MASTERMIND

 

MASTERMIND

Real Name: Jason Wyngarde

First Appearance: The Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 1) #4, March 1964

Powers: Mastermind possesses the mutant ability to create hypnotic illusions capable of affecting the senses of sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste. Already cunning at psychological manipulation, he can create illusory people or objects that appear completely indistinguishable from the real thing, or alter the appearance of existing reality. The illusions he creates look, sound, and even smell and feel real to others. Even if someone knows a wall is an illusion, they normally cannot pass through it because their senses refuse to accept it isn't real. Mastermind can alter his physical appearance to look like someone else, or make himself invisible by casting an illusion that he's part of the background. He can project false environments over the existing surroundings, creating the appearance of a time-shift or a Hell dimension that seems totally real. Mastermind can even seemingly alter the appearance of nearby events, altering what his victims believe someone else is saying or doing in their presence.

His projections can be experienced by everyone in their vicinity and could not affect simply one mind without the use of artificial aids. While working for the Hellfire Club, he was given a mind-tap device that enabled him to project his illusions directly into Phoenix's mind, increasing the vividness and realism of his illusions. He could also monitor and track her thought patterns from a distance using the mind-tap.