Salem's Seven
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Salem's Seven | |
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Publication information | |
Publisher | Marvel Comics |
First appearance | Fantastic Four #186 (September, 1977)[1] |
Created by | Len Wein (writer) George Pérez (artist) |
In-story information | |
Base(s) | New Salem, Colorado, US |
Member(s) | Brutacus Gazelle Hydron Reptilla Thornn Vakume Vertigo |
Salem's Seven is a fictional team of magical beings and former
Publication history
The team first appeared in Fantastic Four #186 (September 1977), and was created by Len Wein and George Pérez.[2]
Fictional history
Salem's Seven originated in New Salem,
Over the years, Salem's Seven manage to reverse the spells locking them away from their enhanced forms, greatly weakening Harkness in the process. They take control of New Salem, and with Vertigo as their leader, they turn the community against Harkness and burn her at the stake. The Scarlet Witch and the Vision are drawn to New Salem, where they are captured by the Seven. Gazelle disagrees with the group's plans of sacrifice, and is thrown in with the prisoners. The Vision escapes and battles Vertigo, who draws the powers of the other 665 residents of New Salem into herself. When the Vision defeats Vertigo, she loses control of the power. The Scarlet Witch manages to channel some of it off, but in the ensuing explosion all of New Salem is apparently wiped out, including the Seven.[4]
The next Halloween, Wanda attempts to commune with Harkness's spirit, but instead is drawn into the land of the dead, where she confronts spirits of the Seven (except Gazelle) who had aligned themselves with a being that called itself Samhain. Wanda defeats Samhain and binds him within the spirits of six of the Seven.[5]
Through samples of their DNA, Brutacus, Hydron, Reptilla, Thornn, and Vakume are later reanimated as some of Arnim Zola's proto-husks. They are all introduced and then promptly slain for humorous effect by Deadpool.[6]
All members of Salem's Seven are resurrected when the Scarlet Witch's
In the 2014 New Warriors series, Salem's Seven are seen living as the resident protectors of New Salem, which has become a haven for all people "born of magic".[7]
Through the advice of a mysterious benefactor called Quiet Man, Wizard enlists Gazelle, Reptilla, and Vertigo to join his Frightful Four. They attack Mister Fantastic in Chicago until Scarlet Witch arrives to help him.[8]
During the "
Members
- Brutacus: Transforms into a the Thingor Vision.
- Gazelle: Transforms into a cloven-hoofed deer-like person with super-speed and agility.
- Hydron: Transforms into a fish-man who can fire controllable streams of water from the stump-end of his left arm.
- Reptilla: Transforms into a snake-like form with a single long snake tail instead of legs, and two poisonous snakes instead of her arms. She can constrict and bite with her hand-snakes.
- Thornn: Transforms into a yellow demon-like humanoid with large red thorns jutting from the arms and legs. He can throw explosive thorns or stunning thorns.
- Vakume: Transforms into a featureless purple humanoid. He can become intangible and control air, creating winds and vacuums.
- Vertigo: Eldest daughter of Scratch with no special transformation. She is not the same character as Vertigo of the Savage Land Mutates, but possesses the same ability to attack a person's sense of balance.
Other versions
Ultimate Marvel
Appearing in Ultimate Fantastic Four and operating out of Salem, Oregon, the Seven are a new superhero team. Although they save many people, they are just as quick to fight the Fantastic Four. Members include:
- Alpha Dog: Leader of the Seven. He can alter the density of objects to make it appear he has super strength and invulnerability.
- Ghostware: Member of the Seven who can phase others and self through solid matter.
- Neuropath: Member of the Seven with emotional induction that can control others' emotions.
- Penultimate: Member of the Seven with cybernetically-enhanced body and high-tech weaponry.
- Primal Screamer: Member of the Seven with powerful vocal blasts.
- Filament: Member of the Seven who creates hyper-dimensional threads which cut through all matter
- Synchron: Member of the Seven who can alter probability in such a way that he can be in several positions at once, attacking from many directions.
In issue #56, it is revealed that the group are one being: a creature known as the Dragon-of-Seven that can separate into multiple forms. As a single entity, the Dragon-of-Seven takes the form of Agatha Harkness. The Dragon-of-Seven poses as Harkness in order to make the Fantastic Four doubt how they work as a team, and as the Seven so that they would doubt even further, as part of a plot to kidnap the Human Torch, to force him to explode, and give birth to more just like him. The Dragon-of-Seven is killed when the Invisible Woman finds a way to reverse the heat waves, so that the Dragon-of-Seven, in the form of the Seven, explodes instead.[10]
In other media
Salem's Seven appeared in
References
- ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.[1]
- ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.
- ^ Fantastic Four #186. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Vision and the Scarlet Witch vol. 2 #3. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Vision and the Scarlet Witch vol. 2 #5. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Deadpool #0. Marvel Comics.
- ^ New Warriors vol. 5 #1. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Fantastic Four vol. 5 #10. Marvel Comics.
- ^ The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5 #18. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Ultimate Fantastic Four #56. Marvel Comics.
External links
- Salem's Seven at Marvel Wiki
- Salem's Seven at Comic Vine
- Salem's Seven at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
- Villains of Marvel Comics article on Salem's Seven
- Marvel Directory's article on Salem's Seven