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The Blazing Skull ( Mark Anthony Todd) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created during the Golden Age of Comic Books by Marvel's predecessor, Timely Comics, and first appeared in Mystic Comics #5 (March 1941). The character's writer and artist creators are unknown. The Blazing Skull fell into obscurity after the 1940s, and was revived in the 1990s.
The Blazing Skull should not be confused with Marvel's unrelated supernatural motorcyclist the Ghost Rider, who is depicted with a flaming skull. Also, the unrelated Marvel character Skull the Slayer (James Scully) briefly used the alias "Blazing Skull".
A simulacrum of the Blazing Skull briefly appeared, along with simulacra of the Jeffrey Mace, the Fin, and the Golden Age Angel and the Vision I, to aid the superhero team the Avengers in The Avengers #97 (March 1972).
The actual Blazing Skull starred in a solo period adventure, set during World War II, in Midnight Sons Unlimited #9 (May 1995). Nearly 10 years later, he was reintroduced into modern-day continuity in the four-part story arc "Once an Invader" in The Avengers vol. 3 #82-84 (July-Sept. 2004) and in New Invaders #0 (Aug. 2004). The Blazing Skull appeared through the final issue, The New Invaders #9 (June 2005).
A separate character, Jim Scully, also known as Skull the Slayer, was depicted as an unrelated and differently designed Blazing Skull in Quasar #46 (May 1993), as part of the group, the Shock Troop.Christiansen, Jeff.
Soon afterwards, Todd comes into contact with the WWII superhero team, the Invaders, and aids them against a team of Axis Powers superhumans, saving the life of Namor the Sub-Mariner. He also fights alongside the team during a massed Allied superhuman airdrop into a Nazi stronghold.
As the war in Europe comes to a close, the Blazing Skull teams up with Union Jack and the Destroyer to break up an enemy spy-ring in England.
In the early Golden Age stories, Mark Todd's given occupation is a District Attorney. Mystic Comics #7 (December 1941) Mystic Comics #9 (May 1942) He is also referred to in one story as an "amateur criminologist". Mystic Comics #8 (March 1942) It was not until the 1990s, starting with the retroactive Invaders series that he was established as a newspaper reporter, The Invaders vol. 2 #3 (July 1993) perhaps negating the descriptions of him as a D.A. and/or criminologist.
The Blazing Skull is recruited by the Fifty State Initiative to become a part of New Jersey's superhero team the Defenders, alongside the She-Hulk, Nighthawk, and briefly, Colossus. The Last Defenders #1 (May 2008)
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