Venom

Real Name
Peter Parker (First Host);
Edward Charles Brock (Second Host);
MacDonald "Mac" Gargan (Third Host)

Occupation
Vigilante; former journalist for the Daily Globe, and government operative (Brock); U.S. government agent; former professional criminal, assassin, private detective (Gargan)

Citizenship
U.S.A. with a criminal record (Brock); U.S.A. with a criminal record (Gargan)

Place of Birth
New York City, New York (Brock); Yonkers, New York (Gargan)

Known Relatives
Carl Brock (father), Jamie Brock (mother), Anne Weying (She-Venom, ex-wife, deceased) (Brock); None (Gargan)

Group Affiliation
None; formerly Sinister Six (Brock); Avengers; formerly Thunderbolts, Masters of Evil, "Spider-Man Revenge League"; Sinister Twelve; formerly partners with Mister Hyde and Delilah (Gargan)

Education
College educated (journalism major) (Brock); High school graduate (Gargan)

Height
6'3"(Brock); 6'3"(Gargan)

Weight
260 lbs. (due to atrophy and removal of Venom symbiote) (Brock); 220 lbs. / 245 lbs. (with symbiote) (Gargan)

Eyes
Blue (Brock); Brown (Gargan)

Hair
Reddish blond (Brock); Brown (shaves head) (Gargan)

Powers
Eddie Brock: Previously, the alien costume, which had grafted itself to the nervous system of Eddie Brock, somehow absorbed the powers of Spider-Man during its brief symbiotic relationship with him. These powers were transferred to Brock, so long as he wore the costume. At his peak, Brock had conditioned himself to lift (press) almost 700 lbs before he came into contact with the costume. Now, in his cancer-ridden body, he possesses minimal strength. Once he merged with the costume, in his prime he was able to lift (press) almost 11 tons. The alien costume also replicated Spider-Man's ability to cling to walls by controlling the flux of inter-atomic attraction between molecular boundary layers.

As Venom, Brock could also shoot strands of the alien's substance in the form of webbing at high pressure up to a distance of 70 feet. The alien's substance seems to be composed of tough, flexible fibers of organic polymers, which regenerate swiftly after shedding. The strands have extraordinary adhesive properties, which diminish rapidly once they abandon their living source. After about three hours, with no source to nourish them, the strands dry up like dead skin and dissolve into a powder. The strands possess a tensile strength of 125 pounds per square millimeter of cross section. Venom also possessed an extrasensory ability similar to Spider-Man's spider-sense. This response is not as complicated as Spider-Man's inherent sense since the alien costume can detect danger from every direction and conduct Brock in plenty of time. It is not as efficient as Spider-Man's spider-sense because it takes longer to communicate the danger, and Brock's reflexes are not as fast as Spider-Man’s, even though they are enhanced by the alien costume.

When distributed at a typical thickness over Brock's body, the symbiote was capable of absorbing bullets from small-arms weapons firing conventional ammunition. The symbiote is however particularly vulnerable to both sonic and heat-based attacks.

Also the symbiote has the power to blend in with the background.

Mac Gargan: the symbiote further enhances Gargan's superhuman attributes including his agility and strength (enabling him to lift 60 tons optimally), and granting him the ability to cling to almost any surface, block Spider-Man's spider-sense, and enable him to blend in with the background. The symbiote can also produce organic webs which he can use for web-slinging from building to building or capturing opponents.

Abilities
Brock is a journalist with skills in weight lifting / body building (Brock); has the intellectual skills of an average detective, though he is mentally unstable (Gargan).

Other Info
The symbiote has had three main hosts: Spider-Man (fourth picture posted), Eddie Brock (most famous host, and first picture posted), and Scorpion (current host, and fifth picture posted). The symbiote has attached to many other Marvel characters throughout its life, such as Wolverine, Punisher, and Captain America, to just name a few. (To learn about these characters, click on their highlighted names above.)

The symbiotes were a conquering alien race who had no feelings unto themselves. They fed off the emotions of those they conquered and forced them to do spectacular feats in order to feel the adrenaline rush. Eventually, the beings would be sucked dry and left for dead. One symbiote was placed in a prison and condemned to death by disintegration when it was discovered that he focused more on bonding and communicating then on dominating.

On a crazy mission in space, Spider-Man accidentally grabbed the symbiote by mistake and the symbiote instantly crawled over his body, covering Spider-Man from head to toe. Spider-Man was amazed with his new suit. For example, it could mimic any type of clothing whatsoever, making Spider-Man’s need for spare clothing obsolete. It also contained a "dimensional aperture" where he could place his camera, spare change, and other items without adding to the bulk of the costume. The costume was also equipped with its own web-shooter and seemingly contained an unlimited supply of webbing.

The alien costume could not tolerate being separated from its host for long periods of time. At night, when Spider-Man's alter ego, Peter Parker, slept, the symbiote would engulf him and send him web-slinging or battling evil during the night. Later, Spider-Man accepted Reed Richards' offer to study the costume. Richards learned that the costume was actually a living alien symbiote, a parasite trying to graft itself permanently to Spider-Man both mentally and physically. Richards was able to separate the alien costume from its host by shooting it with a "sonic blaster." He then contained the being in a special environmental cell, but the alien was able to escape and it made its way back to Peter Parker's closet where it waited, disguised as a spare red-and-blue costume. (To learn about Reed Richards, Mr. Fantastic, click on his name.)

Spider-Man, unknowingly, put on the alien costume. He brought it to the tower at Our Lady of Saints Church gambling the intense sound of the church's bells would destroy it. Spider-Man lost the gamble, and he succumbed to the bells before the costume did. However, the empathic parasite had preyed upon the emotions of Spider-Man long enough to learn how to feel, and in feeling, to act. Sacrificing itself, the alien costume saved Spider-Man. The symbiote crawled away to die. However, the symbiote slithered saw a man by the name of Eddie Brock kneeling in prayer at the church's altar.

Brock had been a successful columnist for the newly revived Daily Globe until he began writing a series of articles about the "Sin-Eater murders". A bogus offender had confessed to Brock about committing the murders. While protecting the "murderer's" identity under the First Amendment, Brock wrote a series of stories in the Globe detailing his dialogue with the supposed killer, until mounting pressure from the authorities forced him to write an exclusive revealing the murderer's name. Although that edition of the paper sold out immediately, Spider-Man soon revealed the true identity of the Sin-Eater to be Detective Stan Carter, making Brock a laughingstock among his fellow journalists. He was fired from the Daily Globe and Brock's wife left him. His future appeared to be over and Brock blamed his losses on Spider-Man. Soon after, Brock began an intense physical workout program hoping to reduce the stress his life had become. However, such physical exertions only increased his violent obsession with Spider-Man. Although his body had been honed to near-perfection, Brock's mind was reduced to an all-consuming vessel of hatred. It was this fierce emotion that attracted the alien parasite to Eddie Brock. (To learn about the newspaper or character above, just click on their names.)

The symbiote joined mentally and physically with Brock, whose emotions overwhelmed the already confused alien. The dominant thought on both their minds was that of Spider-Man. However, Brock's sheer hatred for Spider-Man twisted the symbiote’s feelings to a similar extent. In effect, Brock's emotions drove the symbiote insane, just as their bonding may have driven Brock over the edge. Brock soon discovered that the costume gave him all the powers of Spider-Man, and more. It also added bulk to his already large frame and increased his strength to superhuman levels. Calling himself "Venom," Brock directed the costume to sprout a hideous grin and plotted his revenge. Through the costume, Venom learned a great deal about Spider-Man, including his secret identity.

The alien costume could cancel out Spider-Man's spider-sense presumably by projecting conflicting frequencies upon Spider-Man's brain waves. Venom finally made a bold move when he confronted Parker's wife, Mary Jane, at their old Chelsea apartment. Spider-Man challenged Venom at Our Lady of Saints Church. Spider-Man was able to weaken the alien to the point where it could not regenerate enough of its mass to become a renewed threat. Spider-Man was able to bring Venom to the Fantastic Four who imprisoned him in a sonic containment cell. The Fantastic Four then shipped Venom to the government super-prison in the Colorado Rockies called the Vault. (To learn about Mary Jane or the Vault, just click on their highlighted names.)

Venom was able to escapte the prision and it returned to fight Spider-Man again. This time Spider-Man used psychological warfare on Venom, by taunting the alien symbiote to return to him. The alien, torn by its love-hate relationship for Spider-Man, tried to leave Eddie Brock and re-establish its link with its original owner. But the trauma of trying to detach itself from Brock's nervous system was too much to bear. The alien costume and Eddie Brock were both knocked unconscious and they both were returned to the Vault prison. Since then, Venom has gone through many changes. After years of combating, Venom reached an understanding with Spider-Man. After a truce with Spider-Man and relocating to San Francisco, Venom was recruited by the government to be a special operations counter-terrorist agent, but he had to attach a bomb in his chest to assure complete and utter obedience. After a few missions, Venom became tired of the situation and had the symbiote perform surgery on him and it extracted the bomb from his chest.

After a long time, Venom resurfaced with cancer and the symbiote was the only thing keeping him alive. Brock did not want the alien costume anymore so he decided to sell his symbiote off in an auction, swearing off his life of vigilantism. The winner of the auction was the gang lord Don Fortunato. After that, Brock was discovered after making an attempt to kill himself, and was hospitalized. (To learn more about Eddie Brock and the Venom during this time, click on the following link, http://marvel.com/universe/Venom.)

After his purchase, Don Fortunato gave the symbiote to his son, Angelo, in hopes that Angelo would finally make a name for himself. The symbiote quickly left the weak Angelo, and made a proposition to Mac Gargan (aka Scorpion), another criminal who shared its hatred for Spider-Man. Gargan accepted and became the new Venom.

Later, Spider-Man was in a battle with the Green Goblin and the Green Goblin tried to go and kill Peter Parker's wife, Mary Jane. Spider-Man followed him, only to be stopped by this new Venom. The two foes continued to battle high above on New York's rooftops. After catching Gargan off balance Spider-Man dropped a condemned building on Venom, ending the battle. Venom was then arrested, but later was able to escape prison.

As Venom, Mac Gargan is able to mimic the shape of his old costume's tail. Also, to learn more about Venom with Mac Gargan as his host, or about Mac Gargan when he went by Scorpion, click on the following link, http://marvel.com/universe/Venom_(Mac_Gargan).

To me it seems that symbiote was good at first. It was said that when it took over Spider-Man during the nights, that it would battle evil. Venom didn't become evil until it was confused and bonded with Eddie Brock who turned it evil. I thought that was pretty interesting. I think the movie Spider-Man 3 did a pretty good job a keeping to the basic storyline. A few details here and there were different, but the basic story was the same. I still wish that they would have focused more on just Venom in Spider-Man 3. You don't really get to see Venom in action until the like last 30 minutes of the movie.

Jean Grey

Real Name
Jean Grey-Summers

Occupation
Phoenix Force host; former adventurer, teacher, headmistress, student, model

Citizenship
U.S.A.

Place of Birth
Annandale-on-Hudson, New York City, New York

Known Relatives
John Grey (father), Elaine Grey (mother), Sara Grey-Bailey (sister, deceased), Gailyn Bailey (niece, deceased), Joey Bailey (nephew, deceased), Scott Summers (Cyclops, husband), Christopher Summers (Corsair, father-in-law), Katherine Anne Summers (mother-in-law, deceased), Alexander Summers (Havok, brother-in-law), Gabriel Summers (Vulcan, brother-in-law), Philip Summers (grandfather-in-law), Deborah Summers (grandmother-in-law), Madelyne Pryor-Summers (clone, deceased), Nathan Christopher Summers (Cable, stepson), Stryfe (clone stepson, deceased), Rachel Summers (Marvel Girl, alternate timeline daughter), Nate Grey (X-Man, alternate timeline progeny, deceased), Dark Mother (alleged relative)

Group Affiliation
Formerly X-Men, Twelve, Brides of Set, X-Factor/X-Terminators

Education
College level education

Height
5'6"

Weight
115 lbs.

Eyes
Green

Hair
Red

Powers
Jean Grey possessed telepathic powers enabling her to read minds, project her thoughts into the minds of others, initiate astral travel, and mentally stun opponents with pure psionic force, among other talents. She also possessed telekinesis, allowing her to levitate and manipulate objects and others, generate force fields, fly, and stimulate heat molecules to generate concussive blasts.

Her powers were magnified to near-infinite levels while she served as an avatar for the cosmic Phoenix Force. She was able to manipulate matter and energy on a molecular scale, although this varied on the Force's status and how much power it chose to allocate to her.

Other Info
Jean is the younger daughter of history professor John Grey and his wife Elaine. When she was 10 years old, Jean experienced the emotions of a dying friend because of her her mutant abilities. Her parents took her to Professor Charles Xavier to help treat her. While Xavier treated Jean, he also used her to fine tune his Cerebro machine. Professor Xavier also used Jean's abilities to find a young mutant, Scott Summers (Cyclops). Later, Xavier put psychic shields in Jean’s mind to prevent her from using her telepathic powers until she was mature enough to control them. Jean became a founding member of Xavier’s team, the X-Men, and she went by the name, Marvel Girl. Jean soon fell in love with Scott Summers (Cyclops), but did later develop a strong attraction towards one of the team’s new recruits, Wolverine. (To learn more concerning the people and team above, just click on their highlighted names. Note: Cyclops' bio page has a picture of Emma Frost in a revealing and very tight-fitting outfit. Also, on the new Marvel.com Wolverine bio page, the main picture shows Elektra in a very tight-fitting outfit in the background.)

On a mission in outer space, Jean was noticed by the cosmic entity known as the Phoenix Force which realized Jean's unlimited potential. Later, on another mission in space, the X-Men escaped back to Earth in a shuttle through a deadly solar radiation storm. Jean was dying from radiation poisoning and she was saved by the Phoenix Force. The Phoenix Force created a duplicate body complete with memories and personality, absorbed a portion of Jean's consciousness, and cast her into suspended animation in a strange cocoon at the bottom of Jamaica Bay. For months the Phoenix believed itself to be the real Jean. At one point, by some mental manipulation by Mastermind, the Phoenix went insane and become the Dark Phoenix. Ultimately, the portion of Jean’s consciousness within Phoenix resurfaced and caused it to commit suicide. This portion of Jean's consciousness and residual Phoenix energy was sent to Jean’s original body in the cocoon, where it was rejected, and then to her clone, Madelyne Pryor. Eventually, Jean was rescued from her stasis and, with the X-Men, formed a new team known as the X-Factor. Madelyne Pryor (Jean's clone) later died in a confrontation with the real Jean Grey in which Jean absorbed Madelyne’s and Phoenix’s personalities and memories and a spark of the Phoenix energy. Later, Jean expelled this spark of energy and the personalities she had absorbed but kept faint impressions of their memories. (I know the whole Phoenix thing is kind of confusing, I don't completely understand it myself, but if you would like to learn about it in more detail, you can go to Marvel.com's Jean Grey bio page here, http://marvel.com/universe/Phoenix_(Jean_Grey). To learn about the different people mentioned above, click on their highlighted names. Note: The Mastermind has a very revealing picture with a woman in the background in a corset on the Marvel.com bio page. And watch out for Madelyne Pryor's bio page, she too is in a very revealing and tight-fitting outfit. Along this those, watch out for the tight-fitting outfit on the Phoenix Force page.)

Jean then rejoined the X-Men and she and Scott were eventually married. They both were temporarily teleported to a possible future to help raise Nathan Summers, her stepson. Later, Scott seemingly sacrificed himself to stop Apocalypse from gaining the power of The Twelve. Apocalypse used Scott’s body as a host until his essence was removed from his body by Jean. Later, after an attack on the X-Men, Jean and Wolverine were trapped on a space station that was headed for the sun. Wolverine seeing no hope for survival and wanting to spare his teammate from further suffering, he seemingly killed Jean. This unleashed the Phoenix consciousness within Jean and she was resurrected. After returning to Earth, Jean/Phoenix was killed by a massive stroke induced by a lethal electromagnetic pulse. (To learn about the person/team/place above, just click on their names.)

After being killed, Jean was hatched from a Phoenix Egg in the future. Jean remembered her mission and destroyed the future reality. Jean ascended to the White Hot Room as a White Phoenix of the Crown and created a new future by pushing Scott to stay with Emma Frost and continue the Xavier Institute. (To learn about the above people and place, click on their highlighted names. Note: Beware of Emma Frost's page! Frost is almost always in revealing and tight-fitting outfits.)

Then later, a band of Shi'ar aliens, used their advanced technology to force the Phoenix Force out of the White Hot Room and shattered it with an 'Event Horizon'. Confused and driven insane, the Phoenix flew to Earth and forcefully resurrected Jean Grey. Jean ultimately merged with the Phoenix Force and became the White Phoenix again and returned to the White Hot Room to find its missing pieces. (To learn about the Shi'ar people, click on their name above.)

I think the X-Men movies did a pretty good job with the Jean Grey/Phoenix Force thing. Also, if you haven't noticed, Jean Grey is very intertwined with so many different Marvel characters that I had no idea about before I started researching about her (see the "Known Relatives" section above). Like I said earlier, the Phoenix Force thing is kind of confusing and by reading both the Phoenix Force bio page on Marvel.com and the Jean Grey bio on Marvel.com, it is a little easier to understand. I just tried to hit the main points. But beware of the risque pictures on both of those bio pages, if you choose to read more in detail about them.

Also, something else that I thought was interesting. Jean has gone through many different uniforms/costumes. In the beginning, as Marvel Girl, she was in the original yellow/blue/black outfits that the X-Men had (pictured as the third picture above). Then she changed some more until she became the Phoenix, usually in a green outfit (the first picture posted above). Then as the Dark Phoenix, she's usually in a red outfit (the fifth picture posted above). Then as the White Phoenix, she is usually in a white outfit. So, you can usually tell which Phoenix form Jean Grey is in depending on the color of her outfit.

Now that I have done some research, done this post, and posted about the uniform colors of the Phoenix, I have come to a conclusion concerning the Jean Grey/Phoenix in the X-Men movies. In X-Men: The Last Stand, Jean Grey is wearing red, she's more evil, and is a little bit insane. Therefore, I believe the movie portrays Jean just as the Dark Phoenix, not any of the other forms of the Phoenix. (I just thought that was interesting that the movies focused on that story line.)

Pyro

Real Name
St. John Allerdyce

Occupation
Former government agent, terrorist, bodyguard, novelist, journalist

Citizenship
Australia (legally deceased)

Place of Birth
Sydney, Australia

Known Relatives
Unidentified grandmother

Group Affiliation
Formerly Freedom Force, Brotherhood of Evil Mutants

Education
College level education

Height
5'10"

Weight
150 lbs.

Eyes
Blue

Hair
Blond

Powers
Pyro was a mutant with the psionic ability to cause any fire he could see within a 100-yard radius of himself to grow in size and intensity and to take on any form that he could imagine, even living creatures. Pyro could then mentally direct a creation to do anything he wished by concentrating, the degree necessary being directly proportionate to the size, power, and intensity of the creation. Pyro was unable to create fire himself.

Abilities
Pyro was an accomplished journalist and novelist.

Other Info
St. John Allerdyce was originally a money-hungry young man who drifted from job to job around the South Seas before eventually becoming a journalist for an Australian wire service. He also became a popular, if not critically acclaimed, Gothic romance novelist. Allerdyce eventually met Mystique and was recruited into the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, as Pyro. As Pyro, John wore a specially insulated costume that gave him a certain degree of protection against fires he did not control. He also wore a kerosene-based flame-thrower on his back that could generate a stream of flame of up to 25 feet away. The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants' first public appearance was when they attempted to assassinate an outspoken anti-mutant activist Senator Robert Kelly. But, the team was defeated by the X-Men. (To learn about the teams and characters above, just click on their names. Note: Beware of the revealing and tight-fitting clothing on Mystique's picture.)

At one time, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants assisted the U.S. government under the name of the Freedom Force. The government ultimately disbanded the Freedom Force after a disastrous mission in the Middle East during which they battled the Arabic super-team Desert Sword. Pyro and his teammate the Blob were captured by the Iraqi military and forced to serve as personal bodyguards to the Iraqi commander until Toad bartered for their freedom and they joined his new incarnation of the Brotherhood. (To learn about more teams and characters above, just click on their names.)

Pyro eventually left the Brotherhood after contracting the deadly mutant-killing Legacy Virus and went to join the mutant “leper colony” for Virus sufferers to ease his pain. Later, Pyro left the colony and turned to crime to finance a treatment until the Virus caused his powers to begin flaring out of control. He then briefly joined a team of other Virus sufferers in an unsuccessful search for a cure for their condition. (If you would like to learn about the Legacy Virus, just click on it above.)

Pyro ultimately opposed Mystique and her new Brotherhood during their second assassination attempt on Senator Robert Kelly. Pyro sacrificed his life to stop the assassination which made Senator Kelly change his stance on mutants and he became a pro-mutant activist from then on. (This is very different from what happened to Senator Kelly in the X-Men movies. He was the one senator that Magneto turned into a mutant who later died because of his mutation. And in the movies it shows Senator Kelly begin to be pro-mutant, but this is because Mystique shape-shifted herself into the senator. So, very different from the comics.)

Recently, Pyro was revived with an alien techno-organic virus.

To learn a little bit more in detail concerning Pyro, click on the following link, http://marvel.com/universe/Pyro.

Battle Royal 2 Results

The winner is...Professor X!!! Even though I disagree...the people have spoken! Great turn out at the polls this week! 19 votes, and 10 went to Professor X! Juggernaut had a couple votes towards the very end that brought him up to 2nd place with 4 total votes! Thank you for all those who participated, and thanks to all those who just check out my Marvel Madness blog! You guys rock! Thank you Marvel Maniacs!

P.S. There will be a Battle Royal 3 after the next 13 characters. That's right, 13 not 12. (You'll see why in the future.)

Silver Surfer

Real Name
Norrin Radd

Occupation
Spacefaring adventurer and explorer; former would-be world conqueror, minion of Gaea, Earthbound adventurer, herald of Galactus, scholar; sometimes mistakenly regarded as a messianic figure

Citizenship
Zenn-La

Place of Birth
Planet Zenn-La, Deneb System, Milky Way Galaxy

Known Relatives
Jartran Radd (father, deceased), Elmar Radd (mother, deceased), Fennan Radd (half-brother, possibly deceased)

Group Affiliation
Heralds of Galactus; Formerly Defenders, the Order, Star Masters, Secret Defenders, Titans Three

Education
Tutored in science by Jartran Radd and in the nature of the universe by Galactus; self-taught in various areas, especially history, and absorbed much Zenn-Lavian knowledge from "hypno-powered study cubes"

Height
6'4"

Weight
225 lbs.

Eyes
Silver (blue as Radd)

Hair
Bald (black eyebrows as Radd)

Powers
The Silver Surfer wields "the power cosmic", absorbing and manipulating the universe's ambient cosmic energies. He can augment his strength to incalculable levels, and is almost totally indestructible. He can navigate space, hyperspace and dimensional barriers, and can fly at near-limitless speeds on his board, entering hyperspace when he exceeds light speed. He has even proven capable of time travel on occasion. The Surfer does not require food, drink, air or sleep, sustained entirely by converting matter into energy. He is immune to temperature extremes and most radiation, and can survive in vacuum environments such as outer space and hyperspace. He can analyze and manipulate matter and energy, and restructure or animate matter at will, even transmuting elements. He can heal living beings (though he cannot raise the dead), and has proven capable of revitalizing or evolving organic life on a planet wide scale. He can alter the size of himself or of other matter, cast illusions, fire energy blasts, form and manipulate energy constructs, manipulate gravity, absorb and discharge most forms of energy, and phase through solid matter. His senses enable him to detect objects and energies light years away, and to perceive matter and energy in subatomic detail; he can even see through time, and with concentration can achieve limited perception of past and future events in his general vicinity. The Surfer has demonstrated limited telepathic ability on occasion, and has proven able to influence human emotion and sensation.

Other Info
Norrin Radd was born on the planet Zenn-La. His alien race was an extremely long-lived and technologically advanced humanoid race which had created a worldwide utopia devoid of crime, disease, hunger, poverty, and want of any kind. Radd's mother killed herself when he was younger so he was raised by his father. But, later on in Norrin's life, his father also commited suicide. However, before his father took his own life, he had taken a new lover and fathered another son, Fennan, who was unknown to Norrin. Norrin also had a lifelong love named Shalla-Bal on Zenn-La. (Talk about a tragic early life story!)

When Galactus came to Zenn-La and wanted to consume the world, Radd offered to become his herald to seek out new worlds so Galactus would spare Zenn-La. Galactus agreed and transformed Norrin into a silver-skinned, cosmic-powered super-being patterned after an adolescent fantasy plucked from Norrin's memories. Now, know as the Silver Surfer because of the silvery flying board he rode, Radd left Zenn-La with Galactus. He served Galactus for many years, but after a while it became very difficult for Radd to find energy-rich worlds devoid of sentient life. Over time, Galactus was able to alter the Surfer's mind, submerging Radd's emotions and repressing past memories and as a result, the Surfer became more willing to lead Galactus to inhabited worlds, like Earth. When on Earth, the Surfer caused widespread panic and fought the Fantastic Four. During this conflict, the Surfer met blind sculptress Alicia Masters, who sensed his inner nobility and pleaded with him to spare humanity. Now, with his long-dormant emotions stirred up by what Alicia taught him of beauty and spirit, the Surfer turned on Galactus and helped fight him off long enough for Uatu and the Fantastic Four to force Galactus to withdraw from Earth. However, Galactus punished the Surfer for betraying him and he trapped the Surfer on Earth by creating an energy barrier around the planet that was uniquely attuned to the Surfer so he could not escape. (To learn about any of the characters or team above, just click on their names.)

Here's a side note about the Silver Surfer's board: It is composed of the same impervious, cosmic-powered silvery material as the Surfer's skin, and is mentally linked to him. The board moves in response to the Surfer's thoughts, even when he is not in physical contact with it. The board pretty much is indestructible. On rare occasions the board has been damaged or destroyed, but the Silver Surfer has been able to repair or even re-create it. He can attack opponents remotely by directing the board against them and the board is capable of temporarily absorbing and imprisoning other beings.

Now on Earth, the Silver Surfer became a sad global wanderer trying to adjust to his new home and understand its people. He tried to make friends with other outcasts and anyone that was willing to be his friend. Among those that he tried to become friends with were the Thing, Doctor Doom (Doom imprisoned Radd and stole the Surfer's power for himself, but lost it when he collided with Galactus' barrier, and the Surfer's powers were restored), Hulk, and Quasimodo. After these failed attempts, the Surfer was convinced that humanity was a savage race that could only survive and evolve if the planet were united against a common enemy, so the Surfer decided to become that enemy. He terrorized the world with his cosmic powers until the U.S. military struck him down with an experimental power-draining "Sonic Shark" missile, based on technology developed by the Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards). Humbled by the incident and shown the error of his ways by the Fantastic Four, the Surfer resumed his peaceful wanderings. His powers were diminished, though they gradually returned to their original levels. One of the Surfer's few true friends during these early adventures was physicist Al B. Harper, who sacrificed his life to help the Surfer save the world from the enigmatic Stranger. The Surfer, on several occasions during this period, was briefly reunited with Shalla-Bal, but circumstances always forced the lovers apart, sending Shalla Bal home each time. Increasingly frustrated by his situation and disgusted by man's inhumanity to man, the Surfer, secretly influenced by Psycho-Man, became more hostile, battling Spider-Man, Human Torch, S.H.I.E.L.D., and the Inhumans in a series of misunderstandings and misadventures. (Just click on the highlighted names to learn about the different characters and teams that the Silver Surfer has interacted with: both good and bad interactions.)

One time, the Surfer formed a temporary alliance with Hulk and Namor the Sub-Mariner to oppose a new weather technology that threatened to destroy the world and they went by the name of the Titans Three. The Silver Surfer has also be invited to join the Avengers, but he, among a few others, have declined the membership offer. (Note: This time the ladies might want to stay away from a picture on Namor's Marvel.com bio page with him in a small and tight speedo outfit.)

Later in life, the Surfer was finally able to pierce Galactus' barrier with the aid of Reed Richards and escaped Earth, but he discovered Zenn-La had been devastated by a vengeful Galactus and the planet was barely capable of supporting life. Even worse, Shalla-Bal had been abducted back to Earth by Mephisto. Though it meant trapping himself on Earth again (since Richards' escape method would work only once), the Surfer returned to Earth and defeated Mephisto, who sent Shalla-Bal back to Zenn-La, though not before the Surfer endowed her with a portion of his cosmic power which she used to revitalize their ravaged homeworld, Zenn-La. Later, the Surfer was able to pierce Galactus' barrier again (this time by using the Thing's simple suggestion of trying to pass through it without his surfboard). This time, the Surfer made peace with Galactus by rescuing Galactus' current herald Nova from the alien race, the Skrulls, after which Galactus finally ended the Surfer's long exile. Norrin revisited his homeworld, but Shalla-Bal had become empress of the rejuvenated Zenn-La and was not free to renew their romance. The Surfer then later, found a new love interest, Mantis (Earth-born cosmic heroine also known as the Celestial Madonna). But, that relationship didn't work out. After that, Nova and the Surfer started liking each other which influenced Nova to question the morality of her role as a herald. Galactus finally replaced her with the far more ruthless Morg, who killed Nova during a conflict with the Surfer and most of the other ex-heralds. (Rough love life for the Silver Surfer! To learn more about the above characters, just click on their names. Note: Beware of both Nova and Mantis' bio pages on Marvel.com. They both show form-fitting outfits, and Mantis' is really revealing: block the pictures if possible.)

One time a Gaea-powered curse mystically forced Surfer, Namor, Hulk and Doctor Strange to assemble in response to any and all threats to the Earth. Because of the ongoing stress of this situation coupled with the subtle emotional influence of the curse itself, the four gradually became crazy and they attempted to rule the world in the belief that this was the most efficient way to protect the planet. Later, the curse was broken and they went back to normal life after that. (To learn about the above Gaea or Dr. Strange, just click on their names.)

During his travels, the Silver Surfer was captured by the Planet Sakaar Empire and was planted with an obedience disk to ensure he remained loyal to them. Here on this other planet, he fought as a gladiator and was forced to face the Hulk. The Hulk had viewed Surfer as a friend, and was enraged when the Surfer mercilessly attacked. Destroying the obedience disk, the Hulk nearly killed the Surfer before being forced to stop. The Hulk and several other slaves and gladiators were freed when the Surfer used the Power Cosmic to remove their own obedience slugs and give them a way out of the arena. (To learn about Sakaar or about what the obedience disks do, just click on them above. Also, the picture of the Silver Surfer as a gladiator on Sakaar is pictured as the second picture from the bottom showing him as one half normal/one half gladiator. If you would like to learn about the Silver Surfer in more detail, click on this link, http://www.marvel.com/universe/Silver_Surfer.)

The date keeps changing, but IMDb shows that they are going to be making a Silver Surfer movie currently planned for 2012. I think most people thought the Silver Surfer was cool enough to have is own movie after seeing him in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Plus, the end of that movie made a perfect lead into a break-off movie for the Silver Surfer.

Battle Royal 2

BATTLE ROYAL 2! Imagine if twelve Marvel characters were to be in a battle to where there could only be one victor. Put the good and evil notion to the side. Everyone vs. everyone. No alliances. Only one can be left standing. Please choose who you think would win among the twelve 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 twelve characters that are involved, are the last twelve characters that have been highlighted on the Marvel Madness blog: Sabretooth, Professor X, Elektra, Sandman, Gambit, Iceman, Abomination, Cyclops, Juggernaut, Daredevil, Lady Deathstrike, and Thing. (If you have forgotten some of these characters' powers/abilities, go ahead and check out their bios right here on the Marvel Madness blog.)

Sabretooth

Real Name
Victor Creed

Occupation
Mercenary, former government agent, possibly others

Citizenship
Unrevealed (numerous international criminal records)

Place of Birth
Unrevealed

Known Relatives
Zebadiah Creed (father, deceased), unidentified mother (deceased), Graydon Creed (Tribune, son, deceased)

Group Affiliation
Formerly X-Men, Weapon X, Brotherhood Of Mutants, Hound Program, Marauders, X-Factor, Team X, former agent of Tribune, Foreigner, Montenegro and others, former partner of Constrictor

Education
Unrevealed

Height
6'6"

Weight
(Without Adamantium) 275 lbs.; (with Adamantium) 375 lbs.

Eyes
Amber

Hair
Blond

Powers
Sabretooth is a mutant possessing various superhuman attributes that are the result of genetic mutation and artificial enhancement. Sabretooth's primary mutant power is an accelerated healing factor that enables him to regenerate damaged or destroyed tissue with far greater speed and efficiency than an ordinary human. Sabretooth can fully heal from injuries that result in massive tissue and blood loss such as multiple gunshots, slashes, puncture wounds, and severe burns within only a few minutes. This mutant healing factor also renders Sabretooth highly resistant, possibly even totally immune, to disease. Sabretooth's healing powers, also, render him immune to most drugs and toxins, except within massive doses. Due to the unique regenerative properties of his mutant healing factor, Sabretooth ages much slower than an ordinary human. Despite having a much greater chronological age, Sabretooth possesses the appearance and vitality of a man in the physical prime of his life. All of Sabretooth's natural mutant abilities stem from, at least partially, his accelerated healing factor.

Sabretooth possesses superhumanly acute senses of sight, hearing, smell, and taste - although perhaps not of touch - comparable to those of certain animals, allowing him to track prey similar to the way dogs and wolves do. His night vision is preternaturally sensitive, containing twice the average human being’s area of light-gathering retina, and extends into the infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. His hearing is extraordinarily acute, able to detect light breathing in a cave at 200 feet. His sense of taste can detect 1 part of foreign matter in 10,000. His highly developed olfactory sense and memory allow him to detect and track a scent over eight hours old, possibly a concentration of 20 parts per million, that he had not been exposed to for up to several months previously. Dilute, common odors of perspiration, perfumes, cigarettes, candies, and food are beacons to his senses.

Many of Sabretooth's physical abilities function with superhuman levels of efficiency. He possesses some degree of superhuman strength, the limits of which are unknown. Originally, Sabretooth possessed sufficient physical strength to crush an iron barbell, with ease. Sabretooth has undergone various procedures, some willingly and some unwillingly, that have increased his strength considerably beyond his original levels. Sabretooth's mutant healing factor grants him much greater immunity to the lactic acids generated by his muscles during physical activity than the musculature of an ordinary human. Hence, Sabretooth possesses superhuman stamina in all physical activities. His natural agility and reflexes are enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural limits of the human body. Sabretooth's agility and reaction time are superior to those of the finest human athlete.

Currently, Sabretooth's entire skeleton has been artificially infused with the, virtually indestructible, alloy known as Adamantium. As a result, Sabretooth's bones are practically unbreakable.

Abilities
Sabretooth is a formidable hand-to-hand combatant, having been trained by the Foreigner, the C.I.A., and many others. Sabretooth is also an extraordinary hunter and tracker.

Other Info
Little is known about the early life of Victor Creed. It is believed that he was beat by his father because Victor was a mutant. When Victor was an adult, he called himself Sabretooth. By the 1910s he was well known by this name in a small Canadian community. He intimidated everyone, except for a few people. One of these people was a young man named Logan (a.k.a. Wolverine). Sabretooth hated the love that existed between Logan and a young Indian girl named Silver Fox. So, Sabretooth beat her up and left her for dead. Logan, for obvious reasons, became enraged and battled Sabretooth, which ended with Sabretooth being victorious. (This was the beginning of the endless battles between Sabretooth and Wolverine for the rest of their lives.) Sabretooth and Wolverine didn't know that in actuality, Silver Fox survived the attack. (Victor and Logan were not "step-brothers" like the X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie portrayed. To learn about the above characters, just click on their highlighted names. Note: Silver Fox has a tight fitting outfit on her picture.)

Later, while working for Team X, Sabretooth met and romanced Leni Zauber, an operative for another unnamed government agency. Sabretooth didn't know but Zauber was actually the shape-shifting mutant, Mystique. Also later on, Sabretooth was again manipulated by Mystique and she seduced him in order to become pregnant with his child. However, their child did not have mutant powers and Mystique abandoned her son. Their son grew up to become the anti-mutant activist, Graydon Creed. (To learn more about Mystique, or Sabretooth's son, just click on their names above. Note: beware of the revealing clothing on Mystique's bio page.)

At one time in his life, Sabretooth had become bloodthirsty and formed a partnership with the costumed criminal, Constrictor. Following this, the X-Men’s founder, Professor Charles Xavier, undertook the task of helping Sabretooth overcome his bloodthirsty impulses (just like they did with Wolverine and his own rages). Sabretooth played along at first, but when the opportunity presented itself, he escaped from his holding cell in Xavier’s mansion. (To learn about the highlighted people and place, just click on them above.)

Later in his life, Sabretooth was able to have Adamantium put into his body like Wolverine. Then in a later encounter, Sabretooth and Wolverine were set against each other by the mutant Apocalypse, who sought to transform one of them into a Horseman in his service. (Apocalypse occasionally chose people to become his Horsemen.) After a crazy battle, Wolverine defeated Sabretooth, tearing out his heart, and Apocalypse removed the Adamantium from Sabretooth, bonding it to Wolverine’s skeleton instead. Sabretooth was left for dead and he was found in an extremely weakened state by Gambit and the mutant shape-shifter Courier. The three were able to break into one of Mister Sinister’s bases and after some haggling, Sabretooth received a treatment to kickstart his healing factor. (To learn more about the characters and the team, click on their names above.)

Sabretooth was captured by the reformed Weapon X Program, and Adamantium was once more bonded to his skeleton. Sabretooth was used as the Program’s key operative who was responsible for recruiting other former Weapon X members back into the team. Sabretooth recruited the mercenary Deadpool, but failed to recruit his former Team X teammates Maverick (aka Agent Zero) and Wraith. On a mission, Deadpool was supposed to kill his former lover, but he refused to kill her, so Sabretooth performed the deed instead. Later, Sabretooth betrayed Weapon X and stole their data on all the known mutants. Sabretooth was able to find Wolverine and he used a device that stripped Wolverine of his mutant powers. Sabretooth then challenged Wolverine to a supposed final battle during which his own mutant abilities were gone by the same device. Both of them seemed to die from the fight, but once their powers were re-activated both were revived by their mutant healing powers. (To learn about Sabretooth's fellow Weapon X teammates, click on their names above.)

Here is an interesting note about Sabretooth's claws: He possesses a single, razor sharp, retractable claw at the tip of each finger. Originally, these claws were fully capable of rending substances as durable as bone, wood, and stone. However, just like his skeleton, Sabretooth's claws have been artificially infused with Adamantium. As a result, his claws are not only as indestructible as his skeleton, but are now capable of cutting any known solid substance other than Adamantium itself. (A picture of Sabretooth with Adamantium claws is pictured above as the fifth picture.)

I thought that this next part was pretty interesting. Sabretooth once again "allied" himself with the X-Men. Wolverine did not agree with the decision to have Sabretooth in the mansion, and decided to settle the score with him once and for all. The battle took both of them to Wakanda, where they learned that they were both descendants of a "wolf" like evolutionary scale instead of an "ape" like evolutionary scale. (To learn about the place, Wakanda, just click on it above.)

Currently, Sabretooth is dead. Wolverine decapitated him with the Muramasa sword, which nullified the efficiency of a healing facter so Sabretooth couldn't heal. But, Sabretooth actually asked Wolverine to kill him because Sabretooth's intelligence had regressed to little more than a wild animal due to a mysterious being known as Romulus. Sabretooth was barely able to break through Romulus' alterations enough to ask Wolverine to kill him, which he happily obliged. (If you would like to learn more about the life of Sabretooth, including his interactions with Weapon X, Spider-Man, Gambit, and more, just go to the following link, http://www.marvel.com/universe/Sabretooth.)

I thought that both the actors in X-Men and X-Men Origins: Wolverine did a great job playing Victor Creed/Sabretooth. I think the Sabretooth in the X-Men movie (the second picture posted above), reminded me a lot more of the Sabretooth I remember from the cartoons I watched growing up: the longer hair and more animal-like features. But, there is a 15 year gap between the X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie and the X-Men movie. So, I guess the Sabretooth from the X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie (the third picture posted above) would techically have a long time to grow out his hair and become more animal-like.