But my darling... You cannot be ashamed of it! The desire to destroy! It is so human! Lethality is in your soul, cherie. You know this to be true. Le violence! On the battlefield, and in the bed! It is your nature! 
- —Fantomex[src]
History
Origin
Fantomex, or Weapon XIII, was a result of the Weapon Plus Program's experimentation with technological-human hybrids.[6] He was born and was artificially "evolved" in The World, a man-made environment designed to create Super-Soldiers using Sentinel technology.[6][17] Though his true identity remained unknown, he had on at least one occasion gone by the name "Jean-Phillipe,"[4] and his experiment designation at The World facility was "Charlie Cluster-7."[1] In terms of nationality, it was first assumed that Fantomex was French due to his heavy French accent and villa seemingly near Paris.[4] However, he explained that he was not French (further adding to his mysterious origin), but rather spoke with a French accent because he found that it annoyed and distracted others when speaking to him,[1][18] and also because he liked that accent.[11]
X-Corporation
Fantomex sought a safe haven at the X-Corporation in Paris while fleeing from authorities. He claimed to be a mutant thief with the ill-defined power of misdirection.[3] Bleeding profusely from bullet wounds, he asked for asylum, which Professor X granted him. Fantomex explained to Professor X and Jean Grey that he was being hunted because he was one of the most wanted thieves in Europe. Neither Professor X nor Jean Grey were able to use their telepathy to verify his claims due to his ceramic mask, a device that blocked their mental probes.[4]
However, they agreed to aid him, and after escaping the soldiers who surrounded the building, Fantomex used E.V.A. to take Professor X and Jean Grey to his "home" in France.[4] While there, he introduced them to his "mother" and continued to describe his success as a thief. In fact, he told the two that he had stolen sensitive information about the Weapon Plus project while in the Chunnel, and offered to sell it to Professor Xavier for one billion dollars. After submitting his proposal, he put himself in a light hypnotic trance and removed the bullets that riddled his body. Finished, he asked Professor X and Jean Grey to accompany him back to the Chunnel in an effort to destroy Weapon XII. The three left in E.V.A., leaving the house and elderly woman behind.[4] However, both the house and the woman turned out to be a highly elaborate ruse designed by Fantomex to hide his true origin.[6]
Fantomex then led Professor Xavier and Jean Grey to the Chunnel disaster. Packed full of people and animals that Weapon XII had turned into mindless slaves, confusion ran rampant. Knowing that those who had fallen prey to Weapon XII's influence were lost, Fantomex killed Darkstar and any others who were mentally connected to the creature. After Fantomex destroyed Weapon XII by using a remote detonator, it was noticed that there were two empty Weapon Plus transport tubes in the Chunnel: one that had held the violent Weapon XII and another that held something called Weapon XIII.[6]
After the battle, Fantomex's ceramic mask slipped a bit and Jean Grey used her telepathy to deduce his true identity: Fantomex was actually Weapon XIII and had also been in transit in the Chunnel. It was during the accident in the Chunnel that he had escaped and was subsequently chased to the X-Corporation building. He confessed to Jean Grey that he was not the master thief that he had claimed, but was now set out to earn that reputation. He assured Jean Grey that he refused to be anyone's soldier, and as a result Jean Grey allowed Fantomex to disappear into the Chunnel before the authorities arrived.[6]
.jpg){kind=link}
Fantomex saves Dust
Dust
Fantomex later traveled to Afghanistan in an attempt to steal a list of the Earth's richest mutant slaver traders, the names on which he intended to blackmail. There he encountered an unconscious mutant known as Dust, a former mutant captive who had unwittingly killed her captors by turning into a deadly sandstorm. Upon his exit, he encountered Wolverine, leaving Dust in his care.[19]
Assault on Weapon Plus
Soon after, Fantomex contacted Wolverine and offered him information about his mysterious past if he helped Fantomex destroy Ultimaton, also known as Weapon XV, a deadly product of the Weapon Plus program. Fantomex, Wolverine, and the X-Men's Cyclops traveled to The World, an artificial, time-altering environment designed by the Weapon Plus program to quickly develop and evolve new generations of super-soldiers.[17] The team was defeated by Ultimaton, who escaped by breaking through the barriers of The World and flying to the Weapon Plus space station.[1]
The team pursued their target in E.V.A., Fantomex's biological spacecraft, and upon arriving at the space station Fantomex kept his word by showing Wolverine the complete Weapon Plus database. Shocked at learning the terrible details of his past (including his slaughtering of the entire population of Roanoke while under the influence of the Weapon Plus Program), Wolverine initiated the self-destruct sequence for the space station before catching and ultimately killing Ultimaton, who was also wondering about his condition.[20] Fantomex and Cyclops escaped the explosion in one of the station's shuttles.[21]
Planet X
Returning to Earth to find the X-Men scattered and Manhattan under siege by a mutant impersonating their arch-foe Magneto, Cyclops recruited Fantomex, E.V.A., and a group of Xavier Institute students into an ad-hoc X-Men team to oppose the villain. Fantomex led the assault, cutting a path through the faux-Magneto’s Brotherhood and liberating Xavier, precipitating the villain’s downfall.[22]
War of the Programs
Resuming his crusade against Weapon Plus, Fantomex found the grave of the Program's director, John Sublime, but found it empty, except for a slip of paper bearing the word “Roanoke.” He located the secret facility of the splinter program Weapon X and found it abandoned except for Weapon X’s Agent Zero. After a brief scuffle with no clear victor, the pair reluctantly joined forces and traveled to the site of Roanoke, a town whose inhabitants were slaughtered after Weapon X unleashed a brainwashed Wolverine on them years earlier. There, they encountered Sublime but were opposed by his U-Men and forced to flee against overwhelming odds. Believed to still be under the Program’s control, Fantomex was left for dead.
Quiet
Later, Fantomex was contacted by the diminutive mutant Shortpack who sought his help in assassinating mutant arms dealer Steinbeck in revenge for his killing of an agent under Shortpack’s care.[23] Fantomex refused, not wanting to become responsible for allowing the good-natured Shortpack to become a killer. Shortpack was captured by Steinbeck soon after, and whilst investigating his disappearance the shapechanging mutant Mystique, who was working for both Xavier and Steinbeck’s ally Shepard, learned of his meeting with Fantomex. Though despising him after a past encounter in Madagascar, Mystique found Fantomex in Monte Carlo, once again operating under the pretense he was a mutant thief, and learned of Shortpack’s plan.
As she left to rescue him, Fantomex followed and uncovered her intent to assassinate Xavier. In exchange for his silence, Fantomex bade Mystique perform a heist for him. After she returned with the goods, Mystique infected both Fantomex and E.V.A. with a techno-organic virus, seemingly killing them both to keep her plan secret. However, it was all a ruse as Mystique knew she was being monitored by Shepard. Fantomex later resurfaced and helped Mystique capture Shepard, giving her access to Steinbeck whom she defeated.
Dark Reign
Fantomex next appeared defending The World from Norman Osborn's zombie hordes. After Wolverine and the zombie soldiers were infected by Allgod. As atheists Fantomex and Noh-Varr were immune to the World's latest weapon. Fighting off the zombies and a mind controlled Wolverine, Noh-Varr manages to placate the World, releasing Wolverine from the Allgod's influence the trio proceed to defeat Norman Osborne's zombies. Fantomex uses a shrink-ray stolen from Doctor Doom to keep an eye on the World.[24]
.jpg){kind=link}
Fantomex hunts down a Predator X
Nation X and Second Coming
Next encountering the X-Men after being hired by a young mutant boy to kill a Predator X, Fantomex is crucial in helping to subdue Lobe team until they released a mutant fighting influenza HX-N1, forcing the X-Men to flee. Fantomex is later seen wooing Psylocke.[25]
Once part of the X-Men, he helped Emma Frost and Kitty Pryde to get rid of Sebastian Shaw, but he release him from the pair, thinking to kill him but instead powering his kinetic absorption power, which led Shaw to battle the three X-Men for a short but intense confrontation.[26]
He was later seen fighting the Nimrod sentinel units sent from the future by Bastion to attack the mutants of Utopia.
Uncanny X-Force
He then joined X-Force.[27] He went with the team to kill a clone of the original Apocalypse, unknown to them that the clone was a child this time. When X-Force ultimately decided to save the boy, Fantomex realized they couldn't, and shot him.[28]
Later, an army of Deathloks attacked Fantomex, killed his mother, and stole the miniaturized World. Fantomex was working on an experiment that could save the future. It is later discovered that this is another clone of Apocalypse created by Fantomex, named Genesis being grown in his lab in The World.[29]
Dark Angel Saga
Due to killing Apocalypse, X-Force member Archangel began to turn into the new Apocalypse because of the Succession Protocol put in place to assure that upon Apocalypses death, one of his Horsemen of Death would succeed him. X-Force traveled to the Age of Apocalypse, an alternate universe where they hoped to find a Celestial Lifeseed which they could use to reverse the process Archangel was undergoing.[30]
Together with the X-Men of that world they managed to secure a Lifeseed despite heavy losses for the X-Men. They returned to their own world only to find that they had been tricked by Archangel who had already completed his transformation and wanted the Lifeseed in order to re-make The World. Fantomex and X-Force attempted to fight him and his Horsemen but were forced to flee, leaving behind Psylocke who still believed Archangel could be redeemed.[31]
With Wolverine seriously injured Fantomex was forced to lead what remained of X-Force in order to stop Archangel and retrieve The World which he had stolen. During the final battle to stop Archangel, Fantomex appeared to flee but in fact went to bring the X-Men (Earth-295) in order to aid them. Fantomex was also forced to release his secret weapon the clone of Apocalypse who managed to buy them enough time to defeat Archangel.[32]
Fantomex was then kidnapped by Captain Britain and taken to Otherworld to stand trial for his murder of the child Apocalypse. After Otherworld was attacked and Fantomex helped in its defense however, he was allowed to go free.[33]
_from_Uncanny_X-Force_Vol_1_35.png){kind=link}
Fantomex returns
Final Execution
As X-Force came face to face with the new Brotherhood of Evil mutants, Fantomex was poisoned by Mystique with a poison that completely blocked his powers. Psylocke was mind controlled by Shadow King forcing Fantomex to intervene. He removed his mask which contained his mind shields and gave it to Psylocke, breaking Shadow King's control over her. This however left him vulnerable and after just managing to send Psylocke away with E.V.A. he was killed by the Brotherhood.[34]
E.V.A. and the rest of X-Force managed to recover his body and E.V.A. deposited it in a cloning sample hatch in the White Sky Facility, the Cloud. All three of his brains were intact, and the machine made a mistake a cloned a new body for each of his brains. Fantomex re-unites with Psylocke and takes her and his new "sister" to meet his mother.[12]
After X-Force
_and_Fantomex(Earth-616)_001.jpg){kind=link}
Fantomex and Cluster escaping after a heist.
Fantomex, Cluster, and Psylocke worked as thieves in Paris, six months after their reconstitution, Cluster learning the job from Fantomex. During this time a love triangle emerged between Fantomex, Psylocke, and Cluster, until Weapon XIII kidnapped Fantomex. While trying to rescue Fantomex, Weapon XIII professed his love for Psylocke, this lead to all three of them agreeing to become one again.[35] Fantomex was even offered a spot by Wolverine in the Jean Grey School, which he turned down.[36]
Cable's X-Force
Fantomex and E.V.A. joined Cable's new X-Force team and went on several missions with them in the hopes he'd be reunited with his still as of yet dissociated parts of himself.[37] After a time, he slowly went insane and plotted against the team wanting to be the best there is.[38] Eventually turning on them he also revealed that team member MeMe was really Hope using her powers to impersonate the real one.[39] Using her to copy the imperfect Volga Effect onto himself in digital form in order to complete his flawed being only to find it useless, until Domino shot him in the head did the serum take full effect giving him full control over it bestowing upon himself a wide range of new abilities.[40]
For a time, Fantomex would travel across the globe deposing every branch of super spy agency, super people coalitions, super anything that stood in his path to being the best which unbeknownst to him was a cleaver ploy by Nathan himself to demolish any threats to the mutant nation agenda.[41] Hope Summers eventually copied his god-like powers and instead of fighting him directly, she implanted a thought into his mind: that in order to be perfect you need inadequacies and personal faults. Fantomex couldn't comprehend being perfect through imperfection so he had a mental break down, having E.V.A purge himself of all flaws afflicting him along with his almighty attributes. Psylocke then used her psychic blades to scramble his brains seemingly clipping his connection to his core mutant power, wherein the rest of X-Force proceeded to paste the now depowered perfectionist.[42]
Astonishing X-Men
Both Fantomex and E.V.A. were restored to normalcy by Magneto,[43] who subsequently had Jean-Phillipe work for him through the Hellfire Club, investigating the activities of a shady company called Someday Enterprises together with Mystique.[44] After discovering that Someday used biotechnology stolen from The World in their experiments with mutants, Fantomex entered its system to ensure it was no longer compromised. Upon finding Someday's access point into The World and destroying it, Fantomex took advantage of the void left by it to plant the seed of his very own own consciousness in The World's network.[45]
Upon returning to the real world, Fantomex became partners with Gambit until being paid the money LeBeau owed him. When Gambit was psychically called by Psylocke to London for help, Fantomex accompanied him. After helping free Psylocke from the influence of the Shadow King, some of the mutants summoned by Psylocke ventured into the Astral Plane to defeat the villain. Fantomex volunteered, on the grounds that he needed to ensure Gambit's safety only so he could pay his debt.[46]
The team eventually split up in once they reached the Astral Plane, and Fantomex ended up with Mystique. Mystique took advantage of the properties of the Astral Plane to conjure up Madripoor and essentially enjoy a vacation while they waited for the Shadow King to come from them. Fantomex and Mystique enjoyed numerous activities together, eventually sharing a kiss before being teleported elsewhere in the Astral Plane by the soul of the late Professor X to help him fight the Shadow King.[47] Near the end of the conflict, Fantomex agreed to donate his body to Professor X's astral form so that he could return to the real world while his mind remained in the Astral Plane. Fantomex hoped his sacrifice would earn him a clean slate and break his cycle of always returning to his status quo of a thief, a role he felt he was chained to.[48]Attributes
 |
Powers
Fantomex is an artificially-evolved human, an engineered mutate with three brains for independent parallel processing and 'nano-active blood'.[20] Fantomex's primary nervous system is actually a detachable techno-organism called E.V.A.[1]
After being killed, he was cloned in a way that his three brains each received a body, leading to the existence of Fantomex, Cluster and Weapon XIII. Later, the clones were thought to have been reabsorbed back into his original body but this was not the case. He is also a mutant.[15]
- E.V.A.: An autonomous picotoch entity manifesting his primary nervous system externally,[1] with retractable landing legs, hovering and propulsion capabilities, morphing doorways, passenger room, and a machine consciousness. He can see through E.V.A.'s point of view and can take control of her movement. However, this requires extreme concentrations on the part of Fantomex. Moreover, E.V.A can fly "herself" and can generate bio-electric charges to be used as weapons. Fantomex is both telepathically and symbiotically linked to E.V.A. As a result, whenever E.V.A. is traumatized or injured, Fantomex experiences the same pain.[49]
- Superhuman Durability: While separated, Fantomex feels no pain and seems able to ignore most injuries.[1]
- Misdirection: ability to 'misdirect' another person, including the use of illusions. Together, their combined consciousnesses can create extremely convincing illusions. It seems even powerful telepaths cannot truly tell if he is lying or not. This includes misdirecting someone's feelings.[50]
- Externalized Neuroweapons System: Fantomex recently showed he could eject E.V.A. as a ball of bio-electrostatic energy that can shock and immobilize enemy designates through the usage of her onboard picotech.[39]
- Regenerative Healing Factor: Fantomex boasted a healing factor of his own.[51] But it paled in comparison to Logan's as he could not regenerate lost or destroyed bodily organs such as his face or heart.[34]
- Secondary Nervous System: Fantomex possesses a secondary, internal nervous system that he can activate to prevent negative feedback from E.V.A., but its functions are limited, allowing him to see only in black & white.[20]
- Enhanced Senses: Cluster boasts vastly augmented sensory range compared to the finest human specimen, with these attributes he could even sense the presence of the regularly misbegotten ForgetMeNot.[52]
- Healing Trance: can place himself in a trance-like state to recover from injuries. In this state he has been known to forcibly expel bullets and recover faster while placed in water.[citation needed]
- Superhuman Agility
- Enhanced Strength:
- Inodorosity: His body doesn't create any scent, making it difficult for even the likes of Wolverine to track him.[8]
A few hundred thousand volts? I'm not so easy to hurt, Mister Summers.
- —Charlie Cluster-7 (Earth-616)[src]
.jpg){kind=link}
Fantomex gets ready for a fight
Abilities
Fantomex is a skilled marksman and a formidable hand-to-hand combatant. He can also read the body language of others with unparalleled precision. This, coupled with his superhuman abilities, makes him a master of misdirection. Fantomex is also able to place himself in a state of light auto-hypnosis to perform critical tasks, such as self surgery.[4]
He speaks English. He does uses often French words and a French accent, but in fact doesn't speak french.[11]Paraphernalia
Equipment
Weapons
Transportation
Notes
- Fantomex mutant status is controversial:
- After the Second Coming, Steve Rogers stated he wasn't technically a mutant, but a human mutate/cyborg, "product of a "mating" between his human mother and a machine".[14]
- Fantomex referred himself as a mutant/sentinel dichotomy,[5] seemingly feeling himself both, at least symbolically.
- He was later among the mutants dragged into Legion,[55] although similar argument has also been rejected as an artist error for Puck being raptured by the Scarlet Witch.[56]
- When joining Cable's X-Force in X-Force Volume 4, he was stated to be a mutant.[57]
- Fantomex was shown as a single individual, suggesting that Fantomex, Lady Fantomex and Evil Fantomex were recombined.[36]
Trivia
- Fantomex is based on French pulp fiction villain Fantômas and the Italian comic anti-hero Diabolik.[58]
- Fantomex's name is similar to that of Fantômas.
- E.V.A is named after Diabolik's lover and partner, Eva Kant.
- Fantomex's alias Jean-Phillipe appears to be a reference to Danger: Diabolik protagonist John Phillip Law
- He intentionally uses a French accent because it annoys people.[1][18]
See Also
- 138 appearance(s) of Charlie Cluster-7 (Earth-616)
- 5 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Charlie Cluster-7 (Earth-616)
- 12 minor appearance(s) of Charlie Cluster-7 (Earth-616)
- 15 mention(s) of Charlie Cluster-7 (Earth-616)
- 4 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Charlie Cluster-7 (Earth-616)
- 230 image(s) of Charlie Cluster-7 (Earth-616)
- 16 quotation(s) by or about Charlie Cluster-7 (Earth-616)
- 3 victim(s) killed by Charlie Cluster-7 (Earth-616)
- 2 item(s) used/owned by Charlie Cluster-7 (Earth-616)
Links and References
- Characters killed by Fantomex
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 New X-Men #144
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #4
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 New X-Men #128
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 New X-Men #129
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Uncanny X-Force #5
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 New X-Men #130
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Uncanny X-Men #519
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Uncanny X-Men #520
- ↑ Uncanny X-Force #18
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Uncanny X-Force #22
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 X-Force (Vol. 4) #4
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Uncanny X-Force #35
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 New X-Men #128–130
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Heroic Age: X-Men #1
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 X-Force (Vol. 4) #1
- ↑ New X-Men #149
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 New X-Men #143
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Weapon X (Vol. 2) #25
- ↑ New X-Men #133
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 New X-Men #145
- ↑ New X-Men #146
- ↑ New X-Men #146–151
- ↑ Mystique #20
- ↑ Dark Reign: The List - Wolverine #1
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men #521
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men #529–534
- ↑ X-Men: Second Coming #2
- ↑ Uncanny X-Force #1–4
- ↑ Uncanny X-Force #5–8
- ↑ Uncanny X-Force #11–13
- ↑ Uncanny X-Force #14–15
- ↑ Uncanny X-Force #16–18
- ↑ Uncanny X-Force #19–23
- ↑ 34.0 34.1 Uncanny X-Force #25–27
- ↑ Uncanny X-Force (Vol. 2) #7–9
- ↑ 36.0 36.1 Wolverine and the X-Men (Vol. 2) #1
- ↑ X-Force (Vol. 4) #1–6
- ↑ X-Force (Vol. 4) #7
- ↑ 39.0 39.1 39.2 X-Force (Vol. 4) #11
- ↑ 40.0 40.1 X-Force (Vol. 4) #12
- ↑ X-Force (Vol. 4) #13
- ↑ 42.0 42.1 42.2 X-Force (Vol. 4) #15
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 4) #8
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 4) #3
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 4) #18
- ↑ Astonishing X-Men (Vol. 4) #1
- ↑ Astonishing X-Men (Vol. 4) #4
- ↑ Astonishing X-Men (Vol. 4) #6
- ↑ Uncanny X-Force #2
- ↑ Uncanny X-Force #1
- ↑ Fear Itself: Uncanny X-Force #2
- ↑ X-Force (Vol. 4) #10
- ↑ 53.0 53.1 X-Force (Vol. 4) #11–15
- ↑ X-Force (Vol. 4) #11–12
- ↑ X-Men: Legacy (Vol. 2) #23
- ↑ Stuart Vandal's answer on Cxpulp.com and Tom Brevoort's statement on Brevoortformsping tumblr
- ↑ X-Force Volume 4's resumes
- ↑ Cronin, Brian (31 August 2006) Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #66 CBR. Retrieved on 7 March 2017.
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #4
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol 1 4