Real Name: Mojo
Aliases: The Spineless One, Yellow Eye, The Bloat
Identity: Not Known To The General Public of Earth
Occupation: Ruler of Mojoverse, runs the Mojo News Network
Citizenship: Mojoworld
Place of Birth: Mojoverse, Mojoworld
Known Relatives: Mojo II (Clone)
Group Affiliation: None
First Appearance: Longshot #3 (1985)
History: Mojo is a creature known as the Spineless Ones, who came to rule over a pocket dimension he named after himself – the Mojoverse, where he reigns supreme (on Mojoworld).
The Spineless Ones, as a race, had ceased to evolve due to their lack of spines, until a scientist named Arize created exoskeletons that could help them move about more freely. Mojo uses a platform, most frequently seen that has mechanical spider-like appendages that allow him to walk and move about, carrying his massive weight effortlessly. Previous to this the Spineless Ones had been bombarded and driven insane by a “waves of energy” (which happened to be television signals); so the society of the Spineless Ones became centered on what they’d been exposed to; television. This created a very short attention span for the race, and made them susceptible to fits when things did not go how they’d wanted them to; giving them all personalities akin to a “spoiled child.” Mojo rose to power among the Spineless Ones, due to his ability to truly go above and beyond with the television shows he aired; focusing much of his time on battles in the arena (such as Longshot) or televising the adventures of the mutant team known as The X-Men (often dragging the X-Men into the Mojoworld for ratings).
The scientist Arize would go on to genetically create being who resembled that which they saw on television; most notably Spiral, who was a female with extra arm appendages, and Quark who looked like a humanoid with the head of a ram. Another notable generically engineered being was one named Longshot; for in them all, he had programmed the desire to rebel against the Spineless Ones – and in Longshot, who had enjoyed a successful career as a stuntman in the Mojoworld, had this “thought” awaken within him. Longshot rebelled against Mojo and fled, and Spiral was sent to track him down. Together with Ricochet Rita (a stunt woman) and Doctor Strange, they were able to defeat and drive Mojo back.
When Betsy Braddock, an English mutant by the name of Psylocke was blinded by someone by the name of Slaymaster, Mojo offered to restore her vision with mechanical eyes, which she accepted – unaware of the dire consequence that Mojo was using her eyes to help broadcast things the X-Men were doing as a televised show. Mojo had managed to recapture Longshot and sent him back to Earth, with his memories erased, putting him in the path of the X-Men who took him in. Sometime later, the X-Men appeared to have died against a being known as The Adversary, and Mojo ceased receiving transmissions from Psylocke’s eyes. He then turned his attention to Rachel Summers, another mutant, and sent Warwolves after her; which inadvertently led to the formation of the British superhero team, Excalibur featuring Nightcrawler, Phoenix (Rachel Summers), Shadowcat (Katherine Pryde), Captain Britian (Brian), and Meggan.
Seeing that the demand for the X-Men was ever on the rise, but he had no way to televise their adventures, he created the X-Babies – but with the help of Ricochet Rita, she helped them rebel and become free of Mojo’s contracts and control.
More recently, Mojo’s popularity resurfaced when a number of mutants became trapped in the Mojoverse – and he helped create a reality show, against their will. For example, Adam-X was forced to do a reality show where he was forced to kill mutants (such as Wind Dancer) but had hoped to help her escape; Shatterstar has found himself trapped in an arena fighting for his life daily; and Spiral is noted as being a prisoner of Mojo as well.
Height: 6’9″
Weight: 512 lbs
Eyes: Yellow
Hair: None
Powers: Mojo is a powerful sorcerer, the full limits of his magical knowledge is unknown. He is also a master manipulator and schemer, shown in his organization of his slaughter entertainment games. He also can call upon vast manpower to assist him in his endeavors and has access to vast technological resources.
Outside of his home dimension, Mojo generates an anti-life field that alters weather patterns and kills natural organisms. Mojo can also project concussive force bolts, can control the minds of others, increases his power through television ratings and can teleport interdimensionally, but could no longer travel from one dimension to another dimension as freely as he used to, due to Mojo stripping away Spiral’s inter-dimensional powers from her and plunging Spiral back in Earth-616.
