Typhoid Mary (character)
| Typhoid Mary | |
|---|---|
| File:TyphoidMary46.JPG Typhoid Mary Daredevil (Vol. 2) #46, art by Alex Maleev | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Daredevil #254 (May 1988) |
| Created by | Ann Nocenti John Romita, Jr. |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Mary Walker |
| Team affiliations | Kingpin |
| Notable aliases | Mary, Bloody Mary, Typhoid Mary |
| Abilities | Pyrokinesis, telekinesis |
Typhoid Mary is the name of a comic book fictional character most commonly associated with Daredevil. Typhoid Mary (aka Mary Walker) first appeared in Daredevil #254 and was created by Ann Nocenti and John Romita, Jr.
Character biography
Typhoid Mary is an enemy and former lover of Daredevil with psionic powers, including telekinesis. She has been employed by organized crime syndicates as an assassin in the past. She is also truly gravely mentally ill, and not entirely responsible for her actions as a result.
Suffering from dissociative identity disorder, Mary Walker has 3 other abnormal personalities in addition to her seemingly healthy one. Her "Mary" personality is a timid, quiet, pacifist; her "Typhoid" personality is adventurous, lustful, and violent; and her "Bloody Mary" persona is brutal, sadistic, and hates all men. Aside from highly developed martial arts skills, Walker also possesses telekinetic powers and, more dangerously, pyrokinesis, the ability to set people or objects in her immediate vicinity aflame.
A favorite pawn of the Kingpin, Typhoid did frequent battle (and had a love-hate relationship) with Daredevil before disappearing. Through hypnosis, the abnormal and psychotic personalities (Mary: the pathological victim, Typhoid: the adventurous sociopath, and Bloody Mary: the homicidal psychopath) were suppressed from Mary Walker's consciousness, and she began to lead a normal life, even becoming a soap opera star.
However, this was not to last. The Kingpin fell from power in a violent coup and was left in a coma near death. When he recovered he started rising back to power, taking out his enemies. To distract Daredevil while he retook his criminal empire, the Kingpin paid a visit to Walker while she was doing her show, and with a brunt slap released the abnormal personalities. After confronting Daredevil in his secret identity (Matt Murdock) and setting him on fire, his bodyguards Luke Cage and Jessica Jones managed to take her down. Mary was imprisoned on the 'Raft', a maximum security prison for superpowered criminals.
Electro later led an attack on the Raft, helping the prisoners break out. While the Avengers came on the scene and managed to stop some of the prisoners, Mary was one of the ones that managed to escape.
Powers and abilities
Typhoid Mary possesses a number of limited psionic powers. She can levitate small objects over short distances (such as weapons of under 10 pounds; knives, razors, etc). She has limited pyrokinesis, meaning she can set objects in her immediate vicinity aflame. She can implant mental suggestions in the minds of others. She can induce sleep in weak-minded individuals and most animals.
However, she has four separate personalities as a result of her mental illness. The timid, pacifist "Mary" personality has no psionic abilities. The "Typhoid" and "Bloody Mary" personalities have the full range of these psionic powers and they are strongest in "Bloody Mary". Her fourth personality "Mary Walker" is supposed to be a balanced amalgam of all of these, but is seldom dominant.
Typhoid Mary is in excellent physical condition. She has peak human reflexes and agility, and is highly athletic. She is also trained in the martial arts, particularly Judo and Zen-Sword. She is a master in the use of edged weapons.
In other media
A villain named Typhoid Mary (portrayed by Natassia Malthe) appeared as a villain in the Elektra film, but the only real similiarity she had with the comicbook character was the name. In the movie, she was an assassin whose breath or touch could kill whatever they touched.
Typhoid is reported to factor largely in the rumored Marvel Knights film. Centering around Marvel's grittier characters, the potential franchise is said to begin with Daredevil and Elektra and include Bullseye, Black Widow and Dazzler as well.