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| Elixir | |
|---|---|
 Elixir as depicted inNew X-Men (vol. 2) #33 (February 2007). Art by Paco Medina. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | New Mutants (vol. 2) #5 (November 2003) |
| Created by | Nunzio DeFilippis Christina Weir Keron Grant |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Joshua "Josh" Foley |
| Species | Human mutant |
| Team affiliations | New Mutants training squad New X-Men Reavers Xavier Institute X-Force X-Men-In-Training The Five |
| Abilities |
|
Elixir (Joshua "Josh"Foley) is a character appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics, primarily in association with theX-Men. Elixir has the mutant ability of biokinesis, able to manipulate biological matter in a number of ways.
Formerly a member of theReavers, an anti-mutant criminal group, Elixir later reforms and joins theXavier Institute after learning that he is a mutant himself. He joins theNew X-Men and later joinsX-Force.
During theKrakoan Age, Elixir joinsthe Five, using his healing abilities in combination with other mutants toresurrect the dead.[1]
Elixir first appeared inNew Mutants (vol. 2) #5 (November 2003), and was created byNunzio DeFilippis,Christina Weir, andKeron Grant.[2] Elixir was introduced as a member of the Reavers, joining the Xavier Institute, appearing in the remainder of theNew Mutants, before appearing as a featured character inNew X-Men (vol. 2).
Elixir appeared as a member ofX-Force (vol. 3). During theUtopia era andKrakoan Age, he appeared in minor appearances throughout many books.
Joshua Foley's powers first manifest during his time as a member of the anti-mutant group theReavers. His powers initially go unnoticed by the other Reavers, and he uses them to save fellow mutantLaurie Collins.[3] Outed as a mutant and thrown out of his house by his parents, Joshua reluctantly joins theXavier Institute for Higher Learning and becomesProdigy's roommate.[4][5] His parents signlegal guardianship over toDanielle Moonstar.[6]
A depoweredRahne Sinclair visits theX-Mansion. Joshua is instantly smitten by the new "wild child" Rahne,[7] and sneaks out of the Institute at night to go to a bar where Rahne is playingpool. A connection is established between them as Joshua shows an immediate understanding of her inner struggle. As the two kiss, Joshua unconsciously restores Rahne's powers. She loses control and mortally wounds Joshua. WithArchangel, the mansion's other healer, absent, the residents resort to electrically shocking Josh awake so that he can heal himself. As an unexpected side effect, Josh's skin and hair turn a reflective gold color.[8][9] He is assigned to Danielle Moonstar'sNew Mutants squad and given the codename Elixir.[3]
Rahne attempts to end her relationship with Elixir after she becomes a teacher at the school, but Elixir is persistent and they continue to see each other secretly. However, when Rahne witnesses him on a date with Laurie, she ends the relationship. Elixir is depressed at first, but eventually realizes that it was for the best and pursues a relationship with Laurie.[10]
The events of "House of M" leave only 27 students with their powers, with Elixir being among them.[3] Fearing their safety,Emma Frost orders the students and staff to leave the institute.[11] However, many of the students are killed whenWilliam Stryker bombs a bus carrying them. Josh is unable to heal his dying classmates in time, and becomes severely depressed and loses confidence in his abilities. Elixir participates in a melee fight organized by Emma Frost to join herNew X-Men and makes the team.[12] After Stryker has Laurie Collins killed, Elixir uses his powers to kill Stryker, which causes his skin to turn black.[13][14][3]
Before the other students are teleported toLimbo, theStepford Cuckoos help Elixir learn advanced science by giving him information taken fromBeast's mind. This increases his power exponentially, allowing him to heal otherwise fatal injures with a touch. He also masters his "black abilities" by being able to switch instantly from golden/healing to black/disease-causing.[15][3]
Due to Elixir being a "problem" toX-Force, X-23 contacts the Stepford Cuckoos to help Rahne and erase Elixir's memories of the team at his request. However, before his memories can be erased, X-Force is interrupted and sent on a mission. Elixir joins X-Force and receives a dark-colored uniform. He helps his new team captureVanisher, creating a deadly tumor in Vanisher's brain. Elixir keeps X-23 from killing herself after she becomes infected with theLegacy Virus and manages to purge the virus from her body.[16]
During the "Necrosha" storyline, Elixir faces off againstWither in a fight to the death. Elixir shifts to his black form, then reverses the effects of Wither's powers before turning him to dust. Shortly afterward, Elixir quits X-Force, stating that he is having difficulty shifting out of his black form.[17]
Elixir later resurfaces, having joined a church group to help find himself, when he is tracked down bySabretooth andM. While there, the group is attacked by theDark Riders and most of the church volunteers are killed. Elixir is shot and killed byGauntlet,[18] but manages to resurrect himself after being buried.[19][20]
AfterSurge andHellion contract the Legacy Virus, Elixir cures them, but falls into a coma as a result of the strain. He is later sought out byHrimhari when Wolfsbane collapses after a battle withFrost Giants.[21] Upon arriving on Utopia, Hrimhari makes a deal withHela after learning that Rahne is pregnant with his child and may not survive childbirth. Unable to choose between his lover or his child to save, Hrimhari requests Hela heal Josh so that he can save Wolfsbane and their child. Elixir heals her by transferring some of her baby's strength to her to ensure that she can survive the pregnancy.[22]
Elixir andExodus are later approached byMagneto to help contain Mothervine, a biotech enhancement that triggers mutations and was released worldwide by Miss Sinister,Havok, Emma Frost, andBastion. Elixir neutralizes all samples of the Mothervine serum, putting an end to the threat.[23]
WhenProfessor X establishes a mutant nation onKrakoa, Elixir is revealed to be part of a group known as "The Five". Besides Elixir, the Five is made up of Goldballs (Fabio Medina),Proteus,Tempus, andHope Summers, who combine their abilities to resurrect deceased mutants.[24][25][26][20][3]
Elixir is anOmega-level mutant with the ability to manipulate the structure of organic matter within his vicinity, including his own body.[27][8] Besides healing, he is capable of boosting and restoring mutant abilities,[28] and possesses a death touch that can swiftly kill others and temporarily turns his skin black.[14][9] Elixir is capable of cleansing the effects of drugs and curing theLegacy Virus and M-Pox.[16][29] He used his healing abilities to enable Wolfsbane to survive the birth of her andHrimhari's child Tier.[30] Elixir is virtually immortal due to his healing abilities enabling him to regenerate his body and resurrect himself if killed.[19]
Elixir later develops the ability to resurrect others.[19]Monet andMagneto speculate that he could do so to millions of people at once, but would lose his sanity in the process.[20]
Elixir is known for his signature golden skin, but he wasn't always like that. For a while, Elixir only had his mutant healing ability and not the physical aspect of his mutation. It was only after Elixir used his ability to heal himself after a fight with Wolfsbane that his strange skin color appeared.Most of the time, Elixir's skin is golden, but if he uses his Omega-level abilities to hurt someone, his skin turns a metallic shade of black.
[Goldballs] and four other mutants (Proteus, Elixir, Tempus and Hope) are the key to a process that can bring dead mutants back to life. This issue reveals that the "balls" Fabio shoots from his chest are actually eggs. When those eggs are energized by Proteus, rendered genetically ripe by Elixir, incubated by Tempus and topped off by Hope's power of mutant synergy, they can be transformed into pods capable of producing cloned mutant bodies.
We learn in House of X #5 that thanks to the combined efforts of five lesser known X-Men — Elixir, Goldballs, Eva Bell, Proteus, and Hope Summers — Xavier has turned the mutant island of Krakoa into a living mutant resurrection machine.
