Muse (character)
Muse | |
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![]() Muse as featured on the textless cover of Daredevil vol. 5 #14 (December 2016). Art by Dan Panosian. | |
Publication information | |
Publisher | Marvel Comics |
First appearance | Daredevil vol. 5 #11 (September 2016) |
Created by | Charles Soule (writer) Ron Garney (artist) |
In-story information | |
Alter ego | Unknown |
Species | Inhuman[1][2] |
Place of origin | Hell's Kitchen, New York City |
Notable aliases | Vincent van Gore |
Abilities |
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Muse is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Charles Soule and artist Ron Garney the character first appeared in Daredevil vol. 5 #11 (September 2016). Muse is an Inhuman serial killer artist who plans shocking mass murders, abductions, and torture as a means of creating his "art", converting them into works of street graffiti. He serves as an antagonist to Daredevil, Punisher, and Blindspot.[3][4]
A human version of Muse named Bastian Cooper was portrayed by Hunter Doohan in the first season of the Marvel Cinematic Universe television series Daredevil: Born Again (2025).
Publication history
[edit]Muse first appeared in Daredevil vol. 5 #11 (September 2016) in the story arc "Dark Art", and was created by Charles Soule and Ron Garney.
Fictional character biography
[edit]The first mural of Muse was discovered by the vigilante Blindspot in Washington Heights, painted with the blood of over a hundred people. His second, working in competition with himself, featured the corpses of six Inhumans posed with props as if they were performing everyday tasks. After being tracked down by Blindspot and Daredevil during preparation for his next piece, Muse gouged Blindspot's eyes out to distract the Devil of Hell's Kitchen, and broke his own fingers upon his capture to avoid giving Daredevil the satisfaction.[5]
Following Wilson Fisk's rise to power as the Mayor of New York and his establishment of anti-vigilante laws,[6] Muse escaped from his prison, killing twelve correction officers, and continued his work,[7] inspired by Daredevil's fight of justice in spite of the persecution.[8] In their way of supporting the vigilantes, Muse vandalized numerous landmarks of Manhattan with giant-sized irremovable graffiti that featured different vigilantes. While Muse was painting a Punisher graffiti, he was intercepted by a group of police officers, whom he killed and adorned the graffiti with their bodies. Mayor Fisk used this to push his anti-vigilantism agenda, blaming Punisher for what happened.[9]
Muse soon came to blows with Blindspot again, with the latter defeating Muse thanks to the power of the Hand's Beast. Losing to Blindspot spurred Muse to commit suicide, allowing himself to be consumed by fire.[8]
After his death, Muse was sent to Hell. While there, he encountered the rejected soul of an artist named Morgan Whittier and decided to influence her from beyond the grave by giving her art advice and continuing his work. Initially, he appears as a voice to her and later as a ghost-like figure.[10]
Powers and abilities
[edit]Muse's body acts like a vortex which can absorb any kind of sensory information that surrounds him, making Muse incredibly hard to track, with even Daredevil struggling to target him. Muse's superhuman speed also helps with this, as he is able to move faster than the human eye can see, allowing him to remain out of sight. He has levels of superhuman strength that are far beyond normal humans, proved by his power to swiftly lift and move many dead bodies. Muse is also very agile, and may potentially be able to climb walls as well as Spider-Man, as he is able to quickly paint giant murals of several superheroes across the entire facades of buildings. He is also a skilled hand-to-hand combatant, able to take down even the most skilled soldiers or vigilantes.[4]
In other media
[edit]Muse appears in the first season of Daredevil: Born Again (2025), portrayed by Hunter Doohan.[11] This version is a human named Bastian Cooper who is well-versed in taekwondo. During his second fight with Daredevil at the office of therapist Heather Glenn, Muse was shot in the torso by Glenn. Mayor Wilson Fisk gave full credit of Muse's death to the Anti-Vigilante Task Force (AVTF).
References
[edit]- ^ Schedeen, Jesse (26 March 2025). "Daredevil: Born Again Proves That Less Is More With Its Villain Muse". IGN. Retrieved 27 March 2025.
- ^ Anderson, Chad (20 February 2020). "Muse (serial killer, Daredevil foe)". The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe. Retrieved 27 March 2025.
- ^ Outlaw, Kofi (January 26, 2024). "Daredevil: Born Again Teases Fan-Favorite Character". ComicBook.com. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
- ^ a b Young, Kai (August 10, 2024). "Who Is Daredevil: Born Again's New R-Rated Villain? Muse Explained (Powers & Origin)". ScreenRant. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
- ^ Daredevil (Vol. 5) #11 (September 2016). Marvel Comics.
- ^ Daredevil #596 (December 2017). Marvel Comics.
- ^ Daredevil #597 (January 2018). Marvel Comics.
- ^ a b Daredevil #600 (March 2018). Marvel Comics.
- ^ Daredevil #598 (February 2018). Marvel Comics.
- ^ Daredevil: Unleash Hell #1. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Carter, Justin (April 2, 2025). "Daredevil: Born Again's Muse Episode Needed a Bigger Canvas". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on April 2, 2025. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
External links
[edit]- Muse at Marvel.com
- Muse on Marvel Database, a Marvel Comics wiki