Wikipedia

Fabian Cortez

Fabian Cortezis asupervillainappearing inAmerican comic bookspublished byMarvel Comics.Created by writerChris Claremontand artistJim Lee,the characterfirst appearedinX-Men#1 (October 1991).[1]Cortez is a recurringantagonistof theX-Men.He is known under the codenameThe Power.[2]

Fabian Cortez
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceX-Men#1
(October 1991)
Created byChris Claremont
Jim Lee
In-story information
Alter egoFabian Cortez
SpeciesHuman mutant
Team affiliationsLegionnaries
S.W.O.R.D.
Genosha
Acolytes
Upstarts
Notable aliasesThe Power
Cortez
Abilities
  • Ability to manipulate the powers of mutants granting:
    • Power amplification and nullification
    • Energy absorption

Development

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Concept and creation

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The character was created toward the end of Claremont's tenure writing the X-Men and was the last major character he introduced. He is rumored to have been named after writerFabian Nicieza,who Claremont had tensions with at the time.[3]

Publication history

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Fabian Cortez debuted inX-Men#1 (October 1991), created byChris ClaremontandJim Lee.[4]He appeared in the 2020S.W.O.R.D.series,[5]and the 2021Way of Xseries.[6]

Fictional character biography

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Acolytes

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Thought to be royalty fromSpain,[citation needed]Fabian Cortez organizes the originalAcolytes,who pledge themselves toMagnetoand his cause. Cortez then goads and manipulates Magneto into combat with humanity and theX-Menat every turn, leading to the destruction of Magneto's space-station,Asteroid M,and the deaths of the other Acolytes, including Cortez's own sisterAnne Marie.[7]

Cortez recruits a group of Acolytes who, believing Magneto to be dead and martyred for his cause, now worship him as their god, to follow Cortez in Magneto's name.[8]They launch several strikes on humanity, ranging from attacks on a military base where newSentinelsare being built, to slaughtering helpless humans in a hospital.[9]Magneto eventually resurfaces, sending his chosen heirExodusto inform the Acolytes of Cortez's betrayal. The Acolytes welcome Exodus as their new leader, and Cortez is left behind.[10]

Bloodties

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Fearing Magneto's wrath, Cortez flees toGenosha.Still claiming to speak in Magneto's name, he incites the nation's mutant population into starting a civil war against the humans, the world's first instance of the long-threatened genetic war between man and mutant. With the aid of the mutates, Cortez kidnaps Magneto's granddaughterLuna,intending to use her as a shield to protect himself from Magneto, the X-Men, and theAvengers.Cortez is unaware that Magneto had recently beenmindwipedbyCharles Xavier;and Exodus comes to Genosha in his place, seemingly killing Cortez.[11]

Back with the Acolytes

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Cortez reappears months later, claiming to have been badly injured, yet not actually killed, despite all appearances. He manipulatesJosephinto posing as Magneto,[12]pitting him against Exodus in an attempt to regain control of the Acolytes. Despite his scheme's failure, he is allowed to return to the team. Months later, after Exodus was briefly imprisoned, the Acolytes split into two groups, each searching for Magneto. Cortez leads one group, but they abandon him during a battle with the X-Men, upon realising how he has been using them for his own purposes.[volume & issue needed]

Dark Seduction

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Alone again, Cortez is surprised to be recruited by Magneto himself, to whom theUnited Nationshas given control of Genosha. Seeing as how Cortez had betrayed him earlier, Magneto only lets Fabian Cortez serve him on Genosha because his own powers have been reduced and Cortez's mutant power is needed to heighten the abilities of the other mutants. After a further betrayal by Cortez, discovered by Magneto's UN advisor Alda Huxley to be the leader of the Genoshen cabinet assisting a rebellion in Carrion Cove, Magneto is restored to full power by one of the Genengineer's machines and, as he no longer needs Cortez, moves him from a prison in Hammer Bay, to over fifty miles away to Carrion Cove in less than 20 seconds. The impact kills Cortez instantly, as he is splattered on the ground at Magneto's feet. Just before his death, a connection between Cortez and the geneticist Mister Sinister was implied, which would explain how Cortez returned alive and well when everyone believed him dead at the hands of Exodus.[13]

Necrosha

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After the X-Men formUtopia,Magneto joins them, saying he supports their efforts.[14]Seleneespecially wants Magneto captured for his collaboration with Emma Frost to overthrow her from her position as Black Queen of theHellfire Club.She has three of her recently resurrected mind-controlled soldiers—Acolytes Cortez,Delgado,andMellencamp—hunt down Magneto. They try to tortureLoato get the information out of her, but when she tries to hide in her room she findsDeadpoolinside it. Deadpool battles the trio, but the techno-organic virus that is inside the Acolytes (which caused their resurrection) prevent him from killing them. At one point in the battle, Cortez grabs Loa by the throat and demands to know Magneto's location, saying that even though Selene wants Magneto alive he will fight the mind-control and kill him anyway. Loa begs Cortez not to make her hurt him, something Cortez does not believe possible. Deadpool knocks Loa out of Cortez's hands, but then is overpowered by the Acolytes. Loa uses her matter disruption powers to slide through Mellencamp, mutilating him. Deadpool, seeing that Loa's powers were able to slay Selene's minions, forces her to kill Cortez and Delgado by throwing her into them (to survive, she has to slide through them, which causes them to crumble). Deadpool then tellsCyclopsthat he should not be in trouble because Loa had done all the killing.[15]

The techno-organic virus however appears to reform Cortez, as he resurfaced later along with fellow Upstarts members Shinobi Shaw, Siena Blaze, and Trevor Fitzroy, and started the game that they created long ago. They kill members of the Nasty Boys to lure out Cyclops and his ragtag team of X-Men to Washington Heights. After a brief exchange of words, the two groups engage each other in battle. The X-Men gain the upper hand as the Upstarts retreat; but Shinobi is left behind, only to kill himself as he does not want to be captured or controlled by the Hellfire Club.[16]

Krakoa

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Cortez later joins the Six, a mutant team led byS.W.O.R.D.andAbigail Brand.[17]DuringKnull's attack onKrakoa,he joins S.W.O.R.D in defending Krakoa before Knull kills him andSunfire.However, he is quickly revived via Krakoa's resurrection protocols.[18][19][20][21][22][23][24]

Powers and abilities

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Fabian Cortez is amutantwith the ability to augment the powers of other mutants, sometimes to their benefit, and sometimes to their detriment. He can increase a mutant's abilities, rejuvenating them after exhaustion, or seemingly enhancing their power. However, his manipulations often come with a price—Cortez can make mutants dependent on his "treatments," using this dependency to exert control over them. He can "supercharge" their powers to dangerous levels.[25]Cortez is also capable of nullifying the powers of other mutants.[26]Furthermore, he can heal others by temporarily enhancing their natural healing factor.[27]

Other versions

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Marvel Zombies

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In theMarvel Zombiesreality, Magneto heads to earth to rescue anyone he can from the zombie plague. Cortez is entrusted with overseeingAsteroid Mand preparing it to be the last outpost of humanoid life.[28]Cortez does this well; his group soon joins up with other survivors, includingForgeand theBlack Panther.Magneto perishes in battle against the zombies.[29]Decades later, inMarvel Zombies 2,Cortez's child regains control of the colony during a battle with cosmically powered zombies.[30]

X-Men Forever

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Main article:X-Men Forever

In this reality, which takes place shortly after the X-Men escape the destruction of Asteroid M, Nick Fury enlists the X-Men in helping him find and capture Cortez. The X-Men successfully capture Cortez, although he nearly defeats them single-handedly.[31]Cortez is eventually turned over to S.H.I.E.L.D., but corrupt agents within then give him over the anti-mutant Consortium. Eager to exploit the "burnout" (that reality's phenomenon where mutant powers cause people to physically give out and die prematurely), the Consortium thought Cortez's powers were rife with the potential to weaponize the concept. Weeks later, Cortez is rescued by Nick Fury and the X-Men, but is on the verge of death due to the experimentation he was forced to endure. Cortez dies in the custody of the X-Men shortly thereafter.

X-Men '92

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Cortez appears inX-Men '92,when he overchargesLila Cheney's teleporting powers; and she takes the X-Men to a distant planet inhabited by the mutantBrood.[32]

What If

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Cortez appears in a number ofWhat If...?issues.[33] In the reality seen where Tony Stark chooses not to begin a super-hero career as Iron Man after returning from captivity. Cortez and the Acolytes assemble under Magneto and battle both the X-Men and the StarkTech Sentinels that threaten mutant lives after Tony Stark's innovations to America's Sentinel program pushes the mutant race to the brink of extinction.[34]

In the reality where the space station Avalon was officially recognized as a mutant colony under the rule of Magneto, divisions between his Acolytes erupt, with Exodus leading the isolationists, who want to take Avalon to the stars and away from the taint of humanity on Earth, while Cortez's annihilationists wish to return to Earth, eliminate the humans, and reclaim their homeland. These concerns become secondary after the birth of Acolytes Skids and Rusty's first child, who registers as Homo Ultima, the next stage of humanity, beyond even that of mutant. Cortez and Exodus unite their factions for fear of being usurped, leading to the death of the child. In the aftermath, it is revealed that Magneto engineered fake genetic scan results for Homo Ultima, sacrificing the child to bring unity to his Acolytes.[35]

In other media

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Television

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Fabian Cortez appears inX-Men: The Animated Series,[36]voiced by Jeffrey Max Nicholls. This version initially serves as the leader of theAcolytes.[37]Following a failed attempt at betrayingMagneto,Cortez becomes a follower ofApocalypseand enacts a plot to transfer the latter's essence into a new host. However, his plan backfires and Apocalypse possesses Cortez instead.[38]

Video games

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References

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  1. ^Lovett, Jamie (December 13, 2020)."X-Men: Marvel Brings Back One of Its Worst Mutants".ComicBook.Retrieved2024-10-20.
  2. ^Belt, Robyn (March 15, 2021)."The X-Men Take to the Stars in 'S.W.O.R.D.' #1".Marvel.Retrieved2024-10-20.
  3. ^@ClaremontRun (November 7, 2021)."It also has to be noted that there exists a widespread but unconfirmed rumour that Fabian Cortez was named as a slight to writer Fabian Nicieza. If true, the character himself could be seen as a monument to the underlying tension and animosity surrounding C's departure. 7/8"(Tweet) – viaTwitter.
  4. ^Dodge, John (September 4, 2021)."The Scummiest X-Men Villain Has a Weird Superpower That May Save Every Marvel Mutant".Comic Book Resources.Retrieved2024-10-20.
  5. ^Brooke, David (January 13, 2021)."'S.W.O.R.D.' #2 reintroduces famous X-Men derogatory term for humans • AIPT ".AIPT Comics.Retrieved2024-10-20.
  6. ^Bacon, Thomas (August 27, 2021)."X-Men's Nightcrawler Just Teleported An Entire Moon".Screen Rant.Retrieved2024-10-20.
  7. ^X-Men#1
  8. ^The Uncanny X-Men 300
  9. ^X-Factor#92
  10. ^The Uncanny X-Men#304
  11. ^The Avengers#369
  12. ^Magneto#1 (1996)
  13. ^Magneto: Dark Seduction#1-4 (2000)
  14. ^The Uncanny X-Men#516
  15. ^X-ForceAnnual #1
  16. ^The Uncanny X-Menvol. 5 #21
  17. ^S.W.O.R.Dvol. 2 #1
  18. ^S.W.O.R.Dvol. 2 #2-4
  19. ^S.W.O.R.Dvol. 2 #5
  20. ^Way of X#2-3
  21. ^Way of X#4
  22. ^Way of X#5
  23. ^X-Men: The Onslaught Revelation
  24. ^Legion of X#1
  25. ^Connolly, Spencer (April 17, 2023)."X-Men Cosplay Honors the Most Underrated Mutant Villain Ever".Screen Rant.Retrieved2024-10-20.
  26. ^Allan, Scoot (January 26, 2022)."X-Men: 10 Deadliest Villains From The 90s Comics".Comic Book Resources.Retrieved2024-10-20.
  27. ^Manness, Dean (September 3, 2018)."The 20 Strongest X-Men Villains Of The '90s, Officially Ranked".Comic Book Resources.Retrieved2024-10-20.
  28. ^Marvel Zombies: Dead Daysone-shot (July 2007)
  29. ^Marvel Zombies#1-5 (2005)
  30. ^Marvel Zombies 2#1–5 (October 2007 – February 2008)
  31. ^X-Men: Forever#1 (2009)
  32. ^X-Men '92vol. 2 #6-10
  33. ^What If...?vol. 2 #64 and 85. Marvel Comics.
  34. ^What If...?vol. 2 #64
  35. ^What If...?vol. 2 #85
  36. ^Young, Kai (April 7, 2024)."10 X-Men The Animated Series Villains The MCU Should Use In Its Live-Action Movie".Screen Rant.Retrieved2024-10-20.
  37. ^Kendall, Gene (July 14, 2023)."How The X-Men Animated Series Adapted" Sanctuary "As Its Greatest Magneto Story".Comic Book Resources.Retrieved2024-10-20.
  38. ^Wilds, Stephen (November 9, 202)."The Unsung Characters In X-Men: The Animated Series".Looper.Retrieved2024-10-20.
  39. ^Hodges, Christopher (August 26, 2018)."Marvel: All X-Men Games, Officially Ranked".TheGamer.Retrieved2024-10-20.
  40. ^"X-Men 2 - Clone Wars".ClassicReload.2017-06-19.Retrieved2024-10-20.
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