Maggott
Encyclopedia
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 (June 1997).
A flamboyant South Africa
n mutant
who spoke in exaggerated Afrikaans
slang
, Maggott was advertised as one of the strangest X-Men. His digestive system took the form of two slug
s which could eat through practically any substance. After feeding, the slugs reentered Maggott's abdomen
and passed nourishment into him, giving him incredible power.
Maggott was first seen as a mysterious mutant who is searching out the X-Men’s adversary Magneto
for an unknown reason. His search led to Antarctica where Magneto was holding the X-Men captive. Maggott then joined up with the team and returned with them to their Westchester, New York headquarters.
For a short period of time, Maggott believed his companions were going off on their own and killing innocent people. He even tried to turn himself over to the police before being stopped by the X-Men. His companions turned out to be innocent, as the people had been slain by a faction of N'Garai
. These entities are a demonic-type race that the X-Men had faced many times, mainly because a regenerating magical portal lies deep in the woods on the mansion's grounds. A matter which was never resolved was why Maggott's slugs were seemingly related to the N'Garai.
Maggott later was tempted by the entity Shadow King
with promises of a better life in exchange for his loyalty and abandonment of the X-Men. He managed to resist the villain. Marrow
and Cecilia Reyes
were also propositioned by the King, but also resisted. Psylocke
then rescues the X-Men after keeping Shadow King
in a psionic prison, which forced her in retirement as she could not use her mind powers for anything or else the Shadow King would be released from the prison within Psylocke's mind.
At first, he kept his past to himself, but Maggott eventually revealed his origin to Wolverine
. Maggott had been born a sickly child in Apartheid-era South Africa
and was named Japheth. He was always very ill and he could not digest solid food. Feeling himself to be a burden on his family, he ran away from home with his younger brother. Having left home, hoping to die, he was found by Magneto who released the slugs from his body and revealed to Japheth his mutant power. This turned his skin blue for the first time, and he named the slugs Eany and Meany. Compassionate at heart, Japheth immediately rejected Magneto's philosophy and his offer to join him after he shortly witnessed later the Master of Magnetism brutally massacre numerous white South African soldiers who were engaged in racist atrocities against black South African civilians (despite the fact that one of these civilians was Japheth's eldest brother who died in the violence). In spite of this, he later sought out Magneto when he got older, for help in easing the pain caused by his unique mutation. After the then-current roster of the team parted ways, the X-Man Beast
suggested Maggott transfer to the junior team Generation X
, but his tenure there lasted only one issue and afterwards he fell out of sight.
Maggott reappeared as an inmate at "Neverland", a concentration camp run by the covert government program Weapon X
. Along with a number of other mutants, he was exterminated there.
One of his slugs, which he gave away to two children at the camp after foreseeing his death (thanks to his psychometric powers) at the camp, was last seen in a container in Mr. Sinister's
laboratory.
Maggott is later resurrected by means of the Transmode Virus to serve as part of Selene
's army of deceased mutants. Under the control of Selene and Eli Bard
, he takes part in the assault on the mutant nation of Utopia
. Maggott's fate is uncertain as it is unknown if he was among the mutants teleported to Genosha
by Blink
to serve as a sacrifice to the newly-deitious Selene or if he was among the mutants that managed to escape Utopia.
At SDCC 2011's X-Men panel featuring Chris Yost, Majorie Liu, Daniel Way, Rick Remender, and Peter David it was confirmed that he will be returning to the X-Men line of books.
alternate reality, Maggott was depicted as alive, his earlier death not part of the altered history, but he was nonetheless killed by that reality's Iron Man
.
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...
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 —...
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 Joe Madureira, 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...
#345 (June 1997).
A flamboyant South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n 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...
who spoke in exaggerated Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
, Maggott was advertised as one of the strangest X-Men. His digestive system took the form of two slug
Slug
Slug is a common name that is normally applied to any gastropod mollusc that lacks a shell, has a very reduced shell, or has a small internal shell...
s which could eat through practically any substance. After feeding, the slugs reentered Maggott's abdomen
Abdomen
In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity...
and passed nourishment into him, giving him incredible power.
Fictional character biography
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...
for an unknown reason. His search led to Antarctica where Magneto was holding the X-Men captive. Maggott then joined up with the team and returned with them to their Westchester, New York headquarters.
For a short period of time, Maggott believed his companions were going off on their own and killing innocent people. He even tried to turn himself over to the police before being stopped by the X-Men. His companions turned out to be innocent, as the people had been slain by a faction of N'Garai
N'Garai
The N'Garai are a fictional race found in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:The N'Garai first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #96 , and were created by Bill Mantlo, Chris Claremont, and Dave Cockrum....
. These entities are a demonic-type race that the X-Men had faced many times, mainly because a regenerating magical portal lies deep in the woods on the mansion's grounds. A matter which was never resolved was why Maggott's slugs were seemingly related to the N'Garai.
Maggott later was tempted by the entity Shadow King
Shadow King
The Shadow King, also known as Amahl Farouk, is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Shadow King exists as an entity of pure psychic energy that feeds on the hatred of humanity...
with promises of a better life in exchange for his loyalty and abandonment of the X-Men. He managed to resist the villain. Marrow
Marrow (comics)
Marrow , is a Marvel Comics character, associated with the X-Men. She is a mutant whose bones grow out of her skin and can be removed from her body, providing her with potential knives and clubs as well as body armor....
and Cecilia Reyes
Cecilia Reyes
Cecilia Reyes is a Marvel Comics character who was briefly a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Carlos Pacheco, she first appeared in X-Men vol. 2 #65 ....
were also propositioned by the King, but also resisted. Psylocke
Psylocke
Psylocke is a fictional character depicted in comic books published by Marvel Comics, most notably those comics featuring the superhero team the X-Men. The character has also appeared in licensed adaptations. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Herb Trimpe, she first appeared in the UK...
then rescues the X-Men after keeping Shadow King
Shadow King
The Shadow King, also known as Amahl Farouk, is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Shadow King exists as an entity of pure psychic energy that feeds on the hatred of humanity...
in a psionic prison, which forced her in retirement as she could not use her mind powers for anything or else the Shadow King would be released from the prison within Psylocke's mind.
At first, he kept his past to himself, but Maggott eventually revealed his origin to 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...
. Maggott had been born a sickly child in Apartheid-era South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and was named Japheth. He was always very ill and he could not digest solid food. Feeling himself to be a burden on his family, he ran away from home with his younger brother. Having left home, hoping to die, he was found by Magneto who released the slugs from his body and revealed to Japheth his mutant power. This turned his skin blue for the first time, and he named the slugs Eany and Meany. Compassionate at heart, Japheth immediately rejected Magneto's philosophy and his offer to join him after he shortly witnessed later the Master of Magnetism brutally massacre numerous white South African soldiers who were engaged in racist atrocities against black South African civilians (despite the fact that one of these civilians was Japheth's eldest brother who died in the violence). In spite of this, he later sought out Magneto when he got older, for help in easing the pain caused by his unique mutation. After the then-current roster of the team parted ways, the X-Man 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...
suggested Maggott transfer to the junior team Generation X
Generation X (comics)
Generation X is a fictional comic book superhero team, a spin-off of the X-Men franchise published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Chris Bachalo, the team formed during the 1994 "Phalanx Covenant" storyline, and appeared in their own monthly series in September 1994...
, but his tenure there lasted only one issue and afterwards he fell out of sight.
Maggott reappeared as an inmate at "Neverland", a concentration camp run by the covert government program Weapon X
Weapon X
Weapon X is a fictional clandestine government genetic research facility project in the Marvel Universe conducted by the Canadian Government's Department K, which turns willing and unwilling beings into living weapons. The project often captures mutants and experiments on them to enhance their...
. Along with a number of other mutants, he was exterminated there.
One of his slugs, which he gave away to two children at the camp after foreseeing his death (thanks to his psychometric powers) at the camp, was last seen in a container in Mr. Sinister's
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....
laboratory.
Maggott is later resurrected by means of the Transmode Virus to serve as part of 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 army of deceased mutants. Under the control of Selene and Eli Bard
Eli Bard
Eli Bard is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain from the Marvel Comics universe. He is a member of the Purifiers and an enemy of the X-Men.-Fictional character biography:...
, he takes part in the assault on the mutant nation of Utopia
Utopia (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...
. Maggott's fate is uncertain as it is unknown if he was among the mutants teleported to 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...
by Blink
Blink (comics)
Blink is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero featured in various X-Men-related series. Created by Scott Lobdell and Joe Madureira, the character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #317 .-Publication History:...
to serve as a sacrifice to the newly-deitious Selene or if he was among the mutants that managed to escape Utopia.
At SDCC 2011's X-Men panel featuring Chris Yost, Majorie Liu, Daniel Way, Rick Remender, and Peter David it was confirmed that he will be returning to the X-Men line of books.
Powers and abilities
- Digestive system replaced by a hollow cavity that houses a pair of semi-sentient slugs called Eany and Meany who bore their way out of his torso and then use powerful enzymes to process and digest any solid objects in their path at super speeds, transmitting food energy back to their host to supercharge his physical size, strength, stamina, and sturdiness while turning his skin blue and his eyes red, but the slugs must re-enter through his belly and release their storage internally to feed his body properly.
- Psychometric power enables him to draw psychic imprints from his environment, replaying in his mind's-eye events which once took place or will soon take place in his general vicinity.
Other versions
In the Age of XAge of X
"Age of X" is a comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics which features an alternate reality of the X-Men. The first issue of the storyline, Age of X: Alpha, was published in January 2011. Publication continued in February, March, and April 2011...
alternate reality, Maggott was depicted as alive, his earlier death not part of the altered history, but he was nonetheless killed by that reality's 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,...
.
External links
- World of Black Heroes: Maggott Biography
- Maggott on the Marvel Universe
- Maggott at UncannyXmen.net