Prodigy

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Real Name

David Alleyne

Current Alias

Prodigy

Aliases

Brainiac, Brains,

Relatives

Christopher Alleyne (father);

Dorothy Alleyne (mother);

Kim Alleyne (sister);

Affiliation

formerly New X-Men, New Mutants Squad, Xavier Institute student body, X-Men

Base Of Operations

formerly Utopia, San Francisco Bay, California; formerly Graymalkin Industries, Marin Highlands, San Francisco, California; Xavier Institute, Salem Center, Westchester County, New York; Hyde Park, Chicago, Illinois;

Status

Alignment

Good

Identity

Secret Identity

Citizenship

American

Marital Status

Single

Occupation

Student

Education

Some college level course and absorbed PhD level knowledge

Characteristics

Gender

Male

Height

6' 1"

Weight

187 lbs (85 kg)

Eyes

Brown

Hair

Black

Origin

Origin

Depowered mutant^[1] with previously absorbed knowledge and skills psychically unlocked by the Stepford Cuckoos^[2]

Universe

Earth-616

Place of Birth

Chicago, Illinois

Created by

Nunzio DeFilippis, Christina Weir, Keron Grant

First appearance

New Mutants Vol 2 #4
(October, 2003)

HistoryEdit

Stepford Cuckoos	We want to help you remember everything you forgot. The human mind remembers everything, but the connections to those memories fail. We can restore those connections, all of them. Everyskill you learned, you can remember. All of them, right now.
Prodigy	You're talking about my powers. I knew how to do anything someone around me could...and you're saying I still know? I've just forgotten?
Stepford Cuckoos	You would have it all back. But you would not be able to learn anything new
Prodigy	No...I've been down this path before...it's too much.
Stepford Cuckoos	We felt your mind was strong enough, or we would not have offered. But we understand. We think we would have missed you, David, when we could still feel.
Prodigy	...Stop. Do it.

Origin

David was raised by his father and mother with his younger sister, Kim, in there home in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Growing up, David was always bright and intelligent, but when his mutant powers activated, the answers just started coming to him. He quickly realized he was mutant with the ability to telepathically absorb the knowledge and skills of anyone nearby. Concerned that this knowledge was not authentic, David kept his mutation a secret and began studying even harder. He began taking college-level courses while finishing high school and started working with Karma at the university library until he was outed by the hate group Purity. After his cover was blown, Danielle Moonstar recruited him.^[1]

New Mutants Training Squad

David was enrolled in the Xavier Institute, given the codename Prodigy, and placed on Moonstar's New Mutants Training Squad along with Surge, Elixir, Wind Dancer, Wallflower and Wither.^[2] Dani appointed Prodigy as team leader, but declined and Wind Dancer took over. She turned out to have some limits, and in the end Prodigy and Wind Dancer chose to become co-leaders.^[3]

In an attempt to increase his usefulness, Prodigy asked Emma Frost to remove the mental block despite Moonstar's apprehensions. Instead of removing the block, Emma and Dani secretly subjected David to a startling vision of a possible future should David. Frightened by this grim vision, Prodigy opted not to have his powers enhanced,^[4] and began distancing himself from this friends especially Nori.^[5] The revelation the Josh was having a secret relationship with Wolfsbane only deepened the rift.^[6] In an attempt to mend bonds, Sofia tricked everyone into a camp-out on the grounds of the Institute. While bickering and even fist fighting broke out, Sofia was able to eventually reconcile her teammates.^[7]

Decimation

In the wake of the M-Day, David lost his powers.^[8] To transform the X-Mansion into a mutant sanctuary, all depowered students were asked to leave. Unfortunately, the bus blown up by the Purifiers.^[9] Luckily, David was not on the bus.^[10] With the Danger Room inactive, Prodigy built the Danger Cave in the caverns below the school to allow his teammates to train after he left.^[11] However, Cyclops and the Alleynes decided that it would be safer for him to remain at the mansion since Rev. William Stryker was targeting depowered mutants.^[12]

When Stryker attacked the mansion, Prodigy was wounded by one of the Purifiers while protecting the Stepford Cuckoos. Deciding to become more proactive in their battles, Prodigy joined the New X-Men and helped to lead the assault on Nimrod.^[13] He proved useful to the team, and with the defeat of Nimrod, Cyclops offered Prodigy a permanent place on the New X-Men and at the Xavier Institute.^[14]

Quest For Magik

Along with his class and teammates, Prodigy was pulled into Limbo by Belasco during his search for Magik. He was interrogated by Belasco, and he told him she was dead, Belasco tore out his heart in a rage.^[15] Prodigy collapsed dead, but Elixir was able to act quickly and regrew his heart.^[16] David then tended to the drained Elixir, and freed the Stepford Cuckoos from Belasco's special telepathy proof helmets, and organized Mercury and Dust in battling Belasco. Belasco was finally defeated by Magik, who sent all the students and X-Men back to the mansion.^[17]

The trip to Limbo deeply effected all the New X-Men. Fearing for David's life, Surge kissed Hellion in front of the other students in hopes of driving David away.^[18] Prodigy decided to leave, but was confronted by the Stepford Cuckoos, who offered to restore all of the memories he had previously gained. Prodigy accepted the offer, and with his restored knowledge, he was made a junior teacher to the New X-Men, responsible for their training when the other X-Men were away.^[19]

When the Hulk attacked the school, Beast ordered David to protect the other students, instead of taking part in the fight against the Hulk.^[20]

When Surge decided to lead the New X-Men in an assault on the Purifiers in Washington, D.C., Prodigy disagreed with the decision and opted to remain at the mansion with Elixir and Dust.^[21] Later, Prodigy aided Beast in providing medical aid to their wounded comrades in the infirmary.^[22] He helped protect the wounded from the attacks of Predator X, and was part of the group teleported by Pixie to Muir Island for the climatic battle of the fate of Messiah baby.^[23]

Utopia

Although no longer a mutant, Prodigy moved to San Francisco when invited by the X-Men to join them in their new mutant haven. He helped in battling the Skrull invasion force,^[24] moving the X-Men to Utopia,^[25] constructing a clean water system for the island,^[26] and defending Utopia from the Evolutionaries.^[27] When the Mutant Messiah returned to the present, Prodigy was aided Doctor Nemesis and the X-Club on Utopia.^[28] When Wolverine and Cyclops decided to part ways, Prodigy was a vocal proponent for remaining on Utopia with Cyclops.^[29][30]

Prodigy was among the young X-Men detained in the Avengers Compound with the Avengers Academy during the war between the Avengers and the X-Men.^[31] Since the evacuation and destruction of Utopia,^[32][33][34] David opted not to return to Westchester to attend Jean Grey School for Higher Learning with the other young mutants.^[35]

Powers and AbilitiesEdit

Powers

Prodigy was a mutant, but lost his mutant powers due to the effects of M-Day.^[8] However, although David lost his mutant gifts, the Stepford Cuckoos were able to unlock all the knowledge in his mind that he had previously absorbed. As a result, Prodigy has access to all the knowledge and skills he had briefly obtained with his mutant power, but he cannot psychically gain new information from others.^[19] Prior to M-Day, Prodigy's powers included:

• Psychomimetic (formerly): Subconscious, uncontrolled, form of limit telepathy, allowing temporary mimicry of skills and knowledge from nearby targets.^[1][36] Prodigy could acquire mental and physical abilities, be it knowledge over a subject, a foreign language, or mastery of a fighting style. He could even predict others attacks in order to avoid them.^[37] However, he was unable to retain that knowledge. When the person left his immediate proximity, Prodigy no longer retained information. Emma Frost described this mental block as a defense mechanism.^[38]

  Abilities

Due to Stepford Cuckoos restoring Prodigy's previous memories and skills, Prodigy has all the skills and abilities of everyone he met while his powers were active including Wolverine's hand-to-hand combat skills,^[1][19] Cyclops' strategic knowledge,^[36][38] Beast's knowledge of science and biology,^[38] Iceman's mathematical comprehension, Shadowcat's computer prowess and fighting skills,^[19] his father's culinary aptitude,^[1] the along with the education and abilities of most of the other X-Men and his fellow students.

Even without his acquired knowledge, Prodigy is very intelligent. Without using his powers he's completed college level courses while in high school,^[1] operates complicated technology, pilot the Blackbird,^[39] and built the Danger Cave.^[40]

Weaknesses

• Prodigy required corrective lens due to poor eyesight^[38] until his vision was corrected by Elixir.^[15]
  

ParaphernaliaEdit

Equipment

• Prodigy wears a visor/goggles with a head set and digital display for computer access, data analysis, and information files.^[2][42]
  

NotesEdit

• Although he never officially joined, Prodigy assisted the X-Club on Utopia during the Second Coming.^[28]
  

TriviaEdit

• As of New X-Men Vol 2 #1, Prodigy is 17.
• Prodigy and Surge dated off and on during the New X-Men series.
• According to New X-Men Yearbook Special #1, Prodigy likes Jazz and the Chicago Cubs and dislikes cheaters. He was also voted Most Likely to Succeed.

LinksEdit

• 99 Appearances of David Alleyne (Earth-616)
• 60 Images featuring David Alleyne (Earth-616)
• 5 Quotations by or about David Alleyne (Earth-616)
• Character Gallery: David Alleyne (Earth-616)
• Fan-Art Gallery: David Alleyne (Earth-616) 
• New Mutants Training Squad
• Surge

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Footnotes