Midnight Sun (Marvel Comics)

Midnight Sun
M'Nai battles Shang-Chi in his first appearance.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Marvel Special Edition #16 (February 1974)
Created by	Steve Englehart (writer) Jim Starlin (writer & artist) Al Milgrom (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	M'Nai
Team affiliations	Legion of the Unliving
Notable aliases	Midnight
Abilities	Expert in martial arts and stealth Superhuman strength, durability, agility, and reflexes Ability to travel and survive vacuum of space

Midnight Sun (M'Nai) is a fictional character, a former supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in Marvel Special Edition #16 (February 1974), and was created by Steve Englehart, Jim Starlin, and Al Milgrom.

Midnight Sun began life as M'Nai, a child in a small African village which Fu Manchu was using as his headquarters. When Sir Denis Nayland Smith attacked the village, M'Nai's entire family was killed and M'Nai suffered permanent facial scars. Noticing that M'Nai did not cry despite his injury, Fu Manchu decided to raise the child in China as his own, alongside his son Shang-Chi. Taking the identity of "Midnight," M'Nai wore a mask at all times to hide his facial scar. Although he and Shang-Chi sometimes came to blows, they grew up as friends, a relationship which would end when Shang-Chi rebelled against his father and left.

Midnight continued to work as Fu Manchu's agent until he was ordered to assassinate Shang-Chi. Their friendship unraveled during the mission, as Midnight mocked Shang-Chi's attempts to convince him to renounce their father's villainy. Midnight proclaimed that his heart was filled with unspeakable hatred for humanity due to the way that his family was killed and his face irreversibly disfigured and renounced his friendship with Shang-Chi. While fighting Midnight at the top of a winch, Shang-Chi dodged a powerful kick. The kick was so forceful that Midnight lost his balance and fell to his apparent death.

Secretly, Midnight was plucked from the time-stream by Kang the Conqueror moments before his death. Kang used Midnight as a soldier in his Legion of the Unliving, sending him to fight the Avengers. He was knocked unconscious by Mantis. After the end of the battle, Immortus returned him to his own time, where his death was allowed to take its course. Midnight's cape caught on the winch as he fell, breaking his neck. As his body hung from the winch, Shang-Chi contemplated climbing up to retrieve the body and look upon his brother's scarred face (which he never saw when he was alive) but opted not to out of respect for Midnight.