Artie Maddicks
Encyclopedia
Arthur "Artie" Maddicks is a fictional
comic book
character in Marvel Comics
' shared universe
, the Marvel Universe
. He first appeared in X-Factor #2 (March 1986) and was created by Bob Layton
and Jackson Guice
.
and Jackson Guice
and appearing in X-Factor #2, as the mutant son of Dr. Carl Maddicks, Artie's characterisation was as a mute mutant whose father was trying to cure him. Upon his father's death, Artie became a ward of X-Factor appearing sporadically in the X-Titles in the mid to late 1980s. These included the first series of X-Factor and the New Mutants and appearing in a supporting role in the limited series, X-Terminators. He also was seen in titles that were affected by the Mutant Massacre
such as Thor and Power Pack before his character fell into comicbook limbo with his appearances being limited and occasional.
In the mid-1990s, Artie resurfaced, alongside Leech
, as a ward of Gene Nation
in the pages of Generation X. How he came about being with Gene Nation has yet to be addressed. Later, he and Leech become wards and supporting cast members of Generation X, alongside Franklin Richards
, who had become an "orphan" after the "death" of his parents. This led the three boys to star in their own limited comicbook series, Daydreamers, alongside Man-Thing
and Tana Nile
. After the Generation X title ended with issue #75, Artie fell into limbo again with his fate unclear.
Since the end of Generation X, Leech reappeared having been captured by Weapon X
and later as part of The 198. Artie was briefly mentioned as being one of the many mutants who was depowered and whose powers were being "used" by the Collective
in New Avengers #18, and although the full circumstances about his being powerless and where he has been have yet to be revealed; he (along with Leech) appeared as guests of Franklin's birthday party within Fantastic Four #574.
Artie Maddicks received an entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89
#4.
. Desperate, Dr. Maddicks forced Dr. Hank McCoy
to help him make a cure. McCoy was used as Dr. Maddicks' guinea pig
, while Artie watched. X-Factor
came to save McCoy and ended up saving Artie as well. Brand Corporation security guards (whom Dr. Maddicks worried would kill his son) arrived as he fired a gun at them. The guards fire back, killing him.
Afterwards, Artie became the ward
of X-Factor
. As a part of X-Factor's group of youthful pupils, the "X-Terminators
", he first met his friend Leech
, a Morlock boy with green skin who possesses the ability to negate other mutants' superhuman
abilities. He also befriends several other young mutants, such as Boom-Boom, Rictor, Rusty and Skids.
For a time, Artie and the personnel of X-Factor live aboard Ship
, a massive artificial intelligence with a spacecraft body that dwarfs all skyscrapers. When Ship is overtaken by a booby trap implanted by its old master Apocalypse, it manages to bring Artie deep inside itself, to its own computer brain. Artie manages to translate that there is a bomb attached to the brain. X-Factor, working with the kids, manages to defuse the bomb and it explodes harmlessly far above the island of Manhattan.
are mutants, and more importantly, best friends and were fully willing to work around this. When the events of Inferno
began, N'Astirh
's demon hordes first went after Artie and Leech, as they were powerful children. It was determined the two were too old but the demon kept them on hand anyway. The other members of the X-Terminators, joined by Taki, leave their new living situations to help rescue him. Artie is forced to witness at least two murders of innocent humans guards before he is rescued.
Artie, Leech and Taki move back to St. Simons for a while, where they foil a mutant kidnapping plot by a group of murderous humans. Artie gains an unofficial grandmother in Ida Fassbender, a nervous but kindly woman who lives near St. Simons.
disrupts the school with another kidnapping scheme, this time successful. After Leech is rescued from Gene Nation
by Generation X
, he and Artie came to live at the Massachusetts Academy, the home of the teenage mutant team. There they soon met Franklin Richards
(recently "orphaned" after the Onslaught
incident) who rounded out the trio of "The Daydreamers." They also met Howard the Duck
and his two female companions, Beverly Switzler and Tana Nile
. When Black Tom Cassidy
attacks the school, an extension of his plant form personally attacks the children in the area called the Danger Grotto. Howard, at great personal risk, managed to distract Tom while Artie and the others make a break for it. Tom is seemingly destroyed in an explosion that sets fire to the entire grotto. Man-Thing
arrives and took the entire group away, into several adventures. When Franklin's family
return from an alternate universe
(of his own creation—see Onslaught
saga and the Heroes Reborn storylines for more details), Artie and Leech return to the Academy, where they start to take more active roles. They are given image inducer
s to hide their appearances, and frequently used them to wreak playful havoc.
After Generation X suffers the death of Synch
due to terrorist activity, it was decided that the younger members of the team, including the M Twins, Leech, Artie, and the vacant but functional form of Penance, would go to live in Monaco
with M
's father.
event. Artie and Leech were invited to Franklin's birthday party and received from both him and Reed Richards special keys to their own room at the Baxter Building; should they wish to move from Utopia. Artie also received a special helmet made by Valeria Richards which allows him to communicate by creating images in the air - he remains mute due to the deformity caused by his mutations. Artie and Leech do end up moving to the Baxter Building; they are now part of a special class taught by Reed Richards.
He is a young mutant
with bright pink skin and a lumpy, misshapen skull who possesses the ability to project telepathic holograms of his thoughts. Usually he uses his power to communicate, because he is mute. However, he can make large-scale holograms as a means of defense. Artie can also tap into and project images of the thoughts of other people, at times on the scale of a city's population. He can also use this limited form of telepathy to mind-lock people and prevent them from acting.
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...
comic book
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...
character in 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...
' shared universe
Shared universe
A shared universe is a fictional universe to which more than one writer contributes. Work set in a shared universe share characters and other elements with varying degrees of consistency. Shared universes are contrasted with collaborative writing, in which multiple authors work on a single story....
, the Marvel Universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. He first appeared in X-Factor #2 (March 1986) and was created by Bob Layton
Bob Layton
Bob Layton is an American comic book artist, writer, and editor, who has worked for Marvel Comics, Valiant Comics, DC Comics, Future Comics, and other publishers.-Early life:...
and Jackson Guice
Jackson Guice
Jackson "Butch" Guice , is an American comic book artist who has worked steadily in the mainstream comics industry since the early 1980s.-Biography:...
.
Publication history
Created by Bob LaytonBob Layton
Bob Layton is an American comic book artist, writer, and editor, who has worked for Marvel Comics, Valiant Comics, DC Comics, Future Comics, and other publishers.-Early life:...
and Jackson Guice
Jackson Guice
Jackson "Butch" Guice , is an American comic book artist who has worked steadily in the mainstream comics industry since the early 1980s.-Biography:...
and appearing in X-Factor #2, as the mutant son of Dr. Carl Maddicks, Artie's characterisation was as a mute mutant whose father was trying to cure him. Upon his father's death, Artie became a ward of X-Factor appearing sporadically in the X-Titles in the mid to late 1980s. These included the first series of X-Factor and the New Mutants and appearing in a supporting role in the limited series, X-Terminators. He also was seen in titles that were affected by the Mutant Massacre
Mutant Massacre
"Mutant Massacre" was a major Marvel Comics crossover storyline, which took place during the fall of 1986. It primarily involved the superhero teams the X-Men, X-Factor and the New Mutants...
such as Thor and Power Pack before his character fell into comicbook limbo with his appearances being limited and occasional.
In the mid-1990s, Artie resurfaced, alongside Leech
Leech (comics)
Leech is a character in the Marvel Comics Universe.Leech made his first appearance in Uncanny X-Men as a Morlock, a group of mutants whose deformities force them to live in the sewers under Manhattan. He is usually depicted as being around 12 years old...
, as a ward of Gene Nation
Gene Nation
Gene Nation is a Marvel Comics mutant terrorist organization and enemies of the X-Men. They originated from a group of Morlocks that survived the Mutant Massacre by escaping to another dimension.-First Incarnation:...
in the pages of Generation X. How he came about being with Gene Nation has yet to be addressed. Later, he and Leech become wards and supporting cast members of Generation X, alongside Franklin Richards
Franklin Richards
Franklin Richards is a fictional comic book character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character in Fantastic Four.Franklin is an Omega-Level mutant with vast psionic and reality-manipulating powers...
, who had become an "orphan" after the "death" of his parents. This led the three boys to star in their own limited comicbook series, Daydreamers, alongside Man-Thing
Man-Thing
The Man-Thing is a fictional character, a monster in publications from Marvel Comics. Created by writers Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Gerry Conway and artist Gray Morrow, the character first appeared in Savage Tales #1 , and went on to be featured in various titles and in his own series, including...
and Tana Nile
Tana Nile
Tana Nile is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Fictional character biography:Tana Nile, of the planet Rigel-3, was a leading female member of the Colonizers of Rigel. In her attempt to colonize the planet Earth, Tana Nile took a human form as Jane Foster's roommate. Tana took control of...
. After the Generation X title ended with issue #75, Artie fell into limbo again with his fate unclear.
Since the end of Generation X, Leech reappeared having been captured by Weapon X
Weapon X
Weapon X is a fictional clandestine government genetic research facility project in the Marvel Universe conducted by the Canadian Government's Department K, which turns willing and unwilling beings into living weapons. The project often captures mutants and experiments on them to enhance their...
and later as part of The 198. Artie was briefly mentioned as being one of the many mutants who was depowered and whose powers were being "used" by the Collective
Collective
A collective is a group of entities that share or are motivated by at least one common issue or interest, or work together on a specific project to achieve a common objective...
in New Avengers #18, and although the full circumstances about his being powerless and where he has been have yet to be revealed; he (along with Leech) appeared as guests of Franklin's birthday party within Fantastic Four #574.
Artie Maddicks received an entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications...
#4.
Fictional character biography
Artie was raised by his father, Dr. Carl Maddicks, until his eleventh birthday, when he gained his powers. Artie mutated into a lumpy pink form with no nose and large round eyes. Furthermore, the speech center of his brain was altered, rendering him muteSpeech disorder
Speech disorders or speech impediments are a type of communication disorders where 'normal' speech is disrupted. This can mean stuttering, lisps, etc. Someone who is unable to speak due to a speech disorder is considered mute.-Classification:...
. Desperate, Dr. Maddicks forced Dr. Hank McCoy
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...
to help him make a cure. McCoy was used as Dr. Maddicks' guinea pig
Guinea pig
The guinea pig , also called the cavy, is a species of rodent belonging to the family Caviidae and the genus Cavia. Despite their common name, these animals are not in the pig family, nor are they from Guinea...
, while Artie watched. 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...
came to save McCoy and ended up saving Artie as well. Brand Corporation security guards (whom Dr. Maddicks worried would kill his son) arrived as he fired a gun at them. The guards fire back, killing him.
Afterwards, Artie became the ward
Ward (law)
In law, a ward is someone placed under the protection of a legal guardian. A court may take responsibility for the legal protection of an individual, usually either a child or incapacitated person, in which case the ward is known as a ward of the court, or a ward of the state, in the United States,...
of 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...
. As a part of X-Factor's group of youthful pupils, the "X-Terminators
X-Terminators
The X-Terminators are fictional characters in the Marvel Universe.-History:The name "X-Terminators" was originally used by X-Factor at that group's inception. The five original X-Men had founded X-Factor Investigations, and posed as normal humans purported to be an organization of mutant-hunters...
", he first met his friend Leech
Leech (comics)
Leech is a character in the Marvel Comics Universe.Leech made his first appearance in Uncanny X-Men as a Morlock, a group of mutants whose deformities force them to live in the sewers under Manhattan. He is usually depicted as being around 12 years old...
, a Morlock boy with green skin who possesses the ability to negate other mutants' superhuman
Superhuman
Superhuman can mean an improved human, for example, by genetic modification, cybernetic implants, or as what humans might evolve into, in the near or distant future...
abilities. He also befriends several other young mutants, such as Boom-Boom, Rictor, Rusty and Skids.
For a time, Artie and the personnel of X-Factor live aboard Ship
Ship (comics)
The fictional A.I. entity originally known as Ship has appeared in several incarnations in the Marvel Universe. At times controlled by both the X-Men and their enemies, the sentient Ship A.I. has been at the core of a Celestial starship, two space stations, and a techno-organic being.-Ancient...
, a massive artificial intelligence with a spacecraft body that dwarfs all skyscrapers. When Ship is overtaken by a booby trap implanted by its old master Apocalypse, it manages to bring Artie deep inside itself, to its own computer brain. Artie manages to translate that there is a bomb attached to the brain. X-Factor, working with the kids, manages to defuse the bomb and it explodes harmlessly far above the island of Manhattan.
St. Simons
Some time later, X-Factor splits their wards between two boarding schools that were about a mile apart. Artie's school, St. Simons recognizes that he, Leech and the tech-manipulating child TakiTaki
-People :*Mohamed Taki Abdoulkarim, Comoros politician, president *Mohamed Taki , Moroccan athlete* Taki, a fictional female ninja from the Soul series of fighting games...
are mutants, and more importantly, best friends and were fully willing to work around this. When the events of Inferno
Inferno (Marvel Comics)
Inferno was a Marvel Comics company-wide crossover in 1989 that mainly involved the mutant titles, namely The Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor, X-Terminators, Excalibur, and The New Mutants...
began, N'Astirh
N'astirh
N'astirh is a fictional character created by Marvel Comics as a demonic inhabitant of Limbo. He first appeared in X-Factor #32 and was created by Louise Simonson and Jon Bogdanove.-Fictional character biography:...
's demon hordes first went after Artie and Leech, as they were powerful children. It was determined the two were too old but the demon kept them on hand anyway. The other members of the X-Terminators, joined by Taki, leave their new living situations to help rescue him. Artie is forced to witness at least two murders of innocent humans guards before he is rescued.
Artie, Leech and Taki move back to St. Simons for a while, where they foil a mutant kidnapping plot by a group of murderous humans. Artie gains an unofficial grandmother in Ida Fassbender, a nervous but kindly woman who lives near St. Simons.
Generation X
Gene NationGene Nation
Gene Nation is a Marvel Comics mutant terrorist organization and enemies of the X-Men. They originated from a group of Morlocks that survived the Mutant Massacre by escaping to another dimension.-First Incarnation:...
disrupts the school with another kidnapping scheme, this time successful. After Leech is rescued from Gene Nation
Gene Nation
Gene Nation is a Marvel Comics mutant terrorist organization and enemies of the X-Men. They originated from a group of Morlocks that survived the Mutant Massacre by escaping to another dimension.-First Incarnation:...
by Generation X
Generation X (comics)
Generation X is a fictional comic book superhero team, a spin-off of the X-Men franchise published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Chris Bachalo, the team formed during the 1994 "Phalanx Covenant" storyline, and appeared in their own monthly series in September 1994...
, he and Artie came to live at the Massachusetts Academy, the home of the teenage mutant team. There they soon met Franklin Richards
Franklin Richards
Franklin Richards is a fictional comic book character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character in Fantastic Four.Franklin is an Omega-Level mutant with vast psionic and reality-manipulating powers...
(recently "orphaned" after the Onslaught
Onslaught (comics)
Onslaught is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Man #15 , and was co-created by writers Scott Lobdell, Mark Waid, and artist Andy Kubert....
incident) who rounded out the trio of "The Daydreamers." They also met Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck is a comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. The character first appeared in Adventure into Fear #19 and several subsequent series have chronicled the misadventures of the ill-tempered, anthropomorphic, "funny...
and his two female companions, Beverly Switzler and Tana Nile
Tana Nile
Tana Nile is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Fictional character biography:Tana Nile, of the planet Rigel-3, was a leading female member of the Colonizers of Rigel. In her attempt to colonize the planet Earth, Tana Nile took a human form as Jane Foster's roommate. Tana took control of...
. When Black Tom Cassidy
Black Tom Cassidy
"Black Tom" Cassidy is a Marvel Comics supervillain, an enemy of the X-Men, and archenemy of Banshee. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Dave Cockrum, he first fully appeared in Uncanny X-Men #101...
attacks the school, an extension of his plant form personally attacks the children in the area called the Danger Grotto. Howard, at great personal risk, managed to distract Tom while Artie and the others make a break for it. Tom is seemingly destroyed in an explosion that sets fire to the entire grotto. Man-Thing
Man-Thing
The Man-Thing is a fictional character, a monster in publications from Marvel Comics. Created by writers Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Gerry Conway and artist Gray Morrow, the character first appeared in Savage Tales #1 , and went on to be featured in various titles and in his own series, including...
arrives and took the entire group away, into several adventures. When Franklin's family
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...
return from an alternate universe
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
(of his own creation—see Onslaught
Onslaught (comics)
Onslaught is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Man #15 , and was co-created by writers Scott Lobdell, Mark Waid, and artist Andy Kubert....
saga and the Heroes Reborn storylines for more details), Artie and Leech return to the Academy, where they start to take more active roles. They are given image inducer
Holography
Holography is a technique that allows the light scattered from an object to be recorded and later reconstructed so that when an imaging system is placed in the reconstructed beam, an image of the object will be seen even when the object is no longer present...
s to hide their appearances, and frequently used them to wreak playful havoc.
After Generation X suffers the death of Synch
Synch (comics)
Synch is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics mutant superhero. Created by Scott Lobdell, he first appeared in X-Men #36, September, 1994.-Fictional character biography:...
due to terrorist activity, it was decided that the younger members of the team, including the M Twins, Leech, Artie, and the vacant but functional form of Penance, would go to live in Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
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...
's father.
Future Foundation
During a mission, the New Avengers viewed a screen of de-powered mutants. Artie was on that screen with other mutants de-powered after 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...
event. Artie and Leech were invited to Franklin's birthday party and received from both him and Reed Richards special keys to their own room at the Baxter Building; should they wish to move from Utopia. Artie also received a special helmet made by Valeria Richards which allows him to communicate by creating images in the air - he remains mute due to the deformity caused by his mutations. Artie and Leech do end up moving to the Baxter Building; they are now part of a special class taught by Reed Richards.
Powers and abilities
- Note: Artie has lost his abilities since M-Day and is a "Rem", a person with visible remains of the lost mutation
He is a young 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 bright pink skin and a lumpy, misshapen skull who possesses the ability to project telepathic holograms of his thoughts. Usually he uses his power to communicate, because he is mute. However, he can make large-scale holograms as a means of defense. Artie can also tap into and project images of the thoughts of other people, at times on the scale of a city's population. He can also use this limited form of telepathy to mind-lock people and prevent them from acting.
Other versions
- What The--?!What The--?!What The--?! was a Marvel Comics comic book series parodying the Marvel Universe, similar in vein to the 1960s series Not Brand Echh. It was billed as, "The Marvel mag of mirth and mayhem!" The series ran for 26 issues from August 1988 through Winter 1993, with issue #26 being a "Fall Special"...
#25 (Summer 1993) - 'All Mutant Parody Issue' - Gen13/Generation XGeneration X (comics)Generation X is a fictional comic book superhero team, a spin-off of the X-Men franchise published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Chris Bachalo, the team formed during the 1994 "Phalanx Covenant" storyline, and appeared in their own monthly series in September 1994...
#1 - 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...
/Power Pack #2 — at Professor Xavier's mansion
Film
- A boy named Artie appears in a nonspeaking role in the second X-Men 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...
, played by Bryce Hodgson; however, he has a single line of dialogue in a deleted scene from X2. This character is never clearly identified as Artie Maddicks. His appearance is normal aside from a blue, forked tongue, and he does not demonstrate any powers in the film.
- The name "Maddicks, Artie" also appears in X2 on a list of names MystiqueMystique (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...
scrolls through on William StrykerWilliam StrykerCol. 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...
's computer while looking for MagnetoMagneto (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...
's file.