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Joseph (comics)
Encyclopedia
Joseph was a Marvel Comics
character
who was briefly a member of the X-Men
. Created by writer Scott Lobdell
and artist Roger Cruz
, he first appeared in Uncanny X-Men
#327 (December 1995).
Joseph was a clone
of the X-Men’s nemesis Magneto
, possessing his magnetic
powers, though he was originally intended to be an amnesia
c Magneto. He had a brief courtship with Rogue
before dying in battle with the actual Magneto.
and saved her from the first wave of Bastion's
"Operation Zero Tolerance". Rogue believed Joseph to be an amnesiac and mysteriously youthful Magneto. During this time, the X-Men
first encountered the being known as Onslaught
. Believing Magneto to be responsible, the Avengers
sought Joseph out. Out of guilt for what he believed were his past sins, Joseph joined the X-Men in their war against Onslaught.
In an attempt to find out more about his past, Joseph encountered the Acolytes
and their leader Exodus
. They too believed that Joseph was Magneto and begged him to lead them. Exodus turned on Joseph when he noticed that Joseph was not the Magneto he knew. Joseph took on the identity of Magneto in order to convince the Acolytes that he truly was Magneto and ordered them to abandon their current activities. Exodus disagreed, but obeyed because he believed he saw a glimmer of the old Magneto within Joseph. Joseph returned to the X-Men, satisfied that he no longer was Magneto.
Shortly afterwards, Joseph dedicated himself to reconstructing the Z'nox chamber to give Rogue some control over her powers. It was successful, to an extent, in that while standing under it, Rogue was unable to absorb the powers or psyche of another person. Immediately after this, Joseph and some of the X-Men were sent to the Shi'ar Galaxy
in order to fight The Phalanx
. When they returned to Earth, they were captured. In captivity Joseph met the mutant Maggott
, who had been saved by Magneto years before and expressed his gratitude to the confused Joseph. Maggott discovered though that their captor Erik the Red
was the real Magneto in disguise. Feeling that he owed Magneto for saving him, he didn't tell the X-Men that Joseph wasn't Magneto.
Several weeks later, the Israeli agent Sabra
appeared at the X-Mansion and wanted to kill "Magneto". Maggott revealed to her that Joseph wasn't Magneto, confirming Sabra's suspicions. Joseph left with Sabra to find out more about his past and Magneto's current whereabouts. He was kidnapped by Astra
, who told Joseph his true origin. Astra sent Joseph against Magneto, who had publicly revealed himself. These events came to be known as the Magneto War. During this Magneto War, Joseph appeared to have sacrificed himself in order to repair the damage done by Magneto to Earth's electromagnetic field
However, Joseph did not die and recently returned in Novermber 2011 in issue #1 of a new limited series 'Magneto: Not a Hero', announcing his comeback by murdering 40 anti-mutant campaigners while wearing Magneto's costume; leaving the real Magneto to take the blame.
s. He can employ these magnetic fields to manipulate ferrous metals and to produce a number of other effects. He has also been shown to generate electricity
and electromagnetic radiation
. Joseph is capable of personal levitation/flight at high speeds, and often produces a protective magnetic aura around his own body. The real Magneto has on rare occasions been able to produce a wormhole
using magnetism, and to safely teleport himself and others by means of the wormhole, but Joseph has not demonstrated a similar ability. It was revealed that the circumstances of his creation mean that he lacks the mental barriers that the original Magneto has established over the years to prevent himself from over-using his powers, with the result that Joseph can manipulate more energy than Magneto at the cost of causing significant damage to himself if he pushes himself too far.
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...
character
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...
who was briefly a member 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...
. Created by writer Scott Lobdell
Scott Lobdell
Scott Lobdell is an American comic book writer.-Early Career:Scott didn't begin to read comics until he was 17 years old, while lying in bed after lung surgery....
and artist Roger Cruz
Roger Cruz
Roger Cruz is a Brazilian comic book artist.- Biography :Cruz started his professional career as a letterer for Editora Abril, the Brazilian publishing house, for whom he lettered many Portuguese translations of American comics; then worked as a writer and art assistant for Mil Perigos, a...
, he first appeared in Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men, first published as The X-Men, is the flagship Marvel Comics comic book series for the X-Men franchise. It is the mainstream continuity featuring the adventures of the eponymous group of mutant superheroes...
#327 (December 1995).
Joseph was a clone
Human cloning
Human cloning is the creation of a genetically identical copy of a human. It does not usually refer to monozygotic multiple births nor the reproduction of human cells or tissue. The ethics of cloning is an extremely controversial issue...
of the X-Men’s nemesis Magneto
Magneto (comics)
Magneto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the central villain of the X-Men comic, as well as the TV show and the films. The character first appears in X-Men #1 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
, possessing his magnetic
Magnetism
Magnetism is a property of materials that respond at an atomic or subatomic level to an applied magnetic field. Ferromagnetism is the strongest and most familiar type of magnetism. It is responsible for the behavior of permanent magnets, which produce their own persistent magnetic fields, as well...
powers, though he was originally intended to be an amnesia
Amnesia
Amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
c Magneto. He had a brief courtship with Rogue
Rogue (comics)
Rogue was first slated to appear in Ms. Marvel #25 , but the book's abrupt cancellation left her original introduction story unpublished for over a decade, before seeing print in Marvel Super Heroes #11 in 1992. Rogue's first published appearance was in Avengers Annual #10...
before dying in battle with the actual Magneto.
Fictional character biography
Joseph was discovered near a South American orphanage run by a nun known as Sister Maria. After several run-ins with "The Colonel," Joseph opted to leave the orphanage to protect the children. It was shortly after this that he encountered RogueRogue (comics)
Rogue was first slated to appear in Ms. Marvel #25 , but the book's abrupt cancellation left her original introduction story unpublished for over a decade, before seeing print in Marvel Super Heroes #11 in 1992. Rogue's first published appearance was in Avengers Annual #10...
and saved her from the first wave of Bastion's
Bastion (comics)
Bastion is a supervillain that appears in the fictional Marvel Universe. The character was created by Scott Lobdell and Pascual Ferry and first made a cameo appearance in X-Men #52 . His first full appearance was Uncanny X-Men #333...
"Operation Zero Tolerance". Rogue believed Joseph to be an amnesiac and mysteriously youthful Magneto. During this time, 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...
first encountered the being known as Onslaught
Onslaught (comics)
Onslaught is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Man #15 , and was co-created by writers Scott Lobdell, Mark Waid, and artist Andy Kubert....
. Believing Magneto to be responsible, the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
sought Joseph out. Out of guilt for what he believed were his past sins, Joseph joined the X-Men in their war against Onslaught.
In an attempt to find out more about his past, Joseph encountered the Acolytes
Acolytes (comics)
The Acolytes is a team of comic book mutant supervillains in the Marvel Comics universe. The Acolytes followed the principles of the mutant Magneto, particularly the mutant right of superiority over normal humans. Some members of the Acolytes even worshipped him with a religious fervor and regarded...
and their leader Exodus
Exodus (comics)
Exodus is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Joe Quesada, he first appeared in X-Factor #92...
. They too believed that Joseph was Magneto and begged him to lead them. Exodus turned on Joseph when he noticed that Joseph was not the Magneto he knew. Joseph took on the identity of Magneto in order to convince the Acolytes that he truly was Magneto and ordered them to abandon their current activities. Exodus disagreed, but obeyed because he believed he saw a glimmer of the old Magneto within Joseph. Joseph returned to the X-Men, satisfied that he no longer was Magneto.
Shortly afterwards, Joseph dedicated himself to reconstructing the Z'nox chamber to give Rogue some control over her powers. It was successful, to an extent, in that while standing under it, Rogue was unable to absorb the powers or psyche of another person. Immediately after this, Joseph and some of the X-Men were sent to the Shi'ar Galaxy
Shi'ar
The Shi'ar are a fictional species of aliens in the Marvel Comics universe. The Shi'ar Empire also called the Aerie, is a vast collection of alien species, cultures and worlds situated close to the Skrull and Kree Empires, and alongside them, is one of the three main alien empires...
in order to fight The Phalanx
Phalanx (comics)
The Phalanx are a fictional cybernetic species in the Marvel Comics universe. They have come in conflict with the X-Men and related groups on several occasions. They form a hive mind, linking each member by a telepathy-like system....
. When they returned to Earth, they were captured. In captivity Joseph met the mutant Maggott
Maggott
Maggott , is a Marvel Comics superhero who was briefly a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Scott Lobdell and Joe Madureira, he first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #345 ....
, who had been saved by Magneto years before and expressed his gratitude to the confused Joseph. Maggott discovered though that their captor Erik the Red
Erik the Red (comics)
Erik the Red is a fictional cover identity in the Marvel Universe which has been used by three characters: Scott Summers , Davan Shakari, a Shi'ar agent, and Erik Magnus Lehnsherr...
was the real Magneto in disguise. Feeling that he owed Magneto for saving him, he didn't tell the X-Men that Joseph wasn't Magneto.
Several weeks later, the Israeli agent Sabra
Sabra (comics)
Sabra is the alias of Ruth Bat-Seraph, a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:...
appeared at the X-Mansion and wanted to kill "Magneto". Maggott revealed to her that Joseph wasn't Magneto, confirming Sabra's suspicions. Joseph left with Sabra to find out more about his past and Magneto's current whereabouts. He was kidnapped by Astra
Astra (comics)
-Astra :Astra is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. She first appeared in [Uncanny] X-Men #107 as a member of the Shi'ar Imperium's Imperial Guard and was created by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum....
, who told Joseph his true origin. Astra sent Joseph against Magneto, who had publicly revealed himself. These events came to be known as the Magneto War. During this Magneto War, Joseph appeared to have sacrificed himself in order to repair the damage done by Magneto to Earth's electromagnetic field
However, Joseph did not die and recently returned in Novermber 2011 in issue #1 of a new limited series 'Magneto: Not a Hero', announcing his comeback by murdering 40 anti-mutant campaigners while wearing Magneto's costume; leaving the real Magneto to take the blame.
Powers and abilities
As a clone of Magneto, Joseph possesses the superhuman power to generate extremely powerful magnetic fieldMagnetic field
A magnetic field is a mathematical description of the magnetic influence of electric currents and magnetic materials. The magnetic field at any given point is specified by both a direction and a magnitude ; as such it is a vector field.Technically, a magnetic field is a pseudo vector;...
s. He can employ these magnetic fields to manipulate ferrous metals and to produce a number of other effects. He has also been shown to generate electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
and electromagnetic radiation
Electromagnetic radiation
Electromagnetic radiation is a form of energy that exhibits wave-like behavior as it travels through space...
. Joseph is capable of personal levitation/flight at high speeds, and often produces a protective magnetic aura around his own body. The real Magneto has on rare occasions been able to produce a wormhole
Wormhole
In physics, a wormhole is a hypothetical topological feature of spacetime that would be, fundamentally, a "shortcut" through spacetime. For a simple visual explanation of a wormhole, consider spacetime visualized as a two-dimensional surface. If this surface is folded along a third dimension, it...
using magnetism, and to safely teleport himself and others by means of the wormhole, but Joseph has not demonstrated a similar ability. It was revealed that the circumstances of his creation mean that he lacks the mental barriers that the original Magneto has established over the years to prevent himself from over-using his powers, with the result that Joseph can manipulate more energy than Magneto at the cost of causing significant damage to himself if he pushes himself too far.
External links
- Joseph, UncannyXmen.Net Spotlight