Very little was known about the mysterious man who calls himself the Coroner. He stated that he served dark and powerful masters, and that he had a hidden agenda in their services that included the Silver Surfer. To that end the Coroner displayed his uncanny abilities by manipulating strange and vast mystical energies through the use of his staff. The Coroner used his malevolent power to take control of the Gargoyle, and manipulated him into attacking the Silver Surfer and Alicia Masters. After a short skirmish with his friend the Surfer learned that he was under the influence of an unknown assailant.
While walking through a strangely deserted town, the trio was ambushed by the man called Coroner. He revealed the mystery behind the deserted town by displaying the souls of the townspeople trapped in his spell. Bargaining with their lives, he convinced the Surfer to submit to his twisted demands and he returned the townspeople to normalcy. Meanwhile, the Surfer and Alicia were pulled through a vortex of the Coroners creation, leaving the Gargoyle behind.
