Zero (Marvel Comics)
Encyclopedia
Zero is a fictional comic book
superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics
. The character first appeared in Generation Hope #1, in the final chapter of the "Five Lights" storyline, and the first storyline of the Generation Hope book. He was created by Matt Fraction
and Kieron Gillen
, and is one of the "Five Lights"—a group of mutants who manifested their abilities after the events of "Second Coming
".
, Velocidad
, Transonic
, Oya
, and Primal
, began to feature in the series Generation Hope. He is the last of the Five Lights to join Hope's team, as the first storyline of the Generation Hope series involves the team getting his power under control. He continues to make appearances in Uncanny X-Men as well.
From his introduction, Zero has seemed more distant from Hope and all the other Lights. He is the first of the Lights to acknowledge that Hope has changed them, possibly not for the better, and his dark tendencies appear to be heading him down the path of villainy. He has talked about betraying Hope, and he has mentioned that he believes he would be a lot like Magneto
and his Brotherhood
or Quentin Quire
if he weren't tied to Hope. Additionally, whether subconsciously or not, he has created messages in his room talking about how there is "No Hope" and "No Future."
, Japan
when his powers first appear. Though originally Kenji just seems to be a messy introvert with hygiene issues, his powers quickly manifest into uncontrollable organic tendrils, which kill his assistant and start to wreak havoc in Tokyo. Soon afterward, Cyclops
, Wolverine
, Rogue
, Hope
, and the other Lights arrive in Japan to find Kenji's organic tendrils destroying the city. After Cyclops, Wolverine, and Rogue fail to contain Kenji, Hope heads into his lair to attempt to stabilize his powers, but Kenji attacks Hope by latching tendrils onto her head, which appears to cause an explosion that destroys most of Tokyo. However, this is an illusion, created on a telepathic plane by Kenji so he can live his fantasies. Hope mimics Kenji's power, and sees that Kenji has her pinned to a wall. Hope escapes, but is rendered unconscious by her powers; she is rescued by Velocidad before she falls to the ground.
Using his powers, Kenji becomes a large creature, and he begins to rampage through the city, ala an old monster movie. Hope soon awakens, and she and the other Lights demonstrate their teamwork by getting Hope close enough to Kenji to once again mimic his powers, all while keeping each other safe. Hope becomes a similar creature, and begins to battle Kenji while the two talk telepathically. Kenji scoffs at Hope, and sarcastically asks if she thinks she can save him. When she doesn't reply, Kenji realizes that she does think she can save him, but he tells her that he thinks its too late. Despite this, Hope defeats Kenji and is able to get his powers under control via a touch, which knocks them both unconscious.
Kenji is taken to Utopia
, where he is shown footage of the destruction he caused in Tokyo. Kenji is remorseful, admitting that he has fantasies of killing people, and he wants the X-Men's help to ensure that he never goes on a rampage again. After Emma Frost
probes his mind, she convinces Cyclops that Kenji truly is remorseful, and Cyclops agrees to help Kenji. Later, after Hope says she's staying on Utopia, Kenji and the other Lights agree to do the same, but Kenji decides to remain more isolated than his teammates.
When a Sixth Light is discovered in Germany
, Hope and the Lights (including Kenji) head there to retrieve it. However, they find that the Light is actually a powerfully telepathic unborn infant, who has taken control of every person within the hospital it's mother is staying at. Kenji hooks his tendrils into each of his teammates' necks, granting them immunity from the telepath's influence, and the group heads into the hospital, and convince the baby to be born. Hope touches the child, and its X-gene is suppressed until it hits puberty.
for Zero, and a reference to Rei Ayanami
from Neon Genesis Evangelion
) before settling on simply Zero. Later, after Primal wins the right to stay on Utopia, Zero wonders if Primal truly is happy on Utopia or if he is faking it to remain close to Hope. He and Transonic acknowledge that Hope has changed them all, and Zero doesn't think it's quite right. He reveals that he had considered another codename to spit back at their "messiah"; Judas.
Later, a Seventh Light appears in the United Kingdom
. The Light is a boy named Zeeshan, whose skin appears to be melting from his body. Zeeshan's friends begin to tease him, and one in particular begins to take photos and post them onto the internet
. Though Hope and the Lights (including Zero) rush to the UK, the group is too late, as Zeeshan has already killed himself after his friend "ruined" his life. Four weeks later, Zero is seen outside that friend's apartment, sending a drone in to kill the boy. However, he is stopped by Wolverine, who tells him "It gets better, kid."
encounters Hope and the Lights, including Zero, awaiting his return so they can start Combat Training class. Wolverine cancels the class he had no knowledge of, and instead asks them if they shouldn't be doing something more age appropriate.
Zero is one of the X-Men to attend the opening of a Mutant History Museum, a group that includes several adult and younger mutants. He got there early, as he wanted to view the "classic design" of the Sentinel
. He then criticizes the leaders of the world for restarting the Sentinel Program after Quentin Quire
made them tell their darkest truths on television. He mentions that he believes that he would be a lot like Magneto and his Brotherhood or Quire if he weren't tied to Hope. When the Museum is attacked by the new Hellfire Club
, most of the X-Men are quickly defeated and Zero is no where to be seen. He reappears outside with Hope and the other Lights after Oya's "murder" of the Hellfire grunts. He asks Oya if she is okay, but she mortifies Zero, Hope, and the other Lights by only asking if there is anyone else she needs to kill.
Though Zero's hands were lost to his powers when they manifested, he believes that he doesn't truly need them to create art or do everyday things. Instead, he can use his powers to create organic art, and his tendrils have been able to do things as precise as holding a gun. Theoretically, he could potentially create "hands" using his power if he wanted to. He can also produce a black, ink-like liquid, with which he can write messages or draw.
's Character Shima Tetsuo, he's from Japan and have a bio-meca arm nearly identical to Zero's one.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
superhero appearing in books published by 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...
. The character first appeared in Generation Hope #1, in the final chapter of the "Five Lights" storyline, and the first storyline of the Generation Hope book. He was created by Matt Fraction
Matt Fraction
Matt Fritchman, better known by the pen name Matt Fraction, is an Eisner Award-winning American comic book writer, known for his work as the writer of The Invincible Iron Man, The Immortal Iron Fist and Uncanny X-Men for Marvel Comics and Casanova for Image Comics.-Career:Fraction wrote two...
and Kieron Gillen
Kieron Gillen
Kieron Gillen is a British computer games and music journalist, as well as a comic book author. Gillen has worked for many years as a video game journalist and has, more recently, worked on various comics. He is perhaps best known for his creator-owned comic Phonogram, created with artist Jamie...
, and is one of the "Five Lights"—a group of mutants who manifested their abilities after the events of "Second Coming
X-Men: Second Coming
"Second Coming" is a crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics that ran through the most of the X-Men comic books from March to July 2010.-Publication history:...
".
Publication history
Zero first appeared in Generation Hope as newly-manifested mutant with dark intentions and a dangerous power. Following his introduction, he, along with Hope SummersHope 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...
, Velocidad
Velocidad (comics)
Velocidad is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #527, in the second chapter of the "Five Lights" storyline, and was created by Matt Fraction and Kieron Gillen...
, Transonic
Transonic (comics)
Transonic is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #526, in the first chapter of the "Five Lights" storyline, and was created by Matt Fraction and Kieron Gillen...
, Oya
Oya (comics)
Oya is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #528, in the third chapter of the "Five Lights" storyline, and was created by Matt Fraction and Kieron Gillen...
, and Primal
Primal (comics)
Primal is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #529, in the fourth chapter of the "Five Lights" storyline, and was created by Matt Fraction and Kieron Gillen...
, began to feature in the series Generation Hope. He is the last of the Five Lights to join Hope's team, as the first storyline of the Generation Hope series involves the team getting his power under control. He continues to make appearances in Uncanny X-Men as well.
From his introduction, Zero has seemed more distant from Hope and all the other Lights. He is the first of the Lights to acknowledge that Hope has changed them, possibly not for the better, and his dark tendencies appear to be heading him down the path of villainy. He has talked about betraying Hope, and he has mentioned that he believes he would be a lot like Magneto
Magneto (comics)
Magneto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the central villain of the X-Men comic, as well as the TV show and the films. The character first appears in X-Men #1 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
and his Brotherhood
Brotherhood of Mutants
The 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...
or Quentin Quire
Quentin Quire
Quentin Quire, also known as Kid Omega, is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in New X-Men #122 , although he went unnamed until New X-Men #134...
if he weren't tied to Hope. Additionally, whether subconsciously or not, he has created messages in his room talking about how there is "No Hope" and "No Future."
The Fifth Light
Kenji Uedo is a successful nineteen year-old artist from TokyoTokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
when his powers first appear. Though originally Kenji just seems to be a messy introvert with hygiene issues, his powers quickly manifest into uncontrollable organic tendrils, which kill his assistant and start to wreak havoc in Tokyo. Soon afterward, 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...
, 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...
, Rogue
Rogue (comics)
Rogue was first slated to appear in Ms. Marvel #25 , but the book's abrupt cancellation left her original introduction story unpublished for over a decade, before seeing print in Marvel Super Heroes #11 in 1992. Rogue's first published appearance was in Avengers Annual #10...
, Hope
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...
, and the other Lights arrive in Japan to find Kenji's organic tendrils destroying the city. After Cyclops, Wolverine, and Rogue fail to contain Kenji, Hope heads into his lair to attempt to stabilize his powers, but Kenji attacks Hope by latching tendrils onto her head, which appears to cause an explosion that destroys most of Tokyo. However, this is an illusion, created on a telepathic plane by Kenji so he can live his fantasies. Hope mimics Kenji's power, and sees that Kenji has her pinned to a wall. Hope escapes, but is rendered unconscious by her powers; she is rescued by Velocidad before she falls to the ground.
Using his powers, Kenji becomes a large creature, and he begins to rampage through the city, ala an old monster movie. Hope soon awakens, and she and the other Lights demonstrate their teamwork by getting Hope close enough to Kenji to once again mimic his powers, all while keeping each other safe. Hope becomes a similar creature, and begins to battle Kenji while the two talk telepathically. Kenji scoffs at Hope, and sarcastically asks if she thinks she can save him. When she doesn't reply, Kenji realizes that she does think she can save him, but he tells her that he thinks its too late. Despite this, Hope defeats Kenji and is able to get his powers under control via a touch, which knocks them both unconscious.
Kenji is taken to Utopia
Utopia (comics)
"Utopia" is a 2009 comic book crossover story arc written by Matt Fraction and published by Marvel Comics, starring the X-Men and the Dark Avengers...
, where he is shown footage of the destruction he caused in Tokyo. Kenji is remorseful, admitting that he has fantasies of killing people, and he wants the X-Men's help to ensure that he never goes on a rampage again. After 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....
probes his mind, she convinces Cyclops that Kenji truly is remorseful, and Cyclops agrees to help Kenji. Later, after Hope says she's staying on Utopia, Kenji and the other Lights agree to do the same, but Kenji decides to remain more isolated than his teammates.
When a Sixth Light is discovered in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Hope and the Lights (including Kenji) head there to retrieve it. However, they find that the Light is actually a powerfully telepathic unborn infant, who has taken control of every person within the hospital it's mother is staying at. Kenji hooks his tendrils into each of his teammates' necks, granting them immunity from the telepath's influence, and the group heads into the hospital, and convince the baby to be born. Hope touches the child, and its X-gene is suppressed until it hits puberty.
Zero or Judas?
After Hope decides that each of the Lights needs their own codename, Kenji begins to consider his several options. At first, he suggests Derivative or Rei (JapaneseJapanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
for Zero, and a reference to Rei Ayanami
Rei Ayanami
is a fictional character from the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise, a Japanese anime from Gainax. She is the First Child and pilot of the Evangelion Unit 00....
from Neon Genesis Evangelion
Neon Genesis Evangelion
, commonly referred to as Evangelion, is a commercially and critically successful Japanese anime series that began airing in October 1995. The series was highly influential, and launched the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise. It garnered several major animation awards...
) before settling on simply Zero. Later, after Primal wins the right to stay on Utopia, Zero wonders if Primal truly is happy on Utopia or if he is faking it to remain close to Hope. He and Transonic acknowledge that Hope has changed them all, and Zero doesn't think it's quite right. He reveals that he had considered another codename to spit back at their "messiah"; Judas.
Later, a Seventh Light appears in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The Light is a boy named Zeeshan, whose skin appears to be melting from his body. Zeeshan's friends begin to tease him, and one in particular begins to take photos and post them onto the internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. Though Hope and the Lights (including Zero) rush to the UK, the group is too late, as Zeeshan has already killed himself after his friend "ruined" his life. Four weeks later, Zero is seen outside that friend's apartment, sending a drone in to kill the boy. However, he is stopped by Wolverine, who tells him "It gets better, kid."
Schism
As he returns from an obviously tiring mission, WolverineWolverine (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...
encounters Hope and the Lights, including Zero, awaiting his return so they can start Combat Training class. Wolverine cancels the class he had no knowledge of, and instead asks them if they shouldn't be doing something more age appropriate.
Zero is one of the X-Men to attend the opening of a Mutant History Museum, a group that includes several adult and younger mutants. He got there early, as he wanted to view the "classic design" of the Sentinel
Sentinel (comics)
Sentinels are a fictional variety of mutant-hunting robots, appearing in the Marvel Comics Universe. They are usually portrayed as antagonists to the X-Men. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, they first appeared in The X-Men #14 .According to Marvel canon, Sentinels are programmed to locate...
. He then criticizes the leaders of the world for restarting the Sentinel Program after Quentin Quire
Quentin Quire
Quentin Quire, also known as Kid Omega, is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in New X-Men #122 , although he went unnamed until New X-Men #134...
made them tell their darkest truths on television. He mentions that he believes that he would be a lot like Magneto and his Brotherhood or Quire if he weren't tied to Hope. When the Museum is attacked by the new Hellfire Club
Hellfire Club (comics)
The Hellfire Club is a fictional society within the Marvel Comics Universe that often comes into confrontation with the mutant superhero team, the X-Men...
, most of the X-Men are quickly defeated and Zero is no where to be seen. He reappears outside with Hope and the other Lights after Oya's "murder" of the Hellfire grunts. He asks Oya if she is okay, but she mortifies Zero, Hope, and the other Lights by only asking if there is anyone else she needs to kill.
Powers and abilities
Kenji has the power of techno-organic creation and manipulation. His abilities are as unique and abstract as his art, and allow him to do numerous different things. He has demonstrated the ability to produce and control organic matter in a variety of shapes and sizes, from multiple tendrils to a small, spider-like drone to a large "monster movie"-esque creature. However, Zero created the "movie monster" after losing control of his powers, and it is unclear if he would be able to create a construct as large and complex while remaining in control. Zero is able to hook his tendrils or other constructs into other people to communitcate telepathic messages or images. He also has some limited resistance to telepathy, and is able to share this resistance with others by attaching one of his tendrils to them.Though Zero's hands were lost to his powers when they manifested, he believes that he doesn't truly need them to create art or do everyday things. Instead, he can use his powers to create organic art, and his tendrils have been able to do things as precise as holding a gun. Theoretically, he could potentially create "hands" using his power if he wanted to. He can also produce a black, ink-like liquid, with which he can write messages or draw.
Inspiration
It seems that the Zero character takes its inspiration directly from AkiraAkira (manga)
is a manga series by Katsuhiro Otomo. Set in a post-apocalyptic Neo-Tokyo, the work uses conventions of the cyberpunk genre to detail a saga of turmoil. Initially serialized in the pages of Young Magazine from 1982 until 1990, the work was collected in six volumes by Japanese publisher Kodansha...
's Character Shima Tetsuo, he's from Japan and have a bio-meca arm nearly identical to Zero's one.