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Vargas (comics)
Encyclopedia
Vargas is a fictional comic book
supervillain
in the Marvel Universe
and an enemy of the X-Treme X-Men
who first appeared in X-Treme X-Men #1.
He started to search for the diaries of Destiny
around the same time as Storm's team of X-Men
. During one of the team's earliest missions, Vargas surprised them with his sword skills by murdering Psylocke
and critically wounding Rogue
, Gambit and Beast
. Disappearing with one of the diaries, Vargas foresaw himself being killed by Rogue, and despite his belief in the prophecies of Destiny, he attempted to stop this eventuality from happening. During the invasion of Madripoor, Vargas returned in the midst of the battle, spearing both Rogue and Gambit
with his blade before escaping.
Returning to the city shortly after the battle to recover his sword, Vargas was surprised by Rogue, who was dressed in Psylocke's costume. After a lengthy battle Rogue stood above him with his sword, poised to strike a killing blow. Rogue may have 'fulfilled her destiny' by finishing Vargas off with his own weapon, but this is not shown.
Not much was known of Vargas while he lived, and since his supposed death at the hands of Rogue, he has become something of an even larger mystery. It has never been stated if Rogue actually killed Vargas.
In X-Men (vol. 2) #202 it was revealed that Rogue had in fact chosen to spare his life in order to defy the diaries, as it was claimed that Vargas was killed by the Marauders
later on instead, due to the fact he had knowledge of the future after reading one of Destiny's diaries. The Marauders have lately been slaying all characters who are able to "see" into the future. However his death remains to be confirmed as Gateway was also claimed to have been killed by the Marauders but had survived.
Other members include Gambit
, Rogue
, Bishop
, X-23
, Iceman
, and M
.
, a human genetic response to the presence of mutants. He is the epitome of peak physical skill, having superhuman levels of strength, speed, reflexes, agility, stamina, and durability. He was also capable of resisting Rogue's absorption power and a point blank telekinetic blast from Psylocke.
According to Chris Claremont: "Basically, the notion behind Vargas is that nature, abhoring a vacuum and perceiving one in the appearance of mass numbers of super-powered mutants, is attempting to redress the imbalance by jump-starting Humanity to a level where they can compete with mutants and super-beings on relatively equal terms." http://web.archive.org/web/20091027042255/http://geocities.com/mutantdestiny/Claremont_Interview.htm
Vargas seems to be the first known representative of the primary humanity's
response and potential to cope with the growing number of genetically different humans which threatens the future of the conventional humans. Daisy Johnson
may be another example, being born with superpowers but lacking an X-gene.
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...
supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
in the Marvel 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...
and an enemy of the X-Treme X-Men
X-Treme X-Men
X-Treme X-Men was a comic book published by Marvel Comics from 2001 through 2004. All 46 issues of the series were written by Chris Claremont. The first 24 issues were drawn by Salvador Larroca, and the final 22 issues were drawn by Igor Kordey....
who first appeared in X-Treme X-Men #1.
Fictional character biography
The X-Men were not aware of Vargas' existence before he crossed their path in Spain, apparently on the same search as they were. The nature of his unnatural abilities is a mystery. Genetically, he appears to be an ordinary human, yet he exhibits superpowers.He started to search for the diaries of Destiny
Destiny (Irene Adler)
Destiny is a Marvel Comics fictional character, known as an adversary of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne, the character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #141...
around the same time as Storm's team of 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...
. During one of the team's earliest missions, Vargas surprised them with his sword skills by murdering 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...
and critically wounding 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...
, Gambit and 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...
. Disappearing with one of the diaries, Vargas foresaw himself being killed by Rogue, and despite his belief in the prophecies of Destiny, he attempted to stop this eventuality from happening. During the invasion of Madripoor, Vargas returned in the midst of the battle, spearing both Rogue and Gambit
Gambit (comics)
Gambit is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero that has been a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Jim Lee, the character first appeared briefly in Uncanny X-Men Annual #14 , weeks before a more comprehensive appearance in Uncanny X-Men #266...
with his blade before escaping.
Returning to the city shortly after the battle to recover his sword, Vargas was surprised by Rogue, who was dressed in Psylocke's costume. After a lengthy battle Rogue stood above him with his sword, poised to strike a killing blow. Rogue may have 'fulfilled her destiny' by finishing Vargas off with his own weapon, but this is not shown.
Not much was known of Vargas while he lived, and since his supposed death at the hands of Rogue, he has become something of an even larger mystery. It has never been stated if Rogue actually killed Vargas.
In X-Men (vol. 2) #202 it was revealed that Rogue had in fact chosen to spare his life in order to defy the diaries, as it was claimed that Vargas was killed by the Marauders
Marauders (comics)
The Marauders is a team of fictional supervillain characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist John Romita, Jr., the team first appear in Uncanny X-Men #210 The Marauders is a team of fictional supervillain characters in comic books published by...
later on instead, due to the fact he had knowledge of the future after reading one of Destiny's diaries. The Marauders have lately been slaying all characters who are able to "see" into the future. However his death remains to be confirmed as Gateway was also claimed to have been killed by the Marauders but had survived.
X-Men: The End
In X-Men: The End, Vargas is shown to be alive and well, and affiliated with the X-Men. It is unknown how he redeemed himself, but the X-Men have a propensity for taking in reformed villains. However he worked his way into a position of leadership as the head of the X.S.E.X-Treme Sanctions Executive
The X-Treme Sanctions Executive is a fictional paramilitary police force charged with keeping the peace between mutants and humans. The team was first mentioned in X-Treme X-Men #40, when Storm presented her team with an offer to join a new, government-backed squad.-Creation:During the final issues...
Other members include Gambit
Gambit (comics)
Gambit is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero that has been a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Jim Lee, the character first appeared briefly in Uncanny X-Men Annual #14 , weeks before a more comprehensive appearance in Uncanny X-Men #266...
, 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...
, Bishop
Bishop (comics)
Bishop is a fictional comic book superhero, appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular the X-Men family of books...
, X-23
X-23
X-23 is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular those featuring the X-Men. X-23 is a female clone of Wolverine.-Publication history:...
, Iceman
Iceman (comics)
Iceman is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, he first appeared in X-Men vol. 1 #1, ....
, and M
M (comics)
M is a fictional comic book superheroine, a mutant who appears in the X-Men family of books published by Marvel Comics...
.
Powers and abilities
Vargas' powers were never fully explained, although he seems to be born with his powers (claiming he is the real Homo Superior). He was stated not to be a mutant, but not fully human either. He was a self-proclaimed next step in evolutionEvolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
, a human genetic response to the presence of mutants. He is the epitome of peak physical skill, having superhuman levels of strength, speed, reflexes, agility, stamina, and durability. He was also capable of resisting Rogue's absorption power and a point blank telekinetic blast from Psylocke.
According to Chris Claremont: "Basically, the notion behind Vargas is that nature, abhoring a vacuum and perceiving one in the appearance of mass numbers of super-powered mutants, is attempting to redress the imbalance by jump-starting Humanity to a level where they can compete with mutants and super-beings on relatively equal terms." http://web.archive.org/web/20091027042255/http://geocities.com/mutantdestiny/Claremont_Interview.htm
Vargas seems to be the first known representative of the primary humanity's
Homo sapiens (Marvel Comics)
Within the Marvel Universe, the species Homo sapiens, and its genus Homo, is far more prolific and active than in the real world. The branching of the species Homo sapiens came with the arrival of the Celestials on Earth, the Space Gods of genetic engineering; the Celestials as a race have their...
response and potential to cope with the growing number of genetically different humans which threatens the future of the conventional humans. Daisy Johnson
Daisy Johnson
Daisy Johnson is a fictional, superpowered secret agent in the Marvel Comics universe. A member of the international espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D., she was created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Gabriele Dell'Otto, and first appeared in Secret War #2...
may be another example, being born with superpowers but lacking an X-gene.