PHALANX

 

PHALANX

 

First Appearance: The Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 1) #305, October 1993 (prototypes); The Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 1) #306, November 1993 (Earth Phalanx)

History & Traits: The Phalanx are techno-organic beings created by infecting organic life forms (whether humanoid, animal, or plant) with the extraterrestrial Technarchy’s Transmode Virus. When the Technarchy feed on organic life-glow, they expose living matter to their Transmode Virus (which is part of their physiology) before consuming it. If all of the techno-organic matter is not consumed, it may survive after the Technarch moves on. Because Transmode-infected matter is highly contagious, infestations of techno-organic matter and beings may grow unchecked, often forming a collective "hive" mind known as the Phalanx.

On Earth, the Phalanx were created deliberately through artificial means. Following Warlock's death at the hands of Cameron Hodge during the events of “The X-Tinction Agenda”, the Genoshan government (desperate for funds after the collapse of their economic infrastructure due to the liberation of their Mutate population) sold some of his remains to a group of American scientists. These scientists wanted to study Warlock’s remains as the basis for the creation of a new breed of sentient “living Sentinels”. Upon being able to duplicate the Transmode Virus, the scientists tracked anti-mutant scientist Dr. Steven Lang to a convalescent home to recruit him. Being partially infected with the Transmode Virus, Lang’s involvement was meant for him to monitor and control the actions of the hundreds of Phalanx, needing his mind to act as an interface with the techno-organic collective intelligence. The Phalanx assimilate the sentience of its victims in a manner that unifies everyone infected by their Transmode Virus into a collective intelligence (a vast hive mind where every memory, viewpoint, and sensory experience could be sampled and revisited by any parts of the whole, maintaining constant and direct telepathic communication between all parties).

Lang created the earliest Phalanx prototypes, but they were inherently unstable. He created further Phalanx based on the genetic and cerebral engrams of dead associates of the X-Men, however their decayed genetic structure also proved too unstable to ensure the viability of Lang’s operation. His real success came when he recruited human volunteers, recruits were found among the radical fringe of groups such as the Friends of Humanity.

Visually, the Phalanx are not dissimilar from the Technarchy. They have similarly black bodies with yellow outlined sensors, cables and machine-like surface structures. The Phalanx are also able to change their shape and appearance, allowing them to disguise themselves. Unlike the Technarchy, they don't seem to be able to change their size while shapeshifting, or at least not as much. However, the Phalanx can compensate for that as they are able to infect and assimilate inorganic matter to increase their size or replace mass that they have lost during a fight. The Phalanx are also able to merge with each other and to separate again, as needed. This is something the Technarchy have never been shown to do and, given their aggressive nature, they probably wouldn't want to merge, even if they were capable of it. While the Phalanx are apparently not capable of traveling through hyperspace, some of them have been shown to teleport. A range limit has never been stated, though it's safe to assume that they can't teleport across inter-planetary distances.

With their hive mind, each Phalanx is equipped with a specific device or component in their bodies providing the link to that collective. Through this group mind, the Phalanx can share and distribute information. Whereas each Phalanx keeps the memories of their prior existence as an organic life-form, and they also display their original personality traits to a certain degree, they are unable to resist the will of collective. Only after the link to the hive mind is severed are they able to regain full individuality. As with the Technarchy, the Phalanx infect other beings with the Transmode Virus, though it's not to feed on them but to add them into their collective. For some unknown reason, though, the Phalanx have found themselves unable to assimilate mutants.

If left unchecked, the Phalanx continue to grow and assimilate organic life-forms into their collective until they reach critical mass. At that point, a base-program (from the Technarchy) buried deep within their cells is activated and takes over the collective. Unable to resist their new imperative, the Phalanx twine themselves into the Babel Spire, a huge transmission tower that sends a beacon call deep into space, to the Technarchy. When the call is received, they follow the transmission to its source and drain the entire planet of its energies, for they consider the Phalanx to be abominations that can't be allowed to continue to exist.

This base-program seems to act as a failsafe. The Technarchy do not want to lose the advantages that come along with their techno-organic status, and they certainly do not wish for other species to gain access to their powers and abilities. Therefore, they are alerted to larger groupings of Phalanx creatures before they become sufficiently large that they could become a serious danger to the Technarchy. Additionally, it seems to be an efficient way to improve the Technarchy's feeding process. Instead of having to hunt down and transform organic life-forms one by one, they happen upon entire planets that have already been partially transformed and are awaiting to have their energies being drained by them.

WIPEOUT

 

WIPEOUT

Real Name: Unrevealed

First Appearance: The Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 1) #236, September 1988

Powers: Wipeout possessed the mutant ability to create self-perpetuating energy bursts that operated on a biological level. Focusing his energy on superhumans removes the mental circuits that allow them access to their powers. Primarily, he used his power on fellow mutants, creating an energy "blockage" in their system that prevented bio-genetic power from properly traveling from their x-gene to the rest of their system, preventing mutants from using their abilities.

This power block lasted indefinitely and required no concentration to maintain. Affected mutants stayed powerless after Wipeout fell asleep and even after he was killed. He could mentally remove his energy from their systems at will if he chose to, reactivating their powers. His power could also affect memories. When he first attempted to use his power on sentient technology, however, it created a disruption effect instead of removal.

Wipeout was a member of the Genoshan Magistrates, law enforcement officers trained in hand-to-hand combat with access to a vast amount of advanced weaponry and equipment. He was a member of an elite group of Magistrates known as the Genoshan Press Gang, mutants who voluntarily chose to serve the Genoshan government, and so avoided undergoing the Mutate Bonding Process which would turn them into mindless slaves.

STEVEN LANG

 

STEVEN LANG

Real Name: Steven Lang

First Appearance: The Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 1) #97, February 1976

Powers: Dr. Steven Lang was a baseline human with no superhuman powers, as well as an expert in robotics and genetics and the creator of the Mark III Sentinels. Later, he cybernetically linked himself to the artificial intelligence of his Mastermold Sentinel. However, the process of a mental connection for the two left Lang a mindless shell, while copying his personality and memory engrams into the Mastermold itself. While recuperating in a convalescent home, Lang was recruited to become part of the Earth-based faction of the techno-organic beings known as the Phalanx.

The Phalanx exist as incidental biological refuse created by Technarchy life cycles. When the Technarchy feed on organic life energy, they expose living matter to a Transmode Virus (which is part of their physiology) before consuming it. If all the techno-organic matter is not consumed, it may survive after the Technarchy moves on. Because Transmode-infected matter is highly contagious, infestations of techno-organic matter and beings may grow unchecked, often forming an offshoot known as the Phalanx. On Earth, the Phalanx were created deliberately by the Friends of Humanity in an effort to forge a new breed of living Sentinels to exterminate mutantkind. The original Phalanx drones and agents were created through exposure to the Transmode virus harvested from the ashes of the Technarch known as Warlock. The Phalanx assimilate the sentience of its victims in a manner that unified everyone infected by the Transmode virus into a collective intelligence (a vast hive mind where every memory, viewpoint, and sensory experience could be sampled and revisited by any parts of the whole, maintaining constant and direct telepathic communication between all parties). Lang's recruitment was meant to monitor and control the actions of the hundreds of Phalanx, needing his mind to act as an interface with the techno-organic collective intelligence.

As the human host of the Phalanx collective and a partial Transmode-infectee, Lang could manipulate the techno-organic matter of the entire race, communicate telepathically, and translate computer languages. He provided the collective with focus and direction and had access to all of the thoughts and actions of each Phalanx linked to the collective. The various "individual" Phalanx had only limited capacity for creative thinking beyond following the directives of the collective. Lang gave the Phalanx guidance and helped coordinate and update their mission parameters.

CAMERON HODGE

 

CAMERON HODGE

Real Name: Cameron Hodge

First Appearance: X-Factor (Vol. 1) #1, February 1986

Powers: Cameron Hodge was originally a normal human with no superhuman powers. He holds a Juris Doctorate and was a well-trained lawyer with gifted-level intelligence. He was a good public relations director and advertising executive with some mechanical engineering experience. He was the founder of The Right, an organization dedicated to eliminating superhuman mutants.

The Right employed all-encompassing body armor, which provided their soldiers with exoskeletal-augmented strength, a resistance to physical injury, boot rockets for flight, and offensive capabilities. Primarily, they used submachine guns on shoulder mounts, but micro-rockets and concussive blasters also rotated into use. Cameron Hodge made use of these standard armor or his personal Right Commander armor, which was presumably augmented further. He also wore a special armor for fighting Cyclops, a ruby quartz crystal suit immune to Scott's optic blasts that refracted his blast harmlessly away.

Hodge made a pact for immortality with the demon N’astirh prior to the events of Inferno, which has remained active since. He was later decapitated by Archangel, but that head remained alive and animated. He grafted it onto a cyborg scorpion exo-frame during this time in the mutant slave-island nation of Genosha.

This body was enormous, possessing great strength and a series of tentacles to grab, manipulate, or restrain targets. A phasing circuit allowed his bulk to become intangible, passing through walls and floors or untouchable to physical attack. It employed different weapon systems deployed from the tail stinger or elsewhere on the cybernetics, including bolt casters, force beams, and electrical attacks.

For a time, Hodge was exposed to the Transmode Virus and assimilated by the techno-organic Phalanx into their collective consciousness. He possessed all the traditional powers of the Phalanx during this period (techno-organic strength, speed, endurance, and reflexes, restructuring his body into different shapes, absorb matter into himself to increase his mass, manifest offensive weaponry, infect matter with the Transmode Virus), along with a level of independence greater than the average drone.

Bastion and Eli Bard revived him with a new variant of the techno-organic virus, restoring his original human body. However, he later severed his own head in order to attach it to a reconstructed version of his cyborg scorpion body.