Businessman Douglas Carmody headed a project to develop a matter/anti-matter converter. His chief scientist, Dr. James Power, was close to achieving this goal, drawing the attention of the Kymellian Whitey, whose race had destroyed their own world with a similar device, and the warlike Snarks, who sought it’s destructive potential. The Snarks kidnapped James and his wife Margaret, but their children (Alex, Jack, Julie and Katie) were saved and granted superhuman by Whitey. To prevent the converter destroying the world the Power children stole it, encountering Carmody, who recognized them, and concluded they were mutants. He called in government agents Link and Falcone to capture them; by the time they arrived the Power Pack (as the kids dubbed themselves) had rescued their parents. Seeing Carmody coming, the children fled; Carmody pursued and cornered them, then began shooting at them. James caught up, and overpowered him, after which Link confirmed the kids were not mutants.
Disgraced, Carmody’s financial backers dropped him. Carmody, calling in a favor from a Project: Pegasus contact, obtained a surplus battlesuit, then, as the Bogey-Man, kidnapped Katie, though her siblings swiftly rescued her. Carmody tried again a few days later, battling Power Pack over Central Park. Having witnessed the fight and brought it to an end, the Asgardian Warriors Three warned Carmody another attack on the Powers would draw Thor’s wrath. Carmody continued to harbor a growing hatred of mutant children. Obtaining a more powerful battle-suit from the anti-mutant Right, Carmody kidnapped teleporter Rebecca Littlehale, coming into conflict with Power Pack and the New Mutants. They freed Rebecca, and the New Mutant Magik teleported Carmody into Limbo as punishment for his transgressions. There the demon N’Astirh devoured the luckless Carmody’s humanity, transforming him into a glutinous demon. Returning to Earth he terrorized the Powers, taking James and Margaret hostage. A running battle ended atop the Empire State Building, where James Power made Carmody confront his own reflection; horrified, Carmody threw himself from the rooftop.
His physical form destroyed, the Bogeyman survived as a shadow; he took refuge within a ring, which fell into the hands of Chicago councilman Randolph Creed. The Bogeyman drove Creed to slay several homeless people before being confronted by Luke Cage, whom he swiftly took over. The possessed hero battled the Thing and Human Torch; realizing the Bogeyman was vulnerable to flame, Cage forced himself to walk a fireball, expelling the shadow within him, and apparently slaying the Bogeyman.
