Annihilus is a fictional character in Marvel Comics' Marvel Universe. In 2009, Annihilus was ranked as IGN's 94th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.

Publication history

The character first appears in ''Fantastic Four Annual'' #6 (1968), and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

Fictional character biography

Untold millennia ago, the Tyannans, a technologically-advanced semi-humanoid/leonine species of the antimatter universe the Negative Zone, seeded barren worlds with life spores. A freak meteor collision hurled one of their ships into the volcanic planet Arthros, where the crew released their spores before starving to death. Many generations later, a descendant from one of these spores, a weak insectoid creature, presented a mutation which made it extremely intelligent. The creature found the Tyannan starship wreckage and used a knowledge transference helmet to master the advanced Tyannan technology. This enhanced his intelligence and strength, creating a "Cosmic Control Rod" and body armaments. Obsessed with survival, the paranoid creature, which came to be known as Annihilus, set out to destroy any other living being he viewed as a possible threat to his existence. Annihilus used his newly acquired power to dominate other lifeforms that had arisen from the spores on Arthros, and plotted to either conquer or destroy the neighboring worlds in the Negative Zone. He transformed many prisoners via the Tyannans' Gene Transmuter into his servile Scavengers. Annihilus first encountered the Fantastic Four when Reed, Ben, and Johnny entered the Negative Zone seeking anti-particles needed to treat Sue's cosmic ray-related pregnancy complications. Annihilus' minions captured the heroes, but they escaped, stealing his Control Rod. They returned it after siphoning off the needed anti-particles and returned to Earth. Annihilus next invaded the Microverse, a dimension accessed via the energies of shrinking, sending his Insectivorid drones to conquer worlds in his name. Psycho-Man tried to control the dimensional interface leading to the Microverse, but the Insectovorids, emotionless and immune to his power, overran the entire Sub-Atomica System and forced him to retreat to his worldship. Psycho-Man captured the Silver Surfer and Spider-Man to power his weapons and drive off the invaders, but the heroes escaped, leaving Annihilus and Psycho-Man to battle for control of the worldship. Annihilus' Microverse invasion was presumably repelled.

Shortly thereafter, Doctor Doom stole Annihilus' Rod in a complex scheme to steal Galactus' cosmic power. Almost immediately, Annihilus captured the human Rick Jones, who was often stranded in the Negative Zone through a bond he shared with Kree soldier Captain Mar-Vell. Annihilus released Jones when the Fantastic Four retrieved his Control Rod from Dr. Doom. Later, Annihilus was challenged by Janus the Nega-Man, a research scientist and contemporary of Reed who developed a module capable of harnessing antimatter energy, within the Negative Zone. Annihilus defeated Janus, forcing the Nega-Man to lead him to Earth, but Janus was instead seemingly killed in the exploding atmosphere where matter meets antimatter. When Mar-Vell used Reed's technology to free Rick Jones from the Negative Zone—thus meaning that Mar-Vell would no longer be forced to return to the Zone—Annihilus nearly crossed over to Earth along with Jones, but was driven back by the Avengers, the Vision turning intangible and tricking Annihilus into falling back into the portal to Negative Zone. Jones later returned to the Negative Zone, but his ability to access the Destiny Force—a near-infinite power source inherent in all humanity—protected him from Annihilus. Annihilus battled the Frightful Four, and once again attempted to escape the Negative Zone, but was foiled by Spider-Man and the Human Torch.

Sensing great power within Franklin Richards, Annihilus once abducted him, along with the Fantastic Four, Medusa, Wyatt Wingfoot, and Agatha Harkness into the Negative Zone. He attempted to tap the unknown power of Franklin, amplifying his powers out of control. The Four defeated Annihilus and escaped back to Earth, but Reed was forced to temporarily shut down Franklin's mind to protect Earth's Solar System.

When the Mad Thinker regained control of his "most powerful android," which Annihilus had previously transmuted into one of his Scavenger servants, it stole Annihilus' Control Rod, morphing into monster form. Annihilus was forced to team up with Reed, who had been stranded in the Negative Zone by the Brute (Reed Richards of the High Evolutionary's Counter-Earth), to foil the Mad Thinker's plan to conquer both the Negative Zone and Earth. The monster android was ultimately defeated, and Annihilus regained his Rod.

Annihilus next forged the first of many uneasy alliances with Blastaar, another Negative Zone warlord who ruled the planet Baluur. When his monarchy was overthrown, Blastaar offered to serve Annihilus in exchange for assistance in regaining control of Baluur. Although Annihilus viewed Blastaar as emotional and weak, he agreed to Blastaar's proposal, secretly planning to betray his newfound ally. Annihilus showed Blastaar his new weapon, the Super-Adaptoid—a powerful Advanced Idea Mechanics android which Annihilus "found" and reprogrammed, but when Nyglar, Blastaar's mate, grew suspicious of Annihilus and sent out a distress signal, the Thing and Avengers responded and defeated the villains. Annihilus slew Nyglar, after which Blastaar stole the Control Rod and left Annihilus to weaken and deteriorate rapidly. Dying and desperate, Annihilus slipped through the portal to Earth while the Fantastic Four explored the Negative Zone. He created an impenetrable barrier around the Baxter Building, taking Franklin and Alicia Masters hostage. He attempted to merge the Earth universe with the Negative Zone, nearly destroying both in the process. He battled the Avengers and was defeated by the Fantastic Four as they returned to Earth. Narrowly surviving the ensuing conflict, Annihilus returned to the Negative Zone. He was revived by Blastaar and regained his Control Rod, battling the Fantastic Four yet again. Annihilus next attacked the dimension of Asgard, home of the Norse Gods, which had partially drifted into the Negative Zone for a time after the Rainbow Bridge was shattered. Annihilus slew several of Asgard's elite guard, the Crimson Hawks, and almost defeated the mighty Thor and Balder before finally falling in battle to Odin, King of Asgard. Later, when Odin entered a week-long "Odinsleep" to renew his godly energies, Annihilus kidnapped his dormant body and transported it to the Negative Zone to try to tap into the Odinpower. Annihilus was soon located by the god Heimdall and defeated by Eric Masterson (as Thor), with Balder, and Sif. Masterson seemingly destroyed Annihilus, and returned Odin to Asgard. Shortly thereafter, the extra-dimensional energy vampire Rune was defeated and cast into the Negative Zone. The weakened Rune attempted to steal the Control Rod, but was defeated by Annihilus and held prisoner within a cosmic singularity until eventually escaping through a portal.

After investigating a strong energy pulse within the Negative Zone, Annihilus and Blastaar were imprisoned alongside the Fantastic Four by the Brute, who had enslaved the Tyannans as his personal army. Annihilus and his fellow captives eventually escaped and defeated the Brute, but Reed helped the Tyannans seal themselves off from the rest of the Negative Zone before a vengeful Annihilus and Blastaar were able to conquer them. Soon after, Annihilus and Blastaar joined forces with fellow Negative Zone warlord Syphonn, who created the Conqueror Wheel to access the Earth universe. During a confrontation with Adam Warlock, Annihilus and Blastaar realized that Syphonn planned to betray them-so they betrayed him first, forcing Syphonn to retreat as his Conqueror Wheel was destroyed by Warlock's allies.

Stranded on the Negative Zone world of Argor by a glitch in Reed's Fold Space Transceptor prototype, the Fantastic Four stowed aboard Annihilus' monstrous spacecraft, but were soon detected and fought a heated battle with Annihilus inside a cargo hold. Seizing the Control Rod, Reed combined its technology with his Fold Space Transceptor and opened an access portal that allowed the Fantastic Four to escape Annihilus' spacecraft. Later, Annihilus faced a major setback when the N-Explorers, a team funded by the Gideon Trust to explore and loot the Negative Zone, stole his Control Rod. While fighting the N-Explorers for possession of his Rod, Annihilus was decapitated and slain by Hellscout, a descendant of 17th-century Puritan settlers who had been stranded in the Negative Zone for centuries. Upon Annihilus' death, his body released a pod containing a nymph-like clone possessing his memories. After his new body's maturation, Annihilus awoke from his rebirth, but found the Control Rod missing and his empire in ruins.

When Reed planned a new superhuman prison in the Negative Zone, the Fantastic Four were assaulted by Annihilus, who believed they had stolen his Control Rod. After a brief skirmish, the Fantastic Four subdued him, only to be attacked by a second Annihilus who had apparently also been spawned upon the death of his predecessor. Each believing himself to be the true Annihilus and the other the thief, the two Annihiluses fought each other, allowing the Fantastic Four to escape.

Annihilation

Annihilus began leading the Annihilation Wave, an enormous fleet of Negative Zone battleships, ostensibly claimed to have the goal of conquering the universe. He claims that the universe is expanding into areas of the Negative Zone, making the universe now rightfully his territory; his forces destroyed the Kyln, an intergalactic power station and maximum security prison, and the planet Xandar, headquarters of the Nova Corps. He since gained the aid of Thanos, and two beings that were trapped in the Kyln by Galactus, Tenebrous, and Aegis. Tenebrous and Aegis then managed to defeat Galactus and the Silver Surfer, and the two are connected to a giant mechanism in Thanos' starship. It has revealed that Annihilus' goal is actually creating a massive Power Cosmic bomb with which to destroy the Universe and the Negative zone, leaving Annihilus the only survivor. Drax, however, with the help of the Silver Surfer, manages to free Galactus, who then nearly annihilates the Annihilation Wave, with Galactus, the Silver Surfer, Nova, Phyla-Vell, and Star-Lord, and the surviving Annihilus the only beings still alive in the area. Nova then has a final battle against Annihilus, in which Phyla manages to steal away the Quantum Bands, and Nova then finally kills Annihilus, by shoving his fist down his throat and ripping out his internal organs.

In the epilogue, however, Annihilus' surviving general of his armies, Ravenous, is seen taking a newborn egg for one of the last surviving queen insects, and holding a fetal looking bug in it, proclaiming "THE LORD ANNIHILUS LIVES!"

At the 2009 New York Comic Con - as part of the War of Kings panel - it was announced that there were plans for the Annihilus baby in War of Kings: Ascension.

During the Ascension storyline, the Negative Zone is invaded by Darkhawk and his ally and fellow Raptor, Talon. They discover that the infant Annihilus and his Cosmic Control Rod had been placed under the care of a lesser lord of the Negative Zone, Catastrophus. Catastrophus had been using the Cosmic Control Rod to stunt the development of the infant Annihilus, hoping to prolong his own rule. Talon slew Catastrophus and seized the Control Rod, before calling out to the infant Annihilus and asking it to remember in the future that he had spared the creature's life.

Annihilus' victims

During Annihilation The Kyln + The Beyonder The Nova Corps Quasar (who later returned to life) 90% of all Skrull Planets Red Shift Morg Air Walker (killed by Ravenous & the Seekers on Annihilus's orders) Tana Nile (killed by the Annihlation Wave) Spirit (killed by the Annihlation Wave)

Countless billions of many races.

Negative Zone Civil War

During a later incursion into the Negative Zone, Johnny Storm discovers that Annihilus' forces have been rebuilt to "pre-Crunch assault levels," but are currently embroiled in a struggle with Blastaar's forces. Central to that struggle is a city built from the remains of the Negative Zone Prison Alpha. The war is further complicated by the involvement of the Universal Inhumans.

Death of Johnny Storm

In the Fantastic Four's "Three" storyline, concluding in ''Fantastic Four'' #587 (cover date March 2011, published January 26, 2011), the Human Torch apparently dies stopping a horde of aliens from the Negative Zone. In ''Fantastic Four'' #588, Reed Richards opens a window to the Negative Zone and menaces Annihilus with the Ultimate Nullifier. Annihilus in return brandishes Johnny's uniform to Reed.

Powers and abilities

Annihilus is capable of self-propelled flight and can withstand the vacuum of space. He wears "armor"—actually an insectoid exoskeleton with some armored components—that grants him resistance to most forms of injury (extreme temperatures, ballistic force, bullets, etc.)

He is also superhumanly strong.

Annihilus wields the Cosmic Control Rod, a weapon of great power. It allows him to manipulate cosmic energy in order to manipulate the molecular structure of matter. The rod is capable of projecting vast amounts of destructive energy and concussive force. Continuous exposure to the cosmic energies of the rod has also retarded the aging process of its wielder, making Annihilus virtually immortal. Though not always engaging himself in direct combat, Annihilus has proved to be a formidable opponent, and was able to defeat the Thing, Thor, Nova Prime, Quasar and Blastaar in individual fights with relative ease. Annihilus also sometimes wields energy pistols based on Tyannan technology that he has modified.

In Annihilation: Nova, Annihilus killed Quasar, and gained his Quantum Bands, adding to Annihilus' power. By using these in combination with most of his stores power reserves Annihilus was able to withstand a massive blast from Galactus in the ''Annihilation '' series. While the blast destroyed his entire army, along with several solar systems, Annihilus was able to survive.

He also leads an elite personal guard, the Centurions, 200 superpowered aliens, each from a different Negative Zone world. They are extremely loyal to him and form a devastatingly effective army.

At present, the source of Annihilus' vastly increased powers are unknown—or if, in fact, the extent of his powers is a retcon; in the Annihilation miniseries, he was able to withstand a simultaneous assault by Nova (now the sole recipient of the energies once dispersed throughout the entire Nova Corps and hundreds if not thousands of times more powerful than ever before), and Quasar, who has been an even match in combat with the Silver Surfer. In fact, as was previously mentioned, he overpowered and killed Quasar with very little apparent effort. This may be due to Annihilus seizing control of the "Opposing Force" described as being the Negative Zone's version of the Power Cosmic, part of which he bestowed upon Ravenous and other Seekers (beings empowered with the Opposing Force with the intention of hunting down powered individuals and harvesting their energies for Annihilus' use).

Other versions

Age of Apocalypse

When the mutant known as Legion, traveled back in time to kill his father's long time nemesis Magneto, to prevent Xavier from dealing with years of conflict so Charles could be a true father to him, Legion failed and accidentally killed Xavier instead.

With the battle between Legion and a team of X-Men sent back in time to stop him seen worldwide on television, mutants were revealed for the first time a full decade before they were seen in the normal Marvel Universe. Apocalypse made the decision to move up his quest for the creation of a world in his image: a world where mutants ruled and Survival of the Fittest was the only law.

In this harsh world, the X-Man known as Blink would travel to the Negative zone where she met Ahmyor, a freedom fighter native to the Negative Zone who joined the rebellion against their malicious leader, Blastaar. The two would exchange fists rather than greetings at first, though the battle would end in a stalemate. Once Ahmyor realized she meant him no harm, the two called a truce and he began to explain to her his situation. The people wanted to restore control to their previous ruler, Annihilus, who was also malevolent, but the lesser of two evils in this case. For some time, Ahmyor had been haunted by visions of their tortured leader Annihilus who had been made undone in his quest for order through domination. He could feel his gnawing need for power, the endless struggle that drove him to madness, but blue-clad interlopers called the Fantastic Four would inevitably see to his end.

Despite not having any memories of herself, the girl found the spirit of rebellion to be a familiar one and joined his cause. Over the course of a week, Ahmyor would fall in love with this angel. She made him extremely happy as both a warrior and as a man and helped restore his soul. Eventually, the couple was captured and taken to Blastaar who revealed that Ahmyor was actually Annihilus. Blink felt betrayed as she believed she had done the honorable thing by aiding in a rebellion, but it appeared that she was only helping a dictator reclaim his empire. Ahmyor explained that he was amnesiac just like Blink was and had no recollection of his former life. When he was removed from power, he regressed to an earlier, humanoid stage in his being. However, his knowledge of the truth caused him to begin reverting back into his insectoid form.

Blastaar had previously acquired the Annihilation Cannon, a deadly invention made by Annihilus that could not be fired without the Cosmic Control Rod joined to the form of its creator. With Ahmyor/Annihilus now in his clutches, Blastaar finally had the key to active this ultimate weapon and he planned on using it to destroy Earth. Suddenly, Blink with a renewed dedication to her beloved and found him bound to the Annihilation Cannon. She moved quickly to free him, but discovered that the device had been altered so that it would explode if Annihilus was removed from it. Ahmyor's transformation into Annihilus was nearly complete and he urged her to leave him and the Negative Zone as he was no longer the man she loved. With tears in her eyes, Blink teleported Ahmyor away, sent the Annihilation Cannon to Blastaar's position, and teleported herself back home where the X-Men had been frantically searching for her. Subsequently, Annihilus was once again himself. An image fluttered across his mind's eye, causing him to pause, and giving him a moment's worth of peace. It was an image of the only being ever to reach him, the only one he ever loved. However, it faded just as quickly as it had come and was replaced with rage that burned in his heart as thoughts of revenged boiled withim him.

Mangaverse

In the Marvel Mangaverse, Annihilus is a gigantic, monster that attacks the Earth in order to destroy it. He is confronted and defeated by the Fantastic Four. Annihilus' appearance and powers in this incarnation are inspired by the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion, as are most of the Fantastic Four characters Manga versions.

Ultimate Annihilus

The Ultimate Fantastic Four encountered an Annihilus-like creature in their first foray into the N-Zone. Translating machines implanted in the Four's space suits dubbed the creature Nihil, though Nihil himself stated this is a caste title and not his proper name. Nihil ruled over a space station composed of the fused remains of several alien space ships. It orbited near a dying red dwarf star for warmth because the whole N-Zone is experiencing entropic decay.

Like Annihilus, Nihil and his caste are from a species that can live over a million years. Not wanting to die before he is supposed to naturally, when Nihil learned that the UFF were from a different, younger universe he engineered a plan to escape and kill them. Johnny Storm, who for the entire trip had been experiencing discomfort, fell ill and was rushed by Sue back to their ship. Reed Richards and Ben Grimm went along with her but once they returned to tell Nihil of their situation Nihil revealed his intention to steal their ship, named by Johnny as the ''Awesome'', and go to Earth. He exploded his translation devices, thereby rupturing Reed and Ben's space suits and exposing them to the N-Zone's highly acidic atmosphere. Nihil then sent his previously unseen soldiers to kill them but Reed sealed his damaged suit by covering his shattered face mask with his hand, and Ben discovered his lungs filter out poisons, enabling him to battle Nihil.

In the ensuing fight, Ben ripped Nihil's right wing off, most of Nihil's soldiers were beaten by the enslaved alien refugees living on the space station, and Ben and Reed escaped to The Awesome. Nihil then launched a bioship after the UFF when they were racing back to Earth. Nihil's flagship managed to make it through but both ships crashed on to the Las Vegas Strip. Another battle started between Nihil and the Fantastic Four. During it, Johnny Storm emerged from the ''Awesome'', discovering that he would periodically enter hibernation and shed his dead skin cells so that his powers would regenerate, and then entered the fight. At the climax of the battle, Nihil pinned Reed to the ground and opened his jaws to consume him, but Reed, stating that he was better than Nihil because he could adapt and Nihil just wanted to rule, stretched and jammed a plasma emitting weapon into Nihil's mouth. Nihil tried to pry the rod out by the trigger and his head was subsequently blown up. Nihil is at this time presumed dead and his body is most likely in government possession. Many of Nihil's soldiers survived and they were presumably captured if not killed. The lasting affect of this battle is that the Fantastic Four's secrecy was blown and the team had to be given a formal introduction to the world.

In other media

Television

Annihilus appears in the ''Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends'' episode "The Prison Plot", as an illusion created by Mastermind.

Annihilus appears in the 1994 ''Fantastic Four'' episode "Behold the Negative Zone", voiced by Clyde Kusatsu.

Annihilus appears in ''Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes'', voiced by Scott McNeil.

Annihilus appears in ''The Super Hero Squad Show'' episode "Double Negation at the World's End" voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.

Film

Don Payne has expressed interest in having Annihilus as a villain in possible future installments in the Fantastic Four film franchise.

Video games

Annihilus appears as a boss character in the 2005 Fantastic Four video game, where he is voiced by Lex Lang. He is faced by Mister Fantastic and The Thing in an underground lab mutated by cosmic radiation, which presumably is the explanation for Annihilus' origin within the game.

Annihilus also appears in the Blizzard Entertainment game Diablo II: Lord of Destruction as a unique small charm, which can be found only from a random server event, and the character defeating the special boss.

Annihilus appears in the ''Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet'' video game voiced by Dee Bradley Baker. He is in collaboration with Nebula when the plan to use the Time Infinity Gem to keep themselves immune to a time bomb that will make everyone else old. Both Annihilus and Nebula are defeated by Invisible Woman and Nova.

References

External links

Annihilus at Marvel.com

Category:Comics characters introduced in 1968 Category:Characters created by Jack Kirby Category:Characters created by Stan Lee Category:Extraterrestrial supervillains Category:Fictional dictators Category:Fictional mass murderers Category:Marvel Comics aliens Category:Marvel Comics supervillains

fr:Annihilus it:Annihilus hu:Annihilus pt:Aniquilador (Marvel Comics) fi:Annihilus tl:Annihilus

Luke Cage (born Carl Lucas and also called Power Man) is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Archie Goodwin and artist John Romita, Sr., he first appeared in ''Luke Cage, Hero for Hire'' #1 (June 1972). He obtained his powers in an accident that left him with near impervious skin and superhuman strength.

Publication history

A streetwise youth, the man called "Lucas" was sent to prison for a crime he did not commit. In exchange for parole, Lucas clandestinely underwent an experimental procedure, originally intended to generate immunity to all illness; instead, it inadvertently granted him steel-hard skin and heavier, enhanced muscle. After escaping Seagate Prison, he forged the identity of "Luke Cage" becoming a "hero for hire," a sort of super-enhanced private detective—although Cage commonly refused money, or simply received none, for cases gone awry (a fair portion, for the unlucky Cage). Later, he formed a business partnership with the martial arts hero known as Iron Fist in the series ''Power Man & Iron Fist''.

Cage was one of the first African American superheroes to star in an eponymous comic book series. (The first African American character to do so was Dell Comics' western hero Lobo.) Cage was a groundbreaking but controversial hero. He was Marvel's entry into the 1970s blaxploitation trend, and much of "Hero for Hire" saw him using exaggerated slang, including the catch phrase "Sweet Christmas!" (In the 1990s ''Heroes for Hire'' series, Cage explained that he used this phrase in place of profanity because his grandmother, an important figure in his youth, hated profanity; he added, tongue-in-cheek, that she was even meaner and tougher than the villains he fought.) Brian Azzarello's take on Power Man, ''Cage'', was also criticized, this time for an overly thuggish portrayal (though Azzarello's revival also attracted attention to the character).

Subsequently, Cage has been featured in the Brian Michael Bendis-written series ''Alias'', ''Secret War'', ''The Pulse'', ''Daredevil'', and ''New Avengers''.

Cage has been confirmed as the leader of the newest incarnation of the Thunderbolts, which will be formed in the aftermath of Siege. He will also remain with the New Avengers when the title relaunches in June 2010.

Fictional character biography

Origin

Born and raised in New York City's Harlem neighborhood, Lucas spends his youth in a gang called the Rivals. With his friend Willis Stryker, he fights the rival gang the Diablos and commits petty thefts, often on behalf of deformed crime lord Sonny Caputo, a.k.a. Hammer. In and out of juvenile homes throughout his teens, Lucas dreams of becoming a major New York racketeer until he finally realizes how his actions are hurting his family. He seeks to better himself as an adult by finding legitimate employment. Meanwhile, Stryker rises through the ranks of crime, but the two men remain friends. When Stryker's activities anger the Maggia (a.k.a. the Syndicate), he is badly beaten in a mob hit, saved only by Lucas' intervention. When Stryker's girlfriend, Reva Connors, breaks up with him in fear of his violent work, she seeks solace with Lucas. Stryker is convinced that Lucas is responsible for the breakup, so he plants heroin in Lucas' apartment and tips off the police. Lucas is arrested and sent to prison where contact with his family is sparse due to the resentment of his brother James, Jr., who intercepts Lucas' letters to their father James and eventually leads each to believe the other is dead.

In prison, Lucas is consumed by rage over Stryker's betrayal and his father's supposed death, engaging in frequent brawls and escape attempts. Eventually transferred to Seagate Prison off the coast of Georgia, he becomes the favorite target of sadistic guard Albert "Billy Bob" Rackham, whose brutality ultimately leads to a demotion that he blames on Lucas. Later, research scientist Dr. Noah Burstein recruits Lucas as a volunteer for experimental cell regeneration based on a variant of the Super-Soldier process he had previously used to empower Warhawk. Burstein immerses Lucas in an electrical field conducted by an organic chemical compound; when he leaves Lucas unattended, Rackham alters the experiment's controls, hoping to maim or kill Lucas. Lucas' treatment is accelerated past its intended limits, inducing body-wide enhancements that gives him superhuman strength and durability. He uses his new power to escape Seagate and makes his way back to New York, where a chance encounter with criminals inspires him to use his new powers for profit.

Adopting the alias Luke Cage and donning a distinctive costume, he launches a career as a Hero for Hire, helping anyone who can meet his price. He soon establishes an office above Times Square's Gem Theater, where he befriends film student D. W. Griffith. Burstein, aware of his friend's innocence, also relocates to New York and opens a medical clinic, assisted by Dr. Claire Temple, whom Cage begins dating. Although Cage is content to battle strictly conventional criminals, he soon learns that New York is hardly the place to do so. Stryker himself has become a Maggia agent known as Diamondback and dies battling Cage. Subsequent opponents included Gideon Mace, an embittered veteran seeking a U.S. takeover; Chemistro (Curtis Carr), whose Alchemy Gun is a weapon later used by others, including his own brother after Curtis reformed; and Discus, Stiletto, Shades, and Commanche, all criminals with ties to Cage's prison days who face him repeatedly over the years.

Superhero ties

Although Cage has little in common with most of New York's other superhumans, an ill-conceived attempt to collect a fee from a reneging Doctor Doom leads him to befriend the Fantastic Four. He is subsequently hired by ''Daily Bugle'' publisher J. Jonah Jameson to capture Spider-Man. Cage, however, comes to sympathize with Spider-Man and forcibly returns Jameson's deposit, earning a place on the publisher's lengthy list of superhuman personae non grata. Via much-later retcon, as the character Jewel did not exist at the time, Cage also befriends Jessica Jones, a young woman whose superhuman strength and unconventional style match his own. During a mission in which Cage and Iron Man track down Orville Smythe, who had duped him into stealing an experimental starsuit from Stark International to "test his [Tony Stark's] factory's security system", Cage follows the example of his new peers and takes the codename of Power Man. Cage battles a rogue Erik Josten (Atlas of the Thunderbolts) for the use of the Power Man name, winning the right.

Shortly afterward, Luke Cage begins associating with the loose-knit super-team known as the Defenders, alongside whom he battles the super-strong Wrecking Crew and the racist subversives known as the Sons of the Serpent. When the Thing temporarily loses his superhuman powers, Power Man is hired to replace him in the Fantastic Four, but his tenure proves brief after the Puppet Master takes control of him to fight his new teammates. Meanwhile, Power Man continues in solo action against an odd assortment of villains, including the maddened professional wrestler X the Marvel, the uninspired Maggia agent Mr. Fish, mobsters Dontrell "Cockroach" Hamilton and Ray "Piranha" Jones, the racist Wildfire, the vengeance-seeking Mangler and Spear (whose brother had died under Dr. Burstein's treatment), rival crime lords Baron and Big Brother, the obsessive Goldbug, and Zzzax the Living Dynamo.

Called to assist the Defenders against the Plantman, Cage begins to complain that his participation in their group is interfering with his paying work. Wealthy Defenders member Nighthawk solves this problem by placing Power Man on retainer, giving Luke a steady paycheck for his Defenders activities. For some time thereafter, Power Man serves as a core member of the Defenders alongside the likes of Doctor Strange, the Hulk, Brunnhilde the Valkyrie, Nighthawk, and the Red Guardian (Dr. Tania Belinskya). Together, they defeat minor threats including the Eel and the Porcupine, and major menaces such as the Headmen, Nebulon, Egghead's Emissaries of Evil, and the Red Rajah; but Cage feels out of place in the often-bizarre exploits of the Defenders and eventually resigns. He goes on to battle foes such as Moses Magnum, and the second Chemistro.

Power Man and Iron Fist

Having obtained proof of Cage's innocence in his original drug charges, the criminal Bushmaster abducts Burstein and Temple, using their safety and the hope of acquittal to blackmail Cage into abducting detective Misty Knight, who humiliated Bushmaster in an earlier encounter. Cage's efforts lead to a fight with Knight's boyfriend, the martial artist Iron Fist, a native of the extra-dimensional city of K'un-L'un and a newcomer to Earth society. Upon learning of Cage's situation, Iron Fist and Knight help him defeat Bushmaster and rescue his friends. In the course of the encounter, Bushmaster forces Burstein to mutate him as he had Cage, but is nonetheless defeated. Cleared of criminal charges, Power Man legally changes his name to "Lucas Cage". He briefly works for Knight's detective agency, Nightwing Restorations, but soon elects to join Iron Fist in a two-man team, Heroes for Hire, founded by attorney Jeryn Hogarth and staffed by administrative wunderkind Jennie Royce. Although the streetwise Power Man and the unworldly Iron Fist seem to have little in common, they soon become the best of friends. Cage's relationship with Claire Temple proves less durable, and he instead begins dating model Harmony Young.

Power Man also helps Spider-Man battle a tenement fire. With Iron Fist and the X-Men, he battles the Living Monolith. Alongside Iron Fist, he travels to K'un-L'un, and battles Master Khan.

Power Man and Iron Fist achieve great success with Heroes for Hire, earning an international reputation and fighting a wide variety of criminals, including the genius Nightshade, the international crime lord Montenegro, Sabretooth and the Constrictor, the third Chemistro, Warhawk, and the drug lord Goldeneye. They have several struggles involving the nations of Halwan and Murkatesh, including incarnations of Scimitar and the Black Tiger. They occasionally work alongside fellow street-level heroes such as Spider-Man, Daredevil, and Moon Knight, but rarely participate in the larger-scale crises that occupy the likes of the Fantastic Four and the Avengers. Their partnership's downfall begins when the mysterious government agency S.M.I.L.E. manipulates Power Man and Iron Fist into the employment of Consolidated Conglomerates, Inc.; during their first CCI assignment, Iron Fist suffers radiation poisoning. Cage takes him to K'un-Lun for treatment. Iron Fist apparently recovers, and soon after their return to the outside world, he encounters a young boy named Bobby. Bobby can change the molecular structure of his body because of a meteorite that fell from the sky, granting him superhuman powers and calling himself Captain Hero. The meteorite that gave him the powers also gave him a deadly spore that was killing him. During a painful episode caused by his illness, Bobby transforms into Captain Hero and pummels Iron Fist, apparently killing him. Cage is blamed for the apparent murder of Iron Fist and flees.

Chicago

''The following passage refers to events in the 1992–1993 series Cage, written by Marcus McLaurin.''

A fugitive again, Cage breaks contact with his New York friends and relocates to Chicago; but, with Hogarth's help, he is cleared of criminal charges when the real Iron Fist turns up alive. Cage discovers that Iron Fist had been replaced by a doppelganger of the plantlike H'ylthri race, K'un-Lun's ancient enemies during his treatment. This doppelganger's existence and destruction at the hands of the Super-Skrull are part of a bizarre scheme engineered by Iron Fist's enemy, Master Khan.

Wanting a new start after his murder charge is dropped, Cage abandons his Power Man guise and begins operating out of Chicago as the plainclothes Luke Cage, Hero for Hire; he makes arrangements with the ''Chicago Spectator'' for exclusive reports of his adventures and frequently works with detective Dakota North. On his first mission in Chicago, he assists the Punisher in battling drug dealers. Cage soon attracts the interest of the refined assassin Hardcore, an employee of Cruz Bushmaster, son of the very villain whose defeat clears Cage's name the first time. Cage learns that Cruz, following in his father's extortion footsteps, has abducted Noah Burstein's wife Emma to force the scientist to recreate the process that had empowered Cage, regardless of how many test subjects suffer in the process. Cruz undergoes the procedure himself, but the elder Bushmaster drains the power from his son, reversing his near-catatonia and declaring himself the Power Master. Cage teams with Iron Fist to thwart their plans, freeing the Bursteins while the Bushmasters apparently perish. Cage's power is augmented further by exposure to the Power Man virus.

While Cage tries to locate his surviving family members with the aid of Dakota North, his brother keeps moving his father around to keep Cage away from them. James, Jr., is eventually recruited by the criminal Corporation, whose power-enhancing scientist Doctor Karl Malus mutates him into the superhuman Coldfire. As Coldfire, James, Jr., hopes to be a match for his brother, whom he regards as a threat, and he uses his hatred of Cage as a focus for his energy powers. Though James, Jr. works with the Corporation quite willingly, Malus has James, Sr. held hostage as extra insurance of Coldfire's cooperation. When Cage learns the Corporation is holding his family, he invades their headquarters and battles Coldfire. The brothers ultimately join forces to rescue their father from Malus, and Coldfire sacrifices himself to destroy the Corporation's headquarters.

Heroes for Hire (the second incarnation)

''The following passage refers to events in the 1997–1999 series Heroes for Hire, written by John Ostrander.''

A few months later, Cage investigates the murder of Harmony Young and fights her killer, the demon Darklove, alongside Ghost Rider. Not long afterward, the mystic Doctor Druid recruits Cage to serve in his Secret Defenders against the sorcerer Malachi. Cage returns to New York and, deciding his heart is no longer in superheroics, becomes co-owner of the Gem Theater with his friend D.W. Griffith. Even an invitation from Iron Fist to join a new and expanded Heroes for Hire fails to interest him; yet when the would-be world conqueror called the Master tries to recruit Cage as a spy within Iron Fist's team, destroying Cage's theater in the process, a curious Cage plays along. Cage joins Heroes for Hire and serves with them for some time while reporting to the Master. Cage himself even begins to sympathize with the more benevolent aspects of the Master's goals, and the Master and Cage seem to become genuinely fond of each other; but in the end, Cage can neither betray his best friend Iron Fist nor reconcile himself to the tremendous loss of life the Master's plans of conquest will entail, and he ultimately helps Heroes for Hire destroy the Master of the World's plans. Cage remains with the group thereafter, and dates a fellow member, the She-Hulk. When the Stark-Fujikawa Corporation buys out Heroes for Hire, Cage and Ant-Man are fired because of their prison records, and the rest of the team quits in protest.

Cage, bitten by the hero bug once more, continues to share adventures with Iron Fist and other heroes. Briefly resuming his Power Man identity, he is hired by Moon Knight to join an unnamed team of street-level New York vigilantes, often referred to by fans as the "Marvel Knights"; but mere days after he joins, the group dissolves following clashes with the forces of Tombstone and Fu Manchu. Deciding that a return to basics is in order, he re-establishes his Hero for Hire activities, intervening in a gang war between Tombstone and Hammerhead, and soon learns that, despite his international fame, he is almost forgotten on the streets where he originally made his reputation. He invests his money in a bar and sets about ridding his immediate neighborhood of criminal elements, deciding that the business of world-saving is best left to others.

In the 2001 miniseries ''Cage'', written by Brian Azzarello under Marvel's MAX imprint, an alternate version of Cage is hired to investigate the murder of a teenage girl and becomes involved in a three-way gang war for control of the neighborhood.

Jessica Jones and the New Avengers

After a one-night stand with a drunken Jessica Jones, now a private investigator, Cage's life is briefly thrown into disarray by Jones' reaction to the fling. The two make peace while working as bodyguards for Matt Murdock. Matt's public denial of his Daredevil costumed identity and suing of the ''Daily Globe'' costs him a bit of Cage's respect, calling Matt a hypocrite to his face. Shortly afterward, Cage extends emotional support to Jones when she is forced to revisit past abuses by the villainous Purple Man, and Cage's feelings for her grow. When Jones reveals that she is pregnant from their tryst, she and Cage move in together. Soon afterward, Jones becomes a superhuman consultant with the ''Daily Bugle'', where Jameson's ire at Cage has by no means dwindled over the years. After she is attacked by the Green Goblin during a ''Bugle'' investigation, Cage, helped by Spider-Man, deliberately attacks Norman Osborn in order to provoke him into revealing he is the Goblin.

It is revealed that Luke Cage has been one of the superheroes involved in Nick Fury's ''Secret War'' in Latveria. With the memories wiped from his mind, Cage is unprepared when he is attacked in his own home by Lucia von Bardas. Cage sustains internal injuries that prove difficult for doctors to treat since they are unable to perform necessary surgical procedures due to his highly durable skin. Months afterwards, Cage is present at the breakout at the supervillain prison 'The Raft' and becomes a founding member of the re-formed Avengers team. Soon thereafter, following the birth of their daughter, he and Jessica are married. He also meets the Black Panther (revealed to be one of Luke's personal heroes), joining him and several other superhumans of African descent on a mission against vampires in New Orleans.

Civil War

After the Superhuman Registration Act is enacted, Cage and his wife are confronted by Iron Man and Ms. Marvel, who want them to register. Cage refuses, comparing the act to slavery and Jim Crow segregation. He then sends Jessica and his newborn daughter away to Canada where they can be safe, though he himself refuses to leave. As midnight strikes and the act goes into effect, S.H.I.E.L.D. forces commanded by agent Gabe Jones immediately come to arrest Cage. He fights his way to safety with the help of Captain America, the Falcon, and Iron Fist (posing as Daredevil), and joins Captain America's "Secret Avengers". He fights alongside them in opposition to the act until Captain America surrenders to U.S. authorities.

''New'' New Avengers

Cage does not comply with the amnesty offered to the Secret Avengers, going underground and reforming the New Avengers alongside Spider-Man, Wolverine, Iron Fist, and Spider-Woman. Luke assumes leadership of the New Avengers after the assassination of Captain America, with the team now operating underground and provided with secure accommodation by Doctor Strange. The New Avengers are driven by two goals; to save people "the way [they] want to", and to investigate the reason why the world has been turned upside-down recently. After a confrontation with Elektra and the Hand to rescue Echo, the team discovers that Elektra has been replaced with a Skrull some indeterminate time ago, but whether more prominent figures on Earth have been replaced with Skrulls by this point is unclear. However, after returning to Jessica following their mission in Japan, Cage is uncertain about whether she really loves him or if she is merely a Skrull impersonator. The revelation has also made him very suspicious of his fellow Avengers, especially Spider-Man, believing his switching sides during the Civil War makes him a prime suspect. More recently, he names his daughter Danielle, after Danny Rand.

World War Hulk

In the first issue of World War Hulk, Luke Cage, along with New Avenger member Spider-Man, tries to aid the Mighty Avengers in the evacuation of New York City. However, he makes it clear that he is not doing this because of Tony Stark's offer of amnesty to anyone who assists in preparations for the return of the Hulk to Earth, and simply sees this as uniting against a common enemy; in the second issue, Cage is defeated by the Hulk's Warbound ally Hiroim the Oldstrong.

Secret Invasion

After the New Avengers battle and defeat the Hood's empire, Jessica leaves Luke and takes baby Danielle to Stark Tower to be registered. After a Skrull ship crashes in the Savage Land, Luke takes the New Avengers there, confronting the Mighty Avengers. During the battle, Luke rips open the Skrull ship, only to have a large group of 1970's versions of several heroes, including himself, emerge and say that they are the real heroes. They are able to prove that the heroes on the ship are Skrulls, thanks to a device made by Reed Richards that forces the Skrulls into their true forms. The Avengers along with Reed and Abigail Brand, who saved Richards from the Skrull ship in which he was imprisoned, fly back to New York and meet up with the other heroes to fight the final battle with the Skrulls in Central Park. During the midst of the fight Jessica Jones come into the battle and fights with the heroes, while admitting that Luke was right and apologizes. The Skrulls are ultimately defeated, with Norman Osborn killing the Skrull queen Veranke (who had been impersonating Spider-Woman) on live television. Afterward, another Skrull impersonating Avengers butler Edwin Jarvis disappears with Luke and Jessica's baby daughter, leaving the couple desperate and upset.

Dark Reign

Following the Skrull invasion, the U.S. government replaces S.H.I.E.L.D. with a new organization, H.A.M.M.E.R. Norman Osborn is placed at the helm, making him as powerful as Iron Man had been as director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Osborn helps Cage recover Danielle, but when Bullseye kills the Jarvis-Skrull, Cage reneges on his offer to serve Osborn and returns to the New Avengers. He is then offered the role as leader of the New Avengers, but turns it down, giving the role to Ronin.

Some time later, Osborn brainwashes Iron Fist as part of a plot to gain revenge on Cage. Cage is able to use his strong bond with Iron Fist to help him overcome the brainwashing, and the two escape. When the New Avengers are hit by the reverse engineered power drainer unleashed by Chemistro, Cage experiences extreme heart pain. He has no choice but to turn himself in to Osborn for help, although the New Avengers are later able to rescue him by drawing the Dark Avengers away from the Helicarrier where he is being held by attacking Camp H.A.M.M.E.R. while a group of allies (including Daredevil, Iron Fist, Valkyrie, Doctor Strange, and Doctor Voodoo) infiltrate the Helicarrier to rescue him. Unknown to all, a tracker is placed on his heart during surgery. With the help of Doctor Strange and Hank Pym, they are able to remove the tracker leaving it in Norman Osborn's home just before Osborn uses the tracker to target explosives. This results in Osborn's home being demolished.

Heroic Age

Thunderbolts

Following the Siege of Asgard, Steve Rogers appoints Luke Cage leader of the Thunderbolts program. Soon after, he begins to recruit potential new Thunderbolts, a balanced mix of former and older members, personally inducting the Ghost, Moonstone, the Juggernaut and Crossbones, with MACH-V, Fixer and Songbird's cooperation, and using the Man-Thing's powers for long-distance transportation.

Reforming the Avengers

When Steve Rogers asks Cage to rejoin the Avengers, Cage and several of the Avengers who opposed the Superhuman Registration Act felt as if opposing the registration act was pointless if they end up working for the government anyway. Steve Rogers and Tony Stark end up selling the mansion (which was recently renovated) to Luke Cage for a dollar, allowing him freedom to recruit his own Avengers team and operate without directly taking orders from Rogers, though Rogers insists on having Victoria Hand join them as a liaison. While inviting his team over for a discussion, Cage and his team are forced to assist Doctor Strange, Daimon Hellstrom, and Brother Voodoo in thwarting an attempt by Agamotto - the original owner of the Eye of Agamotto - to destroy existence, culminating in the apparent death of Brother Voodoo. Although initially against the idea of being paid for being on the team as it reminds him of the reasons they opposed the Act in the first place, Cage is convinced to accept the offer.

Shadowland

Luke Cage is amongst the heroes who battle Daredevil and the Hand. Luke Cage and Iron Fist are asked by Steve Rogers, Iron Man and Thor to speak to Daredevil concerning the Hand's martial law imposed in Hell's Kitchen. As the former Heroes for Hire make their way to Hell's Kitchen, they witness Daredevil brutally murder Bullseye.

Luke Cage and Iron Fist later has an encounter with someone who is going by the name of Power Man. He and Iron Fist discover that the Power Man is Victor Alvarez who was a survivor of the building that Bullseye blew up.

The day after Bullseye's murder, Iron Fist and Luke Cage are discussing Murdock's actions when they are visited by the Kingpin, who comes to warn them that soon they will need to take Murdock down. Iron Fist later joins Luke Cage and the other street heroes when talking to Daredevil. When Kingpin unleashes Ghost Rider upon Shadowland, Daredevil suspects them behind Ghost Rider's attack and orders his ninjas to hunt them down.

Following the fight with Power Man, Luke Cage and Iron Fist end up dealing with Dontrell "Cockroach" Hamilton, Comanche, Specs, Señor Muerte, Discus, and Stiletto.

Luke Cage is later visited by Lacy Kimbro who informs him that her son Darris is among the cops that are prisoners of the Hand's Underhand faction (a group of ninjas who are already dead). Luke Cage later calls the Thunderbolts over to the mainland. He informs them that their mission is to locate Darris in the Hand's stronghold assigning Fixer to lead the group while he goes to reason with Daredevil.

Powers and abilities

Luke Cage possesses superhuman strength and stamina, and has extremely dense skin and muscle tissue which render him highly resistant to physical injury. Cage possesses these abilities as a result of his participation in dangerous, and highly controversial, experiments while in prison. The cellular regeneration experiment has fortified the various tissues of Cage's body, granting him a high degree of resistance to injury via skin that is as strong as titanium and can resist high caliber bullets, puncture wounds, corrosives, and extreme temperatures and pressures without sustaining damage (It has been noted that he has skin as "hard as steel", but when he went up against an adversary that was going to shoot him with bullets that "can pierce steel", he relates that the "steel" hardness of his skin is just a saying and its much tougher than that). Despite this, it is still possible to cause him injury. For example, it is possible to injure him with adamantium weapons. However, it has been shown that the supernatural fangs of a vampire are not able to pierce his skin.

A second exposure to said experiments further enhanced his strength and durability to current levels. He is described as being significantly stronger than his first enhancement.

The same experiment which granted him his great strength and durability has also given him a faster than normal recovery time from injury. Cage's recovery time from physical trauma is significantly shorter than that of a normal human. A major drawback, however, to his superhuman durability is that when he does sustain serious injury beyond his ability to heal on his own, medical care is difficult, given doctors' inability to get past his hardened skin, as in the ''Secret War'' limited series.

Luke Cage is an exceptional street fighter and was a gifted athlete before receiving superhuman abilities. He has also studied martial arts under Iron Fist's instruction, learning how to couple leverage with his strength in order to increase his combat effectiveness against more powerful opponents.

He owns a jacket that is as durable as his skin, having been exposed to the "Power Man" treatment during Cage's second exposure.

Exiles

In this reality Luke Cage is Power Fist, a mix between the 616 versions of Luke Cage/Power Man and his friend Iron Fist. He is also this reality's leader of the Avengers. He leads them to eradicate the Vi-Locks and his life is saved by Sunfire when she is stuck on his world. He later moves to Quentin Quire's reality to replace one of his selves who had died when he shouldn't have.

House of M

After gaining his powers, Luke forms a crime syndicate in Hell's Kitchen, which he later turns into a Human Resistance Movement and recruits several human heroes to his side, including Cloak, who looks up to Luke as a father figure. He is the first person that Layla Miller comes to 'awaken' from the House of M reality and joins the force that takes down Magneto and his children in Genosha.

Marvel Noir

Luke uses his bulletproof reputation to clean up his life and neighborhood after a stay in prison. See Luke Cage Noir.

Marvel Zombies

Cage, dressed in his original disco shirt outfit, is a member of the Avengers and one of the first heroes to become infected. He also encounters Ash Williams not long after being infected. He is among the few heroes who manages to eat the Silver Surfer, and receives cosmic powers by doing so. At the end of the Marvel Zombies miniseries, he helps to devour Galactus and becomes a member of "The Galacti" (along with Iron Man, Spider-Man, Giant Man, Wolverine, and the Hulk), who travel across the universe devouring all life on planets. Next, the Marvel Zombies attack a Skrull planet, only to encounter the Fantastic Four - consisting of Black Panther, Storm, the Thing and the Human Torch. it pleases the zombies so much that they attempt to capture the FF and try to transport back to their fully populated reality. He also has a role in Marvel Zombies 2, joining Spider-Man in fighting against the other Galactus as he realizes that their hunger has faded over time. His lost arm is replaced by a transplanted arm from an unknown being (possibly alien). At the series conclusion, he is transported to another universe which also gets taken by the infection. Cage fights to defeat the hungry zombies of this reality, but is defeated and killed.

MAX

An adult take on Cage is presented in the Marvel MAX imprint simply titled ''Cage'', working as a freelance detective of sorts in the Harlem ghetto. In this gritty miniseries, Cage is investigating the death of a young teenage girl who was killed in an attempted hit on a criminal. The urban-themed storyline depicts Cage as a hardened ex-convict with the suggestion that he underwent a medical experiment that allowed him to deflect bullets.

Ultimate

A different version of Power Man appears in the Ultimate Marvel universe as a member of the Defenders, although he is never referred to as "Luke Cage." In this universe, the Defenders consist of several people who want to be superheroes but have no useful superpowers, and appear to be more interested in the celebrity aspect of being heroes than actually doing anything heroic. This version of Power Man originally never had any powers, however in ''Ultimate Comics: New Ultimates'' he and the Defenders all appear with powers.

''Ultimate Origins'' revealed that Ultimate Nick Fury shares a similar origin story to 616's Luke Cage. In this series he is shown to have been an imprisoned military criminal during World War II; randomly chosen from among other black prisoners as a "volunteer" for a prototype super-soldier test, Fury is exposed to an experimental serum, grows larger and more muscular, and undergoes a burst of violent anger and super strength which allows him to burst his restraints, fight off armed guards, and smash his way out through a wall. Following this, he becomes a soldier of fortune for an indeterminate period of time before, at some point, he begins performing black ops for the U.S. Government.

In other media

Television

Luke Cage appears in ''The Super Hero Squad Show'' episode "A Brat Walks Among Us" voiced by Lil' JJ. He is a member of Heroes for Hire alongside Iron Fist and Misty Knight. He also has a cameo appearance in the very first episode of the same series "And Lo... A Pilot Shall Come!".

Spider-Woman motion comics

Luke Cage appears in the Spider-Woman motion comics. In this series, he is voiced by Jesse Falcon.

Film

A film adaptation of Luke Cage is in development for Marvel Studios and Columbia Pictures, with John Singleton directing.

Development

In June 2003, Columbia Pictures acquired the rights for a Luke Cage movie that would be penned by screenwriter Ben Ramsey (''The Big Hit'') and produced by Avi Arad of Marvel Studios. In January 2004, producer Kevin Feige said that the Luke Cage movie would target a 2005 release. At Wizard World Los Angeles in March 2004, newly attached director John Singleton said that the villain Diamondback would make an appearance, and the director hoped to include other villains such as Chemistro and the Wrecking Crew. Singleton hoped to start production by summer 2004 in time for a 2005 release. However, production for the film was delayed, as Marvel's Peter Cuneo announced in December 2004 that ''Luke Cage'' would have a 2006 release date. In January 2006, producer Avi Arad stated that he hoped that ''Luke Cage'' would be "brutal enough" for an R rating and that it would have an urban soundtrack. According to Arad, "The whole idea behind Luke Cage is that he's anything but a hero. He's [a mercenary] for hire, and men like that find out it's a good business by accident. And then [finds out] what's really inside him."

Screenplay

In January 2004, Feige said that Ramsey had turned in an initial draft that was "totally contemporary Cage and a helluva lot of fun". At Wizard World Los Angeles in March 2004, director John Singleton said that Ramsey was working on a new draft for the film. In August 2006, Tyrese, a strong candidate to play Luke Cage in the film, said that the studio was doing a rewrite of the project.

Casting

On March 2005, producer Avi Arad said that the studio was interested in Jamie Foxx to portray Luke Cage but reconsidered due to Foxx's heightened prominence with his Oscar win for ''Ray''. At a press junket for ''Four Brothers'' in July 2005, director John Singleton said that he was interested in Tyrese Gibson portraying Luke Cage for the film, but said he had told Tyrese that the actor would need to work out to get the role. Singleton also expressed interest in casting Terrence Howard to portray the villain Diamondback. In January 2006, Tyrese, who recently completed ''Annapolis'', said that he was working out to become massive for the role of Luke Cage. In August 2006, Tyrese said that he was not yet committed to ''Luke Cage'', but was still interested in the role. Actor Isaiah Mustafa (star of the Old Spice TV commercial campaign, ''The Man Your Man Could Smell Like'') has also openly expressed interest in the role.

Video games

Luke Cage appears as a playable character in ''Marvel: Ultimate Alliance'' voiced by Greg Eagles. He is heavily a melee character and his powers include super strength and chain-related attacks. His New Avengers, Hero for Hire, and Cage costumes, as well as a street costume, are available. Luke Cage has special dialogue with Arcade and the Wrecking Crew. A simulation disk has Luke Cage fighting Ultron in S.H.I.E.L.D.´s Omega Base. Luke Cage appears in ''Spider-Man: Web of Shadows'' voiced by Robert Wisdom. Spider-Man encounters him in Harlem during a gang war between the Rolling Sevens Gang and the Park Avenue Gang. During that time, he has a few training matches with Spider-Man so he can take down enemies quicker. With Spider-Man's help, he gets the Rolling Sevens Gang Leader and the Park Avenue Gang Leader into a parley, which was interrupted by assassins sent by the Kingpin. After Spider-Man foils the attempt on their lives, there are different outcomes of this. If the player chooses the Red Suit Path, Spider-Man shows the evidence of the gang war setup to Luke Cage and the gang leaders form a truce. If the player chooses the Black Suit path, the two gangs get into a gunfight that ends with most of them being killed and the remaining ones put in prison, Luke Cage subsequently becoming frustrated with Spider-Man when he reveals that he had discovered evidence to stop the conflict only after it is over. Mary Jane Watson later helps Luke Cage in evacuating Harlem. In the PlayStation 2 and PSP version, Spider-Man helps him fight infected people. If one has a guy switch the train tracks to where Luke Cage is fighting, he will attack Spider-Man in hopes of getting the symbiote suit off him. Otherwise, he will become infected and will attack Spider-Man. When Symbiote-Luke Cage is defeated, Luke Cage will become an assist character who will use his super strength on enemies.

Luke Cage appears as a playable character in ''Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2'' voiced by Khary Payton. He is locked into the Anti-Reg side during the Civil War portion of the game. His stealth costume from Secret War is his unlockable alternate costume. His default costume heavily resembles his design seen in "Spider-Man: Web of Shadows" both in clothes and overall appearance.

In popular culture

''The Simpsons'' comics parody Luke Cage: Carl Carlson becomes ''Nuclear Power Man'' of ''Heroes for Rent''.

Cage was parodied in Milestone Comics' ''Icon'' #13 as Buck Wild, Mercenary Man. This issue also took swipes at Black Goliath, Black Lightning, The Falcon, and Brother Voodoo, all of whom Buck had briefly gained the powers of at some point.

In the January 4, 2006 episode of the animated TV series ''The Boondocks'', Huey Freeman is asked what a superhero based on him would be called. After stating that no superhero would ever be based on him, because it would not be commercial enough, he says. "Besides, all the black superheroes are corny. They'd probably give me a metal headband and a yellow disco shirt or something stupid," referring to Luke Cage's original look. This joke had also been used in an earlier Boondocks newspaper strip.

Actor and former NFL Wide Receiver Isaiah Mustafa expressed his interest in playing Luke Cage in a July 1, 2010 interview on G4's Attack of the Show!.

Reception

Luke Cage was ranked as the 34th greatest comic book character of all time by ''Wizard'' magazine. IGN also ranked Luke Cage as the 72nd greatest comic book hero of all time stating that Cage embodies much of what we love about Marvel's heroes.

Collected editions

''Essential Luke Cage, Power Man'' Vol. 1 (Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1-16, Luke Cage, Power Man #17-27)

''Essential Luke Cage, Power Man'' Vol. 2 (Luke Cage, Power Man #28-49, Annual #1)

''Power Man and Iron Fist'' vol. 1 (Power Man and Iron Fist #50-72, 74-75)

''Power Man and Iron Fist'' vol. 2 (Power Man and Iron Fist #76-100)

See also

List of African-American firsts

Iron Fist

Heroes for Hire

References

External links

World of Black Heroes: Luke Cage Biography

MDP: Luke Cage - Marvel Database Project

Moon Stomper: Powerman

Category:Comics characters introduced in 1972 Category:Characters created by Archie Goodwin Category:Characters created by John Romita, Sr. Category:Fictional African-American people Category:Fictional characters from New York City Category:Fictional detectives Category:Fictional mercenaries Category:Marvel Comics characters with accelerated healing Category:Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength Category:Marvel Comics mutates Category:Marvel Comics superheroes

es:Luke Cage fr:Luke Cage it:Luke Cage nl:Luke Cage pt:Luke Cage ru:Люк Кейдж fi:Luke Cage

birth name	Molly Kathleen Ringwald
birth date	February 18, 1968
birth place	Roseville, California,
occupation	Actress, singer, dancer
years active	1977–present
spouse	Valery Lameignère (1999–2002)Panio Gianopoulos (2007–present); 3 children }}

Molly Kathleen Ringwald (born February 18, 1968) is an American actress, singer and dancer. Having appeared in the John Hughes movies ''Sixteen Candles'' (1984), ''The Breakfast Club'' (1985), and ''Pretty in Pink'' (1986), Ringwald has been frequently named the greatest teen star of all time. She resumed her acting career with her role as Anne Juergens in the ABC Family show ''The Secret Life of the American Teenager''.

Early life

Molly Kathleen Ringwald was born in Roseville, California, just outside of Sacramento, the daughter of Adele Edith (née Frembd), a housewife and chef, and Robert Scott "Bob" Ringwald, a blind jazz pianist. Ringwald has two siblings, Elizabeth and Kelly. She started her acting career at age five, starring in a stage production of ''Alice in Wonderland'' as the Dormouse. The next year, she recorded "I Wanna Be Loved by You," a music album of Dixieland jazz with her father and his group, the Fulton Street Jazz Band.

Acting career

As a child, Ringwald appeared in many local TV commercials and stage plays in the Sacramento area. In 1978, at the age of 10, she was chosen to play Kate in the West Coast production of ''Annie'', performing in Los Angeles.

In 1979, Ringwald appeared in the TV series ''Diff'rent Strokes'' and was selected to become a cast member of the spin-off ''Facts of Life''. She played "Molly Parker," a perky, fun-loving student at Eastland Girls School. Although she had essentially a supporting role, one entire episode, "Molly's Holiday" revolved around her character dealing with the effects of her parents' divorce.

In 1980, Ringwald performed as a lead vocalist on two Disney albums. On the patriotic album ''Yankee Doodle Mickey'', Ringwald sang "This Is My Country", "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "God Bless America". She later performed one track on a Disney Christmas album. Turning toward motion pictures, she found her breakout role in ''Sixteen Candles'' (1984). Molly Ringwald was a member of the so-called ''Brat Pack'' of 1980s teen actors.

Among Ringwald's movies are ''The Breakfast Club'', ''Pretty in Pink'', "Sixteen Candles", ''The Pick-up Artist'' and ''Fresh Horses''. During the mid- to late 1980s, she appeared on the covers of such publications as ''Tiger Beat'', ''Teen'', ''Time'' and ''Life''.

In the early 1990s, Ringwald reportedly turned down the female lead roles in ''Pretty Woman'' and ''Ghost''. During the 1990s, Ringwald lived in France for four years and appeared in French language films. She performed in Horton Foote's ''Lily Dale'' Off-Broadway and performed in ''When Harry Met Sally'' on the West End in London. In 1994, she starred in the TV adaptation of Stephen King's ''The Stand''. In 1996, she played a leading role in the movie ''Malicious'' as Melissa Nelson, a disturbed woman who has an affair with a college star baseball player. 1996 saw her return to television, starring on the ABC sitcom ''Townies''. While critically praised, low viewer ratings resulted in the show's cancellation after nine episodes. She also made one appearance as a blind woman on the critically acclaimed cable series ''Remember WENN''. She starred with Lara Flynn Boyle and Teri Hatcher in the 1998 made for TV movie ''Since You've Been Gone''. In 2000, she appeared in an episode of Showtime's ''The Outer Limits''. This episode was called "Judgement Day".

In 2000, Ringwald appeared in the ensemble restaurant-themed film, ''In the Weeds''; in 2001, she had a cameo in ''Not Another Teen Movie''. In late 2004, she starred in the play ''Modern Orthodox'' on Broadway, opposite Jason Biggs and Craig Bierko. In 2006, she starred in the TV movie ''The Wives He Forgot''. Ringwald appeared in the May 1, 2006 episode “The Darkness is Light Enough” of the TV series ''Medium''.

Ringwald has appeared in ''Cabaret'', ''tick, tick... BOOM!'', and ''Enchanted April'' on Broadway, and in the fall and winter of 2006, she starred as Charity Hope Valentine in the national tour of the Broadway revival of the musical ''Sweet Charity''.

Ringwald is currently starring in the ABC Family network's series ''The Secret Life of the American Teenager'', which debuted on July 1, 2008, playing the title teenager's mother.

Personal life

In the 1980s, Ringwald dated Adam Horovitz and Dweezil Zappa.

Ringwald and fellow ''Brat Pack'' member, Anthony Michael Hall, dated for a short period of time after filming ''The Breakfast Club'' together in 1985. Ringwald was married to Valery Lameignère, a French writer, in Bordeaux, France, on July 28, 1999; they divorced in 2002. She married Panio Gianopoulos, a Greek-American writer and book editor, in 2007. They have a daughter, Mathilda Ereni (born October 22, 2003), and twins, Adele Georgiana and Roman Stylianos (born July 10, 2009). Her pregnancy was written into the storyline of ''The Secret Life of the American Teenager''.

In April 2010, Ringwald published her first book, ''Getting the Pretty Back'' with It Books (HarperCollins Publishers).

Filmography

Features
! Year	! Film	! Role	! Genre
		Miranda Dimitrius
rowspan="2"	''Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone''	Niki
''Packin' It In''	Melissa Webber
	''Sixteen Candles''	Samantha Baker
rowspan="2"	''Surviving: A Family in Crisis''	Lonnie
''The Breakfast Club''	Claire Standish
	''Pretty in Pink''	Andie Walsh
rowspan="3"	''P.K. and the Kid''	P.K. Bayette
	Cordelia
	Randy Jensen
rowspan="2"		Darcy Elliot Bobrucz
''Fresh Horses''	Jewel
rowspan="2"		Cary
''Betsy's Wedding''	Betsy Hopper
	''Something to Live for: The Alison Gertz Story''	Alison Gertz
	''Face the Music''	Lisa Hunter
rowspan="2"	''Baja''	Bebe Stone
''All Day Sunday''	Janet Gifford
rowspan="2"	''Bastard Children''	Susan
	Melissa Nelson
	''Office Killer''	Kim Poole
rowspan="3"	''Requiem for Murder''	Anne Winslow
''Teaching Mrs. Tingle''	Miss Banks
''Kimberly''	Nancy
rowspan="3"		Vanessa Turnbill/Chloe
''The Brutal Truth''
''In the Weeds''	Chloe
rowspan="2"	''Cowboy Up''	Connie
''Not Another Teen Movie''	Flight Attendant
	''The Tulse Luper Suitcases''
rowspan="2"	''The Wives He Forgot''	Charlotte Saint John	(TV movie)
''Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front''	Helen McIntire	(TV movie)
	''Guest of Cindy Sherman''		(documentary)
Short
! Year	! Title	! Role	! Genre
	''Some Folks Call it a Sling Blade''
	''Titey''	voice
	''The Translator''
Television
! Year	! Title	! Role	! Genre
		Molly Parker
	''Shelley Duvall's Tall Tales & Legends: Johnny Appleseed''	Jenny Smith
		Frannie Goldsmith
	''Townies''	Carrie Donovan
		Kathleen Walsh	1 episode “The Darkness is Light Enough”
	''The Secret Life of the American Teenager''	Anne Juergens
	''Psych''		1 episode
	''RuPaul's Drag U''	Herself

References

External links

Broadway.com interview (October 8, 2001)

Interview by Katie Holmes (September 1999)

Category:1968 births Category:Actors from California Category:American child actors Category:American dancers Category:American female singers Category:American film actors Category:American musical theatre actors Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:Living people Category:People from Roseville, California

bg:Моли Рингуалд cs:Molly Ringwald de:Molly Ringwald es:Molly Ringwald fr:Molly Ringwald it:Molly Ringwald he:מולי רינגוולד nl:Molly Ringwald ja:モリー・リングウォルド no:Molly Ringwald pl:Molly Ringwald pt:Molly Ringwald ru:Рингуолд, Молли fi:Molly Ringwald sv:Molly Ringwald th:มอลลี ริงวอลด์ tr:Molly Ringwald

character name	Emma Frost
converted	y
real name	Emma Grace Frost
species	Human mutant
publisher	Marvel Comics
debut	''Uncanny X-Men'' #129 (January 1980)
creators	Chris ClaremontJohn Byrne
alliances	X-MenThe CabalXavier InstituteHellfire ClubHellionsGeneration XDark X-Men
aliases	The White Queen, The Black Queen
powers	Telepathy- Mind reading and control- Memory alteration- Mental bolts- Induced paralysis- Illusion casting- Astral projection Capable of shapeshifting into a diamond form granting her superhuman strength and durability
cat	super
subcat	Marvel Comics
hero	y
villain	y
sortkey	Frost, Emma }}

Emma Grace Frost is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in ''Uncanny X-Men'' #129 (January 1980), and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne.

An urbane, mutant telepath with a well-noted dry wit initially known as the White Queen (complete with revealing white attire for which she is known), Frost has changed from one of the X-Men's most dangerous foes to one of its most central members.

The character was named IGN Comics' "Hottest Comic Book Babe" in 2005, ranked #21 on IGN Comics' "Top 25 X-Men" in 2006, placed #30 as Marvel's highest ranking female on Empire's Top 50 Greatest Comic Book Characters in 2008 and took 69th place on Wizard’s 200 Greatest Characters of All Time List in 2008, ranking ahead of other X-Men with more extensive histories.

Actress Tahyna Tozzi portrays a younger version of Emma Frost in the 2009 film ''X-Men Origins: Wolverine''. Actress January Jones portrays the character in the 2011 film ''X-Men: First Class''.

Publication history

From her initial appearance as the White Queen of the Hellfire Club, Frost appeared as an X-Men villain over the years. She frequently appeared in ''Uncanny X-Men'' and the original volume of the ''New Mutants'' alongside her Hellions.

In March 1986, Tom DeFalco, Mary Wilshire, and Steve Leialoha were the creative team for the four issue ''Firestar'' miniseries, where Emma predominantly appeared alongside her Hellions. This series showcased Frost as the main villain as she attempted to turn the ''Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends'' star Angelica Jones into her own personal weapon.

After recovering from a coma and aiming to redeem herself upon the knowledge that her Hellions had been slaughtered, Frost played a pivotal role in the Phalanx Covenant, which saw her team up with Banshee, Jubilee, and Sabretooth in an attempt to save the next generation of mutants. This led to her becoming a main character of the spin-off series ''Generation X'' which began in November 1994 under the creative eyes of Scott Lobdell, Chris Bachalo, and Mark Buckingham. The series ended after over 75 issues (and several one-shots and miniseries) with Brian Wood, Ron Lim, Sandu Florea, and Randy Elliott ending the series. The series offered glimpses into her past before her days in the Hellfire Club, as well as introducing her sisters Adrienne and Cordelia.

After the series ended and all the X-Titles were revamped, in 2001 Frost appeared in ''New X-Men'' as a teacher for the mutant population of Genosha, which was then controlled by Magneto. After a Sentinel strike leveled the island nation, the X-Men found Frost amidst the rubble with a "secondary mutation" which hardened her skin to a diamond-like density. Using Frost as a character was suggested to writer Grant Morrison on his website by a fan. While Morrison initially had no plans to use her, the death of the character Colossus left Morrison with an opening. He created Emma's secondary mutation – a super strong diamond form – as a replacement for Colossus' powers and added her to the cast. Subsequently, Frost joined the X-Men. This would lead to her instigating an affair with fellow X-Man Cyclops, who was having marital difficulties with Jean Grey. This series also provided further glimpses into her past, introducing her father Winston Frost and her brother Christian.

In August 2003, writer Karl Bollers penned an ongoing series showcasing her origins titled ''Emma Frost''. The series, which lasted for 18 issues, began during her days as a private school student and ended before her days as a Hellfire Club member. It expanded on the role of her father Winston and her brother Christian, also exploring the early days of her two sisters. Later Marvel issues would expand Emma's character history by depicting her as having past romantic histories with prominent Marvel characters, such as Iron Man and Prince Namor.

Under Joss Whedon and John Cassaday, Emma was featured in the third volume of ''Astonishing X-Men''. She has been a major character in the ongoing series, specifically during its third arc, "Torn," in which the authenticity of her allegiance to the X-Men is explored. She also frequently makes guest appearances in other Marvel titles, ''New X-Men'' in particular. The reduced presence of X-Men founder and former headmaster Charles Xavier in recent years has intensified her importance as one of Marvel's foremost telepaths.

Background explored

In a flashback story told by Frost herself in ''Generation X #24'', Frost details a time she spent in a mental institution after being sent there by her parents. However, the short-lived ''Emma Frost'' series depicted Frost's early years differently, having her leave home and attend college. The series was supposed to cover Frost's life from high school until her first appearance as the White Queen, however, it was canceled at issue #18. ''Generation X #-1'' showed the first meeting of Emma Frost, Banshee, and the Dark Beast, taking place after the events depicted in the ''Emma Frost'' series.

In ''X-Men: Deadly Genesis'', Frost is shown after the events of ''Generation X #-1'' working as a stripper at the Hellfire Club before rising to the rank of White Queen. Frost is approached by Professor X and Moira MacTaggert to join a new team of X-Men along with other characters introduced in the series. The task proves harder than first anticipated and Xavier is met with great resistance from Frost. The event is then mentally erased from everyone's minds by Xavier.

Fictional character biography

Emma Frost was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to the wealthy Winston and Hazel Frost; she is the second of three daughters and also had an older brother, Christian Frost. Winston is cold, ruthless, and domineering, often imposing impossibly high standards on his children, while Hazel abuses prescription drugs to cope with the tensions of her household. Thus, Emma obtains no emotional support from her parents or her sisters Adrienne and Cordelia, but gets along with her gay brother Christian.

At her school, she is ruthlessly teased by the other students and has difficulties with her grades. She is supported by her teacher, Ian Kendall. After some time with headaches, her telepathic powers begin to manifest, allowing her to read the minds of other students and get answers to the tests. Because she is able to glean information, Emma becomes a tutor to other students and Ian recommends her to be a teacher, something Emma's father refuses.

On her way home from school one day, Emma's car breaks down and Ian gives her a ride home. After reading his thoughts and learning that he thinks she is beautiful and intelligent, Emma kisses him. Her sister Adrienne records it and her father uses the evidence to get Ian fired. Emma begins to fight back by revealing Adrienne's secret modeling career and taking pictures of her father with a mistress. Her actions intrigue her father, who says that she reminds him of himself at her age. Her father chooses her to carry on his fortune, but after seeing her father betray her trust and commit Christian to a mental institution following a suicide attempt, Emma rejects his offer and decides to make her own way in life.

After a period of homelessness, Emma meets and falls in love with a young man named Troy, who agrees to let Emma live with him. She learns that he owes a large amount of money to a local mobster named Lucien. In order to save Troy's life, Emma agrees to participate in a fake kidnapping scheme in an attempt to extort the remainder of Troy's debt from her father. However, Winston refuses to pay the ransom, and Troy is killed while valiantly attempting to save Emma from an enraged Lucien. After disposing of Troy's corpse, Lucien's thugs handcuff Emma to a pipe and seal her mouth shut with duct tape, intending to kill her later. Adrienne releases Lucien's ransom video to the media, forcing Winston to pay for Emma's safe release. Not content with the money, Lucien still decides to kill her, but by using her powers, Emma turns the thugs against one another and then forces the remaining henchman to free her.

Emma takes the ransom money and enrolls in Empire State University. There, she begins to learn about mutants for the first time. She briefly dates a basketball player; however after their first date, he mysteriously attacks her and is reported. She also meets a fellow telepath named Astrid Bloom, who becomes her friend and mentor. Emma is also shocked to learn that Ian is also working at ESU and is dating her roommate. Emma, who still loves him, begins to date him and is horrified to later learn that he was caught attacking her roommate.

Emma later learns that Astrid was secretly behind both the basketball player and Ian's attacks. Furious, she attacks Astrid telepathically and leaves her comatose. Though she is able to use her powers to save Ian's job, he rejects her when she confesses her powers as a mutant to him. She becomes cold towards humans after this, and later auditions as a dancer for the Hellfire Club, an underground elite society. Emma discovers the plans of Edward Buckman and Steven Lang to destroy all mutants. Alongside Sebastian Shaw, Lourdes Chantel, and Harry Leland, Emma battles Lang's Sentinels. Alongside Shaw, she kills Buckman and the Council of the Chosen, then – along with Shaw – takes control of the Hellfire Club, setting themselves up as Lords Cardinal of the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club.

White Queen of the Hellfire Club

Emma Frost becomes the White Queen of the Hellfire Club. She becomes the Chairman of the Board and CEO of Frost International, which helps to fund the activities of the Lords Cardinal. Frost also becomes the Chairman of the Board of Trustees and headmistress of the Massachusetts Academy, a school for mutants which serves as a counterpoint to Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, recruiting young mutants competitively with Xavier by using a bug planted in Cerebro. Frost and the Club's agents later attempted to recruit Kitty Pryde for the Massachusetts Academy, and capture (and personally torture) several members of the X-Men, including Storm, Colossus, Wolverine, and Phoenix (then masquerading as Jean). Frost engages Phoenix in a psychic battle in which she is overpowered and on the verge of being killed. Frost launches a last-minute attack that led the X-Men to believe she had committed suicide, though in truth, she was comatose and recovering from Phoenix's attack under the care of Sebastian Shaw. In another encounter with the Hellfire Club, Frost telepathically forces Kitty Pryde's parents to transfer her from Xavier's to the Massachusetts Academy. She then switches minds with Storm in order to defeat the X-Men from within their own ranks, but the process is soon reversed and the two are restored to their respective bodies. She was later temporarily rendered comatose by Mastermind.

During her time with the Hellfire Club, Frost continues to run the Massachusetts Academy. Frost's trainees become the supervillain team known as the Hellions while she serves as the Hellions' mentor. She recruits Firestar for the Massachusetts Academy, but then battles Firestar. She attempts to recruit Doug Ramsey for the Massachusetts Academy, and captures Kitty Pryde again. With the Hellions, she battles the Hellion's rival team, Xavier's New Mutants for the first time. When the New Mutants are later killed and resurrected by Beyonder, they are left traumatized and withdrawn. Frost offers her assistance in telepathically restoring them to their former selves. She then coerces their headmaster Magneto into allowing them to join the Massachusetts Academy. With Shaw and Selene, she invites Magneto to join the Hellfire Club. She engineers a contest between the New Mutants and Hellions, and recruits Magma for the Massachusetts Academy, and then has Empath accompany Magma to her home of Nova Roma. Alongside Magneto, Shaw, and Selene, she battles the High Evolutionary's forces to rescue Magma. She later helps Magneto search for the New Mutants when they had gone missing; alongside Magneto, Shaw, and Selene, Emma encounters the effects of the Inferno. Alongside Magneto, Shaw, and Selene, she battles the New Mutants, and votes to oust Shaw from the Club.

When the time traveling mutant Trevor Fitzroy unleashes the mutant-hunting robots called the Sentinels on Emma Frost and the Hellions, Emma places herself in a psychic coma in order to survive the ordeal and nearly all of her students are killed. She later awakens in the Xavier Academy. Disoriented, she switches minds with Iceman and escapes but when she discovers the deaths of her students, Professor Xavier is able to coax a devastated Emma Frost to switch back.

Generation X

Emma Frost later teams up with the X-Men Banshee and Jubilee, as well as Sabretooth and Synch, to defeat the Phalanx, and rescue a select group of teenage mutants who become a superhero team known as Generation X and students at the reopened Massachusetts Academy, which is now run by co-headmasters Emma Frost and Banshee. After Frost's business ventures take a bad turn, she seeks help from her estranged sister Adrienne, who is a psychometrist. Her sister offers financial assistance but demands to be co-headmistress of the school in return. Emma's sister secretly plots against her and plants a bomb at the school, which kills Generation X member Synch. and then returns to the Academy, growing increasingly distant from her students in an effort to hide her crime. Monet comes to the realization that Emma murdered her sister and informs other students that they can no longer trust her. This, combined with Banshee's increasing depression and drunkenness following the death of his long-time lover Moira MacTaggert, leads the students to leave, disbanding Generation X.

Joining and leading the X-Men

Afterwards, Emma deals with her emotions from murdering her sister and travels to the mutant haven island of Genosha where she teaches at a mutant school until a genocidal Sentinel attack kills most of the island's population including all of her students; Emma survives due to the sudden manifestation of her secondary mutation: the power to transform herself into a flexible, near-invulnerable, diamond-like substance. Emma then joins the X-Men after they rescue her from Genosha, and takes on a teaching position after the Xavier Institute reforms into a regular school. She starts to look after and train a group of telepathic quintuplets, the Stepford Cuckoos, who quickly become her prized pupils. Frost and the Cuckoos prove themselves when they help fight and defeat Charles Xavier's evil twin sister Cassandra Nova. As a member of the X-Men, Frost begins a psychic, non-physical, sexual relationship with Cyclops, who had become distant from his wife Jean as a result of his temporary physical and mental merger with the ancient mutant Apocalypse and added disconnection from Jean "remanifesting" the Phoenix Force. Emma and Cyclops' psychic meetings begin in the form of therapy, but soon turn into a telepathic romantic affair.

While quelling a riot at the school, one of the Stepford Cuckoos, Sophie, is killed and the others reject Emma's mentorship, blaming her for the death. They attempt to get revenge by telepathically contacting Jean about Emma's and Cyclops' psychic affair. In the aftermath of the riot, Jean catches Frost and Summers in bed together in their minds. In a rage, she unleashes her reignited Phoenix powers and psychically humiliates Frost. Afterward, Emma is found physically shattered in her diamond form.

Jean is later killed by Xorn, and a guilt ridden Cyclops is unable to move on with his life and with Emma, which results in a dystopian alternate future, which is prevented by Jean, reborn as the White Phoenix of the Crown, by urging Cyclops to start a new life with Emma. Despite the criticism from their teammates and family members, Cyclops and Emma Frost become lovers, and the two take over the school after Professor Xavier steps down; Emma becomes co-headmistress with Cyclops and adviser to a new team of Hellions. She develops an antagonistic relationship with fellow teacher Kitty Pryde and the daughter of Jean and Cyclops, Rachel Grey, who was furious at her father for starting a relationship with Emma immediately after Jean's death. However, the two seemingly reached a truce when Emma offers to help Rachel hone her telepathic abilities.

The question of Emma's "true loyalties" are brought into focus as Emma abandoned the team during a fight to confer with a shadowy figure, revealed to be one of a group of four individuals watching from the shadows. The group contained Sebastian Shaw, Cassandra Nova, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and a cloaked figure called Perfection, who discussed among themselves Emma's impending betrayal of the team. Emma's survival of the destruction of Genosha was due to Cassandra Nova creating Emma's secondary mutation as part of a scheme to infiltrate the X-Men as a sleeper agent, Nova having erased the memory of their encounter and only restoring it recently.

Following Decimation, the student population drastically decreases, and Emma, without consulting Cyclops, decides to revamp the entire workings of the school.

During ''X-Men: Phoenix - Warsong'', it is revealed that Emma's ova are the genetic templates used to clone thousands of identical female telepaths, five of which had become the Stepford Cuckoos. The encapsulated offspring, as well as Celeste Cuckoo, begin to refer to Frost as "mother" – a title whose usage she later accepts. In the end, the Phoenix (inhabiting the body of Celeste Cuckoo) destroys the thousands of additional clones, Emma is pained by the loss of her cloned children and declares revenge against the Phoenix.

Using this and other elements of Emma's consciousness, Emma created physical manifestations of Cassandra in her human form, Sebastian Shaw, Emma's younger evil self in the Hellfire Club calling itself "Perfection", and Negasonic Teenage Warhead, her former student in Genosha.

First, she began using her telepathy on Cyclops to appear as Jean/Phoenix, trying to reveal the lack of control he had over his optic blasts. Perfection noted that Emma's feelings for Summers were genuine, however. Emma's telepathy discovers that when Scott fell out of a plane with his younger brother Havok, Scott placed a deep mental block in his mind which prevents the controlled use of his powers. Encouraged by Emma, Scott revisited that moment in his life and reversed the decision. It is further revealed that Ellie, Shaw, and Perfection were actually psionic projections created by Emma under Cassandra's influence. Cassandra Nova had placed a portion of her mind in Emma's before being trapped in the body of Stuff.

With Cyclops out of the way, Frost/Nova and the physical manifestations calling themselves the "Hellfire Club" assault the X-Mansion, incapacitating every X-Man except Shadowcat. Kitty manages to elude capture, and, fulfilling the role Emma asked her to in the beginning of the series, manages to capture the former White Queen. However, Kitty was eventually tricked by Nova/Emma/"Perfection" into helping Nova/Emma/"Perfection" retrieve the "Stuff" body containing the rest of Nova. A depowered Cyclops, with the help of Blindfold and Hisako Ichiki, was able to defeat the "Hellfire Club" by figuring out they were fake, while Emma herself tried to get Kitty to shoot her in order to block Cassandra's escape, but was stopped by Cyclops. Undeterred, Nova then attempted to transfer her mind into Hisako. The ending was interrupted as everyone present was teleported away by S.W.O.R.D. and onto their ship which was headed towards the Breakworld.

Emma, along with Cyclops, Colossus, Wolverine, Beast, Shadowcat, Hisako, Ord, and Danger, were taken to deep space by S.W.O.R.D. and Agent Brand. The psychics on the S.W.O.R.D. ship did not detect Cassandra Nova in Emma's shattered psyche, effectively proving Emma's loyalty to the X-Men by her refusal to allow Nova into Hisako. Though emotionally wounded, Emma recovered fast enough to be present for the team's departure to the Breakworld. Separated, Emma, Scott, Beast, and Agent Brand discover the temple of Attur-Hei ("The Palace of the Corpse.") Joined by teammates Wolverine and Hisako (who adopted the code-name "Armor"), Emma conceded to Agent Brand's plan of separation. She and Scott left Attur-Hei on a single S.W.O.R.D. armed jet to rendezvous with the rest of the S.W.O.R.D. operatives on the Breakworld.

While flying, several Breakworld fighter jets approach, attempting to knock Emma and Scott out of the air. The couple successfully repel the Breakworld onslaught, exchanging heated words in the process. Amidst Emma's protestations that Scott was "acting as though [he knew] what [she's] been through," he finally professed his true love for Emma. Stunned, Emma could barely speak, except to utter an apology. Before her reasons behind apologizing were discussed, Scott noticed a blip on their radar. Danger appeared, utterly destroying the S.W.O.R.D. cruiser. Switching to diamond form in the nick of time, Emma is spared while Scott is mortally injured. Cradling an injured Scott in her arms, Emma sheds a tear. As the Danger Room entity approached, Emma makes a request of the machine. She asks that Danger kill her, and that "she" do so quickly.

However, this turns out to be another one of Emma's "lessons" this time aimed at Danger, who in truth seems incapable of killing the X-Men due to her core programming. Emma offers Danger a deal in exchange for her help with the X-Men's mission. As X-Men proceed with their planned attack on Breakworld weapon's installation, they are surrounded by Breakworld ships and Scott is forced to take a single battle cruiser to draw attention from the main team, being shot down and apparently dying in the process (with Emma feeling Scott's life flash before his eyes).

Scott is resurrected by their enemies, just as Colossus had been. It turns out Cyclops' sacrifice was all part of a master plan by the team undetected by way of Frost's telepathy in order to distract their opponents so the rest of the team can carry out their own duties without as much difficulty.

The arc concludes with Kitty trapped in the bullet and the team trying to find various ways to save the Earth and save Kitty. As the bullet heads toward Earth, Emma keeps in telepathic contact with Kitty, trying to reassure her, even offering to psionically sedate her, though Kitty becomes more and more certain that she will not make it out unharmed or alive. As it becomes clear that all other options have run out, Emma states that she never wanted something like this to happen and she and Kitty come to an understanding. Emma calls Kitty "astonishing" before Kitty sacrifices herself, phasing the bullet through Earth. In the aftermath, the X-Men are uncertain of Kitty's fate, believing her to either be dead or at least phased into part of the runaway bullet. Emma is devastated.

In a conversation with Iron Man, Frost announces that the Xavier Institute and the X-Men would not support the Superhuman Registration Act and remain neutral, as she fears that the registration of mutants would put them in more danger.

Messiah Complex

Emma is part of the team that investigates the detection of a new mutant in Alaska. She also defends the X-Men from the Marauders and the telepathy of Sinister and Exodus. Emma is last seen with Cyclops' team of X-Men looking for Cable and then tracking down the Marauders with the Cuckoos. Later when X-Force arrives at the Marauders' hideout, Emma takes out Harpoon. During the final battle on Muir Island, she faces Exodus, distracting him in a telepathic duel long enough for Dust to enter his body and scour his lungs with her sand form, incapacitating him.

Divided We Stand

After the events of ''Messiah Complex'', Emma and Scott vacation in the Savage Land but soon leave to answer a distress call by Archangel from San Francisco. The couple saves San Francisco from an out of control Martinique Jason. Afterwards, the Mayor of San Francisco welcomes the X-Men with open arms as their new super-hero team and Emma and Cyclops send out a telepathic message to all remaining mutants throughout the world, informing them that San Francisco is now considered a sanctuary for the remaining mutants in the world.

Manifest Destiny

A new anti-mutant group calling themselves the "Hellfire Cult" appears in the Bay Area, committing various anti-mutant hate crimes. They are led by Emma's former pupil, Empath, as well as a mysterious red-haired dominatrix telepath who calls herself the Red Queen. After Empath discloses his experience of lusting after Emma during his days at the Massachusetts Academy, the dominatrix takes on Emma's appearance. While investigating the Hellfire Cult's base, Cyclops is seduced by Emma who is wearing the Red Queen's dominatrix outfit. Later while at a Dazzler concert, when Scott mentions the event, Emma is confused by what he means. At that moment, Scott catches sight of a familiar red-headed woman on the other side of the club. When Emma asks what he saw, he cryptically tells her that his dead ex-wife Madelyne Pryor is alive.

Emma has also expressed doubts about whether or not she deserves to be an X-Man, only to have veteran X-Man Wolverine assure her that she has earned her place on the team. Later, when Xavier attempts to warn Cyclops about his recent encounter with Sinister, Emma manages to enter the Professor's mind undetected. During the course of their encounter, Emma forces Xavier to relive each of his mistakes and morally ambiguous decisions made under altruistic pretenses. It is also revealed that while Emma is just as angry with Xavier as Cyclops is, she also wants to help him move on with his life. Emma points the Professor in a new direction by forcing him to relive the death of Moira MacTaggert and reminding him of her last words.

Secret Invasion

Emma Frost is seen fighting the Skrulls in San Francisco during the invasion. There, the Skrulls set up a telepathy-blocking "wall" throughout the globe. Emma channels the Cuckoos' telepathy into her own using Cerebra in an attempt to locate the source of the psi-blockade but is left comatose. The Cuckoos tell Cyclops that Emma is dead, unaware that Emma's telepathic mind is continuing to battle the psychic team of Skrulls. Setting a series of traps through misdirection, Emma manages to break free and shut down the psi-blockade. Following the Skrulls' defeat, she is introduced as a member of a secret cabal, consisting of herself, Norman Osborn, Doctor Doom, Loki, Namor and the Hood, who are manipulating events in their favor.

Dark Reign

After waking from a nightmare, Emma is invited to join Norman Osborn's Cabal. Their first meeting is shown and their goal is to help each other accomplish their goals. When Emma points out she doesn't belong, Norman responds by pointing out who she once was and says she is an influential spokesperson for a powerful dying race. He reminds her that someone has to make a bold move on behalf of her people, and that she needs to tap into her true self and make some difficult decisions. He also claims he wants a psychic on the team because it keeps everyone else (relatively) honest. She later leaves without confirming whether she will attend.

Emma begins to suspect that Scott is keeping something from her, namely the existence of X-Force. After a talk with Scott, Storm notices she is worried and Emma says she feels as if Scott is pushing her away and they are not partners and leaders and she is simply his girlfriend. Storm points out that Scott only does that if he thinks he is protecting her from something and if she truly is a leader, she should lead, eventually leading her to agree to attend the meeting called by Norman Osborn.

At the meeting, it is revealed that she and Prince Namor share a romantic history. During her days as the White Queen, Sebastian Shaw sent Emma to convince Namor to join the Hellfire Club. Instead, Namor took her to his kingdom and they began a relationship. Believing Emma to have betrayed him for Namor, Shaw sent a reprogrammed sentinel to Atlantis, attacking the two and destroying the kingdom. When Namor confronted Shaw for his treachery, Selene took telepathic hold of Emma, erasing her memories of Namor, who vowed revenge on Shaw. In the present, Emma reveals that her initial battle with Phoenix unlocked her memories of Namor. She makes a pact with him, seducing Shaw and using her telepathy to make Namor believe she has executed him, while secretly telepathically incapacitating Shaw. Per their deal, Namor vows to protect mutant-kind as his own people, while Emma, more determined to fill her role as a leader of mutant-kind, contacts Scott to have Shaw captured by the X-Men for "crimes against mutant-kind." Approaching him later in his cell, Emma reveals that she has captured Shaw for Namor and on the basis that the Sentinels he commissioned were ones later used by Cassandra Nova to destroy Genosha. She sentences him to remember nothing but the faces of the Genoshan victims using her telepathy.

Sisterhood of Mutants

The Red Queen along with her Sisterhood of Mutants attack the X-Men with the goal of retrieving a lock of Jean Grey's hair in Wolverine's possession, with Lady Mastermind placing Emma under a psychic barricade. Jean Grey appears to Emma and helps her to break free by using what appears to be a bit of the Phoenix Force. She defeats Lady Mastermind and later attacks the Sisterhood at their base along with Storm, Karma and Dazzler. Emma is later awoken in the middle of the night by Beast who states that the secrets she and Scott have been keeping from each other are going to tear everything apart.

Dark X-Men

Emma Frost is appointed by Norman Osborn to lead his new team of "Dark X-Men". Marvel writer Matt Fraction indicated that her alliance with Osborn will place Emma and Scott at odds with one another, providing "a profound schism." Each member is hand-picked by Norman but Emma has Namor added to the team for her own reasons. The team debuts to the public as the official "X-Men" maintaining high public approval through Osborn's careful media strategy. They oust the original X-Men, portraying them as a dangerous militia. Meanwhile, Emma discovers that Osborn is working with the Dark Beast, torturing apprehended mutants and feeding their powers into a machine that empowers Weapon Omega. Cyclops sends X-Force on a strategic evacuation of the mutant prisoners, resulting in a planned confrontation with the Dark X-Men. As the teams prepare to face off, Emma then reveals her role as a double agent, defeating the Dark X-Men with Namor's assistance. She extends an invitation to Cloak and Dagger to join the true X-Men as they teleport to the newly created island base Utopia. Upon learning of this, Norman orders his Dark Avengers and Dark X-Men to go after Emma, Namor, and Scott. During the final battle, Emma enacts Scott's final plan, to distract the invincible Sentry by taking the Void into herself. Doing so allows the Sentry to regain control and flee the battle, however Emma cannot contain the Void and it chases after the Sentry, though a sliver of it remains within her body. In order to keep the sliver of the Void from utilizing her powerful psychic abilities, she must remain in diamond form. Eventually, it came to the decision to extract the Void when the release of the Phoenix from the Cuckoos rendered them unconscious. With Professor X's help, they bridged Cyclops' mind to Emma. However, the Void instead took over his body.

Necrosha

Emma is targeted by Selene along with Sebastian Shaw and Donald Pierce for failing and betraying her years ago in her plan to ascend to godhood. Selene is also angry over Emma using the Black Queen name when she was working for Osborn's Dark X-Men. She sends the resurrected Hellions to attack and taunt Emma. Their appearance is successful, leaving Emma in a state of shock and guilt, forcing Cyclops to order other X-Men to protect Emma who is unable to act in her horrified state. Selene's inner circle appears on Utopia to capture Warpath and retrieve Selene's stolen mystical blade. Emma recognizes Blink and stops Wolverine from killing Wither. However, Selene's inner circle succeeds in capturing Warpath and ruthlessly kill Onyxx and Diamond Lil and severely injure Angel before returning to Necrosha. Emma recognizes that the threat will not end until Selene is permanently stopped, and orders X-Force to travel to Necrosha and kill Selene and her inner circle, including Wither.

Second Coming

During the events of Second Coming, Emma acts as moral support to Scott as well as acting as a line of communication between Scott and his Alpha Roster of X-Men. When Rogue becomes aware that she has an empathic connection to Hope, she contacts Emma for help, though Emma finds that the bond is not telepathic in nature. Along with all the other telepaths among the X-Men, Emma is affected by the psionic backlash when Bastion shuts Cerebra down and informs Scott that Ariel has died in a missile strike. She attends Nightcrawler's funeral along with all the other X-Men. After Scott sends X-Force into the future to try to stop the army of Nimrod Sentinels invading the present, Scott informs Emma that it is a suicide mission. She takes part in the battle on the Golden Gate Bridge and when Bastion destroys the bridge, she watches with concern as Hope manifests the Phoenix Force energy signature, though Wolverine tells her there is nothing she can do now.

After the battle is over, the students have a bonfire to try to recover from the battle. As Emma stands around in her diamond state, Scott approaches her and asks how Hope is and if they were right in placing their faith in her as a mutant messiah. Emma tells him that it does not matter at this point, frustrating him. After Scott leaves she sees the Phoenix Force manifest around Hope, who momentarily takes on the appearance of Jean Grey, prompting her to remember that Jean had told her to "prepare". Horrified, she runs after Scott to tell him about what she saw and what she remembered. Finding him in Cerebra, Scott tells her they were right as five new mutants manifest their powers across the globe.

Powers and abilities

Emma Frost is a mutant psion of enormous telepathic ability, and is also capable of transforming into an organic diamond state with enhanced strength and durability which suppresses her telepathy.

Telepathy

Since her introduction, Emma Frost's primary mutant power has been telepathy. She is capable of extraordinary psionic feats, including the telepathic standards of: broadcasting and receiving thoughts, mind-control, altering perceptions and memories, psychic shielding, astral projection, mind switching, brain engram modification, mental sedation, and induction of mental pain via touch. She is also able to boost or activate a mutant's powers through access of their brain's neurological pathways, and can communicate across global distances unaided. The exact level of her telepathic power has varied depending on writers and has ranged from weaker than other prominent telepaths to rivaling the abilities of Charles Xavier himself. She has also been referred to as a "psi of the highest order," been ranked among the five most skilled telepaths on the planet, and has demonstrated the ability to overcome more powerful telepaths, such as Nate Grey, or Rachel Summers, through greater experience and skill. Later, under the writing of Matt Fraction, Emma was classified as an "omega-class" telepath".

Diamond form

At the moment of the destruction of Genosha, Frost manifested a secondary mutation giving her the ability to transform her body into organic diamond. She is also numbed from emotion, pain and empathy, impervious to cold, and resistant to heat in this form. Despite this high level of invulnerability, her diamond form has a single molecular flaw, which if exploited – such as being shot with a diamond bullet – can cause her body to shatter.

Frost's full range of abilities between her diamond state and regular form have been inconsistent; however, later occurrences depict that Frost cannot access her psychic powers in diamond form, explained by different writers as either a distinct genetic flaw or suppression by her diamond form's adamantine luster. Depictions have also stated that Emma has a degree of telepathic immunity while in diamond form, though the extent of this immunity has been portrayed inconsistently as well, ranging from total shielding from psychic invasion to vulnerability to psychic attack. Her diamond form is also stated to emit low-level ultraviolet light, causing it to glow in darkness.

Telekinetic potential

On occasion, it has been hinted that Frost is also a latent telekinetic. Jean Grey's displaced psyche was able to use Frost's brain to generate a telekinetic force field and fly, while it inhabited the White Queen's body. During the Onslaught Saga, Frost unwittingly levitated several kitchen utensils while having a bad dream. When the mutant Synch "synched" with Frost's powers, he was able to use them to levitate several objects and individuals in the room. This phenomenon is then referred to as telekinesis and credited to Frost's psi powers.

Other versions

In addition to her mainstream incarnation, Emma Frost has been depicted in other fictional universes.

Age of Apocalypse

In the "Age of Apocalypse" storyline, Emma Frost never joined the Hellfire Club and is a member of the Human High Council. She had the portions of her brain that granted her telepathy removed in order to join the ranks of the Council.

Age of X

In the "Age of X" reality, Emma Frost is shown as an inmate of Fortress X's X-Brig.

Days of Future Past

In this reality, Emma was the former White Queen of the Hellfire Club, but retreated to a technological base off the coast of India after a majority of the mutant population was wiped out. She sold her telepathic abilities in services of mutant leaders and was eventually approached by Jubilee and Magneto to save Wolverine, who was mind-wiped by the Hellfire Club's Red Queen, Psylocke. Emma managed to restore Logan's mind and joined Magneto and Jubilee in defeating Psylocke and the Hellfire Club's plans for world domination. They continued to operate out of Emma's base with other members as the "X-Men" while Emma attempted to rehabilitate Psylocke back to the side of good.

Earth-889

In Earth-889, a steampunk era, Emma leads the "X-Society" which consists of herself, Scott, Beast, and Logan. The X-Society is heralded as a society of adventurers and called upon by the New Albion (an antiquated name for California) police to assist and investigate various occurrences. Emma consistently refuses Scott's proposals of marriage citing class differences and her desire to avoid "tedious scandal." During an investigation of parallel events of those in ''Astonishing X-Men'''s Earth-616, the X-Society pursue Subject X, who causes the Hindenburg disaster and the X-Society are blamed for the deaths of its passengers. In response, the government places the X-Society under house arrest, causing Emma to consider moving away to Europe and accepting Scott's offer of marriage.

Exiles

In a reality visited by the Exiles, Warlock's techno-organic virus and the Legacy virus interacted in a way to cause 75% of the population to turn into techno-organic beings known as Vi-Locks, including humans and super-beings. The remaining heroes banded together to fight the Vi-Locks and find a cure. Emma, while using a wheelchair, served as the heroes' chief means of communication by using her telepathy, since all other forms of communication were monitored by the Vi-Locks.

House of M

When the Scarlet Witch changes reality into one where mutants are the dominant species ruled by the House of M, Emma Frost is a child therapist (one of her clients being Franklin Richards who was traumatized after his family died in a spaceship crash) and married to Scott Summers, a pilot. She is later sought after by Wolverine and reminded of the true reality by Layla Miller. Along with other "reawakened" heroes, she leads a confrontation against the House of M in an attempt to restore reality. Only those heroes shielded by Doctor Strange's magic and Emma's telepathy remembered the events of House of M after reality was restored.

Marvel Adventures

Emma Frost appears in ''Marvel Adventures Spider-Man'' #53 as the best friend of mutant Sophia Sanduval, also known as Chat, and mostly uses her powers for personal gains. She is also one of the few people who knows Peter Parker's identity as Spider-Man and grows interested in him. She uses her telepathic powers and briefly takes on the alias "The Silencer" to see what Peter is capable of. Chat begins dating Peter afterward. After Chat discovers Emma's schemes, Chat seeks Spider-Man's help, leading to a confrontation between him and Emma. Eventually, Emma confesses her crush on Peter, which she began to have after first looking into his mind and realizing his earnest heroic beliefs and motives. She also reveals that she had caused everything in an attempt to break him and Chat up, feeling that she could neither date Peter while he was with Chat, nor could she spend time with Chat like she used to. By breaking them up, Emma hoped that at least she could reclaim Chat's friendship. She makes up with Chat, who still believes her to be good, and allows herself to be arrested, while Peter and Chat go on a date.

Marvel Noir

In the Marvel Noir universe, Emma is the warden of Genosha Bay, a 1930s prison where the world's most dangerous sociopaths are held without trial or due process. As a nod to the risque nature of the mainstream White Queen and the Hellfire Club, this version of Emma has a bondage fetish, relishing being tied up during a prison break and telling her captor "tighter please".

New Exiles

After the New Exiles land on the world of warring empires, they encounter Dame Emma Frost, head of Britain's Department X and founder of Force-X. Emma uses a wheelchair in this reality as well.

Old Man Logan

In a reality where villains have won and divided up America amongst themselves, Emma Frost marries Doctor Doom in order to ensure the survival of her species. Together with Doctor Doom, they rule a sector of what once was the United States of America, the only place on Earth where mutants can live without fear of persecution. She sends her lover Black Bolt to save Logan and Hawkeye from a Venom-possessed Savage Land T-Rex. She uses her telepathy to make herself look young.

Prelude to Deadpool Corps

In issue #2, Deadpool visits a world where Emma Frost runs an orphanage for girls that includes kid versions of Jean Grey and Rogue. Here she is pursued romantically by this world's Professor Xavier, who runs an orphanage for troubled kids. During a dance hosted by the two orphanages, Xavier tries but fails to win Emma's affection.

Ultimate Marvel

In the ''Ultimate Marvel'' series, Emma Frost is a former student, and girlfriend, of Professor Charles Xavier; in charge of the Academy of Tomorrow and is secretly a part of the Hellfire Club that is trying to separate the Phoenix from Jean. This version of Emma Frost is pacifistic, able to develop a diamond skin, non-telepathic, and until recently dressed much more conservatively than her mainstream counterpart. As a member of the Hellfire Club however, she has been seen wearing her traditional White Queen garb.

Magneto has her killed in Ultimatum along with the rest of the Academy of Tomorrow except for Havok.

What If? Astonishing X-Men

In the 2010 ''What If? Astonishing X-Men'' one-shot "What if Ord resurrected Jean Grey instead of Colossus?", Jean Grey's resurrection causes friction with Emma, who believes her presence and history with the Phoenix will ensure the X-Men's demise. The two women discover that the Breakworld has predicted that Phoenix will destroy their planet. Under the deception of the psychic remnant of Cassandra Nova, Emma extracts hidden vestiges of the Phoenix Force from the remaining Stepford Cuckoos, killing them and granting her the powers of the Phoenix so that she may free Cassandra from her prison, no longer requiring Shadowcat. Emma kills Ord, destroys the Breakworld, and confronts the X-Men, killing Beast. Emma reveals her fear that Jean will proceed to take everything—including Scott—away from her now that she has returned. S.W.O.R.D. intercedes and intends to kill Emma for the destruction of the Breakworld. Jean realizes that it is actually Cassandra Nova controlling Emma. Scott manages to reach Emma with his love and she gains enough control to allow the X-Men a chance to kill her and stop Cassandra. Shadowcat pulls out Emma's heart, but is also killed when the Phoenix Force explodes from Emma's body.

X-Campus

A teenaged version of Emma appears as Sebastian Shaw's girlfriend and one of the students at the Worthington Academy, a school for mutants shown in the ''X-Campus'' limited series.

Young X-Men "End of Days"

In a dystopic future depicted in the final two issues of ''Young X-Men'', an aged Emma Frost (now going by the codename "Diamondheart") is one of only four remaining mutants on "Xaviera", a former mutant safe-haven independent state and utopia. She remains on a team of X-Men with Graymalkin, Wolverine, Anole and an incapacitated and greatly aged Ink, whom she often hopes will speak. Dust suddenly appears, now greatly changed in her appearance and persona with altered powers, and proceeds to confront and easily kill each member. Emma attempts to fight her, but is quickly suffocated by Dust's whirlwind.

In other media

Television

Emma Frost is a member of the Brotherhood of Mutants in the ''X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men'' (1989) animated television pilot voiced by Susan Silo. In addition to her telepathic abilities, she displays the ability to create "psy-bolts" – sometimes called "psionic energy spears" or "psychic harpoons" – that can damage physical objects, similar to her character's abilities in early comics.

Emma Frost is featured as the White Queen of the Inner Circle Club in "The Dark Phoenix Saga" of ''X-Men'' (1992–1997). She is voiced by Camilla Scott. During this series, she is a powerful telepath. Frost was able to shut out Xavier with the aid of Cerebro, and keep Professor Xavier from locating Jean/Phoenix. Emma Frost also appears again amongst the captured telepaths in the "Beyond Good & Evil" plot.

Emma makes her first major non-supporting and non-cameo character role in Marvel Animations' ''Wolverine and the X-Men'' voiced by Kari Wahlgren. She is depicted as both a member of the X-Men team as well as an integral addition to the main cast of the series. Much like her other animated incarnations, Emma displays her abilities as a powerful mutant telepath throughout the course of the show. However unlike her other appearances, Emma also displays her signature ability to shift into a diamond form. Like her portrayal in the comics, she develops affection for Cyclops. In the three-part episode "Foresight", it is revealed that she is also a member of the Hellfire Club (called the Inner Circle) in their plot to extract the Phoenix Force, though she believes that the group intends to destroy the Phoenix Force to save humanity and is shocked to hear that they intend to harness the Phoenix Force for their own purposes. Emma later sacrifices herself to prevent the Phoenix Force from causing destruction and this leads to her apparent death.

Emma also appears as a major character in the X-Men Anime (part of the Marvel Anime) series voiced by Kaori Yamagata. She is initially introduced as a psychic specter seen by Cyclops while trying to help Jean Grey in her Dark Phoenix form which ultimately ends in Jean's death. This leads Cyclops to believe Emma had something to do with Jean's death. Emma is next seen trapped in stasis and after being freed by the X-Men, aiding them, and offering them access to her mind to clear up Cyclops's suspicions, she is offered a place on the team along with Armor. Like her main comic book counterpart Emma is a mutant telepath who underwent secondary mutation to obtain her diamond form abilities. She was also a member of the Anime Universe's Hellfire Club, referred to as the "Inner Circle", but left for moral reasons to continue to her educating of mutant children. Whilst her personality remains refined and confident like her comic book personality, Emma's personality in the anime series is much warmer and maternal especially in her dealing with Armor.

Film

Emma Frost appears in the 1996 live-action television movie called ''Generation X'' portrayed by Finola Hughes.

When Bryan Singer was still slated to direct ''X-Men: The Last Stand'', the role of Emma Frost was intended for Sigourney Weaver. After Singer left the project in favor of making ''Superman Returns'', the character was dropped completely. In 2006, a movie based on Emma Frost was being considered with director David O. Russell as a potential spin-off from the X-Men movie franchise.

Emma Frost appears in the 2009 film ''X-Men Origins: Wolverine'' portrayed by Tahyna Tozzi. She has the ability to change into a diamond form but does not display telepathy. In the film, her sister Kayla Silverfox works for Stryker under the agreement that Emma will be freed from the Weapons Facility (though Stryker later reneges on their agreement). Emma assists in the escape attempt of the other captured mutant children, using her diamond form to block incoming bullets from hitting them, and then shields Cyclops so he can defeat the attacking guards. Before the film's release, rumors stated that actor Hugh Jackman identified the character as Emma Frost in the film's trailer at Comic-Con 2008, though no such identification was made. The character's identification was later supported by a Marvel article released on their official website and in commercial trailers, though she is only credited as "Kayla's sister/Emma" in the film credits.

January Jones plays Emma Frost as a major antagonist in ''X-Men: First Class'', released by Fox on June 3, 2011 though set before the events of ''X-Men Origins''. She is the consort of Sebastian Shaw, the villainous leader of the Hellfire Club who seeks to start a nuclear war between the Soviet Union and United States. This would eradicate all non-mutant life and mutate any survivors, leaving the Hellfire Club to rule over this new world order. Charles Xavier, Erik Lehnsherr, and their team of teenage mutants thwart their plan, and Emma is incarcerated, though she is freed by Lehnsherr at the end of the film. In this film, she is able to block Xavier from using his telepathy on her, as well as creating illusions and performing mental torture. While in diamond form, she shows absolute immunity towards psychic attack, but is susceptible to physical damage. The only relation to the "Emma" seen in ''X-Men Origins: Wolverine'' is when William Stryker expresses desire to keep her incarcerated.

Video games

Emma Frost (as the White Queen) is a boss character in the video games ''The Uncanny X-Men'' (1989) for NES, ''X-Men: Madness in Murderworld'' (1989), and Konami's ''X-Men'' (1992).

Emma Frost is a playable character in ''X-Men Legends'' (2004) and is a non-playable character in the sequel ''X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse'' (2005) voiced by Bobby Holliday.

Emma Frost is referenced in ''Marvel: Ultimate Alliance''. If one speaks to Storm in Valhalla, she mentions that Emma Frost caught Weasel near Wolverine's bikes, while Iceman mentions that Emma Frost once took control of his body if the player talks with him in the Sanctum Sanctorum. She makes a cameo amongst the heroes defeated by Doctor Doom.

Emma Frost is a playable character in Marvel Super Hero Squad Online.

Motion comics

Emma Frost appears in the ''Astonishing X-Men'' motion comic voiced by Erica Schroeder.

References

External links

Emma Frost at the Marvel Universe

EmmaFrostFiles.com A resource site for Emma Frost

Spotlight feature on Emma Frost at UncannyXmen.net

Marvel's Top 10 Heroes of 2007 - 9th Place: Emma Frost

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