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Basilisk (comics)
Encyclopedia
The Basilisk is the name of three fictional characters
that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics
. The first is a supervillain
who debuts in Marvel Team-Up
#16 (Dec. 1973). The second is a mutant
who first appears in New X-Men
#135 (Dec. 2002). The third is a lizard-like villain who first appears in Morbius, the Living Vampire
#5 (Jan. 1993).
and Gil Kane
. Basil Elks is a petty thief who breaks into a museum to steal what he believes is an ordinary emerald
- but is in fact an alien Kree
artifact called the Alpha Stone. Elks, however, miscalculates the security guards rounds and was caught and fired upon when he reached for a weapon. The guard’s bullet accidentally hits and shatters the gem, causing an explosion that transforms Elks into a humanoid reptilian - his skin becomes green and scaly and his eyes are now large and red. Elks then flash-freezes the guard in place, and realizing that he now had superhuman abilities decides to become a supervillain and calls himself the Basilisk. The character returned shortly thereafter in Marvel Team-Up #47 and Marvel Two-in-One
#17 (both July 1976).
The character reappeared in the crossover storyline involving the Scourge of the Underworld
, a vigilante
who assassinated numerous minor supervillains. Seeking retaliation against superhero the Thing
, the character tunneled his way to the headquarters of the Fantastic Four
, which was undergoing construction, but was murdered by the Scourge of the Underworld
.
The Basilisk was resurrected - with sixteen other criminals murdered by Scourge - by master criminal the Hood
using the power of the entity Dormammu
. The revived characters form a squad to attempt to eliminate vigilante
the Punisher
; the Basilisk completed the mission by capturing the Punisher.
During the Fear Itself
storyline, Basilisk is among the villains that escape from the Raft
after Juggernaut
takes the form of Kuurth: Breaker of Stones and damages the facility heavily. He assists Man-Bull
, Griffin
, and another escaped inmate in a bank robbery. When Hercules
arrives, he recognizes that the fourth person with them is actually Hecate
. Basilisk joined Man-Bull and Griffin in fighting Hercules until Hecate regained her memories. When a revived Kyknos attacks Hercules, Basilisk and Man-Bull flee.
or freezing
extremes) or molecules.
Upon acquiring the Omega Stone, Basilisk's powers increased, allowing him to generate volcanoes worldwide, including the Savage Land and New York City.
The remedial class, including Beak, later go on a camping trip. It is here Basilisk saves them from a murderous member of the U-Men
.
Basilisk joins the Brotherhood. They take over New York City
. While watching human prisoners march by, he makes a joke about a perceived bad smell. The Brotherhood's leader, Magneto
, attempts to deliver a punishment but kills Basilisk instead.
to create an alternate persona, the Basilisk. Possessing a paralyzing stare, the Basilisk goes to battle the anti-hero
Morbius the Living Vampire on a number of occasions.
Character (arts)
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...
that appear in comic 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 first is a supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
who debuts in Marvel Team-Up
Marvel Team-Up
Marvel Team-Up is the name of several American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series featured two or more Marvel characters in one story...
#16 (Dec. 1973). The second is a mutant
Mutant (comics)
Mutant or Mutants, in comics, may refer to:*Mutant , one of the main causes for super-powered characters in Marvel Comics, as well as a number of titles, groups or characters:...
who first appears in 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...
#135 (Dec. 2002). The third is a lizard-like villain who first appears in Morbius, the Living Vampire
Morbius, the Living Vampire
Morbius, the Living Vampire, is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and penciler Gil Kane, the character, a living human suffering from vampiric abilities resulting from scientific rather than supernatural means, first appeared as...
#5 (Jan. 1993).
Fictional character biography
The Basilisk first appeared in a story line in Marvel Team-Up #16-17 (Dec. 1973 - Jan. 1974), and was created by Len WeinLen Wein
Len Wein is an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men...
and Gil Kane
Gil Kane
Eli Katz who worked under the name Gil Kane and in one instance Scott Edward, was a comic book artist whose career spanned the 1940s to 1990s and every major comics company and character.Kane co-created the modern-day versions of the superheroes Green Lantern and the Atom for DC Comics, and...
. Basil Elks is a petty thief who breaks into a museum to steal what he believes is an ordinary emerald
Emerald
Emerald is a variety of the mineral beryl colored green by trace amounts of chromium and sometimes vanadium. Beryl has a hardness of 7.5–8 on the 10 point Mohs scale of mineral hardness...
- but is in fact an alien Kree
Kree
The Kree, also known as the Ruul, are a scientifically and technologically advanced militaristic alien race in the fictional Marvel Universe. They are native to the planet Hala in the Large Magellanic Cloud...
artifact called the Alpha Stone. Elks, however, miscalculates the security guards rounds and was caught and fired upon when he reached for a weapon. The guard’s bullet accidentally hits and shatters the gem, causing an explosion that transforms Elks into a humanoid reptilian - his skin becomes green and scaly and his eyes are now large and red. Elks then flash-freezes the guard in place, and realizing that he now had superhuman abilities decides to become a supervillain and calls himself the Basilisk. The character returned shortly thereafter in Marvel Team-Up #47 and Marvel Two-in-One
Marvel Two-in-One
Marvel Two-In-One was an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics that featured the Fantastic Four member, the Thing, in a different team-up each issue with a different character. The series continued from the team-up stories starring the Thing in the final two issues of Marvel...
#17 (both July 1976).
The character reappeared in the crossover storyline involving the Scourge of the Underworld
Scourge of the Underworld
The Scourge of the Underworld is the name of a series of fictional characters that have appeared in various series set in the Marvel Comics universe....
, a vigilante
Vigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
who assassinated numerous minor supervillains. Seeking retaliation against superhero the Thing
Thing (comics)
The Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...
, the character tunneled his way to the headquarters of the Fantastic Four
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...
, which was undergoing construction, but was murdered by the Scourge of the Underworld
Scourge of the Underworld
The Scourge of the Underworld is the name of a series of fictional characters that have appeared in various series set in the Marvel Comics universe....
.
The Basilisk was resurrected - with sixteen other criminals murdered by Scourge - by master criminal the Hood
Hood (comics)
The Hood is a fictional character, a supervillain, and a crime boss in the . Created by writer Brian K. Vaughan and artists Kyle Hotz and Eric Powell, the character first appeared in The Hood #1 .-Publication history:...
using the power of the entity Dormammu
Dormammu
Dormammu is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #126 Dormammu is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #126 Dormammu is a...
. The revived characters form a squad to attempt to eliminate vigilante
Vigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
the Punisher
Punisher
The Punisher is a fictional character, an anti-hero appearing in comic books based in the . Created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita, Sr., and Ross Andru, the character made its first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 .The Punisher is a vigilante who employs murder,...
; the Basilisk completed the mission by capturing the Punisher.
During the Fear Itself
Fear Itself (comics)
"Fear Itself" is a 2011 crossover comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, consisting of a seven-issue, eponymous miniseries written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by Stuart Immonen, Wade Von Grawbadger, and Laura Martin, a prologue book by writer Ed Brubaker and artist Scott Eaton, and...
storyline, Basilisk is among the villains that escape from the Raft
The Raft (comics)
The Raft is a fictional island prison facility in New York City for psychopathic superhuman criminals appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics...
after Juggernaut
Juggernaut (comics)
The Juggernaut is a fictional character that appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Men #12 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby....
takes the form of Kuurth: Breaker of Stones and damages the facility heavily. He assists Man-Bull
Man-Bull
Man-Bull is a fictional character, a supervillain from Marvel Comics.-Publication history:Man-Bull first appeared in Daredevil #78-79 , and was created by Gerry Conway and Gary Friedrich....
, Griffin
Griffin (Marvel Comics)
Griffin is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain. He first appeared in Amazing Adventures vol. 1 #15 and was created by Steve Englehart and Tom Sutton.-Fictional character biography:...
, and another escaped inmate in a bank robbery. When Hercules
Hercules (Marvel Comics)
Hercules is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Journey into Mystery Annual #1 and was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby....
arrives, he recognizes that the fourth person with them is actually Hecate
Hecate (Marvel Comics)
-Hecate :A supervillain named Hecate appeared in Ms. Marvel #11-13 , and was created by Chris Claremont and Sal Buscema....
. Basilisk joined Man-Bull and Griffin in fighting Hercules until Hecate regained her memories. When a revived Kyknos attacks Hercules, Basilisk and Man-Bull flee.
Powers and abilities
Courtesy of the Alpha Stone, the Basilisk possessed enhanced physical strength, reflexes, and stamina. The Basilisk's main offensive weapon were his eye beams, which could be concussive force (these could also be directed at the ground for limited flight) or energy that manipulated temperature (boilingBoiling
Boiling is the rapid vaporization of a liquid, which occurs when a liquid is heated to its boiling point, the temperature at which the vapor pressure of the liquid is equal to the pressure exerted on the liquid by the surrounding environmental pressure. While below the boiling point a liquid...
or freezing
Freezing
Freezing or solidification is a phase change in which a liquid turns into a solid when its temperature is lowered below its freezing point. The reverse process is melting....
extremes) or molecules.
Upon acquiring the Omega Stone, Basilisk's powers increased, allowing him to generate volcanoes worldwide, including the Savage Land and New York City.
Publication history
Basilisk is a mutant and a student at the Xavier Institute. Possessing limited intelligence and persecuted in his youth due to his abnormal appearance (bald, abnormally large and with one eye), the character is extremely aggressive. Once Basilisk's mutant power manifests, he suffers from brain seizures until given a device to help regulate the ability. At the school, he is part of the remedial class under Xorn.The remedial class, including Beak, later go on a camping trip. It is here Basilisk saves them from a murderous member of the U-Men
U-Men (comics)
The U-Men are a fictional group of villains, owned by Marvel Comics and existing in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:In the Marvel Universe the U-Men are a collection of characters that first appeared in Grant Morrison's run on New X-Men. Their name is an allusion to the early Seattle...
.
Basilisk joins the Brotherhood. They take over New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. While watching human prisoners march by, he makes a joke about a perceived bad smell. The Brotherhood's leader, 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...
, attempts to deliver a punishment but kills Basilisk instead.
Powers and abilities
Basilisk possesses an overly-fleshy head devoid of all features except for sunken ears, a slit-like mouth, and a single centered eye socket. A camera-like device is located in this socket that allows Basilisk to control his superhuman mutant ability to emit a pulse of high-frequency strobe light from his brain. The light paralyzes any sentient being that views it, with the length of the effect varies depending upon the willpower of the onlooker.Publication history
Gifford is a dysfunctional person who turns to satanismSatanism
Satanism is a group of religions that is composed of a diverse number of ideological and philosophical beliefs and social phenomena. Their shared feature include symbolic association with, admiration for the character of, and even veneration of Satan or similar rebellious, promethean, and...
to create an alternate persona, the Basilisk. Possessing a paralyzing stare, the Basilisk goes to battle the anti-hero
Anti-hero
In fiction, an antihero is generally considered to be a protagonist whose character is at least in some regards conspicuously contrary to that of the archetypal hero, and is in some instances its antithesis in which the character is generally useless at being a hero or heroine when they're...
Morbius the Living Vampire on a number of occasions.