By Matt Powell
No matter where you go, evil still looks the same.
The creative team of writer Christos Gage and artist Mike Perkins continue their tour of the alternate Marvel Universe known as the House of M, with HOUSE OF M: AVENGERS #4 hitting stands January 30. In this issue, Luke Cage's Avengers go head-to-head with the new alliance of Thunderbird's Brotherhood and the Kingpin's assassins.
While Gage and Perkins, have re-imagined
some of the best and brightest Avengers throughout their series, they certainly haven't forgotten about the foes that make those heroes great.
Starting today, Marvel.com will explore both of the villainous factions plaguing our heroes, as Gage provides some insight into re-casting the faces of evil.
Today we cast a light into the dark corner of the Brotherhood, and highlight the corrupt mutant "peacekeeping" force charged with taking down the sapien Avengers.
THUNDERBIRD
IN OUR WORLD: Born into an Apache tribe on an Arizona reservation, John Proudstar discovered in adolescence his mutant abilities of superhuman strength, stamina, enhanced senses, and durability. Following a stint in the United States Marine Corps, Proudstar found himself recruited by X-Men founder, Professor Charles Xavier, to join his third incarnation of X-Men—alongside mainstays, Wolverine, Storm, and Nightcrawler—to rescue the original X-Men from the sentient island, Krakoa.
Thunderbird's headstrong nature constantly affected the team's cohesion and particularly his working relationship with the X-Men's leader, Cyclops. On the new group's second mission, Thunderbird attempted to capture an escaping Count Nefaria on his own, by hi-jacking the Count's jet in mid-flight. Eager to prove his warrior nature to himself and Prof. Xavier, Thunderbird pounded the plane beyond recognition and sparked an explosion that took his life but spared Nefaria.
Many years after his death, Thunderbird's warrior spirit has not been forgotten and lives on in his young brother James Proudstar. Dubbed Warpath, James has risen in the ranks of the Xavier Institute beginning with the New Mutants then X-Force, and currently marching the frontlines of the X-Men.
CHRISTOS GAGE: "I wanted the antagonist to be a challenge to Luke in terms of power, but also a mirror image of him in some ways. Both men grew up facing prejudice, persecution and unjust treatment. If Luke had been a mutant and Thunderbird a Sapien, who's to say each of them might not have ended up like the other?
"As for differences from the Thunderbird fans remember from UNCANNY X-MEN, this is obviously not the heroic Thunderbird of the main Marvel Universe. The House of M Thunderbird had a much rougher life and it made him bitter against humans. When mutants came to power, he started treating the humans who had oppressed him the same way they had once treated him."
BLOB
IN OUR WORLD: A Texas-native, Frederick J. Dukes used to be the ultimate immovable object. Dukes spent his formative years as part of a circus sideshow troupe operating under his current moniker, the Blob. With mutant powers of enhanced durability, strength, resilience and a personal gravitational field strengthened by his extreme mass, Blob could literally will himself unmovable regardless of the force acting upon him.
With a negative attitude as strong as his mutant powers, Blob strongly refused an invitation to join Professor Xavier's X-Men, and later came in contact with Magneto's
Brotherhood of Evil Mutants—the team he would infamously be associated for years to come.
Following M-Day, Blob ranked among the millions of mutants left de-powered by an insane Scarlet Witch. Dukes shrunk in size, but retained the same amount of skin he had prior to M-Day leaving him a deformed figure with folds upon folds of loose skin.
CHRISTOS GAGE: "One of my all-time favorite bad guys, he fulfills the role of big, strong, indestructible powerhouse. He is essentially the same in both universes, except the House of M version still has his powers, of course."
AVALANCHE
IN OUR WORLD: Like the Blob, Dominic Szilard Janos Petros, aka Avalanche, has spent most of his super villain career as a member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. An immigrant from Crete in Greece, Petros has the mutant ability to generate powerful vibrations to the degree of producing earthquakes.
After parting ways for a time with his former allies in the Brotherhood, Avalanche later re-joined the team under the new leadership of Exodus. Alongside his new Brotherhood teammates, Avalanche went up against the X-Men only to be absorbed
into a black hole caused by the mysterious Shen Xorn.
CHRISTOS GAGE: "With him and Blob, I felt that if I was going to call the team 'The Brotherhood' there should be some members of the 616 Universe's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants on it. Also, he's Greek, and I'm all about supporting my people. [He's] more or less the same as his 616 counterpart."
FERAL
IN OUR WORLD: As a mutant, Maria Callasantos had a cat-like appearance and abilities that granted her enhanced senses, agility, claws, fangs, a prehensile tail, and a healing factor. The product of a tragic past that that included murdering her own mother and stepfather, Feral spent much of her time on the run before finding some sanctuary with the Morlocks.
Feral would later join X-Force under the leadership of Cable, but her treacherous nature lead to her betrayal of the team. After brief stints with the Mutant Liberation Front, and a jail sentence, Feral discovered she had the Legacy Virus, and became even more savage and psychologically unstable.
After running with a new group of Hellions and being cured of the Legacy Virus, Feral joined a branch of the global mutant rights organization, the X-Corporation. Losing and then mysteriously
regaining her powers in the wake of M-Day, Feral approached Wolverine in Wakanda and offered to help him find Victor Creed, aka Sabretooth. Wolverine found his foe, but Feral paid the price, dying at Creed's claws.
CHRISTOS GAGE: "A savage, animalistic opponent is always a tough challenge. The House of M Feral lacks the human side of her mainstream Marvel counterpart; she is completely wild, a predator through and through. Even more than the main Marvel [Universe] version, she embodies her name."
TASKMASTER
IN OUR WORLD: Taskmaster has earned notoriety in the Marvel Universe as a longstanding Avengers foe, but also as the premiere trainer of super villain henchmen. He has the ability to masterfully mimic the physical movements of anyone he witnesses; from the athletic prowess of a star quarterback to the shield-slinging skills of Captain America.
Taskmaster has set up schools to teach students for the right price and lists Crossbones and Jessica Drew among his star pupils. Renowned for his prowess, Taskmaster has been named as the new drill instructor teaching the recruits of the hero training facility, Camp Hammond.
[CHEAP PLUG: For more on Tasky, check out the latest edition of Initiative Initation]
CHRISTOS GAGE: "Another favorite villain of mine. He brings a
whole host of skills to the table, many of which—like archery—the Avengers themselves possess. He also has the interesting character bit that, like the House of M Spider-Man, he is a superhuman sapien passing for a mutant, even though he [technically isn't one].
"The difference between him and the mainstream Marvel Taskmaster is that the House of M Taskmaster isn't as quite as tough; he's had kind of an easy time of it over the years and hasn't bothered to acquire and hone as many talents as the 616 Taskmaster has."
BOOM-BOOM
IN OUR WORLD: The product of an abusive childhood, Tabitha Smith has spent much of her adult life looking for acceptance; first with the notorious Vanisher's criminal cabal, the Fallen Angels, and then with the X-teams: X-Factor, the New Mutants, and later, X-Force.
Her team-hopping would continue, landing Tabitha with the Nextwave crew, who utilized her mutant ability to create psionic balls of energy that she can detonate at will.
CHRISTOS GAGE: "She is what [she would have been] in the main Marvel Universe if the X-Men hadn't been there to take her in and guide her. She's more jaded, with a 'look out for number one' attitude, because that's how she survived."
Come back tomorrow as we examine the Kingpin's team of deadly assassins in another installment of Avengers Re-Imagined, but in the mean time, relive the first four issues of HOUSE OF M with Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited.
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