By Marc Strom
With the release of DARK AVENGERS/UNCANNY X-MEN: UTOPIA #1 on June 24, writer Matt Fraction and legendary X-artist Marc Silvestri begin one of the most eagerly anticipated stories of the summer.
As Norman Osborn continues to extend his Dark Reign, he assembles a group of Dark X-Men loyal only to him. This week, Marvel.com presents the Dark X-Men Dossiers, bios on each of the team's members straight from Cyclops' personal files, along with writer Matt Fraction's thoughts and exclusive art from Terry Dodson.
Unstable and Unstoppable
While the Dark X-Men has its fair share of formidable members, none match the sheer power of Michael Pointer, aka Weapon Omega.
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Weapon Omega
sketch by
Terry Dodson |
According to Matt Fraction, though, Pointer's "not [coping] well" with his abilities these days. Of course, "not well" could still be considered a step up from his condition when he first gained the powers of the Collective in NEW AVENGERS #16.
"You mean when he went on a planetary rampage and murdered everyone in his path?" Fraction asks with a chuckle. "He's doing a little better than that. He's achieved a very fragile balance, and that's a balance that's being maintained by Osborn, [and] encouraged by people within Osborn's organization."
As to what exactly Norman has used to lure Weapon Omega into the Dark X-Men, Fraction would offer up a general hint:
"Norman offers him balance in a way that he's been unable to find on his own, that appeals very much to the root of who he is, to his very nature."
But Osborn may have bitten off more than he can chew by letting Michael into the group, as he'll remain something of a wild card.
"It's like having a killer shark on the team," comments Fraction. "If you understand the nature of a killer shark, you can at least work around it, as long as you understand that there's no reasoning [with it] and there's no stopping [it].
"If you understand the nature of someone like Michael, then you can integrate [him] into what you're doing. But a shark's not going to not eat you because you're the one that feeds it. Jaws isn't going to not attack your boat because your boat's the one that drops the chow out for it. [Michael's] the scorpion on the back of the frog."
Fraction also points out that, as if Michael didn't have enough instability already, he's also lost sight of both his humanity and his true identity since donning his new costume.
"I don't know how much Michael is there and how much Weapon Omega is there," Fraction notes. "He's gone into the deep end of that need, of that hunger that perpetuates him. And maybe Michael can come back some day, but right now he's in the smaller part of that equation."
Cyclops' Strike File: Weapon Omega
When Michael Pointer's ability to absorb energy made him the receptacle for the sentient Collective, made up of all the mutant energy displaced by the M-Day event,
he demonstrated his status as one of the world's most dangerous mutants by going on an uncontrolled rampage resulting in the deaths of countless civilians and the Canadian super hero team
Alpha Flight.
During this period, the Collective maintained a strong hold on Pointer's mind, essentially supplanting his own will and identity until the
Avengers managed to subdue him on the former island-nation of Genosha.
Since then, Michael has spent time with the Canadian group
Omega Flight, during which time he first began wearing a costume strongly resembling that of
Guardian, whom Pointer killed during his initial rampage. Reports from Dr. Walter Langkowski, alias
Sasquatch, claim that Pointer has expressed true remorse for his previous actions as well as a desire to uphold the deceased Guardian's heroic legacy.
While these reports seemingly indicate that Pointer has taken steps towards reforming himself, the instability of his powers and mental state continue to mark him as a high-level threat.
Approaching Pointer solo should be strongly discouraged. Whenever possible, a unified group effort should be deployed against him, as only a coordinated, strategic assault would have any chance of taking Pointer down.
DARK AVENGERS/UNCANNY X-MEN: UTOPIA #1 launches one of the biggest events of the summer on June 24, but be sure you check back here tomorrow for another Dark X-Men Dossier on Daken!
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