Mick Yardreigh, alias Black Mace, was a member of the criminal Taurus Gang, and later of the Legion of Super-Villains. He was born on Earth in the late 30th Century, growing he discovered he was was a metahuman with superhuman strength. He grew up as a bully and a thug, but he turned this to his advantage once he got old enough a became a mercenary for hire. His name comes from the energy mace he carried, made of an experimental metal on the Science Asteroid. He stole the mace and started using it in his crimes. He turned up more and more frequently in the reports of the Science Police, and came to the attention of Science Police Chief Zoltorus, who brought him in for a private meeting after one of Black Mace's stays on the prison planet Takron-Galtos.