Berzerker (comics)
Encyclopedia
Berzerker is a fictional character
, a mutant
from the Marvel Comics
Universe. His first and last appearance was in X-Factor
#11 (December 1986). Despite only appearing in one issue, Berzerker has so far appeared in two X-Men animated series, both of which in minor recurring roles.
, an offshoot group of Morlocks
who hated Callisto
's main group and dubbed them Drain Dwellers. Initially a group of ten, six of the Tunnelers were killed when the Marauders
were sent to kill the Morlocks. Berzerker and three others survived the attack, only to get in another battle with Beast
and Iceman
, thinking they were Marauders too. The battle ends when the Tunnelers figure out that the X-Factor
members are not their enemies.
Joining X-Factor at their base, the Tunnelers find out about their hosts' mock mutant hunter identities. The Tunnelers eventually leave hoping to find a new home in New Jersey
. They ran into a human street gang called the Savage Wolf gang who tried to rob them. The Tunnelers fought back, ending in the deaths of the Tunneler Blowhard
and two of the three gang members. They then got in a confrontation with the police where fellow Tunneler and Berzerker's love interest, Scaleface
, was shot dead. Cyclops
and Jean Grey
arrived to save the remaining two Tunnelers, but it was too late; Berzerker was enraged by the loss of Scaleface and vowed revenge on all humanity. Before Cyclops could reason with him Berzerker let out a giant energy attack at him, blaming X-Factor for the Tunnelers' destruction. Cyclops fired back, overpowering Berzerker's initial shot. The optic blast from Cyclops knocked Berzerker into a river, electrocuting himself with his own powers resulting in his death. Masque
was the only Tunneler that survived.
Berzerker is resurrected by means of the Transmode Virus to serve as part of Selene
's army of deceased mutants. Under the control of Selene and Eli Bard
, he takes part in the assault on the mutant nation of Utopia
. It is here we find out that he holds a grudge against Cyclops for his part in his death.
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...
, a 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...
from the 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...
Universe. His first and last appearance was in 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...
#11 (December 1986). Despite only appearing in one issue, Berzerker has so far appeared in two X-Men animated series, both of which in minor recurring roles.
Fictional character biography
Berzerker was a member and the leader of The TunnelersThe Tunnelers
The Tunnelers were a group of Marvel Comics mutants that is offshoot group of Morlocks. Created by Chris Claremont and Paul Smith, Masque's first appearance was in Uncanny X-Men #169 . Created by Chris Claremont, John Romita, Jr...
, an offshoot group of Morlocks
Morlocks (comics)
The Morlocks are a group of several fictional comic book mutants associated with the X-Men in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Paul Smith, they were named after the subterranean race of the same name in H. G. Wells' novel The Time Machine. They first appeared...
who hated Callisto
Callisto (comics)
Callisto is a Marvel Comics fictional character, associated with the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Paul Smith, she first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #169 ....
's main group and dubbed them Drain Dwellers. Initially a group of ten, six of the Tunnelers were killed when 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...
were sent to kill the Morlocks. Berzerker and three others survived the attack, only to get in another battle with Beast
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...
and 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, ....
, thinking they were Marauders too. The battle ends when the Tunnelers figure out that the 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...
members are not their enemies.
Joining X-Factor at their base, the Tunnelers find out about their hosts' mock mutant hunter identities. The Tunnelers eventually leave hoping to find a new home in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. They ran into a human street gang called the Savage Wolf gang who tried to rob them. The Tunnelers fought back, ending in the deaths of the Tunneler Blowhard
Blowhard (comics)
Blowhard is a fictional character, a mutant in the Marvel Comics Universe. His first appearance was in X-Factor vol. 1 #11 .-Publication history:Blowhard appeared in X-Factor vol...
and two of the three gang members. They then got in a confrontation with the police where fellow Tunneler and Berzerker's love interest, Scaleface
Scaleface
Scaleface is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:Scaleface first appeared in X-Factor vol. 1 #11 , and was created by Louise Simonson and Walter Simonson....
, was shot dead. 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 Jean Grey
Jean Grey
Jean Grey-Summers is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She has been known under the aliases Marvel Girl, Phoenix, and Dark Phoenix and is best known as one of five original members of the X-Men, for her relationship with Cyclops, and for her...
arrived to save the remaining two Tunnelers, but it was too late; Berzerker was enraged by the loss of Scaleface and vowed revenge on all humanity. Before Cyclops could reason with him Berzerker let out a giant energy attack at him, blaming X-Factor for the Tunnelers' destruction. Cyclops fired back, overpowering Berzerker's initial shot. The optic blast from Cyclops knocked Berzerker into a river, electrocuting himself with his own powers resulting in his death. Masque
Masque (comics)
Masque is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. Masque was originally a prominent member of the sewer-dwelling community of mutant outcasts called the Morlocks, led by Callisto.-Publication history:...
was the only Tunneler that survived.
Berzerker is resurrected by means of the Transmode Virus to serve as part of Selene
Selene (comics)
Selene Gallio is a fictional character, a comic book supervillainess from the Marvel Comics universe. She is a mutant, and an enemy of the X-Men often associated with the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle.-Publication history:...
's army of deceased mutants. Under the control of Selene and Eli Bard
Eli Bard
Eli Bard is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain from the Marvel Comics universe. He is a member of the Purifiers and an enemy of the X-Men.-Fictional character biography:...
, he takes part in the assault on the mutant nation of 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...
. It is here we find out that he holds a grudge against Cyclops for his part in his death.
Powers and abilities
Berzerker's mutant powers allow him to generate and control pulsing bolts of electrical energy. He did this by absorbing and manipulating the energies of the entire electromagnetic spectrum. He could also fly and tap into, absorb, observe or listen to television or radio broadcasts, his electrical powers enabled him to create electrical energy shields, and temporarily convert his body into raw electricity.Television
- Berserker is a student at the Xavier Institute in the animated program X-Men: EvolutionX-Men: EvolutionX-Men: Evolution is an American animated television series about the Marvel Comics superhero team the X-Men. In this incarnation many of the characters are teenagers rather than adults...
and is voiced by Tony SampsonTony SampsonTony Sampson is a former Canadian voice and television actor who was based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He played the role of Flash in the Canadian television drama The Odyssey from 1992 to 1994, but was probably best known as Eddy in Ed, Edd, n Eddy...
. His name is stated as Ray Crisp. Unlike his comic counterpart, he is laid back and generally non-violent. His involvement with the Morlocks is never really described, however he does seem to have met them before at some point (when mutants are being hunted, he is the one who leads SunspotSunspot (comics)Sunspot is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero most commonly associated with X-Men-related groups the New Mutants and X-Force....
, Multiple Man, WolfsbaneWolfsbane (comics)Wolfsbane is a Marvel Comics superheroine, associated with the X-Men.A Scottish mutant, Wolfsbane possesses the ability to transform into a wolf or into a transitional state somewhere between human and wolf...
, JubileeJubilee (comics)Jubilation "Jubilee" Lee is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superheroine associated with the X-Men.A mutant, Jubilee had the superhuman power to generate "fireworks" of explosive plasma. A teenage "mall rat," she was the X-Men's youngest member in the early 1990s, often playing sidekick to...
, Boom BoomTabitha SmithTabitha Smith is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by Jim Shooter and Al Milgrom, the character first appeared in Secret Wars II #5 . She later appeared as a member of the X-Force and, more recently, as a member of Nextwave...
, and CannonballCannonball (comics)Cannonball is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, associated with the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Bob McLeod, Cannonball first appeared in Marvel Graphic Novel #4: The New Mutants ....
to their base in the sewers in order to hide out). In a later episode, when SpykeSpykeSpyke is a character who was briefly a member of the X-Men in the animated series X-Men: Evolution. Created by writer Bob Skir and artist Steven E...
is poisoned and taken to be healed by the Morlocks, Ray is the only one who notices Callisto's presence and deduces where they are hiding. Later, when he is trying to escape the sewers, he is briefly pursued by Scaleface, begging her to just let him go. This is the only reference to their relationship in the comics. He seems to be familiar with all the Morlocks in that episode, however it could simply be explained by the fact that he and most of the New Mutants spent a few days living with them. Although, he would also have had to have known about the Morlocks in order to lead the New Mutants to them. - Berserker appears in Wolverine and the X-Men Voiced by Nolan NorthNolan NorthNolan Ramsey North is an American actor and voice actor born in New Haven, Connecticut. He has been described as "the nearest thing the games industry has to a bona fide leading man."-Biography:...
. As part of Prof. Xavier's future X-Men. He also appears in the present as a young boy in "Excessive Force" being chased by VertigoVertigo (Marvel Comics)Vertigo is a native of the Savage Land who obtained superhuman powers at a young age by genetic engineering. Her powers enable her to render a person severely dizzy and even unconscious.-Fictional character biography:...
and Blockbuster in the Morlock Tunnels, only to be saved by CyclopsCyclops (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...
.