.gif)
Prodigy (David Alleyne)
Encyclopedia
Prodigy is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics
, in particular the X-Men
family of books. Prodigy is a former mutant
, one of the student body of the Xavier Institute
, and a member of the New X-Men
squad. He was created by writers Nunzio DeFilippis
and Christina Weir
and artist Keron Grant
, and he first appeared in New Mutants, vol. 2 #4 (October 2003).
He was originally a mutant with the ability to absorb the knowledge and skills of anyone within a limited distance. He could not control this ability and would forget his acquired knowledge once they became out of range. He attends the Xavier Institute and becomes co-leader of the New Mutants training squad. After the events of House of M
and the ensuing "Decimation
" of mutants, David loses his powers, but he remains at the Institute, becoming a member of the New X-Men
team and utilizing his natural intellect to assist his teammates. He later regains all the knowledge and skills he had absorbed before becoming depowered, including many of the X-Men's considerable expertise in science and physical combat, making him a stronger addition to the X-Men. Despite being human, he remains with the X-Men as a substitute instructor and trainee.
, and her former teammate Danielle Moonstar
.
David decides to attend the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning and is made roommates with Josh Foley
, who he is initially hostile toward due to Josh's past as an anti-mutant bigot before he discovered his own mutant powers. He is placed on Dani's squad of students, called the "New Mutants." His fellow teammates are Surge
, Elixir, Wind Dancer
, Wallflower
and Wither
(who later joins the Hellions Squad and is replaced by Icarus
). Dani initially appoints David as team leader, but he declines in order to give the position to Wind Dancer. She turns out to be a bad team leader, causing David to unofficially take charge with great success. David and Sofia then decide to become team co-leaders. Prodigy later learns that his mental blocks can be removed, allowing him to permanently retain the knowledge he absorbs, but he first experiences a telepathic illusion created by Dani and Emma Frost
of a possible future based from that decision. In it, David excels by gaining the knowledge of the most important and intellectual individuals in the world, bringing a near-utopia
to the globe, albeit at the hidden cost of genocide and the killing of his friends and the X-Men. The illusion ends with Surge, his wife, overloading her powers, killing them both in order to stop him. The illusion causes him to reject having his mental blocks removed and causes him to ignore his feelings for Noriko and avoid her. However, she later confronts him, stating that what he saw was only an illusion of his worst fears, and David begins a relationship with her.
. Planning to leave the school, David reveals that he built a "Danger Cave" to replace the destroyed Danger Room
before he lost his powers. The facility allows his teammates to train by reliving former X-Men missions. David's parents and Cyclops
decide that it would be safer for David to remain at the mansion since William Stryker
is targeting depowered mutants as well. When Stryker attacks the mansion, David saves the Stepford Cuckoos
and is wounded by one of the Purifierers. He joins the New X-Men
later when they leave to fight the mutant-hunting future Sentinel, Nimrod
. David proves useful to the team when he attacks the robot with the heavy artillery. After returning to the mansion, he is invited to join his girlfriend Surge
in running the New X-Men squad, giving them free rein to add more members at their will.
In the "Quest for Magik" storyline, the demon Belasco
senses Magik
's returned presence due to her temporary revival during House of M, but cannot locate her and fails to magically revive her (instead creating the dark, soulless form of Illyana called Darkchilde, whom he banishes in disgust). Sensing her presence on the students at the Institute due to their involvement with her in the "House of M" reality, he incapacitated the X-Men and sucks the students into Limbo
, including David, whose eyesight was healed to normal vision by Josh using his newly acquired medical expertise. Belasco interrogates David about her whereabouts, but since none of the students remember the House of M reality, he is confused and tells her that she is still dead. Enraged, Belasco kills David by ripping out his heart. Some of the students break free and attack Belasco, while Josh manages to immediately regrow David's heart with his powers, bringing him back to life. While the students battle against Belasco, David realizes that his weakness is telepathy, having put special helmets to block the telepathic powers of Stepford Cuckoos and Martha Johansson
. David directs X-23
to free the Cuckoos, who launch a telepathic attack on Belasco. Though initially successful, the Cuckoos are forced out of Belasco's mind, but he is ultimately defeated by Pixie and Darkchild. The students are later returned to Earth by Darkchilde, when she seals off all entrances to Limbo.
in front of him. David prepares to leave, but is confronted by the Cuckoos, who offer to remove his mental blocks as thanks for saving them during Stryker's attack, restoring all the past knowledge and skills he absorbed when he had his powers. Though he can no longer absorb other people's knowledge, he now possesses the collective knowledge and skills of every individual he absorbed before the onset of Decimation, including Beast's
vast medical and technological expertise and the elite fighting skills of several of the X-Men. Using Krav Maga
martial arts picked up from Wolverine
and Shadowcat
, he displays his new found assets by besting Hellion in combat, fully aware that the kiss had just been a ploy. He then breaks up with Surge and is appointed as a substitute instructor by Cyclops.
In the X-Men crossover event X-Men: Messiah Complex
, the X-Men, the Marauders
, Predator X, as well as the anti-mutant Purifiers all race to recover the first mutant child born since M-Day
, who was kidnapped from her hometown. Thinking the Purifiers may have the baby, Surge leads the New X-Men in a mission against to attack the Purifiers' base and recover her. Prodigy declines participation and stays behind at the school, viewing the mission to be largely out of vengeance against the Purifiers for their murdered schoolmates than to truly locate the baby. While the New X-Men are away on their mission, the school is attacked by O*N*E Sentinels controlled by Cassandra Nova
's nano-bots. Prodigy assists Beast in the hospital wing stabilizing the severely injured students and faculty. He later repairs Cerebro
with the Cuckoos, who state that they find the structure of his brain fascinating.
and the take over of San Francisco by Norman Osborn and his Dark X-Men
as well as joining the rest of the mutants to the Mutant island Utopia where he assists Cyclops keeping the island maintained. He is later seen in the field helping out Hellion and Surge deal with the resurrected Rusty Collins.
ability to absorb and mimic the knowledge and skills from the minds of the people in close proximity to him. This power did not let him absorb others' powers. His power also granted him the ability to know his opponents' coming attacks, allowing him to take on both Wolverine
and Rockslide
in hand to hand combat. A side effect of his powers were self-imposed mental block
s, which prevented him from retaining the knowledge he absorbed, forgetting whatever he has learned after a short period of time. Valuing true learning, David chose to work hard to learn and excel under his own skills rather than rely on those of the people near him.
After the events of M-Day, David is one of the many mutants who loses their powers. However, due to his extensive studying prior to coming to Xavier's, he maintains a high intellect. He creates a Danger Cave, a training room for the rest of his peers, and shows an extensive knowledge of the past missions of the X-Men.
Along with his intellect, Prodigy has displayed great competency as a leader. Early in the series, Danielle Moonstar
initially chooses Prodigy to be the leader of the New Mutants Squad. He initially declines, but later offers to be co-leader after convincing from Wind Dancer. Both Cyclops
and Danielle Moonstar have acknowledged his leadership skills; Danielle going so far as to state, "[Prodigy] is the best strategic thinker at the school." He is later made a substitute instructor for the students at the institute when he regains all of his past absorbed knowledge and skills.
Although depowered, David later regains access to all the skills and knowledge that he absorbed when he was still a mutant. This was made possible when the mental blocks in his mind are removed by the Stepford Cuckoos. He can now recall the fighting abilities and scientific knowledge of many of the X-Men including Beast's medical knowledge, Forge's and Professor Xavier's expertise in various subjects, and Wolverine and Kitty Pryde's exemplary martial arts, etc. Considering that he had some contact with nearly all the X-Men, students, visitors, and various other people over the course of his life before he lost his powers, the exact limits of his collective abilities and knowledge are unknown.
universe, David was once more a member of the New Mutants
. The New Mutants were a group of young mutants trained to be diplomats, and David graduated the valedictorian. Prodigy once more acts as the leader of the new mutants (although in this case it's more unofficial). He leads the New Mutants in an attempt to save Nori's father. While initially conflicting with rival group the Hellions, the two groups would join together after learning of tortures of humans. David, along with the rest of the surviving New Mutants and the Hellions, would later make their last stand against Sunfire and his army.
and Danielle Moonstar
to remove the mental block
s keeping him from retaining the knowledge he absorbs. Unknown to David at the time, it was an illusion created by Dani, which was enhanced by Emma Frost's telepathic abilities to show him what might happen if the blocks were removed.
In the illusion, David quickly surpasses all the teachers at the school, having permanently retained all the knowledge they possessed. David leaves the institute, telling Josh Foley (Elixir
) that he would use Josh's healing power to heal every disease known to mankind for free. Three months later, David has gained the knowledge of Stephen Hawking
, Tony Stark
, Henry Kissinger
, and many other prominent geniuses simply by passing near them. He announces at a press conference that he has cures for AIDS
, cancer
and every other known disease. He plans to distribute this cure across the entire country in a matter of weeks. However, these cures come at a high price, as Josh dies during the medical procedure that harvested the tissue from his body needed for the cures. David mourns his friend, but firmly believes that his unwilling sacrifice was just.
Eighteen years later, David has married former teammate Surge, been elected President of the United States, eliminated poverty, unemployment, and discrimination against mutants and has nearly created a worldwide government. The only major holdout is China, which he plans to bomb via teleportation. Noriko secretly shares this information with the X-Men in hopes that they can prevent a mass genocide. However, before they can act on this information, David sends them on a false mission to investigate a satellite that he causes to explode, killing them. Seeking a convenient scapegoat, he declares that the already outlaw Hellions
are terrorist threats and blames them for killing the X-Men. The Hellions and reformed New Mutants join forces when many of the dark secrets of David's rise to power come to light. The combined groups stage an assault on the White House
, but David's security forces kill most of the heroes. In the end, Noriko confronts David in the Oval Office
, then uses her powers to destroy the White House and everyone remaining in it.
Though an illusion, it had a lasting effect on how he viewed his powers.
, as an agent of the X.S.E.
Along with Iceman
, he interrogates Sage. Prodigy absorbs all the information she knows, and is deeply troubled with what he finds out. When joined by Val Cooper, he reveals that she is an impostor. She responds by transforming into a Warskrull, killing Prodigy shortly after.
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...
, in particular 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...
family of books. Prodigy is a former 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...
, one of the student body of the Xavier Institute
X-Mansion
In the fictional Marvel Comics universe, the X-Mansion is the common name for Professor Xavier's mansion. It is the base of operations and training site of the X-Men and the location of a school for mutant teenagers, the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, formerly Xavier's School for Gifted...
, and a member of the New X-Men
New X-Men
New X-Men was a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics within the X-Men franchise. After the end of Grant Morrison's run on X-Men , titled New X-Men, the title was used for a new series, New X-Men: Academy X, serving as a continuation of the second volume of New Mutants...
squad. He was created by writers Nunzio DeFilippis
Nunzio DeFilippis
Nunzio DeFilippis is an American writer of comic books and television. He writes with his wife, Christina Weir, whom he met while they were both students at Vassar College. The two have written for two seasons on HBO's Arli$$, and have sold story ideas to the Disney Channel's Kim Possible...
and Christina Weir
Christina Weir
Christina Weir is a writer of comic books and television. She writes with her husband, Nunzio DeFilippis, whom she met while they were both students at Vassar College....
and artist Keron Grant
Keron Grant
Keron Grant is a Jamaican-American comic book artist, who has worked mostly for Marvel Comics.His first published work was a pinup in the back of one of the final issues of Dale Keown's Pitt. His first steady comics work was drawing three issues of the unpublished Century comic from Rob Liefeld's...
, and he first appeared in New Mutants, vol. 2 #4 (October 2003).
He was originally a mutant with the ability to absorb the knowledge and skills of anyone within a limited distance. He could not control this ability and would forget his acquired knowledge once they became out of range. He attends the Xavier Institute and becomes co-leader of the New Mutants training squad. After the events of House of M
House 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...
and the ensuing "Decimation
Decimation (comics)
Decimation is the late 2005 Marvel Comics storyline spinning off from the House of M limited series. It focuses on the ramifications of the Scarlet Witch stripping nearly all of the mutant population of their powers, thereby reducing a society of millions to one of scant hundreds.This event, which...
" of mutants, David loses his powers, but he remains at the Institute, becoming a member of the New X-Men
New X-Men
New X-Men was a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics within the X-Men franchise. After the end of Grant Morrison's run on X-Men , titled New X-Men, the title was used for a new series, New X-Men: Academy X, serving as a continuation of the second volume of New Mutants...
team and utilizing his natural intellect to assist his teammates. He later regains all the knowledge and skills he had absorbed before becoming depowered, including many of the X-Men's considerable expertise in science and physical combat, making him a stronger addition to the X-Men. Despite being human, he remains with the X-Men as a substitute instructor and trainee.
Early life and moving to the Xavier Institute
David Alleyne is introduced as a naturally intelligent boy, but who finds upon becoming a teenager that the answers to his exams and assignments begin appearing in his head whenever he is in the same room as his teachers. He begins to realize that he is a mutant with the ability to know anything that the people nearby know. Feeling this made him a cheater, and knowing the knowledge would fade, David becomes driven to study even harder. He takes college-level courses while finishing high school and attempts to keep his mutation a secret until the anti-mutant hate group "Purity" outs him to his parents and attempts to attack him. David is rescued by the librarian at his school, the former New Mutant KarmaKarma (comics)
Karma is a fictional superheroine from Marvel Comics created by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller.Karma is a mutant endowed with the ability to seize control of another's mind, though she has sometimes been depicted with other more extensive psionic abilities...
, and her former teammate Danielle Moonstar
Danielle Moonstar
Danielle "Dani" Moonstar, originally codenamed Psyche and later Mirage, is a fictional Marvel Comics superheroine associated with the X-Men....
.
David decides to attend the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning and is made roommates with Josh Foley
Elixir (comics)
Elixir , is a fictional character, a mutant in the and a student at the Xavier Institute. He first appeared in New Mutants, vol. 2 #5, and he is one of only a few students to retain his powers in the wake of House of M....
, who he is initially hostile toward due to Josh's past as an anti-mutant bigot before he discovered his own mutant powers. He is placed on Dani's squad of students, called the "New Mutants." His fellow teammates are Surge
Surge (comics)
Surge is a fictional character, a mutant in the Marvel Universe, one of the student body in the Xavier Institute, and a member of the former New Mutants squad therein. She maintained her powers post M-Day and was the leader of the New X-Men. She first appeared in New Mutants, vol...
, Elixir, Wind Dancer
Wind Dancer
Sofia Mantega, also known as Renascence and formerly known as Wind Dancer, is a fictional character, a former mutant appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. One of the student body in the Xavier Institute, she is a member of the New Mutants squad therein. Her first appearance was in...
, Wallflower
Wallflower (comics)
Wallflower is a fictional character, a mutant appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is a member of the student body of the Xavier Institute and a member of the New Mutants training squad therein. After the events of M-Day transpired, she was one of a handful of mutants to keep...
and Wither
Wither (comics)
Wither is a fictional character, a mutant appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He has been a member of the student body at the Xavier Institute, a member of the Hellions training squad, and a supervillain as a part of Selene's Coven.-Early life:Kevin Ford developed his mutant...
(who later joins the Hellions Squad and is replaced by Icarus
Icarus (comics)
Icarus , is a fictional character, a mutant superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was a member of the student body at the Xavier Institute and a member of the New Mutants training squad....
). Dani initially appoints David as team leader, but he declines in order to give the position to Wind Dancer. She turns out to be a bad team leader, causing David to unofficially take charge with great success. David and Sofia then decide to become team co-leaders. Prodigy later learns that his mental blocks can be removed, allowing him to permanently retain the knowledge he absorbs, but he first experiences a telepathic illusion created by Dani and 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....
of a possible future based from that decision. In it, David excels by gaining the knowledge of the most important and intellectual individuals in the world, bringing a near-utopia
Utopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
to the globe, albeit at the hidden cost of genocide and the killing of his friends and the X-Men. The illusion ends with Surge, his wife, overloading her powers, killing them both in order to stop him. The illusion causes him to reject having his mental blocks removed and causes him to ignore his feelings for Noriko and avoid her. However, she later confronts him, stating that what he saw was only an illusion of his worst fears, and David begins a relationship with her.
Power loss and the New X-Men
In the "Decimation" storyline following the events of House of M, David is one of the many mutants who loses his powers because of the Scarlet WitchScarlet Witch
The Scarlet Witch is a fictional comic book character that appears in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
. Planning to leave the school, David reveals that he built a "Danger Cave" to replace the destroyed Danger Room
Danger Room
The Danger Room is a fictional training facility built for the X-Men of Marvel Comics as part of the various incarnations of the X-Mansion.-Early designs:...
before he lost his powers. The facility allows his teammates to train by reliving former X-Men missions. David's parents and 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...
decide that it would be safer for David to remain at the mansion since William Stryker
William Stryker
Col. William "Bill" Stryker, M.D. is a fictional comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe, and enemy of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Brent Anderson, he first appeared in the 1982 graphic novel X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills.Rev...
is targeting depowered mutants as well. When Stryker attacks the mansion, David saves the Stepford Cuckoos
Stepford Cuckoos
The Stepford Cuckoos are a set of fictional mutant psychically linked quintuplets . They are students at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning and appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics...
and is wounded by one of the Purifierers. He joins the New X-Men
New X-Men
New X-Men was a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics within the X-Men franchise. After the end of Grant Morrison's run on X-Men , titled New X-Men, the title was used for a new series, New X-Men: Academy X, serving as a continuation of the second volume of New Mutants...
later when they leave to fight the mutant-hunting future Sentinel, Nimrod
Nimrod (comics)
Nimrod is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #191 , and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist John Romita, Jr. Hailing from the "Days of Future Past" timeline, Nimrod is a powerful, virtually...
. David proves useful to the team when he attacks the robot with the heavy artillery. After returning to the mansion, he is invited to join his girlfriend Surge
Surge (comics)
Surge is a fictional character, a mutant in the Marvel Universe, one of the student body in the Xavier Institute, and a member of the former New Mutants squad therein. She maintained her powers post M-Day and was the leader of the New X-Men. She first appeared in New Mutants, vol...
in running the New X-Men squad, giving them free rein to add more members at their will.
In the "Quest for Magik" storyline, the demon Belasco
Belasco
Belasco is a fictional supervillain in the Marvel Comics Universe. The character's first appearance was in Ka-Zar the Savage #11; he was created by Bruce Jones and Brent Anderson.-Fictional character biography:...
senses Magik
Magik (comics)
Magik is a Marvel Comics character, associated with the X-Men. She is the younger sister of the Russian X-Man Colossus.-Publication history:...
's returned presence due to her temporary revival during House of M, but cannot locate her and fails to magically revive her (instead creating the dark, soulless form of Illyana called Darkchilde, whom he banishes in disgust). Sensing her presence on the students at the Institute due to their involvement with her in the "House of M" reality, he incapacitated the X-Men and sucks the students into Limbo
Otherplace
Otherplace, is a fictional location in titles published by Marvel Comics. The concept debuted in Uncanny X-Men #160, and was created by Chris Claremont and Brent Anderson.-History:...
, including David, whose eyesight was healed to normal vision by Josh using his newly acquired medical expertise. Belasco interrogates David about her whereabouts, but since none of the students remember the House of M reality, he is confused and tells her that she is still dead. Enraged, Belasco kills David by ripping out his heart. Some of the students break free and attack Belasco, while Josh manages to immediately regrow David's heart with his powers, bringing him back to life. While the students battle against Belasco, David realizes that his weakness is telepathy, having put special helmets to block the telepathic powers of Stepford Cuckoos and Martha Johansson
Martha Johansson
Martha Johansson, also known as No-Girl, is a fictional mutant character, an isolated brain, from the New X-Men comic book series, set in the Marvel Universe and published by Marvel Comics.-Fictional character biography:...
. David directs X-23
X-23
X-23 is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular those featuring the X-Men. X-23 is a female clone of Wolverine.-Publication history:...
to free the Cuckoos, who launch a telepathic attack on Belasco. Though initially successful, the Cuckoos are forced out of Belasco's mind, but he is ultimately defeated by Pixie and Darkchild. The students are later returned to Earth by Darkchilde, when she seals off all entrances to Limbo.
Regaining knowledge and skills
Prodigy and Surge's relationship comes to an end soon after. Learning of David's near-death experience in Limbo, Surge fears for his safety and attempts to force him to leave the school by kissing HellionHellion
Hellion is a fictional character, a mutant appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was a member of the student body of the Xavier Institute before its closing and is a member of the X-Men's training squad. He first appeared in New Mutants, vol. 2 #2.-New Mutants, vol...
in front of him. David prepares to leave, but is confronted by the Cuckoos, who offer to remove his mental blocks as thanks for saving them during Stryker's attack, restoring all the past knowledge and skills he absorbed when he had his powers. Though he can no longer absorb other people's knowledge, he now possesses the collective knowledge and skills of every individual he absorbed before the onset of Decimation, including Beast's
Beast (comics)
Beast , Dr. Henry Philip "Hank" McCoy, is a comic book character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the mutant team of superheroes known as the X-Men...
vast medical and technological expertise and the elite fighting skills of several of the X-Men. Using Krav Maga
Krav Maga
Krav Maga is a noncompetitive eclectic self-defense system developed in Europe that involves striking techniques, wrestling and grappling. Krav Maga is known for its focus on real-world situations and extremely efficient, brutal counter-attacks...
martial arts picked up from Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
and Shadowcat
Kitty Pryde
Katherine 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 displays his new found assets by besting Hellion in combat, fully aware that the kiss had just been a ploy. He then breaks up with Surge and is appointed as a substitute instructor by Cyclops.
In the X-Men crossover event X-Men: Messiah Complex
X-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....
, the X-Men, the Marauders
Marauders (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...
, Predator X, as well as the anti-mutant Purifiers all race to recover the first mutant child born since M-Day
Hope Summers (comics)
Hope Summers is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Men #205 in 2007 , and was created by writers Mike Carey and artist Chris Bachalo during the "X-Men: Messiah Complex" event...
, who was kidnapped from her hometown. Thinking the Purifiers may have the baby, Surge leads the New X-Men in a mission against to attack the Purifiers' base and recover her. Prodigy declines participation and stays behind at the school, viewing the mission to be largely out of vengeance against the Purifiers for their murdered schoolmates than to truly locate the baby. While the New X-Men are away on their mission, the school is attacked by O*N*E Sentinels controlled by 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...
's nano-bots. Prodigy assists Beast in the hospital wing stabilizing the severely injured students and faculty. He later repairs Cerebro
Cerebro
In the Marvel Comics universe, Cerebro is a device that the X-Men use to detect humans, specifically mutants. It was created by Xavier and Magneto, and was later enhanced by Dr. Hank McCoy...
with the Cuckoos, who state that they find the structure of his brain fascinating.
Manifest Destiny & Utopia
After the events of Messiah Complex, the X-Men disband and later reform in San Francisco. Prodigy relocates with the X-Men to assist Beast in setting up Cerebro. He continues to work with the X-Men, though he is no longer on any active teams, instead running the new Danger Room and assisting the X-Men during the Skrull invasionSecret Invasion
"Secret Invasion" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self-titled eight issue limited series and several tie-in books published by Marvel Comics from April through December 2008....
and the take over of San Francisco by Norman Osborn and his Dark X-Men
Dark X-Men
The Dark X-Men are a Marvel Comics comic-book team. They made their debut during the crossover between Dark Avengers and Uncanny X-Men written by Matt Fraction, as part of the broader Dark Reign storyline. Each member but Namor has been handpicked by then–H.A.M.M.E.R...
as well as joining the rest of the mutants to the Mutant island Utopia where he assists Cyclops keeping the island maintained. He is later seen in the field helping out Hellion and Surge deal with the resurrected Rusty Collins.
Second Coming
Cyclops leaves Prodigy in charge of surveillance of the island's resources after a barrage of attacks by Bastion. Beast and Prodigy access a dome placed over Utopia and San Francisco and come to the conclusion that the dome is able to send over hundreds of thousands of Nimrods over to kill the X-Men and remaining mutants, causing him to break down emotionally.Schism and Regenesis
When a giant Sentinel attacks Utopia, Prodigy joins in the fight along with the other students to help destroy it. When Wolverine decides leave Utopia and return to Westchester to reopen the school, Prodigy is amongst the younger X-Men who chose to stay at Utopia.Powers and abilities
Prodigy initially had the telepathicTelepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
ability to absorb and mimic the knowledge and skills from the minds of the people in close proximity to him. This power did not let him absorb others' powers. His power also granted him the ability to know his opponents' coming attacks, allowing him to take on both Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
and Rockslide
Rockslide (comics)
Rockslide is a fictional character, a mutant superhero and member of the X-Men in the . He is a student in the Xavier Institute and a member of the former Hellions squad therein. After M-Day, he was one of only 27 students to retain his powers. He is best friends with Julian Keller and is...
in hand to hand combat. A side effect of his powers were self-imposed mental block
Mental block
A mental block is either a repression of painful thoughts, or an inability to continue a train of thought, like in the case of writer's block. A similar phenomenon occurs when one cannot solve a problem in mathematics which one would normally consider simple. In the case of writer's block, many...
s, which prevented him from retaining the knowledge he absorbed, forgetting whatever he has learned after a short period of time. Valuing true learning, David chose to work hard to learn and excel under his own skills rather than rely on those of the people near him.
After the events of M-Day, David is one of the many mutants who loses their powers. However, due to his extensive studying prior to coming to Xavier's, he maintains a high intellect. He creates a Danger Cave, a training room for the rest of his peers, and shows an extensive knowledge of the past missions of the X-Men.
Along with his intellect, Prodigy has displayed great competency as a leader. Early in the series, Danielle Moonstar
Danielle Moonstar
Danielle "Dani" Moonstar, originally codenamed Psyche and later Mirage, is a fictional Marvel Comics superheroine associated with the X-Men....
initially chooses Prodigy to be the leader of the New Mutants Squad. He initially declines, but later offers to be co-leader after convincing from Wind Dancer. Both 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...
and Danielle Moonstar have acknowledged his leadership skills; Danielle going so far as to state, "[Prodigy] is the best strategic thinker at the school." He is later made a substitute instructor for the students at the institute when he regains all of his past absorbed knowledge and skills.
Although depowered, David later regains access to all the skills and knowledge that he absorbed when he was still a mutant. This was made possible when the mental blocks in his mind are removed by the Stepford Cuckoos. He can now recall the fighting abilities and scientific knowledge of many of the X-Men including Beast's medical knowledge, Forge's and Professor Xavier's expertise in various subjects, and Wolverine and Kitty Pryde's exemplary martial arts, etc. Considering that he had some contact with nearly all the X-Men, students, visitors, and various other people over the course of his life before he lost his powers, the exact limits of his collective abilities and knowledge are unknown.
House of M
In the 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...
universe, David was once more a member of the 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....
. The New Mutants were a group of young mutants trained to be diplomats, and David graduated the valedictorian. Prodigy once more acts as the leader of the new mutants (although in this case it's more unofficial). He leads the New Mutants in an attempt to save Nori's father. While initially conflicting with rival group the Hellions, the two groups would join together after learning of tortures of humans. David, along with the rest of the surviving New Mutants and the Hellions, would later make their last stand against Sunfire and his army.
Too Much Information
In the New X-Men storyline "Too Much Information," David asks Emma FrostEmma 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....
and Danielle Moonstar
Danielle Moonstar
Danielle "Dani" Moonstar, originally codenamed Psyche and later Mirage, is a fictional Marvel Comics superheroine associated with the X-Men....
to remove the mental block
Mental block
A mental block is either a repression of painful thoughts, or an inability to continue a train of thought, like in the case of writer's block. A similar phenomenon occurs when one cannot solve a problem in mathematics which one would normally consider simple. In the case of writer's block, many...
s keeping him from retaining the knowledge he absorbs. Unknown to David at the time, it was an illusion created by Dani, which was enhanced by Emma Frost's telepathic abilities to show him what might happen if the blocks were removed.
In the illusion, David quickly surpasses all the teachers at the school, having permanently retained all the knowledge they possessed. David leaves the institute, telling Josh Foley (Elixir
Elixir (comics)
Elixir , is a fictional character, a mutant in the and a student at the Xavier Institute. He first appeared in New Mutants, vol. 2 #5, and he is one of only a few students to retain his powers in the wake of House of M....
) that he would use Josh's healing power to heal every disease known to mankind for free. Three months later, David has gained the knowledge of Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking
Stephen William Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA is an English theoretical physicist and cosmologist, whose scientific books and public appearances have made him an academic celebrity...
, Tony Stark
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
, Henry Kissinger
Henry Kissinger
Heinz Alfred "Henry" Kissinger is a German-born American academic, political scientist, diplomat, and businessman. He is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served as National Security Advisor and later concurrently as Secretary of State in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and...
, and many other prominent geniuses simply by passing near them. He announces at a press conference that he has cures for AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
and every other known disease. He plans to distribute this cure across the entire country in a matter of weeks. However, these cures come at a high price, as Josh dies during the medical procedure that harvested the tissue from his body needed for the cures. David mourns his friend, but firmly believes that his unwilling sacrifice was just.
Eighteen years later, David has married former teammate Surge, been elected President of the United States, eliminated poverty, unemployment, and discrimination against mutants and has nearly created a worldwide government. The only major holdout is China, which he plans to bomb via teleportation. Noriko secretly shares this information with the X-Men in hopes that they can prevent a mass genocide. However, before they can act on this information, David sends them on a false mission to investigate a satellite that he causes to explode, killing them. Seeking a convenient scapegoat, he declares that the already outlaw Hellions
Hellions (comics)
There have been several groups of fictional characters in the Marvel Comics universe who have been known as the Hellions. These groups were rivals of various teams of younger mutant heroes in the X-Men franchise....
are terrorist threats and blames them for killing the X-Men. The Hellions and reformed New Mutants join forces when many of the dark secrets of David's rise to power come to light. The combined groups stage an assault on the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, but David's security forces kill most of the heroes. In the end, Noriko confronts David in the Oval Office
Oval Office
The Oval Office, located in the West Wing of the White House, is the official office of the President of the United States.The room features three large south-facing windows behind the president's desk, and a fireplace at the north end...
, then uses her powers to destroy the White House and everyone remaining in it.
Though an illusion, it had a lasting effect on how he viewed his powers.
X-Men: The End
Prodigy briefly appears in X-Men: The EndX-Men: The End
X-Men: The End is a 2004-2006 trilogy of miniseries detailing the last days of the X-Men and their adventures in a noncanon future, part of their The End series...
, as an agent of the X.S.E.
X.S.E.
X.S.E. refers to a comic book series and two mutant organisations within the Marvel Universe* Xavier's Security Enforcers, the militia created to police the mutant population in Bishop's future, and the series of the same name ....
Along with Iceman
Iceman (comics)
Iceman is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, he first appeared in X-Men vol. 1 #1, ....
, he interrogates Sage. Prodigy absorbs all the information she knows, and is deeply troubled with what he finds out. When joined by Val Cooper, he reveals that she is an impostor. She responds by transforming into a Warskrull, killing Prodigy shortly after.