GIDEON

 

GIDEON

Real Name: Unrevealed

First Appearance: The New Mutants (Vol. 1) #98, February 1991

Powers: Gideon has the mutant power to restructure his genetic code to match the abilities of any opponent he faces. When dealing with biologically superhuman opponents, this ability naturally manifests itself as power mimicry. Gideon was capable of manifesting multiple powers at once, such as when he used the powers of the entire New Warriors roster. He was able to wield Speedball's kinetic field in ways Speedball could not, but whether this was some intuitive part of his mutant power or merely an example of Gideon being more intelligent and imaginative than Speedball is unclear. His power can also equalize him against unliving opponents as well, though. When fighting battle droids in a training program, Gideon assimilated their mechanical strength, computer-assisted reflexes, and metallic durability. An actual power-mimic couldn't accomplish this feat because robots have no genes or bio-energy signatures to copy from. Additionally, when Gideon once fought Night Thrasher, the latter removed his hydraulically-enhanced battle suit before advancing on Gideon after Gideon indicated he could match the abilities of the armor as well.

Gideon has an extremely long lifespan due to his status as an External. Externals are mutants who, in addition to having powers from their active “x-factor” gene, are also gifted with near-immortality. An External’s immortality manifests at the point of their first mortal death. They would age normally until their first death, after which they would self-resurrect and remain frozen at that age indefinitely from then on. An External is supposed to be capable of recovering from just about any injury given time, except for the severing of all four limbs and the head. They proved just as susceptible to the Legacy Virus as other mutants, and could also be killed by the absorption or destruction of their astral forms.