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Metalhead (comics)
Encyclopedia
Metalhead is a fictional character created by Marvel Comics
for their futuristic comic book line dubbed Marvel 2099
in X-Men 2099
. His creators were John Francis Moore
and Ron Lim
.
to be a part of his new incarnation of the X-Men
. He was the effective muscle of the group, but he also had an invaluable sense of humor which kept the team comfortable. When the X-Men needed to find out information on the Driver about the existence of other mutants they encountered an outcast group, consisting of rejects from programs based on genetic modification and engineering, called De-gens—named the Freakshow. During the obligatory battle over misunderstandings, Metalhead fought with one such 'genescrape' named Contagion whose touch could infect an individual with a psychoactive virus
which disrupts their cellular structure. Most victims wouldn't live long after being infected, but Eddie was a unique case. Since he was in metallic form at the point of infection, the virus interacted differently with his cellular structure and, instead of killing him, made him incapable of reverting to his human form, warped his appearance, and left him in an alloyed state. Thinking himself a freak, and finding other Freakshow member Rosa Navarro attractive, Metalhead left the X-Men to stay with the rag-tag band of misfits.
In the final showdown, Metalhead and Glitterspike are stuck in a series of caves which also houses the Shadow Dancer's ship. Metalhead absorbs the alien metal of the ship and with it is able to defeat Glitterspike and trap him in the cave with the angry Shadow Dancer.
Later, a mutant named Vulcann of the order of the Bloodsmiths kidnaps baby Joachim and speeds up his aging process to make him a man. Dubbing him Darkson the dark Messiah
, the two go about defeating the X-Men, including killing Skullfire
. However, Skullfire found a way to reform his body and defeat the young powerhouse. With Vulcann defeated and Darkson recaptured, Eddie and Rosa went about trying to help the boy regain his lost sense of family and childhood.
, which has become the last outpost of humanity due to worldwide flooding by the Phalanx. He meets up with several of his X-Men allies. He is forced to deal with the threat of an information-gathering machine intelligence named Franklin, which has already injured Cerebra
and threatens others.
would give him increased electrical conductivity, gold
would be softer, etc.) dependent upon a type of metal which he made contact with. However, after his battle with Contagion he was stuck in his hulking metallic form and incapable of reverting to human form. He was still capable of shifting the molecular composition of his skin though.
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...
for their futuristic comic book line dubbed Marvel 2099
Marvel 2099
Marvel 2099 is a Marvel Comics imprint, started in 1992, that explores one possible future of the Marvel Universe. It was originally announced by Stan Lee in his "Stan's Soapbox" column as a single series entitled The Marvel World of Tomorrow, which was being developed by Lee and John Byrne...
in X-Men 2099
X-Men 2099
X-Men 2099 was a comic book series published by Marvel Comics from 1993 to 1996 that chronicled the adventures of an X-Men team in the year 2099. It extends the Marvel 2099 imprint, which features other future versions of popular Marvel characters, such as Spider-Man 2099 and Hulk 2099...
. His creators were John Francis Moore
John Francis Moore
John Francis Moore lumber merchant, politician. Born: 1816, Wiltshire, England. Died: April 5, 1870, Montreal, Quebec. Buried: Hamilton Cemetery. He was mayor of Hamilton, Ontario in 1857.Married twice: Jane Loughry; Elizabeth Donnelly...
and Ron Lim
Ron Lim
Ronald "Ron" Lim is an American comic book artist living in Sacramento, California.-Biography:Ron Lim's first published work was an independent comic book entitled Ex-Mutants, which he worked on from 1986-1988....
.
Fictional character biography
Edward "Eddie" van Beethoven aka Metalhead was one of the mutants recruited by Xi'an Chi XanXi'an (comics)
Xi'an is a fictional character created by Marvel Comics for their Marvel 2099 imprint. In the title X-Men 2099, he was the founder, leader, and enemy of the team of X-Men who was always haunted by his past....
to be a part of his new incarnation of 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...
. He was the effective muscle of the group, but he also had an invaluable sense of humor which kept the team comfortable. When the X-Men needed to find out information on the Driver about the existence of other mutants they encountered an outcast group, consisting of rejects from programs based on genetic modification and engineering, called De-gens—named the Freakshow. During the obligatory battle over misunderstandings, Metalhead fought with one such 'genescrape' named Contagion whose touch could infect an individual with a psychoactive virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
which disrupts their cellular structure. Most victims wouldn't live long after being infected, but Eddie was a unique case. Since he was in metallic form at the point of infection, the virus interacted differently with his cellular structure and, instead of killing him, made him incapable of reverting to his human form, warped his appearance, and left him in an alloyed state. Thinking himself a freak, and finding other Freakshow member Rosa Navarro attractive, Metalhead left the X-Men to stay with the rag-tag band of misfits.
Freakshow
Later, the Freakshow makes another guest appearance, when they travel to the Keewazi Nation in the Oklahoma region. Rosa comes under the care of Doctor Louise Wingfoot, the leader of the town. Eddie and the others soon learn of a local legend called the Shadow Dancer, who is thought to come to the aid of the Keewazi in time of trouble. A hired killer named Alexi, the super-powered Glitterspike, tracks down Freakshow, wanting Rosa and her child back, so he can take care of them. Eddie battles Alexi after Rosa is threatened. He is swiftly defeated. Rosa is prepared to kill Alexi over this, before fully realizing his intentionsIn the final showdown, Metalhead and Glitterspike are stuck in a series of caves which also houses the Shadow Dancer's ship. Metalhead absorbs the alien metal of the ship and with it is able to defeat Glitterspike and trap him in the cave with the angry Shadow Dancer.
Rosa
Glitterspike was not dead as believed and returned a few months later with a vengeance. He intends to kill Metalhead and sell his and Rosa's baby to the highest bidder for revenge. He had even devised a strategy for defeating Metalhead and would have succeeded if not for the intervention of Rosa's baby. During the battle, Rosa went into labor and the baby inside of her protected his mother by producing a force field around the confused Glitterspike. With the battle ended, Rosa was taken into town and had a successful delivery. Her baby Joachim, definitely a mutant, was born glowing.Later, a mutant named Vulcann of the order of the Bloodsmiths kidnaps baby Joachim and speeds up his aging process to make him a man. Dubbing him Darkson the dark Messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
, the two go about defeating the X-Men, including killing Skullfire
Skullfire
Skullfire is a fictional character in Marvel Comics's 2099 universe, a look at superheroes in the year 2099. He was one of the founding members of a future incarnation of the X-Men called X-Men 2099.-Fictional character biography:...
. However, Skullfire found a way to reform his body and defeat the young powerhouse. With Vulcann defeated and Darkson recaptured, Eddie and Rosa went about trying to help the boy regain his lost sense of family and childhood.
Savage Land
Metalhead makes his way to the Savage LandSavage 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...
, which has become the last outpost of humanity due to worldwide flooding by the Phalanx. He meets up with several of his X-Men allies. He is forced to deal with the threat of an information-gathering machine intelligence named Franklin, which has already injured Cerebra
Cerebra
Cerebra is a mutant comic book character in the fictional Marvel Universe. She is a founding member of the X-Men 2099 of 2099 and founder of X-Nation 2099...
and threatens others.
Powers
Originally, Metalhead had the ability to transform from a human form to a metal form with increased strength, durability, resistance to injury, and whatever specific properties that metal had (e.g. adamantium would give him invulnerability, copperCopper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
would give him increased electrical conductivity, gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
would be softer, etc.) dependent upon a type of metal which he made contact with. However, after his battle with Contagion he was stuck in his hulking metallic form and incapable of reverting to human form. He was still capable of shifting the molecular composition of his skin though.
In other media
- Metalhead was made into an action figure as part of Toy Biz's X-Men 2099 line.