Thomas Meyer

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Thomas Meyer (c. 2020-2180) was considered one of the most powerful dark mutants of all time, second only to Mr. Stupid NoHead. He was schooled at Lazar Institute until his expulsion. Later he fostered a friendship with Master Intelligence while living in New York City for a summer with his great-aunt, Myra Gordon. Thomas joined the S.M.S.B. and changed his name to Centauri. The two made plans to find the Sword of Abomination and wield their new-found power to their ends and others, leading a mutant revolution with the aim of driving the forces of evil from the Earth for good. Their friendship and Centauri’s membership fell apart after the two were involved in a three-way duel with Baby Strength that resulted in Force Baby’s death.

Centauri left New York City, took the name of the Dark Flame, and soon stole the Sword of Abomination from George Thames, proceeding alone with the revolution he and Master Intelligence had planned. He established a power base in continental Europe at the fortress Nurmengard. The Dark Flame was a complex figure, highly idealistic but marred by sociopathic tendencies and his links with the dark side, a revolutionary operating outside the law. He was not a wanton killer or torturer, but he and his followers (in a single-minded and unpopular quest; one’s allies must often be unsavory characters) committed numerous crimes, including several known murders and eventually genocide. In 2180, at the height of his power, he invaded the MBH and murdered Master Intelligence after a legendary duel. This led to his own death at the hands of Sebiscuits.

Biography

Early Life

Thomas Meyer was born around 2020, possibly in New York. He was educated at the Lazar Institute, where he excelled at his work. ‘Twisted experiments’ had been the reason for his expulsion from Lazar before graduating, but his mischievousness and disdain for rules probably played a role as well in such an authoritarian institution as Lazar.

Keenly interested in history, lore, and the power of artifacts, he became fascinated with the Sword of Abomination, to the point of appropriating their runic symbol as his own personal emblem and engraving it on the walls of Lazar prior to his departure.

Joining the S.M.S.B.

After expulsion, Thomas’ quest for information about the Sword of Abomination led him to New York City, where Mean King had been laid to rest. Conveniently, his great-aunt, acclaimed merchant Myra Gordon, lived there and provided a place for him to stay, complete with a treasure trove of books and documents and a minimum of supervision. It was in Myra’s house in late 2042 or early 2043 that Thomas met and befriended Master Intelligence. The two teenagers shared a lot in common: they were intellectuals and class-toppingly talented young mutants who were idealistic and ambitious. (Master Intelligence, who felt trapped by the death of his friend Red X and familial obligation, gained a glamorous connection to the excitement of faraway places and things in Thomas. Thomas, an ego case, gained a powerful ally, complete with stimulating conversation, who didn’t threaten his sense of control.) Thomas joined the S.M.S.B. and took the name of Centauri. It is clear that the pair were very close and the platonic affection was genuine on both sides. They shaped one another’s ideas, powers, as well as destinies from that day forth.

They also shared two preoccupations. The Sword of Abomination held their fascination for many shared reasons, but their most fundamental reasons they didn’t quite have in common. Centauri wanted (together with his friend) to acquire the Sword and wield its power, with the controlling motive common to many sociopaths — no one else can be trusted, the only way to assure things stay good is to take control for oneself, the only way to take control is to be strong. Master Intelligence yearned for the Sword because he believed that with it, no villains would do very much, and none of his friends and allies could be killed like Red X and Paige. They also dreamed of protecting the Muggles and beginning centuries of world peace. Again, Intelligence’s reasons were subtly different: in his youth, he was traumatized by Operation: Purge and the deaths of his parents, and was determined not to lose any other loved ones.

Betrayal

Later on, Centauri began to question the reality of the S.M.S.B., and confronted Master Intelligence in the meditation chamber. Soon, Master Intelligence said they needed to go to the Fun Room to check on Force Baby and Baby Strength. On the way, Centauri said he didn’t care about them or Intelligence at all, and they were merely in his way. When they arrived at their destination and headed inside, Intelligence declared that he no longer desired the Sword, and this led to an argument between the two. Disturbed, Baby Strength guided Force Baby away before intervening in Centauri’s and Intelligence’s argument, though Intelligence told him to stop. Centauri reminded Intelligence that he planned to share the Sword of Abomination and his authority once he had acquired both. Intelligence then said he understood Centauri was turning to the dark side and refused to help him. Baby Strength quietly said to kill Centauri on the spot, only to be rebuffed. With that, Centauri lost control and drew his sword, displaying his darker side. Although Baby Strength drew his own weapon, Intelligence initially refused to fight. Centauri attacked first, torturing Baby Strength with lightning, but Intelligence stepped in and telekinetically hurled him away, breaking the contact. Although Master Intelligence told Baby Strength to grab Force Baby and leave, Baby Strength insisted on staying.

Centauri immediately assaulted both opponents, hurling fire at Master Intelligence. Intelligence, however, sent the flames hurtling back towards Centauri; Centauri countered by making the flames disappear. Centauri then hurled him backward and fired several more beams, which the mutant blocked. Master Intelligence then hurled a pile of rope at Centauri, binding him in moments. Intelligence drew his sword and held Centauri at bladepoint, announcing his arrest, but at that moment Baby Strength, insistent on the kill, destroyed the ropes. This intervention subsequently became a three-way duel between the three of them. Satisfied, Centauri fired a beam, which was deflected. They began to duel with their swords as Force Baby watched. Finally, Centauri kicked Master Intelligence and fired lightning at him. Master Intelligence countered with a torrent of energy from cuffs he was using, and the two attacks connected. However, Centauri broke the connection and incapacitated Baby Strength with a stun beam. He then lunged at Master Intelligence. Baby Strength recovered and continued the sword duel. When Centauri wounded Baby Strength across the back, Master Intelligence was left to fight alone. Both of them immediately fired energy and lightning, and their attacks connected until Intelligence threw the tendrils into the wall, knocking both duelists to the ground. With that, Force Baby stepped out from where he was hiding. Master Intelligence and Centauri resumed the lightning lock. Force Baby used the Force to break the connection, but the death beams rebounded into him, killing the latter. Though the blast knocked out both duelists, Centauri awoke to see Baby Strength running to Force Baby’s corpse and crying in grief. Unmoved by the spectacle, he immediately Apparated away to the border of New York City.

Rise to Power

The Dark Flame delved into his research on the Sword of Abomination and uncovered its location. Rumors had been circulating that the renowned blacksmith George Thames had the Sword and was trying to duplicate its properties. The Dark Flame broke into George’s workshop, laid in wait for the blacksmith to return, fired a stun beam at him, and stole the Sword, thereby becoming its new master. He had probably gotten the idea that the old owner of the Sword need not be killed in order for it to recognize a new master from Master Intelligence and Jonathan, as the prevailing lore at the time was that ownership passed only by murder.

The extent of the Dark Flame’s success in his revolutionary endeavors is unclear. He succeeded in creating a prison to serve as a form of containment for his enemies, breached only by Sebiscuits, making it comparable to the infamous Muggle prison, Colditz Castle. But there is no evidence he succeeded in toppling any governments - at the very least, it’s not mentioned - or made much of a dent in the Republic, as it remained stubbornly intact. In what few accounts of the Dark Flame’s revolution exist, his great power as a mutant is mentioned often, but there is less mention of his crimes. One murder is noted, that of Eegan Grover, and presumably there were others. Though he certainly wasn’t as blatantly murderous as Mr. Stupid NoHead, allusions made to his rise to power suggest that he was operating on a grand scale: Master Intelligence, for instance, referred to his building an army and unlike NoHead, he felt secure enough to build a prison. He was also noted to be capable of darkness from a young age: he had quite openly mentioned the idea of ruling Muggles as benevolent overlords, and suggestions were made to the fact that his experiments were too dark even for Lazar, a school with a dark reputation to begin with, leading to his expulsion.

Final Battle and Death

main article: Attack on the MBH (2180) Template:Spoilerstart Master Intelligence hesitated to confront the Dark Flame, despite the belief held by many, including quite possibly both men themselves, that he was the only mutant skillful enough to stop his former friend. His reasons for hesitating may have included residual affection for his ex-flame, residual sympathy for his revolutionary goals, or shame over his role in shaping the Dark Flame’s revolution, but Master Intelligence was also afraid the Dark Flame knew better than he did who exactly was responsible for killing Force Baby and he didn’t want to find out. But when the Dark Flame invaded the MBH, Intelligence knew that the battle had to be fought. At this point, Master Intelligence had already been importuned by people who suffered from his former friend’s actions to move against him. Eye-witnesses stated that it was the greatest duel ever fought.

For three hours, neither opponent could gain any sort of advantage. Finally, the Dark Flame disarmed Master Intelligence, and Intelligence disarmed him in turn. Remembering why they were fighting, Master Intelligence pleaded with the Dark Flame to turn his back on the dark side and redeem himself for the choices he had made, offering anything he wanted if he would come back with him. The Dark Flame held out his sword, seemingly offering it, but then, in an attempt to overcome the light side completely, he ignited the sword, plunging it into his enemy’s chest. As the dying Intelligence looked down in shock, the Dark Flame thanked him for giving him what he had wanted. He then hurled him through a window.

Lindsay angrily insulted the Dark Flame for what he had done. She and Sebiscuits engaged the Dark Flame in combat, attacking relentlessly. The Dark Flame met their attacks with his own, and both sides seemed to be evenly matched. At one point, Lindsay and Sebiscuits hurled their swords at him, and Sebiscuits caught them and briefly engaged the Dark Flame before giving Lindsay her sword. However, Sebiscuits unintentionally sliced through Lindsay’s sword handle. Lindsay was then blasted into the doorway leading into the chamber. Sebiscuits furiously rounded on the Dark Flame and attacked with rage, raining down fast. The Dark Flame easily countered his strikes, but eventually began to struggle. Sebiscuits attempted to rally and pulled his enemy into a bladelock. The antagonist broke the contact and resumed fighting. Sebiscuits finally managed to overpower Dark Flame’s defenses and slammed his own sword against his neck. The antagonist fell back and died. This ended the Shadow Wars, as well as Master Intelligence’s heroic career.

Physical Description

From the beginning, Thomas Meyer had blonde hair which fell out and turned black later on. His supersuit, which was blue, resembled Robin’s, from “Batman,” to an extent. He was slim and stood at 6’7 as an adult. As a villain, the Dark Flame had yellow slits for eyes and wore a set of elegant black robes. He also wore a mask on occasion.

Personality and Traits

Thomas Meyer was charming and brilliant as a young man. His attraction to the dark side, noted previously, was predictable given his personality and background, and not necessary malevolent in its initial stages. He was highly intelligent, powerful, idealistic, as well as ambitious to the point of ruthlessness, with a vicious temper: for example, when Baby Strength challenged his and Master Intelligence’s plans and tried to convince his friend to abandon his darker ambitions, Centauri “lost control” and used lightning against Baby Strength. Some considered the Dark Flame the most powerful villain in history, aside from Mr. Stupid NoHead. Of course, history is very long indeed, and the most recent parts are often best remembered.

The Dark Flame was extremely arrogant and self-centered, but able to recognize talent in others and form (or pretend to form) close human connections. Like NoHead, he was incapable of love, which he deemed “a cliched path to destruction.” In comparison to the “stupid” evil exhibited by some beings, the “officious” evil exhibited by the likes of the Gladiator, or the “chaotic”, “narcissistic” evil characteristic of Mr. Stupid NoHead, the Dark Flame is probably best understood in terms of sociopathy. He was filled with intrinsic manipulative traits and the willingness to use them for his own purposes, as well as a malleable moral compass. In addition, he had little interest in, or patience with, those he considered beneath him. He considered Master Intelligence an equal, for instance, but was dismissive of the less talented and intelligent Baby Strength and the unstable Force Baby. The Dark Flame was idealistic to an extreme, and was possibly a racist supremacist as well as a Muggle-hater. He had absolutely no complaints about the murder of hundreds of innocent people who, from his perspective, were lesser than he. That being said, he did understand at least the rudiments of how death affected other people, judging from the fact that he fled in fear of his life after the intense duel between him, Master Intelligence, and Baby Strength which resulted in Force Baby’s death.

In his later days, he held Mr. Stupid NoHead in complete contempt, considering him a powerful idiot who understood nothing of importance. When in old age, whilst dueling the S.M.S.B. in their own headquarters, he was openly defiant and even mocking, goading Master Intelligence during their duel. Indeed, he seemed to exhibit a grotesque remnant of the merry temperament of his youth, as though glad he finally had someone interesting to fight. His last stand against Sebiscuits and rather optimistic outlook on “the next great adventure” seems clear in its connection to his old friend Intelligence.

Relationships

Master Intelligence

Master Intelligence, his former friend and great enemy.

Master Intelligence first met Thomas when he was 24. They were introduced by Thomas’ great aunt, Myra Gordon. They got along almost instantly. They had much in common, including the quest for the Sword of Abomination and edgy ideals about the structure of a peaceful society. Intelligence’s personal feelings towards Centauri went unrequited, but their friendship was very close. But Centauri was a sociopath, and may have sensed that his friend’s affection for him could be used to monopolise his attention and push his moral envelope. They were very close for two decades, making plans to find the Sword of Abomination and lead a mutant revolution but Intelligence neglected the other S.M.S.B. members, as a result. Eventually, he began to turn against Intelligence, and confronted him. Intelligence's response, coupled with Baby Strength's intervention, caused Centauri to lose his temper and attack Baby Strength. Intelligence rushed forward to defend his pupil, and during the duel Force Baby was killed. Cerntauri fled, his friendship with Intelligence over.

Baby Strength

Baby Strength disliked Centauri immensely, as he was Master Intelligence’s friend after Red X. While Aberforth Baby Strength was spending more time alone, Intelligence and Centauri were planning a quest to locate the Sword of Abomination. As the two boys were planning to travel around the world, they also planned to take the S.M.S.B. with them. However, Centauri began to fall to the dark side. When Baby Strength opposed him, Centauri became very angry and assaulted Baby Strength with lightning; Master Intelligence then defended his student and the three boys had a duel, in which Force Baby was killed unintentionally. Centauri escaped and left the city. Baby Strength retained bitter memories towards Centauri for many years after their fateful encounter, and it did not help at all when Centauri, now the Dark Flame, murdered Master Intelligence.

Mr. Stupid NoHead

Mr. Stupid NoHead, the Dark Flame's idol.

Mr. Stupid NoHead died before Centauri was born (but only by two years). However Centauri would come to admire and revere his power, though Thomas also came to fear that he may never be as powerful as the NoHead Grandmaster, he admired and revered in his idol's dark aspects. Like his obvious idol, the Dark Flame fell to the dark side, becoming known as the Dark Flame. Mr. Stupid NoHead is seemingly worse than his greatest fan. Although the Dark Flame was ruthless and hateful, he at least cared about his family, as well as having compassion and sympathy for them, as the Dark Flame would never kill a member of his own family in cold blood, not even for power. Although he claimed it was not true, Thomas Meyer was capable of love.

Appearances

• The X-Adults: Endgame - Part 1
• The X-Adults: Endgame - Part 2