Ramsey Murdoch (New Earth)



Real Name: Ramsey Murdoch Nicknames: No known nicknames Former Aliases: No known former aliases Other Current Aliases: No other known current aliases

Status
Occupation: Occupation unknown Legal Status: U.S. Citizen Identity: Public Marital Status: Marital status unknown Group Affiliation: No known group affiliation Base of Operations: Metropolis

Origin
A deranged serial killer, Murdoch felt he was chosen by God to punish deceivers, including Superman!

Place of Birth: Place of birth unknown Known Relatives: No known relatives First Appearance: Action Comics #705

History
Ramsey Murdoch was a loser who one day started to suffer from terrible migraines. In addition to the migraines, Murdoch believed that he was being spoken to by God, instructed to punish all deceivers. Ramsey believed that his ultimate goal was to kill Superman--he believed that the real Superman never came back to life after being killed by Doomsday, and this belief was reinforced when Brainiac created an illusion of a dead Superman in the tomb. Ramsey began his crusade by murdering a young woman named Sylvia Feltman (see Note below). Murdoch's belief that Superman was a phoney were only reinforced when Brainiac subjected Superman to a series of mental manipulations, prompting him to appear to be "flipping out" in public.

Murdoch would later murder U.S. Senator Charlie Fulton in the mens room of a hotel. He sent a note to the Daily Planet that said "Death to all deceivers is at hand! Vengeance is Mine!! Saviour". Lois Lane took up the case. Murdoch had apparently sent in a note when he murdered Feltman as well. It was said that he sent in two other letters prior to Feltman's murder, but it is believed that these were merely "prep talk" and not connected to any actual murders. Murdoch had slipped up, however, during the murder of the senator and left a bloody handprint, allowing police and FBI to arrest him.

After following the case for weeks, Lois Lane had to abandon following the story when a killer named Conduit forced her to go into hiding. Ron Troupe was assigned to take over the story and he was present at Murdoch's initial hearing. The migraines being worse than ever, Murdoch began to scream and rant and had to be dragged out of the courtroom, prompting his attorney to call for an insanity plea. While in prison awaiting trial, his headaches begin to subside as his true power begins to manifest itself--he could summon nearly anything he could imagine.

When Lois was able to return, she resumed her place in charge of following the case. She interviewed Saviour in prison, where he told her that his headaches had stopped. During a prison riot at Stryker's Island, Murdoch was able to escape.

Once out, Murdoch began to experiment with the full range of his powers. Satisfied his moment had come at last, he decided to have a showdown with Superman--after carving an "S" shield into his forehead. He grabbed Ron Troupe off the street and held him at knifepoint in a public square until Superman showed up. Saviour battled Superman in front of a crowd of people, using his powers to make himself invulnerable as well as summoning creatures to battle Superman. While the Man of Steel worked to put out a fire Saviour started in the fight, Ron Troupe confronted Murdoch, taunting him that he was really just a small man who could never admit to himself that he was a failure. Murdoch reverted back to normal long enough for Superman to knock him out. He was subsequently kept under heavy stasis.

Saviour was later freed by Morgan Edge who showed him pictures of Superman--only at this time, Superman was in his energy man "Superman Blue" phase, and the alien Scorn was running around in Supe's classic costume. This infuriated Saviour, denouncing them both as deceivers. Superman and Scorn engaged Saviour in a running battle across Metropolis, ending on a garbage scow. During the battle, Scorn was knocked clear out into the bay. Superman managed to short out the energy source Saviuor was drawing from, rendering back to his normal self. While Superman fished Scorn out of the water, Saviour escaped.

Murdoch withdrew to an abandoned building and watched a news report about Superman's new powers on television. Making a "cheat sheet," he transformed himself into a being like Superman and prompted a battle on a GBS television studio. During the fight, Saviour enlarged himself to be several stories tall, but with some more help from Scorn (and Bibbo) Saviour was put down for the count again.

Characteristics
Height: x'xx" Weight: xxx lbs (xxx kg) Eyes: Blue Hair: Dirty Blonde Unusual Features: Murdoch has carved Superman's "S" Shield into his forehead

Powers
Known Powers: Almost godlike powers--essentially can transfer "psychic energy" into anything he imagines (although he has been shown to have almost no imagination). Known Abilities: No known abilities. Strength Level: Strength level unknown

Miscellaneous
Equipment: No known equipment. Transportation: No known transportation. Weapons: Prior to his powers developing, his modus operandi involved a knife.

Trivia

 * Ramsey Murdoch's name is similar to the real world media tycoon's Rupert Murdoch.

Related Articles

 * Superman
 * Lois Lane
 * Ron Troupe