Mirror Master
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Mirror Master is a fictional character and a supervillain in the DC Universe. He is a recurring foe of the Flash with large technical knowledge and skills involving the use of mirrors. Two individuals have donned the guise of Mirror Master.
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[edit] Sam Scudder
Sam Scudder was a simple convict working in the prison machine shop, when one day he stumbled onto a method of mirror-making that would let mirrors capture and retain images for limited periods of time. Scudder used his discovery to escape, and then began to refine the technology. He then began a life of crime as the masked supervillain Mirror Master, and terrorized Central City. Mirror Master was constantly working on new technology, developing mirrors that allowed him to capture people inside them, travel to other dimensions, control minds, and convert matter into glass. During the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Mirror Master was dispatched back in time to prevent a catastrophe, but was killed from behind while arguing with fellow villains.
Later, Captain Boomerang briefly took Scudder's identity, becoming the second Mirror Master, to commit crimes while remaining in good standing with the Suicide Squad.
[edit] Evan McCulloch
As a baby, Scottish mercenary Evan McCulloch was left on the doorstep of an orphanage run by a Mrs. McCulloch, with nothing but his first name and a photograph of his parents. He grew up as a fairly normal child, until one night he got in a fight with a rapist bully and killed him. He was never caught, and, at age 16, Evan left the orphanage, again with nothing but his parents' photograph.
He settled in Glasgow, where he took up a life of drinking and partying that eventually led to crime. Robbery and extortion eventually led to murder, and Evan began to hire himself out as an assassin. He was an excellent killer, and quickly became one of the most renowned mercenaries in the United Kingdom.
One day, he had two hits scheduled. His eye was injured in the course of the first, leaving him with impaired vision. Evan couldn't shake the feeling that the second target seemed familiar, but only after he pulled the trigger did he recognize the man as his father from the photograph. At the funeral, Evan saw his mother.
Over the next few days, he tried to work up the courage to see her, but by the time he had, she had committed suicide. Stricken with grief, Evan was about to turn himself over to the authorities when a shady consortium of U.S. government and big business interests offered him the costume and weapons of the original Mirror Master in exchange for his services.
His first assignment was to scare Animal Man into abandoning his animal-rights stance, a mission he failed thanks to the furious kickings of the hero's wife. McCulloch eventually even helped Animal Man to fight the same men who gave McCulloch his weapons, but his heroism was short lived. He continues to work as a criminal and a supervillain-for-hire.
He later moved to Keystone City, and came into conflict with the third Flash. He discovered a "Mirror Dimension" which enables him to travel through any reflective surface. During the events of Underworld Unleashed, the Rogues had accepted him as Scudder's successor.
He worked with Blacksmith in her takeover of Keystone and Central City. When her plan failed, he became a member of Captain Cold's gang. He also battles an addiction to cocaine, which has gotten him a beating from Cold. He seemed to have sobered up since the death of Captain Boomerang.
McCulloch subsequently joined Alexander Luthor's Secret Society after the Rogue War. He, Captain Boomerang II and Captain Cold battled the Outsiders before Infinite Crisis. In Infinite Crisis #7, they fought in the final battle being defeated by Martian Manhunter.
One Year Later, Evan is a member of the new Suicide Squad in Checkmate #6. He is again using cocaine.
A fourth Mirror Master briefly appeared as a member of the "League-Busters" in Justice League International v2, #65 (Jun 1994). He wore a purple outfit; this outfit has not been seen again.
[edit] Other media
Mirror Master appeared in an episode of Superfriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show entitled "Reflections in Crime" where he was voiced by Casey Kasem. Interestingly enough the Flash doesn't appear in this episode.
An episode of the live action The Flash TV series featured Sam Scudder, a criminal who used holograms to commit his heists. He was played by David Cassidy.
Mirror Master appears in the Justice League Unlimited episode, "Flash and Substance", voiced by Alexis Denisof. He joins forces with several other Flash villains to demolish the newly opened Flash Museum. The character seems to be a mix of Scudder and McColloch. He is clearly American and thusly not the Scottish follow-up Mirror Master, as well as being a simple criminal and not a hitman; however, his mirror powers are tilted more towards the enhanced, almost supernatural McColloch skills, including a Mirror Dimension.
[edit] External links
- Hyperborea entry for Mirror Master I
- Hyperborea entry for Mirror Master II
- Alan Kistler's Profile On: THE FLASH - A detailed analysis of the history of the Flash by comic book historian Alan Kistler. Covers information all the way from Jay Garrick to Barry Allen to today, as well as discussions on the various villains and Rogues who fought the Flash. Various art scans.
- Crimson Lightning, an online index to the comic book adventures of the Modern Age Flash.