ZERO II

 

ZERO II

Real Name: Kenji Uedo

First Appearance: Generation Hope (Vol. 1) #1, January 2011

Powers: Zero II has possesses a mutant mass generating power which allows him to produce enormous amounts of bio-mechanical growth from his body. Although still outwardly human in most respects, his body is little more than a frame containing "raw materials" that he can shape at will. His body is animated and sustained by his powers alone now, making his skeletal structure and formerly vital internal organs irrelevant, and he likely no longer maintains even the illusion of them on the inside. This makes his mind difficult to read, although not impossible. Described as undifferentiated organo-techno mass, Zero II's body not only contains organic biology but also produces bio-mechanical components as a natural by-product of his physiology. Unlike techno-organics (who are composed of unique materials that have both organic and metallic physical properties), Zero II is more akin to a naturally-occurring cyborg, biologically producing hoses, cables, servos, plates, and scrap-metal patches on or inside his body at different points.

His mass-generating power, either through extra-dimensional access or rapid cellular reproduction, enables him to dramatically increase the amount of materials in his body. During his activation, Kenji's hands were amputated, leaving him with undulating tentacles in their place. His power would presumably allow him to recreate hands if he chose to, but he has not either as a form of penance or because it would require constant concentration to maintain them. He can cause his tentacles to grow in length and width, acting as prehensile spears or manipulators, and cause tentacles to grow forth from other areas of his body as well.

Zero II can cause complex shapes to form out of his flesh, forming shapes like a constricting net, a staircase, razor blades, or lifelike sculptures. His expanding mass can significantly increase his strength in all or part of his body, and he can create an exo-frame around his core body that can grow to several stories tall. Kenji can increase the production of both bio-organic and bio-mechanical mass in his body, and production of the latter allows him to create working machines with moving parts out of his mass. He can form telescopic binoculars to improve his vision, helicopter rotors that allow him to lift off the ground and fly, and some form of biological furnace vents that presumably provided him with additional raw power. Kenji also possesses the ability to shield himself from psychic intervention, and shield others in the same way by connecting with them through his tentacles.

He can also engage in psychic projection, creating three-dimensional multi-sensory displays and project them into the minds of other people through physical contact. Kenji actually circumvents the person's regular sensory impressions, causing them to essentially blackout and lose awareness of their surroundings in favor of his projections until his display ends. Kenji can also create bio-mechanical "bugs" that spawn from his mass, fly to a specific person, and inject them with a pre-recorded sensory display. Zero II cannot maintain his constructs once they are separated from his physical frame, preventing him from creating "lasting art" for future use. Therefore, his projection power can hold someone in a sensory display almost indefinitely so long as he retains contact, but the use of his "bugs" requires them to quickly reach their target and can only convey short messages before they disintegrate away from his body.

VELOCIDAD

 

VELOCIDAD

Real Name: Gabriel Cohuelo

First Appearance: The Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 1) #527, October 2010

Powers: Velocidad is a mutant able to shift himself into a relativistic faster rate of speed. His initial uncontrolled burst of mutation aged him several years and made him invisible by vibrating his body outside the realm of perception by the human eye. Since being stabilized by Hope Summers, Velocidad functions like a standard speedster. Compared to his environment, he can move at supersonic speeds. He maintains full agility, dexterity and perception while moving at relativistic speeds, allowing him to change clothes faster than the eye can follow, search an entire building in moments, etc. Velocidad cannot engage in typical super-speed feats such as running across water, straight up vertical inclines, creating whirlwinds by spinning, vibrating through matter, etc.: He only appears to be moving at super-speed from a normal perception, but the universe around him, including gravity, will affect him just the same.

TRANSONIC

 

TRANSONIC

Real Name: Laurie Tromette

First Appearance: The Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 1) #526, September 2010

Powers: Transonic’s mutation is specially designed for high-speed flight. Her body is composed of a form of crystal that facilitates her abilities. She is capable of achieving supersonic propulsion under her own power, and her shifting crystalline skin can adapt itself to the experience. The extent of these adaptions are unknown, but appear to include biological flaps and ailerons that control the wind flow around her, giving her stunning reflexes and aerial maneuverability, as well as protection from high-velocity wind resistance and air friction. The changes to her body vary depending on the circumstances of her flying. When flying in a straight line at maximum velocity, her body flattens out in a highly aerodynamic bullet shape; when engaged in high altitude dog-fighting requiring extra maneuverability, she can grow wings, fins, and other body elements to improve her agility.

PRIMAL II

 

PRIMAL II

Real Name: Teon Macik

First Appearance: The Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 1) #529, December 2010

Powers: Primal II is a mutant who possesses superhuman strength, speed, agility, endurance, reaction time, leaping ability, resilience, and senses. He can apparently track by smell, detect pheromone indicators of mood and behavior, and possesses extraordinary hand-eye coordination.

Mentally, Primal II processes all information through a hyper-efficient form of primal survival instincts. He understands everything said or done around him, but only acknowledges them in terms of Fight, Flight, Mate, Eat, or other basic needs and urges. While he is not overwhelmed by his instincts, he operates by pure and simplified versions of the more complex animal behavior patterns most people operate under.

THE FINAL HORSEMEN

 

THE FINAL HORSEMEN

Roster: (l to r) Famine V (Jeb Lee), Death VII (Sanjar Javeed), Pestilence VI (Ichisumi) and War VI (Decimus Furius)

First Appearances: Uncanny X-Force (Vol. 1) #1, December 2010 (Famine V and War VI); Uncanny X-Force (Vol. 1) #2, January 2011 (Pestilence VI and Death VII)

History/Powers: The Final Horsemen were a set of mutants culled from throughout history by Apocalypse and Ozymandias to be the ultimate group of Horsemen when the proper time came. When a potential member was identified, Apocalypse had them indoctrined in his ways and placed in stasis until they were needed.

Jeb Lee, a Confederate spy during the American Civil War in Gettysburg in 1863 A.D., became Famine. His mutant power manifested when his family was burned alive due to a case of mistaken identity. He could generate a bio-auditory cancer, a psionic signature that consumed living matter, causing organisms to waste away and atrophy. Humans affected by the cancer could be incapacitated by hunger pains and the general weakening and decay of their bodies. While potentially lethal, the effects could be reversed relatively quickly by escaping from Famine's range and consuming enough food. The effect was transmitted via sound waves, and required a repetitive and continuous rhythm to properly direct it. Famine used his army drum to typically focus his power, but could direct it through any form of rhythm, even tapping his fingers. Lee could direct the bio-auditory cancer to only affect specific targets within hearing range if he chose.

Sanjar Javeed, the illegitimate son of King Shapur II of Persia, became the "Seraph of Death" in 4th century (325 A.D.) Persia, before Apocalypse claimed this Death as his own. Death generated an ailment aura, a psionic field which simulated the effects of various lethal diseases, bacteria, and pathogens. The effects were focused through physical contact with metal -- different forms of metal allowed him to generate different kinds of ailments, and so he wore various metal rings to have easy access to various possibilities. Sanjar only psionically simulated the effects of each ailment, he did not actually infect his victims with the pox or other diseases. The body was merely "tricked" into acting as if it had been infected. Leaving Death's immediate range would cause the effects to rapidly vanish from his victims' bodies, but staying in his range too long would cause his victims to expire, simulated ailment or not.

Ichisumi, Pestilence, was originally a geisha from 19th century (1833 A.D.) Kumamoto, Japan. Her mutation cultivated a symbiotic swarm of Yume death beetles inside her body. These beetles could be expelled from her throat cavity with significant force. They were ravenously carnivorous flesh-eaters, able to strip a man down to his bones in a matter of seconds. When the beetles returned to Ichisumi, they shared sensory impressions with her, making her conscious of everything the beetles saw or experienced while separated from her.

War was once known as Decimus Furius, of 3rd century Rome (281 A.D.). He transformed upon puberty into gigantic minotaur of living stone, possessing superhuman strength, endurance, and resistance to all kinds of physical injury. Furius drew further strength from his so-called "warsong". While in an aggressive state, War's directed fury created a kind of psychic armor that permeated his body, significantly increasing his invulnerability. It also protected his mind from mental assault, and threatened to infect telepaths if they tried to force their way into his mind. War could also deliberately infect other people with his "warsong" -- often using his axe or another weapon as a delivery system -- causing them to experience a violent and uncontrollable rage for a period of time. If he should lose his focus and his fury in battle, however, Furius would become vulnerable. Hesitation could even cause his stone body to shatter into pieces, although he could eventually reform himself.

FINESSE

 

FINESSE

Real Name: Jeanne Foucault

First Appearance: Avengers Academy (Vol. 1) #1, August 2010

Powers: Finesse is a polymath, possessing an advanced mind and intuitive learning abilities. She believes herself to be the daughter of the Taskmaster, having inherited a version of his photographic reflexes. She is indeed capable of replicating any physical action or fighting style she observes, and keeps herself trained to the peak of human capability to make full use of her assimilated skills. Unlike the Taskmaster, Finesse actually possesses a more general intuitive learning capacity, beyond photographic reflexes. She has a eidetic memory and can rapidly assimilate other skills that are both purely cerebral in nature and cannot be learned through observation: She is self-taught in various languages, computer hacking and programming, lip-reading, etc. She is phenomenally observant, able to interpret body language for mild behavioral cues, and recognize datum and patterns that would typically escape the notice of others.

PAPER DOLL

 

PAPER DOLL

Real Name: Piper Dali

First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #559, July 2008

Powers: Piper Dali mutated after being caught in her father's dimensional compressor. She developed the ability to flatten herself into a two-dimensional state, compressing her mass into an extremely thin frame. This papery form can absorb damage by yielding to blows and strikes, and she can also stretch her limbs and other portions of her body to a certain degree. Her thin and dense skin also becomes extremely sharp, letting her cut through Spider-Man's webbing and slice flesh with a pass of her hand. Paper Doll can also blend in with her surroundings in her two-dimensional state, taking on the same colors and patterns of a wall or billboard to become completely indistinguishable from her surroundings.

Finally, Paper Doll can recreate the dimensional compression effect on other people and objects she wraps around. Whipping her hand around Spider-Man's arm painfully compressed its mass into a papery state, leaving it all but useless until the effect wore off. She can wrap herself around an entire human body, reducing other people to a paper doll form as well, and her victims tend to suffocate to death as their compressed lungs are incapable of properly drawing breath.