Sage (Marvel Comics)
Sage | |
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Notable aliases | Tessa, Lady Tessa, Diana Fox, Britannia |
Abilities |
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Sage, also known as Tessa, is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She has most often been associated with the X-Men and the Hellfire Club, whom she spied upon for Professor Charles Xavier.
A
Publication history
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (March 2015) |
Tessa first appeared in
The character is carried over to Uncanny X-Men during the Reload phase (2004), beginning with issue #444, but leaves the team in issue #455. She reappears in New Excalibur (2005-2007) #1-24, the mini-series X-Men: Die by the Sword (2007-2008) #1-5, Exiles (vol. 2) #100, New Exiles (2008-2009) #1-18 and a cameo in Exiles (vol. 3) #6.
She returns to the fray in X-Treme X-Men (vol. 2) (2012-2013) #6-13, and years later in Uncanny X-Men (vol. 5) (2018) #10, House of X (mini-series) (2019) #1 and X-Force (vol. 6) #1-present.
Fictional character biography
Sage's exact country of origin remains unrevealed, but she claims to have come from a war-torn region. By the time she reaches young adulthood, she is living by herself in
Sage helps Xavier and tries to get him to a hospital, but during their journey down the mountain, they come across a United Nations relief convoy under attack by robbers, who have raped and killed the UN workers. Sage exacts revenge on their behalf and kills the robbers, though she later despises herself for being so brutal.[4]
Hellfire Club
Years later, Sage meets up again with Xavier, who at the time is recruiting the original X-Men. Instead of being chosen for the first X-Men class, she is sent to spy on the
While working at the Hellfire Club she encounters
Sometime during Tessa's time with the Hellfire Club, Sebastian Shaw and Emma Frost dare the man known as Elias Bogan to wager in a game of poker.[2] Though he holds no official rank in the Inner Circle, the telepathic Bogan is one of the club's most important and powerful members; his patronage guarantees success in the organization. By the terms of the wager, if Shaw lost, Frost would "belong" to Bogan, but if Bogan's agent lost, then his fortune would be turned over to Shaw. Thanks to Tessa's advice and analytical skills, Bogan loses the game and is forced to honor the wager. Having never lost before, Bogan harbors a grudge against Tessa.[2]
During the X-Men's initial conflicts with the Hellfire Club, Tessa primarily maintains a background role and is seen as only Shaw's unusually intelligent assistant. Hints of her more complex role are indicated when she and Xavier are kidnapped by Donald Pierce, a renegade member of the club, with grudges against both organizations. Based on the interactions between Xavier and Tessa, it is unclear whether he is helping to maintain her cover or whether he feels as if he has lost his agent, since the interaction between the two is kept impersonal.[7] The two are rescued by the nascent team of New Mutants, and Tessa takes Pierce into custody on behalf of the Hellfire Club.[7]
Tessa's next notable interaction with Xavier's students happens months later when the X-Men and Hellfire Club are hunting down Rachel Summers after her attempted murder of Selene, the newly installed Black Queen. In the middle of their fight, both teams are taken by surprise by Nimrod, a mutant-hunting robot from the future.[8] Recognizing the more immediate threat, the two groups join forces and are able to severely damage Nimrod. The X-Men and Hellfire Club each sustain heavy losses and are forced to flee the scene quickly. Tessa offers Storm and the X-Men temporary sanctuary with the club, which later results in Magneto and Storm jointly accepting the role of White King in the Inner Circle.[8][9]
After the Hellfire Club
Magneto becomes more actively involved with the Hellfire Club after the X-Men's supposed death in Dallas at the climax of the
Sebastian Shaw returns after a period of recuperation with the extradimensional Holocaust at his side. Seeking assistance in controlling this powerful mutant, Shaw calls Tessa back into his service. Her minor telepathic abilities are able to keep him in check since most telepaths in his native reality had been killed and he had not developed psychic defenses.[11] The two lose Holocaust, though, when Onslaught decides he needs that mutant for his own purposes. Selene and her new amnesiac thrall Madelyne Pryor join with Shaw to regain their roles in the Hellfire Club. Suspicious of Pryor, Tessa attempts to telepathically probe her while she is sleeping, unwittingly reawakening Madelyne's memories of her tragic life and first death with the X-Men. Tessa is quickly overwhelmed and nearly killed. The only thing that stays Madelyne's hand is that Tessa's murder would have caused unnecessary complications. Instead, Pryor merely removes all memory of the conflict.[12]
Six-month gap
Although it had been years since Tessa had outwitted him, Bogan kidnaps Sage and mentally dominates her. This possession permanently scars her mind. Bogan offers Tessa back to Shaw for everything he has. Shaw refuses and cuts his ties with Tessa. However, the X-Men become aware of Tessa's predicament, and Storm is able to rescue her.[13]
Out of gratitude, she stays with the X-Men,[a] primarily in a support capacity, and resumes use of the name Sage. Fearful of mental domination by Bogan or another powerful telepath, Sage relinquished the use of her telepathic power and focused her force of will to maintain her mental shields. With the X-Men, Sage acts as a living computer, able to remember everything she sees and hears, and provide analysis.[16]
X-Treme X-Men
After the X-Men learn of
After the prophecies of the diaries are determined to be (apparently) invalid, the group still remains separate from the main team of X-Men due to differences in philosophy with Xavier. Storm petitions various world governments for official recognition as a mutant unit for policing mutant activity.
New Excalibur
For reasons yet unknown, Sage leaves Sunspot's side and travels to England to join forces with the newly reformed New Excalibur.[24] She helps them on various missions such as battling the Shadow King,[25] and returning to ancient Camelot to prevent it from being prematurely destroyed.[26] In a more subtle use of her observation abilities, Sage is instrumental in her teammate Nocturne's recovery from a debilitating stroke.[27]
To learn more about a mysterious new foe, Albion, and thwart his attempt to conquer Britain, Sage creates the new cover identity and persona of Diana Fox. This persona appears to be fully devoted to Albion and his goals. However, this bothers her teammate Wisdom as he fears she might fail the mission, similar to her time with the Hellfire Club.
Wisdom's fears are realized after this when the Diana Fox persona takes complete control and Sage becomes fully committed to Albion's side. During this time, she slays two of New Excalibur's former allies in Shadow-X, Dark Cyclops and Dark Beast. A direct confrontation with her teammates in New Excalibur helps reassert Sage's original personality. Together with New Excalibur, Shadow-X, and now Lionheart, Sage defeats Albion and his Shadow Captains.[30]
X-Men: Die by the Sword and New Exiles
Immediately after the defeat of the Shadow Captains, a party is held in honor of Excalibur. While the team enjoys the party, Sage feels guilt for her actions. The party is suddenly crashed by members of the
Prior to her death, Roma manages to transfer all of her knowledge about the Multiverse into Sage's mind, causing her to become overwhelmed; she fears for her sanity. Fearful of what would happen if someone on Earth ever gained the knowledge in her mind, Sage joins the Exiles.[31] She suffers from hallucinations mixing her own memories with the information passed to her by Roma;[32] furthermore, the Diana Fox persona re-emerges and attempts to take control once again.[33]
While the other Exiles go on missions, Sage largely remains at their base of operation, fighting the effects of Roma's memories and Diana Fox tenaciously every day until she drops from exhaustion. She refuses to lose possession of her mind, body, and soul. For a while she manages to calm down the phantoms, however, Diana Fox remains an aggressive presence in Sage's mind, fighting her for control.[34]
While diverting her focus to analyze
Sage and Diana fight each other but neither is yielding; they are too evenly matched and equally stubborn. As long as they fight each other, they cannot defeat the phantoms. The women decide to team up against a greater threat: the return of Merlin. During battles, Sage and Diana get a better understanding of each other and their motives.[volume & issue needed][36]
Merlin almost kills Sage. Knowing that she could never find answers to the collapsing of the Multiverse like Sage could, Diana decides to sacrifice herself to revive Sage for the greater good. Sage reabsorbs Diana and destroys the evil version of Merlin. Sage then follows her instincts and merges with the Crystal Palace, an act which stabilizes the Multiverse. This fate was intended for Cat, but being too young and too scared, she was unable to handle it. From then on, when the New Exiles communicate with the Crystal Palace, they do not address a computer, they speak to a living being: Sage.[37] Sage was seen once more in the Crystal Palace. However she seems to have been permanently absorbed and rendered comatose along with her Exiles team.[38]
Return to X-Treme X-Men
Like
Return to the X-Men and Krakoa
In 2018, Sage cameos in the 10-part storyline X-Men Disassembled when Jean Grey contacts several telepaths to defeat an empowered X-Man (Nate Grey).[41] In mid- to late-2019, she guest stars in the dual mini-series House of X and Powers of X, written by Jonathan Hickman.[42] In the new status quo for the X-titles, Dawn of X, the character is part of the cast of the X-Force relaunch (2019),[43] and has cameos in other contemporary titles.[44] In Krakoa, she works with Doug Ramsey to establish the Krakoa transit system to allow mutants to arrive at the island.
Powers and abilities
Sage is a mutant whose mind works in the same way as a
Sage is also able to 'see' a person's
, and understand how their powers work more thoroughly than they themselves do. Sage is able to selectively evolve existing genetic traits, as well as catalyze the untapped genetic potential of latent mutants. Once begun, the procedure is irreversible and can often result in unpredictable side effects.Sage possesses a degree of
Sage is skilled in the
During her merge with the Exiles' home, the ancient Panoptichron (also known as the "Crystal Palace") Sage gained access to all of its functions. She could project her image as a
Equipment
- Sage uses a pair of cybernetic sunglasses that allow her to access and interface with computers and data networks.
- She frequently carries and uses firearms and edged weapons, and is highly skilled in their use. Her firearms are sometimes loaded with stun ammunition.
Reception
- In 2014, Entertainment Weekly ranked Sage 60th in their "Let's rank every X-Man ever" list.[46]
Other versions
Mangaverse
In X-Men Ronin, Tessa is part of the Hellfire Club, the daughter of Professor X, and Emma Frost's sister.[volume & issue needed]
What If?
In the What If special, "What if.. Magneto and Professor X had formed the X-Men together?" an alternate version of Sage was depicted.[volume & issue needed]
In an alternative world where Professor Xavier and Magneto's ways did not part, Sage was found by both men and was never sent to spy on Sebastian Shaw in the Hellfire Club. As a result, Sage never helped that world's Shaw win his bet with Bogan, and Shaw lost Emma Frost to Bogan. Since Xavier had Sage around to find other mutants for him, he never developed his mutant-tracking computer, Cerebro.[volume & issue needed]
When Xavier finally began developing Cerebro, he used Sage to
New X-Men
In the second volume of
X-Men: The End
In the alternate future presented in the
In other media
- Sage appears in the novelization for Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.
- Sage appears in Reeva Payge.
Notes
References
- ^ a b c d e X-Treme X-Men #3
- ^ a b c d X-Treme X-Men #44
- ^ X-Treme X-Men #23, #44; The Uncanny X-Men #453 (2005); New Excalibur #7 (2006)
- ^ X-Treme X-Men #43-44
- ^ X-Treme X-Men #9
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #134 (June 1980)
- ^ a b Marvel Graphic Novel #4 (1982)
- ^ a b The Uncanny X-Men #209 (1986)
- ^ New Mutants #51 (1987)
- ^ X-Men (vol. 2) #29 (1994)
- ^ X-Force #49-50 (1996)
- ^ X-Man Annual '96 (2nd story) (1996)
- ^ X-Treme X-Men #44 (flashback); New Exiles #15 (second story; flashback).
- ^ X-Men (vol. 2) Annual 2000. Marvel Comics.
- ^ X-Men (vol. 2) #103 (2000). Marvel Comics.
- ^ X-Men (vol. 2) #103 and #109
- ^ X-Men (vol. 2) #109 and X-Treme X-Men #1-3
- ^ X-Treme X-Men #46 and X-Men (vol. 2) #165 (2005)
- ^ X-Treme X-Men #10
- ^ Schism (X-Treme X-Men #20-23) and Murder at the Mansion (New X-Men #140-141)
- ^ X-Treme X-Men #34-36
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #444-449
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #451, #452-454
- ^ New Excalibur #1-5
- ^ New Excalibur #8
- ^ New Excalibur #10-12
- ^ New Excalibur #16–17
- ^ New Excalibur #19
- ^ New Excalibur #20–21
- ^ New Excalibur #21–24
- ^ X-Men: Die by the Sword (mini-series) #1-5 (2007-2008)
- ^ Exiles #100.
- ^ New Exiles #5-6 and #9-10.
- ^ Exiles (vol. 2) #100 and New Exiles #5–10
- ^ New Exiles #13 (second story)
- ^ New Exiles #14 (second story)-#15 (second story)
- ^ New Exiles #16–18; X-Men: Sword of the Braddocks (one-shot) (2009)
- ^ Exiles (vol. 3) #6 (2009).
- ^ X-Treme X-Men (vol. 2) #6–7
- ^ X-Termination #2
- ^ "Jordan White: Sage Will Appear in "Biggest X-Men Book of the Year"". 25 February 2019.
- ^ House of X #1
- ^ X-Force (vol. 6) #1-
- ^ Hellions (vol. 2) #1; New Mutants (vol. 4) #3
- ^ New Exiles #18
- ^ June 09, Darren Franich Updated; EDT, 2022 at 12:31 PM. "Let's rank every X-Man ever". EW.com. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
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External links
- Detailed biography on Sage at UncannyXmen.net
- Sage the living computer – Sage fansite (archived)
- Cyberpaths Archived 2008-03-21 at the Wayback Machine – Sage forums