Sunday, May 31, 2015

Scarlet Witch

Real Name
Wanda Maximoff

Occupation
Adventurer; formerly witchcraft tutor, housewife, terrorist
 
Citizenship
Former citizen of Transia, naturalized citizen of the United States of America 

Place of Birth
Wundagore Mountain, Transia, Europe

Known Relatives
William "Billy" Kaplan (Wiccan, son), Thomas Shepherd (Speed, son), Pietro (Quicksilver, brother), Anya (sister, deceased), Magnus (Magneto, father), Magda (mother, presumed deceased), Lorna Dane (Polaris, half-sister), Vision (estranged husband), Maximoff, Django (foster father, deceased), Maximoff, Marya (foster mother, deceased), Crystal (sister-in-law), Maximoff, Luna (niece), Talia Wagner (Nocturne, alternate timeline daughter)

Group Affiliation
Formerly Avengers, Avengers West Coast, Brides of Set, Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Force Works, Lady Liberators, Secret Defenders; former student of Agatha Harkness

Education
Unrevealed

Height
5' 7"

Weight
132 lbs.

Eyes

Blue

Hair

Auburn

Powers

The Scarlet Witch can tap into mystic energy for reality-altering effects; this power was formerly limited to the creation of "hex-spheres" of reality-disrupting quasi-psionic force to cause molecular disturbances in a target's probability field, resulting in spontaneous combustion, deflection of objects in flight, and so on. She later became able to alter reality on a far greater scale, creating entire armies of enemies from nowhere. Although the Scarlet Witch has been trained in basic sorcery techniques, she lacks the specialized mystic training required to fully control her power.

Abilities
None

Other Info
Born at the Wundagore base of the High Evolutionary, in proximity to the eldritch energies of the Elder God Chthon; Wanda and her brother Pietro's mother, Magda, fled Wundagore shortly after their birth. Although not known at the time, Chthon formed a mystic bond with Wanda, who, it was later learned, was destined to serve the role of Nexus Being, a living focal point for the Earth dimension's mystical energy. (To learn about the above highlighted place and/or character, just click on their names above.)

Kept in stasis by the Evolutionary for decades, the two infants were later placed in the custody of a Gypsy couple named Django and Marya Maximoff. When Wanda and Pietro were teenagers and had already manifested their mutant powers, their family's encampment was attacked, leaving Marya dead; Django survived, but was separated from his children, while the traumatized Wanda and Pietro also fled, believing their foster father to have died. After several months of surviving on their own in the woods, the siblings ventured into a nearby town, where Wanda's powers inadvertently set fire to a house. Set upon by villagers who believed the pair to be "in league with the Devil", they were rescued by the timely arrival of Magneto, the mutant master of magnetism. Magneto was in fact their father, but neither he nor the siblings were aware of this at the time. Exploiting the pair's gratitude, Magneto pressed them into service as part of his anti-human terrorist unit, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn about the characters and/or team.)

Now known as the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, Wanda and Pietro accompanied Magneto and his fellow mutants in their power-seeking efforts, clashing with the heroic X-Men. After a time, the siblings, disillusioned with Magneto and feeling that their debt to him had been paid, decided to abandon their terrorist activities; alongside the archer and ex-criminal Hawkeye, they joined the Avengers under the leadership of Captain America. As a member of this foursome, the first major reorganization of the still young super-team, the Scarlet Witch served with distinction against such foes as Dr. Doom, the Mole Man, Kang, and others. (To learn about the teams and/or characters above, just click on their highlighted names.)

As the team expanded, the Scarlet Witch, despite her brother's disapproval, became romantically drawn to one of her fellow Avengers, the android known as the Vision. To better control her power, she began taking sorcery lessons from the witch Agatha Harkness, and after both she and the Vision had built their confidence, the couple married. At the time, none of the Avengers realized the Limbo lord Immortus, who sought to arrange events so the Scarlet Witch would never have children whose power would grow to be a threat, had subtly encouraged the marriage. (To learn about the above highlighted characters and/or place, just click on their names above.)

Not long after their wedding, the old Django Maximoff approached the Avengers. Determined to have his children back, he used a magical amulet known as the Nivashi Stone, the old man trapped the souls of Wanda and Pietro in two dolls shaped like them, which he locked in small bird cages. Rescued by the Avengers, the siblings took pity on the old man and decided to go back with him to Transia. Not long after, Wanda was attaced by the warlock known as Mordred, acting in the service of a mystical entity called Chthon. Chthon was able to possess Wanda's body, and hid in Wundagore Mountain. Pietro rushed to her aid, but was hit by an energy field and rescued by the evolved cow mid-wife Bova who, after healing him, revealed the nature of the sibling's birth to him. The Avengers flew to Transia and managed to save Wanda from Chthon's possession. Sadly, Django Maximoff died during the battle, and Wanda and Vision left active duty. (To learn about the highlighted characters above, just click on their names.)

Some time later, Magneto returned to Wundagore, searching for his past, and casually learned, from the lips of Bova herself, the truth about Wanda and Pietro. Excited to finally know the truth, Magneto traveled to Attilan, home of the Inhumans in Earth's Moon, where Wanda had traveled to in order to meet her newborn niece, Luna. Magneto told the pair the news, and held his granddaughter in his arms. (To learn about the above highlighted place, race, and/or character, just click on their names above.)

When the Baxter Building was threatened by the Negative Zone warlord Annihilus, the Scarlet Witch and the Vision returned to active duty. Weeks later, when most of the Avengers were trapped in the Secret Wars, the Vision was named Chairman of the team. He used his position to create a second branch of Avengers, placing them in the West Coast of the United States. Vision's mind was affected by an interface with the Titanian computer ISAAC, and he launched an attempt to take control of the world's computers, an effort stopped by the Avengers. The Vision and the Witch then left active Avengers duty once more. Although the couple sought only to live in domestic peace, they found themselves repeatedly drawn into clashes with several super-villains. During one such encounter, a battle with the sorcerers known as Salem's Seven, the Scarlet Witch used accumulated magic energy to become pregnant by the Vision, and she later gave birth to twin sons, William and Thomas. (To learn about the place, characters, and/or team above, just click on their highlighted names.)

When the Scarlet Witch and the Vision choose to return to active duty as members of the West Coast Avengers, a multi-government force called Vigilance, concerned the Vision would again attempt a world takeover, captured and dismantled him; although he was soon rebuilt, his personality was severely altered, greatly distressing the Scarlet Witch. It was later revealed it was Immortus who orchestrated the Vision's dismantling. Her distress was magnified when her sons were reverted into fragments of the demon lord Mephisto's soul and effectively ceased to exist. The Witch suffered a nervous breakdown, which left her open to manipulation by her father, Magneto, who still sought to take control of the world in the name of mutantkind. She was subsequently abducted by Immortus, but was rescued by the Avengers and regained her sanity. Wanda had also reanimated her deceased mentor, Agatha Harkness, through whom she cast a spell to make her forget her children in order to ease her pain. Though Wanda later recalled her loss, she suppressed this memory over the long term. The souls of her twins were separated after Mephisto's defeat. She and the Vision separated, and she became drawn to another fellow Avenger, Wonder Man. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn about the teams and/or characters.)

With Agatha Harkness's help, the Scarlet Witch learned of her nature as a Nexus Being and was able to drive off an extradimensional invasion by another Nexus Being, Lore. When the West Coast branch of Avengers disbanded due to internal conflict in the overall team, several members formed a new team known as Force Works, and the Scarlet Witch was appointed leader. During their first mission, her mutant powers interfered with the teleportation of the alien known as Century, bringing him to Earth. Century joined the Force Works team, and did not hide his feelings for the Scarlet Witch, which she seemed to reciprocate. However, the team disbanded before they could actually express their feelings, and Wanda returned to the Avengers. She was among those who were seemingly destroyed by the psionic being Onslaught. In fact, they were transported to an alternate universe created by the powerful mutant Franklin Richards. She and her fellow heroes remained there for months before returning to their home universe. The centuries-old sorceress Morgan Le Fay came across the Twilight Sword of Surtur, and was able to gather the Norn Stones. She then created a series of attacks on the Avengers to capture Wanda in the process. Using Wanda's mutant powers, she was able to pierce the gap between her Celtic magic and the Asgardian magic of the Twilight Sword, with it she remade the world in her image, turning the Avengers into the Queen's Vengeance. (To learn about the characters, teams, and/or item, click on their highlighted names above.)

Subsequently, while held captive by Morgan Le Fay, the Scarlet Witch, in attempting to summon the other Avengers, inadvertently caused Wonder Man to partially cross over from the world of the dead. Channeling the willpower of the Avengers through Wonder Man, Morgan was defeated and the world returned to normalcy.

While battling the Squadron Supreme, Wanda was once again able to call Wonder Man, and the deceased Avenger was able to return when Wanda was in danger, whether conscious or not. Wanda was also able to feel Morgan's magic within her still, even long after the sorceress had been defeated. Confused, Wanda sought the guidance of Agatha Harkness once more. Agatha revealed it was not Morgan's magic, but her own power that had matured before its time. Agatha then revealed that it was Chthon who had imbued in her the potential to wield magic, if not for his involvement, she would have been a mere energy-wielding mutant like her father. She was linked to Chthon's chaos magic, and that was the true source of her mutant power, though she wielded it in an unschooled manner. Agatha told her she had to control it and guide it, instead of allowing her subconscious to direct her "chaos-grenades", that she needed to understand her full power and subsume it within her, or the results could very well be disastrous. Wanda asked Agatha how she could bring back Wonder Man to life for good, and her mentor laughed saying Wonder Man had held on because he loved her, and all she had to do to bring him back was love him in return. Soon after, Wanda used her powers to bring back Wonder Man to life, as well as Wonder Man's brother, the Grim Reaper. She and Wonder Man began to pursue a romantic relationship. (To learn about the team and/or character highlighted above, just click on their names.)

With Iron Man severely injured, Thor preoccupied with his alter ego, and Captain America missing, the rest of the team appointed her as Deputy Leader, even though she had been considering leaving the Avengers. Wanda led the Avengers in the Captain's absence, focusing her energies on improving the morale and efficiency of the team. During this period, Wanda began using her powers in new ways, fighting diseases, healing wounds and even creating sickness in her enemies. (To learn about the characters above, just click on their highlighted names.)

Wanda's chaos magic, which was revealed to be an uncontrolled aspect of her mutant power, began to wear away at her mental stability. When vague memories of her children resurfaced, she suffered a nervous breakdown and lashed out with her new power, subjecting the Avengers to a series of devastating attacks, apparently killing several team members and ultimately causing the dissolution of the team. She was eventually defeated by the combined efforts of Doctor Strange and the Avengers, ultimately lapsing into a coma. In the ruins of the Avengers mansion, Magneto appeared to the Avengers and spirited her away to Genosha for treatment. (Click on the highlighted name above to learn about Doctor Strange.)

After several months of almost no progress in restoring her stability, The X-Men and the Avengers gathered to decide Wanda's fate. Quicksilver, suspecting that the inevitable conclusion would be to kill her, convinced Wanda to alter reality into a Utopian World where all of the heroes and Magneto would have what they wanted. Wanda did, creating a reality where Magneto was the head of a mutant empire and humans were the minority. Eventually the heroes discovered the ruse and, believing Magneto to be responsible, attacked him at his fortress in Genosha. When Magneto learned that Quicksilver was the instigator of the warp, Magneto turned on him in anger. Distressed by all the fighting and her father's hatred of humanity, Scarlet Witch revived Quicksilver and muttered three simple words: "No More Mutants," sending reality back to normal, but reducing the mutant population from millions to an estimated 198. Wanda has since been living on Wundagore mountain in apparent powerless obscurity. Thus far only Hawkeye, seeking closure after his multiple deaths and resurrections at Wanda's hand, has sought her out. (To learn about the House of M, click on the highlighted name above.)

It has been revealed that the Young Avengers members Thomas Shepherd (Speed) and Billy Kaplan (Wiccan) are new incarnations of Wanda's children, William and Thomas. Whether Wanda brought them back or there is another reason for their existence remains to be seen. (To learn about the above highlighted characters, just click on their names above.)

To learn a little more about Scarlet Witch, click on the following link, http://marvel.com/universe/Scarlet_Witch_%28Wanda_Maximoff%29. (Note: Beware of the revealing outfits on her bio page.)

Scarlet Witch first appeared as one of the "twins" in the mid-credits scene of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. She later appeared as a main character in the Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Quicksilver

Real Name
Pietro Django Maximoff

Occupation

Adventurer, former Genoshan cabinet minister, terrorist

Citizenship
Former citizen of Transia, naturalized citizen of the United States of America 

Place of Birth
Wundagore Mountain, Transia, Europe

Known Relatives
Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch, sister), Lorna Dane (Polaris, half sister), Magnus (Magneto, father), Magda (mother, deceased), Django Maximoff (adoptive father), Marya Maximoff (adoptive mother, deceased), Crystal (wife), Maximoff, Luna (daughter), Medusa (sister-in-law), Black Bolt, Gorgon, Karnak, Triton, Maximus (cousins by marriage), Vision (ex-brother-in-law) 

Group Affiliation
Avengers; formerly X-Factor, Inhumans militia, Queen's Vengeance, Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Knights of Wundagore (leader), Acolytes, Zodiac

Education
Unrevealed

Height
6'

Weight
175 lbs.

Eyes

Blue

Hair

Silver

Powers

Quicksilver possessed superhuman speed, and could travel on foot at speeds exceeding the speed of sound for hundreds of miles before tiring; he could "fly" for short distances by flapping his arms or "vibrating" his legs; he could also use his speed to create cyclones, dodge machine gun and laser fire, and run up walls and across water. When the High Evolutionary's Isotope E upgraded his powers, he did not know the true limits of his speed.

Following the loss of his mutant nature, Quicksilver exposed himself to the Terrigen Mists, resulting in him now possessing the power to vibrate his atoms so quickly he travels forward in time. His molecular speed that he generates displaces him out of the mainstream time/space so that he is able to propel himself into the future. He can leap from thirty seconds to up to twelve days, and remain for several minutes to several hours before being recalled to his present time once his body tires, or he can return at will before his time is up. As he returns from his trip, he returns the exact moment he left so as to appear that he has been gone for half a nano-second. He is able to bring inorganic objects from the future back to his correct time, although it has yet been shown what would happen if he attempted to bring organic objects with him. These new powers are having an affect on his physical health. Each time he meets up with his future self (if indeed the person he meets is his future self), the future self looks more and more haggard.

After the incident on Genosha, Pietro continued to inhale the Mists of Terrigen and has apparently obtained the power, with the shards of the Mists in his hands, to restore other mutants’ powers.

Abilities
Quicksilver was trained by Captain America in hand-to-hand combat.

Other Info
Pietro and his twin sister, Wanda, were raised by Django and Marya Maximoff--a gypsy couple. As adolescents, Pietro and Wanda discovered that they had peculiar talents. When Django began to steal food to feed his starving family, enraged villagers attacked the gypsy camp. Using his phenomenal speed, Pietro fled from the camp with his sister. Over the next few years, Pietro and Wanda wandered central Europe, living off the land. One day, Wanda accidentally caused a house to burst into flames with her uncontrollable hex powers and the pair were chased by superstitious townspeople. Despite Pietro's attempt to defend her, the twins were soon overpowered and were rescued by MagnetoUnwilling, but believing they owed him a debt, the twins became members of Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants as "Quicksilver" and the "Scarlet Witch." (To learn about the above highlighted characters, just click on their highlighted names above. Also, Quicksilver's costume during his time with the Brotherhood is shown in the third picture posted above)

For months they served in the Brotherhood, coming into conflict with the X-Men. When the extraterrestrial Stranger transported Magneto from Earth, the siblings left the Brotherhood. (To learn about the team and/or character highlighted above, just click on their names.)

Soon after, the two learned the Avengers were seeking new members, and Quicksilver convinced his sister to leave for America and join the heroic team. Alongside Captain America and Hawkeye, they remained with the Avengers for many years. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn about the team and/or characters. Also, Quicksilver's costume during most of his time with the Avengers is shown in the sixth picture posted above.)
Eventually, Wanda began to become romantically involved with the Vision, and Pietro condemned her relationship with a pseudo-human android, causing their first major rift. The rift was later mended, some time after Wanda married the Vision, when the telepath Moondragon permanently altered Pietro's prejudice toward the Vision in a self-righteous employment of her powers.  (To learn about the characters highlighted above, just click on their names.)

Later, Pietro left the Avenges while the group was engaged in battle with the mutant-hunting Sentinel robots. Sustaining injuries in battle, Pietro was taken to medical care by Crystal, member of the Inhumans and whose dimension-spanning companion Lockjaw happened upon the scene of the battle. Months passed before Pietro was well enough to contact his companions to tell them of his circumstances. In the meantime, Pietro became romantically involved with his rescuer, and he and Crystal were married after a brief courtship. The wedding, held in the Inhuman city of Attilan, was attended by the Inhumans, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four. (To learn about the teams, character, and/or place, just click on their highlighted names above. Note: Beware of the form-fitting outfit on Crystal's bio page.)

Months later, however, after being mystically abducted by Django Maximoff and freed by Avengers, Wanda and Pietro took a leave of absence from the team to investigate the secrets regarding their childhood origins. Returning to Wundagore Mountain, they met Bova and learned the truth of their parentage--they were, in fact, the children of Magneto. His wife, the gypsy Magda, had fled from Magneto, terrified of the sudden manifestation of his power and intentions of world domination. Magda found her way to the tiny nation of Transia, finding refuge with Bova, a woman evolved from a cow by Wundagore’s High Evolutionary. Magda gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, with Bova as her midwife, but was still afraid of her husband, and left Bova her children. Soon after, Bova instead presented the twins to the High Evolutionary, who found Django and Marya Maximoff--a gypsy couple camped nearby who had lost their own twin children, Ana and Mateo, during World War II. The couple cared for the children as their own. Their abduction by Django also led to the revelation that Wanda held a connection to the demon Chthon, who was trapped within Wundagore Mountain and hoped to escape using Wanda as a host body someday. The return to the mountain allowed Chthon to possess Wanda, but she was soon freed by her brother, the Avengers, and Django Maximoff, who sealed Chthon inside Wundagore before dying. (To learn about the highlighted characters above, just click on their names.)

At one point, Pietro and Crystal had their own child, a daughter, Luna. Not long after, Pietro was confronted by Magneto who wanted to investigate his grandchild's birth. Pietro denounced Magneto for his callous treatment of them when they were members of this Brotherhood and refused to believe he and amended his megalomaniacal ways. Eventually, however, when Magneto appeared to be reforming, Pietro relented in his resentment for his natural father. (To learn about Luna, click on her name above.)

Later, Pietro had volunteered his services to the head of the Inhumans’ small militia and became an officer. During his period of service, however, the Inhuman had no call for military activity. His neglect of his wife led her to become involved with another man. Learning of her infidelity, Pietro refused to forgive her and fled Attilan, vowing vengeance. 

He later tried unsuccessfully to frame the Avengers for treason, using the opportunity to attack the Avengers alongside the android Zodiac Cartel. He relented only after the Vision asked him if he was willing to orphan his and Wanda's infant children. Pietro later allied with the Hungarian government and assisted them in the development of techniques to create super-powered individuals. He proclaimed to believe fully in mutant supremacy and intended to rule the world as its self-proclaimed King of Mutants. He again tried to capture his Avengers teammates, but they escaped. (To learn about the highlighted character above, just click on his name.)

Distraught and addled, Pietro was accosted by the original X-Factor team, who were posing as mutant-hunters at the time. X-Factor helped restore Pietro to the Inhumans, whereupon it was discovered that his criminal insanity had been artificially inflicted by Maximus the Mad, who had been influencing Pietro's actions since he split with Crystal. Maximus was defeated and Pietro remained with the Inhumans. He secretly renewed alliance with Avengers, however, and publicly pretended to rejoin Magneto in order to watch over and influence his sister, Wanda, who had at the time gone mad and rejoined Magneto's service. With Avengers, he helped free Wanda from exploitation by Magneto and Immortus, restoring her to sanity. Pietro then remained alongside the Avengers for long while, remaining estranged from Crystal and the Inhumans. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn about the team and/or characters.)

Later on, Quicksilver joined the U.S. government-sponsored X-Factor team, serving with the team throughout its public existence. At one point, during psychotherapy with Doc Samson, Pietro explained how his prickly personality stems largely from his frustration at dealing with a world where almost everyone and everything seems slow or stupid, or both. When X-Factor was dropped from government sponsorship and forced to operate underground, Pietro left. ( To learn about Doc Samson, click on his highlighted name above. Also, Quicksilver during his time with X-Factor is shown in the forth picture posted above.)

At one point, when the Avengers were attacked by the alien Brethren, Quicksilver returned to aid the Avengers and found that Crystal had joined the team at the same time. Quicksilver refused to join the team since Crystal remained with them, although he later rejoined while participating in the rescue of his daughter Luna from Magneto's former Acolyte, Fabian Cortez, and his rival, Exodus. Pietro was gravely injured by Exodus and saved by the Avenger Black Knight, who by then was entertaining romantic intentions with Crystal. Recovering from his injuries at the Avengers Mansion, Pietro tried to win back Crystal. Ultimately, however, he began to repair his relationship with Crystal only after the Black Knight left Avengers. (Click the highlighted names above to learn about the characters and/or place.)

Later on, Quicksilver again confronted with Exodus and Magneto's Acolytes, he joined the High Evolutionary in repelling their attack on Wundagore. Quicksilver was asked to become the leader of a small band of the Evolutionary's Knights of Wundagore--animals that the geneticist had endowed with human intelligence and humanoid-like forms. Pietro accepted and exhibited an adeptness at leading the Knights in battles against injustice, although he soon left in order to find his true self. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn about the teams.)

Some time later, Magneto was given control of the island nation of Genosha. Investigating his father's activities, Pietro was captured by resistance forces and would have been killed if not for the intervention of the X-Men Rogue and the former Acolyte Amelia Voght. After Magneto crushed the resistance, Quicksilver was ready to storm off when Voght teleported him to a Genoshan camp for those mutants infected with the Legacy Virus. Horrified, Pietro chose to stay in Genosha and act as his father's conscience, to remind him that both mutants and humans have to right not to be persecuted. He accepted a cabinet-level position in Magneto's new regime. However, this was all according to Magneto's plan, as he hoped to make Pietro into a loyal and subservient son. During this time with Magneto, Quicksilver was exposed to the mutagenic Isotope E, which boosted his powers to unforeseen levels. However, Pietro could no longer stomach his father's ruthless methods after witnessing him in battle against a Genoshan Resistance. He briefly warned the X-Men about Magneto and rejoined the Avengers. (To learn about the place, characters, and/or virus, click on the highlighted names above.)

At one point, Wanda went mad, causing the deaths of Ant-Man, the Vision, and Hawkeye, and though subdued, she remained a serious threat to the world. Quicksilver was shocked to find out that the Avengers and the X-Men were deliberating over whether to kill his sister. Enraged at this, Quicksilver went to Genosha to find his sister, who had been taken into their father's care, and trying to make everything right, he convinced his sister to use her reality warping powers to make the "House of M" (an alternate reality where mutants ruled). Magneto and his family were the rulers of this new world, and everything seemed to be going well until some renegade heroes informed the royal family of how the world had been before. Magneto's anger caused him to slay Quicksilver who was brought back to life quickly by a distraught Scarlet Witch. Magneto seemed to have calmed her down when Quicksilver's sister changed reality back to its previous state. However this time, blaming all her heartache on the powers she and her family possessed, the phrase she uttered to bring back reality removed millions of mutants' powers, Quicksilver included. (To learn about the character and/or event highlighted above, just click on their names.)

Now, not being able to cope with a world he felt was going too slow, Quicksilver went back to the Inhumans a wreck, and was convinced to use the Mists of Terrigen to gain powers once more. He succeeded in gaining new and fantastic powers, which included being able to move his molecules so fast that he could travel in time, which has had severe effects on the way he is aging, and took his daughter Luna with him to Earth, via Lockjaw. There he took the stolen Mists and used them on Unus, Freakshow, Shola, Wicked, Callisto, and other de-powered mutants still living in Genosha. Soon he gave the de-powered mutants their powers back and encountered the Office of National Emergency and was teleported away once again by Lockjaw. However, Pietro was not satisfied and continued to use the Mists which caused shards of the Mist to become embedded in his hands which he used to give the Reaper his powers back. (To learn about the above highlighted characters and/or team, just click on their names.)

More recently, Quicksilver has joined the newest incarnation of X-Factor alongside his younger sister, Lorna. (To learn about Polaris, click on the highlighted name above. Also, Quicksilver's current costume is shown in the fifth picture posted above.)
To learn a little more about Quicksilver, click on the following link, http://marvel.com/universe/Quicksilver.

Quicksilver has appeared in two films: X-Men: Days of Future Past and Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron. Usually two different studios can not use the same character; however, it was agreed that Quicksilver has a major role in both the X-Men and Avengers storylines in the comics. Therefore, it was decided that both studios (20th Century Fox and Marvel) could use the character. However, in Days of Future Past he is referred to as "Peter" and in Age of Ultron he is referred to has "Pietro." (The Quicksilver for Days of Future Past is shown in the top photo of the second picture posted above. And the Quicksilver for Age of Ultron is shown in the bottom photo of the second picture posted above.)

Sunday, May 17, 2015

Vision

Real Name
Vision

Occupation

Adventurer
 
Citizenship
Inapplicable (granted provisional citizenship in the U.S.A.)

Place of Birth
Brooklyn, New York City, New York
 
Known Relatives
Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch, ex-wife), Thomas Shepherd (Speed, son), William Kaplan (Wiccan, son), Ultron ("father"), Henry Pym (Ant-Man, "grandfather"), Pietro Maximoff (Quicksilver, ex-brother-in-law), Erik Magnus Lensher (Magneto, ex-father-in-law), Jocasta (fellow creation, "sister"), Simon Williams (Wonder Man, "brother"), Victor Mancha (fellow creation, half brother), Alkhema (fellow creation, "stepmother")
 
Group Affiliation
Avengers, Young Avengers; formerly Secret Avengers

Education
None

Height
6' 3"

Weight
300 lbs. (at normal density), Variable up to 90 tons

Eyes

Gold

Hair

None

Powers

The Vision possesses complete control over his density, and so is able to render himself intangible or extraordinarily massive and diamond-hard at will. He can partially materialize within another person, causing his victim extreme pain. The solar cell on the Vision's forehead emits beams of infrared and microwave radiation, with temperatures ranging from 500 to 30,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Abilities
None

Other Info
The metal monstrosity called Ultron created the synthetic humanoid known as the Vision from the remains of the original, android Human Torch of the 1940s to serve as a vehicle of vengeance against the Avengers, Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Himself constructed by size-changing scientist Henry Pym, Ultron inadvertently gained sentience and rebelled against the Avengers' resident roboticist. The living machine programmed the Vision's neural processors with the brain patterns of the ionically charged costumed champion called Wonder Man and implanted a control crystal to keep him in check. It was this synthezoid (a special type of Android empowered by Synthesizing Energy) who became known as the Vision. (To learn about the above highlighted characters and/or team, just click on their names.)

Ultron dispatched the Vision to draw the Avengers into a deathtrap, and it was during this initial encounter that the diminutive dynamo known as the Wasp coined the synthezoid's name. At first sight of the spectral entity, the horrified heroine called him an "unearthly, inhuman vision." Moved by the Avengers' plight, the Vision betrayed his programming and helped the mighty mortals defeat his calculating creator. (To learn about Wasp, just click on her highlighted name above.)

The Vision served the Avengers faithfully for a number of years, standing with his teammates against the foes no single hero could defeat. Tentatively at first, the almost-human android embarked on a romantic relationship with the hex-casting heroine called the Scarlet Witch that blossomed into true love and marriage. The newlyweds left Avengers Mansion to live a quiet life in New Jersey. When the Vision's malfunctioning control crystal interfered with his ability to reason, he became bent on creating a new golden age of peace on Earth by seizing control of the world's computers and defense systems. Ultimately, the Vision reverted to form by severing his connection to the planet's databanks and extracting the control crystal from his mechanized mind. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn about the character and/or place. Note: Beware of the revealing outfits on the Scarlet Witch's bio page.)

In the wake of the android Avengers' meltdown, the nations of Earth came to regard him as a high-level security threat. Government operatives abducted and dismantled the Vision, erasing his memory. The Scarlet Witch and the Avengers recovered their teammates' components, and Pym rebuilt and reprogrammed the Vision. The scientist downloaded the sum total of the Avengers' computer files into the synthezoid's neural processors, but Wonder Man refused to allow a new record of his brain patterns to be synthesized. Apparently, he had grown resentful of his digital doppelganger and was attracted to the Scarlet Witch himself. Hence, the Vision returned to existence sans human emotion, unable even to recall his love for his wife.

The Vision has since uploaded a new set of brain patterns, again acquiring the ability to feel. Though he remembers his time with the Scarlet Witch, he has chosen not to attempt reconciliation. Eager to experience human emotion to the fullest, the synthezoid has made diligent efforts to explore aspects of his personality aside from those pre-programmed by Pym. 

When the Scarlet Witch lost control of her powers and went insane, killing off many of the Avengers, the Vision was torn apart by an enraged She-Hulk. He was beyond any immediate repair, and thus was placed in storage. The Vision was retrieved by Iron Lad, who sought to unite a team of Avengers to help him defeat his future self, Kang. Upon retrieving him, Iron Lad downloaded the Vision's programming into his armor. When Iron Lad left his armor in a bid to escape Kang, the Vision became sentient once more and took control. (To learn about the above highlighted characters, just click on their names. Note: Beware of the revealing outfit worn on She-Hulk's bio page.)

To learn a little more about Vision, click on the following link, http://marvel.com/universe/Vision_%28Victor_Shade%29.

Vision makes his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in Marvel's The Avengers: Age of Ultron. Similar to the comics, it is Ultron who kind of creates him. However, there is a slight twist in the movie. You'll have to watch it to see.

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Klaw

Real Name
Ulysses Klaw (legally changed from Ulysses Klaue)

Occupation

Criminal; former Scientist

Citizenship
Belgian (Dutch, before retcon)
 
Place of Birth
Vlaardingen, Netherlands

Known Relatives
Fritz Klaue (father, deceased), Unnamed great-grandfather, deceased

Group Affiliation
Former member of the Intelligencia, Fearsome Foursome, Frightful Four, and Masters of Evil; Former ally of Molecule Man and Solarr

Education
University degree in Physics

Height
5' 11"

Weight
175 lbs.

Eyes
Red

Hair
None

Powers
Klaw's prosthetic hand can create sound waves of dangerous volume, fire concussive blasts of sound, and create sound constructs in any desired shape at his command. Later, when his body becomes living sound, Klaw needs absolutely no sustenance or air, and is virtually indestructible. His body can be sliced or destroyed, and it will rematerialize again, whole, at his will. He also possesses superhuman strength which enables him to lift approximately 5 tons when his body is fully energized.

Abilities
Klaw is a physicist and engineer specializing in the field of sonics.

Other Info
Ulysses Klaue came from a military family. His father, Fritz Klaue, was an operative for Nazi Germany during World War II. After the war, he moved back to Belgium and anglicized their names to "Klaw." Ulysses was raised with tales of  the African country of Wakanda and their precious metal known as "Vibranium." (To learn about the group, place, and/or item, click on the highlighted names above.)

Later, Ulysses Klaw was working as a physicist at the Technical University at Delft when he designed a sound transducer that was able to convert sound waves into physical matter. However, he needed the element Vibranium from Wakanda. Therefore, Klaw hired a group of mercenaries and traveled to Wakanda in search of the Vibranium. However, Klaw was also there for personally reasons--his great-grandfather had been killed by the "Black Panther" of Wakanda in the 19th Century. Eventually, Klaw found the Wakandan tribe and their leader, T’Chaka, guarding the Vibranium--part of their sacred mound. Klaw demanded that they give him the Vibranium. However, when T'Chaka refused, Klaw ordered his men to kill him. They quickly gunned down the chief in front of his young son, T’Challa. Then Klaw massacred the tribesmen and burned down their village. In retaliation, T’Challa stole one of Klaw’s sound-blasters from one of his men and used it on Klaw; thus, shattering Klaw's hand in the process. (To learn about the above Black Panthers, click on their highlighted names above.)

Returning to Belgium, Klaw vowed to return one day to get his revenge. Upon his return, Klaw was cared for by the Belgian government for the next ten years. During this time, Klaw had his mangled hand amputated and fitted with a claw-like prosthetic device into which he built a sonic-force blaster instead. (Also, Klaw before his prosthetic is shown in the third picture posted above.)

After his ten-year wait, Klaw returned to Wakanda to find T’Challa--now in the guise of the Black Panther--ruling the tribe in his father’s place. But, with the help of the Fantastic Four and Wyatt Wingfoot, the Wakandans fought off Klaw. In fact, it was the Black Panther himself who eventually overloaded Klaw's machines and left, believing him defeated. However, in frustration, Klaw leapt into his own sonic converter in the hopes of giving himself the power to defeat his enemies. His gamble was successful, and Klaw was transformed into a creature whose body was composed of "living sound." (Click on the highlighted team and/or character above to learn more about them.)

Soon after, in his new form, Klaw battled the Fantastic Four when he tried to force them to bring him to the Black Panther. However, he was pummeled into unconsciousness by Mister Fantastic who was wearing Vibranium knuckle guards that he had received form the Black Panther. Afterwards, they handed him over to the authorities to be taken to prison. (To learn about the characters above, just click on their highlighted names.)

At one point, Klaw was freed from prison by the Crimson Cowl (Ultron) and was invited to join the second incarnations of the Masters of Evil. Upon joining the team, Klaw and the Masters of Evil were able to fight and capture the Avengers. However, they were soon defeated--Klaw being subdued by Black Panther again. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn about the character and/or teams.)

Later, Klaw attempted to reform the second Masters of Evil to fight the Avengers, but he was stopped this time by the Lady Liberators. (To learn about the Lady Liberators, click on the highlighted name above. Note: Beware of the very form-fitting outfits worn on their bio page.)

Some time later, Klaw traveled back to Wakanda in order to steal a device that would strengthen the mental-disintegrating powers of Vibranium. However, this time, Klaw was defeated by the Thing, Human Torch, and Black Panther. (To learn about the highlighted characters above, just click on their names.)

At one point, Klaw joined forces with the murderous Solarr and trapped the Avengers within a solid sound barrier. Then Klaw threatened to execute the Avengers if the Black Panther did not give up the throne of Wakanda to him. However, the Black Panther managed to subdue Klaw and Solarr before he could make good on his threat. (To learn about Solarr, click on the highlighted name above.)

Later on, Klaw rematerialized in the Nexus of All Realities located in the Florida Everglades. It was here that Klaw happened upon the wand of the Molecule Man. This led him helping Molecule Man find a body to possess. Afterward, the two new allies traveled to New York to get revenge on their common enemy: the Fantastic Four. However, once again, Klaw was defeated--this time by a visiting Impossible Man. (To learn about the above highlighted place and/or characters, just click on their names.)

Klaw was later recruited to join the Wizard's new Frightful Four, along with Hydro-Man and Titania. They attacked the Fantastic Four. And during the fight, Klaw threw the Thing into a device which transformed him back to his normal human form. The Fantastic Four, without the help of the Thing, battled the new Frightful Four and managed to beat them into retreat. However, with the help of Aron the Rogue Watcher--an unknown ally of the Wizard--the Frightful Four Aron the Watcher rendered the Fantastic Four unconscious. After some discussion, the Wizard decided to imprison the Fantastic Four so that he could torture them. However, the Thing sneaked into the Frightful Four's headquarters and freed his friends, which resulted in a battle between the two teams. In the end, the Frightful Four were defeated and were taken away. (To learn about the highlighted characters and/or team, just click on their names above.)

At one point, coincidentally, Klaw, Huntara, Paibok, and Devos all attacked the Fantastic Four at the same time. As the Fearsome Foursome, they battled the the Fantastic Four. However, the fight soon grew to involve Daredevil, Spider-Man, Sandman and Silver Sable as well as a group of Avengers, forcing the villains back to Paibok’s ship. When the four villains returned, Klaw was sent to the Baxter Building to attack Ant-Man (Scott Lang); however, he is defeated. (To learn about the above highlighted characters, just click on their names. Note: Beware of the very revealing outfit on Huntara's bio page.)

Recently, Klaw joined forces with Wizard again in a new Frightful Four. It was later revealed that this new Frightful Four was operating under the direction of the Intelligencia (a team who sought to capture the eight greatest minds on Earth). However, the team disbanded after the Intelligencia's schemes failed. (To learn about the Intelligencia, click on their highlighted name above.)

Klaw has been defeated and thought destroyed many times; however, every time he managed to rematerialize thanks to his body of living sound. Klaw's current whereabouts are unknown.

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

Ulyssus Klaue briefly makes an appearance in Marvel's The Avengers: Age of Ultron as a arms dealer. In the few scenes we see him, he does lose and arm, which sets him up to possibly have his sonic-force blaster arm in a future movie--most likely the future movie being Black Panther.

Saturday, May 9, 2015

Battle Ultimate 6 Results

Our victor of Battle Ultimate 6 is...APOCALYPSE!
 
Receiving 5 of the 6 votes, Apocalypse wins, now receiving the officially title of the "People's Choice of the Strongest Marvel Characters" (at least for the last 50 Marvel characters highlighted on the Marvel Madness blog anyway)!
 
The only other vote was for Quake.

That means Apocalypse will be going head-to-head with the previous winner of the Battle Ultimate 5 in the Battle Supreme 3!
 
Thank you for all you Marvel Maniacs that participated in the poll!

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Helen Cho

Real Name
Helen Cho

Occupation

Mother

Citizeship
Korea

Place of Birth
South Korea

Known Relatives
Philip Cho (husband, deceased); Maddy Cho (daughter); Amadeus Cho (son)

Group Affiliation
Unrevealed

Education
Unrevealed

Height
Unrevealed

Weight
Unrevealed

Eyes
Brown

Hair
Black

Powers
None

Abilities
None

Other Info
Much about Helen Cho's life before she married her husband is unknown except that she was born in South Korea. When her husband, Philip Cho, found a job in the United States, the two moved together to Arizona.

Both Helen and Philip had quite a passion for historical names. This is shown by the names of their two children: a son, Amadeus (named after the composer Mozart), and a daughter, Madame "Maddy" Curie. (To learn about Helen's children, click on their highlighted names above.)

Helen and her family lived a happy normal life. However, from an early age, Amadeus showed that he was incredibly smart--espcially for someone a young as he was. Over time, her son learned many things on his own and became very highly cultured and increased his already remarkable intelligence. Helen supported her son, and encouraged him to continue with his talents. In fact, the more Amadeus grew up, the more Helen and Philip realized that he was a genius.

When the Amadeus was a teenager, the Excello Soap Company announced an online game to reward young geniuses--a quiz show named "Brain Fight." Helen and Philip allowed Amadeus to participate, and their son easily won first place and achieved the highest score ever, earning him the title “Mastermind Excello.” Helen and her husband were happy for their son’s results. Unknown to them, the person who had organized "Brain Fight" was, in fact,  another genius and former child prodigy named Pythagoras Dupree, whose real goal was to search the world for intellect people who might be a rival to him and eliminate them. When Amadeus won the game, he gained the position of “7th Smartest Man in the World” (Pythagoras claimed he was the 6th). That reason alone was more than enough for Dupree to want to kill Amadeus.

Soon after returning home, Dupree sent men to the Cho home and blew it up. Helen and her family were killed; however, Amadeus survived.

Much later, on a mission to save Zeus from Hades (Underworld), Amadues Cho accompanied the Greek demigod Hercules to rescue his father. While Hercules battled hordes of vengeful enemies in Tartarus, Amadeus ended up in the Elysian Fields (the Greek version of Heaven). It was here that he met his parents, Helen and Philip. Helen and her husband were so happy to see Amadeus. They hugged him and told him how proud of what he had become. Before her son went back to Earth, however, Helen told Amadeus that his sister, Maddy, did not actually die in the explosion and was still alive--having been taken by Excello. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn about the characters and/or places.)

There isn't anything there, but here is the Marvel.com bio page for Helen Cho, http://marvel.com/universe/Cho,_Helen.

Helen Cho appears in Marvel's The Avengers: Age of Ultron. In this version, she is a world-renowned engineer and geneticist who assists the Avengers. However, she appears to have no connection to the Amadeus Cho (named in the novelization of the movie, The  Incredible Hulk) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.