Torquemada (comics)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Torquemada | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
Tomás de Torquemada is the main villain from the comic strip Nemesis the Warlock in British comic 2000 AD, who eventually got a number of spin-off adventures of his own. He is named after and inspired by the real life Tomás de Torquemada.
Originally the leader of a fascist police force in the far future, he became the dictator of the entire human race, and his Empire wages a racist war against all alien species, who Torquemada regards as "impure." He is served by an army of soldiers called Terminators, whose unifoms resemble Ku Klux Klansmen. His underlying aim is to keep the human race united by their fear and hatred of all aliens. Nemesis is the leader of the alien resistance.
Torquemada is described as being totally evil, and having absolutely no redeeming features whatsoever.
After Nemesis caused Torquemada to have an accident in a teleporter, Torquemada lost his physical body but continued to survive as a ghostly spirit. He then began possessing the bodies of volunteer Terminators to use for himself. The bodies would rot and die after a short time and have to be replaced. This eventually contributed to his first wife's loss of her sanity.
His catchphrase is "Be pure! Be vigilant! Behave!"
Contents |
[edit] Family
Torquemada's family members have included:
- Murcalla de Torquemada (mother, alive)
- Nostradamus de Torquemada (brother, alive but insane)
- He became insane when he was ambushed by the Monads and Torquemada abandoned him to his fate instead of helping him. Torquemada had him committed to a lunatic asylum, and pretended Nostradamus was his senile grandfather.
- Candida de Torquemada (first wife, alive)
- Barbarossa de Torquemada (son, dead)
- Pandora de Torquemada (daughter, dead)
- Sister Sturn (second wife, dead)
- Atilla de Torquemada (son by Sister Sturn, alive)
[edit] Quotes
- I can't say it enough! Be pure! Be vigilant! Behave!
- I am the supreme bigot! I am the ultimate fascist!
- No alien is so cute it can't be cleansed!
- Sleep is no refuge for impure thoughts!
- Thanks to my bigotry, my hatred, I united the Human Race against the rest of the Galaxy! For the first time in Earth's history, humans no longer kill each other if they're a different colour, creed, or political belief... Because now we've really got something to hate...something to fear...something to kill! Out there - in space - are creatures who are really different...really weird... A universe full of 'em!
- A true leader is prepared to destroy those he loves for his cause.
- There is only one good alien... A dead alien!
[edit] Death of a Tyrant
Torquemada's evil reign ended when his first wife Candida mysteriously recovered from her madness. Upon hearing the news, he had his second wife, Sister Sturn murdered and made preparations for his second marriage to Candida. The wedding ceremony ended disastrously when his hated foe Nemesis appeared with Candida willingly fleeing from the temple with him.
Humiliated on live tv, his evil regime quickly crumbled but he still had one last trick. Stealing Nemesis' Blitzspear, he fled to the Hypogeum to activate a "Generation Bomb" (which would destroy all alien life on Earth). Before he could even activate it, Nemesis managed to contaminate him with alien DNA with his claws before using his remaining powers to make sure Torquemada would perish with him. When the bomb exploded, both Nemesis, his Blitzspear and Torquemada were formed together and fell into the timestream for all eternity.
[edit] Publication
- Nemesis the Warlock (by Pat Mills):
As well as appearing in Nemesis the Warlock he has appeared in his own eponymous series:
- Torquemada (by Pat Mills):
- "The Garden of Alien Delights" (with Bryan Talbot, in Dice Man #3, 1986)
- "Torquemada the God" (with Kevin O'Neill, in 2000 AD #520-524, 1987)
- "Torquemada's Second Honeymoon" (with Kevin O'Neill, in 2000 AD Annual 1988, 1987)
