# What's the Deal with Mothman **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 20, 2003, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-mothman/169749 "2003-04-20T01:57:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-mothman/169749/1 "2003-04-20T01:57:09Z")
I just watched “The Mothman Prophecies” with Richard Gere. It’s based on a true story. Apparently throughout history, these entities sometimes seen as “Mothman” appear before disasters and give messages to people in no position to do anything about the disasters. In Richard Gere’s case, his Mothman is “Indrid Cold” who gives him vague warnings about a bridge collapse that is about to occur, and otherwise screws with Richard Gere’s head. The bridge does collapse. Again, it’s a “true” story and gives us all this other anecdotal evidence about Mothman having appeared at all these other disaster sites. So what’s the deal with Mothman? ---
**Author:** ![Spiritus\_Mundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c68b51/32.png) [@Spiritus\_Mundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiritus_Mundi)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-mothman/169749/2 "2003-04-20T02:03:25Z")
After giving this matter all the attention it seems to require, I have determined that the movie is based upon a true story in much the same manner that _The Philadelphia Experminet_ and _The Legend of Boggy Creek_ were based upon true stories. The deal is that there ain’t no Mothman. Mothra, on the other hand, is a menace to us all and needs to be confined to Monster Island under full U.N. sanctions. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-mothman/169749/3 "2003-04-20T02:10:54Z")
[http://www.prairieghosts.com/moth.html](http://www.prairieghosts.com/moth.html) ---
**Author:** ![Spiritus\_Mundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c68b51/32.png) [@Spiritus\_Mundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiritus_Mundi)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-mothman/169749/4 "2003-04-20T02:48:31Z")
[http://www.onlyinternet.net/awinterrowd/kaiju/gallery/mothra.html](http://www.onlyinternet.net/awinterrowd/kaiju/gallery/mothra.html) ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-mothman/169749/5 "2003-04-20T03:16:59Z")
Mothman would kick Mothra’s ass. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-mothman/169749/6 "2003-04-20T03:26:49Z")
No way! Can Mothman shed poisonous yellow dust? Can he emit lightning bolts from his wings? Does he even _have_ wings? How about telepathic? Mothra is telepathic, as well as having cool midget Japanese identical twins for buddies. We will, of course, be expecting a retraction and an abject apology for this unwarranted slur. [music up]…they way he’s a baaaaaadd Mothrafu…_Shut your mouth!_…well, I’m talking 'bout Mothra!.. _Well, we can dig it_… ---
**Author:** ![OddManOut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@OddManOut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OddManOut)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-mothman/169749/7 "2003-04-20T03:51:49Z")
Reminds me of a joke variation: You have Mothman, the first Raelian cloned bay, our current compassionate administration, and an unemployed american in four corners of a room. In the middle of the room is an IOU. Who get’s to the IOU first? The unemployed american. The other three are figments of your imagination- I’m a hack-I know- ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-mothman/169749/8 "2003-04-20T04:08:29Z")
Read _Mothman and Other Curious Encounters_, by Loren Coleman. Excellent book for when you are in a X-Files kind of mood. ---
**Author:** ![Kelsonk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/df705f/32.png) [@Kelsonk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kelsonk)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-mothman/169749/9 "2003-04-20T04:22:12Z")
Although I’ve never heard of any true story concerning Richard Gere’s character, it is said that there were a hundred sitings of the creature within one year in West Virginia. ---
**Author:** ![brianmelendez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@brianmelendez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianmelendez)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-mothman/169749/10 "2003-04-20T04:50:34Z")
These two sites offer perspectives on the events that inspired the movie: [www.mothmanlives.com](http://www.mothmanlives.com) [A Mothman Retrospective](http://www.blather.net/archives2/issue2no5.html). ---
**Author:** ![Consuela\_Bobuela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee7513/32.png) [@Consuela\_Bobuela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Consuela_Bobuela)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-mothman/169749/11 "2003-04-20T10:13:19Z")
Yes, there was a bridge that collapsed in Pt Pleasant , Va. in 1968. No, I do not believe there was a “mothman” preceding this event. Nevertheless, The Mothman Prophecies is worth a look-see only because the most wonderfully talented and best looking actor in the world, Will Patton, is in it. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-mothman/169749/12 "2003-04-20T16:37:50Z")
Personally, I think there was some mighty fine white lightning going around the West Virginia hills at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-mothman/169749/13 "2003-04-20T16:46:03Z")
Mothman was a second-rate supervillain who tried to copy Batman’s schtick, with a Moth Cave, a Moth Car, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-mothman/169749/14 "2003-04-20T17:19:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dogface \* > \*\*Mothman was a second-rate supervillain who tried to copy Batman’s schtick, with a Moth Cave, a Moth Car, etc. \*\* And every bad guy stopped him by simply leaving a porch light on. ---
**Author:** ![jack\_ss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c77e96/32.png) [@jack\_ss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jack_ss)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-mothman/169749/15 "2003-04-20T18:04:16Z")
I thought he was _Eaten_ by batman ---
**Author:** ![FranticMad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c68b51/32.png) [@FranticMad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FranticMad)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-mothman/169749/16 "2003-04-20T18:21:40Z")
No, he flew into a grid of electric power lines and disappeared in a crunchy-sounding puff of smoke, to much applause by the neighbors. ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-mothman/169749/17 "2003-04-20T19:13:14Z")
I believe you guys may be thinking of the villainous [Killer Moth](http://members.aol.com/killermoth/origin.htm). [Mothman](http://www.angelfire.com/comics/mooreportal/mothman.html), on the other hand, was a minor character in Alan Moore’s **Watchmen** comic series; his only power, evidently, was the ability to glide for short distances. How this aided in crimefighting Moore leaves to the imagination, but it should come as no surprise that the character eventually became an alcoholic and was confined to a mental institution. I think Killer Moth is still out there embarrassing himself, though. Bottom line? _Don’t dress like a moth._ ---
**Author:** ![FranticMad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c68b51/32.png) [@FranticMad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FranticMad)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-mothman/169749/18 "2003-04-20T20:34:17Z")
I must correct myself. It seems most likely that Mothman has been eaten by [Owlman](http://www.cfz.org.uk/features/owlman.htm). ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-mothman/169749/19 "2003-04-20T20:55:05Z")
Killer Moth sold his soul to the demon Neron and is currently a mutant insect-man thing (think the last reel of _The Fly_), unless he’s reverted back recently. He’s no Mothra, but considerably more nasty than he was before. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2003, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-mothman/169749/20 "2003-04-20T21:18:40Z")
What about Arthur from _The Tick_? “It’s not a bunny suit, it’s a moth!” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-mothman/169749.md?page=2)