- John Sunlight
John Sunlight is a
fictional character and is thearchenemy of the heroicDoc Savage . Sunlight is the onlyvillain to appear in more than one of Savage's 190 adventures. He first appeared in "Fortress of Solitude" and later returned in "The Devil Genghis ".John Sunlight possesses many qualities that could be considered
hero ic. He is stronger, more intelligent, and possesses much greater control of hisemotion s than ordinary people do. In times ofconcentration or stress he emits a low growlsubconscious ly, very similar to Doc's trilling. He is also anidealist who seeks to end problems such as war, famine, bigotry, etc. by bringing the world under his control. In this he is similar to other well-known literarysupervillain s, notablyFu Manchu .Like the villains from the
James Bond stories, Sunlight also has a number of eccentricities. In "The Devil Genghis" he has adopted the habit of dressing entirely in one color. He has unusually large and long-fingered hands, with exceptional strength.Researcher Thomas Fortenberry has proposed that John Sunlight, combined with the actions in the
Doc Savage adventure "The King Maker", form the origin of theMarvel Universe supervillainDoctor Doom .Calbia is the basis of Dr. Doom's nation,Latveria , while the character of John Sunlight as an anti-Doc Savage, a twisted genius using his skills to bring world peace through personal domination, is the basis for Doom (an anti-genius opposite ofReed Richards ). Dr. Doom is the answer to the dilemma posed toDoc Savage in "The King Maker", what if he were to use his power to rule a nation?Millennium Publications ' inaugural Doc Savage comic book miniseries "The Monarch of Armageddon", by Mark Ellis andDarryl Banks , begins shortly after "The Devil Genghis" and depicts Sunlight's systematic destruction of everything Doc holds dear. In the concluding chapter, Sunlight apparently commits suicide rather than have his life saved by Doc Savage.John Sunlight also appears briefly in the
science fiction novelRoadmarks byRoger Zelazny .Further reading
*
Philip José Farmer . "" (New York, NY: Bantam Books, 1975), Chapter 18* [http://www.pjfarmer.com/fan/chris1.htm] "Farmer’s Escape from Loki: A Closer Look" by Christopher Carey
* [http://www.pjfarmer.com/fan/chris2.htm] "Loki in Sunlight" by Christopher Carey
* [http://www.pjfarmer.com/fan/chris3.htm] "The Green Eyes Have It - Or Are They Blue? or Another Case of Identity Recased" by Christopher Carey
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