History
The woman who called herself Infectia learned a great deal about genetics from her father, a geneticist based in a Manhattan brownstone. As a result she was better able to comprehend the nature of her superhuman power to perceive and alter the genetic structure of other living beings. Upon her father's death, Infectia inherited the brownstone, the laboratory within it, and a fortune, and thereupon dropped out of high school.
Years later Infectia decided she wanted to take possession of the gigantic sentient fortress airship that formerly served as the headquarters of the mutant Apocalypse and which had fallen into possession of the team of superhuman mutants known as X-Factor. She mutated a policeman into a powerful inhuman monster and went with him to Manhattan's Hard Rock Cafe. There she persuaded two X-Factor members, the Beast and Iceman, that the monster was after her. The Beast and Iceman battled the monster, which disintegrated after expending all its power.
Infectia persuaded the Beast and Iceman to bring her to the fortress ship, where she attempted repeatedly to kiss Iceman and thereby transform him into a creature under her control. However, the young mutants who later became known as the X-Terminators, who were being trained by X-Factor, were suspicious of Infectia and kept interrupting her attempts. The Beast also grew suspicious of Infectia.
Finally, Infectia entrapped Iceman at her home laboratory. She was about to kiss Iceman in order to transform him when the Beast intentionally came between them, intercepting the kiss. There was a great explosion, presumably as a result of Infectia's attempt to mutate a mutant.
Some time ago, the Beast had been transformed from his furry bestial form back into his original human appearance. Later, the touch of the mutant Pestilence, one of Apocalypse's Horsemen, combined with the after effects of the experiment that caused the Beast to return to human form, altered the Beast so that the more he expended his superhuman strength, the more his intelligence decreased. Infectia's kiss reversed all these changes, returning both the Beast's full, high intelligence and his furry, bestial appearance, and put an end to the process that was decreasing his intelligence.
Thus, Infectia had unintentionally helped the Beast a great deal. Infectia was one of the first mutants to contract the disease known as the Legacy Virus. Although she was tended to by the Beast, he could do nothing to stop the virus. As a last request the Beast took her to the hospital’s roof to see the sunrise one last time before she quietly passed away.Attributes
Powers
See Also
- 7 appearance(s) of Infectia (Josephine) (Earth-616)
- 3 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Infectia (Josephine) (Earth-616)
- 3 minor appearance(s) of Infectia (Josephine) (Earth-616)
- 2 mention(s) of Infectia (Josephine) (Earth-616)
- 1 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Infectia (Josephine) (Earth-616)
- 3 image(s) of Infectia (Josephine) (Earth-616)
- 2 quotation(s) by or about Infectia (Josephine) (Earth-616)