Morlocks (comics)
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| Morlocks | |
 Callisto and the Morlocks. Art by Jim Cheung. |
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| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Uncanny X-Men #169 |
| Created by | Chris Claremont Paul Smith |
| In story information | |
| Base(s) | formerly the Alley, New York sewer system formerly the Hill dimension Selima Oasis, North Africa. |
| Member(s) | Bliss Erg Leech Litterbug Masque - Leader Skids Marrow - Associate |
The Morlocks are a group of several fictional comic book mutants associated with the X-Men in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Paul Smith, they were named after the subterranean race of the same name in H. G. Wells' novel The Time Machine. They first appeared as a group in Uncanny X-Men #169 (May 1983). (Caliban appeared prior to that (in Uncanny X-Men #148), but he was not identified at that point as part of a larger Morlock civilization.)
Unable to pass as normal due to the external physical changes their mutations caused, the Morlocks squatted in a network of abandoned, interconnected tunnels beneath Manhattan, which had originally been built as Cold War bomb shelters and then forgotten. The Morlocks were largely a peaceful group but misguided attempts to gain something from the surface world occasionally brought them into conflicts. The most famous incident ended with Morlock leader Callisto losing a duel to Storm, who then was made their honorary leader.
Due to a series of tragedies, the original Morlocks no longer reside in subterranean New York (except Marrow who was one of the originals as a child), although a violent splinter cell Gene Nation and a comparable group called Those Who Live in Darkness have emerged. Similar groups, called Morlocks by readers and/or the X-Men themselves, have appeared under Chicago and London.
The Morlocks appeared occasionally in the 1990s X-Men animated series and its successor X-Men: Evolution.
Contents |
[edit] History
The X-Men were alerted to the existence of the Morlocks after Callisto, their leader, kidnapped the X-Man Angel and intended to make him her mate. The X-Men realized they could not rescue Angel without ruling over the numerous Morlocks. This brought Nightcrawler to challenge Callisto to a duel. The prize of the duel was to become the leader of the Morlocks.
Storm, feeling that she should be the one to duel Callisto (as leader of the X-Men) defeated her in hand-to-hand combat. She rescued Angel and became the de facto leader of the Morlocks. Against her wishes, the Morlocks later kidnapped the child superheroes Power Pack so that they could be raised by the Morlock Annalee, who had lost her own children. When Power Pack confronted Annalee, she let them go willingly. They promised to return in the future to keep her company.
A majority of the Morlocks were slaughtered by Mister Sinister's Marauders in the Mutant Massacre (or Morlock Massacre). Most of the few survivors moved to Gene Nation in a parallel dimension. Some of the survivors of the massacre who didn't move to Gene Nation include Leech, Artie, Erg, Beautiful Dreamer and Caliban. It was later revealed that many of the Morlocks were failed experiments of the Dark Beast, which is why Mr. Sinister sought to destroy them, seeing his handiwork in them.
Recently, a new group which calls itself "Those Who Live in Darkness" have inhabited the sewer tunnels just below the surface of Mutant Town/District X. District X writer David Hine claims to never have intended this group to have any ties to the original Morlocks.
[edit] Membership
| Character | Real Name | Joined In | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Founding Member | |||
| Dark Beast | Dr. Henry McCoy | Unknown | He is from the timeline Age of Apocalypse. Formerly part of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and infiltrated the X-Men, posing as Beast. Although he was never classed as a Morlock, he sees himself as the creator and the Gene Nation called him the "first one". His current whereabouts is unknown since helping Hank McCoy in Kentucky. |
| Masque | Jack MacNaughton | Uncanny X-Men #169 | Former leader following the mutant massacre. Led a splinter group called the Tunnelers. He was impaled by Shatterstar, but revealed alive. Current leader of what is left of the Morlocks following M-Day. |
| Callisto | Alexandra Gabler | Uncanny X-Men #179 | Former leader of the Morlocks. Her arms were later turned into tentacles by Masque. She aided Magneto and Professor X in Genosha. Although she never appeared with the original lineup, she was later revealed to have been a founding member. Former member of X-Cell. Currently depowered and her whereabouts is unknown. |
| Caliban | August Hoffer | Uncanny X-Men #169 | Later became a Horseman of Apocalypse, Death, and later Pestilence. Former member of X-Factor and X-Force. Joined the X-Men just before Messiah Complex, but died saving Warpath. |
| Sunder | Mark Hallett | Uncanny X-Men #169 | Joined the impromptu Muir Island X-Men team. He was shot and killed by Pretty Boy of the Reavers. |
| Pre-Mutant Massacare | |||
| Plague | unrevealed | Uncanny X-Men #169 | Later became Pestilence of the Horsemen of Apocalypse. Died falling off her flying horse in X-Factor #25. |
| Storm | Ororo Munroe | Uncanny X-Men #170 | Defeated Callisto in a duel to become the leader of the Morlocks, although she was never classed as a Morlock. Former member of the Fantastic Four and current queen of Wakanda. She will be rejoining the X-Men following Divided We Stand storyline. |
| Healer | unrevealed | Uncanny X-Men #170 | He died healing and restoring Callisto in Uncanny X-Men #291. |
| Jo | unrevealed | Uncanny X-Men #179 | Her debut was her only appearance as a Morlock. She was the bridesmaid to Kitty Pryde during the wedding between Kitty and Caliban. Current whereabouts unknown. |
| Leech | Simon Lee | Uncanny X-Men #179 | He is the adopted son of Annalee. Former member of the X-Terminators and Generation X. He was later a student of the Xavier Institute and befriended Juggernaut, until his death. He was assumed to be a member of The 198. Following M-Day, he was captured by the Morlocks and forced to be a member. |
| Annalee | Presumably Annalee | Uncanny X-Men #193 | Adoptive mother of Leech. Shot and killed by Scalphunter. |
| Annalee's four children | Unknown | Uncanny X-Men #193 | All shot and killed by Scalphunter. |
| Piper | unrevealed | Power Pack #11 | Killed by the Marauders |
| Erg | Andreas Konig | Power Pack #12 | Was a painter before joining the Morlocks. Member of The 198 and current member of the Morlocks. |
| Ape | unrevealed | Power Pack #12 | Captured by Weapon X and sent to the Neverland concentration camp, where he died. |
| Tar Baby | unrevealed | Power Pack #12 | Captured by Weapon X and sent to the Neverland concentration camp, where he died. |
| Beautiful Dreamer | Ilona Bean | Power Pack #12 | Often altered memories of those "recruited" as Morlocks. Was presumed to be killed during the Mutant Massacre, but listen as alive and powered post-Decimation. |
| Skids | Sally Blevins | X-Factor #7 | Resented because she was seen as the prettiest of the Morlocks (force field protected her from scars). She left and became a ward of X-Factor. After M-Day, she became a follower of Apocalypse and befriended Scalphunter. Later worked for SHIELD as a spy in the Morlocks. |
| Mutant Massacre | |||
| Tommy | unrevealed | Uncanny X-Men #210 | Shot by Scalphunter during her debut appearance with the Morlocks after she accidentally led the Marauders to the Morlocks' home. It was later revealed to be Gambit's doing though. |
| Cybelle | Unknown | Uncanny X-Men #211 | Killed by Harpoon during the Mutant Massacre. |
| Zeek | Presumably Zeek | X-Factor #10 | Killed by Harpoon during the Mutant Massacre. |
| Scaleface | Unknown | X-Factor #11 | Former member of Masque's splinter group, the Tunnelers. Shot and killed by police in her reptile-form. |
| Berzerker | unrevealed | X-Factor #11 | Former member of Masque's splinter group, the Tunnelers. Killed by electrocuting himself using his own powers. |
| Blowhard | unrevealed | X-Factor #11 | Former member of Masque's splinter group, the Tunnelers. Shot and killed by a local gang. |
| Post-Mutant Massacre | |||
| Lightning Bug | unrevealed | Marvel Comics Presents #15 | Killed in the Mutant Massacre; however, an astral essence survived and ends up searching out a new form to inhabit. Her essence later perished. |
| Chickenwings | Unknown | X-Factor #51 | Killed by Sabretooth. |
| Mole | unrevealed | X-Factor #51 | It is implied he is killed by Sabretooth. |
| Bliss | Barbara Stacey | Uncanny X-Men #261 | Current member of the Morlocks. |
| Bouncer | Unknown | Uncanny X-Men #261 | Current whereabouts is unknown |
| Samson | Unknown | New Mutants #90 | Killed by Sabretooth. |
| Brute | unrevealed | New Mutants #91 | Shot and killed by Cable. Hump's brother. |
| Hump | Unrevealed | New Mutants #91 | Brute's brother. Current whereabouts is unknown. |
| Pixie | Unknown | Ghost Rider vol. 3 #9 | Led a splinter group of Morlocks on the run from Masque. Murdered by Blackout. This is not the same Pixie as the X-Man Pixie. |
| Bertram | Presumably Bertram | Ghost Rider vol. 3 #9 | Current whereabouts is unknown. |
| Feral | Maria Callasantos | New Mutants #99 | Later left the Morlocks for X-Force. She was depowered as a results to M-Day, only to regain mutations and be killed by Sabretooth. |
| Pester | Unknown | Web of Spider-Man #77 | Daughter of Mother Inferior; current whereabouts is unknown. |
| Ent | Unknown | Web of Spider-Man #77 | Current whereabouts is unknown |
| Mother Inferior | Unknown | Web of Spider-Man #77 | Crushed and killed by falling debris. |
| Thornn | Lucia Callasantos | X-Force #6 | Left the Morlocks following the Great Flood. Depowered as of M-Day, but later regained her mutation again. |
| The Hill | |||
| Mikhail Rasputin | Mikhail Rasputin | Uncanny X-Men #291 | Former leader of the Morlocks. Transported them to the Hill Dimension, where he became king and forced them to fight for survival. Also flooded the tunnels, making everyone to believe all the Morlocks to be dead. Current is in the Dark Zone. |
| Meme | Unknown | Uncanny X-Men #292 | Mind was shut down (therefore making him braindead) by Jean Grey to rescue the humans he absorbed. |
| Monte | Unknown | Uncanny X-Men #292 | Current whereabouts is unknown. |
| Brain Cell | Kevin | Uncanny X-Men #292 | Current whereabouts is unknown. |
| Marrow | Sarah | Cable #15 | Later returned from the Hill dimension to form a terrorist group called the Gene Nation. Killed by Storm soon after, but revealed alive when finding out she has a second heart. Former member of the X-Men, SHIELD, X-Cell, and Weapon X. Depowered as of M-Day. Currently is an associate to the remaining Morlocks. |
| Marilou | Marilou | Storm #1 | Killed by Mikhail Rasputin. |
| Africa & The Gene Nation | |||
| Boost | unrevealed | Uncanny X-Men Annual 1997 | One of the surviving Morlocks that was relocated to Africa; however defected to the Brotherhood. Now depowered as of M-Day. |
| Tether | Uncanny X-Men Annual 1997 | One of the surviving Morlocks relocated to Africa; however defected to the Brotherhood. Depowered as of M-Day; current whereabouts is unknown. | |
| D'Gard | unrevealed | Uncanny X-Men Annual 1997 | Became leader of the African Morlocks and made Storm relinquish her leadership. Killed by Marrow as a sign of loyalty to the new Weapon X. |
| Revelation | Unknown | Wolverine/Punisher Revelation #1 | Revealed to have been in suspended animation around the time of Storm's leadership. Died in Punisher's arms. |
| Soteira | Unknown | Wolverine/Punisher Revelation #2 | Revealed to be around at the time of Storm's leadership, but never shown in comics. Was the scientist that put Revelation in suspended animation. Appeared as a hologram telling Wolverine and Punisher of her death. |
| Carver | Unknown | Wolverine vol. 2 #157 | Leader of a Morlock splinter group of Massacre and Flood survivors living by old Morlock rules. Current whereabouts is unknown. |
| Fugue | Unknown | Wolverine vol. 2 #157 | Member of Carver's splinter group. |
| Chicago Morlocks | |||
| Angel Dust | Christine | Morlocks #1 | She ran away from home to protect her family from Sentinel attacks. Depowered as of M-Day. |
| Cell | unrevealed | Morlocks #1 | Former robber and gang member. Executed by Sentinels. |
| Electric Eve | Eve | Morlocks #1 | Former heroin addict and former prostitute. Current whereabouts is unknown. |
| Litterbug | unrevealed | Morlocks #1 | New member of the New York Morlocks. |
| Postman | David | Morlocks #1 | Former leader of the Chicago Morlocks. Now depowered as of M-Day. |
| Shatter | unrevealed | Morlocks #1 | Now depowered as of M-Day. |
| Trader | unrevealed | Morlocks #1 | Former stock broker before turning mutant; however killed after taking a bullet meant for Electric Eve. |
[edit] After M-Day
After M-Day, Some former Morlocks who lost their powers were Angel Dust, Boost, Irving, Qwerty, Delphi, Callisto, Marrow, Postman, Shatter, Tether and the probability of Feral and Thornn. However, Feral and Thornn were later seen re-powered; but this was later to be revealed in Wolverine (vol. 3) #54-55 that only their physical mutations were restored {but now their mutant powers}, in which led to Feral being killed by Sabretooth.
In one of Generation M's "Ex-Mutants' Diaries," Sally interviews Marrow about the Morlocks. Marrow reports that 80% of the remaining Morlocks (which was most likely already very small) are depowered now and look like humans. She states that most of them are still afraid about going out of the tunnels.
Some former Morlocks who actually kept their powers sought refugee at Xavier's Institute and became known as 198. They are Beautiful Dreamer, Caliban, Erg, Leech, and Skids.
Dark Beast and Mikhail Rasputin are also still powered, though Mikhail is in The Dark Zone.
[edit] Other Groups
[edit] London Tunnel Dwellers
In Uncanny X-Men #397-398, parts 3 and 4 of the Poptopia story, a group of Morlocks living in the underground tunnels of London are introduced. They were being pursued by an agent of the Church of Humanity named Mr. Clean --a genetically engineered human who was stalking and killing mutants. This was their first and last appearance. It is unknown whether or not they survived the persecution of the Church of Humanity.
- Burning Puddle[1] - Son of Miss Saccharine. Sweats acid; current whereabouts and status unknown.
- Carla[2] - Mole-like woman; current whereabouts and status unknown.
- Double Helix[3] - Two-headed man; current whereabouts and status unknown.
- Harmony[4] - Mother of Hope. Has gills; current whereabouts and status unknown.
- Hope[5] - Harmony's newborn baby; current whereabouts and status unknown.
- Miss Saccharine[6] - Elderly woman and mother of Burning Puddle whose sweat is a sugar-like substance; current whereabouts and status unknown.
[edit] Other versions
[edit] Ultimate Universe
In Ultimate X-Men #80 Nightcrawler saves Morlocks member Pyro who was outnumbered while fighting the Friends of Humanity, as well as the Police. Other members shown as of issue #82 are Callisto, Sparks, Sunder (who was the leader) and Caliban. After a fight with the X-Men (who were trying to rescue Toad), the Morlocks elected Nightcrawler as their new leader. In #90 Mister Sinister finishes his 10 mutant kills at the Morlock base on of the kills includes Leech and Angel.
[edit] In other media
[edit] Television
- The Morlocks appear in X-Men: The Animated Series. It's members are Callisto, Erg, Masque, Sunder, Plague, Annalee, Ape, Scaleface, Tommy, Tar Baby, Mole, Glowworm, and Caliban. They first appear in "Captive Hearts" where the Morlocks captured Cyclops and Jean Grey. The X-Men led by Storm then came to get Jean and Cyclops back. In the end after a duel between Storm and Callisto, not only did the X-Men get Cyclops and Jean back, Storm also gained leadership of the Morlocks. Several of the Morlocks would have susbequent cameos outside of the sewers (an example being "Sanctuary"). They would have a major role to play in the episode "Out of the Past" and were last seen in "Have Yourself a Morlock Little X-Mas".
- The Morlocks have appeared in the X-Men: Evolution episode "X-Treme Measures." The members of the Morlocks represented include Callisto, Caliban, Cybelle, and Scaleface. The series also invented the Morlocks Facade (a mutant with camouflage powers), Lucid (a mutant with X-Ray vision), and Torpid (a mutant with a paralyzing touch). They attacked a beverage factory because something in the drinks is poisonous to mutants. It leaked into the tunnels, causing some of the unnamed members to fall ill. Spyke later joined them to protect the weaker Morlocks. 'The Uprising', an episode in the fourth season, shows Spyke protecting the Morlocks and convincing them not to stay hidden.
[edit] Films
- The Morlocks appear in X-Men: The Last Stand, though never mentioned by that name. Instead, they are referred to as The Omegas. Callisto is still the leader, but other members (including Quill, Arclight, Psylocke, Spike, Phat, Anole, and Glob Herman) are pulled from other parts of the X-Men universe. Leech also appears in the film, with no apparent connection to the Morlocks.
[edit] Video games
- In the video game X-Men Legends the X-Men must go on a mission to rescue Gambit from the Morlocks. Marrow is the leader of the militant Gene Nation. It is represented as a faction of Morlocks. Healer also plays an important part in the game as he sells health and energy potions to the player. Aside from Marrow and Healer are a substantial number of unnamed Morlock Grunts, Morlock Claws, Morlock Goths, Morlock Lieutenants, Morlock Giants, Morlock Leviathans, and Morlock Blades.
- In X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse, the Morlocks continue being violent to the X-Men, but Marrow has joined Moira McTaggert and others in helping rescue refugees.
