Blazing Skull

Mark Anthony Todd was a foreign correspondent assigned to cover the Second Sino-Japanese War who took refuge in a cave during artillery bombardment and encountered the Skull Men, a strange non-human race with burning skulls for heads. The Skull Men inform him he has been chosen by "the forces of destiny to be the champion of freedom" and begin his training; Todd adopts a flaming-skull persona (initially through a flaming mask honoring the Skull Men) and later masters the Skull Men's teachings to manifest similar outward effects himself. His first comic appearance was in Mystic Comics #5 (March 1941) during the Golden Age; subsequent revivals placed him in WWII-team stories and later modern continuity.

Initially Todd wore a uniform and a flaming mask modeled on the Skull Men, creating the visual of a flaming skull. After mastering his teachers' techniques he gained the ability to render his flesh invisible and ceased using the mask, producing the appearance of a walking skeleton. Later portrayals also show him generating visible flame effects consistent with his flaming-skull motif. The character is distinct from other Marvel flaming-skull characters (e.g., Ghost Rider).

By training with the Skull Men Todd acquires immunity to fire, superhuman strength, a regenerative healing factor that has reportedly prevented him from aging normally over decades, and the ability to turn his flesh invisible so he looks skeletal. In later stories he is depicted as also able to generate and project flames. He functions narratively as a combatant and champion of freedom, fighting wartime threats (Axis/Nazi-era foes) and operating alongside teams such as the Invaders and Freedom Fighters in revived continuities.