Wither (comics)
Encyclopedia
Wither is a fictional character, a mutant
appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics
. He has been a member of the student body at the Xavier Institute
, a member of the Hellions training squad, and a supervillain as a part of Selene
's Coven.
. However, when the cyborg
Donald Pierce
attacked and impaled Laurie, Kevin lashed out and decayed the skin off of Pierce's face and skull. Dani Moonstar
was forced to stop him by showing him his worst fear - killing Laurie. In the aftermath of this, and realizing that using his power "felt right", which frightened him, he left the Institute.
, set out to bring him back to the school to fill the sixth place on the formalized New Mutants squad. While Kevin was still angry at Dani, Emma managed to persuade him to return, and he joined the New Mutants squad under the codename Wither. Clashing with Elixir
, the current object of Laurie's affections who he'd last seen as one of Pierce's Reavers
, Mercury (the only person he could touch without killing) reached out to him, having developed a crush on him. Shortly after he returned to the school, he was arrested by the FBI for killing his father. While the Hellions tried to "rescue" him (Mercury coming in through a window to let him know), the New Mutants tried to stop them - fearing the consequences of involving the Institute in a fight with the FBI - until the X-Men arrived and ended the fight, taking them all back to the Institute before they were discovered. Kevin however saw this as the final straw (having first been turned over to the FBI by Dani), and he swapped squads with Icarus
to become a Hellion.
During Kevin's time at the Institute, he discovered the White Queen's diamond form is impervious to his powers.
He discovered Elixir's former relationship with Wolfsbane
and revealed it to the school, successfully ending Josh's relationship with Laurie.
Kevin spends some time vacationing with the Hellion squad. They get caught up with the powerful 'Kingmaker' who grants people their wishes in return for favors later. Kevin spends some time withot his powers due to drugs supplied by their new ally. However, once the Hellions discover the favor is stealing a biological weapon, they rebel. Kevin loses access to the drugs. He uses his powers to destroy the weapon.
Danger Cave, Kevin overheard Julian Keller
referring to him as "dangerous". Kevin, once again, ran away from the institute.
, the Black Queen of the Hellfire Club
, in disguise. Selene was responsible for the killings of nineteen people in District X
and the police tracked her down. Just as Selene (in the guise of the old woman) sucks the life-force out of two of the policemen, she gets shot. Kevin enters the room and watches the old lady fall to the ground and he kills another two policemen in a rage. Wither and Selene are finally shown to be in a lip-locked embrace as Kevin accepts Selene's offer to be her "king" as they fade away, presumably to Selene's dimension.
Wither is among Selene's Inner Circle, dispatched to retrieve Selene's mystical knife from the X-Men. During the resulting fight, he is distracted by Dust, her transient form proving difficult for him to affect. However, when Onyxx attacks, Wither uses his powers to disintegrate his rocky form, killing him instantly.
During a quarrel with Eli Bard, Wither transforms, revealing that Selene has used her powers to make him an immortal vampire, much like Bard. Bard is then killed immediately after their argument by Selene herself, to Wither's delight. Once Selene absorbs the souls of the resurrected mutants, Wither proudly exclaims "Welcome to the new order!". Elixir and Wither finally face against one another. Wither accuses Elixir of failing to save Wallflower. This causes him to switch from his Gold Healing form to his Black Death form, which overwhelms Wither's destructive power and Elixir kills him, completely disintegrating his body.
, Wither shows also that he now can turn himself to a vampire-like being, due to Selene's manipulation.
Wither uses his power to decay a part of his victim nearly to death, at which point Elixir steps in and uses his power to heal the victim. The process is apparently extremely painful. Wither also wears a containment suit, although Elixir comments that he doesn't need it and only wears it for psychological effect.
from a Warskrull posing as Genesis
. After he kills the Warskrull he hopes Dani can forgive him for using his powers to kill.
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...
appearing in comic books published by 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...
. He has been a member of the student body at the Xavier Institute
X-Mansion
In the fictional Marvel Comics universe, the X-Mansion is the common name for Professor Xavier's mansion. It is the base of operations and training site of the X-Men and the location of a school for mutant teenagers, the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, formerly Xavier's School for Gifted...
, a member of the Hellions training squad, and a supervillain as a 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 Coven.
Early life
Kevin Ford developed his mutant powers at an unfortunate and unlucky time. Panicking as his clothes began to decay, his father tried to calm him down and Kevin's power reduced him to dust. He has always considered himself cursed. A talented artist, Kevin lived in a scrap yard for a while (killing the guard dog with his touch, naturally) and turned unwanted scrap into beautiful art.Worst Fear
He was found and brought to the Xavier Institute, where he met and developed a crush on Laurie CollinsWallflower (comics)
Wallflower is a fictional character, a mutant appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is a member of the student body of the Xavier Institute and a member of the New Mutants training squad therein. After the events of M-Day transpired, she was one of a handful of mutants to keep...
. However, when the cyborg
Cyborg
A cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
Donald Pierce
Donald Pierce
Donald Pierce is a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #132. He was created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. Donald Pierce is a cyborg.-Fictional character biography:...
attacked and impaled Laurie, Kevin lashed out and decayed the skin off of Pierce's face and skull. Dani Moonstar
Danielle Moonstar
Danielle "Dani" Moonstar, originally codenamed Psyche and later Mirage, is a fictional Marvel Comics superheroine associated with the X-Men....
was forced to stop him by showing him his worst fear - killing Laurie. In the aftermath of this, and realizing that using his power "felt right", which frightened him, he left the Institute.
Return
Some months later Dani, with the help of Emma FrostEmma Frost
Emma Grace Frost is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #129 , and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne....
, set out to bring him back to the school to fill the sixth place on the formalized New Mutants squad. While Kevin was still angry at Dani, Emma managed to persuade him to return, and he joined the New Mutants squad under the codename Wither. Clashing with Elixir
Elixir (comics)
Elixir , is a fictional character, a mutant in the and a student at the Xavier Institute. He first appeared in New Mutants, vol. 2 #5, and he is one of only a few students to retain his powers in the wake of House of M....
, the current object of Laurie's affections who he'd last seen as one of Pierce's Reavers
Reavers (comics)
In the fictional Marvel Comics universe the Reavers are a team of criminal cyborgs. The most significant team of Reavers were dedicated to the destruction of the mutant X-Men, and a number of them especially wanted to take revenge on one particular X-Man, Wolverine. The name was originally used by...
, Mercury (the only person he could touch without killing) reached out to him, having developed a crush on him. Shortly after he returned to the school, he was arrested by the FBI for killing his father. While the Hellions tried to "rescue" him (Mercury coming in through a window to let him know), the New Mutants tried to stop them - fearing the consequences of involving the Institute in a fight with the FBI - until the X-Men arrived and ended the fight, taking them all back to the Institute before they were discovered. Kevin however saw this as the final straw (having first been turned over to the FBI by Dani), and he swapped squads with Icarus
Icarus (comics)
Icarus , is a fictional character, a mutant superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was a member of the student body at the Xavier Institute and a member of the New Mutants training squad....
to become a Hellion.
During Kevin's time at the Institute, he discovered the White Queen's diamond form is impervious to his powers.
He discovered Elixir's former relationship with Wolfsbane
Wolfsbane (comics)
Wolfsbane is a Marvel Comics superheroine, associated with the X-Men.A Scottish mutant, Wolfsbane possesses the ability to transform into a wolf or into a transitional state somewhere between human and wolf...
and revealed it to the school, successfully ending Josh's relationship with Laurie.
Kevin spends some time vacationing with the Hellion squad. They get caught up with the powerful 'Kingmaker' who grants people their wishes in return for favors later. Kevin spends some time withot his powers due to drugs supplied by their new ally. However, once the Hellions discover the favor is stealing a biological weapon, they rebel. Kevin loses access to the drugs. He uses his powers to destroy the weapon.
Post M-Day
After M-Day, when most of the world's mutants lost their powers, Kevin mistakenly believed he had lost his powers like most of the mutant population. When he touched Laurie's hand, however, it withered, although it didn't kill her. Kevin spent several issues feeling guilty and depressed. After a session in David Alleyne'sProdigy (David Alleyne)
Prodigy is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular the X-Men family of books. Prodigy is a former mutant, one of the student body of the Xavier Institute, and a member of the New X-Men squad...
Danger Cave, Kevin overheard Julian Keller
Hellion
Hellion is a fictional character, a mutant appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was a member of the student body of the Xavier Institute before its closing and is a member of the X-Men's training squad. He first appeared in New Mutants, vol. 2 #2.-New Mutants, vol...
referring to him as "dangerous". Kevin, once again, ran away from the institute.
Selene
Kevin went to Mutant Town, and lived in the company of an old lady, who was actually SeleneSelene (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:...
, the Black Queen of the Hellfire Club
Hellfire Club (comics)
The Hellfire Club is a fictional society within the Marvel Comics Universe that often comes into confrontation with the mutant superhero team, the X-Men...
, in disguise. Selene was responsible for the killings of nineteen people in District X
District X
District X, also known as Mutant Town or the Middle East Side, is a fictional location in Marvel Comics. It is a neighborhood in New York City, first seen during Grant Morrison's run on the series New X-Men in New X-Men #127, which was primarily populated by mutants...
and the police tracked her down. Just as Selene (in the guise of the old woman) sucks the life-force out of two of the policemen, she gets shot. Kevin enters the room and watches the old lady fall to the ground and he kills another two policemen in a rage. Wither and Selene are finally shown to be in a lip-locked embrace as Kevin accepts Selene's offer to be her "king" as they fade away, presumably to Selene's dimension.
Necrosha
The Wither/Selene plot continued in Necrosha, which runs through X-Force, New Mutants and X-Men: Legacy, beginning in October 2009. He plays a major role in the storyline. Previews for the upcoming Necrosha event show Wither working with Selene along with other mutants with death related powers. Prior to the events of Necrosha, Wither is living a life of luxury with Selene but he still has feelings for Laurie and because of this is still reluctant to use his powers. Selene takes him into the city and she captures a young couple on a date. She tells Kevin to use his powers to feed off the couple but he remains hesitant. To provoke him Selene uses her sorcery to make the couple appear as Laurie and Elixir, with Elixir taunting him by saying that Kevin hurt Laurie but he was able to fix her and he will make her happy in ways that Kevin never could, before kissing Laurie. Driven to a rage Kevin kills "Elixir" saying that Elixir was finally getting what he deserved. After the man was killed Kevin saw the woman for who she really was but killed her anyway, finally accepting his powers and what he is.Wither is among Selene's Inner Circle, dispatched to retrieve Selene's mystical knife from the X-Men. During the resulting fight, he is distracted by Dust, her transient form proving difficult for him to affect. However, when Onyxx attacks, Wither uses his powers to disintegrate his rocky form, killing him instantly.
During a quarrel with Eli Bard, Wither transforms, revealing that Selene has used her powers to make him an immortal vampire, much like Bard. Bard is then killed immediately after their argument by Selene herself, to Wither's delight. Once Selene absorbs the souls of the resurrected mutants, Wither proudly exclaims "Welcome to the new order!". Elixir and Wither finally face against one another. Wither accuses Elixir of failing to save Wallflower. This causes him to switch from his Gold Healing form to his Black Death form, which overwhelms Wither's destructive power and Elixir kills him, completely disintegrating his body.
Powers and abilities
Wither decays, and eventually disintegrates, organic matter by touch — a power which is involuntary. With extended contact he would reduce almost anything — or anyone — organic to dust. As a result of his power he is only able to wear clothing made of synthetic textiles. This power is even more difficult to deal with due to Kevin's self-styled interpretation that his ability wants him to use it. It has a "hunger", which gives Kevin a desire to use it, though this could just be a psychological aspect of his power. He is also sometimes shown to see things in their decayed form, such as live pigeons appearing to be decayed through his eyes. He had the ability to put out fire with his bare hands in a few issues. During the Necrosha crossover Wither was somehow able to disintegrate and kill Onyxx, despite his granite skin. During a later confrontation with Eli BardEli 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:...
, Wither shows also that he now can turn himself to a vampire-like being, due to Selene's manipulation.
House of M
Wither works alongside Elixir as an interrogator for S.H.I.E.L.D.S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage and a secret military law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 , it often deals with superhuman threats....
Wither uses his power to decay a part of his victim nearly to death, at which point Elixir steps in and uses his power to heal the victim. The process is apparently extremely painful. Wither also wears a containment suit, although Elixir comments that he doesn't need it and only wears it for psychological effect.
X-Men: The End
Wither saves Joanna CargillJoanna Cargill
Joanna Cargill, also known as Frenzy, is a fictional character, a mutant superhuman in the Marvel Comics universe. She has been a member of supervillain groups, including the Alliance of Evil and the Acolytes, as well as the superhero team the X-Men....
from a Warskrull posing as Genesis
Genesis (comics)
Genesis is a fictional character in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a mutant and foe of Cable and Wolverine. He first appeared in a flashback in X-Force #1...
. After he kills the Warskrull he hopes Dani can forgive him for using his powers to kill.