- Mr. Rictus
Superherobox|
caption= Mr. Rictus, art byJ.G. Jones .
comic_color=background:#8080ff
character_name= Mr. Rictus
publisher=Top Cow
debut="Wanted" #2
creators=Mark Millar
aliases=
alliances= The Fraternity
powers= |Mr. Rictus is a fictional character, a comic book
super-villain inMark Millar 's "Wanted"mini-series .Fictional character history
The true origin of Mr. Rictus is not known, but it is believed in the supervillain community that Rictus was once a devout Christian who, after suffering extensive burns, was briefly pronounced clinically dead before being revived. During this near death experience, he apparently discovered that the afterlife did not exist. This nullified his life of devotion and servitude and, realizing his actions had no consequence or punishment, abandoned all notions of morality.Of all the supervillains in the story's fictional universe, Rictus is perceived as the most depraved, and he perceives his actions with an extremely morbid sense of humour.
Rictus is one of the Council of Five, the leaders of the supervillain fraternity that manipulates the course of human affairs. He, unlike some fraternity members such as Solomon Seltzer, believes that the they should go public, and officially take control of the world. His relationship with much of the supervillain community, especially Wesley Gibson, is uneasy at best. In issue three of the series, Rictus and his followers declare war on the other supervillains, ruthlessly murdering every one of them except The Fox and Wesley Gibson. In the final confrontation between Rictus and Wesley, Wesley deflects one of Rictus' own bullets back at him, shooting him through the neck. Wesley then asks a severely injured Rictus about the identity of his father's killer, to which Rictus replies, "
Lee Harvey Oswald !" Dissatisfied with this answer, Wesley then finishes him off by slitting his throat. It would later be revealed that Rictus had very little to do with the death of the original Killer (the father of Wesley Gibson).Character Traits
Rictus' body is covered in extensive scar tissue following his alleged accident. His mouth has been twisted into a permanent grin, and he generally dresses in a trenchcoat and a large hat. He almost always wears sunglasses and carries a cane (seemingly decorative).
Of all the supervillains in the story's fictional universe, Rictus is perceived as the most depraved, and he perceives his actions with an extremely morbid sense of humour.
It is implied by some of the characters that Rictus is involved with beastiality. In one instance, Wesley wishes him "happy goat-fucking" in passing. Rictus apparently takes offense to this, replying, "I don't fuck goats, Mister Gibson. I make love to them."
Background information
Different names were considered for the character of Mr. Rictus. At one point, the creators considered naming him "The Martyr". [Mark Millar, "Wanted" (Hardcover), (Canada: Top Cow, 2005), p 182.]
Other Media
In the Wanted film, Rictus is only seen in an extremely brief cameo (as a corpse being brought into the Fraternity's facility).
References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
