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Ink (comics)
Encyclopedia
Ink is a comic book
character
, a superhero
in Marvel Comics
' main shared
universe
. Created by writer Marc Guggenheim
and artist Yanick Paquette
, he first appeared in Young X-Men
#1.
symbol, but is arrested anyway.
While Ink waits in jail, a prison guard releases him, in the process revealing himself to be Cyclops
, leader of the X-Men
. In short order, Eric is recruited into Cyclops' junior X-Men team. The teens are assembled in the Danger Cave
, a training facility where they train for their first mission: assassinating the original members of the New Mutants
who have gone rogue.
Cyclops sends Ink and fellow recruit, Blindfold
to attack Dani Moonstar and after Blindfold knocks Moonstar unconscious, Ink betrays her and knocks out Blindfold. He delivers the two women to Donald Pierce
, who refers to him as a mercenary. Ink then acquires additional tattoos, granting him additional abilities, such as flight and telepathy.
"Cyclops" is later revealed to be Pierce in disguise, whose goal is to manipulate the Young X-Men into killing the former New Mutants. Upon learning this, Ink appears to suffer a crisis of conscience and leads the Young X-Men and New Mutants to Pierce's hideout. They subdue Pierce, but not before Wolf Cub
is killed, leaving Ink to deal with his own feelings of guilt over his involvement.
. Presumably, the tattoos he draws gave Ink his powers because Ink explains the desired functions of each tattoo prior to getting them to Nunez. Emma Frost runs a scan on him at Dani Moonstar's request that confirmed him as a baseline human, and Pierce knew this before he recruited him. Ink takes the knowledge hard and quits the team, feeling unwelcome already for his involvement with Pierce.
While wandering San Francisco drunk, he is attacked by the Hellfire Cult, a mutant-hating gang. Ink easily defeats them, telling them that he's not a mutant and they wasted their time. Then a girl named Cipher
appears and tells him he's still an X-Man and his friends are being attacked by the Y-Men, a group of gang members similarly empowered like Ink by his tattoo artist. Together they go to Nunez and force him to give Ink two new tattoos, a caduceus
symbol on his left palm and the Phoenix Force symbol over his eye, much like Phoenix-hosts Jean Grey
and Rachel Summers
. They then go save the Young X-Men from the Y-Men. Ink saves and heals Dani Moonstar with the caduceus tattoo and defeats the Y-Men with his Phoenix powers, explaining that he believed the Phoenix Force to be omnipotent, thus granting him the ability to remove the Y-Men's tattooed powers.
It is decided later that Ink will stay with the X-Men and train, Cyclops not wanting someone to run around with Phoenix-like powers unwatched. Moonstar and Sunspot
explain that inking powered tattoos saps Nunez's willpower and that adding the Phoenix Force tattoo to Ink pushed him too hard, leaving Nunez comatose. In this state, he is barely conscious enough to maintain Ink's powers, though if he ever wakes up, Ink will revert back to a normal tattooed human. Graymalkin later offers his friendship to Ink, noting that he too understands what it feels like to be different and ostracized.
When Dust
begins to die from a hidden health condition, Ink attempts to heal her with his caduceus tattoo, but fails. Her death upsets him, causing the others to realize that he now cares about the team. He later speaks to her prepared
body, stating that she is the last person to deserve death and he is the first. Knowing that his Phoenix tattoo is untested, he uses it to revive her. He is successful, but the strain leaves him comatose, Beast
stating that his mind has activity, but is subdued, "as if it's been overcharged." Beast also postulates that his current state is due to the fact that his tattoo could only approximate the powers of the Phoenix and that he never actually contained the true energies associated with the Phoenix Force, making his actions an incredible strain. His actions may have ramifications for the future, with the last two issues of Young X-Men depicting a dystopian future and a villainous and powerful Dust seeking to kill all mutants and Ink in particular for "killing her soul" by reviving her.
He appears in unexplained full recovery containing the San Francisco riots, as well as later in the fight against the Dark Avengers
, alongside other X-Men in the Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia storyline.
and Graymalkin and an aged Emma Frost
(now calling herself "Diamondheart"), and Wolverine
, the only four remaining mutants on Xaviera. Emma constantly hopes that he will awaken and speak, though Wolverine states that he never does. Dust
suddenly appears, now greatly changed in her appearance and persona with altered powers. She quickly confronts and kills the others and finds Ink. It is then that Ink speaks, acknowledging her presence. They discuss Sooraya's resentment of mutants "allowing her to die" and how Ink "killed" and "corrupted" her soul and making her what she is now by reviving her. Ink states that he was trying to do the opposite and asks her if she recognizes the gravity of her actions. Understanding that she does not, he tells her to get it over with and she kills him, stating that she is sorry as she knows that his heart was in the right place.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
character
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...
, a superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
in 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...
' main shared
Shared universe
A shared universe is a fictional universe to which more than one writer contributes. Work set in a shared universe share characters and other elements with varying degrees of consistency. Shared universes are contrasted with collaborative writing, in which multiple authors work on a single story....
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...
. Created by writer Marc Guggenheim
Marc Guggenheim
Marc Guggenheim is an American television writer-producer and a writer for Marvel Comics and DC Comics. His brother is screenwriter Eric Guggenheim.-Television:...
and artist Yanick Paquette
Yanick Paquette
Yanick Paquette is a Canadian penciller in North American comics. He has worked for Antarctic Press, Topps, Marvel and DC Comics and since 1994.-Career:...
, he first appeared in Young X-Men
Young X-Men
Young X-Men was a comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It lasted for 12 issues, from April 2008 through March 2009. The series was written by Marc Guggenheim.-Final Genesis :...
#1.
Divided We Stand
Ink is one of the founding members of the Young X-Men team. He is a loud-mouthed and rude teenager with a criminal past. He is introduced when two police officers attempt to arrest him in a tattoo parlor. He fights back using his newly-acquired ability to make others violently ill with a touch by utilizing a new tattoo on his hand of a biohazardBiohazard
Biohazard may refer to:* Biological hazard* Biohazard , a book by Ken Alibek* Biohazard , a New York hardcore punk band** Biohazard , a self-titled album from Biohazard...
symbol, but is arrested anyway.
While Ink waits in jail, a prison guard releases him, in the process revealing himself to be 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...
, leader of 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...
. In short order, Eric is recruited into Cyclops' junior X-Men team. The teens are assembled in the Danger Cave
Danger Cave
Danger Cave is a North American Archaeological site located in the Bonneville Basin of western Utah around the Great Salt Lakes region, that features artifacts of the Desert Culture from ca. 9500 BCE until ca. 500 CE...
, a training facility where they train for their first mission: assassinating the original members of 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....
who have gone rogue.
Cyclops sends Ink and fellow recruit, Blindfold
Blindfold (comics)
Blindfold is a fictional character, a mutant and a member of the student body of the Xavier Institute in Marvel Comics' X-Men-related comic books. She first appeared in Astonishing X-Men, vol. 3 #7 and was created by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday.-Fictional character biography:Blindfold is a...
to attack Dani Moonstar and after Blindfold knocks Moonstar unconscious, Ink betrays her and knocks out Blindfold. He delivers the two women to 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:...
, who refers to him as a mercenary. Ink then acquires additional tattoos, granting him additional abilities, such as flight and telepathy.
"Cyclops" is later revealed to be Pierce in disguise, whose goal is to manipulate the Young X-Men into killing the former New Mutants. Upon learning this, Ink appears to suffer a crisis of conscience and leads the Young X-Men and New Mutants to Pierce's hideout. They subdue Pierce, but not before Wolf Cub
Wolf Cub (comics)
Wolf Cub is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. A mutant, Wolf Cub is an Xavier Institute student and X-Men trainee.-Early life:...
is killed, leaving Ink to deal with his own feelings of guilt over his involvement.
Manifest Destiny
Later, it is revealed that Ink is actually a normal human being, and that his tattoo artist, Leon Nunez is a mutantMutant (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:...
. Presumably, the tattoos he draws gave Ink his powers because Ink explains the desired functions of each tattoo prior to getting them to Nunez. Emma Frost runs a scan on him at Dani Moonstar's request that confirmed him as a baseline human, and Pierce knew this before he recruited him. Ink takes the knowledge hard and quits the team, feeling unwelcome already for his involvement with Pierce.
While wandering San Francisco drunk, he is attacked by the Hellfire Cult, a mutant-hating gang. Ink easily defeats them, telling them that he's not a mutant and they wasted their time. Then a girl named Cipher
Cipher (comics)
Cipher is a fictional mutant character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is a young African-American female who first appeared in Young X-Men #8 and was created by Marc Guggenheim and Rafa Sandoval.-Publication history:Cipher's first appearance was in Young X-Men #8 by...
appears and tells him he's still an X-Man and his friends are being attacked by the Y-Men, a group of gang members similarly empowered like Ink by his tattoo artist. Together they go to Nunez and force him to give Ink two new tattoos, a caduceus
Caduceus
The caduceus is the staff carried by Hermes in Greek mythology. The same staff was also borne by heralds in general, for example by Iris, the messenger of Hera. It is a short staff entwined by two serpents, sometimes surmounted by wings...
symbol on his left palm and the Phoenix Force symbol over his eye, much like Phoenix-hosts 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...
and Rachel Summers
Rachel Summers
Rachel Anne Summers is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne for Marvel Comics....
. They then go save the Young X-Men from the Y-Men. Ink saves and heals Dani Moonstar with the caduceus tattoo and defeats the Y-Men with his Phoenix powers, explaining that he believed the Phoenix Force to be omnipotent, thus granting him the ability to remove the Y-Men's tattooed powers.
It is decided later that Ink will stay with the X-Men and train, Cyclops not wanting someone to run around with Phoenix-like powers unwatched. Moonstar and Sunspot
Sunspot (comics)
Sunspot is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero most commonly associated with X-Men-related groups the New Mutants and X-Force....
explain that inking powered tattoos saps Nunez's willpower and that adding the Phoenix Force tattoo to Ink pushed him too hard, leaving Nunez comatose. In this state, he is barely conscious enough to maintain Ink's powers, though if he ever wakes up, Ink will revert back to a normal tattooed human. Graymalkin later offers his friendship to Ink, noting that he too understands what it feels like to be different and ostracized.
When Dust
Dust (comics)
Dust , is a fictional character in Marvel Comics' X-Men-related comic books. She was created by author Grant Morrison and artist Ethan Van Sciver in New X-Men #133 , although her character was not fully developed until the New X-Men: Academy X series written by Christina Weir and Nunzio DeFilippis...
begins to die from a hidden health condition, Ink attempts to heal her with his caduceus tattoo, but fails. Her death upsets him, causing the others to realize that he now cares about the team. He later speaks to her prepared
Islamic funeral
Funerals in Islam follow fairly specific rites, though they are subject to regional interpretation and variation in custom. In all cases, however, sharia calls for burial of the body, preceded by a simple ritual involving bathing and shrouding the body, followed by salah...
body, stating that she is the last person to deserve death and he is the first. Knowing that his Phoenix tattoo is untested, he uses it to revive her. He is successful, but the strain leaves him comatose, 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...
stating that his mind has activity, but is subdued, "as if it's been overcharged." Beast also postulates that his current state is due to the fact that his tattoo could only approximate the powers of the Phoenix and that he never actually contained the true energies associated with the Phoenix Force, making his actions an incredible strain. His actions may have ramifications for the future, with the last two issues of Young X-Men depicting a dystopian future and a villainous and powerful Dust seeking to kill all mutants and Ink in particular for "killing her soul" by reviving her.
He appears in unexplained full recovery containing the San Francisco riots, as well as later in the fight against the Dark Avengers
Dark Avengers
Dark Avengers was an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is part of a series of titles that have featured various iterations of the superhero team the Avengers...
, alongside other X-Men in the Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia storyline.
Powers and abilities
Ink has no powers of his own. Instead, he had access to a mutant tattoo artist, Leon Nunez, with the power of granting superpowers to other beings by tattooing iconic "power symbols" on them, evocative of the power he wants to bestow. The downside to this is that it takes away a little bit of Nunez's will every time he does it. Nunez made Ink believe that his powers were his own, purposely misleading him into believing he was a mutant. Since granting Ink his last tattoo—the omnipotent Phoenix Force symbol around his eye—Leon Nunez has been in a catatonic state. If he were to wake up, Ink's power would disappear, leaving him a normal boy. So far Ink has the following tattoos and powers:- The tattoo on his right palm in the shape of a biohazardBiohazardBiohazard may refer to:* Biological hazard* Biohazard , a book by Ken Alibek* Biohazard , a New York hardcore punk band** Biohazard , a self-titled album from Biohazard...
symbol which gives him the power to make someone extremely ill. - The Caduceus symbol on his hand allows him to heal others.
- The tattoo on his left hand gives him super strength. The lines look similar to the banding on Colossus' flesh when he transforms, indicating a toughening of Ink's flesh also.
- The "explosive" symbol tattooed on his right biceps allows him to ?
- The two lightning bolt tattoos on his head give him the ability to read minds, but can be blocked by psi-shields, taken from a comic book depiction of psychic abilities (actually an early Marvel Comics publication image of Professor Xavier).
- The tattoos of wings on his back grant him flight.
- The Phoenix Force symbol over his eye allows him to use a facsimileFacsimileA facsimile is a copy or reproduction of an old book, manuscript, map, art print, or other item of historical value that is as true to the original source as possible. It differs from other forms of reproduction by attempting to replicate the source as accurately as possible in terms of scale,...
of the Phoenix's powers.
Young X-Men "End of Days"
In a dystopic future depicted in the final two issues of "Young X-Men," a disproportionately aged, wheelchair-using, heavily tattooed, and seemingly brain dead Ink lives on "Xaviera," a former mutant safe-haven independent state and utopia along with adult versions of AnoleAnole (comics)
Anole is a fictional mutant superhero in the Marvel Universe. He was created by Christina Weir and Nunzio DeFilippis and first appeared in issue #2 of New Mutants vol. 2 . A student at the Xavier Institute and junior member of the X-Men, Anole is one of the few openly gay characters in the Marvel...
and Graymalkin and an aged 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....
(now calling herself "Diamondheart"), and Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
, the only four remaining mutants on Xaviera. Emma constantly hopes that he will awaken and speak, though Wolverine states that he never does. Dust
Dust (comics)
Dust , is a fictional character in Marvel Comics' X-Men-related comic books. She was created by author Grant Morrison and artist Ethan Van Sciver in New X-Men #133 , although her character was not fully developed until the New X-Men: Academy X series written by Christina Weir and Nunzio DeFilippis...
suddenly appears, now greatly changed in her appearance and persona with altered powers. She quickly confronts and kills the others and finds Ink. It is then that Ink speaks, acknowledging her presence. They discuss Sooraya's resentment of mutants "allowing her to die" and how Ink "killed" and "corrupted" her soul and making her what she is now by reviving her. Ink states that he was trying to do the opposite and asks her if she recognizes the gravity of her actions. Understanding that she does not, he tells her to get it over with and she kills him, stating that she is sorry as she knows that his heart was in the right place.