Xorn
This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. (August 2018) |
Xorn | |
---|---|
Michael Pointer | |
Abilities | (Kuan-Yin)
(Shen)
|
Xorn is the alias of two fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in New X-Men Annual 2001 (September 2001), he was created by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. He is a mutant who has a miniature star residing in his head, that gives him the abilities of gravitational electromagnetism, self-sustenance, and healing. He is most commonly associated with the X-Men and Brotherhood of Mutants. Initially in the pages of New X-Men, he was revealed to be Magneto in disguise. However, Excalibur established him as a separate character named Kuan-Yin Xorn and his brother Shen Zorn.
Publication history
Xorn first appeared in New X-Men Annual 2001 (September 2001), Xorn was created by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely.[1] Originally depicted as a Chinese mutant with a "star for a brain," he is eventually revealed to be the X-Men's nemesis Magneto in disguise at the climax of Morrison's run. After Magneto is apparently killed during the "Planet X" story arc, he appears alive in 2004's Excalibur (vol. 3) #1, which established that Xorn never was Magneto. Marvel has presented several partial explanations, both in the comics pages and in the press as to the true nature, identity, and motives of Xorn.
Fictional character biography
New X-Men
Xorn debuts in New X-Men Annual 2001 imprisoned by the
Despite the ordeals through which he had passed, Xorn is optimistic, open, and even somewhat naïve. Xorn keeps a diary to share his thoughts with Professor Xavier, since Xavier is "blinded by the sun beneath [his] mask" and cannot read his mind.[2] Here he details his interactions with Chinese immigrants and the residents of Mutant Town in New York City, in particular an incident where he failed to save a young mutant from being killed by frightened policemen. Xorn is soon put in charge of the "Special Class", a group of physical and social misfits attending the Xavier Institute. Though he hopes to befriend these students, he becomes disillusioned as they mock and insult him. He remains determined to help his Special Class, even saving their lives from a group of U-Men.
In the storyline "
Magneto finds, however, that many of his recruits are unresponsive to his ideas and approach, with some asking for the return of the more humane Xorn, and others doubtful that Magneto has truly returned, much to his chagrin. Indecisive and relying heavily on the drug Kick to augment his power, he struggles to maintain the loyalty and respect of his followers. He announces a plan to invert the planet by reversing its magnetic poles, and employs increasingly fascistic methods (including the construction of a Nazi-esque crematorium in which he plans to eradicate the remaining human population of the city). He also appears to be experiencing a form of Dissociative identity disorder, as the "Xorn" persona begins to manifest itself as a voice within Magneto's head, claiming to be the embodiment of Magneto's wisdom, idealism, and nobility. After his defeat at the hands of the X-Men, but before his capture, he fatally wounds Jean Grey; Wolverine, in a berserk fury over Grey's death, kills him.
The return of Magneto and the second Xorn
Grant Morrison intended Xorn to be Magneto from his first appearance. As Morrison stated in an interview after they left New X-Men, "In my opinion, there really should not have been an actual Xorn - he had to be fake, that was the cruel point of him".[5] In fact, soon after the revelation of Xorn's identity in New X-Men #146, readers pointed out that clues that Xorn was actually Magneto had been hidden throughout Morrison's run.[6][7] According to then-X-Men writer Chuck Austen, the X-Men editors liked the Xorn character and hoped Morrison would change their mind about the revelation; when they did not, they asked Austen to bring Xorn back as a separate character. Morrison has expressed criticism of this subsequent retcon in interviews.[8][9] Marvel also wanted to continue using Magneto; Austen stated that "Marvel saw value in Magneto not being a mass-murderer of New Yorkers."[10]
Marvel
During the events of the House of M miniseries, millions of mutants find themselves suddenly depowered after Scarlet Witch speaks the phrase "No More Mutants". Among them are Magneto and Shen Xorn.[11]
The true identity of Xorn, and his relationship to the character Magneto, became a subject of confusion for fans. Marvel refrained from giving any complete explanation, eventually hinting the summer 2005 crossover House of M would clear up the situation.[12] The Xorn entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: X-Men 2005 stated that "Kuan-Yin eventually revealed himself to be a duplicate of the X-Men's nemesis Magneto, a transformation believed to have been caused by Magneto's daughter, the Scarlet Witch." This explanation was based on a suggestion in House of M #7 wherein Doctor Strange speculates Wanda has been 'playing with the world' for far longer than even she knows, and may have been responsible for her father's puzzling rebirth. An alternative explanation has since been given in the pages of New Avengers since, according to Marvel editor Tom Brevoort, "nobody was satisfied with that offhanded non-explanation, and it didn't make a heck of a lot of sense by itself even as a throwaway".[13]
The Collective
Later, an Alaskan postal worker named Michael Pointer, suddenly becomes a vessel of the collective power signatures of the depowered mutants, primarily due to he himself unknowingly being a mutant. Disoriented and wielding the power of at least fifty mutants, he starts making his way at high speed across rural Canada, almost immediately and instantly killing S.H.I.E.L.D. forces and every member of Alpha Flight except Sasquatch, and then upon crossing Lake Erie, he goes on a rampage, destroying downtown Cleveland. While Iron Man assists the Sentry in a battle with him that ranges between the orbits of Earth and Mars, Spider-Man and the Vision discover that his body's energy signatures match those previously possessed by the depowered mutants, revealing his powers consist of said depowered mutants' powers.[14] At that point, having determined it to be the best option, S.H.I.E.L.D. has Iron Man let Michael go, and as he learned to fly during the fight, he is able to travel without endangering any more civilians to what is revealed to be his destination, Genosha.
Once there, the collective of energy, now revealed to be sentient and responsible for Michael's actions since he merged with it, transfers itself to and repowers
Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada in a 2006 Newsarama interview reiterated the Shen Xorn/Kuan-Yin Xorn explanation, but added that "because Xorn's powers were psychokinetic, and his personality was so strong, it basically remained an almost disembodied sentient thing among the big ball of mutant energy. When that energy got sucked down to Earth by Michael and all absorbed by him, Xorn was the dominant personality in the mix, and that's what drove him towards Genosha and Magneto."[16]
All-New, All-Different Marvel
When the Terrigen Mists were released around the globe, whittling down mutantkind's number and suppressing any new mutant manifestation, a militant band composed of Inhumans and Mutants known as the
During HYDRA's overthrow of the United States government as seen in the Secret Empire storyline, Shen Xorn is chosen to lead New Tian, a sovereign nation created for mutants somewhere in California.[18] It is later revealed that Emma Frost is the true leader of New Tian and Xorn is the puppet ruler that she controls with her telepathy.[19]
House of X
Following the consolidation of Mutant peoples on Krakoa during the House of X storyline, Kuan-Yin Xorn was resurrected through Krakoa's Resurrection Protocols, and was seen meditating with his brother Shen in a mountainous region while Magneto demonstrated Krakoa's transportation capabilities to various human diplomats.[20] The Xorn brothers (now calling themselves Xorn and Zorn) remain on Krakoa and occasionally lend their powers to other Mutants' causes - such as David Haller's work as a community healer.
Reception
- In 2014, Entertainment Weekly ranked Xorn 55th in their "Let's rank every X-Man ever" list.[21]
Other versions
Age of Apocalypse
In the 10th anniversary of the Age of Apocalypse which takes place right after the nuclear attack by the Human High Council, Xorn is found by the X-Men in the Breeding Pens following the fall of Apocalypse. In this reality Xorn is female and claimed that her mutant abilities manifested while she and her family were workers in the Seattle Core during the riots that killed the members of Generation Next. Magneto immediately offered her a place with the X-Men.[22]
During her time with the team, Xorn never removed her helmet causing some to believe it contained her energy powers while others in the X-Men whispered that the helmet truly concealed hideous scars from her time in the Core.
Battle of the Atom
A new, female version called Lady Xorn later appears as part of a future team of X-Men that travels back to the present during the Battle of the Atom event.[25] This Xorn is later revealed to be an adult version of the "young" time-displaced Jean Grey, who needed the Xorn mask to control her powers.[26] The team of X-Men she was with was actually the Brotherhood of Mutants from the future, the nemesis of the true X-Men, and she died when her powers went out of control in a battle between the X-Men and the future Brotherhood at Cape Citadel.[27] Xorn later returns alive, and once again battles the X-Men with the rest of the future Brotherhood.[28] However, it is subsequently revealed that this Xorn was just a puppet figure created by Charles Xavier II's mind powers after the real Xorn died during her final confrontation with her younger self. The former Brotherhood are freed from Charles Xavier II's influence and are returned to their timeline.[29]
Ultimate Marvel
The
Earth-71202
On an alternate Earth, Xorn and his brother Zorn were members of the X-Men. They were killed by Terrax during the Cabal's attack on Earth-71202.[34]
Powers of X
In one of the timelines experienced by
In other media
Xorn appears as a
References
- ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.
- ^ New X-Men #127 (2002)
- ^ New X-Men #146 (2003)
- ^ New X-Men #50
- ^ Ellis, Jonathan (2004). "Grant Morrison: Master & Commander". Pop Image.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2006.
- ^ Baker, Jesse (2003). "Words Of Questionable Wisdom: We Hardly Knew You". Comics Nexus.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2008.
- ^ O'Brien, Paul (2003). "Review of New X-Men #146". The X-Axis.com. Archived from the original on December 14, 2006. Retrieved September 16, 2006.
- ^ "SDCC '06: Wildstorm Panel". Newsarama. 2006. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- ^ Pop Thought – Alex Ness Archived September 12, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Contino, Jennifer M. (2004). "Chuck Austen X-Men Writer". Comicon.com. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved September 17, 2006.
- ^ New Avengers #19. Marvel Comics.
- ^ "Chris Claremont on New Excalibur". Newsarama. 2005. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- ^ "New Joe Fridays: Week 8". Newsarama. 2006. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- ^ New Avengers #16 (April 2006)
- ^ New Avengers #20
- ^ "New Joe Fridays: Week 3". Newsarama. 2006. Archived from the original on July 20, 2006. Retrieved September 16, 2006.
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men (vol. 4) #3
- ^ Captain America: Steve Rogers #17
- ^ Secret Empire United #1
- ^ House of X #1
- ^ June 09, Darren Franich Updated; EDT, 2022 at 12:31 PM. "Let's rank every X-Man ever". EW.com. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Age of Apocalypse #1-2
- ^ Age of Apocalypse #3
- ^ Age of Apocalypse #4
- ^ X-Men: Battle of the Atom #1
- ^ All-New X-Men #16
- ^ X-Men: Battle of the Atom #2
- ^ All-New X-Men #27
- ^ All-New X-Men #29
- ^ Ultimate Comics: Ultimates #1-10
- ^ Ultimate Comics: X-Men #7-8
- ^ Ultimate Comics: Hawkeye #3
- ^ Ultimate Comics Ultimates #7
- ^ New Avengers (vol. 3) #24
- ^ Powers of X #2.
- ^ Powers of X #3.
External links
- Xorn on the Marvel Universe
- Xorn at the Grand Comics Database
- Kuan-Yin Xorn at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
- Shen Xorn at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
- AlphaFlight.net - Alphanex entry on The Collective