Mummudrai
Encyclopedia
The Mummudrai are fictional life forms appearing in Marvel Comics
. They are noncorporeal parasite
s, composed solely of emotional energy born from the astral plane
of existence. The first and most notable member of the mummudrai species to appear on panel is Cassandra Nova
.
's run on New X-Men . According to Shi'ar myth, mummudrai, also known as the anti-self, are entities that each individual must fight before being born. Cassandra Nova was revealed to be Professor X
's twin. Unlike most mummudrai, she was able to build a body for herself due to becoming entangled with Xavier's powerful psyche in the womb and utilizing the vast potential in his genome. Upon sensing the existence of an alien entity in his mother's womb and perhaps perceiving the damage it would cause, Xavier murdered his twin sister. It spent most of its life building itself a new body and then set a vengeance plan against its twin by killing over 16 million mutants on Genosha
, destroying the Shi'ar Empire (who first discovered the mummudrai), outing him to the world as a mutant before being tricked by Emma Frost into entering the body of Stuff, an amoeba-like metamorph (and member of the Shi'ar Imperial Guard
) with a biocomputer for a brain.
) seems to have taken possession of Lady Mastermind
. Upon being discovered by its host, it attempted to escape by possessing Mystique
before being subdued by Cable
. Urizen then stated that it had come from "the edge of Shi'ar space" and was fleeing from an entity known as the Hecatomb, which was coming to "eat the world."
Descriptions of mummudrai encounters by the Imperial Guard note their ability to strip "a man of his hopes and dreams," in line with the nature of Cassandra Nova's psionic attacks.
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...
. They are noncorporeal parasite
Parasitism
Parasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship between organisms of different species where one organism, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host. Traditionally parasite referred to organisms with lifestages that needed more than one host . These are now called macroparasites...
s, composed solely of emotional energy born from the astral plane
Astral plane
The astral plane, also called the astral world, is a plane of existence postulated by classical , medieval, oriental and esoteric philosophies and mystery religions...
of existence. The first and most notable member of the mummudrai species to appear on panel is Cassandra Nova
Cassandra Nova
Cassandra Nova is a fictional enemy of the X-Men in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely, Cassandra first appeared in New X-Men #114 . Cassandra is a "mummudrai," a parasitic life form born bodiless on the astral plane...
.
First appearance
The Mummudrai concept was first introduced in Grant MorrisonGrant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
's run on New X-Men . According to Shi'ar myth, mummudrai, also known as the anti-self, are entities that each individual must fight before being born. Cassandra Nova was revealed to be Professor X
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....
's twin. Unlike most mummudrai, she was able to build a body for herself due to becoming entangled with Xavier's powerful psyche in the womb and utilizing the vast potential in his genome. Upon sensing the existence of an alien entity in his mother's womb and perhaps perceiving the damage it would cause, Xavier murdered his twin sister. It spent most of its life building itself a new body and then set a vengeance plan against its twin by killing over 16 million mutants on 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...
, destroying the Shi'ar Empire (who first discovered the mummudrai), outing him to the world as a mutant before being tricked by Emma Frost into entering the body of Stuff, an amoeba-like metamorph (and member of the Shi'ar Imperial Guard
Imperial Guard (comics)
The Imperial Guard is a team of fictional super-powered alien warriors in the Marvel Comics universe. The Imperial Guard serves the rulers of the Shi'ar Empire, both by enforcing Shi'ar Imperial law on all planets within the Shi'ar Galaxy and as the Emperor or Empress's personal guard...
) with a biocomputer for a brain.
Second appearance
The second Mummudrai shown (named Ev Teel UrizenEv Teel Urizen
Ev Teel Urizen is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. It was created by writer Mike Carey. Ev Teel Urizen first appeared in X-Men #197 ....
) seems to have taken possession of Lady Mastermind
Lady Mastermind
Lady Mastermind is a fictional supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. She first appeared as Regan Wyngarde in X-Treme X-Men #6 and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Salvador Larroca....
. Upon being discovered by its host, it attempted to escape by possessing 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...
before being subdued by Cable
Cable (comics)
Cable is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared as an infant in Uncanny X-Men #201...
. Urizen then stated that it had come from "the edge of Shi'ar space" and was fleeing from an entity known as the Hecatomb, which was coming to "eat the world."
Abilities
The mummudrai are able to copy the DNA of other beings and construct physical bodies for themselves. The mummudrai can also manipulate the DNA it copies to act as a rapid healing factor or to phase through solid matter. Further, they can manipulate the DNA of others, breaking it down at the molecular level. After copying the DNA of Charles Xavier, the mummudrai Cassandra Nova accessed the full spectrum of latent mutant functions in his genome, granting itself vast psionic powers.Descriptions of mummudrai encounters by the Imperial Guard note their ability to strip "a man of his hopes and dreams," in line with the nature of Cassandra Nova's psionic attacks.