Moses Magnum

Moses Magnum is an Ethiopian weapons manufacturer who obtained advanced technology and superpowers, which he uses for his own selfish ends and to foster the nefarious goals of his sponsors. He started his career as the founder and CEO of munition manufacturing company Deterrence Research Corporation (DRC), whose immoral, illegal, toxic biochemical gas attracted the attention of the Punisher and Spider-Man, who shut down his operation. Magnum narrowly escaped death, but was separated from his company. Supplied with technology by They Who Wield Power and using the alias Magnum Force, he executed an ambitious plan to tap Earth's core's potential energy, his forces abducting geophysicist Sam Sheridan for her knowledge, but they were opposed by her bodyguard Power Man (Luke Cage). During an earthquake caused by his own drilling, Magnum fell into a shaft to his apparent death. He was saved by the mutant conqueror Apocalypse, who gave Magnum seismic powers in return for his servitude. Separated from the DRC, Magnum threatened to destroy all of Japan with his newfound powers if he was not proclaimed its ruler; but was opposed by national hero Sunfire and visiting X-Men; Magnum was defeated, but X-Man Banshee burned out his own powers to block Magnum's. Surviving, Magnum re-established his company as Magnum Munitions and purchased technology from clearanced company Cybertek, which led him to conflict with Deathlok (Michael Collins), created by Cybertek. After obtaining a lucrative defense contract (which required him from destroying rival weapons manufacturers Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.)'s headquarters), Magnum took over African country Canaan, obtaining diplomatic immunity, offering citizenship to any African-American; then tried to ensure Canaan's economic stability by conquering the Great Mound of Vibranium in neighboring Wakanda. His plans were foiled by Wakandan king the Black Panther and Deathlok. Magnum's repeated failures enraged Apocalypse, who punished Magnum by stripping him of control over his power, resulting in Magnum triggering an earthquake whenever he touched solid ground. Desperate to redeem himself, Magnum had his forces steal an experimental seismic cannon to help stabilize his powers, being followed by Triathlon and the Avengers. Fighting in the island of Martinique during the battle, Magnum triggered an earthquake that opened up a chasm beneath him, once again falling to his apparent death. He somehow recovered and represented Canaan in the Pan-African Congress on the Treatment of Superhumans, hosted in Wakanda in a doomed search of a consensus on how to react to the American Superhuman Registration Act. Ousted from Canaan, Magnum returned to his old criminal ways leading the Deterrence Research Corporation and the Kigali Clan. While serving jail time in the United States after the Punisher and Spider-Man foiled his plan on Gamma-irradiated Mutant Growth Hormone, Magnum was, with other lawbreakers, released and manipulated by Norman Osborn so that Osborn's agent Wolverine (Akihiro) could capture them and recover his popularity. Magnum escaped and moved to Las Vegas to control his illegal business. In his last known appearance, Magnum attended to a concert in Mali that was suddenly attacked by a black hole-creating, extra-terrestrial Space-Lubber; Magnum tried to control the creature's power and use it as a weapon, clashing with Shuri and Iron Man, who only tried to minimize the danger of the Lubber's black holes. When Magnum tried to absorb the black hole's power, he was instead absorbed by it.