Lemuel Dorcas

Lemuel Dorcas is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is notable for playing a part in the origins of Namor villains Tiger Shark, Orka, and Piranha.

Doctor Lemuel Dorcas
Lemuel Dorcas as depicted in Thunderbolts #171 (May 2012). Art by Kev Walker (penciler), Terry Pallot (inker), Frank Martin (colorist), and Joe Caramagna (letterer).
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Sub-Mariner #5 (September 1968)
Created by	Roy Thomas (writer) John Buscema (artist)
In-story information
Full name	Lemuel Dorcas
Species	Human mutate
Partnerships	Attuma Byrrah Krang Tiger Shark
Abilities	Expert biologist Aquatic adaptation Genius-level intellect Regeneration

Publication history

Lemuel Dorcas first appeared in Sub-Mariner #5-6 (September-October 1968), and was created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema.

The character subsequently appeared in Sub-Mariner #15 (July 1969), #23-24 (March-April 1970), #33 (January 1971), Marvel Team-Up #14 (October 1973), and Super-Villain Team-Up #1-3 (August-December 1975), where he was killed. Decades later, Dorcas resurfaced in Thunderbolts, where he is revealed to have survived.^[1]

Doctor Dorcas received an entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #17.

Fictional character biography

Lemuel Dorcas is a marine biologist, genetic engineer, inventor, and would-be conqueror. Dorcas was responsible for transforming injured Olympic swimmer Todd Arliss into the superhuman Tiger Shark by blending his DNA with the DNA samples of Namor and a tiger shark.^[2] He also forms alliances with the Atlantean villains Krang and Byrrah.^{[3][4][5][6][7]}

In Super-Villain Team-Up, Dorcas is killed in battle with Namor.^[8][9] Years later, Dorcas is revealed to have survived due to giving himself regenerative abilities derived from starfish.^[1][6]

Powers and abilities

Lemuel Dorcas did not have powers at first, but he does possess scientific knowledge. He employed many devices ranging from the Morphotron to laser guns and nuclear bombs.^[10]

Upon resurfacing following his apparent death, Dorcas mutated himself with starfish tissue, which allows him to breathe underwater and regrow lost limbs.^[1]

Other versions

An alternate universe variant of Lemuel Dorcas from Earth-1610 appears in Ultimate Fantastic Four #60. This version is an Atlantean who serves as an advisor to Namora.^[11]