Thursday, December 31, 2009

Battle Ultimate

We've had a Battle Royal...a Battle Royal 2...a Battle Royal 3...and a Battle Royal 4! There have been 50 characters that have been involved in the Battle Royals so far! We have had a 1st and 2nd place from each Battle Royal, which gives us the "People's Choice" of the 8 strongest Marvel characters! Now, Ladies and Gentlemen...it's time for the...BATTLE ULTIMATE!!!

Put the good and evil notion to the side. It's EVERYONE vs. EVERYONE. No alliances! Just pure power and abilities versus others' powers and abilities! Only ONE can be left standing! Please choose who you think would win among your chosen 8 strongest Marvel characters. Also, if you have time, please leave the reason why you think the character you chose would win in the "Comment" section below. This way, we can all see your reasoning in choosing your winner. Who will be the victor? Only you can decide!

Our chosen 8 strongest characters are...
.Deadpool, Blade, Jean Grey, Silver Surfer, Professor X, Juggernaut, Rogue, and Wolverine! (If you have forgotten some of these characters' powers/abilities, go ahead and check out their bios right here on the Marvel Madness blog.)

Monday, December 28, 2009

Kirigi

Real Name
Kirigi

Occupation

Master ninja

Place of Birth
Possibly Japan

Group Affiliation
Hand

Height
7'

Weight
300lbs.

Eyes
Unrevealed

Hair
Unrevealed

Powers
Kirigi is able to heal himself from any wound through meditation, and he is believed to be immortal.

Abilities
Kirigi is a master fighter and an expert with ninja weaponry.

Other Info
Kirigi has been considered a legend and has possibly existed since the feudal struggles of old Japan. He's considered a legend among ninjas, and feared above all else. (He uses uses a variety of weaponry, including his sword, poisoned foot spikes, throwing stars, and a rope knife. He also wears a traditional ninja garb, including a hood which covers his entire face.)

When several members of the Hand failed to kill the Gladiator, the Hand's leader called forth Kirigi to finish off the suviving ninjas and to kill Elektra. A group of ninjas lured Elektra and Daredevil to their secret hideout. When the ninjas were able to separate Daredevil and Elektra, Kirigi attacked Elektra alone. However, Elektra was able to wound Kirigi, and he ran off to heal. (Click on the the characters and group above to learn more about them. Note: Beware of Elektra's bio pictures: either skin-tight or revealing.)

After this, Kirigi found an abandoned church, where he decided to meditate and heal his wounds. Once fully healed, he continued to hunt down Elektra. After locating her, she led him to a warehouse, and ran him down with a semi-truck, which subsequently exploded. However, just as their last battle, Kirigi rose up once more. Ultimately, Elektra cut his head off with his own sword, believing him to finally be dead.

Later, the Hand was able to break into the city morgue to steal Kirigi's body, but they were opposed by the Black Widow. After a short battle, the ninjas were finally able to get Kirigi's body. Then they were then able to resurrect Kirigi. This time, they sent him after Stick (Elektra and Daredevil's mentor and leader of the Chaste). Kirigi found the Chaste's headquarters and attempted to kill Stick. However, Stick and several members of the Chaste killed Kirigi once more, and this time destroyed his body, so the Hand can no longer bring back their master warrior from the dead. (To learn more about the above characters and group, click on their names above. Note: Beware of Black Widow's occasional skin-tight outfits on her bio page.)

To learn a tiny bit more about Kirigi, click on the following link,
http://marvel.com/universe/Kirigi.

The Kirigi character in the movie,
Elektra, seemed to be a much different person than the one in the comics. However, the person in the movie was really cool during fight scenes (even though the movie, as a whole, wasn't the best). It also appears that Marvel Studios doubled up on actors again. The actor Dan Yun Lee, who portrayed Kirigi in Elektra also is the Kenuichio Harada in the film, The Wolverine.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Happy Hogan

Real Name
Harold Joseph “Happy” Hogan

Occupation

Former Tony Stark chauffeur, aide, assistant; former boxer and personal trainer; former head of Stark Foundation

Citizenship
U.S.A., deceased

Place of Birth
Unrevealed

Known Relatives
Virginia "Pepper" Hogan (wife), two adopted children

Group Affiliation
None; formerly: Iron Legion

Education
Unrevealed

Height
Unrevealed

Weight
Unrevealed

Eyes
Blue

Hair
Brown

Powers
Hogan had no superhuman powers but when he mutated to a monster named Freak his strength grew to superhuman levels.

Abilities
Experienced former boxer

Other Info
Harold Hogan got his ironic nickname of "Happy" because he always refused to smile during his boxing days.

One day, Happy rescued someone from a brutal car collison that person had been involved in. That person turned out to be Tony Stark (aka Iron Man). As a token of his gratitude, Tony hired Happy as his personal chauffeur. (To learn more about Iron Man, click on the highlighted name above.)

Soon after being hired, Hogan fell in love with Stark's secretary Virginia "Pepper" Potts. After many invitations, Pepper finally agreed to go out with Happy. After some time, the two fell in love and got married. (To learn about Pepper Potts, just click on her name above.)

After some time, Hogan had been inadvertently transformed three times into the monster known as the "Freak." (Shown as the forth picture posted above.) The first time was after an injury sustained during an incident with the Titanium Man. The second time was after exposure to cobalt rays when assisting Stark in building a new set of armor. The third time was after suffering injuries while filling in as Iron Man. (The fifth picture posted is of the Iron Man armor that Happy used when filling in for Iron Man.) After the third transformation into the Freak, Pepper decided that being involved in Tony Stark's life was too dangerous for the couple, and they took an extended leave of absence. (Click on the highlighted Titanium Man above, to learn more about him.)

Later on, Tony's friend and confidante Jim "Rhodey" Rhodes (aka War Machine) called on Hogan to assist him and others (who had at one time played Iron Man) to go up against the giant robot Ultimo. Hogan agreed, and the group was successful in battling the robot. (To learn more about War Machine or Ultimo, click on the highlighted names above.)

Later in Hogan's life, a new incarnation of Spymaster grievously injured Hogan which resulted in his hospitalization. At the hospital, Hogan was left on life-support in a vegetative coma. Pepper actually begged Tony Stark to pull the plug to stop her husband from suffering. At first Tony refused; however, after some time, he reluctantly complied. (To learn more about the character above, just click on his name.)

To learn more about the details of the life of Happy Hogan, click on the following link,
http://marvel.com/universe/Hogan%2C_Happy.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Blackheart

Real Name
Blackheart

Occupation
Demon

Citizenship
Realm of Hell

Place of Birth
New York

Known Relatives
Mephisto (father), Mephista (half-sister); Daimon and Satana Hellstrom, Mikal Drakonmegas (quasi-siblings)

Group Affiliation
Former leader of the Hellfire Club, Spirits of Vengeance, Corrupt

Education
Self-taught and tutored by Mephisto

Height
Variable

Weight
Variable

Eyes
Black (Variable)

Hair
Black (Variable)

Powers
Blackheart can regenerate from most physical harm; levitate; extra-dimensional teleportation; change the size and physical form of himself and willing others; generate concussive blasts of black energy; and survive without food, water, or sleep. Though he can assume human form, Blackheart usually appears as a black spine-covered humanoid with a long tail. He smells unpleasantly of burning ink and roses, and has no discernible heartbeat. He likely possesses further unrevealed abilities.

Abilities
Unrevealed

Other Info
Mephisto created his “son,” Blackheart. Blackheart explored the nature of evil under his father's tutelage, clashing with and failing to corrupt Daredevil and Spider-Man. Mephisto and Blackheart soon drew Daredevil, Brandy Ash, the genetically engineered Number Nine, and Inhumans Gorgon, Karnak, and Ahura into Hell. (To learn about the above characters, just click on their names. Note: Beware of the women on the Inhumans' bio page: very form-fitting outfits are worn.)

Observing these mortals led Blackheart to rebel against his father and seek a newer form of evil. In retaliation to his "son's" betrayal, Mephisto diminished Blackheart’s powers. Now, focusing on those who walked the line between good and evil, Blackheart tried to recruit Wolverine, Punisher, and Ghost Rider (Daniel Ketch) to join his rebellion; however, he failed. Blackheart also aided Wonder Man against Mephisto, and helped Misha of the mercenary Warheads as her telepathic “Voice”, using Mys-Tech’s Rathcoole to obtain a mystic sword which could harm Mephisto. Blackheart was able to alter his followers into the Corrupt, and employed Wolverine, Punisher, and Ghost Rider as a feint to allow him to anoint the sword with an innocent’s blood. He apparently slew Mephisto, banishing his “father” from Hell and restoring his own powers to full strength.

As Hell’s ruler, Blackheart focused on corrupting the Ghost Rider, aiding the Furies to possess mortal bodies to torment Ghost Rider (Noble Kale), and resurrecting the Scarecrow (Ebenezer Laughton) to send after Ketch. From his palace in the Burning Flesh district, Blackheart created his own Spirits of Vengeance: his consort Black Rose (the deceased Roxanne Simpson), Verminus Rex, Wallow, Doghead, and Pao Fu. Blackheart bargained to free Ghost Rider’s relatives from their curse; in return, Ghost Rider agreed to lead Blackheart’s Spirits. However, the pair fell out and Ghost Rider destroyed Blackheart, banishing him from Hell. (To learn about all the characters above, just click on their highlighted names.)

After banishment from Hell, Blackheart allied with a mutant sorceress known as Selene as the Hellfire Club's temporary Black King. After defeating Selene's enemy Alyssa Moy, Blackheart battled the Fantastic Four, Mechamage, Hellstorm, and Margali Szardos; however, he was ultimately defeated. (To learn of the character's and groups above, just click on their names. Note: Beware of the revealing outfits worn by Alyssa Moy and Margali Szardos' bio pages.)

To learn more about the life Blackheart, click on the following link,
http://marvel.com/universe/Blackheart. (Note: Beware of a couple sensitive topics mentioned in his bio.)

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Battle Royal 4 Results

The winner by almost half the votes cast...DEADPOOL! Blade and Invisible Woman were close, but Blade pulled ahead in second place by a single vote equally his votes to 4. Invisible Woman had 3. Thanks for all those that participated! We had 20 votes total! That's awesome! You all are true Marvel Maniacs.

P.S. There is going to be a special Battle ???????? Poll coming up here in a few weeks (probably during the Christmas/New Year's Break), so stay tuned!

Monday, December 7, 2009

Jubilee

Real Name
Jubilation Lee

Occupation
Adventurer, student, former student counselor, actress, street performer, thief, ex-mutant clinic assistant

Citizenship
U.S.

Place of Birth
Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California

Known Relatives
Mr & Mrs Lee (parents, deceased), Hope (paternal aunt)

Group Affiliation
Formerly New Warriors, Xavier Institute Student Body, X-Men, X-Corps, Generation X

Education
Various courses at Xavier Institute, Massachusetts Academy, and Payton-Noble High School

Height
5'5"

Weight
115 lbs.

Eyes
Brown

Hair
Black

Powers
Jubilee once could generate multi-colored globules of energy plasma she calls "fireworks." She could vary their power and intensity, from a multitude of sparkles capable of temporarily blinding others to a powerful detonation capable of much destruction, and could also absorb the energy back into her body without harm to herself. Jubilee had the potential to detonate matter on a molecular level. During her stint as Wondra from the New Warriors, Jubilee used tech devices that gave herself super strength, flight, and limited invulnerability. She kept her Wondra gear after the team disbanded, potentially needing to call upon those powers in the future.

Abilities
Jubilee is a highly-skilled gymnast and rollerblader. She is trained in first aid and CPR. She also possesses fair thieving skills and hand-to-hand combat experience.

Other Info
Jubilation "Jubilee" Lee was born to prosperous Chinese immigrants and was sent to exclusive Beverly Hills school. There, she discovered her talent for gymnastics. Jubilee spent much of her time rollerblading with friends at the local mall, but ultimately ran into trouble with the mall security. Facing juvenile detention if caught, Jubilee panicked and first manifested her mutant ability to generate explosive energy.

Soon after, her parents were mistakenly killed by hitmen. Jubilee fled to the only home she had left: the mall. At the mall, she survived as a thief and street performer, but eventually the mall security tired of her eluding capture and called in a team of mutant hunters known as the M-Squad. Fortunately, for Jubilee, that day the mall was visited by the female members of the X-Men. When the M-Squad attacked Jubilee, the X-Men came to her aid. Intrigued, Jubilee followed them and arrived at the the X-Men's base in outback Australia. (To learn about the X-Men, click on their highlighted name above.)

She lived at the X-Men's base until the team disbanded. After which their former member Wolverine returned to the town and was ambushed by the cyborg Reavers. Jubilee was able to help Wolverine escape, and stayed by his side while he recovered. This created a close bond for the two teammates. She was also able to rescue another former X-Man, Psylocke, from the Mandarin's control in Madripoor. After this, Jubilee accompanied them back to the U.S. where she joined a reformed team of the X-Men. Soon after, Jubilee learned the truth about her parents' deaths and managed to exact revenge on the assassins; however, she stopped herself before killing them. (To learn about the above character's and team, just click on their names. Note: Beware of the skin-tight outfit worn by Psylocke on her bio page.)

After some time, Jubilee then joined the Generation X training team that was formed by Professor Xavier. As one of the founding members, Jubilee learned to further control her explosive powers and improve upon her field leadership skills. During her stay with Generation X, Jubilee managed to help her teammates in battles against Emplate, Sentinels, and the Juggernaut, among others. (To learn about the characters and team above, click on their highlighted names.)

During Operation: Zero Tolerance, Bastion captured Jubiee in order to get information on the X-Men. She resisted his mental probes for a considerable amount of time and also made a few escape attempts. After triggering a switch that freed the captured X-Men, she befriended Bastion's assistant, Daria, who helped her escape successfully. Jubilee was then confronted by a Prime Sentinel in the desert; however, she was able to defeated it with the help of Wolverine who was able to track her scent. (Click on the highlighted characters above, to learn more about them.)

After that, Jubilee stayed with the X-Men for a brief time, and then returned to her Generation X teammates. While training at the Massachusetts Academy, Jubilee discovered that Hunter Brawn was behind the death of her parents. Outraged, she took justice into her own hands and ended up throwing him in jail.

After Generation X disbanded, Jubilee returned home to try an acting career, which was ultimately short-lived due to an agent exploiting her.

Jubilee then briefly joined her former headmaster Banshee's paramilitary X-Corps. After that team was dissolved, Jubilee was one of several mutants captured by the mutant-hating Church of Humanity, who crucified them on the grounds of the Xavier Institute. Jubilee was one of the few to survive, thanks to the X-Man Archangel's newfound healing ability. After that, she rejoined the X-Men, adventuring with them against the threat of Nightcrawler's father, Azazel. (To learn more of the character's a groups above, just click on their names.)

Later on, Jubilee left the X-Men for a time to go home and live with her Aunt Hope. There, she returned to school and becoming a student counselor. However, she found herself caught up in her Aunt's secret life as a spy. Therefore, soon after, she returned to the X-Men.

Jubilee was one of the many mutants who were depowered due to "M-Day." However, this did not stop Jubilee from fighting crime. She joined up with the New Warriors (a group led by Night Thrasher that opposed hero registration. Each member of the team received power suits that gave them certain powers). As part of this team, Jubilee began going by a new codename: Wondra. Even though she lost her mutant powers, she wore gauntlets on her arms that give her incredible superhuman strength. She also wore tech devices that give her flight and limited invulnerability. (It is unknown why she chose these as her primary set of powers, but it has been stated that she is the team's strongest member. Also, the fifth picture posted is a picture of Jubilee as Wondra.) However, after a long time, the New Warriors disbanded. But, Night Thrasher allowed each team member to keep their power suits as not only a token of his appreciation, but also in case they would one day need to individually call upon their tech-enhanced abilities. (To learn of the event, team, or character above, just click on their names. Note: Beware of the revealing and form-fitting outfits worn by some on the M-Day bio page.)

Jubilee makes cameo appearances in all of the X-Men movies. Most of the time, no body notices. In fact, I didn't even know until I watched special features or looked on the credits on IMDb.com. One actress played her in the first movie, and another actress played her in the second and third movies. (Their pictures are posted as the second picture above.)

To learn more about Jubilee's life, click on the following link, http://marvel.com/universe/Jubilee.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Battle Royal 4

It's that time again...BATTLE ROYAL Time! BATTLE ROYAL 4!!! Imagine if thirteen Marvel characters were to be in a giant battle where there could only be ONE victor. Put the good and evil notion to the side. It's EVERYONE vs. EVERYONE. No alliances! Only ONE can be left standing. Please choose who you think would win among the thirteen Marvel characters in the poll. Also, if you have time, please leave the reason why you think the character you chose would win in the "comment" section below. This way, we can all see your reasoning in choosing your winner. Who will be the victor? Only you can decide!

The thirteen characters that are involved, are the last thirteen characters that have been highlighted on the Marvel Madness blog: Blob, Blade, Roxanne Simpson, Quill, Multiple Man, Pepper Potts, Agent Zero, Deadpool, Arclight, Leech, Green Goblin, Invisible Woman, and Bullseye. (If you have forgotten some of these characters' powers/abilities, go ahead and check out their bios right here on the Marvel Madness blog.)

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Blob

Real Name
Frederick "Fred" J. Dukes

Occupation

Former criminal, terrorist, government agent, carnival performer

Citizenship
U.S.A. (criminal record)

Place of Birth
Lubbock, Texas

Known Relatives
None

Group Affiliation
Formerly X-Cell, X-Corps, Magneto's army, Brotherhood Of Evil Mutants, Freedom Force, Factor Three, former partner of Unus

Education
Unrevealed

Height
5'10"

Weight
(Originally) 510 lbs.; (currently) 210 lbs.

Eyes
Brown

Hair
Brown

Powers
The Blob could create a mono-directional gravity field extending five feet from his center of balance, rendering himself virtually immovable as long as he was in contact with the ground. His body formerly had superhuman strength and durability; the fat tissues could absorb the impact of bullets, cannonballs, and even missiles. Unable to feel pain, the Blob’s skin could not be punctured, lacerated, frostbitten, or ravaged by disease due to its great elasticity and highly accelerated cell replacement rate. His eyes, ears, nose and mouth were not as resistant to injury, nor was he as resistant to fire or heat. The Blob’s size and strength have been temporarily increased to various levels over the years.

Other Info
Believing that he was a freak, Fred Dukes used his abilities to become a carnival performer. Here, he got the nickname “the Blob.”

Charles Xavier sensed Dukes powers and sent the X-Men to invite Dukes to meet with him. Dukes accepted and went with them to the X mansion. At the mansion, Dukes was invited to join the X-Men; however, he arrogantly refused, believing himself superior to them. Because of this decision, Xavier decided to wipe Dukes of his knowledge of the X-Men. Unfortunately, Dukes escaped back to the carnival, took it over, and led his fellow performers back to attack the X-Men. However, his group was defeated, and Xavier was able to wipe Dukes' group's memories of the incident and Dukes knowledge of the X-Men. (To learn about the character, team, or place above, just click on their names.)

Later, Magneto offered Dukes membership into the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. He accepted Magneto’s offer. But, during a battle with the X-Men, Magneto sent a barrage of torpedoes at the X-Men, not caring that Dukes was in the way. Fortunately, due to his abilities, the Blob was uninjured, but he felt betrayed and therefore quit Magneto's Brotherhood. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn about Magneto and/or his Brotherhood.)

After quitting, the Blob returned to the carnival. Here, Dukes met a fellow mutant named Unus the Untouchable. The duo quickly became friends and went on to join Factor Three (an organization that sought world conquest). However, the X-Men were able to convince the Blob and his teammates that their leader, the Mutant Master, was merely using them, and the two groups joined forces to unmask the Mutant Master as an alien of the Sidri race. (To learn about the characters and the team above, click on their names.)

After this, the Blob reformed the Brotherhood with Unus and they attempted to fool Beast into believing he had killed Iron Man. Through this, they were able to manipulate Beast into joining them. However, after realizing the truth, Beast single-handedly defeated them. (To learn about Beast or Iron Man, click on their names above.)

Then, Dukes briefly joined a few different teams...a band of super-criminals posing as the Defenders, but they were defeated by a Defenders team led by Hercules. Then, Dukes was freed from prison by the Mystique and he joined her reorganized Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. The Brotherhood attempted to assassinate Senator Robert Kelly; however, they were stopped by the X-Men. Mystique’s Brotherhood next attacked the Avengers, but again they were defeated. Then, Dukes joined Unus in battling the Hulk and subsequently witnessed Unus’ apparent death, which sent Dukes on a grief-stricken rampage that was stopped by Spider-Man and the Black Cat. Then, Mystique had the U.S. government pardon the Brotherhood for their crimes in exchange for them becoming federal agents as the Freedom Force with their first mission to capture Magneto. (To learn about the different character and teams that the Blob interacted with, click on their highlighted names above. Note: Beware of the Black Cat's bio page! She's a very tight-fitting and revealing outfit! Also, Mystique is wearing revealing clothing on her bio page.)

After a disastrous Middle East clash with the Arabic super-team Desert Sword, the Blob and his teammate Pyro were captured by Iraqi military forces. During this time, the two served as personal bodyguards of the Iraqi commander until Toad arranged for their release. In return, the Blob and Pyro agreed to join Toad's new Brotherhood. But, after many defeats, Toad's Brotherhood broke up. (Click on the team and characters above to learn more about them.)

After he was overlooked for a new Brotherhood formed by Exodus, Dukes decided to consult with a psychologist named Sean Garrison. Garrison convinced Dukes to be true to himself. Because Dukes Believed the “truth” laid in opposing the X-Men, he went to the Xavier Institute; however the X-Men were gone. Not stopping at that, he attacked the Institute anyway, but he was defeated by the students and was taken into custody. (To learn about Exodus, click on his name above.)

When the world was restored to normal after M-Day, the Blob was horrified to discover that he had been stripped of his mutant powers. This resulted in tremendous folds of skin hanging loosely off his frame (shown in the fifth picture above). Distraught, Dukes even attempted suicide with a knife, but due to his excess skin, he was unable to get the blade close enough. (To learn about M-Day, click on the highlighted name above. Note: watch out for a couple characters in tight-fitting/revealing outfits on the M-Day bio page.)

Recently, the Blob resurfaced as a member of X-Cell (a group of depowered mutants who accuses the government to be responsible for M-Day). (Click on the the name above, to learn a little more about X-Cell.)

To learn more about the Blob, click on the following link, http://marvel.com/universe/Blob.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Blade

Real Name
Eric Brooks

Occupation
Vampire hunter

Citizenship
U.S.A.

Place of Birth
Unrevealed

Known Relatives
Unnamed mother (deceased)

Group Affiliation
Formerly Noah van Helsing's vampire hunters, Nightstalkers, Midnight Sons, the Nine, Quincy Harker's vampire hunters, Ogun Strong's vampire hunters, Bloodshadows gang

Education
High-school equivalent

Height
6'2"

Weight
180 lbs.

Eyes
Brown

Hair
Black

Powers
The enzymes in Blade's blood made him immune to normal vampire bites, uniquely attuned to sensing the supernatural and resistant to aging. Since being bitten by Morbius, Blade has gained many of the traditional powers of the vampire without developing their weaknesses. He has superhuman strength, senses and stamina, plus an accelerated healing factor.

Abilities
Blade is a master martial artist proficient in practically every form of weaponry known to man. His particular specialty is the use of edged weapons, be they teakwood daggers or swords.

Other Info
Eric Brooks was was born over seven decades ago. His mother, a prostitute, was forced to seek a stranger's assistance when she experienced severe labor complications. The stranger, Deacon Frost, claimed to be a doctor; however, he was actually a vampire. Frost feasted on the woman as she gave birth, passing on a series of enzymes that altered her baby. The enzymes entered the infant's bloodstream, transforming Eric into a Dhampir (someone tainted by a vampire's kiss, but not converted). Frost was about to slay Eric, but he was driven away before he could. Unfortunately, Eric's mother died. (To learn about Frost, click on his name above.)

Eric was now orphaned, but he was raised at Madame Vanity's brothel, his mother's workplace. He knew how his mother had died, but he did not fully understand it until he was nine years old. One night when he was walking home, he saw an old man get attacked by vampires. Eric threw himself into the fight, driving them away. The old man turned out to be Jamal Afari, a great jazz trumpeter and a dangerous foe of the undead. Afari moved into the Vanity and mentored Eric, teaching him in both music and combat.

Despite Afari's positive influence, Blade decided to turn his life to crime. He briefly joined the Bloodshadows street gang. Later he claimed leadership after driving out the group's previous head, Cutter. Blade also took Cutter's woman, Glory, for his own; however, Glory was later turned into the undead due to a vampire attack. Blade killed the vampire who did this to Glory and from that day forward he decided to accept his destiny: battling the undead. (Blade uses a small arsenal of weapons: teakwood daggers; titanium, acid-etched swords; Kevlar body armor; automatic and semi-automatic firearms converted for use with hollow-point, garlic-filled silver bullets; and a variety of portable, custom-designed weapons that employ silver, garlic, sunlight, ultraviolet rays and anti-coagulants.)

Later on, the vampire lord, Dracula, turned Afari into a vampire, which eventually resulted in Blade been forced to destroy Afari. This act intensified his hatred for the undead. In search of Dracula, he partnered with Azu, Ogun, Musenda and Orji Jones and traveled to China. Here, he tricked Dracula into an ambush and they slew the vampire; however, Dracula rose again within the night and destroyed Blade's allies. (To learn about the characters above, just click on their names.)

Some time later, Blade attracted the attention of Quincy Harker, whose passion for destroying the undead nearly equaled Blade's own. Blade decided to join up with Harker, Frank Drake, Rachel van Helsing, and Taj Nital to track down Dracula. The group was able to find one of Dracula's lairs and kill him; unfortunately, Dracula rose from the dead once again. (To learn about some of Blade's teammates, click on their names above.)

In a later battle, Dracula tore out Blade's throat, leaving him to transform into a vampire; but Blade recovered from the wound, realizing for the first time that he was seemingly immune to vampire bites. Now with this knowledge, Blade left Harker's group to focus on finding his mother's killer; however, he was sidetracked by the Legion of the Damned (a cult of vampires based in London and answering to Marguerite D'Alescio, a human agent of Dracula). Madame Vanity, who had once employed Blade's mother and had helped raise him after her death, was slain by the Legion. This sent Blade into a out-of-control rage. Intent on stopping the Legion from creating the Sunlight Serum (this would have allowed vampires to move freely during the day), Blade teamed with Inspector Kate Fraser to track the Legion to their lair. There they ended the group's threat. (To learn about Kate Fraser, click on her highlighted name above.)

Months later, the hunt for Deacon Frost took Blade to Boston, where he was astonished to find Harker's team and their mortal enemy Dracula working together against a greater threat, Doctor Sun. Blade spurned this alliance at first, unwilling to work with a vampire, but joined them after realizing how dangerous Sun was. While battling Sun's forces, Blade caught a glimpse of Frost. Once again deserting Harker's band for his own mission, Blade resumed his search for Frost and soon found Hannibal King, a private eye whom Frost had transformed into a vampire. Unwilling to trust each other but united by their hatred of Frost, King and Blade joined forces to pursue Frost. Finally, King and Blade tracked down Frost and seemingly destroyed him in a powerful explosion; but like all too many of Blade's vampire foes, Frost would eventually return. (To learn about King, click on his name above.)

Some time later, Rachel van Helsing was killed by Dracula and turned into a vampire before Wolverine destroyed her. Blade, Drake, and King teamed up with Doctor Strange to cast a spell called the Montesi Formula, which seemingly wiped out all vampires on Earth. For the first time in his life, Blade lacked a clear purpose. Seeking direction, he formed the Borderline Investigations firm with Drake and King. However, Dracula was revived, and Blade sought him out once again. (To learn about the above characters, thing, and place above, just click on their names.)

Later on, Blade began to have a hate for all supernatural. He, Drake, and King began to call themselves the Nightstalkers. The trio were soon hired to attack the Ghost Riders (Daniel Ketch and Johnny Blaze) because they were supposed threats to humanity due to their supernatural nature; the Ghost Riders barely survived. The Nightstalkers next aided the Punisher, who had been caught in a mystical war between Shiv and Adam Casim. (To learn about the highlighted characters, just click on their names.)

Blade later teamed up with Brother Voodoo to thwart Marie Laveau and Deacon Frost's attempts to build an undead army. Then later, Blade and Spider-Man encountered the vampire Henry Sage and learned of the development of the Daywalker formula (an evolution of the Sunlight Serum). Continuing to refine his techniques and equipment, Blade helped Spider-Man try to capture Morbius. During their confrontation, Morbius bit Blade, who soon realized that his blood enzymes were not enough to protect him from his foe's unique form of vampirism transforming into the thing he hated most, a vampire. Blade was now a Daywalker (a vampire able to move about in the sunlight and lacking most of the vampire's traditional weaknesses). Blade was now driven by bloodthirst and struggles to this day to cope with his hunger for human blood. (To learn more about the three highlighted characters above, just click on their names.)

Most recently, Blade has teamed up with a new group of vampire hunters, thwarting an immense vampire conspiracy threatening the entire planet, led by Dracula himself. Dracula was destroyed once again, though his eventual resurrection seems to be assured.

Despite his terrible losses and his own transformations, Blade continues on in his crusade against the undead. Fueled by a constant craving for vengeance against the monsters who have tainted his own humanity, Blade will never rest until all the vampires of the world have been destroyed.

To learn more concerning the life of Blade, click on the following link, http://marvel.com/universe/Blade.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Roxanne Simpson

Real Name
Roxanne Simpson Blaze

Occupation
Unknown

Citizenship
U.S.A.

Place of Birth
Unknown

Known Relatives
Crash Simpson (father, deceased), Mona Simpson (mother, deceased), Craig Blaze (son, presumed dead), Emma Blaze (daughter), Johnny Blaze (Ghost Rider, husband of Roxanne Blaze); Noble Kale (husband of Black Rose)

Group Affiliation
As Black Rose, consort of Blackheart

Education
Unrevealed, however, it is known that she has an attraction for magic and the mysteries of the supernatural.

Height
Unknown

Weight
Unknown

Eyes
Unknown

Hair
Brown

Powers
Roxanne explored magic of a supernatural nature. As Black Rose her powers have not been fully uncovered, although she did have the ability to form deadly thorns.

Abilities
Unknown

Other Info
Roxanne Simpson was the daughter of Crash and Mona Simpson. During her childhood, Roxanne became friends with a boy named Johnny Blaze (aka future Ghost Rider). After some time, their friendship grew into love. In fact, one time Johnny almost lost his soul to Mephisto, but by Roxanne proclaiming her love for Johnny, and through the purity of her emotion of true love, the demon was driven away. (Now that's the power of love!) Much of Johnny's early adventures were centered around Mephisto attempting to get Roxanne to rescind her protection of Blaze. The two eventually got married and had two children together, Craig and Emma. (To learn about the characters above, click on their names above.)

At one time, Roxanne and Johnny's children were kidnapped by Regent. So, Johnny went out and rescued them; however, Roxanne had actually bargained the children away years earlier in hopes that Regent would remove the Kale curse that turns Johnny into the Ghost Rider. After some time, the couple were finally getting over this painful revelation and Roxanne was killed by Anton Hellgate. (To learn more about the above highlighted characters, just click on their names.)

Sometime later, she was raised from the dead by Blackheart and transformed into a red skinned demon named Black Rose. Black Rose had no memory of her past self, initially. However, later on, Noble Kale restored her memories during his time as Ruler of Hell. Apparently feeling that Johnny had moved on, Roxanne decided to let Johnny continue believing that she was dead. (To learn more about the above characters, just click on their names. Also, the fifth and sixth pictures posted are of Black Rose.)

At one time, Black Rose was battling Johnny Blaze (as Ghost Rider) and a couple of his allies. Black Rose was too weak to defend herself and was about to meet her death by the hands of Blaze and his hellfire shotgun, but Blackheart showed up and intervened; he revealed via cryptic message to Ghost Rider's group that Black Rose was Roxanne Simpson.

Black Rose later married a different Ghost Rider named Noble Kale.

To learn a little more about Roxanne/Black Rose, click on the following link, http://marvel.com/universe/Black_Rose.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Quill

Real Name
Maxwell Jordan

Occupation

Student

Citizenship
U.S.A.

Place of Birth
Unrevealed

Known Relatives
Unrevealed

Group Affiliation
Formerly Xavier Institute Student Body, The Corsairs squad.

Education
High School student

Height
5'4"

Weight
124 lbs.

Eyes
Brown

Hair
None

Powers
Able to produce and project spiked quills from his body

Abilities
Rudimentary thieving skills

Other Info
Maxwell Jordan was among the first students to attend the rebuilt Xavier Institute of Higher Learning (aka the X-Mansion). There, he was placed on the Corsairs (a squad mentored by co-headmaster Cyclops). (To learn about Cyclops or the Xavier Institute, click on their names above. Note: Beware of a picture of Emma Frost on Cyclops' bio page; she's in a revealing/tight-fitting outfit.)

At the institute, Jordan was voted "class clown" by his peers and was always an up-beat and optimistic student. He joined up with two other students in stealing a copy of a computer science test in order to get his grades up. Unfortunately, for them, they were caught in the act by Kitty Pryde. As a consequence, the students involved were forced to spend a day with former professional thief Gambit in the hopes that they would learn from his seeming reformation. However, Gambit actually used the students to reclaim a surveillance video. And in order to accomplish this, Gambit taught them many thieving techniques. This experience inspired Jordan to become a professional thief. (To learn more about Kitty or Gambit, click on their names above.)

Quill was one of the few students who kept their powers after M-Day. He continued to stay and learn at the Institute, but the squad system had been disbanded. In fact, he even tried to fight in a battle royale in an attempt to join a seven-member training squad, but he wasn't selected by Emma Frost and instead remained inactive with the remaining students. (To learn about M-Day or Emma Frost, click on their names: Note: Beware of both bio pages! Both have Emma Frost in revealing/tight-fitting outfits.)

During the attack on the X-Mansion by Reverend William Stryker, Quill was killed while he and the other students were trying to evacuate the premises. (To learn about Stryker, click on his name above.)

Quill appears in the third X-Men movie, X-Men: The Last Stand. In the credits of the movie, he is listed as Kid Omega; however, the movie makers confirmed that the character is supposed to be Quill, and they just got the wrong name. Also, the movie has Quill fighting against the X-Men, where in the comics, he fights with the X-Men. Big difference. (To learn about Kid Omega, click on his name above.)

To learn a tiny bit more concerning Quill, click on the following link, http://marvel.com/universe/Quill.

Monday, November 2, 2009

The "Face" of Marvel Poll Results

Holy Cow! What a turn out!!! Thanks for all those that participated by voting and/or leaving comments! You all are true Marvel Maniacs!

And for the results.............the winner is...............A TIE!!! Spider-Man and Wolverine both came in with 11 votes each! There were also a few sporadic votes for Captain America and Iron Man. (To be honest, I was impressed that Captain America got that many votes. I think he's awesome, but I didn't think he would get any votes.)


Thanks again for all those that voted! This was a nail-biter! It came down to the wire!

P.S. There will be a Battle Royal 4 in just 4 more weeks!

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Multiple Man

Real Name
James Arthur "Jamie" Madrox

Occupation

Private investigator, adventurer, former laboratory assistant, farmer

Citizenship
U.S.A.

Place of Birth
Los Alamos, New Mexico

Known Relatives
Daniel Madrox (father, deceased), Joan Madrox (mother, deceased)

Group Affiliation
X-Factor Investigations; formerly X-Corporation, X-Corps, X-Factor, Nasty Boys (duplicate only), Fallen Angels (duplicate only)

Education
College-level courses

Height
5'11"

Weight
155 lbs.

Eyes
Blue

Hair
Brown

Powers
Madrox creates an identical physical living duplicate of himself upon any physical impact, possibly via extradimensional mass acquisition similar to the process used by Ant-Man or the Hulk. This process is spontaneous and cannot be prevented by Madrox. Although he can create multiple duplicates, and the duplicates themselves can also replicate, each is only able to create one duplicate at a time; he has been seen to produce around forty duplicates before no more would be created. The duplicates think, feel, and act independently, though usually guided by the original. Each tends to manifest one aspect of Madrox's personality, which increases in strength with lengthier separation from the original; these traits have recently become more extreme. Madrox is telepathically and empathically linked to his duplicates, suffering severe, potentially fatal, trauma if one dies. Madrox can "reabsorb" his duplicates, gaining their new knowledge and skills. Similarly, he will acquire any physical injury - though not any actual toxin - from a duplicate; symptoms are typically lessened by half during absorption. If Madrox himself were killed, it is not known whether any existing duplicates would continue to function independently; it is virtually impossible to distinguish the original from the duplicates.

Abilities
Madrox has acquired extensive knowledge and skills via his duplicates' experiences, such as human anatomy, speaking Russian, and Shaolin monk stealth techniques.

Other Info
James "Jamie" Madrox's mutant ability was apparent at birth when a duplicate was created upon his being slapped by the doctor. Two weeks later, Jamie's father resigned from the Los Alamos Nuclear Research Center and moved his family to an isolated farm in Kansas at the suggestion of Professor Charles Xavier. (To learn about Professor X, click on his highlighted name.)

From a young age, Madrox was given a special suit to wear that would neutralize his mutant power; however, before this could be explained to him, a tornado killed his parents when he was 15 years old. (Madrox's original costume absorbed kinetic energy, preventing accidental duplication. Madrox's strength was proportionately increased via this absorbed energy.) Madrox spent the next six years alone caring for his parents' farm. When he was 21, malfunctioning control elements in the suit caused a power surge that released his inhibited power and caused the suit to begin absorbing ambient electrical energy. Confused and frightened, Madrox left for New York City. (Multiple Man in his first suit is shown in the third picture posted.)

Once in New York, Madrox clashed with the Fantastic Four until Xavier arrived to defuse the situation. With the help of Xavier and the Fantastic Four's Reed Richards, Madrox's suit was repaired and he accompanied Xavier back to his mansion in Westchester. There, Multiple Man learned to cope with his powers and was invited to join the X-Men. However, he declined and accompanied Xavier to Muir Island instead. At the island, Madrox became a laboratory assistant to mutant researcher Doctor Moira MacTaggert. (To learn about the teams, people, and place above, just click on their names.)

Later, Multiple Man again declined another offer to join the X-Men, and remained on Muir Island with Moira and her lover (the X-Man Banshee). Soon after, Banshee's daughter Siryn came to live on Muir, and she and Madrox eventually grew close together. (To learn more about the above characters, click on their names.)

After some time, one of Multiple Man's duplicates sought to remain apart from the original and live his own life. To do so, the duplicate drugged the original Madrox and joined Moira and Siryn on a trip to the U.S. to search for Sunspot and Warlock (two missing members of the New Mutants.) Eventually finding the runaway mutants as members of the Vanisher's teenage gang, the Fallen Angels, the duplicate and Siryn were persuaded to join the team. During their time with the group, the duplicate Madrox and Siryn engaged in a brief romance. Eventually, the team returned to Earth and disbanded soon after. The duplicate and Siryn rejoined Moira at the Xavier Institute to return to Muir; however, the duplicate had no desire to be reabsorbed and so created another duplicate to take his place on the return trip while he secretly remained in the U.S. (Click on the highlighted characters, team, or places above, to learn more about them.)

Years later, the original Multiple Man joined the government-sponsored X-Factor team. Unknown to Madrox, the duplicate that had joined the Fallen Angels earlier had since found a place in the Nasty Boys (a team of super-powered mercenaries employed by geneticist Mister Sinister). With the help of Senator Stephen Shaffran (aka Ricochet--a mutant with the ability to turn other mutants' powers and fears against them), the duplicate convinced the Nasty Boys, and Madrox himself, that he was the original. Therefore, Madrox merged with the duplicate; however it was a trick and the original Madrox "disassembled" the duplicate from the inside and remained the dominant personality in order to expose Shaffran and stop Sinister. (Click on the highlighted people and teams above, to learn more about them. Also, the first picture posted is Multiple Man's costume during his time with X-Factor.)

After an attempted assassination of Professor X (supposedly by the mutant soldier from the future, Cable), X-Factor and the X-Men teamed up to capture Cable's team of young mutants (the X-Force). Among X-Force's numbers was Siryn, who confronted Madrox over their past relationship. However, Madrox revealed to Siryn that although he retained all the memories of her relationship with his renegade duplicate, he possessed none of the related emotional attachment. (To learn about about Cable or the X-Force, click on their names.)

During a later mission with X-Factor to the island nation of Genosha, one of Multiple Man's duplicates contracted the deadly Legacy Virus. When Madrox reabsorbed the infected duplicate, it was believed that he himself was infected and soon after seemingly died. (However, Madrox unconsciously stayed split into separate bodies, ensuring that the virus would be contained in one body and not duplicate into the others.) When the infected body died, the shock of its death caused Madrox to lose his memory. However, after some time, the X-Factor started hearing rumors of sightings of Madrox. They were finally able to find Multiple Man; he was alive and well with his memory restored. (To learn about the place or the virus, just click on their names.)

Later on, Multiple Man was recruited by Banshee into the paramilitary X-Corps organization for which Madrox created duplicates to function as support staff performing duties ranging from communications to monitoring to gunship pilots. Following the restructuring of the X-Corps into the X-Corporation global mutant search and rescue organization, Madrox worked with the group's European branch for a time until a pitched battle against the living bacterial consciousness known as Weapon XII apparently cost the life of his teammate Darkstar. After this tragedy, Multiple Man quit the team and went out on his own, sending "long-term explorer dupes" around the world to learn new skills before returning to be reabsorbed. (To learn about the groups and characters above, just click on their highlighted names.)

After this, Multiple Man established
XXX Investigators (later the name was changed to X-Factor Investigations) in Mutant Town with Strong Guy and Wolfsbane (both were Madrox's friends of their former X-Factor team). At this point, Madrox retired the name "Multiple Man," and starting going by just his last name, Madrox. Now, Madrox had stopped wearing his costume and began wearing just a shirt with or without a trench coat as his outfit. (To learn about the team, characters, and/or place above, click on their names. Also, the forth picture posted shows Madrox in this attire.)

At one point, Madrox, with the assistance of Forge, sent one of his duplicates 80-years into the future. In this time period, mutants were kept in camps. Here, the duplicate was arrested and put through a process where he was forced to undergo a tattooing process that instilled information into his face. He was scarred with a giant "M" across his right-eye. Later, the duplicate was killed in that time period, and the real Madrox (in the present day) awoke from a coma and cried out in agony because he too now had an "M" tattooed across his right eye. (To learn more about Forge, just click on his name above. Also, the fifth picture posted is of Madrox with the "M" tattoo.)

If you would like to learn more concerning Multiple Man/Madrox, click on the following link,
http://marvel.com/universe/Multiple_Man.