Fabian Cortez
| Fabian Cortez | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | X-Men #1 (October 1991) |
| Created by | Chris Claremont Jim Lee |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Fabian Cortez |
| Species | Human mutant |
| Team affiliations | Acolytes Genoshan Upstarts S.W.O.R.D. Legionnaries |
| Abilities | Ability to enhance mutant powers |
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Fabian Cortez is a mutant supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is commonly depicted as an enemy of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and writer/illustrator Jim Lee, he first appeared in X-Men #1 (October 1991).
Fictional character biography[edit]
Acolytes[edit]
Thought to be royalty from Spain,[citation needed] Fabian Cortez organizes the original Acolytes, who pledge themselves to Magneto and his cause. Cortez then goads and manipulates Magneto into combat with humanity and the X-Men at every turn, leading to the destruction of Magneto's space-station, Asteroid M, and the deaths of the other Acolytes, including Cortez's own sister Anne Marie.[1]
Cortez recruits a group of Acolytes who, believing Magneto to be dead and martyred for his cause, now worship him as their god, to follow Cortez in Magneto's name.[2] They launch several strikes on humanity, ranging from attacks on a military base where new Sentinels are being built, to slaughtering helpless humans in a hospital.[3] Magneto eventually resurfaces, sending his chosen heir Exodus to inform the Acolytes of Cortez's betrayal. The Acolytes welcome Exodus as their new leader, and Cortez is left behind.[4]
Bloodties[edit]
Fearing Magneto's wrath, Cortez flees to Genosha. Still claiming to speak in Magneto's name, he incites the nation's mutant population into starting a civil war against the humans, the world's first instance of the long-threatened genetic war between man and mutant. With the aid of the mutates, Cortez kidnaps Magneto's granddaughter Luna, intending to use her as a shield to protect himself from Magneto, the X-Men, and the Avengers. Cortez is unaware that Magneto had recently been mindwiped by Charles Xavier; and Exodus comes to Genosha in his place, seemingly killing Cortez.[5]
Back with the Acolytes[edit]
Cortez reappears months later, claiming to have been badly injured, yet not actually killed, despite all appearances. He manipulates Joseph into posing as Magneto,[6] pitting him against Exodus in an attempt to regain control of the Acolytes. Despite his scheme's failure, he is allowed to return to the team. Months later, after Exodus was briefly imprisoned, the Acolytes split into two groups, each searching for Magneto. Cortez leads one group, but they abandon him during a battle with the X-Men, upon realising how he has been using them for his own purposes.[volume & issue needed]
Dark Seduction[edit]
Alone again, Cortez is surprised to be recruited by Magneto himself, to whom the United Nations has given control of Genosha. Seeing as how Cortez had betrayed him earlier, Magneto only lets Fabian Cortez serve him on Genosha because his own powers have been reduced and Cortez's mutant power is needed to heighten the abilities of the other mutants. After a further betrayal by Cortez, discovered by Magneto's UN advisor Alda Huxley to be the leader of the Genoshen cabinet assisting a rebellion in Carrion Cove, Magneto is restored to full power by one of the Genengineer's machines and, as he no longer needs Cortez, moves him from a prison in Hammer Bay, to over fifty miles away to Carrion Cove in less than 20 seconds. The impact kills Cortez instantly, as he is splattered on the ground at Magneto's feet. Just before his death, a connection between Cortez and the geneticist Mister Sinister was implied, which would explain how Cortez returned alive and well when everyone believed him dead at the hands of Exodus.[7]
Necrosha[edit]
After the X-Men form Utopia, Magneto joins them, saying he supports their efforts.[8] Selene especially wants Magneto captured for his collaboration with Emma Frost to overthrow her from her position as Black Queen of the Hellfire Club. She has three of her recently resurrected mind-controlled soldiers—Acolytes Cortez, Delgado, and Mellencamp—hunt down Magneto. They try to torture Loa to get the information out of her, but when she tries to hide in her room she finds Deadpool inside it. Deadpool battles the trio, but the techno-organic virus that is inside the Acolytes (which caused their resurrection) prevent him from killing them. At one point in the battle, Cortez grabs Loa by the throat and demands to know Magneto's location, saying that even though Selene wants Magneto alive he will fight the mind-control and kill him anyway. Loa begs Cortez not to make her hurt him, something Cortez does not believe possible. Deadpool knocks Loa out of Cortez's hands, but then is overpowered by the Acolytes. Loa uses her matter disruption powers to slide through Mellencamp, mutilating him. Deadpool, seeing that Loa's powers were able to slay Selene's minions, forces her to kill Cortez and Delgado by throwing her into them (to survive, she has to slide through them, which causes them to crumble). Deadpool then tells Cyclops that he should not be in trouble because Loa had done all the killing.[9]
The techno-organic virus however appears to reform Cortez, as he resurfaced later along with fellow Upstarts members Shinobi Shaw, Siena Blaze, and Trevor Fitzroy, and started the game that they created long ago. They kill members of the Nasty Boys to lure out Cyclops and his ragtag team of X-Men to Washington Heights. After a brief exchange of words, the two groups engage each other in battle. The X-Men gain the upper hand as the Upstarts retreat; but Shinobi is left behind, only to kill himself as he does not want to be captured or controlled by the Hellfire Club.[10]
Krakoa[edit]
Cortez later joins the Six, a mutant team led by S.W.O.R.D. and Abigail Brand.[11] During Knull's attack on Krakoa, he joins S.W.O.R.D in defending Krakoa before Knull kills him and Sunfire. However, he is quickly revived via Krakoa's resurrection protocols.[12][13][14][15][16][17][18]
Powers and abilities[edit]
Fabian Cortez is a mutant with the ability to manipulate energy, which enables him to enhance the abilities of other mutants and sense energy signatures. He is additionally a skilled combatant and strategist.
Development[edit]
Cortez was created toward the end of Claremont's tenure writing the X-Men and was the last major character he introduced. He is rumored to have been named after writer Fabian Nicieza, who Claremont had tensions with at the time.[19]
Other versions[edit]
Marvel Zombies[edit]
In the Marvel Zombies reality, Magneto heads to earth to rescue anyone he can from the zombie plague. Cortez is entrusted with overseeing Asteroid M and preparing it to be the last outpost of humanoid life.[20] Cortez does this well; his group soon joins up with other survivors, including Forge and the Black Panther. Magneto perishes in battle against the zombies.[21] Decades later, in Marvel Zombies 2, Cortez's child regains control of the colony during a battle with cosmically powered zombies.[22]
X-Men Forever[edit]
In this reality, which takes place shortly after the X-Men escape the destruction of Asteroid M, Nick Fury enlists the X-Men in helping him find and capture Cortez. The X-Men successfully capture Cortez, although he nearly defeats them single-handedly.[23] Cortez is eventually turned over to S.H.I.E.L.D., but corrupt agents within then give him over the anti-mutant Consortium. Eager to exploit the "burnout" (that reality's phenomenon where mutant powers cause people to physically give out and die prematurely), the Consortium thought Cortez's powers were rife with the potential to weaponize the concept. Weeks later, Cortez is rescued by Nick Fury and the X-Men, but is on the verge of death due to the experimentation he was forced to endure. Cortez dies in the custody of the X-Men shortly thereafter.
X-Men '92[edit]
Cortez appears in X-Men '92, when he overcharges Lila Cheney's teleporting powers; and she takes the X-Men to a distant planet inhabited by the mutant Brood.[24]
What If[edit]
Cortez appears in a number of What If...? issues.[25] In the reality seen where Tony Stark chooses not to begin a super-hero career as Iron Man after returning from captivity. Cortez and the Acolytes assemble under Magneto and battle both the X-Men and the StarkTech Sentinels that threaten mutant lives after Tony Stark's innovations to America's Sentinel program pushes the mutant race to the brink of extinction.[26]
In the reality where the space station Avalon was officially recognized as a mutant colony under the rule of Magneto, divisions between his Acolytes erupt, with Exodus leading the isolationists, who want to take Avalon to the stars and away from the taint of humanity on Earth, while Cortez's annihilationists wish to return to Earth, eliminate the humans, and reclaim their homeland. These concerns become secondary after the birth of Acolytes Skids and Rusty's first child, who registers as Homo Ultima, the next stage of humanity, beyond even that of mutant. Cortez and Exodus unite their factions for fear of being usurped, leading to the death of the child. In the aftermath, it is revealed that Magneto engineered fake genetic scan results for Homo Ultima, sacrificing the child to bring unity to his Acolytes.[27]
In other media[edit]
Television[edit]
Fabian Cortez appears in X-Men: The Animated Series, voiced by Lawrence Bayne. He initially appears as the leader of Magneto's Acolytes before his misanthropy leads to him breaking off in an attempt at killing Magneto and taking over the world, only to be foiled by the X-Men and Amelia Voght and trapped on Asteroid M. Cortez is later rescued by Apocalypse and Deathbird, with the former granting him the ability to alter other mutants' mutations, and serves him as a worshiper and unofficial fifth Horseman of Apocalypse. Following the destruction of Apocalypse's body, Cortez assembles cultists loyal to the former and the Hounds to find a new body, only to be betrayed and defeated by Caliban. In retaliation for his failure, Apocalypse possesses Cortez.
Video games[edit]
- Fabian Cortez appears as a boss in X-Men: Gamesmaster's Legacy.
- Fabian Cortez appears as a boss in X-Men 2: Clone Wars.
References[edit]
- ↑ X-Men #1
- ↑ The Uncanny X-Men 300
- ↑ X-Factor #92
- ↑ The Uncanny X-Men #304
- ↑ The Avengers #369
- ↑ Magneto #1 (1996)
- ↑ Magneto: Dark Seduction #1-4 (2000)
- ↑ The Uncanny X-Men #516
- ↑ X-Force Annual #1
- ↑ The Uncanny X-Men vol. 5 #21
- ↑ S.W.O.R.D vol. 2 #1
- ↑ S.W.O.R.D vol. 2 #2-4
- ↑ S.W.O.R.D vol. 2 #5
- ↑ Way of X #2-3
- ↑ Way of X #4
- ↑ Way of X #5
- ↑ X-Men: The Onslaught Revelation
- ↑ Legion of X #1
- ↑ @ClaremontRun. "It also has to be noted that there exists a widespread but unconfirmed rumour that Fabian Cortez was named as a slight to writer Fabian Nicieza. If true, the character himself could be seen as a monument to the underlying tension and animosity surrounding C's departure. 7/8" (Tweet) – via Twitter. Missing or empty |date= (help)
- ↑ Marvel Zombies: Dead Days one-shot (July 2007)
- ↑ Marvel Zombies #1-5 (2005)
- ↑ Marvel Zombies 2 #1–5 (October 2007 – February 2008)
- ↑ X-Men: Forever #1 (2009)
- ↑ X-Men '92 vol. 2 #6-10
- ↑ What If...? vol. 2 #64 and 85. Marvel Comics.
- ↑ What If...? vol. 2 #64
- ↑ What If...? vol. 2 #85
External links[edit]
- Fabian Cortez at Marvel.com
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