Nightcrawler

Growing up in the Bavarian Alps, German mutant Kurt Wagner was kidnapped in his early teens by the black ops Weapon X organization. They brutally trained him for months to become their agent. Speaking no English, he was isolated from his fellow captives until the X-Men were likewise kidnapped and the telepathic Marvel Girl communicated with him. When the captives escaped with the assistance of the Brotherhood of Mutants, Weapon X head Colonel Wraith tried to flee in a helicopter. The X-Man Storm blasted it out of the sky in retaliation for his crimes, but Nightcrawler teleported Wraith out, insisting Weapon X had ruined enough lives without turning Storm in to killer as well. The ungrateful Wraith was about to shoot Nightcrawler, but the newly arrived Nick Fury killed Wraith first.

Nightcrawler returned to Germany and learned English, ostensibly from watching television. After mutant terrorist Magneto, long believed slain by the X-Men, resurfaced, the X-Men became fugitives. Their enemies sought out their past associates, including Nightcrawler, who found himself pursued by the German authorities. Evading them thanks to his Weapon X training, he headed for Glasgow and Moira MacTaggert, whose contact information had been given to him by X-Men founder Charles Xavier. He nearly made it to her hideout before being captured and taken to Camp X-Factor in Guantanamo Bay. He was freed by a Brotherhood raid. When Magneto overloaded a Miami nuclear reactor, Nightcrawler was one of many mutants who helped evacuate the area. After the crisis was over, he joined the X-Men. During his time with them, he has hunted the serial killer Sinister, attempted to rescue his kidnapped teammate Rogue from Gambit and the Struckers, bonded with teammate Angel in secret pirate games in the Danger Room as the Dread Pirate Bluetail, and joined an unauthorized expedition to Krakoa to free convicted mutant murderer Longshot.

Nightcrawler and other X-Men Colossus, Dazzler, and Angel went to Kraoka to free Longshot. The X-Men had freed Longshot and escaped not knowing that Mojo had captured Angel. Nightcrawler had teleported them in accidentally dropping Colossus on the way the X-Men fought Mojo and managed to escape with Angel upon learning that Longshot was indeed a murderer it was too late to capture him because he had managed to escape. The team was going to be punished for there action though they new that Dazzler was the reason, Angel stepped up and took the blame knowing that Xavier would not expel him. Much to Nightcrawlers dismay after the incident Dazzler admitted feelings toward Angel.

His close friend Angel admitted his feelings toward fellow X-Man Dazzler as well and the two became a couple, though Nightcrawler himself had feelings for her to. He felt alone because everyone in the mansion had at least some type of romantic connection except him and Colossus. When his then friend Colossus revealed to him that he was a homosexual and dating Northstar, Nightcrawler pretended to be okay with it. But when Dazzler was comatose by Lady Deathstrike, he teleported to her bedside daily and spoke to her saying that he was never okay with it and now avoids Colossus because he is now dead to him.

Recently While visiting Dazzler she had awoken much to Nightcrawlers dismay her first words to him were about the whereabouts of her boyfriend Angel, Kurt teleported from the room back to the mansion never telling anyone not even Angel that Dazzler had awoken.
Afterwards, he kidnapped Dazzler and took her to a cave, seemingly lost his mind. After the X-Men finally find and save Dazzler, she quits the team. Professor X puts Nightcrawler into a deep mental trance to help rehabilitate him. When Rouge breifly touches Nightcrawler, she calls him a monster and runs away screaming.

Thing ( Benjamin Grimm)

Early Years On Yancy Street

Ben Grimm grew up in poverty at 7135 Yancy Street, on Manhattan's Lower East Side. His drunken father couldn't hold down a job, so much of their family's income came from Ben's older brother Dan, who led the Yancy Street Gang. Ben idolized his brother, and when Dan was killed in a gang fight, Ben grew increasingly bitter-especially after his aunt Sophie died of cancer that same year. Ben joined the Yancy Street Gang himself, eventually becoming its leader; however, when his parents were killed in an accident, the teenage Ben was forced to move uptown to live with his new guardians, his Uncle Jake and Aunt Alyce. The Yancy Street Gang denounced Ben as a sellout after he moved away, developing an enduring grudge against their former leader. A respected medical doctor, Jake had pulled himself up from the Yancy Street slums and hoped he could help Ben make something of himself as well. Jake and Alyce were tough but loving parents, and while Ben resisted them at first, their unconditional affection gradually won him over. Ben finished high school, discovering his natural football talent along the way, and won a full-ride sports scholarship to State University.

Off to College, New Friends, and Heartbreak

Ben roomed with Reed Richards, who dreamed of someday building a starship; Grimm jokingly promised that if Reed ever built it, he would fly it. Ben became a star quarterback at State, and spent much of his time trying to coax his more socially awkward roommate out of his shell. Outgoing and popular, Ben soon found a steady girlfriend in Alynn Cambers, his first true love. When Alynn abruptly dropped out of school, Ben tracked her down and proposed marriage. Though she loved Ben, Alynn wanted a Hollywood acting career, which left no room for a serious relationship. She rejected the heartbroken Ben's proposal, eventually becoming a star as she had planned.

The Jock Takes to the Air

After finishing college, Ben joined the U.S. military to continue his education and pursue his longtime dream of becoming a pilot. After training in a series of military operations, he shifted from combat duty to become a test pilot, one of the best in the Air Force. He formed close friendships with fellow pilots Desmond Pitt and Mick Clancy and found new love with scientist Dr. Linda McGill. As a test pilot, Ben undertook dangerous assignments on occasion, notably when the Pentagon recruited him to fly government agents Carol Danvers and Logan into Russia, supposedly to test a series of radio transmitters. The trio were shot down but managed to fight their way out of Russia while Logan completed his true mission, capturing the Russian Project: Red Storm. Ben eventually moved into the astronaut training program, where his colleagues included fellow pilot John Jameson.

Out of Space, Into the Fantastic Four

Reed had begun to build his starship and asked his old friend Ben to be its pilot. When the government abruptly cut off their funding, Reed asked Ben to help him make an unauthorized test flight before the project could be shut down. Ben feared that the ship might not be adequately shielded against cosmic radiation; but Reed's girlfriend Sue Storm -to whom Ben was somewhat attracted-played on Ben's machismo and he acquiesced. Joined by Sue and her kid brother Johnny Storm, they successfully launched the ship into space, but cosmic rays penetrated their shielding and forced them to crash-land back on Earth. The radiation had mutated them into superhuman beings-unluckily for Grimm, who transformed into the grotesque, scaly-hided strongman dubbed the Thing. The quartet decided to use their powers for the betterment of humanity as the Fantastic Four.

Severing Old Ties

Wandering the streets of New York shortly after his transformation, Ben was attacked by a terrified group of Yancy Street Gang members and fled into the sewers, where an encounter with some wretched tunnel-dwellers helped give Ben the determination to cope with his own situation. Returning home, Ben met his girlfriend Linda, who fled in fear of Ben's monstrous appearance. She soon sought Ben out again, trying to comfort him and expressing a willingness to continue their relationship; but he felt she would be better off without him, so he feigned an insane rage and threatened her, scaring her away. They never reconciled, and Dr. McGill went on to marry another man, raising a family and continuing her scientific career.

Fighting the Monster

Ben built a new life for himself as part of the FF; one notable early foe was the Impossible Man, a mischievous alien who later became a friend to the FF in general and Ben in particular. The super-strong Namor and the Hulk would encounter Ben repeatedly as both allies and enemies over the years, and the Hulk would become one of Ben's toughest recurring opponents. The Thing often partnered with the Human Torch to fight foes such as the Beetle, the Terrible Trio, Professor Jack and Kang. Initially, Ben spontaneously reverted to his human form for random intervals; but he always returned to his Thing form, and his mutation eventually stabilized in a more rock-like appearance.

Early on, Ben was so unhappy with his condition that it sometimes compromised his loyalty to the team: for instance, when Doctor Doom forced the FF to undertake a time travel quest, Ben found a new life in the past as the legendary Blackbeard the Pirate and very nearly abandoned his teammates to remain in the 18th century; later, Ben briefly agreed to serve Diablo in exchange for a possible cure for his mutation, though he soon turned on the evil alchemist to save the FF. Over time, Ben came to accept his new form, albeit somewhat bitterly. An immense help in this regard was the Puppet Master's stepdaughter Alicia Masters, a blind sculptress who claimed she could see the inner beauty of Ben's soul. Alicia and Ben fell in love and dated for years, though the insecure Ben was never entirely sure if he was worthy of Alicia and feared she would eventually abandon him. Other women in Ben's life included the alternate future Femizon named Thundra (an admirer) and the cat-woman Tigra (a good friend).

Poker Buddies and Fighting Friends

For years Ben and Avengers butler Edwin Jarvis have organized a series of floating super-hero poker games, attended by players such as Nick Fury, Wolverine, Blake Tower, Doctor Strange, Beast, Human Torch, She-Hulk, Black Cat, Archangel, Spider-Man and many of the Avengers. Ben has also teamed up in action with a dizzying array of super heroes over the years, ranging from icons like Captain America and Iron Man to fringe figures such as Son of Satan, Straw Man, Brother Voodoo, Jack of Hearts, Stingray, Blue Diamond and the Living Mummy. Ben even befriended his longtime enemy Sandman when the villain reformed. One special ally was the orphaned alien man-child Wundarr, who came to regard his "Uncle Benjy" with a familial affection that lingered even after he evolved into the enlightened Aquarian. When Wundarr was housed at the high-tech research facility Project: PEGASUS for study, the Thing joined their security staff to keep a closer eye on him. During his association with the Project, Ben helped protect PEGASUS from menaces such as the Grapplers and the Nth Man (both sponsored by Roxxon Oil), and he formed close friendships with fellow PEGASUS staffers Quasar (Wendell Vaughn) and Bill Foster.

In Love With the Monster

Over the years, Reed and others sought various cures for Ben's condition, some of which were temporarily successful. During a period where Ben had made a seemingly permanent reversion to his human form, the FF hired super-mercenary Luke Cage to serve as Ben's replacement; however, Ben soon rejoined the FF after Reed provided Ben with a suit of strength-enhancing armor that outwardly resembled his Thing form. Before long, Ben had transformed into the Thing again; but over time, Reed began to suspect that Ben's inability to assume human form was a strictly psychological limitation tied to Ben's relationship with Alicia, who had fallen in love with him in his Thing form. Reed theorized that Ben's fear of losing Alicia was the only thing preventing him from resuming his human form at will, but he was unsure of this theory and kept it to himself, not wanting to undermine Ben's romance. When the FF were among the many super heroes forced to fight in the Secret War on the Beyonder's Battleworld, Ben discovered that he could resume his human form at will-probably due in part to his prolonged separation from Alicia, though Ben assumed it was caused by some strange properties of the planet Battleworld itself. When the war ended, Ben decided to remain behind, recruiting She-Hulk to take his place in the FF. Ben had a series of strange encounters, unaware they were mostly formed from his own subconscious-including Tarianna, an idealized warrior woman with whom Ben fell in love, and the sorcerer Grimm, an evil mystical personification of Ben's human side. Tarianna and Grimm eventually killed each other, leaving Ben unable to retake human form. Returning to Earth, Ben learned too late of Reed's theory that his transformations had been psychologically-based, and also discovered that Alicia had apparently left him for Johnny in his absence.

In Pursuit of Identity

Feeling bitter and betrayed, Ben quit the FF altogether and hit the road, trying to find himself. He briefly joined the motorcycle stunt-riding Thunderiders, where he met and became smitten with champion sportswoman Sharon Ventura, a virtual twin of Tarianna. During his travels, Ben became a friend and mentor to the troubled young mutant runaway Vance Astrovik. Ben, Vance and Sharon all became involved in the Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation, a professional wrestling league for super-humans (Sharon having become a superhuman and taking the codename Ms. Marvel). Ben befriended fellow wrestler Demolition Dunphy and began associating with the new western roster of the Avengers, whose leader Hawkeye worked relentlessly to recruit him. Ben was the reigning UCWF champion for some time, but personal concerns (including his growing awareness of corruption in the sport) led him to purposely throw an exhibition match and quit the league. He finally accepted Avengers membership, but resigned and went into seclusion the very next day after mutating into an even more monstrous form. He found sanctuary and acceptance in the subterranean realm of his old foe the Mole Man, who was planning to raise a new continent where his subjects could live above ground; but when the FF revealed that this process would cause devastating killer earthquakes, the Thing reluctantly sided with them and helped thwart the Mole Man's plans. Having nowhere else to go, and having reverted to his standard Thing form by then, Ben rejoined the FF.

Mutated, False, and Lost Loves

When Reed and Sue retired from active FF duty to focus on raising their son, they left Ben in charge. He recruited Crystal and Ms. Marvel to replace them and served capably as team leader, starting a romance with Sharon that deepened after new cosmic radiation exposure further mutated them both, turning Sharon into a sort of "She-Thing" and Ben into an even stronger, more hideous spiky-hided Thing. Their romance continued through several more changes of form (with Ben eventually settling back into his classic Thing form), even after Reed and Sue rejoined the group; but they were estranged after Sharon accepted Doctor Doom's aid in regaining human form. Ben has not yet had a serious relationship since his split with Sharon, though he has flirted with Reed's old friend Alyssa Moy and briefly dated Damage Control executive Kathleen O'Meara. When the Alicia who had eventually married Johnny was revealed to be the shape-shifting Skrull spy Lyja, the FF found and rescued the real Alicia, but she and Ben have remained only good friends.

Back To Roots

Ben has maintained a bizarre enmity with the Yancy Street Gang, his former peers having passed down their resentment of Grimm to the next generation of Yancy punks. Over the years, the gang has perpetrated a seemingly endless series of practical jokes, verbal abuse and petty assaults on Grimm, though many of the practical jokes credited to the Yancy crowd were actually played by a sneaky Johnny Storm. At the same time, the Yancy Streeters take a perverse pride in their distinguished alumnus, and have been known to come to Ben's aid on occasion-they seem to think only they have the right to abuse him. Though estranged from the gang, Ben has remained friendly with some of his childhood chums from Yancy Street, including Cholly (now owner of the Yancy Street Bar and Grill), helicopter pilot Hopper Hertnecky and old high school buddy "Slugger" Sokolowski. Ben has also kept in touch with his uncle Jake, who married a new wife-the much younger Petunia "Penny" Grimm-after Alyce died. Ben took a great liking to Petunia, whom he often jokingly described as a little old lady until the FF actually got to meet the beautiful Mrs. Grimm in person. Alynn Cambers also renewed her friendship with Ben (though not their romance), seeking his guidance and support after a stroke left her disfigured and partially crippled.

Death and Family

The Fantastic Four are not just Ben's friends; they have become his surrogate family, and he is like a beloved uncle to Reed and Sue's children, Franklin and Valeria. When he was killed during a recent battle with Doctor Doom, the rest of the FF followed his spirit to the gates of Heaven itself, where the heavenly Creator restored Ben to life. The Thing remains the big-hearted, brick-hided backbone of the FF to this day, ready to rattle evildoers with his Sunday punch and his eternal battle cry: "It's Clobberin' Time!"

Civil War

But even the strong bonds of friendship between the members were tested when a tragedy in Stamford, Connecticut led to the deaths of hundreds of innocent people near a schoolyard and pushed forward a Superhero Registration Act. While Johnny was attacked and beaten into a coma by a group of angry New York citizens, Reed and Sue broke up after Reed spent more time working with the Registration forces and their leader, Tony Stark, then being concerned for Johnny's pain. In frustration and a refusal to pick either side - each being distasteful to him in some way - Ben quit the country and moved to France. After a very short career alongside the French super team Les Heroes de Paris, Ben soon found himself drawn back to America and joined the majority of his team against the Registration forces. Though their leader, Captain America, soon turned himself in after an epic battle in downtown New York that ended up doing more damage than the help he had imagined. And in the aftermath, the Fantastic Four were left to decide what to do with their fractured relationships and team.

Loki

Loki is the son of Laufey, king of the frost giants of Jotunheim, one of the "Nine Worlds" of the Asgardian cosmology. Odin, ruler of Asgard, led his subjects in a war against the giants. Laufey was slain in battle and the giants were defeated. Surveying the spoils of war, the Asgardians discovered a small god-sized baby hidden at the giants' main fortress. The infant was Loki, whom Laufey had kept hidden due to his shame over his son's diminutive size. Because Loki was the son of a king fallen in battle, Odin elected to adopt him and raise him as a son alongside his blood son Thor, the future god of thunder.


In childhood Loki greatly resented the fact that Odin and the other Asgardians favored the young Thor, who already had a nobility of spirit and excelled in all his endeavors, over himself. As a boy Loki began studying the arts of sorcery, for which he had a natural affinity. He became infamous for his mischievousness, but secretly resented Thor and the love that Odin lavished upon him. When Odin was preparing his greatest gift for Thor, the enchanted hammer Mjolnir, Loki interfered with its creation, causing its handle to be forged too short. Loki was envious that Thor would one day wield Mjolnir, and over the years repeatedly crafted schemes to make Mjolnir's power his own. His hatred of Thor grew, and while still a boy, Loki vowed to become the most powerful god in Asgard and to destroy Thor in order to achieve this end. After achieving adulthood Loki began making alliances with other enemies of Asgard.

When Loki and Thor were still young, Thor was attracted to the sword maiden Sif, who had beautiful gold-colored hair. Loki cut of her hair while she slept, but Thor guessed that Loki was responsible and demanded that he restore it. Loki enlisted the dwarves Brokk and Eitri to forge new hair for her, but as he did not pay them anything, they decided to craft the hair from nothing, making black hair from the night itself. However, Thor still loved Sif, even without her golden hair.

Thor and Loki occasionally adventured together as teenagers, though Loki always searched for an advantage over his brother. When Odin sent Thor, Sif and their friend Balder to gather elements needed to craft the blade Svadren, Loki secretly followed them, but when he learned that the sorceress Karnilla, queen of the Norns, was planning an attack on Asgard, he refused an offer to join her and instead alerted the others to her scheme. Later on, Loki and Karnilla became occasional allies, although her love for Balder prevented her from aiding Loki in any way that would affect Balder.

As Loki grew to adulthood, his inborn propensity for mischief had begun to manifest itself, and he earned the nickname "God of Mischief." Loki attempted many times over the centuries to destroy Thor and seize the throne of Asgard for himself. Finally, Odin magically imprisoned him within a tree as punishment for his many crimes to learn from his actions. Loki, fed up with Asgard, used his magic to escape his cell, and eventually met Eldred the sorcerer, who increased his training in the black arts. Finally, Loki confronted the fire demon Surtur of Muspelheim and offered him Eldred's soul in exchange for power. Surtur accepted, and Loki assumed ownership of Eldred's lands and minions. His foray into the black arts earned him the title of "god of evil" among the Asgardians, and he forged alliances with many of the realm's enemies. Loki mated with the goddess Angerboda, who bore him the monstrous offspring Jormungand (the Midgard Serpent) and the Fenris Wolf, as well as Hela, the goddess of death. Loki also tricked the goddess Sigyn into marrying him by posing as her true love, Theoric.

Loki eventually learned of the prophecies of Ragnarok, in which he was fated to bring about Asgard's ruin by slaying Balder, then leading the enemies of Asgard into final battle. Loki ultimately embraced this destiny, and sought the means to bring about Ragnarok on more than one occasion. However, Loki usually crafted his schemes so subtly that Odin and Thor could rarely justify punishing him, and Loki would continue to live in their midst, awaiting his opportunity.

Shortly after Blake regained the ability to assume the godly form and power of Thor, Loki succeeded in freeing himself from his mystical imprisonment. There followed a long succession of clashes between Loki and Thor. Sometimes Loki battled Thor directly. Loki sought victory over his brother by exploiting Blake's human weakness, and employed many pawns against him on Earth, including Jinku the Lava Man, the Weather Maker, Sandu, Amora the Enchantress, Skurge the Executioner, Skagg, Surtur, Cobra, Mister Hyde, the Absorbing Man, Destroyer and the Super-Skrull. In one attempt to trick Thor into battling the Hulk, Loki diverted a distress call intended for the Fantastic Four to Dr Blake's office, but it was also intercepted by Iron Man, the Wasp and Ant-Man (Henry Pym). When the four heroes learned of Loki's involvement and banded together with the Hulk to defeat him, they decided to form a team of heroes to face future threats, calling themselves the Avengers. Loki long regretted having caused their formation.

Loki made several attempts at claiming the throne of Asgard when Odin entered into his "Odinsleep" hibernation, but threats to Asgard such as the Mangog and Surtur frightened Loki into surrendering the throne. Loki once joined forces with Dormammu of the Dark Dimension to trick the Avengers and Defenders into assembling the mystical Evil Eye for them, but the combined heroes ultimately defeated them both. Loki even unleashed a direct assault upon Earth once, and Thor helped lead Earth's ground forces against his army, finally defeating him. After Loki usurped the throne of Asgard yet again, he was sent to Earth in the guise of a vagrant by Odin as punishment.

Loki regained his identity due to the presence of Harris Hobbs, a journalist who had been to Asgard but had the memory removed by Thor. Hobbs dreamed of Asgard in his sleep, and his dreams reached Loki, restoring him to normal. Loki finally set Ragnarok in motion when he arranged for Hoder to shoot Balder with an arrow of mistletoe, but Odin preserved Balder and eventually revived him. Loki also caused the mortal Red Norvell to gain powers similar to Thor's Loki was bound to Sigyn as punishment, but he finally obtained release by blaming Odin himself for his problems, claiming that Odin's favoritism towards Thor was the root of all his misfortunes.

When Surtur prepared to wage war on Asgard in order to complete the forging of his sword Twilight, he had the dark elf Malekith see that Loki remained out of the conflict by signing a non-aggression pact. However, Loki did not honor his agreement and stood alongside Thor and Odin in Asgard's defense. Odin seemingly sacrificed himself to imprison Surtur, and the realm was left without a ruler. Loki began his machinations to be named as the new ruler of Asgard. As part of his plans he magically transformed Thor into a frog, using power drawn from Surtur's abandoned sword. But Thor was returned to his normal form when the Asgardian Volstagg destroyed the engine draining power from the sword. Loki was unable to prevent the ascension of Balder to the Asgardian throne after Thor refused the throne himself.

After Thor rescued mortal souls from the realm of Hel, Hela laid a curse upon him so that he could not die, but also would not heal from injuries. Learning what his daughter had done, Loki amused himself by sending frost giants, the Midgard Serpent and the Destroyer against Thor. Although Thor's physical body was reduced to paste, his spirit took over the Destroyer armor and forced Hela to undo her curse. Thor broke Loki's arm for his part in the events, knowing that Loki could heal the injury easily. When Seth of the Heliopians (or Ennead, the Gods of Egypt) led his Demons of Death into conflict with Asgard, Loki refused an alliance with him, and in his astral form discovered that Seth was holding Odin prisoner within the Black Pyramid, the source of Seth's power. Loki secretly helped Thor rescue their father, and Odin repulsed Seth's invasion. Still smarting from the success of the Avengers, Loki concocted a scheme for the enemies of all super-heroes to obtain their revenge. During this "Acts of Vengeance" conspiracy, Loki appeared to Doctor Doom, the Kingpin, Magneto, the Mandarin, the Red Skull, and the Wizard as an anonymous lackey, offering them the power to manipulate Earth's super-villains into conflicts with the heroes who would be unprepared to unfamiliar adversaries. Each of the six "prime movers" was led to believe that he was the one arranging the scheme. Loki's plot was finally uncovered by Thor, and he was defeated. As a final act of vengeance, he merged three Sentinel robots into the powerful Tri-Sentinel, but it was defeated by Spider-Man, who used the Uni-Power as Captain Universe to face this threat.

Loki assumed the guise of a businessman on Earth, and enlisted Ulik the rock troll and Amora to aid him in a new plot against Thor, collecting the powers of the Wrecking Crew along the way to aid them. At this time, Thor was bound to the mortal Eric Masterson so Loki had Eric's son Kevin captured. Thor set Kevin free, but as an act of spite, Loki hurled a blast of energy at Kevin and his mother Marcy. Amora, now acting against Loki, took control of Kevin's babysitter Susan Austin and had her take the blast for Kevin and Marcy. Thor was so furious with this attack that he used Mjolnir to draw Loki's life force from his body, seemingly killing him. As punishment, Thor was banished into the sub consciousness of Eric, and Eric took the place of Thor.

However, Loki's consciousness had taken over the body of Odin while he was in Odinsleep, and through him took command of Asgard. Eric and Sif eventually found Odin's spirit within the demon Mephisto's realm, and they restored Odin to his body while Mephisto claimed Loki instead. Although he was now a prisoner in Hell, Loki's spirit continued to wander when Mephisto was distracted. he once schemed with Pluto of Olympus to trade enemies, with Loki arranging the death of Hercules while Pluto plotted Thor's demise. Loki enlisted the titan Typhon against Hercules, but he failed, and Loki's own minion the Flame aided Pluto, but Loki himself had to save Thor form the Flame when he threatened Sigyn. Loki once imparted some of his power (via a mystical dagger) to Knut Caine, a mad killer who patterned himself after Loki and called himself "Mad Viking." Caine began to create a pseudo-Asgard on Earth, but was defeated by the Hulk, Henry Pym, and the Wasp. The Hulk hurled the dagger into the ocean to prevent it from possessing someone else.

Loki finally escaped Mephisto's realm when Thor reluctantly enlisted him to aid him against the New Immortals. However, Loki's physical form no longer existed, and he had Sigyn temporarily bond him to a suit of armor. He continued to trouble Thor, as well as Eric Masterson (now the hero Thunderstrike), possessing War Machine (Jim Rhodes in alternate Iron Man armor) to attack Thor. Loki finally struck a bargain with Seth to have him genetically engineer a new body, and his spirit took possession of it. He sought revenge on Thunderstrike, but when War Machine, She-Hulk and Ant-Man (Scott Lang) were drawn into the fray, he was instantly reminded of the Avengers and ended the fight.

Loki eventually crossed over into the dimension of Earth-93060 (the Ultraverse), where the six Infinity Gems had been scattered. Loki began to gather the gems together, battling many of the local superhumans ("Ultras") for them. Finally, the Grandmaster revealed to him that there was a seventh gem, the Ego Gem, and they pitted the local heroes Ultraforce against the Avengers with the gem as the stakes. However, Loki did not win, and soon lost all six gems, returning to his native reality.

Attempting to stave off Ragnarok, Odin had allowed the world tree Yggdrasil to think that Ragnarok had already happened, and his the Asgardians on Earth in mortal identities. Loki became the businessman Tso Zhung, with no recollection of his earlier life. He was brought together with the other "Lost Gods" by Red Norvell, and became the first of them to reclaim his true form, confronting Seth, who had taken advantage of the situation to try and eradicate the Asgardians. When the other Asgardians regained their true identities, they defeated Seth.

Thor's most recent mortal identity, Jake Olson, was that of a paramedic slain during a battle, and Thor took on the man's appearance as a new secret identity. Loki reanimated the true Olson's body and began committing crimes so that Thor would be suspected, but Thor eventually bound the true Jake Olson to himself and Loki was trapped in a body identical to Olson, which was named "Loren Olson," Jake's twin brother, who was sent to prison for his crimes.

Karnilla released Loki from prison not long before Odin faced Surtur in battle once again, and this time Odin was truly slain. Thor ascended to the throne of Asgard, and Loki found himself surprisingly content under hi rule, seeing new opportunities for power, and genuinely pleased as Thor began to impose Asgardian values on the Earth.

Loki finally attempted to start Ragnarok again wielding an uru hammer of his own. However, this time Thor allowed him to play the events out to their conclusion, having realized that Asgard was caught in a repeating time loop of death and rebirth, denying them a true warrior’s death. Thor decapitated Loki, and kept his still-living head with him as he permitted Surtur to unleash the final assault on Asgard. Thor then confronted They Who Sit Above In Shadow, the powers responsible for repeating Ragnaroks, and he saw to their destruction. Loki was apparently consumed in the destruction of Asgard alongside his brother.Loki has been reborn as a woman.

Bride of Nine Spiders (Lightning Lords)

In 1928, as the Lightning Lords of Nepal were about to inflict cruel tortures on the man who killed their father, Orson Randall, the Bride of Nine Spiders stayed their hands. Even though she had allied herself with the three maniacal brothers, it was clear that she would not tolerate any insubordination from them. Still, she was more interested with Randall, the man who fled the Heart of Heaven before their contest of skill could take place. Bride of Nine Spiders challenged Orson to battle, but he refused and infuriated her to the point where she ordered the Lightning Lords to kill him. The Lightning Lords may have succeeded if not for a timely save by Orson's friend, Lucky Pierre. Most of her life remains unrevealed at this time, but in the most recent tournament between the Seven Capital Cities of Heaven, there is a new champion bearing the same name that has taken her place.

One legend concerning her is that a man calling himself Murderous Lion held a makeshift tournament to decide who would be her mate, but the Bride of Nine Spiders was insulted rather than flattered. It was because of her unparalleled beauty Bride of Nine Spiders was sought after by many suitors, but to imagine she would willingly give herself to a mortal merely because he won her in a fight was something she didn't consider. Instead, she spurned Murderous Lion's advances only to engage him in a death match. Murderous Lion, although a highly skilled warrior, wound up dead at the hands of his would-be lover. The Bride of Nine Spiders was also gravely injured, and even though some say she died that day, there is no evidence to suggest the theory is true. In fact, there has been no physical evidence found to claim the battle ever took place save for a lone wounded spider that has lived for more than seventy years without food, water or sleep.

Note: The Singing Spider, as it came to be known, was auctioned off to a wealthy collector who wanted to unlock the creature's secrets, but he got more than he bargained for when he summoned the current Bride of Nine Spiders in an attempt to capture her.

Mantis

The enigmatic Mantis traces her roots back to the family of Vietnamese crimelord Monsieur Khruul who, disapproving of his sister Lua's marriage to German mercenary Gustav Brandt, hunted the couple across Indochina. The Brandts eluded him while Lua bore a child, but Khruul ultimately had their house burned to the ground, killing Lua and blinding Gustav, who fled with their infant daughter. They found sanctuary in the temple of the Priests of Pama, renegade pacifist members of the alien Kree race who were caretakers of the Cotati, a telepathic race of sentient plants. The Priests trained Gustav, granting him psychic sight, but separated him from his daughter, not wanting his violent nature to influence her development. Brandt eventually left the Temple, later joining the crime cartel Zodiac as Libra.

Believing Mantis might grow to be the Celestial Madonna and mother the genetically perfect Celestial Messiah, the Priests of Pama trained Mantis in their martial arts, which she mastered, and gave her the name "Mantis," in recognition of her skill in defeating male opponents. They also taught her telepathic communication with the Cotati, which gave her empathic abilities. On Mantis' eighteenth birthday, the Priests removed Mantis' memories, implanting false memories of an orphaned life in Ho Chi Minh City, and sent her to experience life among normal humans. Meanwhile, the Shao-Lom monks of Titan, whose teachings also stemmed from the pacifist Kree's beliefs, mentored another possible Celestial Madonna: Earth-born orphan Heather Douglas, later known as Moondragon, but her sheltered life denied her insight into human existence, making her a less-rounded candidate. Moondragon would eventually return to Earth, becoming involved with the Avengers.

As a bar girl coincidentally employed by her unwitting uncle, Monsieur Khruul, Mantis met the Swordsman, an adventurer turned alcoholic mercenary who worked for Khruul. Sensing a spark of nobility in the Swordsman and seeking a better life for herself, Mantis romanced and rehabilitated Duquesne, convincing him to return to America and rejoin the Avengers. She accompanied him, but had difficulty gaining the Avengers' trust after she deceived them, single-handedly taking down both Thor and Captain America as part of her plan to help the Avengers defeat the Lion God. Still, her abilities served the Avengers well; she aided the team during its Loki/Dormammu-masterminded Avengers-Defenders War; and against foes including the Collector, Klaw, and Ultron. Her empathic abilities helped save the universe when she deduced how Captain Marvel could defeat the Cosmic Cube-empowered Thanos.

During her association with the Avengers, Mantis became disenchanted with the Swordsman and began a slow seduction of the Vision, which further damaged Mantis' standing with the team. When the Avengers fought and defeated Zodiac, Libra was captured and revealed his identity as Mantis' father, telling her some portion of her history. Returning to the Pama temple, Mantis found the Priests slain by her uncle, who was in turn slain by the Star-Stalker, who had been kept imprisoned by the Priests. Though she still lacked her true memories, Mantis began doubting what she'd believed.

Knowing the Celestial Madonna to be among them and hoping to father the Celestial Messiah himself, Kang attacked the Avengers. Defeated, he identified Mantis as the Celestial Madonna and attempted to kill her, but the Swordsman took the blast himself and died. Mantis, guilt-ridden and grief-stricken, buried the Swordsman in the garden of the Priests of Pama; however, the eldest Cotati reanimated the Swordsman's body and confirmed that Mantis was the Celestial Madonna. Immortus, Libra and the Cotati revealed the full history of Mantis, who accepted her destiny as the Celestial Madonna (to Moondragon's irritation). In a ceremony conducted by Immortus, Mantis and the Eldest Cotati wed (as did the Scarlet Witch and the Vision), after which the celestial couple transformed into energy and departed Earth. Before she departed, the Avengers declared Mantis an official member of their ranks.

Merged with the Cotati's essence, Mantis gained Cotati abilities as well as her own, and began to evolve into "the essence of life," a change which physically manifested as a greenish hue in her skin. Conceiving the future Celestial Messiah, she left our universe, but even in other universes she found herself pursued -- on one alternate Earth she was aided by a league of justice-serving heroes against a mechanical construct which sought to prevent her child's birth. Eventually her son, Sequoia, was born, and Mantis attempted to raise him as normally as possible in the town of Willimantic, Connecticut. Dark forces rose against her, attempting to create an evil counterpart to her child, but she aided those who fought them; nothing eclipsed her attempts to raise the boy peacefully.

When the fast-growing child reached an age when the Cotati race chose to parent him alone, Mantis again took to the stars, where she uncovered a plot by the Elders of the Universe to acquire the six Infinity Gems and destroy Galactus. Fearing this would destroy reality, Mantis located the Silver Surfer and traveled with him as he fought the Elders, bonding romantically with him. When the Gardener attacked her using the Soul Gem, she barely escaped and transferred herself to Shalla-Bal, the Surfer's former beloved on his homeworld. She and Shalla-Bal were both subsequently captured by the Elders. When the Elders attempted to destroy them both, Mantis sacrificed herself, allowing the Surfer to rescue Shalla-Bal.

The power of the Elders' Infinity Gems proved too much for Mantis, who could not fully reconstruct herself, and fragments of her essence formed several "shadow" Mantises. One shadow form awoke on Earth as an amnesiac, lacking powers. Seeking help, she aided the Avengers against the Voice and the High Evolutionary, and they in turn aided her in regaining her memories. The Fantastic Four then helped her try to return to her son, but Kang and Necrodamus interfered; after foiling them, Mantis returned to the stars as pure energy. The Silver Surfer encountered a shadow Mantis on Verdant, a plant world threatened by Galactus, and this Mantis aided the Surfer, the Fantastic Four, and the Avengers in defeating Galactus and saving the Shi'ar homeworld. Over time, most shadow Mantises ceased to exist, fading even from the memories of those they'd encountered. During the Immortus-guided conspiracy known as The Crossing, the Avengers fought a Mantis seemingly allied with Kang, but this Mantis was ultimately revealed to be a Space Phantom, with no relation to either the true Mantis or her "shadows."
Over time, the true Mantis began to recover as her scattered essence coalesced into five forms, each reflecting an aspect of her personality: freak, mother, lover, mystic, and Avenger. Thanos, a self-proclaimed god of death disturbed by the emergence of the Celestial Messiah and the Celestial Madonna as supposed deities of life, began killing fragmentary Mantises, unwittingly hastening the re-formation of the true Mantis, who was reborn as "the goddess of life." Fully restored, she teamed with the Avengers and the Squadron Supreme's Haywire to seek out Sequoia and defend him from Thanos, ultimately fighting beside Thanos to neutralize the reality-devouring Rot (though Thanos later claimed it was one of his Thanosi "clones" who encountered Mantis). Mantis offered guidance to both young Avengers recruit Silverclaw, another potential goddess, and her own son, "Quoi," who had become bitter and rebellious during Mantis' absence but ultimately accepted his mother and his own role as the Celestial Messiah. During the Thanos conflict, Mantis and Vision (now long-separated from the Scarlet Witch) finally became lovers, but the Vision decided his mechanical nature made him ill-suited for a relationship with the maternal Mantis because their union could not produce children, and he broke off the romance. Mantis returned to Earth and was among the Avengers who faced the deranged Scarlet Witch.

House of M

Following the events that disassembled the Avengers, Wanda Maximoff Scarlet Witch was left in the charge of Magneto and Professor Charles Xavier, both of whom were trying to rebuild the mutant nation of Genosha at the time. Enlisting the aid of Doctor Strange, Professor Xavier tried to cure Wanda of her insanity. Unfortunately, things appeared to be getting out of hand, and the combined efforts of Doctor Strange and Professor Xavier were not enough to help her.

Calling together the Avengers and the X-Men, Xavier and Strange held a group meeting to determine the fate of Wanda Maximoff. Quicksilver, who was eavesdropping, feared that the inevitable choice would be to kill her. Fearing for his sister, he hurried to Genosha where he pleaded to his father to protect Wanda. Magneto was torn-- he was unsure what the right choice was. His decision seemed to have been made.

When the Avengers and the X-Men flew to Genosha to check in on Wanda, Professor Xavier disappeared and suddenly the world burned white, to be replaced by a mutant utopia where humans had become the minority ruled under the House of M. No one remembered the world as it had been, except for S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Wolverine and a girl named Layla Miller, who exhibited the ability to unlock people's subconsciousnesses, reminding them of the world as it had been.

Uniting a group of heroes consisting primarily of the X-Men and the Avengers, those who remembered stormed the House of Magnus during a gala uniting all of the world's leaders, believing Magneto to be responsible for the world altering events. There, Doctor Strange discovered that it was not Magneto but Quicksilver who had manipulated Wanda into altering reality. Layla accidentally revealed to Magneto the world before the House of M. Enraged that Quicksilver had done such an atrocity in his name, Magneto killed his son. Wanda, who saw her brother's death, was traumatized. She quickly revived him from death and screamed to her father that he was a bad man, that mutants were freaks and that she hated him. As she seemed to calm down, Wanda said "No more mutants." Suddenly, the world burned white again... ...and the world returned as it had been, with only a few remembering the events of the House of M. As the world restored to normalcy, however, it became apparent that the majority of the world's mutants had lost their powers, Magneto and Quicksilver amongst them. With the bulk of the world's population ignorant of the world of the House of M, the shock of millions of mutants suddenly bereft of their genetic gifts caused widespread panic and the eventual quarantine of many mutants on to the grounds of the X-Mansion in Westchester.

Blackheart

Centuries of murder saturated the Christ's Crown area with evil until the attempted rape of a young girl named Sarah drew Mephisto to create a “son”, Blackheart, from the accumulated wrongs. Slaying both rapist and victim, Blackheart explored the nature of evil under his father's tutelage, clashing with and failing to corrupt Daredevil and Spider-Man. Mephisto and Blackheart soon drew Daredevil, Brandy Ash, the genetically engineered Number Nine, and Inhumans Gorgon, Karnak, and Ahura into Hell.

Observing these mortals led Blackheart to rebel against his father and seek a newer form of evil; in retaliation, Mephisto diminished Blackheart’s powers. Focusing on those who walked the line between good and evil, Blackheart tried and failed to recruit Wolverine (Logan), the Punisher (Frank Castle) and the Ghost Rider (Daniel Ketch) to his rebellion. Blackheart also aided Wonder Man against Mephisto and helped Misha of the mercenary Warheads as her telepathic “Voice”, using Mys-Tech’s Rathcoole to obtain a mystic sword which could harm Mephisto. Returning to Christ’s Crown, Blackheart altered his followers into the Corrupt, and employed Wolverine, Punisher, and Ghost Rider as a feint to allow him to anoint the sword with an innocent’s blood. He apparently slew Mephisto, banishing his “father” from Hell and restoring his own powers to full strength.


As Hell’s ruler, Blackheart focused on corrupting the Ghost Rider, aiding the Furies to possess mortal bodies to torment Ghost Rider (Noble Kale) and resurrecting the Scarecrow (Ebenezer Laughton) to send after Ketch. From his palace in the Burning Flesh district, Blackheart created his own Spirits of Vengeance: his consort Black Rose (the deceased Roxanne Simpson, ex-wife of Dan Ketch’s brother, Johnny Blaze), Verminus Rex (a spirit who had battled the Ghost Rider during World War I), Wallow (a homicidal mortal suicide whom Ghost Rider had thwarted), Doghead (a downtrodden immigrant), and Pao Fu (who had died in the arms of Ghost Rider as he tried to save her). Blackheart bargained to free Ghost Rider’s relatives from their curse; in return, Ghost Rider agreed to lead Blackheart’s Spirits. However, the pair fell out and Ghost Rider destroyed Blackheart, banishing him from Hell.
While ruler of Hell, Blackheart had tormented the soul of the mutant Stryfe by manipulating the X-Force group, which attracted the attention of the mutant sorceress Selene. After banishment from Hell, Blackheart allied with Selene as the Hellfire Club's temporary Black King. After defeating Selene's enemy Alyssa Moy, Blackheart battled the Fantastic Four, Mechamage, Hellstorm, and Margali Szardos; they ultimately defeated Blackheart, binding him beneath New York's Hellfire Club. Trapped there, he continued to aid Selene, opposing X-Force in an attempt to corrupt Sunspot, while awaiting his inevitable release.