Acolytes (comics)

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Acolytes
The newest incarnation of the Acolytes. Art by Humberto Ramos
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	X-Men v2, #1 (1991)
Created by	Chris Claremont Jim Lee
In story information
Base(s)	Genosha Avalon Mount Saint Francis, France Asteroid M Muir Island
Member(s)	Exodus Unuscione Cargill Voght Malice Tempo Random
Roster
See:Full list in article

The Acolytes is a team of comic book mutant supervillains in the Marvel Comics universe. The Acolytes followed the principles of the mutant Magneto, particularly the mutant right of superiority over normal humans. Some members of the Acolytes even worshipped him with a religious fervor and regarded him as the “mutant messiah.” The Acolytes first appeared in X-Men vol. 2 #1 (October 1991) and were created by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee.

[edit] Fictional history

The Acolytes were first a group of desperate mutants on the run from S.H.I.E.L.D. soldiers, led originally by Fabian Cortez. Magneto housed them on his space station, Asteroid M, giving the mutants refuge. Due to events arranged and manipulated by Fabian Cortez, the first group of Acolytes perished. Cortez characterized their deaths and the assumed death of Magneto as martyrdom to further his cause against normal humanity.

Cortez formed and led a second group of Acolytes whose first mission was to attack a school for the handicapped, Our Mother of the Sacred Heart, to find a child who would one day become a powerful mutant. The X-Men interfered with their attack and the Acolytes retreated. Afterwards, the Acolytes kidnapped Moira MacTaggert. Fabian Cortez’s reason was to ascertain whether Magneto was alive. Moira was rescued by the X-Men. The Acolytes’ next attack was on a hospital. Four members of the Acolytes were involved in killing several dying, hospitalized humans. Next, the team attempted an aborted attack on a military base. They were opposed by X-Factor and their mercenary ally Random. The attack on the base actually proved beneficial because it was a way for Fabian to attempt to coerce Quicksilver, the son of Magneto, to join his cause. Meanwhile, Magneto returned to hatch his plan of revenge. Magneto recruited Exodus, in order to reclaim the Acolytes in his name.

[edit] Fall of Avalon

After the events of Fatal Attractions and the Age of Apocalypse, the Acolytes found a cocoon drifting in space. They brought it aboard and awoke Holocaust. Holocaust went on a rampage, killing several members of the Acolytes; Javitz, Rusty Collins and Milan. In his duel with Exodus, the Acolytes’ new space station, Avalon, was destroyed. Jean Grey and Cyclops were teleported there by Voght to help the remaining Acolytes. Skids was rescued by Jean Grey, while former X-Man Colossus put a comatised Magneto into a lifepod and sent him to Earth. Meanwhile Cyclops crash-landed with some of the 'hardcore' Acolytes and ended up in the Australian Outback, it was his ingenuity and knowledge and the assistance of Scanner that kept them alive.

[edit] Genosha

Some time passed before the Acolytes reformed. When Magneto was granted control of Genosha, he reconstituted the Acolytes, with new and old, surviving members. He used the Acolytes as a force to help him gain control over the war-torn island. After the civil war, the Acolytes and Genosha prospered, but the prosperity did not last. After the Eve of Destruction storyline, the Acolytes were not prepared for the worst. Genosha was attacked by a “wild Sentinel” programmed by Cassandra Nova. Genosha was destroyed along with millions of its mutant population. Most of the Acolytes remained unaccounted for, with only Exodus, Voght, Senyaka, Cargill and Unuscione known to be alive at the time. Later more Acolytes showed up to be alive as well.

[edit] After M-Day

Later it was revealed Scanner is still alive but de-powered after the events of M-Day

The Acolytes resurfaced after the events of Decimation, consisting of returning members Exodus and Cargill, Random who aided them in a mission before, and former Mutant Liberation Front member Tempo. They planned to use S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Helicarrier to find the locations of latent mutants, but discovered the mutant gene had been wiped out making the remaining mutants an endangered species. After a battle with the X-Men, the Acolytes fled and sought out a way to replenish the mutant population. Exodus, Cargill, Tempo, Unuscione, and Random were confirmed to be members of the newest incarnation of the team^[1], as well as Senyaka, still in his Acolytes uniform, who took on Deadpool on the island of Providence while the Marauders Gambit and Sunfire attacked Cable. It has been revealed that the Acolytes were being used by Sinister to obtain Destiny's Diaries and kill Blindfold^[2].

[edit] Messiah Complex

As the Marauders, the X-Men and the Purifiers race to find the first mutant baby born since M-Day, the X-Men seek out former Acolytes Projector, Neophyte, Gargouille and Vindaloo to try and interrogate information to Exodus' whereabouts as they believe that he and Sinister reached the child first.^[3] Afterwards, they track down Amelia Voght for the same purpose where they finally receive the information they were looking for.^[4]

[edit] X-Men: Legacy

The Acolytes are currently recurring characters in X-Men: Legacy, where Exodus attempts to revive Professor X after being shot by Bishop.

[edit] Members

[edit] Alternate versions

[edit] Marvel Zombies

In Marvel Zombies, where this universe Marvel superheroes (The Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Hulk, Daredevil, and the others superheroes) have been infected by an unknown virus and turned into flesh eating zombies and killed most of the humans population for their food. The Acolytes (The Acolytes shown are Fabian Cortez, Joanna Cargill, Scanner, Lisa Hendricks, Reynolds, Burns and several unnamed members) and a surviving X-Men member Forge seems to be some of the few survivors hiding in the third Asteroid M. After Magneto (who appears to be the only mutant left uninfected on Earth) helped Reed Richards from the Ultimate Universe and the other three survivors escape using Reed’s machine, he destroyed the machine, so the zombies could not use the machine to go to Reed's Ultimate Universe. He was then contacted by the Acolytes, who offered to send him a shuttle. Magneto, however, told them to wait until he was out of New York City, but was shortly thereafter killed by the zombies. Upon returning to Earth the Acolytes couldn’t find Magneto, but discover a still-living Black Panther and zombie Wasp “head,” Cortez recognized that the Black Panther is a human and alive. But the other Acolytes think it’s a trick because Panther was also carrying the zombie Wasp head. Cortez warns his teammates to stand down, because they don’t know anything about the Panther, so they can’t do anything yet.

Burns disagrees and moves to kill Panther. In self-defense, Black Panther flings the Wasp head at Burns, and it kills him with a bite to the jugular. The other Acolytes start fighting Panther, but Cortez orders everyone to stop fighting immediately. Cortez stated that Burns has disobeyed his direct order and paid for it with his life. Cortez informs that Panther only defended himself because the Acolytes attacked him, so he can’t be punished for that.

Panther expresses that he wants to go with the Acolytes to Asteroid M, if that means the zombies or the virus can’t reach him there. Cortez promises they’ll do that, because he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he left another human being behind. The other Acolytes protest against it, but Cortez is confident, as he wants to ensure the survival of his species, and therefore can use all the help they can get. The others realize they don’t have much choice and agree with it, but they want to kill the Wasp first. Black Panther refuses, because he wants her to come to Asteroid M with them. Even Cortez isn’t so sure about it, but agrees to take the Wasp with them.

After the Acolytes and Black Panther arrive on Asteroid M, Reynolds decided to study and learn more about the zombies by using the Wasp as a specimen. Reynolds said that he could maybe even find a cure. Later, Forge arrives and introduces himself to Panther. One of the Acolytes, Lisa Hendricks, takes an immediate romantic interest in the Black Panther.

The story skips five years later when the Acolytes, Forge, Black Panther and the Wasp (still a zombie, but now with a robotic body) land back on earth. They look around and see nothing left except plantlife and the ruins of old cities. Cortez stated that the zombies could still be around and they have to stay alert. Black Panther has married Hendricks and they have a baby, K’Shamba. Hendricks tells Panther and Cortez that they are surely alone, there is no life left on the planet and no death, either. Reynolds and the Wasp also state that all the zombies have vanished after Reynolds completes his sensor sweep. Reynolds, using the thermal reading, indicates there are no living humans left. By using the motion reading, he indicates there is no living human or zombie left on earth. The zombies are nowhere to be found; they either died or left the planet. Reynolds said that he doesn’t know where the remaining zombies went, but Cortez and Panther are interested in finding out. This makes the Acolytes, Forge, and Black Panther the last survivors of the human species.

In the prequel, it is revealed that Magneto and Fabian Cortez made a deal with an unknown entity to bring the virus to earth.

[edit] Ultimate X-Men

In Ultimate X-Men, the Acolytes are a fanatical paramilitary offshoot of the Brotherhood of Mutant Supremacy, which branched off following Magneto’s first defeat in opposition to the relatively pacifist leadership of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch.

[edit] Other media

[edit] Television

In the X-Men Animated Series, the Acolytes appear in the “Sanctuary” storyline, in which Magneto builds Asteroid M as a safe haven for all mutants to live away from the hatred of baseline humans. The Acolytes, led by Fabian Cortez, aid Magneto in the liberation of the Genoshan mutant slaves from the hands of the Genoshan Magistrates. After Magneto is betrayed by Cortez and believed to have been killed by the X-Men, the Acolytes pledge their loyalty to Cortez, though they turn on him after he’s exposed. Francisco Millan is shown in a video screen as one of the scientists that helped Magneto build Asteroid M. Suvik Senyaka makes a cameo appearance in the episode “Secrets No Longer Buried,” as one of the residents of the mutant-dominated community of Skull Mesa. The Acolytes shown here are:

• Fabian Cortez
• Amelia Voght
• Marco Delgado
• Chrome
• Carmela Unuscione
• Joanna Cargill
• Byron Calley (a member of the obscure second Brotherhood of Evil Mutants in the comics).

In the X-Men: Evolution animated series, the Acolytes are the second team of Magneto, after he left The Brotherhood. The other members of the team are:

• Gambit
• Pyro
• Colossus
• Sabretooth
• Mastermind.

[edit] Video games

The Acolytes appear in the video game X-Men Legends. Though no actual Acolyte members are shown, Acolyte Warrior Elites and Acolyte Adept Elites serve at the foot soldiers of the Brotherhood of Mutants.

• In Magneto’s ending in X-Men vs. Street Fighter, he has killed M. Bison, the leader of Shadaloo. After seeing the demise of their leader, Sagat, Vega, and Balrog volunteered to become new members of the Acolytes. Magneto allows them to join, despite the fact they aren’t mutants (even though they are superhuman in their own right). This ending (along with the Marvel vs. Capcom series in its entirety) is non-canon.

[edit] Bibliography

• Avengers Vol. 1 #357, 368–369, 380–382
• Avengers West Coast #101
• Cable #9–11
• Excalibur Vol. 1 #71, 106
• Heroes for Hire #8–9, 15–17
• Magneto #1–4
• Magneto: Dark Seduction #1–4
• Magneto Rex #1–3
• Quicksilver #1, 4–9, 11–12
• Uncanny X-Men #298–300, 304, 315, 366–367, 379–380, 392–393
• X-Factor Vol. 1 #92
• X-Force Vol. 1 #25, 94–95
• X-Men vol. 2, #1–3, 25–26, 42–44, 86–87, 96, 98–99, 111–113; 200-202
• X-Men: Magneto War
• X-Men: Prime
• X-Men Unlimited Vol. 1 #2, 27
• X-Men Annual Vol. 2 #1 (2007)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Acolytes Official Marvel Bio
• ACOLYTES—An in-depth profile of the team and various incarnations, at UXN.