vampire, but she hopes to become one so she can serve as Niccolai's right hand.
Recommended Readings
See Also
- Batman (Bruce Wayne)
- Dala
- Batman: Dark Moon Rising
- Transylvania
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Immortality: So long as vampires continue to consume blood, they will not age beyond the physical state they were in when they first became a vampire.
- Invulnerability: Vampires are invulnerable to most forms of injury (certain exceptions apply). Bullets, blades and blunt objects do little to no damage to a vampire's body.
- Regeneration: In addition to being virtually indestructible, whatever damage a vampire does in fact suffer can be healed through the consumption of human blood.
- Superhuman Strength: A vampire's strength level is several times that of a normal human being and they are considered superhuman.
- Superhuman Stamina: So long as they continue to consume human blood, a vampire can function tirelessly without rest or relaxation. However, a vampire's stamina wanes the closer it is to sunrise.
- Transformation: Vampires often possess the ability to transform into a variety of creatures or effects such as bats, wolves, rats or even mist. While their physical attributes may fluctuate during such states, a vampire's mental acuity is the same as that when they are in their human shape. A vampire who transforms into an animal may also benefit from that particular animal's attributes including razor-sharp claws, fangs or the ability to fly.
- Psychokinesis: Most vampires possess some form of psychokinesis. Some are clairvoyant, others can communicate telepathically, some possess mind control. Particularly powerful vampires can control the minds of several people at once
- Vampirism: In addition to the various mental and physical benefits that vampires are heir to, they also possess the ability to turn others into vampires as well. Each new vampire is traditionally subservient to the one who "turned" them, but some strong-willed vampires have been known to rebel against their masters.
Abilities
The Mad Monk is extremely knowledgeable of the occult and is a master of hypnosis.Strength level
The Mad Monk's strength level is several times greater than that of the average human being.
Notes
- The Mad Monk was originally created by writers Gardner Fox and Bill Finger. In 2006, Matt Wagner re-imagined the character for modern times in the six-issue limited series, Batman and the Mad Monk.
Trivia
- The Golden Age Mad Monk was actually a combination of both a Vampire and a Werewolf. Batman was able to ultimately defeat him by shooting him through the heart with a silver bullet. This means of execution is commonly used against werewolves, not vampires.
See Also
- Discuss Niccolai Tepes (New Earth) on the forums
- Appearances of Niccolai Tepes (New Earth)
- Character Gallery: Niccolai Tepes (New Earth)
- Images featuring Niccolai Tepes (New Earth)
Links and References
Footnotes
  Batman Villain(s) |
This is an in-universe article with out-of-universe material. This article covers information about something that exists within the DC Universe, and should not contain out-of-universe material. Please remove all out-of-universe material, or include it in a separate section at the bottom of the article. |
