Edward "Ned" Buckman, also known as the White King, was a 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...

 villain and leader of the New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 branch of the 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...

. He was created by Chris Claremont

Chris Claremont

Chris Claremont is an award-winning American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on Uncanny X-Men, far longer than any other writer, during which he is credited with developing strong female characters, and with introducing complex literary themes into superhero...

 and John Bolton.

Fictional character biography

Edward Buckman, a powerful and wealthy businessman, become a member of the New York branch of the Hellfire Club, a powerful, secretive business organization. Buckman and his lover, Paris Seville, eventually rise to the leadership of the Council of the Chosen, the secret cabal leading the club. They take on the titles of White King and White Queen, respectively.

Eventually, Buckman invites Sebastian Shaw

Sebastian Shaw (comics)

Sebastian Hiram Shaw is a fictional comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe, and an adversary of the X-Men.A mutant, Shaw possesses the ability to absorb energy and transform it into raw strength...

 into the club, as well as Howard Stark

Howard Stark

Howard Stark is a fictional person in the . He is the father of Tony Stark and the founder of Stark Industries. His name came from Howard Hughes, whom he was named after. -Biography:...

, Warren Worthington, Jr. and Sir James Braddock; all rich businessmen. The latter three men are the fathers of the heroes Iron Man

Iron Man

Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...

, Archangel and Captain Britain

Captain Britain

Captain Britain , briefly known as Britannic, is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Chris Claremont and Herb Trimpe, he first appeared in Captain Britain Weekly, #1...

. Later on, Buckman brings Shaw into the Council of the Chosen with the title of Black Bishop. Buckman seeks more funding for Project Armageddon, which aims to destroy mutants using the latest iteration of Sentinels. However, due to Shaw's own mutant status, Buckman tells him that Project Armageddon seeks to isolate the x-factor in order to use it to create a super-powered army for the Hellfire Club.

After the confrontation between 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...

 and Project Armageddon's Mark III Sentinels, Buckman and his partner, Steven Lang

Steven Lang (comics)

Steven Lang is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. He is best known as a manufacturer of the mutant-hunting robots called Sentinels. He first appeared in X-Men volume 1 #96....

, send their Sentinels to kill Shaw and his super-powered allies: Tessa

Sage (comics)

Sage, also known as Tessa, is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. She has most often been associated with the X-Men and the Hellfire Club, whom she spied upon for Professor Charles Xavier....

, Harry Leland

Harry Leland

Harry Leland, also known as the Black Bishop is a Marvel Comics supervillain, and an adversary of the X-Men.A mutant, Leland possesses the ability to increase the mass of an object or person, making it extremely heavy...

 and 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....

. In the resulting fight, Shaw's lover, Lourdes Chantel

Lourdes Chantel

Lourdes Chantel is a Marvel Comics supporting character, specifically in the X-Men comics, created by Chris Claremont and John Bolton.-Fictional character biography:...

is killed.

Seeking revenge and the control of Hellfire Club, Shaw and Frost present themselves before the Council of the Chosen. Frost takes mental control of Buckman and forces him to shoot each member of the Council, including Paris Seville. Shaw then reveals himself and proceeds to break Buckman's neck. With the Council wiped out, Shaw and Frost elevate themselves to the positions of Black King and White Queen of the Club. They replace the Council with their 'Inner Circle', which Shaw dubs The Lords Cardinal.