Philip Nolan Voigt
Encyclopedia
Philip Nolan Voigt is a fictional character
from Marvel Comics
New Universe
, first appearing in D.P. 7
#1 in 1986.
. Voight, a psychologist by training, had been climbing in the Rocky Mountains at the time of the White Event
. He speculated that his greater proximity to the source of the event resulted in his powers. After discovering the existence of paranormal abilities, including his own, he founded the Clinic for Paranormal Research. The Clinic's publicly stated mission was to help paranormals learn to control their abilities, but Voight intended to gather them around him in order to exploit their powers for his own use. When a group of seven patients escaped, as detailed in the comic D.P. 7
, he originally sought to recapture them. Eventually defeated by some of the paranormals, Voight left the Clinic, later resurfacing as a successful politician, using mind control to coerce subordinates into helping him.
Voigt became President of the USA in 1988 running on the Democratic Party ticket. His running-mate was a mind-controlled Michael Dukakis
. After assuming office he was stripped of his powers by Star Brand
. He later appeared as one of the Paranormals aiding Quasar
in the Starblast crossover, having somehow regained his powers.
Voigt's power does not allow him to duplicate the Star Brand.
's reimagining of the New Universe, newuniversal
. Voight has displayed no paranormal powers, but is part of Project Spitfire
, a government agency tasked to kill superhumans when they show up. Philip Voight apparently harbors a deep-seated fear of superhumans, stemming from his belief in Darwin's evolutionary theory that an emergent (new) species will inevitably prey upon weaker species in order to flourish.
In 1955 Voight was recruited into a covert department of the NSA called Project Spitfire by then current head Luke Randolph, who felt that Voight's scientific background in mathematics and evolutionary theory was a valuable asset. Randolph explained that in 1953, as a direct result of the "The Fireworks
" event, not only had their entire computer network been destroyed, but three superhumans had been created. Since then, the mandate of the NSA had been expanded to include all intelligence related to the The Fireworks due to initial fears that it had been a deliberate attack by the USSR. Over the course of the next 24 months two of them, Lester Robbins and Veronica Kelly
, engaged in a series of violent confrontations that caused extensive damage, though thankfully no one had been injured. Project Spitfire determined then that its goals were to identify and monitor any and all superhuman activity within the USA, and intervene should superhumans ever meet (or if there was ever a chance of their meeting).
Voight believes in Darwinian Imperatives so completely that he convinced Randolph that all superhumans needed to be killed before they could have the chance to band together for mutual defense and begin reproducing. Voight personally murdered each of the three superhumans: shooting Anthony Stark (Cipher) in the head, blowing up Lester Robbins, poisoning Veronica Kelly
, and shooting Robbins and Kelly's newborn child. Voight justifies this drastic action by arguing that superhumans don't think and rationalize like humans, citing their violent confrontations and the fact that Veronica seemed to be murdering criminals (while criminals they were still being murdered), and that in comparison humans are mere "monkeys with phones". Voight argued that superhumans were mere animals operating solely on the basis of Darwinian Imperatives believing that they would eventually hunt and kill humans as an inferior species, therefore the human race needed to protect itself by any means necessary. Voight's tactical approach to killing superhumans are well planned assassinations that use stealth and subtlety in order to avoid the collateral damage of a direct confrontation. That said, in Shockfront #2, Voight used a none-too-subtle suitcase bomb to kill a suspected superhuman named Jack Magniconte that was unequivocally powerful enough to kill any civilians in the immediate area (namely Magniconte's coach and the Chairperson of his football team). However, it remains to be seen if any innocent civilians, much less Magniconte, were hurt or killed in the blast.
Voight is a study in contrasts: his scientific knowledge seems to impede his search for the truth behind the origins of superhumans. While he argues that Darwinian Imperatives define and control the actions of all superhumans, his steadfast belief in these scientific principles blinds him to alternate possibilities. For example, despite the overwhelming genetic evidence that humans carry in their DNA the basis for superhuman-like abilities, and that superhumans were the next evolutionary step for all humanity, he refuses to see superhumans as anything other than an unnatural threat to the survival of the homo sapiens species. As is common for the newuniversal comics, Voight engages in a very real and complex debate with Jennifer Swann, who argued that the White Event triggered the latent superhuman genes artificially, thus superhumans would not act as per Darwinian biological imperatives and present no threat to humanity. Voight dismissed her arguments as unscientific and groundless, arguing that there is no way to know the mind of a superhuman because they were too different, and that they needed to act now to save humanity. As of newuniversal: Shockfront #2 it remains unclear if this is merely a character flaw in Voight, or if he has superhuman powers himself and is acting for some ulterior motives.
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...
from 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...
New Universe
New Universe
The New Universe is a comic book imprint from Marvel Comics that was published in its original incarnation from 1986 to 1989. It was created by Jim Shooter, Archie Goodwin, Eliot R. Brown, John Morelli, Mark Gruenwald, Tom DeFalco and edited by Michael Higgins.In 1986, in honor of Marvel Comics'...
, first appearing in D.P. 7
DP7 (comics)
D.P. 7 was a 32-issue comic book series published by Marvel Comics as a part their New Universe imprint. It ran from 1986 to 1989. Along with Justice and Psi-Force, it was one of the few New Universe titles to last for 32 issues....
#1 in 1986.
Fictional character biography
Philip Nolan Voigt, occasionally referred to as Overshadow, was one of the most powerful paranormals created by the White EventWhite Event
The White Event was a fictional occurrence which played a key role in Marvel Comics' New Universe line.-New Universe:The White Event was the name given to a mysterious blinding flash of light which bathed the Earth on July 22, 1986, at 4:22am EST...
. Voight, a psychologist by training, had been climbing in the Rocky Mountains at the time of the White Event
White Event
The White Event was a fictional occurrence which played a key role in Marvel Comics' New Universe line.-New Universe:The White Event was the name given to a mysterious blinding flash of light which bathed the Earth on July 22, 1986, at 4:22am EST...
. He speculated that his greater proximity to the source of the event resulted in his powers. After discovering the existence of paranormal abilities, including his own, he founded the Clinic for Paranormal Research. The Clinic's publicly stated mission was to help paranormals learn to control their abilities, but Voight intended to gather them around him in order to exploit their powers for his own use. When a group of seven patients escaped, as detailed in the comic D.P. 7
DP7 (comics)
D.P. 7 was a 32-issue comic book series published by Marvel Comics as a part their New Universe imprint. It ran from 1986 to 1989. Along with Justice and Psi-Force, it was one of the few New Universe titles to last for 32 issues....
, he originally sought to recapture them. Eventually defeated by some of the paranormals, Voight left the Clinic, later resurfacing as a successful politician, using mind control to coerce subordinates into helping him.
Voigt became President of the USA in 1988 running on the Democratic Party ticket. His running-mate was a mind-controlled Michael Dukakis
Michael Dukakis
Michael Stanley Dukakis served as the 65th and 67th Governor of Massachusetts from 1975–1979 and from 1983–1991, and was the Democratic presidential nominee in 1988. He was born to Greek immigrants in Brookline, Massachusetts, also the birthplace of John F. Kennedy, and was the longest serving...
. After assuming office he was stripped of his powers by Star Brand
Star Brand
The Star Brand is the name of a number of similar fictional comic book objects of power all of which exist in the multiverse created by the shared universes of Marvel Comics...
. He later appeared as one of the Paranormals aiding Quasar
Quasar (comics)
Quasar is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the . He is one of Marvel's cosmic heroes, a character whose adventures frequently take him into outer space or other dimensions...
in the Starblast crossover, having somehow regained his powers.
Powers and abilities
Voigt possesses the ability to duplicate the powers of any paranormal he encounters. The copied powers are also amplified to some degree, allowing him to perform tasks that the original owner of those powers would not be capable of. Voigt used these powers during his campaign appearances to win the Presidency in a landslide vote.Voigt's power does not allow him to duplicate the Star Brand.
Alternate versions
newuniversal
An alternate version of Philip Voigt (however, this time named Philip L. Voight) is introduced in issue #2 of Warren EllisWarren Ellis
Warren Girard Ellis is an English author of comics, novels, and television, who is well-known for sociocultural commentary, both through his online presence and through his writing, which covers transhumanist themes...
's reimagining of the New Universe, newuniversal
Newuniversal
newuniversal is a comic book series by writer Warren Ellis, artist Salvador Larroca and colorist Jason Keith, published by Marvel Comics. The series is a re-imagining of Marvel's New Universe concepts, launched to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the New Universe's creation in 1986.As with the...
. Voight has displayed no paranormal powers, but is part of Project Spitfire
Project Spitfire
Project Spitfire is a fictional comic-book intelligence agency appearing in the newuniversal comics published by Marvel Comics. Created by Warren Ellis and Salvador Larroca in newuniversal #1, it is tasked with monitoring and, if necessary, killing superhumans.-Fictional history:On April 26, 1953,...
, a government agency tasked to kill superhumans when they show up. Philip Voight apparently harbors a deep-seated fear of superhumans, stemming from his belief in Darwin's evolutionary theory that an emergent (new) species will inevitably prey upon weaker species in order to flourish.
In 1955 Voight was recruited into a covert department of the NSA called Project Spitfire by then current head Luke Randolph, who felt that Voight's scientific background in mathematics and evolutionary theory was a valuable asset. Randolph explained that in 1953, as a direct result of the "The Fireworks
White Event
The White Event was a fictional occurrence which played a key role in Marvel Comics' New Universe line.-New Universe:The White Event was the name given to a mysterious blinding flash of light which bathed the Earth on July 22, 1986, at 4:22am EST...
" event, not only had their entire computer network been destroyed, but three superhumans had been created. Since then, the mandate of the NSA had been expanded to include all intelligence related to the The Fireworks due to initial fears that it had been a deliberate attack by the USSR. Over the course of the next 24 months two of them, Lester Robbins and Veronica Kelly
Justice (New Universe)
Justice is a character from the New Universe imprint of Marvel Comics, the protagonist of a 32-issue comic book series of the same name published from 1986 to 1989. The title was notable for featuring the early work of Peter David and Lee Weeks as well as rare 1980s Marvel work from Keith Giffen...
, engaged in a series of violent confrontations that caused extensive damage, though thankfully no one had been injured. Project Spitfire determined then that its goals were to identify and monitor any and all superhuman activity within the USA, and intervene should superhumans ever meet (or if there was ever a chance of their meeting).
Justice (New Universe)
Justice is a character from the New Universe imprint of Marvel Comics, the protagonist of a 32-issue comic book series of the same name published from 1986 to 1989. The title was notable for featuring the early work of Peter David and Lee Weeks as well as rare 1980s Marvel work from Keith Giffen...
, and shooting Robbins and Kelly's newborn child. Voight justifies this drastic action by arguing that superhumans don't think and rationalize like humans, citing their violent confrontations and the fact that Veronica seemed to be murdering criminals (while criminals they were still being murdered), and that in comparison humans are mere "monkeys with phones". Voight argued that superhumans were mere animals operating solely on the basis of Darwinian Imperatives believing that they would eventually hunt and kill humans as an inferior species, therefore the human race needed to protect itself by any means necessary. Voight's tactical approach to killing superhumans are well planned assassinations that use stealth and subtlety in order to avoid the collateral damage of a direct confrontation. That said, in Shockfront #2, Voight used a none-too-subtle suitcase bomb to kill a suspected superhuman named Jack Magniconte that was unequivocally powerful enough to kill any civilians in the immediate area (namely Magniconte's coach and the Chairperson of his football team). However, it remains to be seen if any innocent civilians, much less Magniconte, were hurt or killed in the blast.
Voight is a study in contrasts: his scientific knowledge seems to impede his search for the truth behind the origins of superhumans. While he argues that Darwinian Imperatives define and control the actions of all superhumans, his steadfast belief in these scientific principles blinds him to alternate possibilities. For example, despite the overwhelming genetic evidence that humans carry in their DNA the basis for superhuman-like abilities, and that superhumans were the next evolutionary step for all humanity, he refuses to see superhumans as anything other than an unnatural threat to the survival of the homo sapiens species. As is common for the newuniversal comics, Voight engages in a very real and complex debate with Jennifer Swann, who argued that the White Event triggered the latent superhuman genes artificially, thus superhumans would not act as per Darwinian biological imperatives and present no threat to humanity. Voight dismissed her arguments as unscientific and groundless, arguing that there is no way to know the mind of a superhuman because they were too different, and that they needed to act now to save humanity. As of newuniversal: Shockfront #2 it remains unclear if this is merely a character flaw in Voight, or if he has superhuman powers himself and is acting for some ulterior motives.