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Empath (comics)
Encyclopedia
Empath is a fictional mutant
in the Marvel Universe
.
and Sal Buscema
and first appeared in New Mutants #16-17 (June-July 1984) as a member of Emma Frost
's original Hellions.
The character subsequently appears in The Uncanny X-Men #193 (May 1985), Firestar #2-4 (April-June 1986), The New Mutants #26 (April 1985), The Uncanny X-Men #193 (May 1985), The New Mutants #28 (June 1985), #31 (September 1985), Firestar #2-4 (April-June 1986), The New Mutants #38-40 (April-June 1986), #43 (September 1986), #53-54 (July-August 1987), #56 (October 1987), #62 (April 1988), The New Mutants Annual #4 (1988), The New Mutants #81 (November 1989), The Uncanny X-Men #281 (October 1991), The New Warriors #31 (January 1993), #45-46 (March-April 1994), X-Force #32-34 (March-May 1994), X-Universe #1-2 (May-June 1995) by Scott Lobdell and Terry Kavanaugh, X-Treme X-Men #31-35 (November 2003-January 2004), The X-Men: 198 Files (March 2006) by Eric J. Moreels, Marc-Oliver Frisch, and Brian E. Wilkinson, X-Men: The 198 #1-5 (March-July 2006), and The Uncanny X-Men #500-501.
Empath appeared as part of the "Hellions" entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition
#5.
, Spain
. He is a mutant who attended school at the Massachusetts Academy, where he was one of the original students of then villain, the White Queen
. Frost's students, who were known as the Hellions, were rivals of Charles Xavier
's students, the New Mutants
. Manuel fancied Frost so much that during the night, he attempted to make one peek in her mind but she detected instantly, deciding to show him everything about her. De la Rocha described her as cold as ice. De la Rocha was one of the few Hellions, along with James Proudstar
, Amara Aquilla
, and Angelica Jones
to survive an attack by time-travelling villain Trevor Fitzroy
(although Empath's former teammate, Tarot
would eventually be resurrected).
The White Queen once used Empath to manipulate Magneto into allowing the New Mutants to join the Hellions. This was made easier as the New Mutants had been deeply traumatized by a powerful energy being called the Beyonder
. During the course of this plan, he met two of Xavier's allies, Tom Corsi
and Sharon Friedlander
. He took the opportunity to attack them mentally, changing a subtle attraction to full blown obsessive sexual desire between the two. They would show up several days later, severely traumatized.
During his tenure with the Hellions, de la Rocha met and fell in love with Amara Aquilla, the New Mutant known as Magma. Aquilla eventually left her team and became a member of the Hellions, so that she could be close to de la Rocha, and de la Rocha even accompanied her back to her home in Nova Roma. The romance ended, however, when Aquilla began to suspect that de la Rocha was using his abilities to control her emotions, which he in fact was. When the colony of Nova Roma was discovered to be a ruse by the witch Selene
, Empath used his abilities for a time to convince Magma that this was a hoax
. This set a bond of mistrust between the two that would never be broken.
, where he became the Communications Director for the Corporation's Los Angeles
chapter along with his former love Magma. However, after M-Day
, Cyclops
ordered the closure of the X-Corporation headquarters to better focus all available resources on protecting their members and allies. Empath was one of the few mutants to retain their powers in the wake of House of M
.
n village. Empath is stayed at the Xavier Institute
along with some of the other 198
, however his shared history with Magma has her suspicious that he is still toying with her emotions. Later, when Johnny Dee
uses his powers to control Magma and Leech
and make them kill Mr.M
, Amara becomes aware that someone was controlling her, and, thinking it is Empath, blames him.
, with whom he shares an S&M sexual relationship. In the next issue she asks him about Emma Frost and then telepathically makes herself appear as Emma Frost as she sexually dominates Empath. When the X-Men discover the Hellfire Cult's base, she flees leaving Empath behind.
Empath makes a run for it, and his powers seem to be going out of control. While being chased by various X-Men, he takes them down until Pixie appears and beats him savagely. She then stabs him in the head with her soulknife, weakening his powers and blinding him. He is held in prison-like quarters in the X-Men's HQ, frustrated over his condition and angry against the X-Men. Despite this and the deeds he has committed against her friends and herself, Amara takes pity upon him; hers is the only company Empath accepts.
It is later revealed that Empath was meant to be a Trojan Horse, whose rejuvenated powers disabled many of the X-Men, while the Red Queen and her Sisterhood took a locket of Jean Grey
's hair. Pixie then attacked him again with her soulknife, shattering his consciousness.
prison, made of out of Asteroid M
, alongside Sebastian Shaw
and Donald Pierce
. He was trapped in a psychic illusion where he is with Amara, before the illusion is shattered when Selene
's minions appear on Utopia's shores.
reality, Empath was held hostage by Mikhail Rasputin
, who attached the young mutant to a computer system in order to amplify his empathic abilities to control the human population of Eurasia
. This caused Empath incredible agony, and when his handler, Keeper Murdock (the Age of Apocalypse's version of Daredevil
), accidentally touched him, Murdock realized the horrific pain the young man was in and ended his life.
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...
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...
.
Publication history
Empath was created by Chris ClaremontChris 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 Sal Buscema
Sal Buscema
Silvio "Sal" Buscema is an American comic book artist, primarily for Marvel Comics, where he enjoyed a ten-year run as artist of The Incredible Hulk...
and first appeared in New Mutants #16-17 (June-July 1984) as a member of 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....
's original Hellions.
The character subsequently appears in The Uncanny X-Men #193 (May 1985), Firestar #2-4 (April-June 1986), The New Mutants #26 (April 1985), The Uncanny X-Men #193 (May 1985), The New Mutants #28 (June 1985), #31 (September 1985), Firestar #2-4 (April-June 1986), The New Mutants #38-40 (April-June 1986), #43 (September 1986), #53-54 (July-August 1987), #56 (October 1987), #62 (April 1988), The New Mutants Annual #4 (1988), The New Mutants #81 (November 1989), The Uncanny X-Men #281 (October 1991), The New Warriors #31 (January 1993), #45-46 (March-April 1994), X-Force #32-34 (March-May 1994), X-Universe #1-2 (May-June 1995) by Scott Lobdell and Terry Kavanaugh, X-Treme X-Men #31-35 (November 2003-January 2004), The X-Men: 198 Files (March 2006) by Eric J. Moreels, Marc-Oliver Frisch, and Brian E. Wilkinson, X-Men: The 198 #1-5 (March-July 2006), and The Uncanny X-Men #500-501.
Empath appeared as part of the "Hellions" entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition
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...
#5.
Hellions
Manuel de la Rocha was born in CastileCastile (historical region)
A former kingdom, Castile gradually merged with its neighbours to become the Crown of Castile and later the Kingdom of Spain when united with the Crown of Aragon and the Kingdom of Navarre...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. He is a mutant who attended school at the Massachusetts Academy, where he was one of the original students of then villain, the White Queen
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....
. Frost's students, who were known as the Hellions, were rivals of Charles Xavier
Professor X
Professor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
's students, the 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....
. Manuel fancied Frost so much that during the night, he attempted to make one peek in her mind but she detected instantly, deciding to show him everything about her. De la Rocha described her as cold as ice. De la Rocha was one of the few Hellions, along with James Proudstar
Warpath (comics)
James Proudstar, previously known as the second Thunderbird but also known as Warpath, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero associated with the X-Men....
, Amara Aquilla
Magma (comics)
Magma is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics series New Mutants, also associated with various X-Men-related comics. She was created by author Chris Claremont and artist Bob McLeod, and debuted in New Mutants #8...
, and Angelica Jones
Firestar
Firestar is a fictional mutant superhero in the . Debuting in 1981 on the NBC animated television series Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, she has the ability to generate and manipulate microwave radiation, which allows her to generate intense heat and flames, and to fly...
to survive an attack by time-travelling villain Trevor Fitzroy
Trevor Fitzroy
Trevor Fitzroy is a Marvel Comics supervillain, an enemy of the X-Men, in particular Bishop. Created by Jim Lee and Whilce Portacio, he first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #281 .Fitzroy hails from the same dystopian future as Bishop...
(although Empath's former teammate, Tarot
Tarot (comics)
Tarot is a fictional character, a mutant in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:Tarot first appeared in New Mutants vol...
would eventually be resurrected).
The White Queen once used Empath to manipulate Magneto into allowing the New Mutants to join the Hellions. This was made easier as the New Mutants had been deeply traumatized by a powerful energy being called the Beyonder
Beyonder
The Beyonder is a fictional character in . Created by Jim Shooter and Mike Zeck, the immensely powerful Beyonder first appeared in Secret Wars vol. 1 #1 as an unseen force. He reappears in Secret Wars II #1 , which was created by Jim Shooter and Al Milgrom.-Publication history:The Beyonder was a...
. During the course of this plan, he met two of Xavier's allies, Tom Corsi
Tom Corsi
Thomas "Tom" Corsi is a fictional character most often appearing in X-Men stories in Marvel Comics' shared universe, the Marvel Universe. Tom first appeared in New Mutants vol. 1 #19 and was created by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz....
and Sharon Friedlander
Sharon Friedlander
Sharon Friedlander is a fictional character most often appearing in X-Men stories in the Marvel Comics universe. Sharon first appeared in New Mutants vol. 1 #19 . She was created by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz...
. He took the opportunity to attack them mentally, changing a subtle attraction to full blown obsessive sexual desire between the two. They would show up several days later, severely traumatized.
During his tenure with the Hellions, de la Rocha met and fell in love with Amara Aquilla, the New Mutant known as Magma. Aquilla eventually left her team and became a member of the Hellions, so that she could be close to de la Rocha, and de la Rocha even accompanied her back to her home in Nova Roma. The romance ended, however, when Aquilla began to suspect that de la Rocha was using his abilities to control her emotions, which he in fact was. When the colony of Nova Roma was discovered to be a ruse by the witch 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:...
, Empath used his abilities for a time to convince Magma that this was a hoax
Hoax
A hoax is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth. It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment, or rumors, urban legends, pseudosciences or April Fools' Day events that are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes.-Definition:The British...
. This set a bond of mistrust between the two that would never be broken.
X-Corporation
Later, Empath joined X-CorporationX-Corporation
The X-Corporation is a fictional institution from the X-Men comic book series by Marvel Comics. This organization was created to ensure the protection of mutant rights throughout the world due to the increasing number of mutants....
, where he became the Communications Director for the Corporation's Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
chapter along with his former love Magma. However, after M-Day
Decimation (comics)
Decimation is the late 2005 Marvel Comics storyline spinning off from the House of M limited series. It focuses on the ramifications of the Scarlet Witch stripping nearly all of the mutant population of their powers, thereby reducing a society of millions to one of scant hundreds.This event, which...
, 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...
ordered the closure of the X-Corporation headquarters to better focus all available resources on protecting their members and allies. Empath was one of the few mutants to retain their powers in the wake of House of M
House 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...
.
M-Day
After M-Day, Emma Frost used Empath immediately to reel in Magma who, in her devastation over the death of her boyfriend because of the decimation, had wrecked a South AmericaSouth America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n village. Empath is stayed at the Xavier Institute
X-Mansion
In the fictional Marvel Comics universe, the X-Mansion is the common name for Professor Xavier's mansion. It is the base of operations and training site of the X-Men and the location of a school for mutant teenagers, the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, formerly Xavier's School for Gifted...
along with some of the other 198
X-Men: The 198
X-Men: The 198 is a comic book limited series that was published by Marvel Comics and set in the Marvel Universe shortly after the House of M and Decimation events...
, however his shared history with Magma has her suspicious that he is still toying with her emotions. Later, when Johnny Dee
Johnny Dee
Johnny Dee is a fictional mutant character, in the Marvel Comics universe. He debuted in Son of M #1 .-Fictional character biography:...
uses his powers to control Magma and 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...
and make them kill Mr.M
Mister M (comics)
Mister M is a comic book character created for Marvel Comics by David Hine and David Yardin. He debuted in District X #2.-Early life:Not much is known about the enigmatic man called Mr. M...
, Amara becomes aware that someone was controlling her, and, thinking it is Empath, blames him.
Manifest Destiny
Empath resurfaces in San Francisco leading a new group of regular humans calling themselves the Hellfire Cult who are conducting vicious attacks on mutants, despite him retaining his own mutant powers. However, he himself appears to be under the control of a mysterious woman called the Red QueenMadelyne 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...
, with whom he shares an S&M sexual relationship. In the next issue she asks him about Emma Frost and then telepathically makes herself appear as Emma Frost as she sexually dominates Empath. When the X-Men discover the Hellfire Cult's base, she flees leaving Empath behind.
Empath makes a run for it, and his powers seem to be going out of control. While being chased by various X-Men, he takes them down until Pixie appears and beats him savagely. She then stabs him in the head with her soulknife, weakening his powers and blinding him. He is held in prison-like quarters in the X-Men's HQ, frustrated over his condition and angry against the X-Men. Despite this and the deeds he has committed against her friends and herself, Amara takes pity upon him; hers is the only company Empath accepts.
It is later revealed that Empath was meant to be a Trojan Horse, whose rejuvenated powers disabled many of the X-Men, while the Red Queen and her Sisterhood took a locket of 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...
's hair. Pixie then attacked him again with her soulknife, shattering his consciousness.
Necrosha
Empath was moved to the X-Men's new UtopiaUtopia (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...
prison, made of out of Asteroid M
Asteroid M
Utopia is the name of the sepratist mutant homeland created by the X-Men from the remains of Asteroid M which is the name of several fictional settings, each an asteroid converted by the mutant Magneto into his home/orbiting base, in the Marvel Comics Universe...
, alongside 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...
and Donald Pierce
Donald Pierce
Donald Pierce is a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #132. He was created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. Donald Pierce is a cyborg.-Fictional character biography:...
. He was trapped in a psychic illusion where he is with Amara, before the illusion is shattered when 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 minions appear on Utopia's shores.
Powers and abilities
Empath possesses the psionic ability to sense and manipulate the emotions of other sentient life forms. He can affect a large group of individuals at one time, and can exert varying levels of empathic control over them, ranging from subtle manipulations that others are generally unaware of to a complete negation of emotion that reduces others to a zombie-like state in which he can command them with little effort. His power operates by means of Empath's own brainwaves overriding the parts of the brain that govern emotion in others.Age of Apocalypse
In the Age of ApocalypseAge 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...
reality, Empath was held hostage by Mikhail Rasputin
Mikhail Rasputin
Mikhail Nikolaievitch Rasputin is a Marvel Comics supervillain, older brother of Colossus of the X-Men and Magik of the New Mutants. Created by Jim Lee and John Byrne, he first appeared in Uncanny X-Men ....
, who attached the young mutant to a computer system in order to amplify his empathic abilities to control the human population of Eurasia
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
. This caused Empath incredible agony, and when his handler, Keeper Murdock (the Age of Apocalypse's version of Daredevil
Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
), accidentally touched him, Murdock realized the horrific pain the young man was in and ended his life.