Cortex (Earth-616)
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History
Cortex is a duplicate of Multiple Man, sent to one of the two "remaining" futures for mutantkind, to search for a cure for the depowering of 98% of the world's mutants following M-Day, then die in some fashion so that his memories would be transferred back to Madrox[2]. There, under thedirection of Anthony Falcone and Damian Tryp (Earth-616) he became a "doomlock," requiring massive cybernetic modifcation of his body. He was sent back in time from Earth-1191 to kill a list of specific individuals, including Multiple Man, for fear how they might affect the future. Cortex apparently has the power to mentally control several people at once. He sent one of his agents to kill John Maddox, another one of Multiple Man's dupes. When Maddox gained the upper hand, the agent said "Cortex" and shot himself in the head.
A former mutant named Lenore went to X-Factor, claiming that someone was trying to kill her. She felt she was being followed, but every time she looked, it was a different person doing it. Her best friend Candy, another former mutant, was found dead of a gunshot wound which the police ruled a suicide. Lenore didn't believe it, because Candy had a pathological fear of guns. Before Candy died, she told Lenore that she thought she was being followed. Later, Lenore's mother showed up at Lenore's apartment and attempted to shoot her, but was foiled by Longshot. Escaping, Lenore's mother took Darwin hostage. At the last minute, she turned the gun on herself, but it backfired due to Longshot's luck powers. At the hospital, Monet St. Croix attempted to read Lenore's mother's mind, but was overpowered and collapsed. When she woke up, she grabbed Longshot's throat and said "Cortex."
While Strong Guy and Rictor were visiting John Maddox in Vermont, Shatterstar busted through the window and tried to stab Rictor, saying only "Cortex".
Once she calmed down, Monet told the group that her violent outburst was because of psychic feedback that occurred after she had broken through a psychic barrier in Lenore's mother's mind, but that whatever was controlling her had fled. She then manipulated the group into moving Lenore out of her apartment and hiding her in a penthouse suite in an expensive hotel. There she tried to seduce Darwin, but he figured out acting out of character and was trying to get Lenore alone, and so resisted. Monet's body turned bright purple and became covered in tint lights and circuitry. She said that she would then have to kill Darwin, even though he wasn't on Cortex's list. This suggests that whatever Monet had become, she was acting somewhat independently of Cortex himself while receiving instructions from him.
Meanwhile, on Earth-1191 in the future, Multiple Man was tasked by Cyclops with discovering why certain people seemed to be blinking out and then back into existence. Multiple Man theorized that someone might be altering the past to affect the future. Cortex was attempting to kill Lenore to prevent Hecat'e (of the Summers Rebellion) from being born.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
Cortex is a "doomlock," which is a chronal variance inhibitor, originally designed by Doctor Doom, which stops the creation of divergent timelines. Possessing a doomlock turns you into an "invariable", allowing you to go back in time to change the future, instead of merely creating alternate ones. The only caveat is due to the energies involved, that you must be cybernetic organism, with the technology bonded to your body, becoming more machine than man.
Cortex seems to be able to mentally dominate and control several people at once. Cortex has stated that his abilities are considerable, but not infinite, and that he can only so many places he can look at once.
It is unknown how Cortex gains control over his agents, telepathically or technologically or both. When Monet telepathically searched once of Cortex's agents, Cortex was able to resist Monet and in turn invade her mind, suggesting that Cortex's abiities are telepathic in nature. Monet, Lenore's mother, and Shatterstar all exhibited a purple glow from their eyes while under Cortex's control, though in Monet's case this faded to allow her to operate undetected. However, when Monet tried to read the agent's mind, she touched the old woman's head (which neither Longshot nor Darwin had done during their confrontation with her), which could mean that Cortex spreads through physical contact. Given that, once revealed to be trying to kill Lenore, Monet's skin turned purple and she was covered head to toe in electric lights and circuits.
Cortex has also been shown opening teleportation portals and creating energy blasts from his hands.
Despite being a duplicate of Multiple Man, he can no longer create duplicates on his own, perhaps because of his prolonged separation of Madrox or because of the process that turned him into a cyborg.
Cortex possess some degree of enhanced durability and regeneration. He was able to survive M punching a hole through his chest and one of Longshot's throwing knives to the back of his head. The knife seemed to cause him the most pain. After his arm was cut off by Shatterstar, Cortex was able to grow a new one in a matter of moments.Abilities
Cortex's agents retain their own abilities and memories.Strength level
Cortex himself has an unspecified level of superhuman strength. He was able to thrust a cop's nightstick through the cop's stomach, killing him. Once controlled by Cortex, his agents retain their own natural strength.Weaknesses
Cortex's employer, the science adviser to Earth-1191's president, is able to establish a real-time communication link to Cortex from the future. He is also able to send a pulse through this link that causes Cortex pain. This pulse disrupted Cortex's control over one of his agents.
Paraphernalia
Equipment
Cortex wears an odd pair of glasses which may be a part of his mind control method, allowing him to see through his agents' eyes.
Notes
One odd note is that Cortex was one of two duplicates that went to two supposedly seperate futures. Layla and one duplicate went to Earth-1191 where they were put in the mutant concentration camp, with the dupe eventually dying and Layla escaping and starting the Summer's Rebellion. The dupe that would become Cortex went to another future. However, Cortex enters the scene as working for Anthony Falcone from Earth-1191, and says that it was Anthony Falcone himself, under the guidance of Damian Tryp, that turned him into the doomlock. This leaves the question of how he got from his original future to Earth-1191.
Links
- Appearances of Cortex (Earth-616)
- Character Gallery: Cortex (Earth-616)
- Images that feature Cortex (Earth-616)
- Fan-Art Gallery: Cortex (Earth-616)
- Quotations by Cortex (Earth-616)
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