History
Early Life
Gideon was born in Spain during the 15th century. He became a member of the first expedition led by Christopher Columbus in 1492, aboard the Pinta, but succumbed to scurvy. However, Gideon recovered as they reached the New World, his nature as a mutant External allowing himself to be resurrected.[2]
16th to the 19th Century
Although his subsequent history remains largely unknown, over the course of the next several hundred years, he became quite wealthy and discovered other Externals like himself.[2]
20th century
In the 20th Century, Gideon studied at Harvard University but was expelled under circumstances to be revealed. He went on to build his company, Ophrah Industries, into a corporate giant, intending to use his ever-growing financial power to dominate the world.[3]
Modern Era
Gideon first came to public notice when he began forging alliances between high-tech industrial consortium's, such as GeneTech and the Taylor Foundation, and with powerful mutants or secret organizations such as A.I.M. He was known to have formed an alliance with the Toad, who was leading the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants at the time, in a scheme to recreate the menace Proteus.[4]
A long-time family friend of the DaCosta family, he erroneously believed the young Roberto DaCosta (secretly the hero Sunspot) to be the next immortal that the Externals had been looking for. Gideon manipulated events to have DaCosta's father killed and Roberto to take over the role as leader of the DaCosta’s family company. Gideon positioned himself as DaCosta's mentor, taking him away from his role in the team of New Mutants and into Gideon's confidence.[5]
Gideon working out
Gideon kept his power a secret, preferring to work behind the scenes. However, the New Warriors, when investigating criminal links of the Taylor Foundation, caused Gideon to reveal his mutant powers and sadistic temperament. He soundly defeated them.[6]
When it was discovered that Cannonball was the mutant Gideon was searching for, Gideon abandoned DaCosta, subjecting him to vicious experiments until he was later rescued by the New Mutant's later incarnation, X-Force.[7]
Surprisingly, Gideon sent a distress call to X-Force after being betrayed by the External Selene. For reasons of her own, Selene was suddenly killing the remaining members of the Externals, absorbing their life forces. Despite the efforts of X-Force, Gideon was the first External to be killed by Selene when she drained him of his life energy.[8]
His remains were taken by his assistants of Ophrah Industries to sit and gestate in a containment capsule at Black Canyon, Gunnison National Park.[9] Where Nathan Summers and his team would eventually come looking around when Externals started dying left and right.
Future revival, Return to the past
Some three thousand years into the future, the now revived Gideon awakens to a dystopian world where humanity has either died off or mutated into vicious subterranean monstrosities with a veracious penchant for the flesh of anything that moves.[10] After he and his assistant Eve, who'd had her consciousness dumped into a robot body through Gideon's corporate resources, managed to corral them into a serviceable workforce.
They made they're way across the expanse that was once the planet Earth, eventually winding up in the derelict remains of the Xavier's Institute for Mutant Education and Outreach in the ruins of NYC, Central Park.
Where Gideon found what remains of Cable's Techno-Organic Arm in a storage closet, from there he would enact a plan to travel back in time to undo the horrid future he came from and obtain ultimate power. Still greatly incensed at Selene for murdering him, he traveled back in time using Nate's time travel technology and began systematically killing off all the other secretly revived Externals.[11] Having first done away with Candra in her own abode before eventually moving onto Saul who'ed taken refuge in a monastery overseeing Orkhon Valley; Mongolia.
Soon after visiting Burke at his cottage in Tonesket; Washington, but clearing out of sight at the sign of Cable's crew stopping in to visit. When they left he proceeded to kill his fellow External on the deal that he'd lead them away and Gideon would end Burke's suffering in eternal loneliness.[12]Attributes
Powers
Power Mimicry: Gideon was a mutant with the ability to temporarily endow himself with superhuman abilities by assuming the superhuman energy signatures and genetic templates of superhuman beings in his vicinity. While he assumed the powers of others, he didn't take on any aspect of their appearance (for instance, he seemingly duplicated Sunspot's solar-strength without becoming noticeably solar-charged himself).[13] Apparently he could even duplicate the superhuman physical capabilities of robots. Exactly how Gideon scanned the genetic templates and signatures of other superhumans is unknown, but it has been theorized that it was psionic in nature.
Regenerative Healing Factor: As part of his own natural genetic mutation, Gideon possessed an accelerated healing factor. He could regenerate damaged or destroyed bodily tissues much faster and more extensively than an ordinary human. For instance, multiple gunshot wounds to his torso fully mended within a matter of minutes. Gideon's natural healing factor also rendered him highly resistant to most toxins and poisons, as well as an immunity against all known diseases. On his own, however, his healing powers were insufficient to fully regenerate missing organs or severed limbs. However, it is possible that Gideon could have fully regenerated such tissue by temporarily absorbing the abilities of a being that possessed a sufficiently developed healing factor.
Superhuman Longevity: As an External, Gideon's natural aging process was altered dramatically. From the time he seemingly "died" before being killed by Selene, Gideon appeared to have aged very little, if any at all. Despite being more than 500 years of age at the time of his death, he had the appearance and vigor of a man in his physical prime.Abilities
Notes
- Gideon was christian, at least in 1492.[2]
See Also
- 38 appearance(s) of Gideon (Earth-616)
- 4 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Gideon (Earth-616)
- 6 minor appearance(s) of Gideon (Earth-616)
- 15 mention(s) of Gideon (Earth-616)
- 2 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Gideon (Earth-616)
- 34 image(s) of Gideon (Earth-616)
- 4 quotation(s) by or about Gideon (Earth-616)
- 1 victim(s) killed by Gideon (Earth-616)
Links and References
References
- ↑ Marvel Universe Series III 1992 trading cards
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 X-Force #37
- ↑ New Mutants #98
- ↑ X-Factor Annual #6
- ↑ New Mutants #98–99
- ↑ New Warriors #19
- ↑ X-Force #12–15
- ↑ X-Force #52
- ↑ Cable #152
- ↑ Cable #153
- ↑ Cable #150
- ↑ Cable #151
- ↑ X-Force #2