Shola Inkosi
Encyclopedia
Shola Inkosi is a fictional character
in the Marvel Comics
universe
. He is a mutant
with the power of telekinesis. He first appeared in Mekanix
#1, and was created by Chris Claremont
and Juan Bobillo.
, Shola was smuggled out as a child as a foreign exchange student
. After he grew older, he attended the University of Chicago
. When Cassandra Nova
had "Mega-Sentinels" destroy Genosha, Shola lost his entire family, who had been living at the island during the time. He was left utterly alone, not only because of the loss of his family and home, but also with the revokation of his student visa when the United Nations
declared Genosha a terrorist
state due to the activities of Magneto
. Also, an anti-mutant group called Purity was trying to get Shola deported and expelled from the college he was attending. To add insult to injury, Shola had been in contact with a telepath on Genosha the moment that the island was destroyed leaving him with a mental imprint of the "death-moment" of everyone who died on Genosha during the horrific attack. Every time he closes his eyes and goes into an active rapid eye movement
state, he experiences another first-hand death from that terrible day. As a result he can't sleep and hasn't slept since. After the attack Shola briefly remained at the University of Chicago
, where he met Kitty Pryde and Xi'an Coy Manh
and helped them defeat a remnant of the wild Sentinels that had destroyed his home. Shola was instrumental in their destruction as Karma's telepathic powers were useless on the machines, and they quickly adapted
to Shadowcat's phasing ability.
In his next appearance he had been captured and placed in stasis by a group of Magistrates which used to dominate the island before Magneto took over. Along with the Prime Sentinel
Karima Shapandar
it appeared that they were going to be the secret weapons of the Magistrates to take back the island. However the airplane that was carrying them crashed and Shola found himself on the side of the ragtag members of the newest incarnation of Excalibur
. His abilities were indispensable to Professor X
in the demolition
and reconstruction
of his homeland.
In the wake of Decimation
, where the Scarlet Witch
erased the mutant genome
from 90-95% of the mutant population, the members of Excalibur were depowered, then temporarily repowered by Quicksilver with the Terrigen Mists of the Inhumans.
, the peak of which was obliterating a granite
slab to dust, removing that dust from clothing and the surrounding environment, compacting the dust into a granite spear, then re-obliterating the spear back into dust (shown in Mekanix). However, in the Excalibur series his powers were mostly destructive.
Shola also had some limited telepathic abilities, enabling him to connect minds with others telepaths and engage in normal telepathic communication. His ability also allowed him to sense the mental state of others. The ability was usually relatively controlled except when strong emotional force triggered it - ultimately resulting in constant struggle and the inability to sleep upon the death of all Mutants on Genosha.
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...
in the 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...
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...
. He is a 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...
with the power of telekinesis. He first appeared in Mekanix
Mekanix
Mekanix is a six issue comic book limited series published in 2002-2003 by Marvel Comics, written by Chris Claremont, pencilled by Juan Bobillo and inked by Marcelo Sosa.__FORCETOC__-Plot:...
#1, and was created by Chris Claremont
Chris 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 Juan Bobillo.
Fictional character biography
Born in GenoshaGenosha
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...
, Shola was smuggled out as a child as a foreign exchange student
Student exchange program
A student exchange program generally could be defined as a program where students from secondary school or university choose to study abroad in partner institutions...
. After he grew older, he attended the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. When Cassandra Nova
Cassandra Nova
Cassandra Nova is a fictional enemy of the X-Men in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely, Cassandra first appeared in New X-Men #114 . Cassandra is a "mummudrai," a parasitic life form born bodiless on the astral plane...
had "Mega-Sentinels" destroy Genosha, Shola lost his entire family, who had been living at the island during the time. He was left utterly alone, not only because of the loss of his family and home, but also with the revokation of his student visa when the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
declared Genosha a terrorist
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
state due to the activities of 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...
. Also, an anti-mutant group called Purity was trying to get Shola deported and expelled from the college he was attending. To add insult to injury, Shola had been in contact with a telepath on Genosha the moment that the island was destroyed leaving him with a mental imprint of the "death-moment" of everyone who died on Genosha during the horrific attack. Every time he closes his eyes and goes into an active rapid eye movement
Rapid eye movement
Rapid eye movement sleep is a normal stage of sleep characterized by the random movement of the eyes. REM sleep is classified into two categories: tonic and phasic. It was identified and defined by Nathaniel Kleitman, Eugene Aserinsky, and Jon Birtwell in the early 1950s...
state, he experiences another first-hand death from that terrible day. As a result he can't sleep and hasn't slept since. After the attack Shola briefly remained at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, where he met Kitty Pryde and Xi'an Coy Manh
Karma (comics)
Karma is a fictional superheroine from Marvel Comics created by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller.Karma is a mutant endowed with the ability to seize control of another's mind, though she has sometimes been depicted with other more extensive psionic abilities...
and helped them defeat a remnant of the wild Sentinels that had destroyed his home. Shola was instrumental in their destruction as Karma's telepathic powers were useless on the machines, and they quickly adapted
Adaptation
An adaptation in biology is a trait with a current functional role in the life history of an organism that is maintained and evolved by means of natural selection. An adaptation refers to both the current state of being adapted and to the dynamic evolutionary process that leads to the adaptation....
to Shadowcat's phasing ability.
In his next appearance he had been captured and placed in stasis by a group of Magistrates which used to dominate the island before Magneto took over. Along with the Prime Sentinel
Prime Sentinel
Prime Sentinels are an advanced type of Sentinel which exist in the fictional Marvel Comics universe. They are a human/machine hybrid that uses nanotechnology from the "Days of Future Past" future...
Karima Shapandar
Karima Shapandar
Omega Sentinel is a fictional character associated with the X-Men and its spinoff Excalibur. She first appeared in X-Men Unlimited, vol...
it appeared that they were going to be the secret weapons of the Magistrates to take back the island. However the airplane that was carrying them crashed and Shola found himself on the side of the ragtag members of the newest incarnation of Excalibur
Excalibur (comics)
Excalibur is a Marvel Comics superhero group, an off-shoot of the X-Men, usually based in the United Kingdom. Conceived by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer Alan Davis, the original Excalibur first appeared in Excalibur Special Edition , also known as Excalibur: The Sword is Drawn.The...
. His abilities were indispensable to Professor X
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....
in the demolition
Demolition
Demolition is the tearing-down of buildings and other structures, the opposite of construction. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a building apart while carefully preserving valuable elements for re-use....
and reconstruction
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
of his homeland.
In the wake of Decimation
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...
, where the Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch
The Scarlet Witch is a fictional comic book character that appears in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
erased the mutant genome
Genome
In modern molecular biology and genetics, the genome is the entirety of an organism's hereditary information. It is encoded either in DNA or, for many types of virus, in RNA. The genome includes both the genes and the non-coding sequences of the DNA/RNA....
from 90-95% of the mutant population, the members of Excalibur were depowered, then temporarily repowered by Quicksilver with the Terrigen Mists of the Inhumans.
Powers and abilities
Shola is a self-described "combat telekinetic". His considerable telekinetic abilities are mostly destructive in nature, but he has also displayed precise fine motor controlFine motor skill
Fine motor skills are the coordination of small muscle movements which occur e.g., in the fingers, usually in coordination with the eyes. In application to motor skills of hands the term dexterity is commonly used....
, the peak of which was obliterating a granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
slab to dust, removing that dust from clothing and the surrounding environment, compacting the dust into a granite spear, then re-obliterating the spear back into dust (shown in Mekanix). However, in the Excalibur series his powers were mostly destructive.
Shola also had some limited telepathic abilities, enabling him to connect minds with others telepaths and engage in normal telepathic communication. His ability also allowed him to sense the mental state of others. The ability was usually relatively controlled except when strong emotional force triggered it - ultimately resulting in constant struggle and the inability to sleep upon the death of all Mutants on Genosha.