Judge Mortis

Judge Mortis
Biographical Information
Gender	Male
Position	Dark Judge
Affiliation	Dark Judges
Alignment	Evil
Status	Ghost
Cause	Turned into unkillable force by the Sisters of Death
Behind the Scenes
First Appearance	2000 AD Prog 224

Judge Mortis is one of the four Dark Judges, alongside Judge Death, Judge Fear, and Judge Fire. Once a law enforcer in the parallel dimension of Deadworld, Mortis was transformed into his nightmarish form by the Sisters of Death, Phobia and Nausea. His horrifying powers allow anything he touches to decay and rot almost instantly, making him a lethal and relentless enforcer of his twisted ideals.

Appearance

Judge Mortis is an unsettling figure, towering over regular humans with a body composed of decayed and rotten bones. His head is a sheep's skull, giving him a grotesque and otherworldly visage. His long, twisted fingers appear tailor-made for his grim work of spreading decay. Mortis wears a tattered Judge's uniform, which only enhances his menacing appearance. His left shoulder is adorned with a skeletal bat-like creature in place of the standard eagle emblem, while a rack of bones decorates his right.

His badge resembles a horse’s skull, and his belt buckle bears the image of a winged human skull, adding further macabre touches to his uniform. Among the Dark Judges, Mortis and Fire are unique in lacking helmets, exposing their monstrous visages to the terror of their victims.

Personality

Mortis is one of the most warped and sadistic of the Dark Judges. On Deadworld, he was notorious for conducting grotesque experiments on corpses, manipulating the dead for his own twisted amusement. Even among his malevolent peers, Mortis stands out for his depravity.

Despite his inclination toward chaos, Mortis maintains a cold and efficient demeanor during missions. He rarely displays overt emotions beyond a grim satisfaction in his work. His lack of empathy extends to all, including children, whom he murders without hesitation if it suits his goals.

Biography

Before his transformation, Mortis served as a Judge on Deadworld, a dystopian parallel dimension where the death penalty was the solution to all crimes. Under the influence of the Sisters of Death, Mortis and his fellow Judges embraced the belief that life itself was a crime, leading to the extermination of all living beings on Deadworld.

Post-Deadworld

After Deadworld was reduced to a barren wasteland, Mortis fell into despair. The absence of life left him without purpose, and he spent years in a melancholic stupor, staring at a broken pocket watch. He lamented the lack of anything left to kill and took to creating a grotesque "corpse garden" to distract himself. His experiments became even more deranged, including crafting "wine" from the pulverized remains of the dead.

When alien explorers landed on Deadworld, Mortis initially feigned interest in their arrival, hoping to learn of new worlds to conquer and destroy. Once he uncovered the existence of other populated planets, Mortis turned on the aliens, slaughtering them with glee. This event reignited his twisted sense of purpose as he eagerly awaited the chance to leave Deadworld and bring his powers of decay to other worlds.

Encounters with Judge Dredd

Mortis has crossed paths with Judge Dredd on numerous occasions. Like the other Dark Judges, he is drawn to Mega-City One as a fertile ground for spreading death and despair. His touch of decay has proven to be one of the Dark Judges' most devastating weapons, and he has left a trail of destruction in his wake during each incursion.

Mortis is often paired with his fellow Dark Judges during their campaigns, but his single-minded focus on death sometimes leads him to act independently. His grotesque creativity and relentless dedication to his dark mission make him one of the most terrifying adversaries Dredd has ever faced.

Gallery