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The Acolytes is a team of comic book mutant supervillains in the Marvel Comics' universe. The Acolytes followed the principles of the mutant Magneto, particularly the mutant right of superiority over normal humans. Some members of the Acolytes even worshipped him with a religious fervor and regarded him as some sort of "mutant messiah". The Acolytes first appeared in X-Men vol. 2 #1 (October 1991) and were created by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee.
History
The Acolytes were first a group of desperate mutants on the run from S.H.I.E.L.D. soldiers, led originally by Fabian Cortez. Magneto housed them on his space station, Asteroid M, giving the mutants refuge. Due to events arranged and manipulated by Fabian Cortez, the first group of Acolytes perished. Cortez characterized their deaths and the assumed death of Magneto as martyrdom to further his cause against normal humanity.
Cortez formed and led a second group of Acolytes whose first mission was to attack a school for the handicapped, Our Mother of the Sacred Heart, to find a child who would one day become a powerful mutant. The X-Men interfered with their attack and the Acolytes retreated. Afterwards, the Acolytes kidnapped Moira MacTaggert. Fabian Cortez's reason was to ascertain whether Magneto was alive. Moira was rescued by the X-Men. The Acolytes' next attack was on a hospital. Four members of the Acolytes were involved in killing several dying, hospitalized humans. Next, the team attempted an aborted attack on a military base. They were opposed by X-Factor and their mercenary ally Random. The attack on the base was actually proved beneficial because it was a way for Fabian to attempt to coerce Quicksilver, the son of Magneto, to join his cause. Meanwhile, Magneto returned to hatch his plan of revenge. Magneto recruited Exodus, in order to reclaim the Acolytes in his name.
After the events of Fatal Attractions and the Age of Apocalypse, the Acolytes found a cocoon drifting in space. They brought it aboard and awoke Holocaust. Holocaust went on a rampage, killing everyone in his path. In a duel with Exodus, the Acolytes' new space station, Avalon, was destroyed.
Some time passed before the Acolytes reformed. When Magneto was granted control of Genosha, he reconstituted the Acolytes, with new and old, surviving members. He used the Acolytes as a force to help him gain control over the war-torn island. After the civil war, the Acolytes and Genosha prospered, but the prosperity did not last. After the Eve of Destruction storyline, the Acolytes were not prepared for the worst. Genosha was attacked by a "wild Sentinel" programmed by Cassandra Nova. Genosha was destroyed along with millions of its mutant population. Most of the Acolytes remain as yet unaccounted for, with only Exodus, Voght and Cargill known to be alive.
Members
First intake
This group of Acolytes debuted in X-Men vol. 2 #1 and resided on Magneto's space fortress Asteroid M.| Character | Real Name | Joined in | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magneto | Magnus formerly Erik Magnus Lehnsherr | X-Men vol. 2 #1 | Team founder and leader; currently depowered as a result of Decimation; father of Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch and Polaris |
| Anne-Marie Cortez | Anne-Marie Cortez | X-Men vol. 2 #1 | Sister of Fabian Cortez; Died in crash-landing of Asteroid M in X-Men vol. 2 #3 |
| Fabian Cortez | Fabian Cortez | X-Men vol. 2 #1 | Killed by Exodus in Avengers vol. 1 #369 but got better in Magneto #1; Killed by Magneto in Magneto: Dark Seduction #4; he was born into royalty; formerly a member of the Upstarts. |
| Chrome | Allen Marc Yuricic | X-Men vol. 2 #1 | Died in crash-landing of Asteroid M in X-Men vol. 2 #3 |
| Delgado | Marco Delgado | X-Men vol. 2 #1 | Could increase in size and strength Died in crash-landing of Asteroid M in X-Men vol. 2 #3 |
| Winters | Nance Winters | X-Men vol. 2 #1 | Former SHIELD agent under the mind control of Anne-Marie Cortez |
Second intake
This group of Acolytes debuted in Uncanny X-Men #298 first gathered together by Fabian Cortez.| Character | Real Name | Joined in | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scanner formerly Screener | Sarah Ryall | 'Avengers' vol. 1 #357 | served on several incarnations of the team; depowered on M-Day |
| Cargill formerly Frenzy | Joanna Cargill | Uncanny X-Men #298 | Has been in several incarnations of the team; formerly member of the Alliance of Evil and the X-Men (under the mind control of Jean Grey); currently incarcerated |
| Unuscione | Carmella Unuscione | Uncanny X-Men #298 | Daughter of Unus the Untouchable; served in several incarnations of the team; possibly killed during Cassandra Nova's assault on Genosha |
| Kleinstocks | Sven Kleinstock | Uncanny X-Men #298 | Brother of Harlen and Eric who could all merge together to form one gestalt being; served on several incarnations of the team; possibly killed during Cassandra Nova's assault on Genosha |
| Kleinstocks | Harlan Kleinstock | Uncanny X-Men #298 | Brother of Sven and Eric who could all merge together to form one gestalt being; served on several incarnations of the team; possibly killed during Cassandra Nova's assault on Genosha |
| Eric Kleinstock | Eric Kleinstock | Uncanny X-Men #298 | Brother of Sven and Harlen; served on several incarnations of the team; shot by Tom Corsi in Uncanny X-Men #298 |
| Javitz | Isaac Javitz | Uncanny X-Men #298 | Killed by Holocaust in X-Men vol. 1 #43 |
| Neophyte | Simon Hall | Uncanny X-Men #300 | Served on several incarnations of the team; possibly killed during Cassandra Nova's assault on Genosha |
| Milan | Francisco Milan | Uncanny X-Men #300 | Killed by Holocaust in X-Men vol. 2 #42 |
| Voght | Amelia Voght | Uncanny X-Men #300 | Served on several incarnations of the team; possibly killed during Cassandra Nova's assault on Genosha; revealed to have been an ex-lover of Professor Xavier but left him shortly before the arrival of the Original X-Men; revealed to be one of the 198 |
| Senyaka formerly Sanyaka | Suvik Senyaka | Uncanny X-Men #300 | Crushed by Magneto with his own coils in Uncanny X-Men #304 but was recuperated in Cable vol. 2 #17; possibly killed during Cassandra Nova's assault on Genosha |
| Spoor | Andrew Hamish Graves | Uncanny X-Men #300 | Possibly killed during Cassandra Nova's assault on Genosha |
| Katu | Katu | Uncanny X-Men #300 | Sacrificed himself against Omega Red in Cable #11 but was revealed alive in Uncanny X-Men #366; possibly killed during Cassandra Nova's assault on Genosha |
| Seamus Mellencamp formerly Melloncamp | Seamus Mellencamp | Uncanny X-Men #300 | Killed by Multiple Man in X-Factor vol. 1 #92 but was revealed alive in Heroes for Hire #16; possibly killed during Cassandra Nova's assault on Genosha |
| Exodus | Bennet du Paris formerly Paris Bennett (bastardised version) | X-Fact vol. 1 #92 | Former leader of the team while Magneto was in a vegetative state; currently a member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants |
| Rusty Collins | Russell Collins | X-Force vol. 1 #25 | Former ward of X-Factor; Killed by Holocaust in X-Men vol. 2 #42 |
| Skids | Sally Blevins | X-Force vol. 1 #25 | Former ward of X-Factor; Left the team after the death of Rusty in X-Men vol. 2 #42; currently a member of X-Corporation Los Angeles. One of the 198. |
| Colossus | Piotr Nicoleivitch Rasputin | Uncanny X-Men #304 | Joined after the death of his sister, Illyana, to the Legacy Virus; left after Magneto's space-station, Avalon was destroyed; sacrificed himself to cure the Legacy Virus in Uncanny X-Men #394; revealed alive in Astonishing X-Men vol. 3 #; currently a member of the X-Men |
| Rakkus | David Anthony Rice | Avengers vol. 1 #380 | |
Third intake
Alongside most of the Acolytes above, more recruits were taken in by Exodus in the Magneto Limited Series and Quicksilver #9.| Character | Real Name | Joined in | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orator | Victor Ludwig | Magneto #1 | Has only been seen twice |
| Kamal | Kamal el Alaqui | Magneto #2 | Possibly died during Cassandra Nova's assault on Genosha |
| Decay | Jacob Lashinski | Quicksilver #9 | Died when his powers backfired draining the High Evolutionary in Heroes for Hire/Quicksilver (1998) |
| Gargouille | Lavinia LeBlanc | Quicksilver #9 | Possibly died during Cassandra Nova's assault on Genosha |
| Projector | Zachary Williams | 'Quicksilver'' #9 | Possibly died during Cassandra Nova's assault on Genosha |
Fourth intake
More new Acolytes were shown during the Magneto War in X-Men: The Magneto War; most of them later accompanied Magneto to Genosha.| Character | Real Name | Joined in | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rem-Ram | Marcus Andrews | X-Men: The Magneto War | Possibly died during Cassandra Nova's assault on Genosha |
| Static II | Gianna Carina Esperanza | X-Men: The Magneto War | Possibly died during Cassandra Nova's assault on Genosha |
| Barnacle | Mortimer Evertt | X-Men: The Magneto War | Possibly died during Cassandra Nova's assault on Genosha |
| Vindaloo | Venkat Katragadda | Uncanny X-Men #366 | Possibly died during Cassandra Nova's assault on Genosha |
Associate membership
Many people have aided Magneto alongside the Acolytes but have either been betrayed by or never fully accepted membership as an Acolyte.| Character | Real Name | Joined in | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polaris | Lorna Dane | X-Men vol. 2 #98 | Associate member; declined Magneto’s offer to become a fully-fledged member; aided Magneto in his ruling over Genosha once she discovered that he was her father; survived the assault on Genosha by Cassandra Nova but became mentally unstable; currently depowered as a result of Decimation. |
| Quicksilver | Pietro Maximoff formerly Pietro Frank | Associate member; aided Magneto in his ruling over Genosha just to keep an eye on him; currently depowered as a result of Decimation | |
| Pyro | St. John Allerdyce | Quicksilver #6 | Associate member under Exodus when he attacked Wundagore Mountain; died of the Legacy Virus in Cable vol. 2 #87 |
| Feral | Lucia Callasantos | Quicksilver #6 | Associate member under Exodus when he attacked Wundagore Mountain; currently depowered as a result of Decimation |
| Avalanche | Dominic Szilard Petros | Quicksilver #6 | Associate member under Exodus when he attacked Wundagore Mountain. |
| Omega Red | Arkady Russovich | Quicksilver #6 | Associate member under Exodus when he attacked Wundagore Mountain |
| Fenris | Andrea von Strucker | Quicksilver #8 | Associate member under Exodus when he attacked Wundagore Mountain; killed by Baron Zemo |
| Swordsman (III) formerly Fenris | Andreas von Strucker | Quicksilver #8 | Associate member under Exodus when he attacked Wundagore Mountain |
| Random | Marshall Evan Stone III | Quicksilver #8 | Associate member under Exodus when he attacked Wundagore Mountain |
Bibliography
- Avengers Vol. 1 #357, 368–369, 380–382
- Avengers West Coast #101
- Cable #9–11
- Excalibur Vol. 1 #71, 106
- Heroes for Hire #8–9, 15–17
- Magneto #1–4
- Magneto: Dark Seduction #1–4
- Magneto Rex #1–3
- Quicksilver #1, 4–9, 11–12
- Uncanny X-Men #298–300, 304, 315, 366–367, 379–380, 392–393
- X-Factor Vol. 1 #92
- X-Force Vol. 1 #25, 94–95
- X-Men (Second Series) #1–3, 25–26, 42–44, 86–87, 96, 98–99, 111–113
- X-Men: Magneto War
- X-Men: Prime
- X-Men Unlimited Vol. 1 #2, 27
Marvel Zombies
In Marvel Zombies the Acolytes seem to be some of the few survivors hiding in the third Asteroid M. After Magneto helped Reed Richards from the ultimate universe escape, he destroyed the time machine. He was then contacted by the Acolytes, who offered to send him a shuttle. Magneto, however, told them to wait until he was out of New York City, but was shortly thereafter killed by the zombies. Upon returning to earth the Acolytes couldn't find Magento, so instead they managed to find another survivor, Black Panther, whom they brought back to Astroid M.
X-Men Animated Series
In the X-Men Animated Series, the Acolytes appear in the Sanctuary storyline, in which Magneto builds Asteroid M as a safe haven for all mutants to live away from the hatred of baseline humans. The Acolytes, led by Fabian Cortez, aid Magneto in the liberation of the Genoshan mutant slaves from the hands of the Genoshan Magistrates. After Magneto is betrayed by Cortez and believed to have been killed by the X-Men, the Acolytes pledge their loyalty to Cortez, though they turn on him after he's exposed. The Acolytes shown are Fabian Cortez, Amelia Voght, Marco Delgado, Chrome, Carmella Unuscione, Joanna Cargill and Byron Calley. Millan is shown in video screen as one of the scientists that helped Magneto build Asteroid M.
Senyaka makes a cameo appereance in the episode Secrets No Longer Buried, as one of the residents of the mutant-dominated community of Skull Mesa.
X-Men Evolution
In X-Men Evolution animated series, the Acolytes are the second team of Magneto, after he left The Brotherhood. The other members of team are Gambit, Pyro, Colossus, and Sabretooth.
External links
- ACOLYTES - An in-depth profile of the team and various incarnations, at UXN.
- Acolytes - A profile located at the MarvelDatabase
Avengers villains | Marvel Comics supervillain teams | X-Men villains
"Acolytes (comics)"