David Moreau
Encyclopedia
David Moreau, also known as the Genegineer, is a fictional character
, a villain
in the Marvel Universe
. Working for the island nation of Genosha
, he developed a mind control
device which made mutant
slavery possible.
offered him an opportunity to do so: The Sugar Man had come from an alternate timeline, known as the Age of Apocalypse
and had obtained technology invented by his reality's Mister Sinister
. Using this technology, David Moreau created the mutate-process: all inhabitants of Genosha were tested at their 13th birthday for any presence of the X-factor gene
. If they tested positive, they were turned into mutates: their memories were erased and their personality changed to become completely obedient, they were sealed in special suits and their powers were genetically changed to serve the needs of their country. At this time, Moreau became known as the Genegineer (a portmanteau of "Genetic Engineer").
Dr. Moreau was even willing to turn his son's girlfriend, Jennifer Ransome, into a mutate when she tested positive. Philip Moreau fled the country with Jennifer and would oppose Genosha's policies from abroad. The Genoshan enforcers known as the Magistrates and the privileged mutants known as the Press Gang were sent after them. They captured Jennifer and her friend Madelyne Pryor
, not knowing that Madelyne's friends were the X-Men
. Moreau turned Jennifer into a mutate, altering her latent mutant power of cellular manipulation, and investigated Madelyne, who turned out to be not quite human, but not a mutant either. Madelyne's latent powers killed all the Magistrates investigating her and mentally attacked a representation of David Moreau himself. Shortly afterwards, Madelyne and Jennifer were saved by the X-Men and Phillip Moreau and they left Genosha. This was only the beginning of many conflicts between the X-Men and the Genoshan government, who felt that they also had jurisdiction outside Genosha's borders.
In their war with the X-Men and their allies, the Genoshans allied themselves with Cameron Hodge
and his RIGHT
organisation, an anti-mutant hate group. The insane Hodge kidnapped Storm and several New Mutants
and wanted Moreau to help him absorb the techno-organic virus from the New Mutant Warlock
so he could change his monstrous cybernetic form into a more human form. Moreau despised Hodge, who wanted Genosha to conquer the world and wipe out all mutants, while Moreau only was interested in Genosha's safety. Moreau assisted the X-Men in defeating Hodge, but he was killed himself by Hodge who broke his neck.
Dr. Sasha Ryan would take his place as Genegineer, but by then the Genoshan government had been overthrown and the practise of turning mutants into mutates abolished.
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 villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
in 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...
. Working for the island nation of Genosha
Genosha
Genosha is a fictional country that has appeared in numerous comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is an island nation that exists in Marvel's main shared universe, known as "Earth 616" in the Marvel Universe. The fictional nation served as an allegory for slavery and later for South...
, he developed a mind control
Mind control
Mind control refers to a process in which a group or individual "systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator, often to the detriment of the person being manipulated"...
device which made 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...
slavery possible.
Fictional character biography
Little is known about David Moreau's early childhood. He became a scientist and a patriot who wanted to strengthen his nation of Genosha. The Sugar ManSugar Man
Sugar Man is a fictional character, a mutant villain appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Chris Bachalo, he first appeared in Generation Next #2 ....
offered him an opportunity to do so: The Sugar Man had come from an alternate timeline, known as the Age of Apocalypse
Age of Apocalypse
"Age of Apocalypse" is a 1995 - 1996 comic book crossover storyline published in the X-Men franchise of books by Marvel Comics. The Age of Apocalypse briefly replaced the universe of Earth-616, although it was later retconned as having occurred in the alternate universe of Earth-295, it had...
and had obtained technology invented by his reality's Mister Sinister
Mister Sinister
Mister Sinister is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #221 and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Marc Silvestri....
. Using this technology, David Moreau created the mutate-process: all inhabitants of Genosha were tested at their 13th birthday for any presence of the X-factor gene
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...
. If they tested positive, they were turned into mutates: their memories were erased and their personality changed to become completely obedient, they were sealed in special suits and their powers were genetically changed to serve the needs of their country. At this time, Moreau became known as the Genegineer (a portmanteau of "Genetic Engineer").
Dr. Moreau was even willing to turn his son's girlfriend, Jennifer Ransome, into a mutate when she tested positive. Philip Moreau fled the country with Jennifer and would oppose Genosha's policies from abroad. The Genoshan enforcers known as the Magistrates and the privileged mutants known as the Press Gang were sent after them. They captured Jennifer and her friend Madelyne Pryor
Madelyne Pryor
Madelyne Pryor is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. As the love interest and first wife of X-Men leader Cyclops , she became a long-standing member of the X-Men supporting cast, until a series of traumas — being abandoned by her husband, losing her infant son, and...
, not knowing that Madelyne's friends were 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...
. Moreau turned Jennifer into a mutate, altering her latent mutant power of cellular manipulation, and investigated Madelyne, who turned out to be not quite human, but not a mutant either. Madelyne's latent powers killed all the Magistrates investigating her and mentally attacked a representation of David Moreau himself. Shortly afterwards, Madelyne and Jennifer were saved by the X-Men and Phillip Moreau and they left Genosha. This was only the beginning of many conflicts between the X-Men and the Genoshan government, who felt that they also had jurisdiction outside Genosha's borders.
In their war with the X-Men and their allies, the Genoshans allied themselves with Cameron Hodge
Cameron Hodge
Cameron Hodge is a fictional comic book supervillain and opponent of the X-Men, as seen in Marvel Comics. Created by writer Bob Layton and artist Jackson Guice, Hodge first appeared as a supporting character in X-Factor #1 , and was later revealed to be secretly acting against that group as the...
and his RIGHT
Right (comics)
The Right is a fictional anti-mutant organization in the Marvel Comics universe. The group first appeared in X-Factor #17 in June 1987.-Fictional biography:...
organisation, an anti-mutant hate group. The insane Hodge kidnapped Storm and several 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....
and wanted Moreau to help him absorb the techno-organic virus from the New Mutant Warlock
Warlock (comics)
Warlock, in comics, may refer to:*Warlock , a cybernetic alien member of the New Mutants superhero team in Marvel Comics*Warlock, a villain in the 1966 animated TV series The New Adventures of Superman...
so he could change his monstrous cybernetic form into a more human form. Moreau despised Hodge, who wanted Genosha to conquer the world and wipe out all mutants, while Moreau only was interested in Genosha's safety. Moreau assisted the X-Men in defeating Hodge, but he was killed himself by Hodge who broke his neck.
Dr. Sasha Ryan would take his place as Genegineer, but by then the Genoshan government had been overthrown and the practise of turning mutants into mutates abolished.