Origin
The character now known as Madcap was once a normal guy. He did normal things. He had a normal job. He had normal friends. He had a normal family. One day he, his parents and his sister Katy went on a trip organised by his church group. They were on a field trip to Bear Mountain when a tanker truck collided with them unexpectedly. He was thrown clear of the bus and landed in a chemical puddle consisting of Compound X07 which apparently included enzymes to incite a rapid healing in human bodies. The accident killed all of the people in the bus, except for the man who would become Madcap. This man laid unconscious for hours on a pool of X07, which would eventually evaporate. Madcap was taken to a hospital to recover but when he discovered that all the other 42 members on the bus, including his kid sister and parents, died that day and he was the sole survivor and his faith in a rational universe collapsed.
He ran away from the hospital and threw himself to a car trying to commit suicide, to his surprise, he was unharmed and felt no pain at all. He correctly suspected that the accident had given him this immunity to damage. This drove him completely mad, he searched for a reason why he had benefited from the accident when everyone else had died.
Finally, he decided that things happen without a reason, and that nothing has a purpose. He soon discovered his other power, which allowed him to drive people crazy. He bought a bubble gun in a general store and stole a harlequin costume. He called himself the Madcap and wandered through New York City driving people crazy. He had no compunction about putting people in danger: As he could not be hurt, he could not understand that other people could be hurt.
Creation
Madcap was created by Mark Gruenwald and first appeared in Captain America #307.
Character Evolution
Madcap’s first recorded adventure in the streets of New York allowed him to cause a major public disturbance with on-lookers injured. He tangled with Nomad (Jack Monroe) but escaped. Disappointed with his failure in his first solo encounter with a costumed villain, Nomad was able to track Madcap down, befriend him and eventually capture him.
He once was asked by the Impossible Woman to help make her daughter Impia act more like they do. He used his power to cause Quasar to become reckless and absurd, endangering people in the city. He was eventually brought to his senses by Impia and Madcap slipped into the sewer and escaped.
After fighting with Captain America and Daredevil a few times, Madcap soon began facing off against Ghost Rider regularly.
Major Story Arcs
Heaven’s On Fire
He also got into a fight with Ghost Rider and was so what evenly matched until Ghost Rider gave him the penance stare But he survived. He is now working alongside Blackout and other villains in a mission to kill Ghost Rider.
A Council Of Masters
Max Fury, the leader of the Shadow Council has assembled a new Masters of Evil in the sovereign nation of Bagalia where Madcap is presently a member. Madcap is present when Max Fury and the Masters of Evil capture John Steele after he attempts to escape Bagalia with the Serpent Crown and the Crown of Thorns.
Powers
Madcap heals at top speed and recovers his vitality and stamina quickly. He cannot be killed or even stunned, only feels pain under certain conditions and heals from any injury immediately.
Madcap has a specialized form of mind control that makes targets behave as if they were happily crazy for a few minutes – which can lead them to dangerous situations. Even if the target resists, he is still affected and cannot perform at his usual level. To use this power he needs to make eye contact with people for this to have an effect, so he dress in bright clothing to draw the attention of others. He also uses a “fun gun” which is a child’s bubble gun to help draw attention to himself.