Unus the Untouchable(also known asGunther Bain,bornAngelo Unuscione) is asupervillainappearing inAmerican comic bookspublished byMarvel Comics.Unus is amutant,and is named for his ability to consciously project an invisibleforce fieldwhich protects him from harm.
| Unus the Untouchable | |
|---|---|
 Unus the Untouchable | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | X-Men#8 (November 1964) |
| Created by | Stan Lee(writer) Jack Kirby(artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Angelo "Unus" Unuscione; legally changed to Gunther Bain |
| Species | Human mutant |
| Team affiliations | Factor Three Brotherhood of Mutants Secret Empire |
| Abilities | Force field generation |
Publication history
editThis sectionneeds expansion.You can help byadding to it.(June 2020) |
Unus first appeared inX-Men#8 (November 1964), and was created byStan LeeandJack Kirby.[1]
Fictional character biography
editOrigin
editAngelo Unuscione was born inMilan, Italy.After his arrival in the United States, he legally changed his name to Gunther Bain.[2]He became a wrestler, and, when the Beast briefly left the X-Men, he was able to defeat him in a wrestling match.[3]Once in America, he sought out the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants to join them. He turned criminal, and joined with the Brotherhood as they fought theX-Men.During the battle, his powers were enhanced by a shot fired from Beast's gun, increasing his power beyond his ability to control it, and making him unable to touch anything. He promised to reform, and his normal power level was restored by the Beast.[4]He became a good friend of theBlob,[5]and they teamed up together on various schemes, such as posing as the X-Men and framing them for robbery,[5]before both mutants went their separate ways. It was revealed the alien invaderLuciferwas behind this, and had made sure the Beast's weapon did not work on Unus anymore.[volume & issue needed]
Factor Three/Brotherhood
editUnus then joined the villainous organization Factor Three in a conspiracy to conquer Earth. They fought the X-Men, but turned against theMutant Masterwhen the latter was exposed as an extraterrestrial.[6]Unus later visitedOgreat their Mt. Charteris base.[7]However, shortly after he was captured bySentinelsalongside several others mutants, but was later released,[8][9]after which he teamed with the Blob andMastermindas agents of the secondSecret Empire;they were defeated by the Beast,[10]and then held prisoner by the Secret Empire.[11]Unus then joined an incarnation ofMagneto'sBrotherhood of Evil Mutants.[12]As a member of the Brotherhood, Unus joined in their battle against the X-Men andKruger.[13]Alongside the Brotherhood, Unus battled theDefenders,but Magneto and the Brotherhood were reduced to infancy by their team memberAlpha the Ultimate Mutant.[14]Unus and the others were kept atMuir Island.[15]When the Brotherhood was reverted to adulthood and reorganized, Unus teamed with theVanisher,Blob and Mastermind and fought alongside the group against theChampions.[16]However, he left the team disheartened.[volume & issue needed]He came in conflict withDoc Samson,[17]andPower Man,and then embarked on a New York crime spree, but was defeated byIron Fistand Power Man.[18]
Not long after, Unus decided to retire from the life of the organized supervillain, deciding to use his talents in less "lofty" ways; he was making a living as a wrestler.[volume & issue needed]At some point, he fathered the Canadian mutantRadius.[19]It is also believed that theAcolyteCarmella Unuscioneis either his daughter or sister, but no official confirmation of this has ever been given.[citation needed]
Coming out of retirement and teaming with his friend the Blob again, Unus discovered, during a fight against theHulk,that his powers had become nearly uncontrollable, and his field was smashed by the Hulk.[20]Unus lost complete control of his powers, and his force-field became so thick that it repulsed the very oxygen molecules in the air until he suffocated and passed out. He fell into the arms of the Blob who, believing Unus to be dead, went on an angry rampage through Brooklyn leading to a fight with bothSpider-ManandBlack Cat.[21]
Genosha
editYears later, Unus reappeared on the decimated island ofGenosha,[22]traumatized by the devastation and speaking of "ghosts." Usually arrogant and somewhat fearless, due in no small part to his invulnerable force field, he was shaken by apparent "ghosts" being able to pass through it. At some point, he stopped seeing them, and returned to his former hubris.
Unus later formed his own band of mutant rebels (which included Toad andParalyzer), trying to survive on the harsh island that Genosha had become.[23]They most commonly had arguments with Professor Charles Xavier and Magneto, and surprisingly never recognized Magneto out of costume. In their first confrontation, the mutant known asFreakshowends up literally swallowing Unus in order to end the tensions. His powers protected him.[24]
Unus leads Appraiser and Stripmine, two superhuman poachers, to Genosha[25]which caused him to be at odds with all the remaining mutants on Genosha.[26]
House of M and death
editUnus stayed on the island until before theHouse of M,[volume & issue needed]and was depowered after the events ofDecimation.[volume & issue needed]
Unus is later found by Quicksilver on Genosha. Quicksilver granted him his powers back, however in an altered form.[27]TheOffice of National Emergencysoon stepped in and took the mists from Quicksilver and his daughter.Lockjawmanaged to teleport Luna and Pietro away before ONE could capture them, leaving a battle between the Inhumans and the repowered mutants of Genosha. During the battle Unus facedKarnak,who was amazed that he could not break Unus's shield. However, Unus's powers soon evolved beyond his control and a pink metallic shell began to form all over his body. Both the Inhumans and the repowered mutants tried to save Unus's life, but it was too late. As Unus's field began to dissolve, it was discovered that he had died from lack of oxygen.[28]
Necrosha
editUnus was among the many on the island of Genosha who have been resurrected by Eli Bard and his version of the techno-organic virus. He appeared repowered by the T.O. virus.[29]
Spider-Man and the X-Men
editUnus was confirmed to be alive and repowered again after the events of Necrosha when he attacked the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning before being defeated by the then-new Special ClassGuidance CounselorSpider-Man.[30]
X of Swords
editUnus became one of the many former villains granted amnesty on the mutant nation ofKrakoa.During the Dawn of X eventX of Swords,Unus escorted Apocalypse's grandchild Summoner throughOtherworldto Arakko along withBanshee.He was taken captive by Amenthi forces during an ambush that also gravely injured Banshee. He was rescued by a Krakoan team and safely transported back to Krakoa.[31]
Powers and abilities
editUnus the Untouchable is amutantthat possessed the power to generate a field of invisible psionic energy around his body. The field acts to deflect objects and even energy beams, and can withstand great concussive force. Normally, Unus can control the force field at will and certain types of radiant energy, such as sunlight, can pass through the field, as do air and sound waves (at least within certain unknown limits). Unus has deflected beams of energy, objects of high mass, objects traveling at high speed and telepathy, including that ofCharles Xavier.Unus was at one point vulnerable to theBeast's ray gun that augmented his force field power beyond his control;[volume & issue needed]in later years Unus's power again became uncontrollable due to unknown reasons, finally repelling air molecules.[volume & issue needed]
Unus's force field was not impenetrable, and could be disrupted by a sufficiently powerful force. The Incredible Hulk did this on two occasions, the first time by simply shattering it with a punch enhanced by his anger.[32]When they battled again in Australia during theHouse of Mcrossover, the Hulk created a sonic boom by clapping his hands, which resonated with Unus's force field and caused shockwaves that stunned the villain.[33]Although it was temporarily disrupted, the force field would eventually regenerate itself.
Unus is also an athletic man and an expert wrestler. Unus sometimes carried a baseball bat, which, when encased in his force field, can deliver blows with superhuman force.
Other versions
editAge of Apocalypse
editUnus in theAge of Apocalypse(also known as Earth-295) was a Prelate inApocalypse'sInfinites. Prelate Unus's appearance was cut short, however, as he was frozen byIcemanand shattered.[34]
House of M
editIn theHouse of M,Unus was a lieutenant ofExodusand was eradicating the remaining human population in Australia. However, while tracking several runaway humans he stumbled upon and attempted to destroy a tribe ofAboriginal peoplewho had adopted the Hulk into their midst. In the ensuing conflict, Unus was severely injured and put in a hospital.[35]
Ultimate Marvel
editUnus also appeared briefly within theUltimate Marveluniverse as a member ofMagneto'sBrotherhood.In this version, he had some sort of astral projection powers. InThe Ultimates 3,Unus is charged with protecting Magneto's citadel from theUltimates.His forcefield deflected blows fromThor,but, ultimately, Thor broke through and apparently killed Unus for defying a god.[36]
X-Men Noir
editInX-Men Noir,Angelo Unuscione is an unpowered human and a dangerous mob Boss known as "Unus the Untouchable". Unus struggled with the Brotherhood for control of New York City. For his own security, he only let a few select people be near him, and hence his name, "untouchable." He eventually became a target for the Brotherhood after Unus refused to join in the Brotherhood's and Sebastian Shaw's illegal act in land profiting. He was to be kill byPeter Magnuswhen he was about to leave the city for Central City by airship. However, Unus avoided his assassination due to the X Men, and was taken to safety to Welfare Island, where he would be transferred to Washington, D.C., and under protection from the federal authorities. As Unus was about to leave with the X Men, he was killed by Eric Magnus and his men, who appeared out of nowhere.[37]
References
edit- ^Rovin, Jeff(1987).The Encyclopedia of Super-Villains.New York: Facts on File. p. 360.ISBN0-8160-1356-X.[1]
- ^Official Handbook of Marvel Universe: Deluxe Edition#14
- ^The X-Men#8
- ^X-Men#8
- ^abX-Men#20
- ^X-Men#37-39
- ^Thunderbolts#33
- ^X-Men#59-60
- ^The Avengers#103
- ^Amazing Adventures#12-13
- ^Captain America and the Falcon#174
- ^The Defenders#15
- ^X-Men: The Hidden Years#11
- ^The Defenders#15-16
- ^X-Men#104
- ^The Champions#17
- ^The Incredible Hulk(vol. 2) Annual #11
- ^Power Man & Iron Fist#90
- ^Alpha Flight(vol. 2) #10
- ^Marvel Fanfare#7
- ^Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man#91
- ^New X-Men#132
- ^Excalibur(vol. 3) #2
- ^Excalibur(vol. 3) #2-3
- ^Excalibur(vol. 3) #5
- ^Excalibur(vol. 3) #7
- ^Son of M#5
- ^Son of M#6
- ^X-Force(vol. 3) #21
- ^Spider-Man and the X-Men#1
- ^X of Swords#1-2
- ^Marvel Fanfare#7
- ^Incredible Hulk(vol. 3) #84
- ^X-Men Alpha
- ^Incredible Hulk(vol. 3) #83
- ^Ultimates(vol. 3) #4
- ^X-Men Noir#2-4
External links
edit- UnusatMarvel
- Unus the Untouchable at Marvel Directory
- Unus the Untouchableat The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe