- "I had a husband I loved, work that challenged and thrilled me, and just as everything that I'd dreamed of was within my grasp, this happened. But I'm gonna make it all right. Don't take this personally."
- ―Lucy Bauer to Ghost Rider[src]
Doctor Lucy Bauer was a member of Momentum Labs who found the ancient grimoire known as the Darkhold. Experimenting with the knowledge they found within it to power their technology, Bauer was betrayed by Eli Morrow, who trapped Bauer and her team between two dimensions, transforming them into ghostly apparitions. Bauer herself was freed several years later and, after releasing the rest of her colleagues, Bauer set out on a personal mission to reclaim the Darkhold and also get revenge on the man responsible. However, this eventually lead Bauer into conflict with S.H.I.E.L.D. and she was later killed by the Ghost Rider.
Biography[]
Work at Momentum[]
Finding the Darkhold[]
- "We had help... A book, it showed us..."
"Wait? What book?" - ―Lucy Bauer and Eli Morrow[src]
Lucy and Joseph Bauer find the Darkhold
Lucy Bauer was a scientist employed under Momentum Labs, a privately funded scientific organization alongside her husband Joseph Bauer. During their time as a member there, the Bauers came upon the Darkhold, an incredibly ancient text that held infinite knowledge pertaining to the mystic arts. Upon opening the book, they discovered that not only did words appear on the pages out of knowhere, but they were even translated for Bauer into German, his first language. Taking the book for themselves, the Bauer's used the knowledge it provided to build their new world changing inventions.[1]
Bauer prepares for their first experiment
Some time later, Momentum Labs conceived the idea of constructing a Quantum Particle Generator, a machine that was designed to generate matter from practically nothing. While the concept was logically impossible, Bauer believed that the unique possibilities presented by the Darkhold were the key to achieving all this. She presented the invention to her co-workers, including Hugo, Vincent and Frederick who did not believe it would be possible, only to be amazed when the device was activated and seemingly created a piece of carbon out of nothing but thin air.
Bauer tells Eli Morrow about the Darkhold
However, while the team celebrated their achievements, not everyone was delighted as Eli Morrow confronted Bauer about how such an experiment broke the first law of thermal dynamics. To try and reassure Morrow about how they had seemingly done the impossible, Bauer confessed that they had indeed had help. Just as Bauer began to explain about finding and reading the Darkhold to Morrow, Joseph arrived and pulled Bauer away before ordering Morrow to not ask any questions about the book, insisting that it was his and not to be used by anyone else.[2]
Eli Morrow's Betrayal[]
Bauer is confronted by a furious Eli Morrow
- "Where is Frederick? Where are the others? What have you done with them?"
"Same thing that I'm going to do to you!" - ―Lucy Bauer and Eli Morrow[src]
The more he read the Darkhold, the more it began to affect Joseph Bauer's mental state, frustrating Bauer, who could do nothing to try and help her husband. Eli Morrow, however, was furious that Joseph was putting the entire team at risk by changing the specs of the experiments without informing them and confronted Bauer. She however insisted that he must continue to trust her husband and allow him to use the book to keep working, which did not relax Morrow at all.
Bauer denies the Darkhold to Eli Morrow
Morrow's obsession with gaining the Darkhold from Joseph eventually led to Joseph hiring the Fifth Street Locos to assassinate him, only for them to shoot his nephews, nearly killing Robbie Reyes and paralyzing Gabe Reyes. This pushed Morrow even further in his mission to gain the Darkhold; he beat Joseph into a coma in a failed attempt to learn the Darkhold's location, and Bauer later found him in Momentum Labs searching everywhere for it and reading through all of the notes they had written about their experiments. Bauer confronted Morrow and ordered him to stop his search, claiming that despite his demands he would never get his own hands on the Darkhold.
Bauer is betrayed by the insane Eli Morrow
Just as Bauer looked around for Frederick, Hugo and Vincent who should have also been in the lab, Morrow struck Bauer across the face and locked her inside the Quantum Particle Generator, claiming he would do the same to her as he had done to their co-workers. Bauer realized that Morrow was never interested in their safety, just getting the Darkhold as she watched in horror as Morrow activated the machine, sending a pulse of energy which seemingly killed Bauer. However, unknown to Morrow, the experience did not actually kill her; the pulse from the machine altered Bauer's body, transforming her into a ghastly, ethereal creature with traits reminiscent of ghostly apparitions. Trapped in this form, she was imprisoned inside of a storage cube that was connected to the machine at the time of her transformation.[2] Morrow later fabricated a story that the machine had exploded, the blast had consumed Bauer and the others, and his assault on Joseph had been a response to his recklessness.[1]
Hunt for the Darkhold[]
Infecting the Chinatown Crew[]
Bauer infects Chen, turning him mad
Several years later, Bauer's storage cube was obtained by the Aryan Brotherhood, who believed that it contained some kind of a weapon. Bauer was unboxed from the crate and infected two members of the Watchdogs, causing them to kill each other. She returned to the box and was handed over to Chen, the leader of the Chinatown Crew. As the crate was opened, Bauer infected all those around it, whispering in Chen's ear and causing him to go insane, as Chen saw horrific images and gunned down his own allies in a fit of both terrible rage and crippling terror.
Bauer quietly infects Agent Melinda May
As Chen began killing his own men, he was subdued by the arrival of May's Team, a special S.H.I.E.L.D. unit who then knocked out all the surviving Chinatown crew by shooting them all with I.C.E.R.s before taking them into custody. Seeing the strength of their leader, Bauer took the chance to infect Melinda May's mind, walking past her and causing a chill to run down May's spine while Bauer left before being spotted. Later onboard Zephyr One, Bauer's infections took hold as May saw a vision of Phil Coulson's eyes and face turning black and demonic and eventually causing her to have a mental breakdown.[3]
Freeing More Like Her[]
Bauer returns to her former home
Following her release, Bauer traveled to her old home to search for Joseph Bauer and try and find answers to what had happened to her. Finding another family living there, Bauer scared a little boy and then attacked the father who was currently residing there, demanding to know why they were in her home. Having been informed that the family had been living there, Bauer realized she had been trapped for several years.
Bauer frees Hugo and her other co-workers
The latter then began to see his son's face become distorted and demonic. Realizing that years had passed while she was held captive, Bauer journeyed to Momentum Labs. While there, she discovered five Quantum Batteries similar to hers that held her former colleagues. First, she freed a man whom she recognized as Hugo. Frightened and horrified at their current ghostly state, Hugo demanded that Eli Morrow pay for what he had done to them, believing that they had been in the cells for hours, however Bauer then informed him that it had been years.
Bauer vows to find and use the Darkhold
Have released the others from their own cells to discover they had also become ghosts and Vincent had lost the power of speech, the group began to argue among each other, saying that Bauer should not have used the Darkhold. Bauer said that the book could help and fix them, and that after doing that, they would then kill Morrow and anyone who got in their way. The group, excluding Frederick whose own hatred for Bauer's actions made him bloodthirsty and unwilling to trust her, then left Momentum Labs to begin their search for the lost Darkhold to finally complete their plans.[4]
Retrieving The Book[]
Bauer attacks Joseph Bauer during his coma
- "Wake up Joseph, I need you. Wake up. Wake up! There you are. Now, tell me. Where's the book?!"
- ―Lucy Bauer to Joseph Bauer[src]
Eventually, Bauer located Joseph Bauer in his hospital bed where he was still recovering from Eli Morrow's attack on his, lying in a coma. No longer concerned for her husband's wellbeing, Bauer stuck her fingers into her own husband's head to wake him from his coma, demanding to know where the Darkhold was. Having gotten the information out of Joseph, Bauer left him being where he suffered horrific visions until his heart gave out.[1]
Bauer finally rediscovers the Darkhold
Bauer then found the book buried beneath the same basement as they had originally located it just before the disaster at Momentum Labs. Delighted that she may finally have a chance to return herself and her co-workers back to their original human bodies, Bauer began flicking through the pages of the Darkhold to find the answers. However, just as Bauer tried to read it, the pages faded blank and she could no longer touch it, much to her horror as Bauer let out a terrible scream of anger and frustration before seeking out another way to read the book and find a cure for them all.[5]
Kidnapping of Elias Morrow[]
Bauer leaves the S.H.I.E.L.D. team to die
- "Move! Or I will take your mind apart piece by piece!"
- ―Lucy Bauer to Eli Morrow[src]
Seeking the assistance of the one man who could possibly read the Darkhold and help them, Bauer traveled to South Ridge Penitentiary to find and kidnap Eli Morrow. Going with Vincent and Hugo, Bauer searched throughout the whole prison until she discovered Agents Phil Coulson and Melinda May along with Quake who were also there searching for Morrow in order to protect him from Bauer and all her allies. Bauer waited for them all to walk through a hallway filled with prisoners at which point she trapped them inside and unlocked the prisoner's cell doors to attacked them.
Bauer discovers Eli Morrow has escaped
While Vincent and Hugo battled against Alphonso Mackenzie and Robbie Reyes, both soon being killed in the process, Bauer finally made it to Morrow's cell. However to her great frustration, Morrow had already been freed by S.H.I.E.L.D. with the help of their Pick-Lock Device. Enraged, Bauer threw Morrow's many books onto the ground before looking at a photograph of her target along with Reyes and his brother Gabe Reyes. Refusing to give up, Bauer turned herself invisible and then went to continue her search for her target elsewhere in the prison before he could get away.
Bauer finds and kidnaps Eli Morrow
As the prison erupted into a riot, Bauer located Morrow moving through the fighting convicts in his attempt to return to S.H.I.E.L.D. and get away. As Morrow was now alone due to Reyes staying behind to confront Santino Noguera, Bauer took her chance and confronted Morrow, ordering him to go outside and drive them both away. When Morrow hesitated as he stepped into the van, Bauer lifted her hand and threatened to use her powers to tear his mind apart as she had done to both Chen and Joseph Bauer, forcing Morrow to obey all her demands.[5]
Controlling Eli Morrow[]
Bauer tells Eli Morrow to read the Darkhold
- "What's the book telling you?"
"Why the experiment failed before."
"It didn't fail, it was sabotaged!" - ―Lucy Bauer and Eli Morrow[src]
Bauer then forced Eli Morrow to travel to the Pasadena Momentum Laboratory, where Bauer then killed the guards and led him into the reactor room. Bauer revealed her intentions for Morrow: he was to read the Darkhold and return her to human state before completing their work on the Quantum Batteries as, due to her current ghostly form, she was now unable to read the book. Morrow opened the book and began to see words form on the pages while Bauer awaited his answers.[5]
Bauer claims not to care about innocent lives
Knowing that S.H.I.E.L.D. would be searching for them, Bauer moved the experiment to the Roxxon Power Plant where she had Morrow build a Quantum Particle Generator which she believed would restore her body back to normal. While Morrow questioned the safety of the test, Bauer revealed that they had moved to this location due to the incredible power it put out, despite being highly unstable. Now concerned, Morrow noted that if anything went wrong thousands of lives would be at risk, Bauer made it clear that she was not at all concerned about the lives being put at risk.
Bauer orders Eli Morrow to work faster
With the experiment ready to go, Morrow warned that it could no longer be turned off, reminding her that the plant could overload at any time. As they returned to the Generator, Bauer noted how she wished Joseph Bauer could have been there to witness this success as this had been his dream, however Morrow argued that Joseph deserved to die by hiring the Fifth Street Locos who put Gabe Reyes into a wheelchair when the attacked him and Robbie Reyes. Morrow however then continued to blame the Darkhold for causing all their tragedies and recent terrible bad luck.[2]
Confrontation with the Ghost Rider[]
Bauer reveals herself to Robbie Reyes
- "I'm here to make you pay for your actions. There are consequences for playing God."
"Me? Your uncle is the one who wants to play God. He is the one who started this whole nightmare." - ―Ghost Rider and Lucy Bauer[src]
When S.H.I.E.L.D. and Robbie Reyes were searching in the facility, Bauer appeared behind them. Reyes told Phil Coulson that he could deal with her alone, as he was the only one who could kill her. Bauer mistook Robbie for Gabe Reyes, Robbie's paraplegic brother, but an angered Reyes hinted that he was in fact the second brother who had survived the hit that would turn him into Ghost Rider as his eyes burned red.
Bauer attempts to infect Ghost Rider
Bauer tried to explain that the attack on them was a mistake and was actually intended for Eli Morrow and explained that she was going to kill him because of what he had done to her and her friends. After an intense argument, Bauer then attempted to infect Reyes by walking through him, but she failed and was physically grabbed by Reyes, a feeling that she had believed was impossible, while Reyes yet again noted that he might not have been clear about who he really was as he was there to make her pay for her actions due to the many deaths she had left in her wake since becoming the ghostly figure.
Bauer is burned to death by Robbie Reyes
As Bauer had began to explain the true story behind the Pasadena Momentum Laboratory incident: Morrow became obsessed with the Darkhold and had taken advantage over Joseph Bauer's experiment in an attempt to kill them so he could take the Darkhold for himself. Morrow had secretly taken Joseph, Frederick, Hugo, Vincent and herself and locked them individually into the machine that would turn them into the entities that they were now. Although Bauer was indeed telling the truth, Reyes, who was angered because of her recent crimes, incinerated her regardless while she screamed in agony.[2]
Personality[]
- "You realize if anything goes wrong, thousands could die."
"Not my problem." - ―Eli Morrow and Lucy Bauer[src]
Before the incident, Lucy Bauer was ambitious, caring, and dedicated to her work at Momentum Labs alongside her husband, Joseph. In addition, Bauer also believed in the impossible, and wouldn't listen to her colleagues, who were in disbelief. When Joseph started to become affected by the Darkhold, Lucy showed great concern, and became frustrated that she couldn't help him. Despite her concern, she believed that he should continue his work, thus showing some negligence on Joseph's well-being. She also was gullible, and she believed that Eli Morrow was worried for her safety, but was really containing her in the Quantum Particle Generator.
Once returning, Lucy became more determined to continue her work with the Darkhold, and get revenge on Morrow. Despite trying to help her colleagues get their bodies, she quickly lost her humanity. Her anger for Marrow blinded her judgment, torturing Joseph to find the location of the Darkhold. In addition, she showed some glee when infecting her victims, and cared little for their psychological state after she left them. Her value for innocent lives were also diminished, as she callously responded to Marrow that thousands dying wasn't "her problem". Despite her flaws, she told Robbie Reyes the truth about the attack on him and his brother, showing sympathy for the Ghost Rider.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
- "Wait, wait, wait... so this woman caused a disturbance in Chen and his people with a touch?"
- ―Alphonso Mackenzie[src]
- Artificially Enhanced Physiology: Thanks to Eli Morrow, Lucy Bauer became out of phase with the Earth realm, which gave her ghost-like abilities.
- Superhuman Speed: Bauer managed to propagate across a room instantly with barely any effort.
- Fear Inducement: With a single touch or whisper, Bauer was capable of infecting a person's mind. The infection would affect the part of the brain that controls the sleep/wake cycle, resulting in nightmarish hallucinations that would gradually drive the victim to paranoia and homicidal rage. The hallucinations would usually be of people around the victim having black eyes and their faces becoming darkened and mottled. Eventually, the resulting constant state of fight or flight would cause cardiac arrest, killing the victim.
- Intangibility: Bauer was able to phase through walls unimpeded, though she was still tangible enough to physically interact with the outside world. However, she could walk through people and cause fear. Although, she was surprised to find that Ghost Rider could touch her.
- Invisibility: Bauer could render herself invisible and occasionally used this ability to surprise and scare her targets before infecting them.
Abilities[]
- Expert Scientist: Bauer was an excellent scientist who worked with a group to create matter from the Darkhold. However, this eventually led to her downfall as it turned her into an intangible being.
Equipment[]
Other Equipment[]
- Darkhold: Bauer got ahold of the Darkhold and used it to build new inventions until it was stolen by Eli Morrow, who seemingly killed her. Bauer hunted the Darkhold until she finally recovered, but realized that she could no longer touch it. She then forced Morrow to use the information in the Darkhold for her.
- Quantum Batteries: Bauer worked on Quantum Batteries in Momentum Labs, until Eli Morrow caused her and the rest of her team to be trapped in the Quantum Batteries for several years. Bauer was freed and later freed the others. She forced Eli Morrow to finish their work on the batteries.
- Quantum Particle Generator: Bauer and a group of scientists worked on a particle generator using the Darkhold. However, Eli Morrow trapped her in the particle generator, transforming her into a ghost-like creature. She later forced Morrow to finish their work on the generator.
Facilities[]
- Pasadena Momentum Laboratory: Bauer worked at Momentum Labs' laboratory in Pasadena, where she made many groundbreaking inventions using the Darkhold. However, Bauer was betrayed by Eli Morrow, who turned her inventions against her, trapping her in the Quantum Batteries within the lab for several years, until she freed herself. She freed the rest of her former team and recruited them to help recover the Darkhold. Following an altercation with S.H.I.E.L.D., Bauer brought Morrow to the lab to finish their work on the Quantum Particle Generator. They transferred the equipment to the Roxxon Power Plant.
- Roxxon Power Plant: Bauer and Eli Morrow went to a power plant used by Roxxon Corporation, where Bauer forced Morrow to work on a Quantum Particle Generator. However, Bauer was stopped by S.H.I.E.L.D. and killed by Ghost Rider.
Relationships[]
Family[]
Allies[] |
Enemies[]
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Appearances[]
| Appearances for Lucy Bauer |
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In chronological order:
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