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| Surge | |
|---|---|
 Surge as depicted inNew X-Men #43 (December 2007). Art bySkottie Young. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | New Mutants (vol. 2) #8 (January 2004) |
| Created by | |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Noriko "Nori" Ashida |
| Species | Human mutant |
| Team affiliations | |
| Abilities |
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Noriko "Nori" Ashida is asuperhero appearing in theAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. Created by writersNunzio DeFilippis,Christina Weir, and artistKeron Grant, the characterfirst appeared inNew Mutants vol. 2 #8 (January 2004).[1] Ashida is known under thecodenameSurge.[2] She is amutant—a subspecies of humans born with superhuman abilities—whose powers center onelectricity.[3] She is also a student at theXavier Institute and a former member of theNew Mutants team.
Noriko Ashida debuted inNew Mutants, vol. 2 #8 (January 2004), and was created byNunzio DeFilippis,Christina Weir, andKeron Grant.[4] She subsequently appeared in several Marvel series, includingX-Force for theFrom the Ashes relaunch of theX-Men, joining the team in the first issue and remaining a member until her death in issue #5.[5] Surge returns in issue #10, where she is resurrected as an energy-based being.[6] She also appeared inAge of X-Man: The Amazing Nightcrawler (2019),[7]House of X (2019),[8] andBishop: War College (2022).[9]
In January 2022, Marvel Comics ran a voting contest where voters could pick between one of ten characters to join theX-Men: Surge,Gorgon,Gentle,Armor,Micromax,Penance,Avalanche,Bling!,Firestar, andSiryn.[10] In July 2022, Surge appeared in a digital comic released as a companion to the secondHellfire Gala. This comic revealed that the election had also been held in-universe, with Surge losing the vote.[11]
Noriko Ashida was born in Japan. She was close to her brother, Keitaro, but she ran away from home after her powers manifested; she claimed that her father "doesn't believe in mutants". How she came to the United States is unknown, but she ended up homeless on the streets ofSalem Center, reduced to buying illegal drugs to calm her powers, using stolen money. With no training or practice in the use of her powers, Noriko's body automatically absorbs all nearby electricity and, once fully charged, releases it in a storm of electrical bolts.
Noriko eventually comes to theXavier Institute and is designed specialty gauntlets byBeast to control her powers. She is assigned to theNew Mutants training squad.[12]
Noriko retains her powers afterM-Day and is assigned to be the leader of theNew X-Men. As team leader, she leads assaults onNimrod,[13]Limbo,[14] and thePurifiers.[15]
Surge joins her fellow mutants onUtopia. Surge remains withCyclops afterX-Men: Schism.[16] She is placed in the custody of the Avengers duringAvengers vs X-Men,[17] joins theJean Grey School for Higher Learning after Cyclops' defeat,[18] and shelters inX-Haven during theInhumans vs X-Men event.[19] She is transported to a different plane of reality duringAge of X-Man.[20]
After being freed from the other plane, Surge joins mutantkind onKrakoa.[21] After the fall of Krakoa, Surge joinsForge'sX-Force in theX-Men: From the Ashes line of books.[22] She dies from an overload of her powers when sealing a dimensional rift caused byNuklo. Surge is later resurrected in a form of pure electricity.[23]
Noriko Ashida possesses the mutant ability to absorb and control electricity. She naturally draws in ambient electrical energy—from minor static charges to large-scale electrical attacks—and stores it within her body. Once charged, she can release this energy as powerful lightning blasts or channel it to enhance her physical speed and reflexes. Because her absorption is involuntary and potentially dangerous, she typically relies on specially designed gauntlets to regulate and safely discharge the excess electricity.[24]
Very forthright and strong-minded, Nori often clashes with her peers and superiors, from nearly getting into a brawl with Hellion after he insultedProdigy's baseline status post-M-Day,[25] and challenging Cyclops' assertion that the students are safe at the institute (this taking place immediately after a series of devastating attacks by thePurifiers).[26]
Regardless, Nori is a loyal figure, dedicated to her friends and increasingly feeling the responsibilities placed upon her as the leader of the New X-Men. Surge was particularly incensed by Hellion's decision to rescueMercury from the Faculty without backup, taking it upon herself to mold the team into an effective unit capable of defending the rest of the students.
Marvel writerChristopher Yost has stated that, "Surge is the right candidate, because she wants it the least. And you'll see, it's taking a big toll on her. Being a leader when you're doing team sports and field day exercises is one thing, but leading when the stakes are life and death is another thing."[27]
An alternate universe version of Noriko Ashida from Earth-58163 appears in theHouse of M tie-inNew X-Men: Academy X. This version is a member of the Hellions, a group of junior S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and the daughter of a human terrorist father, who she was separated from at a young age. Due to his involvement during one of the group's missions, Nori is ousted from the Hellions and replaced with Magic. Nonetheless, she recruits help from students of the New Mutant Leadership Institute in traveling to Japan, where they encounter Project Genesis.[28]
An alternate universe version of Noriko Ashida fromEarth-6160 appears inUltimate X-Men (2024).[29][30][31][32][33]
Just like last year, Marvel Comics is running a vote amongst readers to elect a Marvel character onto the X-Men team. This time, choosing from Armor, Avalanche, Bling, Firestar, Gentle, Gorgon, Micromax, Penance, Siryn and Surge.
