Callisto (comics)
Callisto | |
---|---|
Publication information | |
Publisher | Marvel Comics |
First appearance | The Uncanny X-Men #169 (May 1983) |
Created by | Chris Claremont (writer) Paul Smith (artist) |
In-story information | |
Species | Human Mutant |
Team affiliations |
|
Abilities |
Masque's alteration (formerly)
|
Callisto is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and is associated with the X-Men. She is the leader of New York City's subterranean mutant settlement the Morlocks,[1] until losing that post in a duel against Storm. Storm subsequently leaves the group in Callisto's care as her representative, and the two eventually form an uneasy alliance.
Callisto appeared in the 2006 film, X-Men: The Last Stand, played by Dania Ramirez.
Publication history
Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Paul Smith, she first appeared in The Uncanny X-Men #169 (May 1983).[2]
Fictional character biography
Callisto's origins are unknown, although she claims that the scars she bears are proof of "how dumb a mistake" it was for her to try to live among normal humans; in one of her earlier appearances, her greatest psychological fear is the image of the beautiful woman that she once was.
Morlocks
Callisto takes up residence in an abandoned
Callisto attempts to take revenge on Storm by manipulating Kitty Pryde into marrying Caliban, but is foiled when Caliban releases Kitty from their betrothal.[8] When the wizard Kulan Gath enslaves and ensorcells the city of New York and transforms it into a Hyborian Age city, Callisto becomes his warrior servant. She battles Storm again, but Storm saves her life. Callisto helps defeat Kulan Gath, and as a result Callisto and her allies find themselves on a new timeline where Kulan Gath never transformed New York.[9]
Thereafter, Callisto becomes more of an ally to the X-Men. She rescues
After a while, Callisto moves to
Being beautiful
Callisto later encounters an
Callisto began a career as a fashion model and moved above ground, embarking on a new life with Peter Nicholas as her lover. They were attacked by
Callisto vowed revenge on her former followers for stealing away her looks, and then allied herself with Mikhail Rasputin, Colossus' older brother. Mikhail and Callisto appeared to have perished when he used his powers over matter to flood the Morlock tunnels. Rasputin had actually transported the Morlocks into an alternate reality, where time moved more quickly than on Earth. There she watched as the Morlock youths grew up with great bitterness towards their elders for all that had happened to them.[23]
When the young Morlocks, now calling themselves
Callisto remained in the tunnels looking over Marrow until she became injured during the events of
Later, Callisto was once again transformed by Masque, having her arms reformed into tentacles. Callisto was also under Masque's control in "The Arena," an elite fight club in Japan. Callisto and Storm battled each other in the Arena, but later both escaped with help from Storm's friend, Yukio.[25]
Genoshan Excalibur
She was one of the main characters in the 2004 Excalibur title, where she was helping Professor Xavier and Magneto rebuild Genosha. This alliance briefly reunited her with Archangel.[26]
Son of M
In the aftermath of
X-Cell
Callisto was later reunited with Marrow as members of X-Cell, a group of mutants who hold the government responsible for their power loss. When Quicksilver offered to repower its members, she warned
Return to the sewers
At some point, Callisto returned to the sewers, this time alone. However, she is later discovered by various teen and young adult runaways, who she begins to care for, though with a firm but caring hand. Storm later stumbles upon this group while investigating one of the young girl's disappearance. Storm and Callisto let old feelings surface and the two fight. However, when Storm sees the girl helping Callisto, she realizes that the girl is there by choice and the hostilities cease. Storm helps them clean up. Before leaving, Storm offers Callisto to send regular help should they need it.[29]
At the time when the Terrigen Cloud was loose on Earth infecting mutants with M-Pox since the Infinity storyline, the number of mutants that are living underground had increased as Callisto also showed sympathy towards the humans who sought out refuge from the global landscape. As a way to live out the dream of Professor X, this unified society of humans and mutants lived together as the New Morlocks.[30]
But her little community soon came under assault when morlocks infected by a type of psi-vampirism attacked them while
X-Men: Gold
Callisto would soon find herself incarcerated at a new superpowered prison for homo superior, despite not being a mutant anymore due to Decimation. She would become an inmate at the 'Robert Kelly Correctional Facility'; also known as The Box, whilst playing gopher to the other inmates.[33] At first attempting to become top dog while jailed at the mutant's only penitentiary, she was soon reminded of her place when a burlier convict had lain her out for thirty days. Now she sends a warning towards new inmates Kitty, Storm and Rachel Grey-Summers that said jailbird who runs the block is zeroing in on the X-Men in order to solidify her status as #1.
As it turns out, it was all staged by the depowered outlaw; the win-win situation being that she could establish herself as the new alpha if a trio of hated enemies succeeded and would still garner personal satisfaction at their defeat in the case that they failed.[34]
Sometime after their release and news of Kathrine Pryde's marriage to Piotr Rasputin is outed to the public, Callisto escapes prison to confront Kitty while she's out on a bachelorette party to celebrate. The two fight for a bit with Kitty mistaking her intentions as another attempted kidnapping but Callisto's intentions were in fact plain. A simple threat to the lucky lady should she do anything to hurt Colossus during their wedding nuptials. Recounting the time when she and Piotr were an item, the morlock leader warns Kathrine to treat him right lest Callisto do her in before disappearing back into solitude.[35]
Disassembled
After the calamitous events which befell the X-Men and left the mutant populous in dire straits as the Morlocks in her care are once more facing genocide due to the tumult caused by their departure.
Dawn of X
With the grand announcement of the new mutant nation of Krakoa broadcast to the world. Callisto, despite no longer being a mutant, was one among many whom accepted sanctuary there alongside a host of other criminal mutant malcontents.[38] She was also presided over the dead Xavier after he was fatally shot by one amongst a crew of Reaver like homunculi who somehow infiltrated Krakoa's defenses.
A couple days before the nation leaders death & resurrection,[39] Callisto was called to the personal island quarters of Ms. Frost to discuss a mutual partnership with the queen of the underground. The White Queen petitioning her to be Emma's white knight in the Hellfire Trading Company both to foster trust amongst the mutant and human communities due to her own overly persuasive nature, and the fact that high seas transport can be incredibly dangerous and her branch of the industry needs enforcers to manage the national interests of Krakoa.[40]
Although a bit irked at Emma Frost for ignoring her for most of her life, Callisto decides on a temp occupation of the position until deciding on whether or not she feels comfortable with the gig. While still somewhat untrusting of the White Queen, Callisto admits to her treacherous lieutenant Masque that she's interested in what she's selling nonetheless.
After half a year working as Emma's paladin, she would meet up with members of the Red Queen's; Catherine Pryde's, crew on the Marauders at Island M to take and catalog their contraband while exchanging some swift and deadly albeit friendly parley with her old rival Ororo Munroe after they dock. While questioning why it was
Powers and abilities
As a mutant, Callisto possesses enhanced senses of sight (including night vision), hearing, smell, taste, and touch coupled with possibly moderate degrees of enhanced conditioning; such as superhuman strength, speed, agility, etc. It has also been suggested that her mutant power grants her tactical brilliance that allows her to see the best way to engage in any given conflict.[42]
Callisto was subjected to biophysical alteration by Masque on numerous occasions, once having multi tendril appendages in place of her arms for a short time,[42] but lost these modifications along with her mutant powers after House of M.[43] Her abilities were temporarily restored through use of the Terrigen Mists, although her senses were enhanced to a point where normal sensations became painful.[44]
Callisto also has excellent hand-to-hand combat skills, is an exceptional hunter and tracker and excels at stealth infantry when necessary.[35] She is usually armed with knives and is adept in their use, having unerring accuracy while in hand as throwing weapons.[40] She is also an adroit leader who can come up with incredibly tactile plans and schemes even without her superhuman tactical perception.[45]
Other versions
Age of Apocalypse
In the
Cross Time Capers
Another version of Callisto is seen when Excalibur confronts inadvertent visitors of a world dominated by Nazis. She is the bodyguard of Moira MacTaggert. These Nazis unintentionally send Excalibur on a long adventure known as the Cross-Time Caper.[volume & issue needed]
House of M
In the House of M reality, Callisto is the leader of the Marauders, a black ops team.[volume & issue needed]
Mutant X
In the Mutant X universe, she still leads the Morlocks, but is much more weak-willed and pacifist in nature. She is the lover of Mole Man.[48]
Ultimate Marvel
The Ultimate Marvel version of Callisto is introduced in Ultimate X-Men #82 as a member of the Morlocks.[49] Her look has remained virtually unchanged, and she has the mutant ability to sprout a mass of tentacles from her eye which is covered by an eye-patch. It is also apparent that she has no control over herself when the tentacles come out as Caliban had to knock her out to keep her from killing Jean Grey during a fight with the X-Men.[50]
X-Men Evolution
In the comic based on the show Callisto appears as the leader of the Morlocks.[volume & issue needed]
In other media
Television
- Callisto appears in X-Men: The Animated Series, voiced by Susan Roman.[citation needed]
- Callisto appears in the X-Men '97 episode "Mutant Liberation Begins", voiced by Courtenay Taylor.[51]
- Callisto appears in X-Men: Evolution, voiced by Saffron Henderson.[citation needed] This version is the even-tempered leader of the Morlocks.
Film
Callisto appears in
Miscellaneous
Callisto appears in the novelization of X-Men: The Last Stand. This version is the leader of a mutant gang called the Marauders before joining Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants. According to a novelty card game, she is said to have been born in the Dominican Republic and emigrated to Washington Heights as an infant, where she honed her skills as a fighter and tracker. Additionally, she does not possess super-speed and is spared by Storm.
References
- ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.[1]
- ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #170
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #169
- ISBN 978-1465455505.
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #169-170
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #171
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #179
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #190-191
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #193
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #195
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #211
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #212
- ^ Excalibur #4
- ^ Excalibur #6
- ^ Excalibur #9
- ^ Excalibur #10
- ^ Excalibur #11
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #259-260
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #262
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #264
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #291
- ^ a b The Uncanny X-Men #325
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #347
- ^ X-Treme X-Men (Feb. 2004) #36-39
- ^ Excalibur #12–13
- ^ Son of M #4 (May 2006)
- ^ Son of M #5 (Jun, 2006)
- ^ Storm #2
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men vol. 4 #7
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men vol. 4 #8
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men vol. 4 #9
- ^ X-Men: Gold vol. 2 #23
- ^ X-Men: Gold vol. 2 #24
- ^ a b X-Men: The Wedding Special #1
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men vol. 5 #11
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men vol. 5 #14
- ^ House of X #5 (2019)
- ^ X-Force vol. 6 #2
- ^ a b c Marauders #7
- ^ Marauders #17
- ^ a b X-Treme X-Men #38
- ^ The New Avengers #18 (Jun. 2006)
- ^ Sone of M #4 (May 2006)
- ^ X-Men: Gold vol. 2 #23-24
- ^ X-Calibre #2 (1995)
- ^ X-Calibre #2-3 (1995)
- ^ Mutant X #9 (June 1999)
- ^ Ultimate X-Men # 82
- ^ Ultimate X-Men # 83
- ^ "Disney+ | Video Player". www.disneyplus.com. Retrieved 2024-03-23.