X-Factor Investigations (Earth-616)

X-Factor Investigations was a detective agency run by Jamie Madrox, formerly known as the costumed superhero Multiple Man. The agency was originally named XXX Investigations, but team members thought that it sounded too much like Madrox was investigating pornography. The new name was taken from the government-sponsored mutant supergroup that the three founders had previously served on.

The initial staff consisted of Madrox's best friend and special enforcer, Guido Carosella Strong Guy and former teammate Rahne Sinclair Wolfsbane. Following the House of M, Madrox's newfound wealth from winning a Who Wants to be a Millionaire-style gameshow allowed him to recruit several of his former colleagues of the Paris branch of the now defunct X-Corporation. New members included Siryn, a powerless Rictor, M and Layla Miller, who had inserted herself into the group to keep them from discovering the truth behind the mutant Decimation. Recently, the team came into conflict with rival agency Singularity Investigations after they ordered Siryn beaten and left for dead.

After meeting with Singularity CEO Damian Tryp, Madrox asked Siryn to find out more about the Decimation from the heroes who might have been involved (by using her modulated voice to make them more suggestible). She learned from Spider-Man that the X-Men (who had denied any involvement), as well as Quicksilver were, in fact, central to the ending of the House of M and the subsequent Decimation.

Little was known about Damian Tryp apart from that he ran Singularity Investigations, which was in direct competition with Madrox's X-Factor Investigations and his encounters with Madrox's team. He was also one of the few mutants who kept their superhuman powers after the M-Day, although it was discovered that he might not be a mutant, but a genetic throwback to an earlier time, i.e., a "changeling", a predecessor to mutants who developed powers at birth. Tryp’s mutation enabled him to live for a very long time, as evidenced by him being alive in the 12th-century Wales. He also was able to move through time in a similar fashion to Quicksilver, which enabled him to bring together himself at three different times.

Damian Tryp also seemed to be involved in Jamie Madrox’s past. When Jamie was born, the doctor’s slap caused him to multiply into two identical babies, which was rather shocking to both his parents and the doctor. Professor Charles Xavier, a friend of the Madrox family, suggested that they move to Kansas to raise the boy in privacy with the possibility of the boy to be later taught at Professor X’s school for the gifted youngsters. However, when Madrox was still young, Tryp also made an own offer to look after Jamie, claiming that Jamie was also a "changeling" like him. Jamie's parents, however, refused to give Jamie to Tryp, who proceeded to create a freak tornado that killed Jamie’s parents.

The all out conflict between Tryp's Singularity Investigations and X-Factor Investigations began after the youngest version of Tryp badly beat Siryn (after shooting her in the neck with a dart that prevented her from using her powers) and left her for dead. Siryn, as part of her duties for X-Factor Investigations, was investigating the murder of the woman who died in Jack Vaughn’s penthouse under suspicious circumstances. Jack Vaughn (a movie star) claimed that the woman was killed by her sister, Gloria Santiago, who was upset about the relationship (claiming that Jack was “no good” for her sister), and that all he was trying to do was wrestle the gun away from her. The sister thus hired X-Factor Investigations to help her clear her name and bring Jack to justice. Singularity Investigations was representing Jack Vaughn with Tryp, Junior (i.e., the youngest version) as the defense counsel. Siryn and X-Factor Investigations managed to incriminate Vaughn and to thwart SI’s assassination attempt on Rictor. Tryp, Junior was so infuriated by this that he ambushed Siryn and beat her almost to death, leaving her to die in an alley.

Madrox and Strong Guy gave Tryp a very public warning as Tryp was jogging in the park. They told Tryp that they knew that it was him who hurt Siryn, and while they would not hurt him in broad daylight, he should watch his back. Tryp, Junior and Tryp, Senior made Madrox an offer to join their firm, and Madrox laughed in response.

Quicksilver returned to Mutant Town^[1], having gained the ability to restore other mutants' powers from the Terrigen Mists. X-Factor used this to confront the X-Men with their knowledge of the Decimation. As a result, X-Factor took a public stance in defiance of the Superhuman Registration Act and the X-Men have decided not to interfere with Quicksilver as long as he stayed in Mutant Town.

It was exposed that Tryp and his company have been working on a new version of the legacy virus. A former Singularity employee came to X-Factor Investigations and related that Tryp was attempting to restart the Legacy Virus, the plague that killed several mutants, including, briefly, Madrox himself. Strong Guy was sent to drive the man to safety but once they were alone, Strong Guy killed him and called Tryp to report. It was later discovered that Tryp had placed a hypnotic suggestion in Strong Guy’s head to turn him into a sleeper agent. According to the oldest version of Tryp (ancient), all of Singularity Investigations' efforts to create the Legacy Virus had been to prevent a possible future in which X-Factor managed to undo the Decimation, but as a result, humanity was wiped out by the re-powered mutants in a bloody conflict. As such, X-Factor Investigations' new goal was to undo Decimation, but also to prevent the conflict Tryp predicted.

Due to one of Madrox's dupes blowing up the SI building, apparently killing Tryp, Junior and Tryp, Senior (i.e., the middle-aged version), only the ancient Tryp (the one who had been alive the longest and has seen the grim future) was still alive.

After the destruction of Singularity Investigations, the present form of Damian Tryp (the elder/ancient) revealed to Layla that her very existence had foiled his plans — she was a force of chaos like he was. Tryp also revealed that when he comes into conflict with Layla, terrible events would occur as a result. Following her encounter with Tryp, Layla was genuinely shocked for the first time: the glass of milk she was pouring overflowed, spilling onto the floor.

After finding out about the foretold event, each member of the X-Factor Investigations received a session with Doc Samson.

Civil War

X-Factor Investigations took public stance in defiance of the Superhuman Registration Act, and Madrox had helped Aegis elude S.H.I.E.L.D. authorities. However, Rictor and M were registered by a duplicate of Madrox who was an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Madrox, Strong Guy, and Wolfsbane were already registered because of their membership in the previous, government-sponsored X-Factor.

After the war

After Madrox's experience with his S.H.I.E.L.D. dupe, a dupe he had forgotten about, Madrox went on a quest to gather his lost dupes and revealed an ability to absorb himself into dupes. This quest met an end when he found a dupe who had built his own family. Meanwhile Siryn and Monet bounded in France and rescued a child from a riot. X-Factor was then attacked by the X-Cell and almost defeated. The X-Cell's member believed the government to be responsible for their lost powers. All but Marrow and Callisto were re-powered by Quicksilver and Rictor -- a process that resulted in the death of their leader and Abyss, Fatale and Reaper fleeing into the brimstone dimension to fate unknown. When Layla Miller revealed what truly happened to Callisto and Marrow, Rictor used his powers to expel the Terrigen crystals from Quicksilver's body (except for one, which he kept) at the cost of his powers.

The Isolationist

X-factor tangled with Jospeh Huber, a power telepath (among other things)), who convinced Jamie Madorx, Cyclops, and Beast to organize a "Million Mutant March" political rally to get mutants declared an endangered species by the United States government. However, Layla Miller told Madrox that one of Huber's agents had tried to kill her, and it was revealed that Huber's plan was a plot to get all the mutants in one place so they could be destroyed. Huber claimed that all the mutant voices in his head were driving him crazy. He also claimed that he had manipulated and arranged all of X-factor Investigations problems and adventures. Then he teleported the team to a frozen wasteland.

Paraphernalia

Equipment: None known.
Transportation: None known.
Weapons: None known.

Notes

No special notes.

Trivia

No trivia.

Links and References

↑ following the events of Son of M

[0] wing the events of Son of M

[1]

X-Factor Investigations (Earth-616)

From Marvel Database

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