AlphabeThursday – Meet the Villains! D is For Dr. Octopus

Otto Octavius was a mild mannered kid.  He had a great and brilliant mind and his mother, Mary, was so proud of him!  His father, Torbert, was not as impressed and thought that Otto needed to be more manly. It was his opinion that a real man proved his worth with strength and might.  Torbert's strength and might didn't get him very far.  He was killed in a construction accident while Otto was still rather young.

This set off Otto's slightly crazy mother making her even more overprotective.  She basically forbid her son to take part in any strenuous or manual labor.

Putting his great brain to work, Otto did well and found his niche as a research scientist working with nuclear experiments.  In order to do his most dangerous work, Otto had invented a mechanical harness with long reaching arms that could do the dicey hands on tasks while he kept his distance.

It was at his job that he met Mary Alice Anders.  They dated for a while, and then Otto asked her to marry him.  This news did not go over well with crazy Momma Octavius who cried, carried on, and informed him that he was to break this engagement off immediately.  Otto didn't like this idea at all, and the dramatic quarrels continued - until Mom died of a heart attack right in the middle of one of their disagreements.

Wracked with guilt and distracted by his troubles, Otto caused a terrible lab accident.  As a result he was bathed in radiation which fused his harness to his body.  Now that it was a part of him, he found he could control the long arms with his mind!

The arms of the harness are made of titanium steel and are 6 feet long.  They can extend as long as 24 feet and they can lift up to 3 tons!  The ends have tri-tipped rotating pincers capable of gripping with a force of 170 psi.



Unfortunately, the changes to his brain also included a pull toward evil.  Otto chose to use his amazing intellect to become a criminal mastermind, and become Doc Ock.  He is most often battling with Spiderman, although he has also had his scuffles with Captain America, the Fantastic Four, and others.

Each Thursday Miss Jenny Matlock who blogs at . . .off on my tangent. . . hosts this alphabet themed link up.

AlphabeThursday Meet the Villains! C is for Catwoman

Catwoman - Selina Kyle - had an extremely difficult childhood.  Her family was poor, and there was always tumult in the house.  Her mother suffered from mental illness and eventually took her own life.  Her father was a violent alcoholic who drank himself to an early grave.  Selina and her sister were separated, and Selina's destiny was to be the Juvenile detention hall.  She was not going to stand for that!  She broke free and took to the streets of Gotham.

At first, her crimes were small - a means of survival - but she had a knack for it.  In addition to being extremely intelligent, she was also quite nimble.  A fantastic gymnast trained in street style martial arts, she was a formidable cat burglar.  Maybe the best Gotham had ever seen.

Catwoman always had a Robin Hood mentality.  She would steal from the obscenely wealthy, and made sure to take care of the street people with her spoils.

Then, her encounters with Batman began to change her heart.  She felt a tug toward the hero life.  A few times, she lent her skills to the caped crusader, and in some story lines, the two even had a romantic relationship - including the revealing of their identities.

What really turned Catwoman's life around was the birth of a daughter, Helena.  She gave up the costume and loved the baby with all of her heart.  She took to a quiet life with an assumed name, and passed her costume on to a young girl - Holly Robinson.

The arrangement would have worked out fine except that the new Catwoman was arrested for a crime that Selina had committed.  She had to swing back into action and let Gotham see some Catwoman sightings so that there would be no case against Holly.

In time, she had another chance to leave the life behind her again.  With the help of Batman, she and Helena were able to disappear without a trace.  Unfortunately, Selena had to offer Helena up for adoption to ensure her safety.  It was devastating to her.

Absolutely alone, and with no friends except for a handful of superheroes, she joined Batman and the team called the Outsiders.

Thanks to Miss Jenny Matlock.  I love linking up to AlphabeThursday at ...off on my tangent...

 

AlphabeThursday: Meet the Villains! B is for Bizarro

There are a lot of different Bizarro stories.  I'll go with the most popular one - you may already know it.  In this version Superman's #1 foe, Lex Luthor,  creates a clone of Superman.  Unfortunately, money can't buy brains, and as usual, Lex's great plan goes terribly wrong.

It seems that Lex did take into account that Supes is an alien.  He assumed that Superman was human with amazing genetics.  Needless to say, the cloning process is a disaster.  The thing which is created is very loosely like Superman, but also not like him at all.  His skin is off color, and he looks like a monster.  Bizarro also has a slow wit, and difficulty communicating.

Even worse (From Lex's point of view) Bizarro wants to be like Superman, and he also falls in love with Lois.  If I recall correctly, there is a story line that includes the creation of a Bizarro Lois who lives happily ever after with Bizarro.


Continuing with the "Like Superman, But Opposite" Theme, his "powers" are creative.

• instead of heat vision - he has "freeze vision" 
• instead of freeze breath flame breath" instead of freeze breath
• instead of X-ray vision for all things except lead,  Bizarro  can only see through lead
• instead of superbreath, Bizaro has vacuum breath
• instead of seeing long distances ahead, Bizarro sees short distances behind him.

This opposite effect can also be seen in regard to weaknesses.

• Bizarro is vulnerable to blue kryptonite, but is fine with green kryptonite, which is lethal to Superman.
• Bizarro is actually strengthened by green kryptonite as opposed to blue kryptonite.

Bizarro has been portrayed as a somewhat loveable guy, and also as a terrifying an menacing villain.  Either way, the message is similar to that of Frankenstein.  Bad things happnen when humans try to play creator.  

   

Thanks to Jenny from . . .off on my tangent. . . for hosting this weekly alphabet link up.

AlphabeThursday – Meet the Villains - A is for Apocalypse

Apocalypse is a mutant who was born thousands of years ago on the planet Akkaba.  A hideously ugly baby, he was abandoned as an infant.  He was rescued, but it is not a a happy, feel good story.  His rescuer was Baal.  He gave the baby the name Nur and raised the boy to be a survivalist.  This proved to be helpful, because both the man and the boy were trapped in a cave collapse accident which killed Baal.

This is where things got bad for Nur.  Seeking revenge for his father's death required that Nur travel.  Partly due to his emotional state regarding his father, and some other events that happen to him along the way Nur discovers the scope of his mutant powers.  After making himself over into a super bad dude, and renaming himself Apocalypse, he decides to hibernate until a more suitable time.

When he comes back to joint the living in the 20th century, he often battles the X-Men, because although they are mutants, too, Apocalypse hates their peaceful ideology.  He is a very bad force to be reckoned with until the 39th century when his body finally begins to slow down.  Then he casts his consciousness into other people's bodies.

Thanks to Jenny for hosting this fun link-up!

AlphabeThursday Superhero Style! Z is for Zatanna

Zatanna' father is a magician - Giovanni Zatara.  Her mother is Sindella, a mystic.   Before she realized that she had true magical abilities she worked as a stage illusionist.  Then, her father mysteriously dissapeared.  She went in search of him, and through a series of stories, she meets quite a few of the members of the Justice League.



Zatanna helps the Justice League a few times before she becomes one of the group, and uses her magic and elemental abilities for good deeds.  Interestingly, she casts spells by pronouncing them backward - although it isn't necessary, and when she has to, she just calls them out normally.  She also has to be careful, since overusing her powers makes them less potent.

She appears in print, and has been on television, too.  She is a huge favorite with DC comics fans, (I'm sure it is partly due to her fantastic figure!) and she appears in many of the superhero series.  She can be found working with The Justice League, but she also guests in  Batman: The Animated Series, Batman the Brave and the Bold, and Batman Beyond as well.  She has had a role in some Smallville episodes, and most recently she can be seen in the Young Justice series.

Thanks to Jenny who blogs at ...off on my tangent... for hosting this fun Alphabet themed hop.  See what other Z inspired posts have linked up this week, and tune in next week when it starts all over with A again.  (and feel free to join in the fun!)

 

AlphabeThursday – Superhero Style! Y is for YellowJacket

Rita DeMara - YellowJacket

Rita is not the first YellowJacket.  She stole the suit that once belonged to Hank Pym.  She originally used the identity for criminal use.  She was originally a member of the Masters of Evil.  She eventually tuned against the group, and vowed to used her powers for good.



Once she proved she was on the side of good, she was accepted as a reserve member of the Avengers.  The battle suit she wears allows her to fly.  She can also shrink down to a tiny size, and her gloves fire bursts of electricity.

Thank you to Jenny who blogs at . . .off on my tangent. . . for hosting this fun weekly link up.

AlphabeThursday: Superhero Style! X is For Xs

Jenni Ognats is the Granddaughter of Barry Allen, who was the second Flash.  She was not aware that she had any superpowers, and they were latent in her for many years.  It wasn't until she saw her father being hurt that the powers surfaced and she realized that like many of her relatives, she was special.

Once she became aware of her abilities she went to training, and learned how to use them best.  With her newly honed skills, she was a welcomed addition to the Legion of Superheros.  She has supersonic speed and can cast a protective aura around her body.  As a member of the Legion,  Xs also received a ring that allows her to fly at amazing speed.



She has some very interesting story lines.  Some include time travel, and she goes back in time and works along side of her ancestors.   

Thanks to Jenny who blogs at . . . off on my tangent. . . for hosting this fun weekly link up.  Stop by and see some other X inspired posts.

AlphabeThursday, Superhro Style! W is for Wonder Woman

The story of Wonder Woman has its origin in mythology.  Princess Diana is one of the immortal warrior Amazon women of Themycira. Her mother, Hippoyta longed for a child, and the Oracle told her to model one from clay. The gods of Olympus then granted this baby life, and some even bestowed some of their assets to her as gifts.

Aphrodite gave her a loving heart paired with amazing beauty, Hermes provided lightning speed and flight, Artemis granted a hunter's spirit and communion with animals.  Diana's great wisdom and courage came from Athena,  Hestia provided her with immunity to fire, and her amazing strength was granted by Demeter.  She would often utter, "Great Hera!" and some of her comic and cartoon story lines included foes from mythology, like the Furies and Circe.

Diana was the only child ever born to the Amazon tribe. There were no men on their island, and their immortality nullified the need to procreate.  Her name was chosen to honor an aviator who crashed on the island years before and gave her life defending it. She was raised well by her mother and her 3,000 Amazon sisters.

Diana's life changed when it was decided that one Amazon warrior needed to be sent to the world of men. Ares (the god of war) was creating problems and they had to send their finest to thwart him. Queen Hippoyta held competitions designed to decide who was the strongest.   Although Diana was forbidden by her mother to participate, she disobeyed.  Competing in disguise she was easily declared the winner.

Diana was outfitted well, and the design was to honor her namesake, who was an American.  Armed with her natural abilities, she also has a Lasso of Truth forged by Hephaestus, the shoes of Hermes which could transport her over great distances in mere seconds, a pair of indestructible bracelets, a tiara which serves as a projectile, and, in some stories, an invisible airplane.

Diana came to America and was known as Diana Prince.  She learned our language and our culture, and then took up her duties of protecting the earth from crime, injustice, inequality, and even squabbles among the Olympian gods.

As a young girl in the 1970's I would pretend to be the Lynda Carter version of Wonder Woman that I watched on television.

As much as I love the new high tech superhero movies I will always have a soft spot for Diana Prince, Wonder Woman.

 Thank you to Jenny who blogs at . . .off on my tangent. . . for hosting this fun weekly link up.

AlphabeThursday Superhero Style! - V is for Valkyrie

There I was, working my way through the Superheros one at a time and having a lot of fun.  Then came "V".   For some reason, all of the V heroes have odd, twisting, complicated tales.  Vigilante?  Which one?  Vanguard?  Complicated.  Viking Prince, Veteran  Vibe?   Hmmm.  Maybe, but  most of these are obscure and only the super nerds have heard of them.

To be honest, the story of Valkyrie is a bit complicated as well, but it originates in Asgard, the home of Thor, so that makes it more interesting and gives us something to relate it to.

The legend of Valkyrie is an old one, and of course, there are many versions.  This is the one I know best.   

It began when Odin (the ruler of Asgard) appointed Brunnhilde with the title.  She was to lead the warrior goddesses on their winged horses and it was her job to escort slain warriors to the gates of Valhalla.  She was highly regarded, and was a good steward of her powers, her authority, and her special gifts.

Then, sadly, she was charmed by The Enchantress, who was able to capture her spirit, and hold it inside a crystal for centuries.  The Enchantress would steal the powers from time to time to commit foul deeds, and even took on Brunnhilde's form to deceive the Avengers.

Things changed for better when the Enchantress bestowed the powers of Valkyrie to Samantha Parrington, and then to to Barbara Noriss.  The plan was that she would use the unsuspecting women as her pawns.  Foolishly, she didn't take into account that even after all the centuries, Brunnhilde was still a powerful warrior goddess.  In time, she regained her full consciousness, and went on to earn back her original body.  (Sometimes it takes a while, but evil never wins!)

As Valkyrie, Brunnhilde joined forces with the Defenders, serving as a hero and adventurer.  All was going well until her heroic and heartbreaking decision to sacrifice her life in a battle.

The mourning did not last long however, when it was discovered that the powers of Valkyrie will continue on.  Samantha Parrington, once intended to be the enchanted pawn, made a fantastic Valkyrie, and is the one shown in the illustration above.

Our heroine does not make her appearance on TV or in movies.  I think she may have been in some Superhero Squad episodes.  Because of her unique costume, she does show up at comic cons who like to come in character, and she is in some video games as well.

Thanks to Jenny Matlock, headmaster, and blogger extraordinaire from . . . off on my tangent. . . for inspiring us each week with this fun alphabet themed meme.  See what other "V" inspired posts are linked up this week.

AlphabeThursday Superhero Style! U is for Underdog!

 There's No Need to Fear!  Underdog is Here!!

Growing up, my siblings and I watched quite a bit of this dog wonder.  Do you know him?

Underdog uses the secret identity of a sweet and lovable Shoeshine Boy.  His meek and mild demeanor would never suggest that he is rather brilliant, nearly invincible, or that he possesses amazing superpowers like X-Ray vision and ultrasonic hearing.



Shoeshine Boy dates Sweet Polly Purebred, a reporter for the local newspaper.  Sweet Polly is always getting herself into precarious situations, and when she truly feels down on her luck, she sings.

Oh where, oh where has my Underdog gone?  Oh where, or where can he be?

 As she sings, Underdog can hear her.  (Thanks to that amazing hearing.)  He runs to the nearest phonebooth, (remember those?) where he transforms into his hero persona.


He is a bit clumsy, but he gets the job done.  He never fails to save the day.

Until the 1970's Underdog would occasionally need a boost from an "Underdog Super Energy Pill".  Because they didn't want children to take pills at home, they cut and edited that part out of the show.   (maybe the pills are why he always left a disaster behind?)

Here he is showing "Riff Raff" why crime doesn't pay.




He also has frequent run ins with Simon Bar Sinister.



One of Underdog's more endearing (or annoying - depending on one's perspective) qualities is the fact that he speaks in rhyme.  Things like, When Polly's in trouble I am not slow, For it's hip-hip-hip and AWAY I GO!!!

There was a movie made a few years ago - it was loosely based on the cartoon, but was more about a boy and his father.  It was kind of cute.

Not bird, nor plane, or even frog, it's just little ol me - Underdog.  - Underdog

Thank you to Jenny who blogs at . . .off on my tangent. . . for hosting this fun weekly link up.

AlphabeThursday Superhero Style – T is for Thor

Anyone who has seen The Avengers movie now knows Thor - but Thor has been a comic legend for many years.  In fact, it was way back in 1962 that Marvel introduced the Norse God of Thunder.

His signature outfit with the flowing robe, and the winged helmet were a great compliment to his flowing hair and amazing strength.  Thor hails from the planet Asgard where he is the Crown Prince, and the son of King Odin.  Thor also has an adopted brother, Loki.  Loki has some serious personal issues, not the least being that he is insanely jealous of his brother.



Thor has the ability to call down lightning and thunder, and his weapon is a hammer.  A hammer may seem a bit lame, but it is an awesome hammer that can only be lifted by him.  If you look at the photo below, you will see that the hammer has some neat special features, too.  (and you would NOT want to be the its target)



After years of comic book and  animated cartoon fame Thor finally scored a major motion picture in 2011, and as I mentioned, he was a major player in this years Avengers film.

In the first film, the problem is Loki - the jealous brother.  He has an unquenchable thirst for power.  So much so that he has contrived a very complicated plot.  His plans include destroying a truce, seeing his brother banished and stripped of his power, and allowing an enemy on to Asgard to kill his father, the king.  As a result of the goings on in Asgard, Thor finds himself on Earth, without his powers.

This works out well for the science team he encounters, and Thor becomes endeared with Earth and her people.  Thankfully, in the end, good triumphs over evil, Thor regains his powers and and promises to serve as a protector.   Loki does not fare as well, and also learns a disturbing truth about his true heritage.

He is called to make good on this promise in the Avengers movie.  The problem is Loki  -once again. He has another terrible plan of destruction and a lust for power.  The Avengers are called to assemble when Loki makes his first appearance at a S.H.E.I.L.D. facility, killing some and placing others under an enslaving enchantment.

Thor shows up a little bit late to the party - after the Avengers have taken Loki into custody.



Better late than never, Thor is an important part of the team, and vital to the story - once he stops fighting with the good guys.  His first inclination is to take Loki away and deal with him alone, so there is a bit of a clash of wills.

Thank you to Jenny who blogs at . . .off on my tangent. . . for hosting this fun weekly link up.

Now - for full disclosure - it is only fair to say that I do have a slight Thor obsession.  I have a wide array of Thor items, toys, t-shirts, blankets, my iPhone case, my screen saver, and on and on, and on.  Yes, I freely admit it.

AlphabeThursday Superhero Style! S is for Superman

Look up in the sky!  It's a bird!  It's a Plane!  It's.... Superman!!!

Superman, (born Kal-El) is the last son of Krypton.  His father, Jor-El knew their home planet was going to be destroyed.  He could not save his planet, but he could save his son.  Lovingly placed in a small ship with all the information he would need when he was old enough to understand, Jor-El and his wife, Lara sent their son on a course toward Earth with hopes and the faith that their baby would grow and thrive under the yellow sun.  This line from Jar-El to his son is famous, and profound:

'They are a great people Kal-El, they wish to be. They lack only the light to show them the way. For this reason, their capacity for good, I have sent them you, my only son.

Superman was met with a tepid response in the 1930's when he was first presented to the comic loving world.  Over time, he gained in popularity, and today everyone knows that the red S on the chest belongs to The Man of Steel.



Soon he was a star in ink, and on the radio, and eventually, in the 1940's he made his first film appearance.  At a time when the world needed something to feel good about, Superman was a symbol for all of the best things humanity had to offer.

Once he was embraced, the legend continued to grow.  Here you see the 1950's Superman played by George Reeves.



I think most people know his story - Krypton had a red sun, but the yellow sun here on Earth is what made Kal-El strong.  Strong may even be an understatement.   He is pretty much invincible, except for a terrible weakness to Kryptonite.

Never violent, but always able to save the day, Superman stands for truth and justice.  He is goodness and light.  Except for his sad start as an orphaned son of Krypton, he is most often portrayed in a happy, positive, and even a hokey light to the mainstream, casual comic fan.



When baby Kal-El's ship landed on Earth, George and Martha Kent were the lucky ones to discover it.  This childless couple saw him as a blessing, took him in, and  raised him as Clark Kent.

Mild mannered, kind, and considerate, he has a quiet childhood in Smallville.  When he goes off to the city of Metropolis to work as a reporter for the Daily Planet he is definitely a fish out of water.

It is at the newspaper job that he meets Lois Lane.  The rollercoaster story of unrequited love that is also central to so many of his stories begins..  Sadly, he is competing for her affection with himself.  Lois thinks Clark is a nice guy, but a dork - she is in love with Superman.  The movie version and the comic version do not quite match up, but the good news is, that in the end, Clark gets the girl.



The most recent movie version of Superman brings us to a time when the world has been without Superman, and feels abandoned.  It turns out that he had been lured away after being led to believe that that Krypton had not been destroyed.

He had not abandoned Earth, but it took him a while to get back.  While he was away, Lois wrote a very emotional opinion piece about why the world was better off without him.  Here is a part of it:

In the past we have turned to God, in times of need we prayed. For five years we have prayed for you Superman, “please bring back our Messiah.” The nation knelt before the altar and begged for your return. We were blinded by your arrival, our faith misguided. For many of us, Superman became our God. We only had to read the motto on our nations currency to be reminded of the truth – In God We Trust. 

These words passed between our hands countless times a day, yet we still managed to forget. We put our trust, not in God, but in Superman – In Superman We Trust. We trusted you, we all trusted you…I trusted you. Does he feel remorse, guilt or shame? Does he simply not care? Perhaps the people of Earth are but a distant memory, a single snapshot lost in a mind that is timeless. 

Does he cry for the children who have died on his watch? Perhaps he really is a Man of Steel – cold, emotionless and hardened by his own immortality. Would he say sorry?

When he does return, he is just in time to save the world - again.

Is it possible for Superman to die?  We are left to wonder for a while. (**spoiler alert**) As he lies in a hospital bed, Lois comes to visit.  She spills her heart, including the information that while he was away she has had a son - his son.  The movie ends with a sweet scene between him and the boy.

I should also mention the television series, Smallville.  This is a very clever story based on what Clark's teen years might have been like, and it has a lot of cameos from other superheros.



There are also many animated versions of the Man of Steel.  He stars as the solitary Superman  - on his own, and as a member of the various Justice League formations.

Thanks to Jenny who hosts the AlphabeThursday link up on her blog, . . .off on my tangent . . .  stop by and visit, and you can see what other "s" ideas people ware sharing today.

AlphabeThursday Superhero Style! "R" is for Raven

I know, I know.. anyone would think that for "R" I would have chosen Robin, Batman's Boy Wonder - and that would be the logical choice - except that I wrote about Nightwing several weeks ago, and he was the first Robin.   I had to pick a plan B.  I think Raven is a really interesting character, I hope you will like her, too.

Raven has a human mother, Arella, but her father is a demonic spirit named Trigon.  How this came to be is a horrible story, but the result was Raven.  In order to protect her from her father, Arella allowed the pacifists from a dimension called Azarath to raise her daughter.  It was her hope that they would teach Raven to control her emotions, and to have a heart and a mind for peace.  This would help her quell the demonic half of her genetics.  She could not deny her paternity, and if she were to lose control of her emotions, she could become a demon as awful as her father.

The plan worked.  Raven grew into a kind young lady with an amazing empathy link, some psychic abilities, and limited healing powers due to the fact that she could absorb the pain and injury of others.  When she learned who her father was, and eventually met him, she was well prepared to resist him.



Unfortunately, resistance is not the same as immunity.  There were times that Trigon broke through to Raven, and she realized just how awful and how dangerous he was.  She also learned that he was planning to come to earth.

Raven ran to the Justice League to warn them but one of the members could sense that Raven had demon blood and convinced the others to turn her away.

Raven took her plea to the Teen Titans next.  The Titans welcomed her and made her a part of their team.  She had found a family and was *mostly* content.

Trigon continued his attempts to win Raven's soul.  Although she did lose control a couple of times, she was able to fight back and his evil did not win.  When he kidnapped her, the Teen Titans finally defeated him.  They imprisoned him in a dimension and felt he could not escape.  As a sort of penance, Arella (Raven's Mother) served as his guard.

Sadly, he did escape, and he went on an epic rampage.  He destroyed the dimension where Raven was raised, and came to earth to physically possess Raven.  The Titans were horrified as she insisted that they would have to kill her to destroy him, but they did what they had to do.  The good news is, Trigon was destroyed, and Raven emerged from the wreckage pure, and free of his evil.

Raven is also a star of the Teen Titans animated series.  She looks great in Japanamation.  She is a very spiritual character, and here she is seen meditating.



The series is meant for young people and while it has dramatic twists and turns, it also has some fun and lighthearted moments.

Thanks to Jenny at ...off on my tangent...  for hosting Alphabe-Thursday each week!  Stop by to see what other great "R" posts the others have linked up with.

AlphabeThursday Superhero Style - Q is For Quicksilver!

Last week, I wrote about Professor X, and gave a quick introduction to the mutants.  Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff) is a mutant.  This poor fellow definitely got off to a rough start in life.  He and his twin sister Wanda (The Scarlet Witch) grew up not knowing their father.  Their mom, Magda went very low profile while she was carrying them.  Sadly, she died during childbirth which left the children to be raised by gypsies.  It was fine until the twins reached adolescence and their powers began to develop.  For a mutant child, "What's happening to my body?" takes on a whole new meaning.  The gypsies thought they were demons, and they were treated as such.

The twins showed great skills.  Quicksilver could run 175 miles an hour and create a tornado just by running in circles.  Wanda could mentally induce spontaneous combustion, instant oxidation, (rust) and other types of decay.  She also had "hex bolts" which could be used to deflect objects like a force field, scramble transmissions, and  disrupt energy flow.  This is how she happened to set a house ablaze, and an angry mob set out after her.

You would think that things couldn't get much worse - but they did.  The guy who saved them from the mob was Magneto.  It also turns out that he is their father, but they don't know it, and neither does he.

Last week I also explained that Magneto is really bad dude.  (which is why their mother didn't want the children to know him, or for him to know about the children.)  Mother always does know best - as soon as Magneto found them he recruited them into The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants!

As they fought with the brotherhood both twins realized something very important.  They were NOT villains.  They were in terrible conflict over this.  A part of them felt indebted to Magneto for saving them and explaining what was happening to them, but mostly they felt sick using their powers for evil against the X-Men when they knew in their hearts they belonged on the other side.

The Brotherhood eventually broke up, and the twins quickly went back to a secluded life and swore they would never use their powers for evil again.  They were restless though - when they heard the Avengers were recruiting, they asked for and received acceptance into the group.



Fighting on the right side of justice suited them nicely for a time, but you have to know by now that drama ensued.  Wanda married an Android and Pietro did NOT approve.  He stayed mad about it until the day he almost died in a battle.  The near death experience isn't what knocked the chip off his shoulder, it was his nurse, (who eventually became his wife) Crystal.  He married her, and then they had a little girl, Luna.  As a family man and a battler of evil with the Avengers and then the Mutant Team X-Factor, he didn't have a lot of time to attend to a grudge.

All was well until Wanda had a breakdown, flipped out, and destroyed the Avengers.  Quicksilver hatched a plan for her to use her powers to warp reality so that the mutants would rule the world.  This was in direct violation of their pact, but sometimes the thought of power clouds the ability to reason.  The warped world was created, then eventually destroyed by luck.  As it turns out, some of the mutants had powers which allowed them to retain their true memories.  With their reason intact, they helped other heroes remember reality, too  The good guys restored the world to normal - with one unfortunate side effect.  Almost all of the mutants lost their powers!

Quicksilver tried to use Terrigen to restore his lost abilities, but it didn't go quite right.  He did get power, but he lost a lot of friends, including his wife.

After a period of time Pietro had to remove the Terrigen and was left with no friends, no family, and no power.  Down on his luck, living a vagrant life, he figured this was his destiny.  Then, one day out of the blue after a series of hallucinations, he inexplicably regains his powers.

Trying to restore his life and reputation is not easy.  Luckily, the New Avengers gave him a shot, and the last  I read he was working on redeeming himself.

Thanks to Jenny, our gracious host who blogs at ...off on my tangent... Stop by and see what other Q inspired posts are linked up.

AlphabeThursday – Superhero Style – P is for Professor X

Meet Professor X

Professor X is the head mutant.  The most powerful one of the lot.  He isn't as flashy as some of the other X-men, but don't let the wheelchair fool you.  All he needs is his brain.  He can read your mind, erase your memories, create visual illusions, and scariest of all, he has the power to completely control the minds (and thereby the actions) of others.  Who needs razor claws when you can do all that?

The X-men stories go on the premise that mutants are among us, and are born mutant.  They call themselves mutants because they all have one thing in common, an X-Gene.  They aren't turned mutant by exposure to gamma rays or things of that nature, and each child born with the X-Gene has special powers that usually become stronger as they reach adolescence.  The mutants may have amazing strength, speed, agility, or sensory powers.  Some mutations manifest in physical form, such as gills, wings, or other animal like features.

Professor X, born Charles Xavier, would seek the mutants out and bring them to his "School for Gifted Youngsters" where he trained them, and helped them to hone their talents and abilities.

Charles himself had the usual sad past.  His father died, and his mother remarried.  His stepfather was a boorish fool, and his stepbrother became one of his biggest foes, eventually taking on the persona of Juggernaut.

Charles witnessed both his mother and stepfather die on different occasions.  It was definitely not a childhood of sweetness and light.

Things picked up for a short while.  He went to England and studied at Oxford where he met a girl and fell in love.  That was dashed when he joined the US Army and had to leave her behind.

When his tour of duty came to an end, he traveled around the world, stopping for a time in Israel.  This is where a lot of things happen that shape the rest of the legend.  While he worked at a clinic for Holocaust survivors, he met a friend.  This was a good news, bad news thing. They worked together to battle an evil man, Baron Von Strucker.  It was then Charles realized that his pal was a violent sociopath.  Not only did this create an end to their friendship, but this guy also is the fellow who becomes Magneto, an arch foe of the X-Men.

On the bright side, he had met a wonderful woman there, Gabrielle Haller.  They had a lovely relationship right up until Lucifer, (a villainous alien) caused a huge rockslide that left Charles a paraplegic.  He left Israel, and also left Gabrielle behind.  He was not aware of the fact that she was carrying his child.  The baby was a boy named David, but fans know him better as the mutant Legion.

And this is how Charles became the man in the wheelchair - the finder of mutants.  With the aid of a device called the Cerebro, he was able to amplify his telepathy and find his kind from far and wide.  Starting with a smaller team, Angel, IceMan, Cyclops, MarvelGirl and Beast, he taught them that mutants and humans could peacefully coexist.  Through selfless acts of kindness and heroism, their goal was to give the mutant image a much needed facelift, and help them to feel good about themselves.

Over time, the band of X-Men grew, and included some of the names you may be more familiar with - Wolverine, Banshee, Storm, Colossus, and NightCrawler.  The stories got more complicated as the X-Men team grew.  They include intergalactic battles more aliens, and even a time when the professor moves his soul and mind into a new body with functioning legs.

There is plenty of drama along the way -  because that's the way comic books roll.  The Professor X/Magneto story line does a lot of evolving, and at one point, the Professor finally mind wiped his old friend - only to realize he created an even MORE sinister being, and the aftermath is tragic.

There is also one more significant fact about Charles Xavier.  He was a twin.  His sister's body died in her mother's womb, but her life force remained, and she is one evil thing.  She is constantly trying to harm her twin, and his allies.

You can find Professor X in print, animation, and even in big screen film.

I love Professor X.  He overcomes heartache and obstacle after obstacle.  He teaches his students that "different" is not a bad thing, it simply is what it is - and different can lead to greatness.

Thanks to Jenny, who blogs at  . . . off on my tangent. . . for hosting AlphabeThursday each week.  Stop by and visit the other inspired "P" related posts.