SYNCH

 

SYNCH

Real Name: Everett Thomas

First Appearance: X-Men (Vol. 2) #36, September 1994

Powers: Synch’s mutation, his "synchronistic aura", is both his mutant power and the expression of it.

The “synchronistic” or mutagenic aura is the radiant, but typically invisible energy signature produced as a by-product of the x-gene. This energy signature is unique to each mutant and is what Cerebro scans for when searching for mutants. This energy is also the biological power source that fuels a mutant's powers and abilities, whether they're energy-related or not. All mutants possess it and it surrounds them at all times. But unlike other mutants, Synch can actively feel and manipulate his own aura, and through it, feel the aura of other mutants. His aura, which manifests itself visually as a rainbow effect, functions similarly to a divining rod, "aiming" itself towards other mutant presences. He can use it to pinpoint other mutants in his immediate area and is sensitive enough to differentiate between familiar or new mutant signatures. It can give him a general direction of any nearby mutant he wishes to focus on, and can "lead" him to that mutant even through the winding tunnels of the New York sewer system. His aura also enables him to perceive Emplate when the villain was out of sync with our dimensional plane, functionally invisible.

The primary use of his aura, however, is to synchronize it to that of other mutants and then duplicate it, allowing him to mimic the mutant powers of anyone within his range. He can either manifest these new powers personally, or conduct the mutant power signature through his aura, causing it to function in new and different ways. For instance, Everett could produce a sonic scream from his throat like Banshee, project fireworks like Jubilee, or manifest increased mass and strength from Sabretooth. Conversely, he can cause his aura to discharge offensively by duplicating Chamber's bio-blast, convert it into a force field through synchronizing with the diamond-hard Penance, or lash out with it as a battering ram of force equal to the raw strength of Hemingway.

Typically, Synch chooses to manifest powers through his aura when the physical mutations involved are potentially hazardous or difficult to control. Initially, he’d have his aura mimic Chamber's bio-blasts instead of doing so himself, realistically to avoid blowing out his chest as Chamber did when his mutant power manifested. Similarly, his aura created a force field instead of him mimicking Penance's diamond skin directly, and it created an energy ram instead of manifesting Hemingway's tremendous size and strength to avoid his potentially unsettling mutations. As he became more confident and adept in the use of his powers, Everett began testing his powers more, like duplicating Chamber’s powers directly.

Although he doesn't require physical contact to sync with their powers, the farther away a mutant is the more difficult it is for Synch's aura to properly replicate their abilities. His death occurred because M (Monet St. Croix) was too far away for him to fully adapt her invulnerability power, and he once needed Skin to snake his elastic skin in close enough to touch before mimicking his elasticity. Once he has a solid lock on a mutant's energy signature, though, Synch can maintain these adopted powers for an extended period of time, up to at least 24 hours after he leaves the presence of the original mutant. He was able to utilize multiple mutant abilities simultaneously.

Everett is also capable of using his aura to absorb mutant bio-energy passively, processing it through his system. This capability made Synch practically immune to the harmful effects of any mutant energy projection. He once absorbed a combined bio-blast of both Banshee and Chamber's energies without injury or discomfort. Finally, there is some evidence that Synch's powers could be extended beyond merely interacting with other mutant signatures. He demonstrated certain enhanced perceptions at times, such as sensing the build-up of a mechanically-activated teleportation beam moments before it whisked away his opponents, and synching with a living mist to see through it into the other-dimensional realm that the mist acted as a gateway for. 

Recently, it has been shown that he can synch with non-mutant superhumans so as to replicate their powers, and retain the powers he copies as well, though the exact nature of his power’s evolution remains unclear.