Jamie Madrox
Encyclopedia
James Arthur "Jamie" Madrox, also called the Multiple Man, is a fictional character
, a Marvel Comics
superhero
, associated with the X-Men
. Created by writer Len Wein
with script from Chris Claremont
and art by John Buscema
, he first appeared in Giant-Size Fantastic Four
#4 (February 1975).
A mutant
with the ability to create instant duplicates or "dupes" of himself, Madrox was largely a minor or supporting character until his appearance in the 1987 miniseries
Fallen Angels
. The character underwent greater development under writer Peter David
through his appearance in David's run of the monthly series X-Factor
(vol. 1) in the 1990s, and in David's second and currently ongoing run of the title (vol. 3) in the 2000s.
Multiple Man appeared in the 2006 film, X-Men: The Last Stand
, in which he was portrayed by Eric Dane
.
. A MadroX miniseries was published in 2004, written by Peter David
, who had previously written for the character in X-Factor. He and the other members of his detective agency now star in a revamped X-Factor monthly series that is again written by Peter David.
research facility in New Mexico
; the background radiation
may have stimulated his mutation. When Jamie was born, the doctor's slap causes him to multiply into two identical babies. Professor Charles Xavier
, a friend of the Madrox family, suggests that they move to Kansas to raise the boy in privacy. Dr. Daniel Madrox, Jamie's father, creates a suit for him to wear which is designed to absorb kinetic energy, the source of the duplication.
Later, Damian Tryp
, of Singularity Investigations, makes his own offer to look after Jamie, claiming that Jamie is not a mutant, but a "changeling
", a predecessor to mutants who develops its powers at birth. Jamie's parents refuse to give Jamie to Tryp. When Jamie is fifteen years old, his parents are killed by a tornado alleged to have been caused by Tryp, and Jamie begins to run the farm by himself along with his duplicates, or "dupes", until his suit is damaged.
of the Fantastic Four
. He contacts Professor Xavier, who sends the youth to Muir Island
with Moira McTaggert, to work in her laboratory and help her with research. He later helps Moira and fellow mutants Havok and Polaris
in searching for the escaped mutant, Proteus
. Proteus hijacks one of Madrox's duplicates as his own body, although this does not harm Madrox. Following the X-Men's battle with Proteus on Muir Island
, Madrox was invited to join the X-Men, but he declined.
One of Jamie's renegade duplicates later searches with Siryn
for the runaway New Mutants
Sunspot
and Warlock
. They find him and Jamie joins the Fallen Angels
.
who comes under the mental control of the Shadow King
. Following the destruction of Muir Island and the defeat of the Shadow King, he becomes a government operative as a member of the second X-Factor
team, which is assembled by Val Cooper
. Here, he develops a reputation as a prankster, forming a friendship with teammate Strong Guy
. Also on the team is former New Mutant Wolfsbane, who later joins his X-Factor Investigations.
In the first day of the team, one of his duplicates is shot and killed, and Madrox learns for the first time that he cannot absorb a deceased duplicate. This makes him realize for the first time how independent his duplicates actually are. This becomes clearer to him when a duplicate, working for Mister Sinister
, decides that it wants to absorb the original, which it does for a short time, until Jamie's dominant personality broke free and reabsorbs the wayward dupe.
After he is exposed to the Legacy Virus
while performing CPR on an infected Genosha
n mutate, Jamie is forced to kill the Acolyte
Mellencamp
in self defense by creating a dupe inside the mutant while his hand is in Mellencamp's mouth. Madrox does not often fight in cosmic battles like most of the other X-Men, but he fought doppelgangers during the Infinity War
and, along with Wolfsbane
, as the two are religious, are taken by the cosmic entity Goddess
during the Infinity Crusade
.
Jamie's health continues to deteriorate due to the Legacy Virus. An attempted cure by Haven
leaves him dead until it is revealed that it was a duplicate who had been infected and died; the real Madrox was alive and suffering from amnesia.
Jamie is the motivation for the Government-sponsored version of X-Factor to break ties with the government and go underground when the team is tricked into thinking Jamie and his duplicates are actually a squad of super-powered terrorists. Eventually, the team discovers this was a manipulation and the group goes rogue, splitting from the government.
He seeks out Strong Guy, who is ill after Jamie's alleged death. Unfortunately, this makes Strong Guy even weaker, but Jamie's mistake is fixed by the genius of new team leader Forge
.
He then serves as majority staff for Banshee
's X-Corps
. Banshee hired ex-criminals to police other mutants but things get bad when Mystique
goes on a murderous rampage and has Mastermind's daughter mind control them. The X-Men manage to defeat the renegade X-Corps members, he transfers to one of Xavier's official "non X-Men" mutant teams in Paris' X-Corporation, fighting Weapon XII in the Channel which results in the death of teammate Darkstar
.
" area of New York
, along with former X-Factor teammates Wolfsbane
and Strong Guy
. In the passing time, Madrox has been sending out his duplicates to lead lives of their own. Among these dupes are a Shaolin monk and an Olympic
Gymnast
. By this point, his powers are developed to such an extent that any dupe who gains sufficient skills can pass its knowledge on to Jamie, giving him a wide variety of training instantly.
The side effect of excessive withdrawal from absorbing the duplicates leads him to gain their new personalities as well, which gives him a form of multiple personality disorder, in which any new dupes may spontaneously generate any individual personality aspect of Jamie Prime, making them unpredicatable, as they more often than not disobey his orders or manifest as personalities that are too volatile or meek.
It is during this period that he encounters an assassin named "Clay", who has the same powers as Jamie. While killed after telling Jamie that the Multiple Man has no idea what he truly is, Clay would come back later.
"'s elimination of mutants, it is revealed that Jamie has upgraded his private detective agency to a new building, under the name X-Factor Investigations
. He bought the building using money from a Who Wants to Be a Millionaire-type show, using a room full of dupes as lifelines.
Still suffering from uncontrollable duplicate personalities, Jamie sends one to talk a de-powered Rictor
out of jumping off a building and instead pushes him off. The dupe calls himself "The X-Factor" and threatens Madrox that he will come out whenever dupes are made, and Madrox won't be able to tell before being reabsorbed, and Jamie's new team adds Rictor to the group, along with M
, and Siryn
. Celebrating a victory after discovering he's not a mutant, but a changeling (see opening biography entry), Jamie has sex with Siryn, and an accidentally forgotten duplicate with M. When Jamie discovers and absorbs the duplicate, both females are furious with him.
Later, Layla Miller
, who is without a home after House of M's reality is shattered, reveals to Jamie that one day they will get married, and Wolfsbane will kill them both on their wedding night.
During "Civil War
", a duplicate of Jamie had created a few years ago eventually becomes agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
; since he is an enforcer of the Superhuman Registration Act, he registered M
and Rictor
. However, the true Jamie and X-Factor stand opposed to the legislation, going so far as to make a public statement regarding their position, leading Jamie to go in direct opposition to the neutral stance taken by X-Men leader Cyclops
, who Jamie is upset at for his withholding the truth about M-Day. Jamie also declares that the empty Mutant Town will be a sanctuary for superheroes being pursued by the government.
Agent Madrox recently met "his" end when he was surprised and re-absorbed by the original Madrox during an investigation of a HYDRA
cell. Jamie Madrox continues the task of hunting down his stray duplicates and reabsorbing them, but he leaves one, John Maddox, who has carved out a life for himself as an Episcopal
priest, husband and father, and Jamie decided not to reabsorb him. Siryn also discovers that she is pregnant by Jamie.
", Cyclops sends Jamie and Layla to go see Forge
, who has built a machine that allows him to monitor alternate timelines. Madrox sends two dupes to find information on two timelines that showed "spikes", after the birth of the Mutant baby, due to two different timelines: one in which the newborn becomes the planet's savior and another where it becomes its dominator. Before anyone can react, Layla jumps into the portal along with one of the dupes, and Madrox collapses into a coma.
Layla and one Madrox duplicate arrive eighty years in the negative future to discover that the mutant race has been severely decimated
. Mutants are imprisoned in concentration camps overseen by humans. Layla and the dupe are captured and tattooed with an "M" for mutant over their eyes. There, they encounter a youthful Lucas Bishop, who said that he would gladly go back in time to kill the mutant baby responsible for the way this timeline has turned out. Layla straps a stolen grenade to the duplicate, killing him and sending his memories of the event back to Jamie so he can tell of Bishop's treachery. When Jamie awakens, he develops an M tattoo because his body takes on scarring from duplicates. Jamie leaves and returns to X-Factor Investigations, disillusioned due to Layla's loss.
The other duplicate later returns as the character Cortex.
Jamie goes to see his preacher dupe John Maddox. Jamie realizes that if the child of a dupe is merely an "infant dupe", then John's son should have been absorbed either by John himself, or when Jamie ruffled the boys hair; therefore John's son must not be his. John admits that he already knows his wife had an affair. Jamie reveals that he plans to kill himself over the grief caused by Sean, but is prevented by a holographic projection of an adult Layla Miller, who takes him into the future.
, the daughter of Cyclops and Emma Frost, with her father's optic blasts and Emma's organic mineral body, Layla, and a cyborg Cyclops, whose predicament is Jamie's fault.
After kissing Layla (now an adult) out of happiness at seeing her, Cyclops wants Jamie to find out why some mutants are winking out of existence. The group visit an aging senile Doctor Doom, who says Layla told him in the past that he'd have to instruct Jamie and her on something in the future, and it is now.
In the present, a former mutant named Lenore ask assistance to X-Factor, claiming that someone was trying to kill her. She felt she was being followed, but every time she looked, it was a different person doing it. Her best friend Candy, another former mutant, was found dead of a gunshot wound which the police ruled a suicide. Lenore didn't believe it, because Candy had a pathological fear of guns. Before Candy died, she told Lenore that she thought she was being followed. Later, Lenore's mother showed up at Lenore's apartment and attempted to shoot her, but was foiled by Longshot. Escaping, Lenore's mother took Darwin hostage. At the last minute, she turned the gun on herself, but it backfired due to Longshot's luck powers. At the hospital, Monet St. Croix attempted to read Lenore's mother's mind, but was overpowered and collapsed. When she woke up, she grabbed Longshot's throat and said "Cortex."
While Strong Guy and Rictor were visiting John Maddox in Vermont, Shatterstar busted through the window and tried to stab Rictor, saying only "Cortex". Once freed of Cortex's control, Shatterstar and Rictor shared a passionate kiss. When Cortex tried to bring Longshot under his mental and physical control, he noted that Longshot and Shatterstar were in many ways identical.
Once she calmed down, Monet told the group that her violent outburst was because of psychic feedback that occurred after she had broken through a psychic barrier in Lenore's mother's mind, but that whatever was controlling her had fled. She then manipulated the group into moving Lenore out of her apartment and hiding her in a penthouse suite in an expensive hotel. There she tried to seduce Darwin, but he figured out that she was acting out of character only to try to get Lenore alone, and so resisted. Monet's body turned bright purple and became covered in tint lights and circuitry. She said that she would then have to kill Darwin, even though he wasn't on Cortex's list. This suggests that whatever Monet had become, she was acting somewhat independently of Cortex himself while receiving instructions from him.
When Cortex loses control over Monet, she attacks him and his hood falls back revealing that he is a duplicate of Jamie Madrox. Having his identity uncovered Cortex reveals himself as the second duplicate sent to one of the two "remaining" futures for mutantkind during the "Messiah Complex", to search for a cure for the depowering of 98% of the world's mutants following M-Day, then die in some fashion so that his memories would be transferred back to Madrox.
How this duplicate travelled from the alternative future he was sent to Earth-1191 remains a mystery, the only thing known is that under the direction of Anthony Falcone, who in turn was under the guidance of Damian Tryp from Earth-616, this duplicate was turned into a "doomlock," a chronal variance inhibitor which stops the creation of divergent timelines, which required massive cybernetic modification of his body. He was then sent back in time from Earth-1191 to Earth-616 to kill a list of specific individuals, including Multiple Man, for fear how they might affect the future. As Cortex, Madrox' duplicate apparently has the power to mentally control several people at once.
Meanwhile, on Earth-1191, Multiple Man was tasked by Cyclops with discovering why certain people seemed to be blinking out and then back into existence. Multiple Man theorized that someone might be altering the past to affect the future. Cortex was attempting to kill Lenore to prevent Hecat'e (of the Summers Rebellion) from being born.
storyline, Multiple Man is among the heroes that Hercules assembles to help combat the forces of Amatsu-Mikaboshi
. Because of what happened in the death realms, the Multiple Man clones that fell in battle return from the dead alongside the other X-Men that died in battle.
, which is either a predecessor to or a subset of mutants
. His power is the ability to create perfect duplicates, or "dupes", of himself, and all items on his person (clothing, weaponry, et cetera) through impact when he absorbs kinetic energy
(although this sometimes has happened at will) through an unknown process. Most of the time, this is caused by him snapping his fingers, stomping his foot, being struck, or collisions. Each of the duplicates has exactly the same power as Jamie himself, and has independent thought, though Madrox "Prime" is usually telepathically and empathically linked to the dupes. His powers have, at least once, been shown to affect the actual design of the shirt he was wearing.
Jamie "Prime" can absorb a dupe back into himself at will, which also makes him absorb the memories, knowledge, and skills of the duplicate. The dupe usually appears right beside the body it "springs" from. It has been noted that dupes have trouble creating more dupes themselves if they have not used their powers for a while, while Madrox is able to use his ability whenever he wants without any such issue.
Jamie was formerly unable to control the duplication process, wearing a special shock-absorbent synthetic stretch fabric costume that contained mechanisms that absorbed kinetic energy so that an army of Madroxes would not instantly appear every time he was struck. The original suit was designed by his father, Dr. Daniel Madrox, and later modified by Reed Richards. Jamie currently wears a stylized shirt with only six large green shock-absorbent pads on the front of the torso. Whether this indicates a greater degree of control over when his dupes manifest or simply an advance in technology (or if it is simply an ordinary shirt with the same design) is unclear.
During his time with X-Factor, the maximum number of dupes Madrox could create, including duplicates of the dupes themselves, was approximately 40, but the limit has grown far beyond that, as when Hydra tried to manipulate Jamie into becoming one of them. Their plan backfired because he cannot be mind-controlled, which instead resulted in an immense number of Madroxes that drowned the organization's cohorts. Duplicates have independent minds from the original, but are usually willing to merge back because their memories and knowledge are retained. However, there have been exceptions where duplicates have wished for independence completely, even going so far as to have malicious duplicates intending great harm to the Prime during Peter David's original and modern X-Factor runs (Which featured Madrox's dupes manifesting as aspects of the Prime Madrox's personality rather than straightforward duplicates).
As a last ditch effort, Madrox's abilities can be used to deadly effect, which were used in self-defense against Seamus Mellencamp
, when Madrox jammed his hand into Mellencamp's mouth and activated his power, creating a duplicate inside Mellencamp and exploding him from the inside out. He has used this method to threaten people before, as well.
Madrox's duplicates can perish without long term physical harm to himself, as demonstrated when the mutant Proteus possessed a duplicate then consumed its life force — leaving only a burnt out husk, as with all victims of Proteus. The possession caused Madrox to collapse in pain, aware of what was happening, but he later recovered.
Madrox also uses merging with his duplicates as a form of healing. Originally, uninjured dupes "shared" the damage when they merged. If an injured Madrox or dupe merged with an uninjured version, the "new" version had an injury half as severe as the original injury. This method may depend upon the severity of the injury, such as when the M-tattooed dupe sent his scarring to the original.
As a consequence of splitting into multiple selves, Jamie has accumulated a vast wealth of knowledge and experience, along with some confusion over which Jamie did what. For example, although he says his duplicates have had active sex lives, he is not sure whether he himself ever has, to the point that he was once uncertain whether he or a dupe had conceived his son Sean with Siryn (with the result that his body absorbed his infant son the first time he held the boy, as his body regarded the baby as another dupe rather than an independent entity).
Specific special skills accumulated through his vast experience include picking locks, some proficiency in Shaolin Kung Fu
, handgun training, multiple languages including Russian and Hawaiian, and playing-card throwing. Along the way, he and/or his duplicates participated in an Olympic gymnastics team and apparently became a licensed attorney.
Madrox has generally been considered a mutant
. However, unlike most mutants whose mutant powers emerge during adolescence, Madrox exhibited his gifts from the day he was born. In X-Factor, Damian Tryp
declares he isn't one, but a "killcrop" like him, so named because they were believed to cause bad harvests in olden times.
" crossover
storyline, Jamie Madrox is one of the many mutants captured by Sinister
and the Dark Beast
for experimentation. His powers are overextended beyond their limits, leaving him nearly mindless, and his duplicates become the Madri — a fanatical cult worshipping Apocalypse
and serving as his inquisitors and secret police. The original Madrox is reduced to a diaper
ed, drooling lunatic who plays with children's toys such as rattles and building blocks while being kept in seclusion at the Church of the Madri in Quebec. Eventually, Banshee
and Quicksilver
attempt a rescue; however, in the end, Madrox shuts down all of his duplicates and dies in the resulting psychic backlash. The destruction of the Madri was one of the major blows to Apocalypse's regime that helped the X-Men overthrow the mutant overlord.
Earth X
:
“Multiple Man. Jaime Madrox lives in every city of the earth. He's sort of a street informer who peddles himself on his ability to convey anything going on to anyone – should they pay high enough”. Madrox would later appear in the sequel series “Universe X” in the “Beasts” special, in which Jamie's hunger for meat during a food shortage causes him to eat one of his own duplicates. This action brings the curse of Wendigo
upon Jamie. Interacting with his own mutation, the curse created a pack of Wendigo. This pack follows the combined force of the Wakandian nation and the X-Men to the Savage Land. In a last stand against the Wendigo, the combined forces of Black Panther, the X-Men, the Ani-Men and the Hulk defeat the Wendigo in a circle of fire. Jaime then reverts to normal and confesses his cannibalism before dying. It is not specified if the Jamie in this book is the original Jamie or a duplicate that had died.
. Duplicated already, all the copies try to devour Ash, who seemingly destroys them all. It is not shown how exactly Madrox became a zombie.
universe, Madrox is a member of the Brotherhood of Mutants. He once staged an entire mutant rights protest march. A sample of his stem cells were stolen by the French military to create a "mutate" (a Marvel term for genetically-modified humans as opposed to those who developed mutant powers naturally) called the Schizoid Man
, with similar powers, who was used to stop a riot single-handedly. Madrox appeared alongside Mastermind, Blob, and Toad when they gate-crashed the Academy of Tomorrow's Homecoming dance, though this was later shown to be an illusion. He is from Madison
, WI
. In the "Return of The King" arc, Madrox states that he can only produce approximately 27 or 28 dupes before he gets a bad sense of déjà vu. Madrox has appeared in Ultimates
Volume 3 issue #2, alongside the Brotherhood. He later creates tens of thousands of dupes used as soldiers in Magneto's plot to destroy the world. The dupes succeed in blowing up Parliament
and the Academy of Tomorrow, killing Emma Frost
, Sunspot
, Cannonball
, Polaris
, Captain Britain, Hank Pym, and others.
In Ultimate X-Men
#100, Wolverine
travels to the Savage Land
, where he discovers that the real Multiple Man is actually a thirteen-year-old boy who had fallen under Lorelei
's hypnotic powers. Jamie believes her to be his mother and that the year he lives in is 1994, and the actions being carried out by his dupes are stories he is drawing. Wolverine tries to call the boy to reason by revealing Lorelei's true intentions but is later forced to kill him, causing all the dupes to disappear.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
, associated with the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
. Created by writer Len Wein
Len Wein
Len Wein is an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men...
with script from Chris Claremont
Chris Claremont
Chris Claremont is an award-winning American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on Uncanny X-Men, far longer than any other writer, during which he is credited with developing strong female characters, and with introducing complex literary themes into superhero...
and art by John Buscema
John Buscema
John Buscema, born Giovanni Natale Buscema , was an American comic-book artist and one of the mainstays of Marvel Comics during its 1960s and 1970s ascendancy into an industry leader and its subsequent expansion to a major pop culture conglomerate...
, he first appeared in Giant-Size Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
#4 (February 1975).
A mutant
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
with the ability to create instant duplicates or "dupes" of himself, Madrox was largely a minor or supporting character until his appearance in the 1987 miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
Fallen Angels
Fallen Angels (comics)
Fallen Angels is a team of fictional comic book superhuman teenagers in the Marvel Comics universe. The team's only appearances were in the Fallen Angels eight-issue limited series, written by Jo Duffy, which ran from April 1987 to November 1987....
. The character underwent greater development under writer Peter David
Peter David
Peter Allen David , often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, movies and video games...
through his appearance in David's run of the monthly series X-Factor
X-Factor (comics)
X-Factor is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is a spin-off of the popular X-Men franchise, featuring characters from X-Men stories. The series has been relaunched several times with different team rosters, most recently as X-Factor Investigations.X-Factor launched in...
(vol. 1) in the 1990s, and in David's second and currently ongoing run of the title (vol. 3) in the 2000s.
Multiple Man appeared in the 2006 film, X-Men: The Last Stand
X-Men: The Last Stand
X-Men: The Last Stand is a 2006 superhero film and the third in the X-Men series. It was directed by Brett Ratner and stars an ensemble cast including Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Kelsey Grammer, Anna Paquin, Shawn Ashmore, Aaron Stanford, Vinnie Jones,...
, in which he was portrayed by Eric Dane
Eric Dane
Eric Dane is an American actor. After appearing in television roles throughout the 1990s and 2000s, he became known for playing Dr...
.
Publication history
Jamie Madrox first appeared in Giant-Size Fantastic Four #4. In the 1990s, he played a major role in the series X-FactorX-Factor (comics)
X-Factor is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is a spin-off of the popular X-Men franchise, featuring characters from X-Men stories. The series has been relaunched several times with different team rosters, most recently as X-Factor Investigations.X-Factor launched in...
. A MadroX miniseries was published in 2004, written by Peter David
Peter David
Peter Allen David , often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, movies and video games...
, who had previously written for the character in X-Factor. He and the other members of his detective agency now star in a revamped X-Factor monthly series that is again written by Peter David.
Youth
Jamie Madrox was born to a family living near the Los AlamosLos Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory, managed and operated by Los Alamos National Security , located in Los Alamos, New Mexico...
research facility in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
; the background radiation
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
may have stimulated his mutation. When Jamie was born, the doctor's slap causes him to multiply into two identical babies. Professor Charles Xavier
Professor X
Professor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
, a friend of the Madrox family, suggests that they move to Kansas to raise the boy in privacy. Dr. Daniel Madrox, Jamie's father, creates a suit for him to wear which is designed to absorb kinetic energy, the source of the duplication.
Later, Damian Tryp
Damian Tryp
Damian Tryp is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe. His first appearance was in X-Factor vol. 3 #2.-Fictional character biography:left|thumbnail|Ancient Tryp...
, of Singularity Investigations, makes his own offer to look after Jamie, claiming that Jamie is not a mutant, but a "changeling
Changeling
A changeling is a creature found in Western European folklore and folk religion. It is typically described as being the offspring of a fairy, troll, elf or other legendary creature that has been secretly left in the place of a human child. Sometimes the term is also used to refer to the child who...
", a predecessor to mutants who develops its powers at birth. Jamie's parents refuse to give Jamie to Tryp. When Jamie is fifteen years old, his parents are killed by a tornado alleged to have been caused by Tryp, and Jamie begins to run the farm by himself along with his duplicates, or "dupes", until his suit is damaged.
Muir Island
Madrox goes to New York City for help where he meets Mister FantasticMister Fantastic
Mr. Fantastic is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the Fantastic Four. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 ....
of the Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
. He contacts Professor Xavier, who sends the youth to Muir Island
Muir Island
Muir Island is a small, fictional island off the northern coast of Scotland in the Marvel Comics universe. It plays a prominent role in the X-Men comics and its related series.-History:...
with Moira McTaggert, to work in her laboratory and help her with research. He later helps Moira and fellow mutants Havok and Polaris
Polaris (comics)
Polaris is a fictional comic book character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular the X-Men family of books. Created by Arnold Drake, Don Heck, Werner Roth and Jim Steranko, Polaris first appeared in The X-Men #49...
in searching for the escaped mutant, Proteus
Proteus (comics)
Kevin MacTaggert, best known as Proteus and also called Mutant X, is a Marvel Comics character, associated with the X-Men.Kevin was the mutant son of Scottish genetic researcher Moira MacTaggert and politician Joseph MacTaggert...
. Proteus hijacks one of Madrox's duplicates as his own body, although this does not harm Madrox. Following the X-Men's battle with Proteus on Muir Island
Muir Island
Muir Island is a small, fictional island off the northern coast of Scotland in the Marvel Comics universe. It plays a prominent role in the X-Men comics and its related series.-History:...
, Madrox was invited to join the X-Men, but he declined.
One of Jamie's renegade duplicates later searches with Siryn
Siryn
Theresa Maeve Rourke Cassidy is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually those belonging to the X-Men family of titles...
for the runaway New Mutants
New Mutants
The New Mutants are a group of teenaged mutant superheroes-in-training published by Marvel Comics. They have been the main characters of three successive comic book series, which were spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise....
Sunspot
Sunspot (comics)
Sunspot is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero most commonly associated with X-Men-related groups the New Mutants and X-Force....
and Warlock
Warlock (New Mutants)
Warlock is a fictional character, a cybernetic alien superhero published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in New Mutants vol. 1 #18 , and was created by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz.-Publication history:...
. They find him and Jamie joins the Fallen Angels
Fallen Angels (comics)
Fallen Angels is a team of fictional comic book superhuman teenagers in the Marvel Comics universe. The team's only appearances were in the Fallen Angels eight-issue limited series, written by Jo Duffy, which ran from April 1987 to November 1987....
.
X-Factor
Jamie is then one of the residents of Muir IslandMuir Island
Muir Island is a small, fictional island off the northern coast of Scotland in the Marvel Comics universe. It plays a prominent role in the X-Men comics and its related series.-History:...
who comes under the mental control of the Shadow King
Shadow King
The Shadow King, also known as Amahl Farouk, is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Shadow King exists as an entity of pure psychic energy that feeds on the hatred of humanity...
. Following the destruction of Muir Island and the defeat of the Shadow King, he becomes a government operative as a member of the second X-Factor
X-Factor (comics)
X-Factor is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is a spin-off of the popular X-Men franchise, featuring characters from X-Men stories. The series has been relaunched several times with different team rosters, most recently as X-Factor Investigations.X-Factor launched in...
team, which is assembled by Val Cooper
Valerie Cooper
Valerie "Val" Cooper is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe who currently works for the Office of National Emergency. She is most notable for her work as the liaison for mutant affairs in the United States government.-Publication history:...
. Here, he develops a reputation as a prankster, forming a friendship with teammate Strong Guy
Strong Guy
Strong Guy is the alias of Guido Carosella, a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz in New Mutants volume 1 #29 , and was reinvented as Strong Guy by Peter David and Larry Stroman in X-Factor #71 .-Early life:Born in Rhinebeck,...
. Also on the team is former New Mutant Wolfsbane, who later joins his X-Factor Investigations.
In the first day of the team, one of his duplicates is shot and killed, and Madrox learns for the first time that he cannot absorb a deceased duplicate. This makes him realize for the first time how independent his duplicates actually are. This becomes clearer to him when a duplicate, working for Mister Sinister
Mister Sinister
Mister Sinister is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #221 and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Marc Silvestri....
, decides that it wants to absorb the original, which it does for a short time, until Jamie's dominant personality broke free and reabsorbs the wayward dupe.
After he is exposed to the Legacy Virus
Legacy Virus
In the fictional Marvel Universe, the Legacy Virus was a devastating plague that ripped through the mutant population, killing hundreds and mutating so that it affected baseline humans as well....
while performing CPR on an infected Genosha
Genosha
Genosha is a fictional country that has appeared in numerous comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is an island nation that exists in Marvel's main shared universe, known as "Earth 616" in the Marvel Universe. The fictional nation served as an allegory for slavery and later for South...
n mutate, Jamie is forced to kill the Acolyte
Acolytes (comics)
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...
Mellencamp
Seamus Mellencamp
Seamus Mellencamp is a reptilian fictional character in Marvel Comics comic book Uncanny X-Men. He is a member of the supervillain group the Acolytes, who serve Magneto...
in self defense by creating a dupe inside the mutant while his hand is in Mellencamp's mouth. Madrox does not often fight in cosmic battles like most of the other X-Men, but he fought doppelgangers during the Infinity War
Infinity War
The Infinity War is a six-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics in 1992. The series was written by Jim Starlin and penciled by Ron Lim, Ian Laughlin, Al Milgrom, Jack Morelli and Christie Scheele....
and, along with Wolfsbane
Wolfsbane (comics)
Wolfsbane is a Marvel Comics superheroine, associated with the X-Men.A Scottish mutant, Wolfsbane possesses the ability to transform into a wolf or into a transitional state somewhere between human and wolf...
, as the two are religious, are taken by the cosmic entity Goddess
Goddess (comics)
The Goddess is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. The name is assumed by the "feminine, self-aware" supposedly "good" aspect of Adam Warlock, subconsciously exiled from his psyche whilst he was in possession of the Infinity Gauntlet...
during the Infinity Crusade
Infinity Crusade
Infinity Crusade is a six-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics in 1993. The series was written by Jim Starlin and penciled by Ron Lim, Ian Laughlin, Al Milgrom and Jack Morelli....
.
Jamie's health continues to deteriorate due to the Legacy Virus. An attempted cure by Haven
Haven (comics)
Haven is a fictional mutant character in the Marvel Comics Universe. Her first appearance was in X-Factor #96.-Fictional character biography:...
leaves him dead until it is revealed that it was a duplicate who had been infected and died; the real Madrox was alive and suffering from amnesia.
Jamie is the motivation for the Government-sponsored version of X-Factor to break ties with the government and go underground when the team is tricked into thinking Jamie and his duplicates are actually a squad of super-powered terrorists. Eventually, the team discovers this was a manipulation and the group goes rogue, splitting from the government.
He seeks out Strong Guy, who is ill after Jamie's alleged death. Unfortunately, this makes Strong Guy even weaker, but Jamie's mistake is fixed by the genius of new team leader Forge
Forge (comics)
Forge is a fictional character in the , a superhero associated with The X-Men.A mutant with an unsurpassed brilliance in technology, Forge has had a lengthy career as a government weapons contractor. He shared a romantic relationship with Storm, and a brief affair with Mystique which led him to...
.
He then serves as majority staff for Banshee
Banshee (comics)
Banshee is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero who operates as a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Werner Roth, Banshee first appeared in X-Men #28 ....
's X-Corps
X-Corps
The X-Corps is a fictional team created by Marvel Comics. Whether they were good or bad was left up to debate, even within the X-Men, but the team acted as a mutant police force created by former X-Man Banshee, in Uncanny X-Men #401...
. Banshee hired ex-criminals to police other mutants but things get bad when Mystique
Mystique (comics)
Mystique is a fictional character associated with the Marvel Comics' franchise X-Men. Originally created by artist David Cockrum and writer Chris Claremont, she first appeared in Ms...
goes on a murderous rampage and has Mastermind's daughter mind control them. The X-Men manage to defeat the renegade X-Corps members, he transfers to one of Xavier's official "non X-Men" mutant teams in Paris' X-Corporation, fighting Weapon XII in the Channel which results in the death of teammate Darkstar
Darkstar (comics)
Darkstar is a fictional character, a mutant superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe. She has been a member of various super-teams in her career, including X-Corporation and Champions of Los Angeles.-Fictional character biography:...
.
Mutant Town
After the fall of the X-Corporation, Madrox begins working as a private detective in the "Mutant TownDistrict X
District X, also known as Mutant Town or the Middle East Side, is a fictional location in Marvel Comics. It is a neighborhood in New York City, first seen during Grant Morrison's run on the series New X-Men in New X-Men #127, which was primarily populated by mutants...
" area of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, along with former X-Factor teammates Wolfsbane
Wolfsbane (comics)
Wolfsbane is a Marvel Comics superheroine, associated with the X-Men.A Scottish mutant, Wolfsbane possesses the ability to transform into a wolf or into a transitional state somewhere between human and wolf...
and Strong Guy
Strong Guy
Strong Guy is the alias of Guido Carosella, a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz in New Mutants volume 1 #29 , and was reinvented as Strong Guy by Peter David and Larry Stroman in X-Factor #71 .-Early life:Born in Rhinebeck,...
. In the passing time, Madrox has been sending out his duplicates to lead lives of their own. Among these dupes are a Shaolin monk and an Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
Gymnast
Gymnast
Gymnasts are people who participate in the sports of either artistic gymnastics, trampolining, or rhythmic gymnastics.See gymnasium for the origin of the word gymnast from gymnastikos.-Female artistic:Australia...
. By this point, his powers are developed to such an extent that any dupe who gains sufficient skills can pass its knowledge on to Jamie, giving him a wide variety of training instantly.
The side effect of excessive withdrawal from absorbing the duplicates leads him to gain their new personalities as well, which gives him a form of multiple personality disorder, in which any new dupes may spontaneously generate any individual personality aspect of Jamie Prime, making them unpredicatable, as they more often than not disobey his orders or manifest as personalities that are too volatile or meek.
It is during this period that he encounters an assassin named "Clay", who has the same powers as Jamie. While killed after telling Jamie that the Multiple Man has no idea what he truly is, Clay would come back later.
X-Factor Investigations
After "House of MHouse of M
House of M is an eight-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics in 2005. Written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel, its first issue debuted in June 2005 as a follow-up to the events of the Planet X and Avengers Disassembled...
"'s elimination of mutants, it is revealed that Jamie has upgraded his private detective agency to a new building, under the name X-Factor Investigations
X-Factor Investigations
X-Factor Investigations is a fictional detective agency created by writer Peter David for the Marvel Comics comic book series X-Factor . The agency first appears under the name XXX Investigations in the first issue of the Marvel Comics limited series Madrox #1...
. He bought the building using money from a Who Wants to Be a Millionaire-type show, using a room full of dupes as lifelines.
Still suffering from uncontrollable duplicate personalities, Jamie sends one to talk a de-powered Rictor
Rictor
Rictor is a fictional comic book superhero in the Marvel Universe, who appears in the X-Men family of books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer Louise Simonson and artist Walt Simonson and first appeared in X-Factor vol.1 #17...
out of jumping off a building and instead pushes him off. The dupe calls himself "The X-Factor" and threatens Madrox that he will come out whenever dupes are made, and Madrox won't be able to tell before being reabsorbed, and Jamie's new team adds Rictor to the group, along with M
M (comics)
M is a fictional comic book superheroine, a mutant who appears in the X-Men family of books published by Marvel Comics...
, and Siryn
Siryn
Theresa Maeve Rourke Cassidy is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually those belonging to the X-Men family of titles...
. Celebrating a victory after discovering he's not a mutant, but a changeling (see opening biography entry), Jamie has sex with Siryn, and an accidentally forgotten duplicate with M. When Jamie discovers and absorbs the duplicate, both females are furious with him.
Later, Layla Miller
Layla Miller
Layla Rose Miller, also known as Butterfly, is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. She first appeared in House of M #4, and was created by Brian Michael Bendis and Oliver Coipel...
, who is without a home after House of M's reality is shattered, reveals to Jamie that one day they will get married, and Wolfsbane will kill them both on their wedding night.
During "Civil War
Civil War (comics)
Civil War is a 2006-2007 Marvel Comics crossover storyline built around a self-titled seven-issue limited series written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven, which ran through various other titles published by Marvel at the time...
", a duplicate of Jamie had created a few years ago eventually becomes agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage and a secret military law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 , it often deals with superhuman threats....
; since he is an enforcer of the Superhuman Registration Act, he registered M
M (comics)
M is a fictional comic book superheroine, a mutant who appears in the X-Men family of books published by Marvel Comics...
and Rictor
Rictor
Rictor is a fictional comic book superhero in the Marvel Universe, who appears in the X-Men family of books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer Louise Simonson and artist Walt Simonson and first appeared in X-Factor vol.1 #17...
. However, the true Jamie and X-Factor stand opposed to the legislation, going so far as to make a public statement regarding their position, leading Jamie to go in direct opposition to the neutral stance taken by X-Men leader Cyclops
Cyclops (comics)
Cyclops is a fictional character, the leader of the X-Men superhero team in the . A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes...
, who Jamie is upset at for his withholding the truth about M-Day. Jamie also declares that the empty Mutant Town will be a sanctuary for superheroes being pursued by the government.
Agent Madrox recently met "his" end when he was surprised and re-absorbed by the original Madrox during an investigation of a HYDRA
HYDRA
HYDRA is a fictional terrorist organization in the Marvel Universe.Despite the name's capitalization per Marvel's official spelling, the name is not an acronym but rather a reference to the mythical Lernaean Hydra...
cell. Jamie Madrox continues the task of hunting down his stray duplicates and reabsorbing them, but he leaves one, John Maddox, who has carved out a life for himself as an Episcopal
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
priest, husband and father, and Jamie decided not to reabsorb him. Siryn also discovers that she is pregnant by Jamie.
"Messiah Complex"
During "Messiah ComplexX-Men: Messiah Complex
"Messiah Complex" is a comic book crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics from October 2007 to January 2008, which ran through the various X-Men books....
", Cyclops sends Jamie and Layla to go see Forge
Forge (comics)
Forge is a fictional character in the , a superhero associated with The X-Men.A mutant with an unsurpassed brilliance in technology, Forge has had a lengthy career as a government weapons contractor. He shared a romantic relationship with Storm, and a brief affair with Mystique which led him to...
, who has built a machine that allows him to monitor alternate timelines. Madrox sends two dupes to find information on two timelines that showed "spikes", after the birth of the Mutant baby, due to two different timelines: one in which the newborn becomes the planet's savior and another where it becomes its dominator. Before anyone can react, Layla jumps into the portal along with one of the dupes, and Madrox collapses into a coma.
Layla and one Madrox duplicate arrive eighty years in the negative future to discover that the mutant race has been severely decimated
Days of Future Past
"Days of Future Past" is a popular storyline in the Marvel Comics comic book The Uncanny X-Men issues #141 and #142, published in 1981. It deals with a dystopian alternate future in which mutants are incarcerated in internment camps...
. Mutants are imprisoned in concentration camps overseen by humans. Layla and the dupe are captured and tattooed with an "M" for mutant over their eyes. There, they encounter a youthful Lucas Bishop, who said that he would gladly go back in time to kill the mutant baby responsible for the way this timeline has turned out. Layla straps a stolen grenade to the duplicate, killing him and sending his memories of the event back to Jamie so he can tell of Bishop's treachery. When Jamie awakens, he develops an M tattoo because his body takes on scarring from duplicates. Jamie leaves and returns to X-Factor Investigations, disillusioned due to Layla's loss.
The other duplicate later returns as the character Cortex.
Sean
Siryn goes into labor and proposes to Jamie, who accepts. She gives birth to a boy, and they name him Sean, after her father. Just hours after his birth, however, Sean, much to the horror of Jamie, Theresa and X-Factor, is absorbed into Jamie's body as Jamie holds him, completely against Jamie's will. Jamie realizes that the baby must have been fathered by a dupe rather than by him, and that "the offspring of a dupe isn't really anything more than a dupe". Siryn, filled with rage toward Jamie, breaks his finger and tells him to leave.Jamie goes to see his preacher dupe John Maddox. Jamie realizes that if the child of a dupe is merely an "infant dupe", then John's son should have been absorbed either by John himself, or when Jamie ruffled the boys hair; therefore John's son must not be his. John admits that he already knows his wife had an affair. Jamie reveals that he plans to kill himself over the grief caused by Sean, but is prevented by a holographic projection of an adult Layla Miller, who takes him into the future.
Summers Rebellion
Jamie is transported to the future in the midst of the Summers Rebellion, where mutants rise up against Sentinel and human oppressors, which is led by Ruby SummersRuby Summers
Ruby Summers is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe first appearing in the one-shot X-Factor: Layla Miller.-Fictional character biography:Ruby is the daughter of Scott Summers and Emma Frost from the dystopian alternate future Earth-1191....
, the daughter of Cyclops and Emma Frost, with her father's optic blasts and Emma's organic mineral body, Layla, and a cyborg Cyclops, whose predicament is Jamie's fault.
After kissing Layla (now an adult) out of happiness at seeing her, Cyclops wants Jamie to find out why some mutants are winking out of existence. The group visit an aging senile Doctor Doom, who says Layla told him in the past that he'd have to instruct Jamie and her on something in the future, and it is now.
In the present, a former mutant named Lenore ask assistance to X-Factor, claiming that someone was trying to kill her. She felt she was being followed, but every time she looked, it was a different person doing it. Her best friend Candy, another former mutant, was found dead of a gunshot wound which the police ruled a suicide. Lenore didn't believe it, because Candy had a pathological fear of guns. Before Candy died, she told Lenore that she thought she was being followed. Later, Lenore's mother showed up at Lenore's apartment and attempted to shoot her, but was foiled by Longshot. Escaping, Lenore's mother took Darwin hostage. At the last minute, she turned the gun on herself, but it backfired due to Longshot's luck powers. At the hospital, Monet St. Croix attempted to read Lenore's mother's mind, but was overpowered and collapsed. When she woke up, she grabbed Longshot's throat and said "Cortex."
While Strong Guy and Rictor were visiting John Maddox in Vermont, Shatterstar busted through the window and tried to stab Rictor, saying only "Cortex". Once freed of Cortex's control, Shatterstar and Rictor shared a passionate kiss. When Cortex tried to bring Longshot under his mental and physical control, he noted that Longshot and Shatterstar were in many ways identical.
Once she calmed down, Monet told the group that her violent outburst was because of psychic feedback that occurred after she had broken through a psychic barrier in Lenore's mother's mind, but that whatever was controlling her had fled. She then manipulated the group into moving Lenore out of her apartment and hiding her in a penthouse suite in an expensive hotel. There she tried to seduce Darwin, but he figured out that she was acting out of character only to try to get Lenore alone, and so resisted. Monet's body turned bright purple and became covered in tint lights and circuitry. She said that she would then have to kill Darwin, even though he wasn't on Cortex's list. This suggests that whatever Monet had become, she was acting somewhat independently of Cortex himself while receiving instructions from him.
When Cortex loses control over Monet, she attacks him and his hood falls back revealing that he is a duplicate of Jamie Madrox. Having his identity uncovered Cortex reveals himself as the second duplicate sent to one of the two "remaining" futures for mutantkind during the "Messiah Complex", to search for a cure for the depowering of 98% of the world's mutants following M-Day, then die in some fashion so that his memories would be transferred back to Madrox.
How this duplicate travelled from the alternative future he was sent to Earth-1191 remains a mystery, the only thing known is that under the direction of Anthony Falcone, who in turn was under the guidance of Damian Tryp from Earth-616, this duplicate was turned into a "doomlock," a chronal variance inhibitor which stops the creation of divergent timelines, which required massive cybernetic modification of his body. He was then sent back in time from Earth-1191 to Earth-616 to kill a list of specific individuals, including Multiple Man, for fear how they might affect the future. As Cortex, Madrox' duplicate apparently has the power to mentally control several people at once.
Meanwhile, on Earth-1191, Multiple Man was tasked by Cyclops with discovering why certain people seemed to be blinking out and then back into existence. Multiple Man theorized that someone might be altering the past to affect the future. Cortex was attempting to kill Lenore to prevent Hecat'e (of the Summers Rebellion) from being born.
Chaos War
During the Chaos WarChaos War (comics)
"Chaos War" is a Marvel Comics storyline that began publication in October 2010 across nine comic book series: the five-issue miniseries Chaos War, written by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente, supplemented by seven branded miniseries or one-shot publications, and by three issues of Incredible Hulks, a...
storyline, Multiple Man is among the heroes that Hercules assembles to help combat the forces of Amatsu-Mikaboshi
Amatsu-Mikaboshi (comics)
Amatsu-Mikaboshi is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe, a supervillain and demonic god of evil who is best known as an enemy of Hercules...
. Because of what happened in the death realms, the Multiple Man clones that fell in battle return from the dead alongside the other X-Men that died in battle.
Powers and abilities
Jamie Madrox is a changelingChangeling
A changeling is a creature found in Western European folklore and folk religion. It is typically described as being the offspring of a fairy, troll, elf or other legendary creature that has been secretly left in the place of a human child. Sometimes the term is also used to refer to the child who...
, which is either a predecessor to or a subset of mutants
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
. His power is the ability to create perfect duplicates, or "dupes", of himself, and all items on his person (clothing, weaponry, et cetera) through impact when he absorbs kinetic energy
Kinetic energy
The kinetic energy of an object is the energy which it possesses due to its motion.It is defined as the work needed to accelerate a body of a given mass from rest to its stated velocity. Having gained this energy during its acceleration, the body maintains this kinetic energy unless its speed changes...
(although this sometimes has happened at will) through an unknown process. Most of the time, this is caused by him snapping his fingers, stomping his foot, being struck, or collisions. Each of the duplicates has exactly the same power as Jamie himself, and has independent thought, though Madrox "Prime" is usually telepathically and empathically linked to the dupes. His powers have, at least once, been shown to affect the actual design of the shirt he was wearing.
Jamie "Prime" can absorb a dupe back into himself at will, which also makes him absorb the memories, knowledge, and skills of the duplicate. The dupe usually appears right beside the body it "springs" from. It has been noted that dupes have trouble creating more dupes themselves if they have not used their powers for a while, while Madrox is able to use his ability whenever he wants without any such issue.
Jamie was formerly unable to control the duplication process, wearing a special shock-absorbent synthetic stretch fabric costume that contained mechanisms that absorbed kinetic energy so that an army of Madroxes would not instantly appear every time he was struck. The original suit was designed by his father, Dr. Daniel Madrox, and later modified by Reed Richards. Jamie currently wears a stylized shirt with only six large green shock-absorbent pads on the front of the torso. Whether this indicates a greater degree of control over when his dupes manifest or simply an advance in technology (or if it is simply an ordinary shirt with the same design) is unclear.
During his time with X-Factor, the maximum number of dupes Madrox could create, including duplicates of the dupes themselves, was approximately 40, but the limit has grown far beyond that, as when Hydra tried to manipulate Jamie into becoming one of them. Their plan backfired because he cannot be mind-controlled, which instead resulted in an immense number of Madroxes that drowned the organization's cohorts. Duplicates have independent minds from the original, but are usually willing to merge back because their memories and knowledge are retained. However, there have been exceptions where duplicates have wished for independence completely, even going so far as to have malicious duplicates intending great harm to the Prime during Peter David's original and modern X-Factor runs (Which featured Madrox's dupes manifesting as aspects of the Prime Madrox's personality rather than straightforward duplicates).
As a last ditch effort, Madrox's abilities can be used to deadly effect, which were used in self-defense against Seamus Mellencamp
Seamus Mellencamp
Seamus Mellencamp is a reptilian fictional character in Marvel Comics comic book Uncanny X-Men. He is a member of the supervillain group the Acolytes, who serve Magneto...
, when Madrox jammed his hand into Mellencamp's mouth and activated his power, creating a duplicate inside Mellencamp and exploding him from the inside out. He has used this method to threaten people before, as well.
Madrox's duplicates can perish without long term physical harm to himself, as demonstrated when the mutant Proteus possessed a duplicate then consumed its life force — leaving only a burnt out husk, as with all victims of Proteus. The possession caused Madrox to collapse in pain, aware of what was happening, but he later recovered.
Madrox also uses merging with his duplicates as a form of healing. Originally, uninjured dupes "shared" the damage when they merged. If an injured Madrox or dupe merged with an uninjured version, the "new" version had an injury half as severe as the original injury. This method may depend upon the severity of the injury, such as when the M-tattooed dupe sent his scarring to the original.
As a consequence of splitting into multiple selves, Jamie has accumulated a vast wealth of knowledge and experience, along with some confusion over which Jamie did what. For example, although he says his duplicates have had active sex lives, he is not sure whether he himself ever has, to the point that he was once uncertain whether he or a dupe had conceived his son Sean with Siryn (with the result that his body absorbed his infant son the first time he held the boy, as his body regarded the baby as another dupe rather than an independent entity).
Specific special skills accumulated through his vast experience include picking locks, some proficiency in Shaolin Kung Fu
Shaolin kung fu
Shaolin Kung Fu refers to a collection of Chinese martial arts that claim affiliation with the Shaolin Monastery.Of the multitude styles of kung fu and wushu, only some are actually related to Shaolin...
, handgun training, multiple languages including Russian and Hawaiian, and playing-card throwing. Along the way, he and/or his duplicates participated in an Olympic gymnastics team and apparently became a licensed attorney.
Madrox has generally been considered a mutant
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
. However, unlike most mutants whose mutant powers emerge during adolescence, Madrox exhibited his gifts from the day he was born. In X-Factor, Damian Tryp
Damian Tryp
Damian Tryp is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe. His first appearance was in X-Factor vol. 3 #2.-Fictional character biography:left|thumbnail|Ancient Tryp...
declares he isn't one, but a "killcrop" like him, so named because they were believed to cause bad harvests in olden times.
"Age of Apocalypse"
In the 1995–96 "Age of ApocalypseAge of Apocalypse
"Age of Apocalypse" is a 1995 - 1996 comic book crossover storyline published in the X-Men franchise of books by Marvel Comics. The Age of Apocalypse briefly replaced the universe of Earth-616, although it was later retconned as having occurred in the alternate universe of Earth-295, it had...
" crossover
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
storyline, Jamie Madrox is one of the many mutants captured by Sinister
Mister Sinister
Mister Sinister is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #221 and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Marc Silvestri....
and the Dark Beast
Dark Beast
Dark Beast , sometimes known as the Black Beast, is a Marvel Comics supervillain, an alternate reality evil version of the X-Men’s Beast...
for experimentation. His powers are overextended beyond their limits, leaving him nearly mindless, and his duplicates become the Madri — a fanatical cult worshipping Apocalypse
Apocalypse (comics)
Apocalypse is a fictional character who is an ancient mutant that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Factor #5 , created by writer Louise Simonson and designed by artist Walter Simonson...
and serving as his inquisitors and secret police. The original Madrox is reduced to a diaper
Diaper
A nappy or a diaper is a kind of pant that allows one to defecate or urinate on oneself discreetly. When diapers become soiled, they require changing; this process is often performed by a second person such as a parent or caregiver...
ed, drooling lunatic who plays with children's toys such as rattles and building blocks while being kept in seclusion at the Church of the Madri in Quebec. Eventually, Banshee
Banshee (comics)
Banshee is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero who operates as a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Werner Roth, Banshee first appeared in X-Men #28 ....
and Quicksilver
Quicksilver (comics)
Quicksilver is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
attempt a rescue; however, in the end, Madrox shuts down all of his duplicates and dies in the resulting psychic backlash. The destruction of the Madri was one of the major blows to Apocalypse's regime that helped the X-Men overthrow the mutant overlord.
Earth X
Jamie Madrox is referenced in the appendix of issue #6 of the 1997 miniseriesMiniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
Earth X
Earth X
Earth X is a 1999 comic book limited series written by Jim Krueger with art by John Paul Leon and published by Marvel Comics. Based on Alex Ross' notes, the series features a dystopian future version of the Marvel Universe....
:
“Multiple Man. Jaime Madrox lives in every city of the earth. He's sort of a street informer who peddles himself on his ability to convey anything going on to anyone – should they pay high enough”. Madrox would later appear in the sequel series “Universe X” in the “Beasts” special, in which Jamie's hunger for meat during a food shortage causes him to eat one of his own duplicates. This action brings the curse of Wendigo
Wendigo (comics)
Wendigo is a fictional monster in the Marvel Comics universe. He is based on the mythical creature of the same name...
upon Jamie. Interacting with his own mutation, the curse created a pack of Wendigo. This pack follows the combined force of the Wakandian nation and the X-Men to the Savage Land. In a last stand against the Wendigo, the combined forces of Black Panther, the X-Men, the Ani-Men and the Hulk defeat the Wendigo in a circle of fire. Jaime then reverts to normal and confesses his cannibalism before dying. It is not specified if the Jamie in this book is the original Jamie or a duplicate that had died.
Marvel Zombies
Multiple Man is one of the zombies that Ashley G. Williams encounters in issue #3 of the 2007 miniseries Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of DarknessMarvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness
Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness is a five-issue 2007 comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics in association with Dynamite Entertainment, an intercompany crossover in which Ash Williams, hero of the popular Evil Dead film and comic book, finds himself in the Marvel Zombies...
. Duplicated already, all the copies try to devour Ash, who seemingly destroys them all. It is not shown how exactly Madrox became a zombie.
Ultimate Multiple Man
In the Ultimate MarvelUltimate Marvel
Ultimate Marvel is an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and updated versions of the company's superhero characters, including Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four. The imprint was launched in 2000 with the publication of the series...
universe, Madrox is a member of the Brotherhood of Mutants. He once staged an entire mutant rights protest march. A sample of his stem cells were stolen by the French military to create a "mutate" (a Marvel term for genetically-modified humans as opposed to those who developed mutant powers naturally) called the Schizoid Man
The Schizoid Man (comics)
The Schizoid Man is the name shared by two Marvel Comics villains with no true relation to each other. One of them is a minor 1970s foe of Spider-Man from the main Marvel continuum, while the other is a member of Marvel's Ultimate Universe group, the Liberators.-Chip Martin:The original Schizoid...
, with similar powers, who was used to stop a riot single-handedly. Madrox appeared alongside Mastermind, Blob, and Toad when they gate-crashed the Academy of Tomorrow's Homecoming dance, though this was later shown to be an illusion. He is from Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
, WI
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. In the "Return of The King" arc, Madrox states that he can only produce approximately 27 or 28 dupes before he gets a bad sense of déjà vu. Madrox has appeared in Ultimates
Ultimates
The Ultimates is a fictional group of superheroes that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team was created by writer Mark Millar and artist Bryan Hitch, and first appeared in The Ultimates #1 , as part of the company's Ultimate Marvel imprint...
Volume 3 issue #2, alongside the Brotherhood. He later creates tens of thousands of dupes used as soldiers in Magneto's plot to destroy the world. The dupes succeed in blowing up Parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
and the Academy of Tomorrow, killing Emma Frost
Emma Frost
Emma Grace Frost is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #129 , and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne....
, Sunspot
Sunspot (comics)
Sunspot is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero most commonly associated with X-Men-related groups the New Mutants and X-Force....
, Cannonball
Cannonball (comics)
Cannonball is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, associated with the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Bob McLeod, Cannonball first appeared in Marvel Graphic Novel #4: The New Mutants ....
, Polaris
Polaris (comics)
Polaris is a fictional comic book character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular the X-Men family of books. Created by Arnold Drake, Don Heck, Werner Roth and Jim Steranko, Polaris first appeared in The X-Men #49...
, Captain Britain, Hank Pym, and others.
In Ultimate X-Men
Ultimate X-Men
Ultimate X-Men is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2001 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running X-Men comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...
#100, Wolverine
Ultimate Wolverine
Ultimate Wolverine is an alternative version of Wolverine who appears in comics containing stories set in the Ultimate Marvel universe. He first appears in Ultimate X-Men #1 and was created by Mark Millar and Adam Kubert.-Early years:...
travels to the Savage Land
Savage Land
The Savage Land is a hidden prehistoric land within the fictional Marvel Comics Universe. It is a tropical preserve hidden in Antarctica. It was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in X-Men #10...
, where he discovers that the real Multiple Man is actually a thirteen-year-old boy who had fallen under Lorelei
Lorelei (Savage Land Mutate)
Lorelei is a fictional character, a mutant in the Marvel Comics Universe whose first appearance was in X-Men #63.-Publication history:...
's hypnotic powers. Jamie believes her to be his mother and that the year he lives in is 1994, and the actions being carried out by his dupes are stories he is drawing. Wolverine tries to call the boy to reason by revealing Lorelei's true intentions but is later forced to kill him, causing all the dupes to disappear.
Television
- In the X-Men animated seriesX-Men (TV series)X-Men, also known as X-Men: The Animated Series, is an American animated television series which debuted on October 31, 1992, in the United States on the Fox Network as part of its Fox Kids Saturday morning lineup...
, Multiple Man appeared in the episode "Cold Comfort" as a member of X-Factor led by Havok and ForgeForge (comics)Forge is a fictional character in the , a superhero associated with The X-Men.A mutant with an unsurpassed brilliance in technology, Forge has had a lengthy career as a government weapons contractor. He shared a romantic relationship with Storm, and a brief affair with Mystique which led him to...
. - The animated series X-Men: EvolutionX-Men: EvolutionX-Men: Evolution is an American animated television series about the Marvel Comics superhero team the X-Men. In this incarnation many of the characters are teenagers rather than adults...
features Jamie Madrox under the codename Multiple instead of Multiple Man. In the series, Jamie is a member of a "junior team" of X-Men, roughly equating to the New MutantsNew MutantsThe New Mutants are a group of teenaged mutant superheroes-in-training published by Marvel Comics. They have been the main characters of three successive comic book series, which were spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise....
. The young Jamie was extremely clumsy, his frequent pratfalls often triggering his powers. This version of Jamie was also shown to have a crush on Kitty PrydeKitty PrydeKatherine Anne "Kitty" Pryde is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #129 and was created by writer-artist John Byrne....
. He was voiced by David KayeDavid KayeDavid V. Hope , known professionally as David Kaye, is a Canadian American actor who is better recognized for his work as a voice actor...
. - Multiple Man first appears in the Wolverine and the X-Men episode "eXcessive Force" voiced by Crispin FreemanCrispin FreemanCrispin McDougal Freeman is an American voice actor, and Mythology scholar. His roles have included Alucard from Hellsing, Kyon from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Karasu from Noein, Togusa from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, as Holland Novak from Eureka Seven, Touga Kiriyu in...
. He is shown as a member of Mister SinisterMister SinisterMister Sinister is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #221 and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Marc Silvestri....
's MaraudersMarauders (comics)The Marauders is a team of fictional supervillain characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist John Romita, Jr., the team first appear in Uncanny X-Men #210 The Marauders is a team of fictional supervillain characters in comic books published by...
. When Cyclops encounters Mister Sinister, he ends up fighting Multiple Man. When Mister Sinister states that he doesn't have Jean Grey, Multiple Man clones himself to fight Cyclops, Cyclops puts up a good fight but they overwhelm him. When the other X-Men arrive, Iceman froze Multiple Man and all of his clones.
Film
- In the film X2X2 (film)X2 is a 2003 superhero film based on the fictional characters the X-Men. Directed by Bryan Singer, it is the second film in the X-Men film series...
, his name appears on a list of names Mystique scrolls through on Stryker's computer while looking for Magneto's file. In the novelization of X2X2 (film)X2 is a 2003 superhero film based on the fictional characters the X-Men. Directed by Bryan Singer, it is the second film in the X-Men film series...
, Jamie has an expanded role as a student living at Xavier's, and has a relationship with SirynSirynTheresa Maeve Rourke Cassidy is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually those belonging to the X-Men family of titles...
, who often unintentionally causes him to create duplicates of himself. - X-Men: The Last StandX-Men: The Last StandX-Men: The Last Stand is a 2006 superhero film and the third in the X-Men series. It was directed by Brett Ratner and stars an ensemble cast including Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Kelsey Grammer, Anna Paquin, Shawn Ashmore, Aaron Stanford, Vinnie Jones,...
features James Madrox/Multiple Man, who is recruited into the Brotherhood of MutantsBrotherhood of MutantsThe Brotherhood of Mutants, originally known as the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, is a fictional Marvel Comics supervillain team devoted to mutant superiority over normal humans. They are among the chief adversaries of the X-Men...
. Played by Eric DaneEric DaneEric Dane is an American actor. After appearing in television roles throughout the 1990s and 2000s, he became known for playing Dr...
, the character is a supervillain, having robbed seven banks at the same time. In one scene, he and his dupes serve as a decoy for Magneto's Brotherhood, appearing to the authorities to be the Brotherhood on a satellite image, while the real Brotherhood escapes. He is presumably rearrested by U.S. Army troops after the ruse is discovered.
Video games
- In X-Men: The Official GameX-Men: The Official GameX-Men: The Official Game is Activision's tie-in video game to the 2006 film X-Men: The Last Stand. The game covers the events of the films X2: X-Men United and X-Men: The Last Stand, specifically following the characters of Wolverine, Iceman, and Nightcrawler...
, Multiple Man appears as a villain voiced by Eric DaneEric DaneEric Dane is an American actor. After appearing in television roles throughout the 1990s and 2000s, he became known for playing Dr...
. Storm and NightcrawlerNightcrawler (comics)Nightcrawler is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Universe. He has been associated with both the X-Men and Excalibur, originally appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum, he debuted in Giant-Size X-Men #1...
battle him on the Brooklyn BridgeBrooklyn BridgeThe Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River...
. Multiple Man has tries to blow up the bridge with bombs, but Nightcrawler and Storm disarm all of them and defeat Multiple Man. He is then taken into government custody. - Multiple Man (spelled as "Multipleman") appears in X-Men LegendsX-Men LegendsX-Men Legends is an action role-playing video game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. It was released on the GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles in the fall of . Barking Lizards Technologies developed the N-Gage port of the game, which was released in early...
voiced by Dee Bradley BakerDee Bradley BakerDee Bradley Baker is an American voice actor. He is noted as his long-running-role as Klaus Heissler in American Dad! and other various characters including Squilliam Fancyson in the hit TV series SpongeBob SquarePants, Nightcrawler in X-Men: Legends and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance...
. He makes a brief cameo on Muir Island when the X-Men arrives there to stop Juggernaut. The Madri also make an appearance in the game's sequelSequelA sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
X-Men Legends II: Rise of ApocalypseX-Men Legends II: Rise of ApocalypseX-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse is an action role-playing game released in 2005 for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, N-Gage, PlayStation Portable, and GameCube video game consoles as well as the PC...
, having their own temple as a stage as well, however the connection with Multiple Man, Sinister, and Dark Beast is not strongly hinted at in this game. - Multiple Man appears in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 voiced by Wally WingertWally WingertWallace E. "Wally" Wingert is an American actor and voice artist. He is originally from Des Moines, Iowa but he currently works and lives in Los Angeles, California. He is the current announcer for the second incarnation of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and the current voice of Jon Arbuckle in...
. He appears as a boss for the players that side with the Superhero Registration Act. In the Wii, PS2, and PSP versions, some of the John Madrox duplicates are bosses for the Anti-Registration people. The first fight with Multiple Man is when the Anti-Registration Act intercept a convoy bound for Ryker's Island. The second fight takes place at Geffen-Meyer Chemical Plant where it turned out that the Multiple Man that was defeated earlier was one of his clones. Multiple Man is among the superheroes that gets taken over by The Fold.