# Karl Malus

Dr. Karl Malus (/ˈmɑːləs/) is a fictional mad scientist and criminal appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He played a part in the origins of Armadillo, Hornet, Falcon II, and many other characters.
Dr. Karl Malus appeared in the second season of the Marvel Cinematic Universe television series Jessica Jones, portrayed by Callum Keith Rennie.

## Publication history

Malus first appeared in Spider-Woman #30 (Sept. 1980) and was created by Michael Fleisher, Steve Leialoha and Jim Mooney. He was featured several times opposite of Captain America and Sam Wilson as Captain America. He was also briefly a member of the Frightful Four.

## Fictional character biography

Karl Malus was born in Mud Butte, South Dakota. He became a surgeon and researcher. He was later the founder of the Institute for Supranormality Research and became a criminal scientist.
In his first appearance, Malus performs illegal medical experiments funded by the Enforcer to find out more about superhumans and their abilities. He is approached by the Human Fly, a supervillain who was losing his powers. Malus sends the Human Fly to steal equipment, attracting the attention of Spider-Woman. Malus offers to cure Spider-Woman's friend Scotty McDowell, who was rendered comatose by one of the Enforcer's poison bullets, in exchange for leniency. Spider-Woman agrees, but while curing McDowell, Malus also experiments on him using Human Fly's DNA, which transforms him into Hornet. Malus is sent to prison, but is released to "help" authorities battle Hornet. In actuality, he desires to capture and study Spider-Woman. Malus later contacts Hornet, who he keeps drugged and aggressive for his own purposes.
Malus then contacts Jack Russell, a man cursed with lycanthropy, and tells him he could help cure his transformations. Instead, he placed a control collar on Russell and sent him and Hornet after Spider-Woman. She was able to defeat both of them and freed Russell, who then attacked Malus.
Malus later studies the criminal Daddy Longlegs, who gained his powers from a modified growth-serum used by Black Goliath. With this knowledge, Malus hopes to restore the powers of Erik Josten. He gives Josten growth powers and enhanced strength, turning him into the supervillain Goliath, but Goliath rejects his offer of partnership and is defeated by the West Coast Avengers.
Malus also transforms Antonio Rodriguez into the Armadillo by splicing him with the genetic material of an armadillo. Malus encountered Captain America soon after that.
Malus later works for the Power Broker (Curtiss Jackson), using his technology to augment the strength of paying customers to superhuman levels. The process is tremendously risky, with half the subjects dying or becoming deformed, but this information is kept secret. Power Broker and Malus also used highly addictive drugs on their subjects, telling them that the chemical is necessary to stabilize their powers, but in fact serves to keep the subjects working for them.
When Power Broker, Inc. is attacked by the Scourge of the Underworld, Curtiss Jackson is exposed to his own augmentation device and rendered overly muscular and immobile. Malus takes advantage of this situation by using Bludgeon and Mangler to abduct Vagabond. Malus sends Vagabond, who knows Jackson, to obtain a copy of his fingerprints so that Malus can access Jackson's personal accounts and vaults. He uses an explosive wristband to force Vagabond's cooperation, but she manages to knock Malus out, destroy the fingerprint mold, place the band on his wrist, and inject him with the drug he had planned to use on her.
Malus then attempts to learn the secret of Daredevil's prowess and Madcap's invulnerability. He battles Hawkeye alongside Triphammer, Pick-Axe, Vice, and Handsaw.
The Power Broker has Malus' legs broken for his betrayal, then promptly re-hires him to try to cure his condition. Malus captures and experiments on several augmented individuals to perfect the de-augmentation process, including Battlestar, which draws the attention of the U.S. Agent. Together, Battlestar and the Agent free the captured wrestlers and destroy Malus' equipment and records.
Malus has since worked for a variety of criminal organizations, including the Corporation and the Maggia. He also worked with the Avengers and the Thunderbolts in their efforts to defeat Count Nefaria in exchange for a reduced sentence.
Karl Malus is recruited by the Wizard to become a new member of the Frightful Four, during which he is forcibly bonded to Carnage. He is later eaten by Carnage, who was possessing Wizard at the time.
Malus returns in "All-New, All-Different Marvel", having survived, become a symbiote hybrid, and continued his experimentation as an employee of Serpent Solutions. One of his subjects is Joaquín Torres, who is transformed into a bird hybrid and later becomes the second Falcon.

## Powers and abilities

Dr. Karl Malus possesses a gifted intellect. He has an MD specializing in surgery and a master's degree in biochemistry. Malus is a brilliant surgeon with a great knowledge of chemistry, genetic manipulation, and radiology.
Following his ingestion by Carnage, Malus has gained the ability to mimic the powers and weaknesses of alien symbiote creatures.

## In other media

Karl Malus appears in the second season of Jessica Jones, portrayed by Callum Keith Rennie. This version is one of several doctors who runs IGH, a biotech clinic specializing in state-of-the-art reconstructive surgery. Years prior, when Jessica Jones and her mother Alisa are critically injured in a car accident, Malus arranged for them to be transferred to his clinic so he could save them. Jessica was released after three weeks while Alisa's recovery took several years as she suffered more extensive damage. Over the course of treating her, Malus developed romantic feelings for Alisa, going so far as to cover up her accidentally killing of one of his nurses by framing a janitor for it and eventually marrying her. When Trish Walker begins investigating IGH in the present, Malus allows Alisa to murder the clinic's subjects and associates. Jessica later spots Malus and Alisa at an aquarium, though they escape. Malus and Jessica get into an argument, with the former claiming he truly loves Alisa despite her condition before fleeing after the mother and daughter argue and fight. After Jessica turns in Alisa, she tracks down Malus again and manages to convince him to work with her to end his work so Alisa can find peace. However, Trish abducts him in an attempt to force him to give her superpowers similar to Jessica's, but Jessica foils the procedure before it can be finished. Not wanting to kill Malus, Jessica spares him. With nothing left to live for, Malus commits suicide by destroying his lab.