Modred the Mystic

1st app.- Marvel Spotlight #33

Modred is a powerful sorcerer, able to produce such effects as: detecting magic, animation and control over air, earth, fire, weather, and water, fire magical bolts of energy, create magical shields, increase his physical attributes, levitate and fly. When under the influence of the demon Chthon, Modred's magic seemed considerably more powerful.
Modred was born to a family of peasants in sixth century Britain and apprenticed at the age of twelve to a sorcerer named Gervasse. Distinguishing himself as a capable student, Modred's reputation reached Camelot where the Maha Yogi, an immortal mutant with seeming mystical power who was posing as Merlin in the sorcerer's absence, heard of him and summoned him. Since no one knew of the imposture, it was thought that Merlin himself had succumbed to sinister influences. Leery of the summons, Modred decided to attempt to acquire sufficient power to confront Merlin by mastering the Darkhold, a mystical tome which had been sequestered in the Dark Tower by the sorceress Morgan Le Fey's ex-disciple Magnus. To prevent the book from falling into the wrong hands, Magnus constructed an elaborate spell that made it impossible for anyone of evil intent to enter. The good-intentioned Modred breached the barrier and approached the book.
As soon as he spoke the Darkhold's incantation of power, a dark cloud-thing materialized to take his soul in exchange for power. Modred used his own magical skills to resist, until his betrothed, the daughter of Gervasse, entered the tower. When the cloud-thing threatened to take her soul, Modred freely offered his own, falling into a deathlike trance the moment his soul was taken. Gervasse buried the youth in a large vault somewhere near the Dark Tower.
Almost 1,100 years later, two British archeologists discovered Modred's tomb and breached it, an act which somehow caused Modred to awaken. Modred used his Darkhold-derived powers to free himself and the archeologists from the tomb's cave. Once outside, Modred was attacked by the Other, the demonic host of the demon Chthon who created the Darkhold as his touchstone to Earth's dimension. Though Modred believed he vanquished the Other, it actually took refuge in his own body.
Now possessed body and soul by Chthon in accordance with the demon's plan, Modred was unaware of his own nature as a pawn of Chthon until some months later when Chthon summoned him to his tomb in Wundagore Mountain in Eastern Europe. There Chthon commanded Modred to retrieve the Darkhold from its current possessor and then to fetch the mutant Scarlet Witch in whom he had invested sorcerous potential at her birth decades prior. Unable to resist the elder god's influence, Modred battled the Scarlet Witch's companions, the Avengers, as the Witch was bodily possessed by Chthon. When the Avengers drove Chthon back into his tomb, Modred, bereft of Chthon's demonic presence, lost his sanity and knowledge of magic. Modred was left in the custody of an evolved cow named Bova on Wundagore Mountain.
In her care, Modred's demonic power gradually returned to him. Bova was unaware of it until Modred used his magic to reduce the Thing and the Puppet Master to the size of dolls and animated all of his toys to attack them. Soon after, the mutant Magneto angrily destroyed Bova's cabin after learning that he was the father of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, and that Bova had been the midwife who delivered them. Separated from Bova, Modred wandered the European countryside, subconsciously heading toward his native England.
Once there, somehow Modred's memory and full sorcerous knowledge returned. Determining to magically conquer his native land, Modred attacked England's greatest champion, Captain Britain, and stripped him of his uniform, which amplified his latent superhuman power. Captain Britain was able to send a distress call to Captain America, however, and the two freedom fighters managed to subdue Modred, and Captain Britain regained his costume. Captain Britain's mentor Merlin (a different Merlin than the one Maha Yogi posed as centuries earlier) spirited away Modred's body upon defeat, saying he would reeducate Modred in the otherdimensional Otherworld, where Merlin lived, and later return him to the mortal plane.
It is unknown what Modred did in the meantime, until he was contacted by the Darkhold Redeemers, a group of humans determined to destroy the book of the Darkhold, whose pages became scattered across the Earth. He became a tutor for the budding sorceress and Redeemer member Jinx.

Credit- Unoffical Marvel Handbook