ZANIAC

1^st Appearance: Thor #319

Real Name: Unrevealed
Aliases: Brad Wolfe, “Thug” Thatcher (host bodies)
Identity: Unknown to general public
Occupation: Serial killer
Citizenship: Unknown
Known Relatives: None
Group Affiliation: None
Education: Unknown

Height: 6’2” (Zaniac and Wolfe); 5’11” (Thatcher); (variable)
Weight: 190 lbs (Zaniac and Wolfe); 230 lbs (Thatcher); (variable)
Eyes: Black (Zaniac and Thatcher); brown (Wolfe); (variable)
Hair: Green (Zaniac); brown (Wolfe); black (Thatcher); (variable)

History:  The entity that would become known as Zaniac possessed various hosts, overwhelming them with a bloodlust to kill beautiful women, calling them “pretty-pretties.”  When killed, the entity would pass to another host through a host of vermin infecting its body.  It is believed that this entity possessed Jack the Ripper in old England, and that the entity survived in various hosts, continuing its killing spree and operation under different names, but little is known about its activities.  In recent years, actor Brad Wolfe accepted the role of the fictional Zaniac in a slasher movie.  Zaniac’s script detailed a background of severe abuse and neglect leading to misogyny (all of which Wolfe identified with), the bloody murders of several women, and time in an insane asylum.  The movie was being filmed at the site of the Manhattan Project, where the atom was first split, in Chicago.  Wolfe, dressed as Zaniac in front of the cameras, chased a woman with a knife and unwittingly ran into the bleachers, where a massive explosion released radiation and mutated Wolfe into Zaniac.  Super-strong and able to create energy knives, the Zaniac craved blood.  Maddened and driven by the need to follow the movie’s storyline, Zaniac tried to kill the nearest girl, Shawna Lynde, a friend of Don Blake, the mortal guise of Thor.  Thor stopped the murder and later stopped Zaniac from slaughtering a house full of girls, the next scene in the script.  Confused by Thor’s long hair, which seemed to mark him as a “pretty-pretty” deserving the Zaniac’s “knives of love,” and Thor’s masculine strength, which deserved only the “brute strength of hate,” the Zaniac ultimately unleashed a series of radioactive knives at Thor, which his hammer reflected back into the Zaniac, subduing him.  Zaniac was taken away to an asylum, and his costume was removed.  While in the asylum, Zaniac’s hands were restrained and he could not create any knives.

Another enemy of Thor’s, mobster “Thug” Thatcher, broke Zaniac out of the asylum months later by sneaking him a noseplug, gassing the prison and removing Zaniac by helicopter, and tried to convince Zaniac to kill Thor’s ex-girlfriend, Jane Foster.  Instead, Zaniac murdered Thatcher’s associate Ruby, creating a knife with his newly freed hands, and was then killed by a gunshot from Thatcher’s henchman, Kellen.  Vermin then burst from Wolfe’s body and one bit Thatcher, transforming him into a new Zaniac, who maintained the desire to kill Foster.  Thatcher murdered Kellen and then Jane Foster, who was pregnant at the time.  Justice Peace, a cop from a distant future, traveled back in time to stop Zaniac from spreading his madness into the future and starting a World War.  Justice Peace allied with Thor and, after seeing Foster’s corpse, the two heroes traveled back a few hours in time and apparently killed all the vermin escaping from Wolfe’s corpse before another Zaniac could be created.  Thatcher died from a heart attack.  By stopping Zaniac in the past, Jane Foster was saved.

Abilities/Accessories: Awakened in its host via mystic means, Zaniac controlled its host body, retaining some of its host’s personality traits or desires, but over-riding them with the desire to kill beautiful women.  Possessing vast superhuman strength (lifting 75-100 tons) and the ability to form energy knives, Zaniac, when killed, released a swarm of vermin that sought out other humans.  When bit by one of these vermin, the victim would become the new host for Zaniac.  Zaniac is extremely long-lived and seemingly indestructible.