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War (comics)
Encyclopedia
War is the name of three fictional character
s, who are Marvel Comics
supervillain
s. Two are discussed here: both members of the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse
. the first War (real name unknown) and Abraham Kieros. The title was also held by the mutant Gazer
and, briefly, by Bruce Banner, the Hulk
.
#11 (December 1986), and was created by Louise Simonson
and Walter Simonson.
The character subsequently appears in X-Factor #15 (April 1987), #17 (June 1987), #19 (August 1987), #22-25 (November 1987-February 1988), Daredevil #252 (March 1988), X-Factor #26-27 (March-April 1988), X-Factor #84 (November 1992), Uncanny X-Men #294–295 (November-December 1992), and Wolverine #147 (February 2000).
War appeared as part of the "Apocalypse's Horsemen" entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89
#1.
veteran
who was paralyzed in combat. He was kept in a hospital and placed in an iron lung
, but felt as though he was betrayed and forgotten by his country. Apocalypse appeared to him one day and offered him the ability to move and to get revenge on those who had tossed him aside. He accepted the offer and was indeed given the ability to move again, which allowed him to use his mutant power—the ability to create explosions through kinetic contact, usually by clapping his hands together—in Apocalype's service as his Horseman of War. He often bickered with one of the other Horsemen, Famine
, and disliked her total lack of obedience.
War liked to take control of situations and during their first confrontation with X-Factor
, attempted to lead the other Horsemen. Famine and Pestilence
refused to obey his orders and flew off to do their own business. Soon after, Death
took over leadership and the Four Horsemen learned to ride as one. During the attack on Manhattan
, War immediately attacked Cyclops
and was later teleported back to the ship by Apocalypse, where he fought several more X-Factor members. He was eventually defeated by Iceman
. Apocalypse then grabbed War and fled.
Later, during the X-Cutioner's Song
story arc, War attacked Colossus
and Iceman, but soon fled after Caliban
grabbed Jean Grey
and Cyclops, handing them over to Apocalypse, who was really Mr. Sinister in disguise. The X-Men
sought out the Horsemen and War was presumably defeated in combat.
Much later, War appeared in an hospital, once again paralyzed from the neck down, apparently abandoned by Apocalypse who stripped him of his powers. Archangel, who had gained newfound powers and had been searching for Kieros, healed him of his wounds, giving him hope to start over with a new life.
While a servant of Apocalypse, he used his sentient ship to construct for War a robot mount that resembles a demonic quadruped beast and that can travel on land or fly through the air and also was capable of teleportation.
's Horseman, War. Not much is known about this incarnation of War. He was chosen by Apocalypse in the fifteenth century to become his horseman and lead his army, the Riders of the Dark. This army was so fierce and powerful that most people presumed it was just a myth used to scare soldiers before their first battle. It was no myth at all, and it precisely was what people thought it was, fierce and strong. In most of their battles, the only soldier who had to fight was War, who would single-handedly defeat hordes of men just by himself.
In 1459, the Riders of the Dark appeared in Romania
where Vlad Ţepeş
’ army was fighting against the Ottomans
and emerged victorious. Unfortunately for Vlad (whom would become Dracula), War defeated Dracula’s army. The survivors fled for their life, abandoning Dracula on the field who stood his ground and faced War but ultimately fell.
Gazer was a mutant
astronaut, who after being depowered on M-Day, went out into space to die. Instead he was transported onto Apocalypse's ship and made to battle for the title of War, one of the Horsemen of Apocalypse. With Ozymandias
' intervention, he was victorious, and through a torturous process became the newest incarnation of War.
as a member of Apocalypse’s first wave of Horsemen. It is unknown what happened to him but he may have been usurped by one of the current Horsemen.
, where he constantly bickered with Death, but they had a mutual respect for each other.
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...
s, who are 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...
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...
s. Two are discussed here: both members of the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse
Horsemen of Apocalypse
The Horsemen of Apocalypse is a team of fictional supervillain characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team is first mentioned in X-Factor #10 , and makes their full appearance in X-Factor #15...
. the first War (real name unknown) and Abraham Kieros. The title was also held by the mutant Gazer
Gazer
Gazer is a fictional character, a mutant in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by writer Peter Milligan and artist Salvador Larroca, he first appeared in X-Men vol...
and, briefly, by Bruce Banner, the Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
.
War (Abraham Kieros)
Publication history
War first appeared in X-FactorX-Factor (comics)
X-Factor is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is a spin-off of the popular X-Men franchise, featuring characters from X-Men stories. The series has been relaunched several times with different team rosters, most recently as X-Factor Investigations.X-Factor launched in...
#11 (December 1986), and was created by Louise Simonson
Louise Simonson
Louise Simonson, born Mary Louise Alexander , is an American comic book writer and editor. She is best known for her work on comic book titles such as Power Pack, X-Factor, New Mutants, Superman: The Man of Steel, and Steel...
and Walter Simonson.
The character subsequently appears in X-Factor #15 (April 1987), #17 (June 1987), #19 (August 1987), #22-25 (November 1987-February 1988), Daredevil #252 (March 1988), X-Factor #26-27 (March-April 1988), X-Factor #84 (November 1992), Uncanny X-Men #294–295 (November-December 1992), and Wolverine #147 (February 2000).
War appeared as part of the "Apocalypse's Horsemen" entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications...
#1.
Fictional character biography
Kieros was a young Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
veteran
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
who was paralyzed in combat. He was kept in a hospital and placed in an iron lung
Iron lung
A negative pressure ventilator is a form of medical ventilator that enables a person to breathe when normal muscle control has been lost or the work of breathing exceeds the person's ability....
, but felt as though he was betrayed and forgotten by his country. Apocalypse appeared to him one day and offered him the ability to move and to get revenge on those who had tossed him aside. He accepted the offer and was indeed given the ability to move again, which allowed him to use his mutant power—the ability to create explosions through kinetic contact, usually by clapping his hands together—in Apocalype's service as his Horseman of War. He often bickered with one of the other Horsemen, Famine
Famine (comics)
Famine is a fictional character, a Mutant supervillain appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. She is most notable for being one of the original four horsemen of the villain Apocalypse.-Fictional character biography:...
, and disliked her total lack of obedience.
War liked to take control of situations and during their first confrontation with X-Factor
X-Factor (comics)
X-Factor is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is a spin-off of the popular X-Men franchise, featuring characters from X-Men stories. The series has been relaunched several times with different team rosters, most recently as X-Factor Investigations.X-Factor launched in...
, attempted to lead the other Horsemen. Famine and Pestilence
Plague (comics)
Plague was a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. She was originally a member of the Morlocks before joining the Horsemen of Apocalypse.-Publication history:...
refused to obey his orders and flew off to do their own business. Soon after, Death
Archangel (comics)
Warren Kenneth Worthington III is a fictional character, a comic book antihero in the Marvel Comics universe. Originally known as Angel and later Archangel, Worthington is one of the founding members of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-creator Jack Kirby, he first appeared in...
took over leadership and the Four Horsemen learned to ride as one. During the attack on Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, War immediately attacked Cyclops
Cyclops (comics)
Cyclops is a fictional character, the leader of the X-Men superhero team in the . A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes...
and was later teleported back to the ship by Apocalypse, where he fought several more X-Factor members. He was eventually defeated by 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, ....
. Apocalypse then grabbed War and fled.
Later, during the X-Cutioner's Song
X-Cutioner's Song
"X-Cutioner's Song" is a crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics' in twelve parts from the November 1992 to early 1993. It involved the Uncanny X-Men, X-Men , X-Factor, and X-Force....
story arc, War attacked Colossus
Colossus (comics)
Colossus is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Len Wein and illustrator Dave Cockrum, he first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1...
and Iceman, but soon fled after Caliban
Caliban (comics)
Caliban is a mutant character in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:Caliban's first appearance was in Uncanny X-Men #148 , written by Chris Claremont and illustrated by Dave Cockrum.-Fictional character biography:...
grabbed Jean Grey
Jean Grey
Jean Grey-Summers is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She has been known under the aliases Marvel Girl, Phoenix, and Dark Phoenix and is best known as one of five original members of the X-Men, for her relationship with Cyclops, and for her...
and Cyclops, handing them over to Apocalypse, who was really Mr. Sinister in disguise. 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...
sought out the Horsemen and War was presumably defeated in combat.
Much later, War appeared in an hospital, once again paralyzed from the neck down, apparently abandoned by Apocalypse who stripped him of his powers. Archangel, who had gained newfound powers and had been searching for Kieros, healed him of his wounds, giving him hope to start over with a new life.
Powers and abilities
Kieros is a mutant with the superhuman power to create explosions in his immediate area by clapping his hands. He does so by harnessing the minor kinetic force created when his hands strike each other, amplifying it to a significant degree, and redirecting it spatially so that it strikes and affects some other object in his line-of-sight, causing an explosive release of force. The limits of the range in which his power is effective have not yet been determined.While a servant of Apocalypse, he used his sentient ship to construct for War a robot mount that resembles a demonic quadruped beast and that can travel on land or fly through the air and also was capable of teleportation.
War (Apocalypse vs. Dracula)
The earliest depiction of ApocalypseApocalypse (comics)
Apocalypse is a fictional character who is an ancient mutant that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Factor #5 , created by writer Louise Simonson and designed by artist Walter Simonson...
's Horseman, War. Not much is known about this incarnation of War. He was chosen by Apocalypse in the fifteenth century to become his horseman and lead his army, the Riders of the Dark. This army was so fierce and powerful that most people presumed it was just a myth used to scare soldiers before their first battle. It was no myth at all, and it precisely was what people thought it was, fierce and strong. In most of their battles, the only soldier who had to fight was War, who would single-handedly defeat hordes of men just by himself.
In 1459, the Riders of the Dark appeared in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
where Vlad Ţepeş
Dracula (Marvel Comics)
Dracula is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. He is based on the vampire Count Dracula from the novel of the same name by author Bram Stoker, and is also influenced by Universal Studios' version of the character.-Publication history:A...
’ army was fighting against the Ottomans
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
and emerged victorious. Unfortunately for Vlad (whom would become Dracula), War defeated Dracula’s army. The survivors fled for their life, abandoning Dracula on the field who stood his ground and faced War but ultimately fell.
War (Gazer)
- Main article: GazerGazerGazer is a fictional character, a mutant in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by writer Peter Milligan and artist Salvador Larroca, he first appeared in X-Men vol...
Gazer was 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...
astronaut, who after being depowered on M-Day, went out into space to die. Instead he was transported onto Apocalypse's ship and made to battle for the title of War, one of the Horsemen of Apocalypse. With Ozymandias
Ozymandias (Marvel Comics)
For the Watchmen character, see Ozymandias Ozymandias is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in 1996 in Uncanny X-Men #332, and was created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Joe Madureira.-Fictional character...
' intervention, he was victorious, and through a torturous process became the newest incarnation of War.
Age of Apocalypse
The original War appeared in the Age of ApocalypseAge of Apocalypse
"Age of Apocalypse" is a 1995 - 1996 comic book crossover storyline published in the X-Men franchise of books by Marvel Comics. The Age of Apocalypse briefly replaced the universe of Earth-616, although it was later retconned as having occurred in the alternate universe of Earth-295, it had...
as a member of Apocalypse’s first wave of Horsemen. It is unknown what happened to him but he may have been usurped by one of the current Horsemen.
Mutant X
War also is seen in Mutant XMutant X
Mutant X may refer to:* Mutant X , a Marvel Comics series* Proteus , a Marvel Comics fictional character, originally known as 'Mutant X' but unrelated to the series of the same name and publisher...
, where he constantly bickered with Death, but they had a mutual respect for each other.
Television
- The original War appeared in three episodes of the X-MenX-Men (TV series)X-Men, also known as X-Men: The Animated Series, is an American animated television series which debuted on October 31, 1992, in the United States on the Fox Network as part of its Fox Kids Saturday morning lineup...
animated series voiced by James MillingtonJames MillingtonJames Millington was an Irish soccer player during the 1960s.Millington was an attacking force who played for Bohemians amongst others during his career in the League of Ireland. James played alongside the likes of Billy Young and Willie Browne during his time at the then amateur Bohs.-References:...
. In “Come the Apocalypse,” where War was selected by Apocalypse and transformed into his Horseman; the second and third, “Beyond Good and Evil,” Parts 3 and 4, where he fought alongside the other Horsemen when the X-Men sought out Apocalypse’s Lazarus chamber. Instead of using his mutant abilities in the latter two episodes, he used an energy-projected sword. In his first appearance he is shown not getting along with the woman who would become Pestilence, a nod to their disagreeable natures in the comics.