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Quote1 Despair's an old friend, Captain. Not just a friend. A philosophy. Why follow Selene? Why not? My first love is dead. My family's dead. No one even remembers. Nary a thing matters for long. Life loves to get worse, why not ease it on? Quote2
Absalom[src]

History

Origin[]

Corey Flynn or as he is known as Absalom, is a member of a rare subspecies of immortal mutants called Externals, to which he represents Despair of the Thread in the Tapestry of the Infinite.[2] Though he had not yet ascended his first death and revealed his immortality, Absalom under unrevealed circumstances joined a number of other Externals that had formed the self fashioned High Lords.[6] Together they manipulated events behind the scenes on a global scale, with the sole goal of political and monetary control over the destiny of Earth.[7]

Tomorrow Starts Today[]

Externals (Earth-616) from Gambit Vol 3 14

Having grown in numbers, Absalom, together with the High Lords, had become a type of authority among their kind, especially against anything that might interfere with their plans.[6][8] So in 1891 when they learned that Candra planned to stop En Sabah Nur's rise to power and take the ability to fold space for herself, Absalom and the others unwilling to physically act against her directly, sent Doctor Nathan Milbury, who worked for En Sabah Nur, deal with Candra.[9][10][6]

After Candra made it to En Sabah Nur's sanctum beneath the pyramids outside of Banī-Mazā in Egypt, thanks to her Thieves Guild and their leader Jean-Luc LeBeau so began to translate the text. Doctor Nathan Milbury with a time traveling Gambit and Courier arrived to stop her via Doctor Millbury's transport ship. Choosing to bring down En Sabah Nur's sanctum instead of fighting and steal his powers another day, Doctor Millbury quickly overpowered her with his newfound metamorphic ability. Defeated she begs for him to stop and as he does while revealing Absalom and the other four High Lords who appeared as the reason behind her loss. Candra tried to explain her actions but Absalom and the others knowing En Sabah Nur's citadel is not to be touched, his slow glaciers rise to power is not to be interrupted. For their greater glory awaits the Millennial Dawn[11][12][13] and Candra's actions put that at risk punished her.[10][6]

Defining Moment[]

At the end of the 19th century, in 1896, Absalom, using his real name Corey Flynn was a thief and a murderer on the run from six sheriffs from as many states.[2]

In a small town in Wyoming, he met the legendary Caleb Hammer and challenged him, wanting to best a legend, and thinking he could outmatch Hammer, now old. But Hammer smiled and said no, so Absalom shot him in the back as Hammer walked away and was subsequently captured.[2][1]

As he was hanged, his mutant powers manifested and he freed himself, only to be gunned down by the citizens. While he died, he wished to become a better man.[2] He woke up two days later in a wooden coffin behind a funeral parlor, and escape the village during the night.[2] Despite never returning to the man he had been, he never found the strength to be the one he wanted to be. He also came to hate his bone-spikes generation mutant abilities.[2] After his mutant powers manifested, he left the town where he was hung and wandered the Earth for some time.

Mystery Of The Externals[]

In more recent years, the High Lords were searching for the next External to ascend and their next member. For a time, thanks to Gideon believed it was Sunspot,[14] but when Cannonball came back to life moments after his death,[15] it was sensed by Absalom and the other four High Lords, who then believed that Samuel was the next External they had been looking for.[7][16]

Absalom and the others gathered at fellow External and High Lord Nicodemus' chalet in the Swiss Alps, to discuss this new revelation. Though Absalom, who already disliked Gideon, was made more so by the months Gideon wasted on recruiting the wrong person, Saul and Nicodemus listened to Gideon's plan to get Samuel to join them. They were shocked to learn that he planned to use Krule, Absalom protested the involvement of Krule in what was already an otherwise untenable morass. Though Burke was the only other who was against bring in Krule to kill Cable, although more out of fear of exposure, Saul and Nicodemus allowed him to go through with the plan.[7]

Legacy Virus[]

He eventually contracted the Legacy Virus released by Stryfe.[17][2]

The Young And The Restless[]

For a time he and the others stayed away from Cannonball and his X-Force, until he and Burke became infected by the Legacy Virus which would take Burke's life first. But not before Burke, through his precognitive skills, saw and made the others aware that Samuel Guthrie was the architect of their salvation.

Along with Gideon and Saul, he went to Cumberland County, Kentucky, to meet with Samual, threatening his brother Josh.[18] There to convince Samual to aid them, they discussed with Samual and Tabitha their defining moments of their ascension from mortals to something more, they told him about what each of them represent and for Samuel that was Hope. After Samuel shared heartfelt words with them and how they could have made a difference, but did nothing. Absalom, who had lost his temper once already with Samual but was put in his place by Gideon now enraged. Accusing the other Externals of acting like "frightened children", he assaulted Gideon and then as the virus overwhelmed him, all he wanted was for someone to mourn his passing.[2]

Samuel saved the others with his blast field from the explosion, amazed to have found Absalom survived Saul and Gideon believed it was a testament to the truth of Samuel's words. So with Samuel's word that as long as they try to do better with what they got and if the time comes, if he is able to he will save their lives Saul and with Gideon carrying an unconscious Absalom left.[2]

Even an X-Ternal Can Die![]

Corey Flynn (Earth-616) vs Selene Gallio (Earth-616) from X-Force Vol 1 54 001

With the lost of Nicodemus[19] and Burke,[2] Absalom found himself as with the remaining High Lords vulnerable for the first time in centuries. Though not from others but from one of their fellow Externals, namely Selene. Selene who had been waiting for this moment for centuries and with the coming terror of Onslaught,[20] not to mention the return of Apocalypse[21] that would come with it she made her move.[22]

Made aware they were being hunted by Crule, who he did not believe at first until they made it to Manhattan and found a dead Gideon in the streets of the Rockefeller Center.[22][8] With X-Force's Sunspot and Caliban having found Gideon due to him calling them for help, and unaware of Saul's fate Absalom with Crule attacked X-Force members believing they were the cause. The two High Lords proving to be to much to handle and with Absalom nearly killing Caliban, they were defeated when the rest of X-Force in Shatterstar, Siryn, Meltdown, Domino, and Warpath who would not join the fight arrived to help.[8]

With X-Force having won and Absalom caught unaware Selene, who had been watching and knocked out Warpath after he found a dead Saul discovered her made her move and killed him by quick drained Absalom's life-force.[3]

The Newer Mutants[]

At some point after Selene's failed attempt to absorb the essence of what was left of her fellow Externals, Absalom and the others including those that died due to the Legacy Virus came back to life.[4] 10 years later Absalom had become tired of immortal life and secretly started spying on the other Externals for a time-traveling Gideon, and joined Selene, Crule, and Nicodemus when they sensed the sudden death of Candra to discovering this mysterious killer.[4][5] To keep up the ruse he stood with them when a Cable from 13 years later came with Shatterstar, Doop, and Longshot to Manhattan's Hellfire Club to find Selene and learn who this mysterious killer is.

Sensing the death of Saul he with the others would teleport to Saul's home in Orkhon Valley; Mongolia thanks to Selene's newly resurrected Blink.[23][24] To continue his ruse he'd fight alongside Crule against Shatterstar, Longshot, and X-23 who they discovered there.[24][25]

After the death of Burke and with no other possible culprit Gideon revealed himself. As Selene and Gideon fought, Absalom dropped the ruse, killing Crule and Nicodemus to stop them from aiding Selene. But before either Absalom and Gideon could finish Selene she had Blink teleport them to Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado where Cable and the others were. Even with Cable dropping Absalom by blasting a hole in his chest, Gideon with the combined powers of all five Externals was to much for Cable and his team of Shatterstar, Longshot, Armor,[24] and X-23. Selene with all her strength fought Gideon as Cable and Doop helped distract Gideon, giving Blink the chance to quickly open and close a portal decapitating the giant Gideon. Absalom quickly back up and ranting was knocked out by Cable, who had him locked down and took Gideon to a future with a Super-Max Prison that can hold him.[5]

Having stopped Gideon from achieving the godhood Selene once tried to attempted by stealing the essence of the others Externals, Cable revealed that an External can only kill another External so Gideon failing means they'll be back.[5]

External Gateway[]

Choosing to answer a summons through their shared psychic-link from Apocalypse, Absalom went to the Eternal Caldera of Krakoa, and there joined by Selene, Saul, Crule, Nicodemus, Candra, and Gideon waited for Apocalypse. When Apocalypse arrived not wanting to play his games they learned of his plans for them, but they were unwilling to go along with his belief of what their purpose should be, nor willing to sacrifice themselves for his goals. Apocalypse forced Absalom and the others to be sacrificed by playing his trump card in a newly enhanced Rictor. Rictor erupted from the ground in a blast of lava killing Crule. After an enraged Nicodemus attacked, forcing Apocalypse to call out for Selene, Gideon, and Rictor to his side, Absalom disrupted their chat by firing a number of his bone spikes at them. Despite Selene animating the ground to shield themselves, one of his bone spikes hit Apocalypse, hurting him. Rictor turned to face Absalom, Nicodemus, Candra, and Saul. Even as Saul turned into a great dragon, Rictor blasted them with a wave of lava unintentionally killing Nicodemus along with Candra and Saul. Absalom survived but was drained and badly hurt and begged for Apocalypse's help, Apocalypse would have finished him but he needed four Externals for the ritual to work.[26]

Even after learning Candra, who knew this would happen, used a similar ritual Apocalypse was attempting, and one they used long ago to place her energy into her Heart-Gem and hide it in Avalon, he stayed by Apocalypse. Thanks to Gambit, who had been sent to Avalon with the rest of Excalibur by Apocalypse, they were able to find the Gem in Starlight Citadel. With Apocalypse opened a gateway and Rictor was able to telepathically warn Captain Britain, she asked Gambit to throw the Gem through the gate. Despite Candra's protests he did and with the Gem finding its mark the ritual was done.[26]

With the ancient bones of Saul, Crule, Nicodemus, and Candra, and thus their life energy, turned into the stones that powers the External Gate,[27] trapping them, and allowing the whole of Krakoa to enter Otherworld as Apocalypse planned.[26]

Personality

In his youth, Absalom was an arrogant and impulsive person.[2]

During his first death, he wished that if he could do his life over again, he'll do it right, but after he woke up, despite never returning to the man he had been, he never found the strength to be the one he wanted to be.[2] It was even stated he kept using violence to achieve his goals.[8]

Later, he remained pretty much the same: arrogant, impulsive.[7][2] (As Nicodemus stated, "we are immortal. No one ever said that would bring enlightenment").[7] He was deemed to be the despair component of the Externals.[2]

Despite those traits, Absalom was able to apologize and even be humble towards others and himself.[2]

That temperament caused Gideon to hate him, while Externals like Nicodemus forgave him that behavior,[7] but watched him with care (as they did for Crule).[8]

Attributes

Powers

Immortal: He is effectively immortal and since Absalom's immortality became active after his first death he no longer ages. Though he can be put out of commission or seemingly destroyed for various periods of time, Absalom can not be permanently killed.[3][5]

  • Rapid Healing: Ability to endure injuries (within unknown limits) without lasting harm or even feeling pain,[8] he could apparently regenerate injured or missing cells from even near-fatal injuries. He was shown being able to heal within moments after getting a whole blown through his chest, and then his head by Cable[5] He was also shown quickly healing while removing Shatterstar Sword from his head.[28]
  • Resurrection: As an immortal, Absalom has shown to be able to resurrected himself from death.[3][4]

Psychic-Link: As an Extertal, he shares a telepathic-link with his fellow Externals that allows them to not only sense each other and where, but can call on each other at will from great distances.[26] He is also able to sense when one rises from their first death and when one is killed by another External.[7][2][4][29]

Bone Manipulation: Absalom's mutant physiology allowed him to create razor-sharp spikes of bone-like matter through his skin and from his fingertips.[2] He can also manipulate these spikes to stretch to incredible lengths and could use them as swords, fire them like bullets, use them as daddy long legs, claw hammer, chains, horns, spikes covering his body, a type of armor etc.[8][30][26][28] It was said by Cerebra that Absalom's ability to manipulated bone is not unlike how Pyro wields fire,[31] and beyond Marrow's skills by Shatterstar.[32]

Superhuman Durability: He has shown to be able to survive the Legacy Virus turning his powers against himself,[2] and full on blasts from Sunspot, Meltdown and Siryn.[8] He was also shown to be able to withstand Captain Britain's Psychic Knife to his skull.[28]

Weaknesses

Absalom can only be killed by having his life-force drained or heart eaten from a fellow External, but if the External fails to due the same to the other Externals he'll come back again.[3][4][5]

Notes

  • Many Externals had distinctive text bubbles, and Absalom's one had a black fringe in X-Force #10.
  • The date of Absalom's early life is contradictory.[2][6]

See Also

Links and References

References

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