| Unus the Untouchable | |
|---|---|
_from_Official_Handbook_of_the_Marvel_Universe_Vol_1_11_001.jpg) Unus the Untouchable as depicted inOfficial Handbook of the Marvel Universe #11 (August 1983). | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | X-Men #8 (November 1964) |
| Created by | Stan Lee (writer) Jack Kirby (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Angelo "Unus" Unuscione; legally changed to Gunther Bain |
| Species | Human mutant |
| Team affiliations | Factor Three Brotherhood of Mutants Secret Empire Unus' Gang |
| Abilities | Force field generation Hand-to-hand combat |
Unus the Untouchable (also known asGunther Bain, bornAngelo Unuscione) is asupervillain appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. Unus is amutant, and is named for his ability to consciously project an invisibleforce field which protects him from harm.
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Unus first appeared inX-Men #8 (November 1964), and was created byStan Lee andJack Kirby.[1]
Angelo Unuscione was born inMilan, Italy. After his arrival in the United States, he legally changed his name to Gunther Bain.[2] He became a wrestler, and, whenBeast briefly left the X-Men, he was able to defeat him in a wrestling match.[3] Once in America, he sought out theBrotherhood of Mutants to join them. He turned criminal, and joined with the Brotherhood as they fought theX-Men. During the battle, his powers were enhanced by a shot fired from Beast's gun, increasing his power beyond his ability to control it, and making him unable to touch anything. He promised to reform, and his normal power level was restored by Beast.[3] He became a good friend of theBlob,[4] and they teamed up together on various schemes, such as posing as the X-Men and framing them for robbery,[4] before both mutants went their separate ways. It was revealed the alien invaderLucifer was behind this, and had made sure Beast's weapon did not work on Unus anymore.[volume & issue needed]
Unus then joined the villainous organization Factor Three in a conspiracy to conquer Earth. They fought the X-Men, but turned against theMutant Master when the latter was exposed as an extraterrestrial.[5] Unus later visitedOgre at their Mt. Charteris base.[6] However, shortly after he was captured bySentinels alongside several others mutants, but was later released,[7][8] after which he teamed with Blob andMastermind as agents of the secondSecret Empire; they were defeated by Beast,[9] and then held prisoner by the Secret Empire. Unus then joined an incarnation ofMagneto'sBrotherhood of Evil Mutants.[10] As a member of the Brotherhood, Unus joined in their battle against the X-Men and Kruger.[11] Alongside the Brotherhood, Unus battled theDefenders, but Magneto and the Brotherhood were reduced to infancy by their team memberAlpha the Ultimate Mutant.[12] Unus and the others were kept atMuir Island.[13]
When the Brotherhood was reverted to adulthood and reorganized, Unus teamed with theVanisher, Blob, and Mastermind and fought alongside the group against theChampions.[14] However, he left the team disheartened.[volume & issue needed]
He came in conflict withDoc Samson,[15] andPower Man, and then embarked on a New York crime spree, but was defeated byIron Fist and Power Man.[16]
Not long after, Unus decided to retire from the life of the organized supervillain, deciding to use his talents in less "lofty" ways; he was making a living as a wrestler.[volume & issue needed] At some point, he fathered the Canadian mutantRadius.[17] It is also believed that theAcolyteCarmella Unuscione is either his daughter or sister, but no official confirmation of this has ever been given.[citation needed]
Coming out of retirement and teaming with his friend the Blob again, Unus discovered, during a fight against theHulk, that his powers had become nearly uncontrollable, and his field was smashed by the Hulk.[18] Unus lost control of his powers and his force-field became so thick that it suffocated him, causing him to lose consciousness. Blob, believing Unus to be dead, rampaged through Brooklyn, leading to a fight with bothSpider-Man andBlack Cat.[19]
Years later, Unus reappeared on the decimated island ofGenosha,[20] traumatized by the devastation and speaking of "ghosts". Usually arrogant and somewhat fearless, due in no small part to his invulnerable force field, he was shaken by apparent "ghosts" being able to pass through it. At some point, he stopped seeing them, and returned to his former hubris.
Unus later formed his owngang of mutant rebels (which includedCaiman,Glamour,Hub,Lightning Rod,Paralyzer,Toad, andToad-In-Waiting), trying to survive on the harsh island that Genosha had become.[21] They most commonly had arguments with Professor Charles Xavier and Magneto, and surprisingly never recognized Magneto out of costume. In their first confrontation, the mutant known asFreakshow ends up literally swallowing Unus in order to end the tensions. His powers protected him.[22]
Unus leads Appraiser and Stripmine, two superhuman poachers, to Genosha which caused him to be at odds with all the remaining mutants on Genosha.[23][24]
Unus stayed on the island until before theHouse of M,[volume & issue needed] and was depowered after the events ofDecimation.[volume & issue needed]
Unus is later found byQuicksilver on Genosha, who restores his powers using Terrigen Mist.[25] TheOffice of National Emergency soon step in and take the mists from Quicksilver and his daughterLuna.Lockjaw teleports Luna and Pietro away before ONE can capture them, leaving a battle between the Inhumans and the repowered mutants of Genosha. During the fight withKarnak Unus's powers evolve beyond his control, forming a pink force field that suffocates and kills him despite everyone trying to save him. Karnak mourned his death.[26]
During the "Necrosha" event, Unus is among the many deceased mutants resurrected bySelene andEli Bard using theTransmode Virus.[27]
Unus later turns up alive and attacks the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. Spider-Man defeated Unus by covering his forcefield with webs and Toad took care of him.[28]
Unus becomes a citizen ofKrakoa during theKrakoan Age.[29]
Unus the Untouchable is amutant who possesses the power to generate a field of invisible psionic energy around his body. The field acts to deflect objects and even energy beams, and can withstand great concussive force. Normally, Unus can control the force field at will and certain types of radiant energy, such as sunlight, can pass through the field, as do air and sound waves (at least within certain unknown limits). Unus has deflected beams of energy, objects of high mass, objects traveling at high speed and telepathy, including that ofCharles Xavier. Unus was at one point vulnerable toBeast's ray gun that augmented his force field power beyond his control.[3]
In later years due to the effects of the Terrigen Mists, Unus's power again became uncontrollable for unknown reasons, finally repelling air molecules.[26]
Unus's force field was not impenetrable, and could be disrupted by a sufficiently powerful force. The Hulk did this on two occasions, the first time by simply shattering it with a punch enhanced by his anger.[18]
Unus is also a skilled wrestler.
An alternate universe variant of Unus the Untouchable from Earth-295 appears inAge of Apocalypse. This version is a servant of Apocalypse who is later killed byIceman.[30]
An alternate universe variant of Unus the Untouchable from Earth-58163 appears inHouse of M. This version is a lieutenant ofExodus, who tasked him with eradicating humanity.[31]
An alternate universe variant of Unus the Untouchable from Earth-1610 makes minor appearances in theUltimate Marvel imprint. This version is a member ofMagneto'sBrotherhood who possesses additional mind-control abilities. InThe Ultimates 3, Unus is killed byThor.[32]
An alternate universe variant of Unus the Untouchable from Earth-90214 appears inX-Men Noir. This version is a human mob boss and a rival of theBrotherhood, who later kill him.[33]
