Phalanx (comics)

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The Phalanx are a fictional cybernetic species appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They have come into conflict with the X-Men as well as other groups on several occasions. They form a hive mind, linking each member by a telepathic system.

Publication history

The Phalanx were co-created by writer

The Phalanx have existed for 100,000 life cycles and have the collective knowledge of previous generations. They are infected with a Techno-Organic Virus which they use to create semi-autonamous viral mechanisms capable exploration and exploitation of any plane of reality, be it physical in the likes of the Technarchy who classify existing societies and either remove or repurpose them, magical or other forms in the likes of the Astral Technarchy. The Phalanx may even be a higher evolution of the Technarchy or be multiple Technarchies that are unaware of each other's existence. What is known is that their ultimate goal is to consume lesser societies and manage the energy needed for that kind of assimilation as a way to continue to expand and reach the status of a Titan and eventually Dominion. They are extremely advanced and based on the Kardashev scale, they are considered a Type III civilization,^[3] and although the Kree's Black Judges were able to capture some of them, to study their hive-mind to see if they could weaponize them and use them against rival empires, they were forced to reject this idea due to their advanced adaptivity.^[4] Their fleet consists of a variety of types of ships including cruisers and warships, which they use to invade the space regions of spacefaring civilizations.^[5][6] When they reach a populated planet, they inspect its society first. If the society is judged unworthy or conventional, a Purge is innitiated by way of seeding the planet with the Techno-Organic Virus which compels the victims to infect each other. This standard feeding/self-replicating strategy will eventually reach a critical mass that, by hard-wired instruction, compels the victims to build a "Babel Spire" to contact and attract the Technarchy. Once a Technarch arrives, they invariably destroy the Phalanx "nest", usually by converting the entire planet into techno-organic matter and draining its energy. However, if the society is found worthy or of great interest to the Phalanx, an Ascension occurs. As like the Purge, the planet is seeded with the Techno-Organic Virus, but instead of self-replicating, the society's tangible forms and world become fodder for the Phalanx while the population's minds, memories and intelligence will be rendered as data and transmitted directly to the Phalanx's hive-mind.

Phalanx on Earth

The Phalanx on Earth were initially formed by a group of human mutant haters who voluntarily infected themselves with the

Clones of the Phalanx (and others) remain captive in Mister Sinister's prize collection.[15] However, despite Sinister's best efforts, they were wiped from existence by the Phoenix Force.^[16]

The Shi'ar Massacre

Another group of Phalanx later almost decimated the Shi'ar Empire in the absence of the Imperial Guard. With their bodies now pitch-black, except for a few red and blue glowing sensor slits, this new breed only displayed the basic Phalanx and Technarchy features while shapeshifting or when individuals were damaged. These Phalanx also considered themselves as "pure" Phalanx compared to such sects like the one on Earth and hadn't any reservations about infecting mutants with the transmode virus as they almost transformed Rogue.^[17] The Phalanx made their way to Chandilar, the throneworld of the Shi'ar Empire where they tried to assimilate the "Nest", actually the hatching chamber where all Shi'ar eggs were being nurtured. Had they succeeded, the entire next generation of Shi'ar would have become part of the Phalanx collective. However, Beast developed a device that would emit a certain frequency to separate the organic from the technological part, causing all Phalanx within its range to dissolve but not before thousands or more Shi'ar were massacred.^[18] The rest of this group later conquered another planet,^[19] but were destroyed by the Magus after the construction of a Babel Spire.^[20]

Annihilation: Conquest

A new breed of Phalanx is the primary villain with the

After reaching Earth, the Phalanx announced they would absorb and assimilate the post-humans’ intelligence and preserve it as part of their collective as well as the larger Dominion they served therefore initiating the "Ascencion". While this would allow post-human culture, history, and collective consciousness to exist outside of the bounds of space-time, the Phalanx would have to destroy every living thing on Earth to harvest enough energy for the expansion process.[22]

Although one post-human Elder was assimilated and killed through this process, the death of Moira MacTaggert ended this timeline before the Phalanx could consume the post-humans and make their machine intelligence part of a Dominion.^[23]

Experimentation

Given the powerful nature of the Phalanx, different individuals and governments attempted to experiment with the alien race.

• British intelligence group
  Douglock
  as part of a plot to gain outright dominion over the earth by the channeling of demonic energy.
• After a battle with the
  Fixer to save Cable. Deadpool was in possession of a Phalanx fetus, having taken it from an AIM facility, which Fixer surgically grafted
  onto his body. After a brief scuffle for control, Cable's mind overwhelmed that of the fetal alien and made it subservient to him so that it would not try to "assimilate" him into the collective.
• Before the Phalanx Covenant event started, it was revealed that Mister Sinister was able to capture a Phalanx which he kept experimenting until he was capable to replicate their hive mind form which he then used to link himself with every clone of him by a telepathic system.

In contrast to the fiercely independent Technarchy, the Phalanx exhibit a hive mind reminiscent of insects. Although individual members retain memories and some aspects of their personalities from before assimilation, they are typically unable to act against the collective will without first being disconnected from the group consciousness, as was the case with Douglock.

Phalanx, like the Technarchy, can infect other organisms with the transmode virus with any physical contact - the only known exception being Earth mutants who possess a degree of immunity to the transmode virus. This seems to be a limitation of the Phalanx which their Technarchy progenitors do not have, as Warlock had no problems infecting his future teammate Magik (accidentally) when they first met and repeatedly infecting Cypher to form the Douglock entity on multiple occasions. In Cypher's case the effect was reversed without apparent incident, though Warlock was constantly worried that a time would come when the reversal would not take.

Any organism infected by the Phalanx is automatically inducted into the group mind. Recently, however, Ultron's guidance have allowed certain individuals with exceptional powers and/or abilities to become the "Selects", beings who are connected to the Phalanx hive mind, but retain their individual identities.

Phalanx also possess the Technarchs' abilities to shapeshift and teleport, but (unlike the Technarchs) cannot grow in size and mass without absorbing external matter. Over time, they can adapt to attack from inherent biological powers, but only to the specific frequencies/levels/etc. already used against them.

Other versions

Marvel 2099

In the possible future known as 2099, the Phalanx tried to invade the planet Earth a second time. To prevent Earth from being converted by the Transmode Virus, Spider-Man (

When, during a mission, the mutant Nostromo becomes sheathed in a strange cocoon, he reveals himself to be the carrier when he "hatches" as a Phalanx. Doom sends some operatives to bring the boy to him, however, some of the operatives turn out to be Phalanx themselves and begin attacking the group.

Nostromo is eventually delivered to Doom, who then activates the subroutine within Nostromo and, bidding Spider-Man to take him to safety, blows up his castle, while Twilight brings reinforcements of aboriginal Martians to destroy the Phalanx in orbit.

Exiles

In the