| Proteus | |
|---|---|
.png) Artwork for the cover ofX-Men Legacy #233 (February, 2010 Marvel Comics). Art byAdi Granov | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The Uncanny X-Men #125 (September 1979) |
| Created by | Chris Claremont John Byrne |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Kevin MacTaggert[1] |
| Species | Human mutant |
| Notable aliases | Proteus Mutant X |
| Abilities |
|
Kevin MacTaggert, also known asProteus andMutant X, is acharacter appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics and is commonly associated with theX-Men as an antagonist.
Kevin is themutant son of Scottish genetic researcherMoira MacTaggert and politician Joseph MacTaggert. He possesses reality-warping andpossession powers and lived most of his life in forced seclusion at his mother Moira's research facility onMuir Island.
Kevin's attempt to escape Muir Island and find his father, Joseph made up a 1979–80Uncanny X-Men storyline that was adapted inX-Men: The Animated Series. In 2009, Proteus was ranked asIGN's 77th-greatest villain of all time.[2]
Created by writerChris Claremont and artist/co-writerJohn Byrne, Proteus first appeared inThe Uncanny X-Men #125 (September 1979),[3] though hints to his character appeared in earlier issues. He was referenced off-panel inThe Uncanny X-Men #104, and appeared already possessing a host inThe Uncanny X-Men #119.
Kevin MacTaggart is the son of Moira and Joseph MacTaggert[4] and was conceived after Joseph severely beat and raped his wife.[1] Moira leaves Joseph without telling him she was pregnant and raises Kevin at her mutant research centre onMuir Island, off the coast ofScotland. Kevin eventually manifests his mutant abilities, becoming a danger to everyone around him. To protect herself and others, Moira is forced to confine Kevin in a specialized cell and refers to him only as Mutant X.[5][6]
Kevin remains confined for several years until his cell is damaged in a fight betweenMagneto and the X-Men. He escapes by possessing the body of multiple locals,[7] includingPhoenix, but is unable to overcome her psychic powers. Without the esoteric energy fields of his cell to sustain him, Kevin begins to burn his body out, and so begins to possess human host bodies, one after another. He goes afterPolaris next.[5]
The X-Men arrive to confront Kevin, so he flees to the Scottish mainland, but is caught byWolverine andNightcrawler. In the ensuing fight, Kevin rejects the Mutant X label and names himselfProteus after the Greek god of myth and the cell in which he had been confined.[6] He attempts to possessStorm.[8]
Proteus flees toEdinburgh, where he possesses his father, Joseph, and makes a last stand against the X-Men. His host body is destroyed in the battle, but before Proteus can take another host, he is punched byColossus, disrupting his energy form and apparently killing him.[9]
Several years later,A.I.M. attempts to recreate Proteus using a woman named Harness and her mutant son,Piecemeal, to absorb Proteus' dispersed energy. As Piecemeal absorbs the energy, his body grows too large for his system to handle.[10] Eventually, what is left of Proteus'sconsciousness and Piecemeal merged as one being.[11]
The combined efforts of theNew Warriors, the New Mutants, theMuir Islanders, and the originalX-Factor team are not enough to defeat the resulting creature. When the creature decides that it will not be able to find happiness, it decides to disperse itself, effectively committing suicide.[12]
Some time later,Mister Sinister and theGamesmaster attempt to resurrect Proteus by stealing a disc containing his DNA matrix, but are stopped by Nightcrawler,Shadowcat, andRachel Summers.[13]
Kevin encounters theExiles and manages to escape theHouse of M reality by stealing data from the Panoptichron and possessing the bodies of various Exile members, though other reality manipulators such asLongshot seem immune to his powers.[14] Proteus finally possesses the body ofMorph, which does not deteriorate due to his possession.[15]
Perhaps due to lingering memories from his time possessingMimic, Proteus becomes obsessed withBlink,[16] who tricks him into wearing a portable Behavior Modification System and brainwashes him into believing that he is Morph. Unaware of his true identity, he joins the Exiles, much to the discomfort of the other members.[17] He requires regular manipulation by the Behavior Modification System to maintain the brainwashing, but the device is destroyed by chance during a fight between Psylocke andSabretooth.[18]
Morph's consciousness eventually reawakens and confronts Proteus, offering him chance to work together and share his body and powers in order to do good. Proteus accepts and the two began to work in harmony, better than either could alone.[19] Some time later, Proteus and Morph are forcibly separated when the Exiles are absorbed into the Panoptichron; Proteus is absorbed into the walls, but Morph is left behind.[20]
Destiny attempts to telepathically contact her foster-daughterRogue and instead findsBlindfold and passes on her vision.[volume & issue needed]
Proteus is shown to be an inhabitant ofKrakoa, apparently inhabiting a Professor X husk. He joins forces withElixir,Hope Summers,Egg, andTempus asThe Five, who combine their powers to resurrect dead mutants.[21]
Proteus is anOmega-level mutant who possesses a vast psionic ability to manipulate and alter reality. He exists in a state of pure psionic energy and can takepossession of human bodies; however, the bodies of most beings burn out within hours or a few days. Proteus can leave a body before it is destroyed, but he usually does not. No possessed person has been shown able to resist or break free of Proteus's domination. Proteus has access to all the memories of his host while he possesses them and after he has left the body. Proteus has occasionally exhibited some telepathy, perfect recall, and the ability to mentally download computer information.[volume & issue needed]
Proteus' energy form is disrupted by metal, making living beings with metal in their bodies immune to the possession. If his form is disrupted enough, it can be dispersed, essentially killing him until it is reconstituted.
His reality manipulation powers allow him to transmute matter and bend the laws of physics according to his imagination within a certain range. Using this power he can transform objects into other objects or living creatures, transform energy into matter, manipulate weather, affect people's bodies, or strip a person of their powers. Proteus's reality warping ability is temporary and contingent upon line of sight: once out of his sight, any of his changes will be undone.
Because Proteus is a being made of energy, he is virtually immortal, as his consciousness can reform after being disrupted. Proteus has at times exhibited the ability to transport himself inter-dimensionally, though it is unknown if this is an innate power or if he needed to use a connection to thePanoptichron to accomplish this.[volume & issue needed] After his revival through Destiny during the events of Necrosha, Proteus is shown to be able to possess multiple individuals simultaneously.[22]
Proteus' spirit appears inStar Trek/X-Men. Due to a rift created byGary Mitchell, Proteus ends up in theStar Trek universe, where he reanimated and inhabits Mitchell's corpse, which does not deteriorate. While chasingDeathbird, the X-Men team up with the crew of theUSSEnterprise to stop Proteus and Deathbird.[23]
An alternate universe version of Proteus from Earth-1610 namedDavid Xavier appears inUltimate X-Men. After escaping his mother Moira MacTaggert's keep on Muir Island, he seeks out his father Charles Xavier to kill him and kill thousands around the world to discredit the X-Men before David and Charles are eventually killed byColossus.[24]
Proteus appears in a self-titled two-part episode ofX-Men: The Animated Series, voiced byStuart Stone.[citation needed] This version is able to assume human form at will and his possession abilities are not lethal.