Exiles (Marvel Comics)
| Exiles | |
|---|---|
| File:Exiles90.jpg Cover of Exiles #90. Art by Paul Pelletier. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Exiles #1 |
| Created by | Judd Winick Mike McKone |
| In-story information | |
| Base(s) | Panoptichron, the "crystal palace" outside space and time |
| Member(s) | Current Roster Blink Morph Sabretooth Longshot Spider-Man 2099 Psylocke Supporting Crew |
The Exiles are a group of fictional comic book superheroes created by writer Judd Winick and artist Mike McKone. The team consists of characters from different dimensions, or realities, which have been removed from time and space in order to correct problems (often called “hiccups") in various alternate worlds and divergent timelines in the multiverse. The team usually is made up of six members and each time a member is killed or returned to his or her home reality, a new member is introduced and joins the team. The Exiles were originally given missions by the Timebroker, through a wrist-worn communication device called the Tallus.
Plot
The original Exiles team consists of Blink (Clarice Ferguson, from the Age of Apocalypse continuity), Mimic (Calvin Rankin), Magnus (son of Magneto and Rogue), Thunderbird (John Proudstar), Nocturne (Talia Josephine "T.J." Wagner, daughter of Nightcrawler and Scarlet Witch) and Morph.
When Magnus dies (Exiles #2), he is replaced by Sunfire (Mariko Yashida). Sasquatch (Heather Hudson) arrives when Thunderbird becomes comatose during a battle with the world-eating Galactus (Exiles #10).
In Exiles #12, the Exiles discover there is a second team conscripted by the Timebroker, Weapon X, whose missions typically involve killing or maiming innocents and heroes. The two teams join forces to rescue a group of children from a Sentinel prison camp. However, the teams are told the second stage of the mission is to kill one of the children - David Richards (son of Rachel Summers and Franklin Richards) - who will apparently grow up to become a powerful supervillain. Weapon X are willing to kill him, but the Exiles are not and the two teams fight until the Timebroker intervenes. Sabretooth (of the Weapon X team) agrees to stay behind and raise David Richards himself.
The Timebroker sends Blink home after a visit to a world plagued by a variant of the Legacy Virus, since the team had repaired her personal broken chain in time (Exiles #22) and Magik (Illyana Rasputin) takes her place. Mimic then replaces Blink as leader, gaining the Tallus.
During Exiles #28-30, the Exiles arrive in the main Marvel Universe timeline, Earth-616, where they meet the X-Men after Havok's cancelled wedding in Uncanny X-Men #425-426. The Exiles team up with the X-Men against an evil Havok from the Mutant X universe, who shares a body with the good Havok. After Havok is subdued, the Timebroker arrives to personally eliminate the Mutant X Havok's consciousness.
After Sunfire is killed by a Brood-infected Mimic (Exiles #37), she is replaced by the Exiles' former teammate Blink. During the next mission (Exiles #43), the Exiles and Weapon X are forced to battle each other until only six remain alive. Magik is killed by Hyperion when she attempts to switch sides and betray the Exiles. Hyperion is eventually defeated by Blink, who teleports his own heat vision into his back, paralysing him. Gambit (of Weapon X) is allowed to deliver the killing blow against Hyperion with Magik's sword, which actually kills them both, leaving five Exiles alive and their mission complete.
The Exiles visit the main Marvel Universe, Earth-616, for a second time in Exiles #46-48. They are joined by Namora, who replaces Magik, and are instructed to "leave their possessions and earn their wings". Reed Richards deduces this means they are to leave Nocturne behind (whose power involves possession) and have Beak join the Exiles, which is confirmed by the Timebroker.
In Exiles #53, the team are told by The Celestials to "beware the Timebreaker, he is not what he seems". After this, the Timebroker's behaviour becomes increasingly strange. Heather Hudson is removed from the team (Exiles #59) without explanation and replaced with former Weapon X member Sabretooth. The tallus orders the Exiles to kill Mimic and despite their refusal, they are allowed to move onto a new mission (normally a mission must be completed for the Exiles to move on). Next, the Timebroker replaces Beak with Holocaust (Exiles #60), which they are informed is a punishment for disobeying previous orders.
Eventually, the Exiles break free of the Timebroker and stage a raid on Panoptichron (also known as the "Crystal Palace"), home of the Timebroker and a location from which many parallel universes can be monitored. Here they discover that the Timebreakers are an alien race of bug-like beings who found the Panoptichron and accidentally broke a series of timelines. Lacking the power to repair the timelines, they concocted this scheme of recruiting heroes from various worlds to do their work for them. Not only that, all previously "returned" heroes are actually in Panoptichron, frozen in blocks, along with the killed heroes. As a final twist, the evil Hyperion has broken free of his prison and has taken over Panoptichron. The Exiles defeat Hyperion, but at the cost of Namora and Holocaust's lives. Beak returns from stasis and saved the day by calling on two good versions of Hyperion for help, fulfilling his destiny as an Exile. Only Blink, Mimic, Morph, Sabretooth, Beak, and Heather Hudson remain to pick up the pieces.
The Exiles then return to Earth-616 to take Beak home. Unfortunately, Earth-616 is dominated by the House of M. During their stay, the Exiles run afoul of the body-hopping serial killer Proteus, who steals data from Panoptichron and escapes from reality to reality after the House of M ends, leaving Beak depowered and back home. The Exiles chase Proteus through several realities, including New Universe, 2099, Squadron Supreme, Future Imperfect, and Heroes Reborn, before finally bringing Proteus down by trapping him in Morph’s body, which does not decay, unlike all of Proteus’ other host bodies. During the “World Tour” of hunting down Proteus, Mimic is possessed by Proteus and dies, the Exiles create divergent timelines in 2099 and the New Universe, and pick up new members Longshot, Spider-Man 2099, and Power Princess.
The Exiles begin cleaning out the stasis gallery of former Exiles and Weapon X members and send them back home. Iron Man, Daredevil, and Angel are sent back to their respective realities alive, while every other Earth with a missing superhuman holds a funeral. Blink, at the suggestion of Power Princess, takes Mimic home to be buried with his X-Men instead of burying him in Panoptichron. Spider-Man, Sabretooth, and Heather Hudson all decided to visit their home realities. Unfortunately, the Timebreakers ditch the Exiles when the Timebreakers believe that they are not saving realities as they should be. However, after using several squads of Wolverines to complete the next mission and failing, Logan (from Days of Future Past) and young James Howlett convince the Timebreakers that the Exiles are needed. The Exiles finally resume their reality-saving missions for the first time since they discovered Panoptichron when they save a world being destroyed by the Silver Surfer.
Then, Heather discovers an Earth inhabited by a disturbingly close approximation of the original Exiles team, complete with their own Timebroker. After the "classic Exiles" fight "the all-new Exiles" (as Morph put it), it is later revealed that the whole thing was a scheme orchestrated by the Grandmaster, who seeks revenge on the Exiles for freeing Professor X on their first mission and ruining a bet. The Exiles, past and present, join forces with the Wrecking Crew of that Earth to defeat the Grandmaster. The current team then leaves the Earth in the hands of the approximation Exiles. The Exiles then take three weeks to save a chain of cracked realities, injuring Blink, Morph, and Spider-Man 2099. They also discover that Proteus is possibly immune to metal while in Morph’s body. Meanwhile, former Exile, Thunderbird, is in the stasis gallery, dreaming of what might have been had he not become comatose.
In Exiles #90, Power Princess quit the Exiles to return to the Squadron Supreme. The Exiles begin to train, and an unknown force is driving the Timebreakers into hiding. Blink, Spider-Man 2099, Longshot, and Sabretooth go to a world about to collapse. Only Sabretooth makes it back, with the others prisoners. At Sabretooth's request, Heather unhinges Psylocke from Earth-616 to join the Exiles in Power Princess' place as she might be their only chance if Proteus ever resurfaces. However, upon arrival, she clashes with Sabretooth, thinking him to be the 616 Sabretooth that nearly killed her twice.
See also Timebroker and Weapon X (Exiles).
Future
Template:Spoiler-solicitation All information below is based off of images and teasers from [1]'s online catalog previews.
- In Exiles #91, Psylocke engages in mortal combat with Sabretooth.
- In Exiles #92, Psylocke has to free the mind-controlled Exiles from Wolverine and the Invisible Woman.
- In Exiles #93, Psylocke goes head-to-head with Reed Richards to kill him while Sabretooth battles Slaymaster.
Tallus
The Tallus is a communications device, which is worn by the leader of the group, that was formerly used by the Timebroker to assign each mission. Blink wears the Tallus in the beginning, but it is later transferred to Sabretooth when Blink rebels against the Timebroker (later revealed to be Hyperion). Mimic also wears the Tallus for a time in Blink's absence. It is now used as a means of communication between Heather Hudson and Sabretooth on various missions.
Trivia
- Morph is the only member to stay consistent throughout the series, and as of #88, is the only character on the team not from a previously introduced reality.
- The longest running roster is Mimic, Morph, Nocturne, Sasquatch, Sunfire, and Magik, from Exiles #22 (after Blink's departure) to Exiles #37 (Sunfire's death and Blink's return) - 15 issues.
- Hyperion, Beak, Daredevil, Angel, Iron Man, The Hulk (Jennifer Walters of Weapon X) , and young James Howlett are the only people drafted by the Timebreakers who actually returned home alive.
- Spider-Man 2099 was the first person to voluntarily join the Exiles.
- Power Princess was the first person to voluntarily quit the Exiles.
- Sunfire was the first non-original Exile to die.
- Three people associated with the "main" X-Men have been on the team: Beak, Longshot, and Psylocke.
- The Exiles have only had ten one-issue stories (#7, 11, 16, 17, 49, 58, 59, 83, 84, 89). Everything else is a multi-part story arc.
- The Exiles' visit to the Age of Apocalypse marks the first time the Exiles visit an artificially created divergent timeline, rather than a simple alternate universe.
- Six of the Exiles have died so far: Magnus, Sunfire, Magik, Holocaust, Namora, and Mimic.
- Only four former Exiles are still alive: Thunderbird, Nocturne, Beak, and Power Princess.
- The Exiles' World Tour creates divergent timelines in both the New Universe and 2099.
- Characters who appear to be the X-Men from the Ultimate X-Men series can be seen in a screen in the Panoptichron's control room when Hyperion is explaining (in issue #63) how he survived Weapon X's demise (in issue #45). The appearance of the Wolverine from Marvel Zombies in #85 appears to confirm that the 616 and Ultimate universes are located in the same multiverse.
- The Earths the members come from are either revealed in Handbooks (characters from previously introduced Earths; Power Princess, Blink, Sabretooth, Holocaust, Beak, and Spider-Man 2099) or in Exiles #83-84.
- The series is notable for the number of characters who not only die but stay dead, in contrast to the frequent resurrections that occur in the main Marvel and DC continuities. This is presumably because of the possibilities allowed by alternate versions of characters, whose fates are entirely separate to their mainstream counterparts.
World Tour
When the Exiles go on a "World Tour" to catch Proteus, they travel to several realities already seen in Marvel history:
- House of M #69-71
- New Universe approximation #72-74
- 2099 approximation #75-76
- Squadron Supreme #77-78
- Future Imperfect #79-80
- Heroes Reborn #81-82
Weapon X
First seen in Exiles #5 as a version of the Exiles that did more ruthless missions. This team had various members and its roster changed more than the Exiles. Weapon X was originally composed of Sabretooth, Kane, Mesmero, Wolverine, Maverick, and Deadpool. The team was destroyed during the "A Blink in time" arc, when the Timebroker wanted to downsize both teams in hopes of killing off the insane Hyperion, who abandoned missions to rule worlds.
Current Exiles roster
Whenever one of the Exiles dies, is sent home, or something happens to them, they are replaced by someone else, and thus the roster changes. The first occurrence is when Magnus dies in Exiles #2, and Sunfire comes on board to replace him. The current Exiles roster is:
Founding members
| Character | Real Name | Joined in | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blink (Age of Apocalypse/Earth-295) | Clarice Ferguson | Exiles #1 | Team leader and Tallus holder; she is from the Age of Apocalypse and is sent "home" once in Exiles #22 but is actually sent to the Earth that Sabretooth was marooned on; returns to the team after the death of Sunfire. |
| Nocturne (Professor W's X-Men) | Talia Josephine "TJ" Wagner | Exiles #1 | Becomes pregnant by Thunderbird but miscarries after his injury; ends up being swapped for Beak and is currently on Earth-616 as a member of New Excalibur; from a reality where she is the daughter of the Scarlet Witch and Nightcrawler. |
| Morph (Earth-58163) | Kevin Sidney | Exiles #1 | Only long-standing member; was offered to be sent home once but declines, saying he needs the team and cannot abandon them or the Earths in peril. Currently possessed by Proteus. |
| Thunderbird | John Proudstar | Exiles #1 | From a reality where he is made into War of the Horsemen of Apocalypse; ended up brain-dead in Exiles #10; is replaced by Sasquatch. He still remains in the Stasis Gallery due to the fact that he is neither dead nor healthy and alive. Scans of his brain detect the presence of Alpha-waves, which indicate that he is dreaming. |
| Mimic (Earth-12) | Calvin Montgomery Rankin | Exiles #1 | Former Tallus holder; leads the team when Blink was sent home; accidentally kills Sunfire when he becomes implanted with a Queen Brood egg after a mission detour; possessed by Proteus of Earth-House of M; dies after Proteus sucked the life out of him. Blink personally returns Mimic to his reality's X-Men in Exiles #83. |
| Magnus (Earth-27) | Magnus Lehnsherr | Exiles #1 | From a reality where he is the son of Rogue and Magneto; died in Exiles #2 sacrificing himself to contain a nuclear explosion in a reality where Magneto was good and Xavier was evil; replaced by Sunfire. He is sent home in Exiles #83 with a note explaining his story, until then he was believed by his parents to have run away. |
Replacements
| Character | Real Name | Joined in | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunfire | Mariko Yashida | Exiles #2 | Replaced Magnus after he sacrificed himself; revealed to be gay; died from a collapsing building when Mimic went on a rampage while being possessed by a Queen Brood egg in Exiles #37; Ashes taken back to Legacy World where she had a relationship with Mary-Jane Watson during a mission detour in Exiles #34. She was sent to the Legacy Reality for burial in Exiles #66. |
| Sasquatch (Earth-3470) | Heather McDaniel Hudson | Exiles #10 | Replaced Thunderbird after he became brain-dead. was possessed by Tanaraq when she was gravely injured in Exiles #57. Tanaraq is purged from her body in Exiles #58 leaving her powerless. Is replaced by Sabretooth. Currently serves as the teams communications base in the Panoptichron. |
| Magik (Earth-4210) | Illyana Nikolievna Rasputin | Exiles #22 | Replaced Blink; was killed by Hyperion in Exiles #44; is not replaced by anyone since the Timebroker is trying to downsize both the Exiles and Weapon X teams. Sent home for burial in Exiles #83. |
| Namora (Earth-2189) | Namora McKenzie | Exiles #46 | Alternate female version of Namor; killed by Hyperion in Exiles #64. Sent home for burial in Exiles #83. |
| Beak (Earth-616) | Barnell Bohusk | Exiles #48 | Traded places with Nocturne; replaced by Holocaust; returned home in Exiles #71; currently depowered as a result of Decimation. |
| Tanaraq (Earth-3470) | Tanaraq | Exiles #57 | Gains dominace over the body of Sasquatch; is purged from Heather's system in Exiles #58. |
| Sabretooth (Earth-295) | Victor Creed | Exiles #59 | Also from the same reality as Blink; picked by Hyperion to distract Blink from leading; replaced Sasquatch after her power loss. |
| Holocaust (Earth-295) | Nemesis | Exiles #60 | Also from the same reality as Sabretooth and Blink; replaced Beak; killed by Hyperion in Exiles #62. Not sent home for burial because Hyperion absorbed his energy-based body. |
| Longshot (Mojoverse) | Longshot | Exiles #74 | A part of a bargain Heather Hudson made with Mojo which allowed the semi-brain dead Longshot to join the team in exchange for Mojo to have the ability to view more dimensions in the Multiverse then he had access to and receive video feed of the Exiles to turn into a "reality show". |
| Spider-Man 2099 (Earth-928) | Miguel O'Hara | Exiles #76 | From the 2099 approximation. Joined when Proteus, in the body of Hulk 2099, publicly unmasked him. |
| Power Princess (Earth-712) | Zarda | Exiles #78 | From Squadron Supreme. Joined in Hyperion's place to help the Exiles catch Proteus and a Squadron appointed liaison to watch the Exiles. Recently quit the team and returned to the Squadron Supreme. |
| Proteus (Earth-58163) | Kevin MacTaggert | Exiles #69 | From the visit to House of M, Proteus has been the first enemy the Exiles had to hunt through realities and their second antagonist. He was successful in attempting to possess Morph, but was brainwashed by Blink (with help from a device from the Squadron Supreme). As a result, Proteus only has access to Kevin Sidney's memories, therefore believing that he is, in fact, the real Morph. |
| Psylocke (Earth-616) | Betsy Braddock | Exiles #90 | From New Excalibur. Latest member. Powers and abilities include: Telekinesis, a mastery of ninjutsu, and an immunity to telepathy, reality alterations and spells. |
Wolverines
After the Timebreakers fired the original Exiles Team, they gathered multiple squads -consisting alternate versions of Wolverine. The last Wolverine squad was formed in Exiles #85 and consisted the following members:
| Character | Real Name | First appearance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patch (Earth-181) | James "Logan" Howlett | Exiles #85 | He's strangely from the same Earth as Weapon X's Daredevil. Killed by Sabretooth. |
| Zombie Wolvie (Earth-2149) | James "Logan" Howlett | Exiles #85 | Not the same Zombie Wolverine who first appeared in Ultimate Fantastic Four 22-23 and Marvel Zombies #1-5. The original Marvel Zombies version became a member of The Galactus as of Marvel Zombies #5. Killed when Elsie Dee's internal bomb went off. |
| Albert Dee (Earth-50211) | Exiles #85 | An android built to destroy Wolverine, Elsie Dee's acolyte. Killed in the blast when Logan attacked Brother Mutant. | |
| Elsie Dee (Earth-50211) | Exiles #85 | An android built to destroy Wolverine, Albert Dee's acolyte. Detonated her internal bomb to weaken Brother Mutant. | |
| Weapon X (Earth-520) | James "Logan" Howlett | Exiles #85 | Logan, right after his adamantium was implanted on him by the Weapon X Program. Assumed dead in the Exiles attack on Brother Mutant. |
| James Howlett (Earth-1880) | James Howlett | Exiles #85 | He has just discovered his powers and thusly has assumed neither Logan's nor Wolverine's identity. The only Wolverine Exile to return home alive from the team introduced in Exiles #85. |
| Major Logan (Earth-811/DotFP) | James "Logan" Howlett | Uncanny X-Men #141/Exiles #85 (as an Exiles) | He apparently survived his desmise at the hand of the Sentinels thanks to his healing Factor. He, Marvel Girl III, Hyperstorm and Kate Pryde are the only known survivors from the X-Men in this timeline. Killed by an energy blast as he nearly killed Brother Mutant. His death echoes the one featured in the Days of Future Past timeline (although a Sentinel, not another mutant, killed him in that timeline). It is not clear if this Storyline takes place before or after events in the Earth X universe. Thus this character may come from a diverent reality. |
The mission of these Wolverine Teams was to eliminate the Brother Mutant, but he(?) captured and hypnotized them. Finally, the last Wolverine Team manages to kill the Brother Mutant, with the help of the First Exiles Team. In the end, 17 Wolverines perished during the fight. James Howlett was the only member sent home.
Recurring characters
In Exiles there has been a number of special heroes, villains and others. Some of them are even significant in more than one reality and/or story.
| Character | First appearance | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Timebroker (Nowhere, nowhen) | Exiles #1 | The apparent founder of the Exiles, supposedly a construct of the Exiles and Weapon X'ers collective subconsciousness, later revealed to be an interface created by the Timebreakers to lure conscripts into cooperating. The Timebroker interface is now used for communication when the Tallus can not be used. |
| Timebreakers (Nowhere, nowhen) | Exiles #63 | A race of insectoid aliens. They recruited both the Exile and Weapon X teams. They have a hive-like societal structure. They currently maintain the systems in the Crystal Palace. |
Collections
- Exiles Vol.1: Down the Rabbit Hole (paperback, ISBN 0-7851-0833-5)
- Exiles Vol.2: A World Apart (paperback, ISBN 0-7851-1021-6)
- Exiles Vol.3: Out of Time (paperback, ISBN 0-7851-1085-2)
- Exiles Vol.4: Legacy (paperback, ISBN 0-7851-1109-3)
- Exiles Vol.5: Unnatural Instincts (paperback, ISBN 0-7851-1110-7)
- Exiles Vol.6: Fantastic Voyage (paperback, ISBN 0-7851-1197-2)
- Exiles Vol.7: A Blink in Time (paperback, ISBN 0-7851-1235-9)
- Exiles Vol.8: Earn Your Wings (paperback, ISBN 0-7851-1459-9)
- Exiles Vol.9: Bump in the Night (paperback, ISBN 0-7851-1673-7)
- Exiles Vol.10: Age of Apocalypse (paperback, ISBN 0-7851-1674-5)
- Exiles Vol.11: Timebreakers (paperback, ISBN 0-7851-1730-X)
- Exiles Vol.12: World Tour Book 1 (paperback, ISBN 0-7851-1854-3)
- Exiles Vol.13: World Tour Book 2 (paperback, ISBN 0-7851-1855-1)
- Exiles Vol.14: The New Exiles (paperback, ISBN 0-7851-2236-2)
External links
- Reality Check: The Exiles Resource Center
- UncannyXMen.Net: Exiles, Current Title Information
- Alternity
- Exiles on Marvel.com
