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| Gentle | |
|---|---|
 Gentle bySkottie Young | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | New X-Men vol. 2 #23 (April 2006) |
| Created by | Craig Kyle Chris Yost Mark Brooks |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Nezhno "Nez" Abidemi |
| Species | Human mutant |
| Team affiliations | New X-Men Storm's training squad Xavier Institute X-Men-In-Training Jean Grey School Students Jean Grey's X-Men |
| Abilities |
|
Gentle (Nezhno Abidemi)[a] is a character appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. Originally fromWakanda, Gentle is amutant with the ability to increase his muscle mass, giving him immense strength. The character has commonly been depicted as a member of the student body of theXavier Institute and has also been part of theX-Men.
Gentle first appeared inNew X-Men (vol. 2) #23 (April 2006), and was created byCraig Kyle,Christopher Yost, andMark Brooks.
In January 2022, Marvel Comics ran a voting contest where voters could pick between one of ten characters to join the X-Men: Gentle,Armor,Gorgon,Micromax,Penance,Avalanche,Bling!,Firestar,Siryn, andSurge.[1] In July 2022, Gentle 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 Gentle losing the vote.[2]
Prior toM-Day, Nezhno Abidemi was part ofStorm's unseen squad.[b] He retains his powers following M-Day, when theScarlet Witch removed the powers of most mutants on Earth, and remains at theXavier Institute.[volume & issue needed] When the remaining students compete to join the X-Men,Emma Frost does not allow Nezhno to participate.[3]
It is later noted that Nezhno is fromWakanda, and he was the only student allowed to attend the wedding of Storm and the king of Wakanda, theBlack Panther.[4][5][6]
Nezhno is among the students who are listening toBlindfold's story aboutMagik,Belasco, andLimbo. He, with the other students are transported to Limbo. It is revealed that Nezhno's codename is Gentle and he has the ability to temporarily increase the mass of his muscles.[7]
After escaping from Limbo, Nezhno goes into a deep meditative state to calm himself and to pray about his "violence" in defense of his friends. It is revealed that his power places large amounts of strain on his body and could potentially kill him.[volume & issue needed]
When aO*N*ESentinel attacks theXavier Institute, Gentle pushes his powers to their limits to protect his fellow students, despite being warned against doing so by headmasterScott Summers. He is attacked by the Sentinel and rendered unconscious.[8]
WhenPredator X attacks the Institute, Gentle andArmor hold off the creature whilePixie teleports them to what remains ofMuir Island. Once there, they continue their fight with Predator X.[9]
Days after the events of "Messiah Complex", Nezhno decides to return to Wakanda. He is relieved to be free of the pestering of his former classmates, saying that they "nearly destroyed [him] with their insanity". During his return, he is ostracized by his fellow Wakandans, including his mother. His father was Russian, and therefore he is seen as an outsider. Nezhno reflects that the only people who accepted him were the New X-Men, and he regrets having pushed them away.[10]
Nezhno kills a Wakandan priest and is then placed in jail; however, Storm does not believe he is responsible until she is shown security footage. Storm notices Nezhno acting out of character when he winks at the camera. She asks him to wink for her, but he does not know how to do so. Storm has Nezhno freed, declaring him innocent. Later the Black Panther orders his execution and winks at Storm. It is revealedShadow King has possessed Nezhno and framed him. After the Shadow King is defeated, Nezhno returns to the United States.[11]
AfterNorman Osborn declares martial law on San Francisco and the X-Men fight theDark Avengers, Cyclops moves the mutants to Utopia, an artificial island off the coast of San Francisco.[12] After a rogue Sentinel attacks Utopia, Gentle sides with Wolverine and moves toWestchester to enroll in the newly established Jean Grey School.[13][14][15]
AfterJean Grey is resurrected, Gentle joins her newly createdRed Team, along with Storm,Namor, andTrinary.[16][17]
During the arcThe Long Shadow, Black Panther visits a terraformed Mars to talk to his ex-wife Storm. A secret meeting between T'Challa and Gentle reveals that Gentle had been part of a Wakandansleeper agent program.[18]
Gentle has the ability to temporarily increase the muscle mass of his body to extreme levels. He can will himself to immediately grow and strengthen to the extent that he can lift at least 100 tons.[11] However, he cannot sustain his maximum strength for long since it causes massive strain on his body and leads to seizures. Hisvibranium tattoos help to keep his powers in check and glow when he is powered up.[19][6][5]
Gentle once claimed to lack anysense of touch. It is later revealed that his pain at power use and his touch insensitivity stemmed from subconscious restraints he placed on himself due to the verbal and physical abuse he suffered from his mother. After overcoming his trauma with help from Jean Grey, Nezhno regains his sense of strength and can now use his powers without any detriment. According to Jean, Gentle is potentially powerful enough to go toe-to-toe with theHulk.[20][6]
Nezhno is a calm andpassive individual and is often seen meditating. Though not cold, he does not speak much. He seems to hold strongpacifistic beliefs and refrains from any sort of violence, though those may originate from the self-lethal nature of his mutation. His codename is taken from these beliefs.[6]
An alternate universe version of Gentle appears inAge of X.[volume & issue needed]
Gentle makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in theX-Men '97 episode "Remember It".[21]
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.
With Avalanche, Gorgon, Micromax and Gentle dealing with losing their vote in these digital-only strips from tomorrow's Hellfire Gala, that won't appear in the comic book.
Gentle, also known as Nezhno Abidemi, stands out among the X-Men not only for his immense power but also for his origins in the advanced nation of Wakanda. His mutant ability allows him to drastically increase his muscle mass and strength to superhuman levels, rivaling even the Hulk. However, this comes at a steep price. Each use of his power causes immense physical strain, threatening to break his body down from within. For years, Gentle relied on vibranium-infused tattoos to help regulate the damage, but it wasn't until Jean Grey intervened and helped him confront deep psychological trauma that he was finally able to wield his strength without catastrophic consequences.
Another cool Wakandan mutant is Nezhno Abidemi, aka Gentle, who was first introduced in 2006. He is best recognized by his vibranium tattoos that seemingly help him keep his intense powers in check and help him stay in control. He is incredibly powerful, being able to increase his muscle mass, strength, and durability to rival Colossus and even the Hulk. However, what sets him apart is that his codename describes his pacifist and meditative nature.
Wakandan mutant Gentle and Namor the Sub-Mariner are the first two mutants revealed as part of Jean Grey's X-Men Red team.
Recognizable mutants in Genosha include Wiz-Kid, Leech, Glob Herman, Pixie, The Fallen (an alt-reality version of Warren Worthington III), Nature Girl, Gentle, Multiple Man, Exodus, Dazzler, Boom Boom, Archangel, Squidboy, Marrow, and frankly too many more to name them all.
