Dr. Demonicus
Dr. Douglas Birely, operating under the alias Dr. Demonicus, is a recurring character in the Marvel Universe who first appeared in the fourth issue of the 1977-1979 Marvel comic series Godzilla.
A geneticist fascinated by mutation and monsters alike, Dr. Demonicus used a meteor called the Lifestone to create giant monsters in a bid to punish the world for shunning him from society. His first four creations consisted of the monsters Batragon, Ghilaron, Lepirax, and Centipor. However, his plans for world domination were temporarily halted by Godzilla, who attacked his base and slew his creations, leading to his arrest. Years later, Dr. Demonicus escaped custody, captured Godzilla, and mutated his new servant to an unrecognizable extent.
Selected history
- Godzilla #4-5 (1977)
- Iron Man #193, 196 (1985)
- West Coast Avengers Annual #6 (1991) [simulation]
- Godzilla vs. Hulk (2025)
Godzilla
"Godzilla Versus Batragon!"
A mad supervillain once known as Dr. Douglas Birely, Dr. Demonicus established a base within a dormant volcano on one of the Aleutian Islands. There he made use of a mysterious meteorite that he dubbed the Lifestone to create giant monsters, and employed an army of mercenaries known as Demon Soldiers, as he schemed to enact vengeance upon the world that he felt had wronged him.
Demonicus sent his first and most-prized creation, Batragon, to attack a Liberian oil tanker so his Demon Soldiers could extract the oil for his own use. After Godzilla fought and wounded Batragon, the creature retreated back to Demonicus' base to have his wounds healed by the Lifestone. Demonicus ordered the Inuit slaves he had captured to continue their work on a giant flying craft made from meteorite ore or he'd set his monsters free to devour their wives and daughters. Demonicus described the vessel as a portable Lifestone, which was to be powered by the stolen oil and would allow his creatures to venture out further beyond the island. However, Godzilla soon besieged the island, who himself was being tracked by S.H.I.E.L.D. forces. Upon reaching the island, S.H.I.E.L.D. began battling Godzilla while the latter killed Batragon shortly after arrival. Demonicus prepared to release all three of his remaining creations to fight Godzilla, but opted to play both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Godzilla against each other instead.
"The Isle of Lost Monsters"
After a S.H.I.E.L.D. helicopter entered the dormant volcano and located his base, Dr. Demonicus switched tactics and released Ghilaron, Lepirax, and Centipor to stop them. S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Gabriel Jones managed to infiltrate the base, only to be confronted by the mad supervillain himself and was held at gunpoint. In a bid to stall for time, Jones goaded the supervillain into revealing his backstory. Demonicus then detailed his origin story, explaining that he was a geneticist who had been contaminated by a radiation spill which left him with a mental imbalance that cost him his job. After witnessing a report of a meteorite crashing into the crater of a volcano on one of the Aleutian Islands, Demonicus used the last of his research funds to venture to the island, where he began to subject the tissues of various animals to the radiation of the meteorite - the Lifestone. He then extracted the hormones from the mutated tissues, then injected them back into the animals, and exposed them to the meteorite. The animals mutated and became giant monsters, with the first becoming Batragon. With an army of giant monsters, Demonicus formed an army of "Demon Soldiers" which consisted of former mercenaries and criminals, enslaved the native Inuit tribe who lived on the island, and planned to use his monsters against the world that he felt had betrayed him.
After finishing his story, Demonicus made the mistake of running off in a bid to save one of his creations, Ghilaron, from being killed by Godzilla. While distracted, Demonicus was ambushed by Jones, who quickly defeated him. After Godzilla killed Lepirax, the supervillain was taken into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody, his plans thwarted by the King of the Monsters.
Iron Man
"The Choice and the Challenge!"
Years after his defeat to Godzilla, Demonicus captured his hated nemesis and mutated the creature beyond recognition, gaining control over its mind and actions. While operating from an underwater base in the Pacific Ocean, Godzilla attacked an Avengers Quinjet that drew too close, causing it to crash land on a nearby island. Demonicus and the creature searched the island for the pilot and found a village, where Demonicus surmised that the pilot must have gone and promptly ordered Godzilla to destroy it. The pilot, Tigra, appeared and tried to defend the villagers by diverting Godzilla's attention, only to be grabbed by the monster. However, a group of Avengers arrived shortly thereafter to rescue her, with Hawkeye and Mockingbird spotting Demonicus in the process. As Mockingbird battled his guards, Demonicus himself escaped.
Iron Man #196
Though Demonicus assumed that Godzilla had been lost in a battle against Iron Man, the creature eventually returned to him with pieces of Iron Man's armor. Demonicus immediately put his plans for world domination on hold for the time being in order to use the armor to seek revenge on the Avengers. Donning the armor, Demonicus followed the departing Quinjet to the Avengers headquarters. Seeing what he assumed was Iron Man flying to where the jet had landed, Demonicus attacked. However, the armor was actually occupied by an extradimensional being named Omnos rather than his intended target, Tony Stark. Shortly thereafter, an Avengers Quinjet launched from the facility, where the real Stark magnetized the two warring armors together. Demonicus was apprehended again, and the alien disappeared.
West Coast Avengers Annual
"West Side Story!"
As Spider-Woman was taken through a computer-simulated history of the West Coast Avengers designed by Dr. Henry Pym, she witnessed a recap of the Avengers' encounter with Dr. Demonicus and the mutant Godzilla.
Gallery
Scans
Dr. Demonicus from The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (vol. 2) #3
Dr. Demonicus confronting Gabriel Jones
Dr. Demonicus fantasizing about how he will conquer the world
Dr. Demonicus with the mutant Godzilla in Iron Man #193
Dr. Demonicus wearing Stark's armor in Iron Man #196
Merchandise
HeroClix Dr. Demonicus
Trivia
- Though he debuted in Godzilla and was heavily associated with the monster in several of his early appearances, Dr. Demonicus went on to have a prolific history in various other Marvel titles, though his plans for world domination shifted away from employing giant monsters. Most notably, he created his own team of mutated supervillains known as the Pacific Overlords, who became enemies of the West Coast Avengers.
- Dr. Demonicus is featured in the collectible miniatures game HeroClix, in which he can summon Batragon as well as giant monsters that he employed in his non-Godzilla appearances.
External links
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